This isn’t a socialist moment in a strategic sense, but it is a moment in which out of the interlocking crises, disrupting our lives, sometimes in deadly ways, our society can emerge more inclusive, our economy more just and sustainable, and our government, as it was in the Depression years, more attuned to the needs of the overwhelming majority.

Of course, it won’t happen on its own. It will take the the sustained, organized, and broad scale intervention of people and their elected representatives and social organizations as well as a good deal of fresh thinking and, of uppermost importance, the decisive defeat of Trump and the rest of the Republicans in the upcoming election.

Some things that immediately come to mind are:

1. The provision of whatever states and cities need to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, save the lives of infected people, and protect the health and lives of front line workers and communities that are feeling the heaviest impacts of this deadly pandemic.

2. The passage of another stimulus packages that is weighted to assist people in this time of grave need and restructure the economy in a more equitable and climate friendly direction.

3. The expansion of voter participation at the state and national level, as we resist the concerted campaign of Trump and the GOP to suppress the vote. Voting by mail should figure at the top of this effort.

I would add that sheltering in place and social distancing make broad participation more difficult. But, at the same time, there remain many things that we can do with the present messaging tools at hand. Moreover, with a little imagination much more is possible.

Usually lies contain a small grain of truth. But Trump’s lies in the midst of this pandemic fail that test. There’s no truth to be found in them. Nothing but pure lies. Up to now his allergy to the truth hasn’t come back to bite him too much. But here’s the problem for Trump and his supporters. In this time of a pandemic, his lies barely escape his mouth when they run headlong into people’s daily experience, say with the availability of testing, tells a different story. He can’t spin the present crises as he, Barr and others spun the Mueller report or the impeachment inquiry. And tens of millions understand this.

Just heard that teachers in a small town west of Kingston, where I live, organized a car caravan and drove through the town where they teach. Their horns were peeping the day away!

I read Emily St. John Mandel’s novel “Station Eleven” a year or so ago and thought at the time that it was a wonderful read, but the story line of a devastating pandemic seemed a bit of a stretch. The events of recent weeks unceremoniously dissolved that stretch.

In times like this I’m sure glad God made beer and wine!