The Great Pause Part Two

by Hank Silverberg

It's Passover, a holiday where Jews around the world re-tell the story of our escape from slavery in Egypt over 3,500 years ago.

The name of the holiday comes from the story which is recounted in the Old Testament Book of Exodus (11:4-6). Jews put lamb's blood over their doorways as God eliminated the first born of the Egyptians as the tenth and final plague to convince the Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go. The Angel of Death passed over Jewish homes. You probably know the passages, though it is told a bit differently depending on which version of the Old Testament you read. 

It is an event that rings loudly this Passover as most Jews spent the holiday social distancing instead of holding huge Seders with extended family to commemorate our freedom from bondage.  My family, which often holds a huge Seder on whatever Saturday falls in the Passover week, was forced to do so virtually this year. Three generations linked on Zoom from eight different locations in Virginia, Connecticut, New Hampshire and  Massachusetts.    

We did it mostly for the youngsters. We read from a children's Haggadah, which tells the story so they can understand it. All of us were up on the screen so it was ALMOST like being there. 

 Here are some of the pictures from the Zoom chat. We had one I-phone focused on the Seder plate with all of the families on their laptops or desktops . It was wonderful, and with the mics open at times it sounded just like a normal Passover table.  

But this night was different from all others. We spent some times talking about how we are handling self quarantining. No family specifics here, but we are all having slightly different experiences, some good, some bad. 

Hopefully next year we can be together in person again with stories about how we survived what is being called the GREAT PAUSE. It was really great to see the whole family and catch up. Ironically, it was the first time in years that everybody made it to the Seder. 

For the rest of the world so far, the corona virus has spread almost like one of those ancient plagues. It makes no exception on who you are, though I have heard some Evangelical Christians have put red paint over their doors for some unknown reason. The pandemic does not discriminate, though there is evidence that the poor and those without health care have suffered more because of their general health conditions. As you have probably read, people over 65 with some other medical condition are most at risk.  But a majority of us have watched from the safety of our homes while our national leaders (read Donald J. Trump) appear incompetent, and our local leaders like governors and mayors look overwhelmed. 

We should yell out a big cheer to the people at the checkout counters at the supermarket who work for low wages and those driving 18 wheelers across the country to stock shelves. As usual, first responders, fire and police personnel were on the job and doing what they do well. It is the medical community who deserve the biggest kudos. They can't hide from the disease. They have to battle it everyday and a significant number of them have died because our federal government was slow to act and in some case  impeded local efforts.   

                    

(Social distancing at Costco entrance in Fredericksburg, VA Hank Silverberg, photo)

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-04-03/how-many-health-care-workers-have-coronavirus

And finally, on the pandemic. There are reports of a number of churches, mostly in the south, holding regular services on Easter Sunday. I know religion is important to many people and brings many other people solace in a time of trouble.  But an Episcopal Priest in Washington, D.C., held services before the lock-down three weeks ago, not knowing he had the virus, and some of his 400 parishioners soon got it too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/03/09/dc-priest-with-coronavirus-leads-prominent-historic-episcopal-parish/

Another minister trying to hold outdoor services for people in their cars got closed down by police because one governor had ordered all services cancelled. Public safety and the First Amendment continue to butt heads all over the country, and it's hard to sort out which will hurt us more--the impact of the virus or the erosion of our rights.  

But I really can't understand how anyone can be so irresponsible as to knowingly expose their relatives, friends, neighbors and fellow congregants to a deadly virus. I am not a theologian. But I don't think God would like that. Thou shalt not expose someone else intentionally to a deadly disease. Shame on them all.   

Meanwhile, the one steady thing we have had during this lock-down is mail delivered to our front door. Neither rain, nor sleet nor gloom of a pandemic has kept the postman from his appointed rounds. But the Trump Administration might. 

