Contagion

I still remember September 11, 2001, and its aftermath vividly; hell, we’re still dealing with the fallout of a response shrouded in fear and endless revenge. But these days I’m much more concerned about how around 3,000 people are dying every couple days in large part because our president* has repeatedly lied about the pandemic and hampered our ability to deal with it effectively.

But what would you expect from a guy who almost 19 years ago publicly boasted (and lied) that now he had the tallest building in Manhattan and who not even 6 months ago said, “I don’t take any responsibility at all,” for his administration’s failed response to the pandemic?

Once again I am reminded of Milton’s “Lycidas”:

The hungry sheep look up and are not fed,
But swoll’n with wind, and the rank mist they draw,
Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread.