I’m mad as hell and I can’t take it anymore

Date: 6/29/2020

I spend too much of my day being angry, which is not good for a fat old man.

The immediate result is a rapid depletion of my bourbon and Scotch supply and an increase in cigar consumption. The long-term reaction is I might wake up dead one morning.

Every day, though, I see people posting the most outrageous crap on social media to justify their own prejudice and laziness.

I don’t know if it’s getting to you, but I find myself consciously posting the most innocuous stuff just so I don’t have to interact with people. I have also hidden the posts of many people so I just don’t have to deal with their hate and stupidity.

Tired of the pandemic? Me, too. Want to catch the virus and get sick and potentially die? No? Me neither.

Believe you won’t catch it? Believe it’s a hoax? Believe your freedom is more important than the health of your friends and neighbors? Believe that a simple precaution such as a mask is tyranny? Okay. You have the right to your beliefs. It says so in the Constitution.

The posts I’ve seen are an embrace of selfishness and a rejection of community and responsibility.

I’ve slowly but surely arrived the horrible realization that for the country to truly unite, we have to have the equivalent of the Black Death, since so many people in this nation don’t really want to accept COVID-19 as a real threat.

To refresh your memory, The Black Death refers to the rise of the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages. Historians note the plague was responsible for the deaths of 30 to 60 percent of Europe’s population.

Is that what it’s going to take for you to understand the severity of our situation? I hope not, but apparently that may be what it takes.

In Massachusetts, people moan about wearing a facemask and the impact on business. The facemask issue is necessary. The business one is not so easy.

I applaud people such as Gov. Baker, members of the General Court and local mayors for seeking solutions to attempt to help people maintain jobs and businesses. I support the work on the federal level and people such as our congressman Richard Neal for what they have done.

 I think we’re lucky to live in a state where common sense has been exercised.

Here’s the problem though: every state needs more financial help and there are people on the federal level who are blocking it. It makes me angry there is even debate about this issue. Pass the Heroes Act. It’s cheaper than a crash of the economy.

So do we need a Great Depression along with a plague to make people understand what needs to be done?

Gee, I’m just getting started.

What is it about Black Lives Matter and trying to address centuries of injustice that people don’t get? What is it about correcting attitudes among some members of law enforcement to end unfair and often deadly treatment? Please explain why these things are being opposed?

To all of you who identify yourself as Christians or call yourself followers of the Constitution: did you miss a few days of Sunday School or history class? Remember the Golden Rule? How about applying that to your daily life.

Remember this? “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Does it say anything about this being just for white people?

Listen, we have a lot of work to do right now to try to keep people healthy and to restore jobs and the economy. Do you want to help? Treat people as you wish to be treated. Don’t make assumptions based on race. Be responsible about the pandemic. Support good police officers and demand reform. Shop at locally owned stores and try to keep your money within your community and region. Question what you see on social media. Try to be kind.

New edition

There is one thing I’m not angry about: Reminder Publishing has launched a new edition this week to serve Easthampton, Southampton and Westhampton. As a company we are fortunate to be able to expand at this time and bring additional coverage to these communities.