The news is not good.  I read the Weekend Briefing from the New York Times this morning.  While reading, a chill came over me.  The realization came, that I am an observer of these events — and a participant.

We Americans do not like being told what to do.  Authority, even legitimate authority provokes resistance.  It is widely recognized that the time-hallowed authorities of past generations have been discredited in recent memory.  Many Americans have not taken advisement to self quarantine seriously.  There is no defined leadership at the Federal, national level ordering a nationwide quarantine, a martial law-type of enforced response to an invisible, rapidly spreading, deadly contagion.  Out of overweening concern for his own reelection in November the President chose to risk having the virus burn through the populace instead of acting promptly, decisively.

A a few words from this mornings New York times Briefing.

If growth in virus cases continues, the New York City area may suffer a worse outbreak than Wuhan, China, or the Lombardy region in Italy, our analysis found.

There is no guarantee that current trends will continue. But the New York metro area has had less success in flattening the curve at this point in its outbreak than Wuhan or Lombardy did at the same point in theirs. And other American metropolitan areas appear to be on a similar path

 A Times investigation found that an early lack of screening in the U.S. had allowed the coronavirus outbreak to spread largely undetected for weeks.

Technical flaws, regulatory hurdles and lack of organized leadership would cost the U.S. a month of testing that could have slowed the virus, according to interviews with more than 50 current and former insiders.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Trump administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, told members of Congress that the early inability to test was “a failing” of the administration’s response to the deadly outbreak. Now he’s the target of claims that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.

And so it goes as Kurt Vonnegut would have said………

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I read these words in The Plague by Albert Camus.

    Tarrou squared his shoulders against the back of the chair, then moved his head forward into the light. “Do you believe in God, doctor?”

   Again the question was put in an ordinary tone. But this time Rieux took longer to find his answer.

   “No, but what does that really mean?”…….

    Do you know that there are some who refuse to die? Have you ever heard a woman scream ‘Never!’ with her last gasp? Well, I have. And then I saw that I could never get hardened to it. I was young then, and I was outraged by the whole scheme of things, or so I thought. Subsequently I grew more modest. Only, I’ve never managed to get used to seeing people die. That’s all I know. Yet after all?”

   Rieux fell silent and sat down. He felt his mouth dry.

   “After all?” Tarrou prompted softly.

   “After all,” the doctor repeated, then hesitated again, fixing his eyes on Tarrou, “it’s something that a man of your sort can understand most likely, but, since the order of the world is shaped by death, mightn’t it be better for God if we refuse to believe in Him and struggle with all our might against death, without raising our eyes toward the heaven where He sits in silence.”

   Tarrou nodded. “Yes. But your victories will never be lasting; that’s all.”

Rieux’s face darkened. “Yes, I know that. But it’s no reason for giving up the struggle.”

   “No reason, I agree. Only, I now can picture what this plague must mean for you.”

   “Yes. A never ending defeat.”

Tarrou stared at the doctor for a moment, then turned and tramped heavily toward the door. Rieux followed him and was almost at his side when Tarrou, who was staring at the floor, suddenly said: “Who taught you all this, doctor?”

   The reply came promptly: “Suffering.”

*The underlining of text is my own for emphasis.

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Finally, this magnificent, soulful song by Ben E. King.

I (Who Have Nothing)”
By Ben E. King

I, I who have nothing.
I, I who have no one
Adore you, and want you so
I’m just a no one
With nothing to give you but love
I love you.

He, he buys you diamonds
Bright, sparkling diamonds
But believe me
Dear when I say
That he can give you the world
But he’ll never love you the way
I love you.

He can take you any place he wants
To fancy clubs and restaurants
But I can only watch you with my nose
Pressed up against the window pane.

I, I who have nothing
I, I who have no one
Must watch you
Go dancing by
Wrapped in the arms of somebody else
When Darling it’s I
Who loves you.

— Lyrics by Joe Sentieri