Durango, Colorado: Small city of

Big Mitzvahs.

Jeffy! Please explain what a mitzvah is? Can I eat or drink it? Is it a cure for Covid-19? Is it an animal, mineral or vegetable? 

Nope. None of the above. A mitzvah is “an individual act of human kindness.” (From Wikipedia).

It’s a good deed. 

Since moving here I’ve been on the receiving end of more than a few “random acts of kindness.” Here’s some examples: 

A) While mountain biking in August I broke my rib and lost my I Phone at the same time. A Good Samaritan returned the phone to me via a drop off point. When I offered a reward for his honesty, his answer?  “That isn’t necessary. Just pay it forward.” 

Awesome! (BTW. My rib remained broken)

B) in November, I ventured into my favorite brewpub when I turned 65. I mentioned to the always friendly bartender, it was my birthday. Upon hearing that, she poured me a Double IPA (gratis), lied and told me I looked a lot younger than 65 and best of all came around the bar to give me a hug! (Body contact was allowable in 2019.) 

C) When I was running dangerously low on IPAs. I drove to the local liquor store to purchase more. After choosing two cases of the “Nectar of the Gods” I went to pay. I told the easy going cashier,  “I’ll drop this case off in my car and come back for the second one.” I shlepped the case outside, placed it lovingly in my vehicle and turned to get the other 24. Wouldn’t you know it, that nice young man had followed me out with the second case. 

I was shocked. “Thanks! This would never happen on the Front Range of Colorado.” 

His reply? “No problem. This is how we do things here. Welcome to Durango.”

All fine gestures of goodness. Right?

However the above are all minor mitzvahs compared to the kindheartedness I recently witnessed in the Parkside Terrace neighborhood.

Let’s face it, Covid-19 has disrupted all our lives. Innocent outings and events we once took for granted have gone away after the first Covid cough and fever. We miss the normalcy of eating in a restaurant, going to a movie and for some, the tradition of a college graduation.  

At Parkside Terrace, one of our neighbors is Emma, a shy, soft spoken, soccer playing 2020 Fort Lewis College graduate. For her, there would be no official college finish line. 

No graduation ceremony for Emma? No way! Fellow neighbors Molly and Tanya (both FLC Alumni) flew into action. Molly created this invitation for all. But that was just the beginning. 

On Graduation Day, Emma was coaxed out of her home by Tanya. On went Emma’s cap and gown. Out came a few tears. To the strains of piped in “Pomp and Circumstance” Emma did a skateboard lap around the townhomes. She was closely followed by an admiring crowd.

After her Graduation March the convocation began. Emma received a prerecorded inspiring personalized commencement speech. Then Molly gave an Atta-Girl talk to Emma. It was Emma’s special day so she got the last word in. Emma told the audience about her hopes and dreams. She concluded with a sincere “Thank You!”

Then the party began! Custom made FLC hats with tassels were tossed into the air. Fireworks were lit. Molly’s husband, Ethan brought out multiple trays of appetizers. Bottles of booze and hand sanitizers mysteriously appeared on the tables. Beer cans were popped open.Upbeat music and laughter were heard. 

It was wonderful.

All because two Saints displayed empathy towards a woman half their age. 

That’s a mitzvah!

Last photo: There’s an abundance of Do-Gooders in Durango. This was my attempt to hold their wheels.

When presented with a choice. Choose being kind. 

“Sometimes people mistake the way...

 I talk for what I am thinking.”

“You cannot run faster than a bullet.”

“The problem with me is that I am fifty to one hundred years ahead of my time. My speed is very fast. Some ministers have had to drop out of my government because they could not keep up.” 

“There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.”

“I have to keep law and order and it means I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.”

“I am the hero of Africa.” 

Quotes from Idi Amin Dada

Don’t recall Idi? Here’s a brief WW J history lesson.

In 1971 Chief of Staff Idi Amin staged a military coup of Uganda’s civilian government. At first he promised free elections. That didn’t happen. One week after the coup, he declared himself President and Field Marshall of Uganda. Soon thereafter segments  of the Ugandan Constitution were suspended. Later on Military Tribunals replaced the court system. Then the killings began. It’s been estimated 300,000 Ugandans were murdered in a country of 12 million.(Source NY Times). Lucky Ugandans were just exiled. All of this death and destruction sowed havoc on Uganda’s economy. This reign of chaos and terror lasted eight years. 

Amin’s oversized persona was a magnet for the media. The Dictator made good copy with his impulsive, erratic and insane behavior. 

“He is killer and clown, big-hearted buffoon and strutting martinet.”

• Uganda. Amin:The Wild Man of Africa, March 07, 1977, Time magazine.

'Capricious, impulsive, violent and aggressive he certainly is, but to dismiss him as just plain crazy is to underestimate his shrewdness, his ruthless cunning and his capacity to consolidate power with calculated terror,'' wrote Christopher Munnion, a reporter for The Daily Telegraph. 

Historians postulate Amin’s detachment from reality was a result of never being treated for syphillus. He was a Madman for a reason. As the quip went, “Look what VD did to Idi.”

Fast forward to the present President of the US. For many years the Commander in Tweet has entertained a worldwide audience with a daily dollop of “Deep State” conspiracy theories and demagogue rants. All spoken or typed out with little regard for truth or facts. For the sake of brevity, I’ll limit his drivel to the current Covid -19 crisis.

 Notes:  The Coronavirus threat was included in the President’s Daily Briefing in early January 2020. Source: ABC News

In 2018, the Trump Administration fired the US Pandemic Response Team (Source https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-fire-pandemic-team/ ) 

AND other cost saving measures...