Closed businesses and social distancing have had a big impact on the bottom line for the United States Postal Service, which has been on shaky financial ground ever since it was severed from government financing decades ago. The Post Office has had trouble keeping up with the internet, Amazon, FedEx and other private companies for years. But now with stores and businesses closed, that junk mail you hate has mostly stopped and with it the millions of dollars in revenue that came in. Some estimates say the Postal Service has lost half it's business during the pandemic.  

The President has threatened to veto that two trillion dollar Corona-Virus Relief Act if it includes $24 million dollars for the Postal Service less than the amount the always profitable airlines would get.  A loan has been inserted instead. But that is not going to carry the mail very long. Mr. Trump has ranted against the Postal Service before. He still think's its taxpayer funded,which it is not. But it is mandated in the U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7).

The President has complained about the special bulk rate the Postal Service gives to Amazon, owned by Mr. Trump's bitter rival Jeff Bezos who owns both Amazon and The Washington Post.  

So add the mail as another thing to worry about while you sit at home trying to find positive things to do while you social distance. It's just another reason not to vote for Donald Trump in November. Let's hope Congress can stop him before he stops the mail.     

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-mail-trump-postal-service-20200411.html

There is one thing might actually help the Post Office. Several states, including Maryland, are setting up "voting by mail" for June primaries. This has been suggested for the General Election in November as well as a way of getting more people to vote. But Trump objects to ANYTHING that will get more people to the polls. He thinks the added voters might all be Democrats and hurt his chances for re-election. 

Virginia is striking back. In an effort to make it easier to vote, Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation this past weekend, eliminating the state's long-contested voter I.D. program which had made it difficult for some poor people to vote.    

This is another reminder that there is a presidential campaign underway. Bernie Sanders is gone, and Joe Biden has a clear shot at the Democratic nomination. He's promised to make a woman his running mate. My candidate would be Senator Amy Klobuchar, whom I thought would make a great president. She would balance the ticket, being a woman and a moderate from the Midwest. I hope Biden does not chose Elizabeth Warren, mainly because I would like to keep her in the Senate. She has been a strong force there. She would not be good for the ticket. She's an east coast liberal over 70, which will not play well on the ballot with another east coast Democrat over 70. If elected, Biden would be the oldest person ever elected to the job.   

The Democratic National Convention has been pushed back until August because of Covid-19, and we can all hope that the pandemic will be gone by then. (Maybe not.) The campaign has been quiet since the virus turned up, but it has not stopped the fundraising. Not a day goes by that I don't get a request from one Democrat or another asking for a donation. Since I was a working reporter most of my adult life, I have never given a nickle to a political campaign. It would have violated basic journalism ethics. Now, though I am free from that constraint, but so far I have not been inspired to send them any money.  

    

The Democratic National Committee sent me a plea for money by telling me that the Trump campaign has spent $24 million on Facebook in March alone, and that the Republican National Committee has raised $400 million. Well, that may be the case, but the Democrats still won't get any money from me right now. They are getting great campaign ads every time Mr. Trump holds one of those daily briefings and says something very stupid. This past week, when asked what "metrics" he would use to decide if the country's businesses should re-open, he pointed to his head and said, "the metrics in here". Well, that very dumb answer may have been worth about 100,000 votes for Biden by the time the election rolls around. We shall see.  I hope everyone had a good holiday. 

 I have promised to end my blog each week with some entertainment to lighten things up a bit. This week, my friend Dave Berger sings one of his own songs called, "May You." Dave tells me it's based on an Irish prayer. 

 (You can check out more of Dave's music on youtube by searching for David M. Berger)

               

   (If you are looking for something new to do while social distancing at home, let me suggest you purchase my book "The Campaign". It could keep you entertained for a few days. I'ts available in hardcover, paperback or e-book at both Amazon.com or BN.com. Or you can send me an email at HankSilverberg@gmail.com and I will tell you how to get a signed copy at a reduced price.)  

                                         

(You comments and suggestions are welcome in the comment section below)