The McLean Loop – Trump, Biden, and the Bible – Travel restrictions lifted – The Beirut explosion – Governor DeWines – Evening statistics
I wished to be out and about today, but I still was reluctant to drive much after the adventure of the past Sunday (about 500 miles of driving in all). In the end I went on the McLean Loop, which after all requires some effort, being about 17 miles long, with 1700 feet of elevation gain. It is somewhat better to do this hike in winter than in summer: the undergrowth is less of an issue then. But it’s a lovely hike, with many vistas of the Potomac flowing alongside the Potomac Heritage Trail and afterwards of the leafy glades via the Pimmit Run and the Pimmit Run Valley Trails. There is some road walking, but even that goes through pleasant neighborhoods and it is a relatively small amount of the hike as a whole. The weather remains very warm, and humid as well, but it is not as oppressive as it was before and in the shaded woodlands I scarcely felt the heat at all.
The campaign rhetoric is beginning to heat up. To that end, Trump has claimed that Biden is “against God” and that Biden’s ultimate goal is to “hurt the Bible.” And who could possibly challenge Donald Trump about such a grave matter? Has he not shown us in his own person how much he cherishes such institutions? After all, what better way is there to honor the Bible than to throw a bishop out of her own church temporarily in order to set up a photo shoot that she and the majority of her congregants openly declare to be a profanation? Although I must do him the justice to admit that he is observant to this extent: with respect to the corporations he’s surreptitiously been running from the Oval Office ever since he became President, he certainly agrees with James that all giving is good and that every gift is perfect (Epistle of James, 1, 17).
The U.S. State Department has lifted the “Do Not Travel” advisory for U. S. citizens. It has been in effect since March 19th. Since, however, since Canada, Mexico, and the European Union have restrictions of their own about receiving travelers from the U.S., most American travelers still have to put their plans on hold. It’s been estimated that the international travel industry will not fully recover until 2024 at the earliest.
The cause of the explosion in Beirut has been explained. The explosives came from a ship, the Rhosus, that originated from Georgia. It was never supposed to be in Beirut at all. It was loaded with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a powerful explosive used in quarries and coal pits, that was destined for Mozambique. The Rhosus made a stop in Beirut under the direction of its owner to try to earn extra money by taking on several pieces of heavy machinery. But that additional cargo proved too heavy for the Rhosus and the crew refused to take it on. The Rhosus was soon impounded by the Lebanese authorities for failing to pay port fees, and never left the port again. The cargo was transferred to a warehouse, but the captain and three other crew members were detained in Beirut for eleven months on account of Lebanese immigration restrictions until finally being able to obtain release – in 2014. That means that tons of explosives were sitting in a warehouse for seven years. The port authorities appear to have forgotten about them entirely until the explosion occurred.
Governor Mike DeWines of Ohio has tested positive for the COVID virus, the second governor to contract it (the first is Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma). He has no symptoms but is planning to quarantine himself. He has received praise from Republicans and Democrats alike for his response to the pandemic, which is quite unusual for any state governor. It is the seventh most populous state, but is only fourteenth on the list of the states’ virus counts.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 19,233,867; # of deaths worldwide: 716,457; # of cases U.S.: 5,028,791; # of deaths U.S.: 162,726. There is not much change in the relative positions of the nations in the world with respect to one another (although Colombia’s case count now exceeds Spain’s), but many sad milestones have been passed today: the global case count is now over 19 million; the U. S. case count is over 5 million; India’s case count is over 2 million.