There are lot of strange folks out there, and personally I find religious extremists to be some of the worst. There’s a small church full of nutters in the US, I think in Kansas, that for years were attending funerals for US service people. They would wave signs and chant slogans saying that God was punishing those folks because of policies allowing gays to serve in the military. Imagine being a bereaved husband or wife or child and having to put up with that noise and image during your loved one’s funeral. Those idiots are probably ranting right now about how God sent the coronavirus to punish us all for our sins.
Guns are a big deal in America with the fight about second amendment rights creating a wedge issue that both parties exploit. The metrics demonstrate that long guns with large capacity magazines don’t account for many lost lives at all. Still, mass killings are an emotional issue and the 24/7 news cycle goes berserk, with CNN raving about assault weapons and Fox siding with the NRA. Handguns are implicated in plenty of suicides, but that’s a mental health issue which doesn’t swing enough votes.
Evangelical Christians make up a minority of Americans but they’ve got it in their heads that Christian traditions, rights and values are under attack in America, so that’s become another wedge issue for voters. Try being out as an atheist in America and see how comfortable those Christians make life for you.
Healthcare is another big wedge issue in America. It would seem the economy would benefit from a healthy, productive population but the effort to provide universal healthcare to all Americans has been tagged with the evil “socialism” label by Republican strategists. Oddly enough the latest pandemic might turn this into an issue that benefits Democrats in 2020 as the economy is crashing and millions of folks are losing their jobs along with whatever healthcare option their jobs might have provided.
There’s been an odd pushback against scientists and technical experts in the US for quite some time. Many elected officials make official policy while completely neglecting the scientific research. Perhaps they’re doing what they think Jesus would do, or what they think is best for their short-term reelection goals, or “damn the science, this is what we think is best for the economy”? Meanwhile their children and the children of the families downwind in the neighboring states are getting asthma and other nasty illnesses at increasing rates.
Abortion is another wedge issue in the US. The constitution doesn’t say anything about it. It’s really a women’s rights issue, about exercising control over her own body.
These issues often dictate how hard-core Republicans and Democrats will vote, but increasingly the majority of voters in the US are registered as Independent, perhaps in part signifying their disgust with both parties. That would be me. The election cycle is in full swing, with an apparent “Trump versus Biden” outcome unless coronavirus nails one of them. Two tired old white men. Pretty much describes political power in the US.
I wonder who the evangelicals or the science deniers or anti-vaxxers think might protect them from COVID-19 if not scientists? Perhaps God did send COVID-19 to clean out the gene pool a bit? Nah, it’s just another one of those random things, although science probably tells us that these events are going to become more common rather than less. Might as well buy stock in companies that are developing or offer solutions for this sort of problem, including enabling a functional economy during periods of social isolation. In my final years at the giant aerospace company, telecommuting was not even allowed, a stupid and counter-productive policy. Wonder if that has finally changed?
Wups, had to take a break from this rant to watch a giant manta ray swimming around JollyDogs investigating the dining options. Perhaps the best part of this cruising life? Having time to reflect, then leave the noise behind.
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