Working together against a common foe
Most alarm clocks just sit there and buzz when it comes time for their intended victim to rise and face a new day, but not mine. Every morning at or about seven, whether or not I wish to end a pleasant dream and slide forth from the soothing embrace of warm covers, my alarm clock bounds across the bed and lands with all fours on my chest to deliver the seven o’clock wake-up call: WOOF! Thus my day begins as my warm feet encounter the shock of an icy floor.
Some things never change. Maggie senses that it is time for her master to awaken and fill her breakfast bowl, even if the world is shut down by the advent of COVID-19.
Come to think of it, at any given time of the day, our visiting wild creatures also continue to pursue their routine, not noticing that my life has been changed by more than two months of government imposed confinement. In the last ten minutes, I have seen a squirrel drinking at the bird bath, male grackles showing off their beautiful iridescent head feathers, doves cooing their appreciation for breakfast, and gorgeous Cardinals vying with Blue Jays for “best-in-show.” Red-winged black birds and downy woodpeckers also continue their daily routine. Birds of every ilk manage to put up with each other to insure that each gets its share of sunflower seeds. The three greedy neighborhood squirrels … not so much.
Even though COVID-19 has taken loved ones away from us and destroyed many livelihoods, the “wild critter” society at the feeder continues undisturbed.
The bird feeder society is less integrated with man than life in the goose compound. Though feeder patrons melt into the forest at my appearance, every time I enter the goose domain, the geese gather around taking notes of my every move as if they were a gang of news-hungry reporters. Should I vary the routine even slightly, my four geese deem it necessary to have a board meeting in which to critique my behavior at great length.
For instance, during this morning’s chores, I set a small bucket of chicken eggs on the ground just outside the gate to their realm. As soon as I let the geese out of their coop, they spied the bucket. Gathering in a semicircle on their side of the gate, the four of them proceeded to squawk, cackle, and honk during the entire time I cleaned their coop. That bucket had to go! Whenever there is any deviation in routine, the whole gaggle must convene a town council meeting to determine its legality and to raise hue and cry if the event appears to warrant an alert. Thus, they work together to keep me “Iegal,” COVID-19 or not.
In the world of men, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to opportunities for both heroic, unselfish patriotism and treachery. For the most part, we have followed the rules: closing businesses, covering, and washing as directed. With few exceptions, Americans have proven we can work together almost as well as patrons at the bird feeder. However, some are using COVID-19 to advance political agendas. Just as they have for the last three years, they continue to hamstring our government, seeking only to destroy the current administration.
While we politic, China does the slick trick. They lie, steal our secrets, and spread their influence around the world. They are both a military and an economic threat. No one, until President Trump has stood up to China. Some, like Joe Biden, even view China as harmless and friendly nation. But China’s communist, godless government is determined to dominate the world. COVID-19 is proof of China’s godless disregard for fellow nations. According to news reports, China desperately struggled to quarantine the COVID-19 epicenter from the rest of China; meanwhile, they continued international flights from that contaminated city, knowing it would infect the world and kill thousands. They apparently hid the danger while hoarding medical equipment. A solo hero, President Trump wisely closed our borders to China, probably saving thousands of American lives. What will China send next? Ebola hemorrhagic fever? Nukes?
Who knows? I do know that we must reelect a president not soft on China.
DeWitt Clinton is a resident of Dunbar.