Virus notes: June 3, 2020: Where was you on the night of June the third

MERCED (BLJ) – On June 3, Merced County Public Health Department reported 310 cases of COVID 19 (  new) and seven deaths.

California reported 117,587 cases (2,377 new) and 4,316 deaths (75 new).

The United States reported 1,890,083 cases (20,415 new) and 108,861 deaths (1,033 new).

The global report was 6,513,301 cases (117,973 new) and 386,091 deaths (5,511 new).

 

There have been words, so many, many words trying to describe, define, limit, and somehow make proper for consumption of the American television viewers what are, in fact, the ongoing and growing insults of each footfall on each public street, day and night, as the people take back public space that has been stolen from them by nearly imperceptible degrees for forty years. As for the feelings aroused by all this, that whole tumult between hope and despair, impatience and the courage of the deed, those are impossible to express at this time. The evil in that cop’s face as he sat, his knee on the neck of Mr. Floyd, and relished the life flowing out of him, “depraved indifference” doesn’t cover it, as the attorney general of Minnesota found and raised the charge to second degree murder as a consequence. We look at the face of Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on top of George Floyd, and you can almost hear his imitation of Bruce Lee’s eerie whine as his opponent dies. Only Lee’s opponent wasn’t handcuffed, outnumbered and at gunpoint.

So, to begin, we are marching against homicidal maniacs with badges. They exist and local jurisdictions need the power of the federal government to stop the atrocities.

But, of course, the federal government is in atrocious hands at the moment. I hope there are voter registrars among the marchers. I hope that demonstrators will feel that if one of their tasks on the way to real police reform is to Get Out The Vote on Tuesday, November 3.

You can begin to see the potential for real political change after nine days of demonstrations in all the major cities in the country and other cities as well. And so can those powerful forces who don’t want real change. So the game is going to get rougher and change, if it happens this time, is going to be brought about in anguish and anger.

And when the orators are is full cry, we should remember the feelings that got us here because it has been the emotion that is true, brilliant, and unstoppable.

And this feeling of revolt is not a lie. Do not betray it by intellectualizing it or ideologizing it or theologizing it. Accept its discomfort, its demand, and find justice. Reject the moral, political, ideological and religious hucksters that are just part of American society.  But let the contradictions breathe. Harken to Rev. Al but beware of all the Honorable Babbitts babbling at you to stop making them less comfortable and more indictable.

And let doubt and fear temper your anger, but not extinguish it. And do not forget to vote on November 3 to rid us of Der Trump.