Trump and the Republicans are the party of death. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the battle over the stimulus bill. Boeing and corporations generally, not the health of the American people, was their chief concern. On the other hand, Democrats and their leaders fought for life and aid for tens of millions in need. Bravo to them for fighting the good fight and, as a result, making the bill significantly better.

Just finished Masha Gessen’s book on Putin’s rise to power and consolidation of autocratic, one man rule. It gave me a sense of what a second term for Trump might look like.

I called an old Canadian friend of mine who lives on Prince Edward Island. It is an island province covering a small territory and possessing anything but a dense population. It has no large cities. In our conversation, he told me that he and his wife were sheltering-in-place, which prompted me to ask him how many cases of Covid-19 have been reported on the island. He said two so far. What I drew from his answer is that the province (and I’m sure much the same measures are in effect across Canada), thanks to their leaders, and Prime Minister Trudeau in the first place, are determined to take the necessary and preemptive measures to slow down and, as soon as possible, flatten out the growth curve of the virus’s spread.

I also couldn’t help but contrast the seriousness of purpose that frames the Canadian response with the flatfooted, inept, callous, and irresponsible response by Trump and his administration. By his actions and inactions,Trump has thrown us into harm’s way, despite the heroic efforts of governors, mayors, health care experts and providers, first responders, public sector workers, and many others.

Pelosi, Schumer, and Congressional Democrats did well in fighting for a better stimulus package. And bear in mind, the balance of power in Washington isn’t in their favor. Moreover, they also had to be mindful of the desire of tens of millions to get something done, not to delay, even if it wasn’t the perfect bill.

I began reading a collection of MLK’s speeches and letters last night. I thought they might provide good therapy as well as political insights, given the times in which we live and the challenges that we face. And I had hardly turned a page when I came across this gem.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” ( Letter from a Birmingham Jail.)