“The Trump administration cut staff by more than two-thirds at a key U.S. public health agency operating inside China, as part of a larger rollback of U.S.-funded health and science experts on the ground there leading up to the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters has learned. Most of the reductions were made at the Beijing office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and occurred over the past two years, according to public CDC documents viewed by Reuters and interviews with four people familiar with the drawdown. … The CDC’s China headcount has shrunk to around 14 staffers, down from approximately 47 people since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, the documents show. The four people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the losses included epidemiologists and other health professionals…” 

But Hey! We have Space Farce ($40 billion) and the Great Wall of Racism (estimated $15 billion source High Country News). 

January 22. “It’s just one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

Feb. 10: “Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. 

Feb. 27: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

Feb. 28: “Now the Democrats are politicizing the Coronavirus...”One of my people came up to me and said. Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn’t work out too well...and  now this is their new hoax.”

March 9: “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!” — Trump in a tweet.

March 16: Trump makes a rare rational speech by announcing nationwide social distancing recommendations 

.

March 24: “Easter Is a very special day for me. And I see it sort of in a timeline that I’m thinking about. And wouldn’t it be great to have all the churches full?”

April 18: “It’s going to be up to the Governors. I think we are going to see quite a few states starting to open. And I call it a beautiful puzzle. You have 50 pieces, all very different, and when it’s all done, it’s a mosaic. It’s going to be, I think a very beautiful picture.”

April 19: “Liberate Michigan! Liberate Minnesota! Liberate Virginia!” Trump in a Tweet in apparent support of protestors who are opposed to state closures and restrictions. 

I’ve saved the best for last!

April 23: “I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute," the president said. "And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that."

As of this post, here’s our present Covid-19 situation.

Confirmed 983K

Recovered 109K

Deaths 55,156

My Fellow Americans, I think it’s time for us to remove the Latex gloves. Let’s admit the President is wearing no clothes. Please let’s stop justifying his remarks by saying, “Oh that’s Trump being Trump.” NO! The President is a Whacko! A Nut job! He’s Looney Tunes! Trump’s train is running with empty cars! He’s mushuga! (That’s Yiddish for crazy.)

What I’m about to say is not meant for the titanium Trump supporters. You will cling to him no matter what he says, Tweets or does. Apparently, he’s giving you what you crave. (How’s that tax break for the wealthy going for you?)

Nor am I speaking to the Democrats (like me) who would prefer Lady Gaga in the White House over this Piece of Work.

No. This goes out to the Republicans who sat on the sidelines in 2016.

And the 2016 Moderates who were interested in “Draining the Swamp” but now realize that ecological niche has been replaced by a poop containing cesspool. 

And the Bernie Supporters who didn’t like the way the game got played so they took the ball and went home. 

Folks! Unless you want four more years of lunacy... (like Idi Amin)

Vote Blue no matter who.

Last photo: Decisions! Decisions!

I’m not a Sociologist nor...

do I play one on Facebook or TV. 

BUT! I am an avid people watcher. As Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot by just watching."

Here’s what I’ve noticed.

Many of you have been withdrawing from other humanoids for decades. In some ways, the current social distancing has been prevalent (minus the six-foot physical spacing) for quite some time. 

Examples provided: 

The multitudes of people we see staring (in an opioid state) at a palm-sized inanimate object while the World goes by around them.

The rocket-like take off of texting over talking.   Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association states that 6 billion SMS messages are sent each day in the US, over 180 billion are sent each month, and 2.27 trillion are sent each year. According to Portio Research, the world will send 8.3 trillion SMS messages this year alone – 23 billion per day or almost 16 million per minute.Mar 6, 2017

All those Dudes and Dudettes wearing earbuds or headphones on streets, public transportation and wilderness trails. In 2013, 286 million headphones were sold worldwide. By 2019, the figure was 400 million. Source: Statista.com 

The explosion of “Emotional Support Animals” in the US. 

“In 2011, the National Service Animal Registry, a for-profit company that sells official-looking vests and certificates for owners, had 2,400 service and emotional support animals in its registry. Now the number is nearly 200,000.” 

Source New York Times.

On a similar note, there are many single folks who have unfurled the White Flag on finding a significant other. The reason? They are already in a deep relationship...with their dog!

The Facebook phenomenon where you can be whoever you want to be in front of 1000’s of “Friends”, many whom you have never met or will ever meet. 

Locally, I’ve noticed phantom neighbors who drive into their attached garages never to be seen again.

On a National scale, a demagogue won the Electoral vote on a campaign based upon fear, divisiveness and exclusion. 

No wonder people are turning inward. 

Now the Covid-19 virus has instilled a new kind of fear in all of us. 

We look at strangers as if they are malaria carrying mosquitoes. 

An innocent trip to the grocery store feels like we’ve walked into an armed robbery, masked intruders and all. Then you realize, you’re wearing a mask too. 

A little gimpy legged senior citizen like myself can now intimidate younger, stronger and larger men from approaching me. Some will avert their eyes as I pass by. I’m not a leper! 

I’ll admit it, I’m feeling isolated and lonely. A lot of folks are. Even a sociable hermit like myself enjoys the company of people every now and then. 

Many of my virtual acquaintances believe something positive will emerge from the current calamity. I think they imagine a worldwide group hug. I doubt it. A form of social distancing has been going on for sometime. Covid-19 has ramped it up to the next level.

Now being engrossed in an I Phone, wearing headphones or carrying an emotional support duck doesn’t seem so bad.

Is it summer yet?

Jeff