I am thoroughly pissed off and wonder how I am going to survive my time alone in the house under “shelter in place” rules in Illinois. Let me share some thoughts.

To be personal, I am a Sagittarius and as such we tend to think “big picture”. I have often pondered if there would come a day in my lifetime when a germ of some sort would spring to life and invade the world. It always seemed logical to me that at some point something… maybe a virus, but something would come along and wreak havoc on the world’s human population. And if not a virus maybe a bacteria; we hear all the time that certain bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. After all, there have always been events throughout time that have ravaged the creatures that inhabited the Earth.

That time has come, much to my dismay and the dismay of billions around the globe. A Chinese virus code named COVID19 is among us and it is causing catastrophic problems in the world today. You cannot see it, smell it or hear it, but make no mistake it is here. China caused the outbreak, but the rest of the world is suffering from their ineptness. Deaths in Europe have surpassed those in China where this virus could have been contained.

That being said, let me say despite the potential for colossal numbers of deaths in the United States, we seem to be handling things pretty well as I write this blog on this day 20th day in March 2020. But the United States is handling it by shutting down. The engine of the economy is running out of gas as people are told to go home from work to hide out at home. Metaphorically, the lights are slowly dimming as the days pass and the infections steadily increase. In my imagination I picture a large automotive plant off in the distance and eerily the lights in the plant are orange like a sunset creating a sense of pending doom as I gaze upon it.

Doom is just one emotion. Many other words are being felt as everyone in the world is now aware of COVID19. And we are all experiencing some degree of hardship. I have been sequestered at home now since the beginning of March, not because I fear the virus, but because the “lights are dimming”. Stores are empty, restaurants are empty, and overall businesses are at half mast. We are literally shutting down as a Country. Only essential personnel are supposed to be out and about.

No doubt as you have been reading you have been asking why? Why am I so pissed for lack of a less coarse term? I am pissed because this could all have been avoided. My sequestration could have been avoided, my lack of funds to pay my bills due to shutdowns could have been avoided and most importantly the deaths of thousands could have been avoided. It pains me terribly to hear about an American family of 12 or so, losing 4 to the virus and of the remaining 8 are infected. The agony this family is experiencing cannot be put into words. And I repeat it again, this could all have been avoided.

China knew in very early December maybe even November they had a serious virus in their midst. But as with all totalitarian governments, they chose to keep it secreted within their Country in this case the Wuhan province. Anyone talking publicly about the virus would be immediately silenced. What that means I don’t know except that person disappears… death by another means.

When the Chinese virus arrived on our shores, it didn’t immediately cause chaos. Trump responded in accordance with what was happening on the ground largely on the west coast. His initial effort was to stop travel from China to the United States in January. But within just a few weeks, the virus started spreading across the U.S. and spreading fast. And Trump was just assembling a team to combat the virus. Trump was crucified in the media both right and left leaning media for not acting quicker. Personally I felt this torture was unjust. We are in uncharted waters. We don’t have a blueprint. He did what he thought was best. He didn’t for malicious reasons start slower than maybe he should have in building a defense against this virus. He did what he thought best and frankly part of his reasoning was to prevent widespread panic I’m sure.

As I sit here today, Trump seems to be getting things under control despite the infections continuing to rise. We have a population of 329 million people and today (update) 24,000 are known to be infected. That is 0.0729% of our population to give us perspective. So things are not out of control on Trump’s watch. That said, he has even gotten accolades from New York’s and California’s governors which is unprecedented. There suddenly seems to finally be a sense of cooperation between the Democrats and the Republicans.

It’s refreshing to see this change and yet 3 months ago impeachment trials were underway. Democrats were aggressively and egregiously pursing Trump for things of no consequence or true significance in the totality of government workings. My assessment is that Trump did nothing out of the ordinary. In any event, don’tA possible distraction for Trump wouldn’t you say and a blight on the house of Nancy Pelosi. How dare her.

I have rambled more than usual, but my thoughts are still collecting on this viral situation. I am pissed at the Chinese mostly. And their mishandling of COVID19 is causing me serious angst as I sit here with little to do; and further, it may cause a meltdown of my finances as my income has not arrived in the mail as usual. Of course my pain is insignificant compared to those that have lost a dearly loved one, but my point is that every American is being impacted in some way. Some more than others, but we all are suffering. And the tunnel we’ve entered has no light.