Are you, like me, one of those people who reads the news obsessively, hoping that something good will happen in place of the Plague, Fascism, Climate Crisis, Corruption… never mind, you all know the list, that’s not the road I’m on right now. Typically, the news can make me a little depressed (if I manage not to dwell on it), very anxious (the 2016 “election”) or furious (fascist terrorists threatening democratically elected officials to coerce them to let more people die).
Today feels different, and you may have already heard most or all of this but I’m in a sharing mood. (You can skip the rest of this article if you are looking to stay stuck in the depression-anxiety-rage cycle.) Also, I don’t want to take away from Kos poster Karij, who last posted April 29 and does us a great service by doing this regularly.
Here goes my list for today:
1 – General Strike. Amazon, Instacart, Target, Whole Foods, Walmart and other giants who are notoriously anti-union and exploitive of employees were hit by a strike that garnered massive media attention to labor issues. Their demands highlight pay inequity and worker safety issues, among others. None of these people are officially unionized, but that has not stopped them from organizing effectively.
2 – Rent strike. Huffington Post reports that “hundreds of thousands” of Americans are withholding rent, either because they can’t afford to pay it or in solidarity with those who can’t.
Together with #1 above, these 2 actions add up to what many hope will be a sustained and effective challenge to the status quo.
3 – Assault weapons banned in Canada. We are so close to that border (especially in Michigan)… I am saddened that it took a mass murder to accomplish this, but I’ll take what I can get. Add Canada to the list of “civilised” countries.
4 – Biden is finally addressing the Tara Reade allegations. Despite the heated denials by Biden’s supporters, many seem less than impressed by his longstanding refusal to deal with this issue. Today he has requested that the National Archives release the claim that Reade says she filed. Maybe this will lead to some resolution of the issue, which for the sake of removing Trump from office cannot be safely ignored. The link above is to an article on Alternet, which has also published articles that are very critical of Biden on the issue.
Meanwhile, today’s Huffington Post points out that what Biden is accused of doing, Trump has bragged about doing on tape.
In the interest of full disclosure, and irrespective or Reade’s allegations, I am not a Biden supporter. At the very least, I want a real Green New Deal, health care coverage for everyone, elimination of student debt and more. However, I am convinced that no sensible person can ignore the massive, dysfunctional, corrupt, racist damage being done by Trump et al, nor the fact that there is a significant difference between the 2 candidates.
5 – Grim reaper on Florida beaches. It may seem odd to consider this “good news”. I consider it freaking brilliant, and that’s good in my book.
6 – Ardern 65%, Bridges 7%. New Zealand opposition leader Simon Bridges has been sniping at PM Jacinda Ardern’s leadership, including the usual right-wing demand to support (big) business. In this case, his comments have backfired. It is refreshing to see a leader with sensible, compassionate, effective covid-19 policies garner this kind of support. One wishes more places had this kind of response to the pandemic. Which brings me back to Michigan.
7 – Governor Whitmer enjoys strong public support. Despite the armed fascists invading the state capital, and the misogynistic Covidiot-in-Chief, the Michigan governor enjoys strong support in the state. This is important, as it puts into perspective that Michiganders (who in many ways qualify as “middle-Americans”) are also in favor of sensible, caring, effective leadership. I will add, though, that people are right to insist that Michigan’s racial disparities must also be addressed.
8 – Covid-19: While the situation in the US is truly frightening, some countries are reporting impressive victories in the battle against the virus.
South Korea, 2nd only to China in covid cases in February of this year, has reported its first day of Ø new cases under extensive testing.
Taiwan reports no new cases for more than 2 weeks running.
New Zealand reports fewer than 10 new cases per day for nearly 2 weeks running, after a strict 5-week lockdown period and at present in a continuing state of “level 3 alert”, quasi-lockdown. 85% of all confirmed and probable cases are reported now as recovered.
Germany, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Denmark, Australia, Cuba, China and several other countries report significant downward trends in active cases; that is, reported cases that have not yet recovered or died from the virus are significantly down. Europe quickly became a huge center of concern from mid-March. Even Spain, France and Italy, who report the highest number of cases in the world aside from the US, report downward trends in active cases. Not to overplay this as good news; the number of deaths in many of these areas is still staggering, and the US is completely out of control while talk of “re-opening” grows more shrill and agitated.
To be clear, I am under no illusions about the state of the world; see paragraph 1. But each of these stories offers some hope going forward, and that is what we are called to do.
I am sure there is more that I’ve missed, so I’d be very happy to hear your good news stories. Please keep comments respectful, is all that I ask.
About me: I am an American living in Aotearoa/New Zealand. I grew up in Michigan, and still have family and friends there. I wish you all health and safety in these deeply troubling times.