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Editorials/Column
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Who Needs Decency?
T he first thing I thought when I heard about Joe Biden being accused of sexually assaulting his for- mer aide 27 years ago was, "does it even matter?" My cynicism wasn't a shot at the alleged victim. It was more of a dig at the notion that this kind of political scandal could actually be an issue during the upcoming race for
the presidency.
I could see these allega-
tions being a problem for Biden if he were running against someone like Barack Obama, a person with a nearly stainless track record. But Biden's oppo- nent is none other than Donald J. Trump, a guy who was once caught on audio tape telling an inter- viewer, “When you're rich they (women) let you get away with anything. I just
grab 'em by the p----.” Surely Biden's boorish
behavior, if true, couldn't be any worse than Trump’s? And, with that being the case, shouldn't Biden's ac- tions, and those admitted by Trump, cancel each other out? I mean, whether it's dog crap or bull crap, once you step in a pile your shoes are going to emit the same type of funk.
With Trump's election 4 years ago, America, basically, threw the entire premise of elected officials having to be men or women of upstand- ing character straight out the window. In the post-Trump era inappropriate touching and public vulgarity isn't any more disqualifying to a can- didate than crooked teeth or bad hair.
This, unfortunately, is yet another part of the sour
legacy Trump will leave be- hind after he's long gone. It isn't only the fact that he'll be widely considered the dumb- est person to hold the office (use disinfectant to clean the inside of your body? Really dude?), it's that he's lowered the bar for what's acceptable so low that it will be almost impossible to justifiably con- demn a candidate's behavior going forward without hear- ing the retort, "didn't Trump do far worse?"
Unless Biden is brought up on charges, (which is highly unlikely considering the recent credibility issues that have surfaced regarding the woman who made the al- legations), it's hard for me to imagine Trump, or anyone in his camp, strongly going after Biden due to the fact that they would come off as super-sized hypocrites. And that, at least to me, is the real irony and true shame of it all.
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A Warning Before Daylight
We continue to congratulate Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa’s City Council, and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for the SAFER At HOME policy and hope they stay the course, listen to doctors and scientists, and refuse to go blindly into what Governor Ron DeSantis, President Donald Trump, and a bevy of oth- ers would have us believe . . . it is a bright new day, just around the corner.
Scientists and medical experts are conspicuously quiet, while others say our lay leaders lie. We agree. So, what does the confusion and heroism mean for us citizens? Who should we listen to? Listen to the medical experts!
Following is our response to DeSantis, Trump, and other lay officials: Continue to stay at home except for trips to the grocery store and pharmacy. If you are elderly, have diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart condition, or other illnesses, ignore DeSantis and Trump and lay offi- cials.
Yes, we understand our governor’s argument for the salvation of small businesses. However, small businesses still won’t survive when they open if their staff and clients don’t wear face masks and gloves, and don’t practice social distancing. Or, if clients stay at home and wait for scien- tists and doctors to say we no longer have to practice social distancing.
Our economy must take a second seat in Black commu- nities that must continue to practice the personal health and safety instructions to avoid surging infections and deaths. So, do your best with the hair you’ve got... Let your ’fro grow. Polish your own nails and toes. Do push-ups, crunches, and sit-ups in your own make-shift gym at home.
Delay family gatherings, celebrations, and parties to protect the elderly and at risk members of your family. But for God’s sake, don’t be naïve!
The Coronavirus continues to rage in our communities where more Blacks and other minorities are dying in larger numbers than other groups.
So, we urge our local leaders to maintain common sense, to listen to scientists and doctors, and to proceed with caution. Come election time, we shall share the love.
How Long Must This Go On?
First and most pressing is, when will the country be open for business again? Unfor- tunately, no one really knows.
People who have been following the pandemic use Italy as a benchmark, where the
disease hit the earliest (in terms of Western countries) and most aggressively. As of April 3, Italy’s crisis seems to have peaked, but other European countries, and the U. S. have yet to come close to peaking, which may not happen until mid-May, if everyone fol- lows the Italy timeline – which not everyone is. (The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation [IHME] reports pandemic peak projections by state at healthdata.org).
The best-case scenario is that the disease peaks in mid-May, ebbs by the middle of June, and we can return to some semblance of normal by August. If it is that short-lived (and if that doesn’t sound “short-lived” just remember how g------n long March felt, there might not be much lasting impact at all – if the CARES Act does what it was supposed to
do.There is a historical precedent we need to bear in mind, and that is the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, one aspect of which is often forgotten: it came in two waves. The first wave in early 1918 was virulent, but not appreciably worse than a normal flu. So when new cases waned as the weather warmed, everyone let down their guard. Then the virus mutated, and the second wave, which hit in fall 1918, was the deadly one. The death toll is estimated to have been anywhere from 17 to 50 million – and possibly as high as 100 million. The key to keeping it from being even worse was quarantining. Cities that insti- tuted lockdown early in the crisis had fewer deaths than cities that instituted them later. And evidence from the current pandemic strongly suggests that the self-quarantining and social distancing are actually working. As frustrating, maddening and boring as it has been, the alternative is far worse. What is not yet clear from the health data is whether we are likely to face some level of social distancing again later in the year if it pulls a 1918 on us.
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A