On Robertson Mountain and Stony Man – Trump and Pence back in Washington, but not side by side – COVID and the senators – Evening statistics
The temperatures have fallen in the aftermath of a storm yesterday. I went with the Vigorous Hikers today to ascend Robertson Mountain and afterwards to go to the summit of Stony Man, which was quite cool. The view from Robertson was completely enshrouded with mist, but from Stony Man it was only partially concealed, with various peaks projecting through wreaths of cloud cover.
It not only was a good time to be in Shenandoah National Park today; it was a good time to be out of DC. Trump has again polluted the city with his presence, swerving not a bit from his claims of the election being “stolen” from him; and, with his eyes narrowed to slits, huge open mouth, and fingers curling back into oddly tentative fists, resembling nothing as much as an enormously overgrown infant having a tantrum. And Mike Pence was present as well, although no longer as a Trump ally. But although Trump’s faction at one point threatened him with execution and although Trump continues to excoriate him with his typical freedom and candor, Pence still refuses to criticize Trump outright. The closest he got to saying anything negative about the man whose adherents tried to kill him was: “I don’t know that the President and I differ on issues, but we may differ on focus,” On points such as, for example, whether presidents are able to win elections without resorting to manslaughter.
COVID has been on the increase in the area, this time not sparing numerous politicians. Biden himself tested positive for COVID last week and has been undergoing self-isolation. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tested positive earlier this month, forcing him to wrangle with Senator Joe Manchin from a distance about the latter’s refusal to endorse the Democrats’ social spending bill; and Manchin himself became infected this week, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski, while Senators Tom Carper and Tina Smith became infected the week before. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain addressed the issue of the rising incidence of COVID by sharing on Internet an op-ed penned for The Washington Post last week in which physician Leana Wen wrote that COVID “is a manageable disease for almost everyone, so long as they use the tools available to them” and that it’s “crucial to test as soon as someone develops symptoms, and if they’re positive, to isolate right away.” Except that isn’t an option for many people who do not have the luxury of working from home.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 576,757,179; # of deaths worldwide: 6,406,581; # of cases U.S.: 92,427,768; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,052,724.