Day 34: California Under Martial Law Lite (Destruction Is Progress)

Over the past few days Humboldt has witnessed some interesting turn of events. While our positive cases remains under 55 with no deaths and something like 50 recovering, it turns out one of the infected works at Target.

You can imagine the shit show on social media that followed.

Expect more. Get Covid.

People were chiming in, freaking out over a Target employee, who worked the late shift for the store's renovation, testing positive. Many were sure they were going to get infected now. The article that Lost Coast Outpost ran initially said Target was working with the employees to keep the workplace safe. The comments that followed said otherwise, however. One person said her sister worked at Target and was displaying symptoms of Covid-19. The employee had been staying home, but according to her sister, Target was calling her and hassling her to come back to work, telling her she didn't have the virus. I could not resist but commenting that if her sister was willing to talk to the media, she should contact the Lost Coast Outpost and tell the journalists there what was happening.

So she did.

The next day two interesting things happened: Lost Coast Outpost ran a story that put Target under the spotlight when it came to employee's safety and Humboldt Health Officer Frankovich issued a mandatory mask order to take place Friday, as our Sheriff Honsal called for the economy to reopen.

That tells you all you need to know right there.

Let's tackle the mask issue first. When this all started the edict on masks was: they don't help, they aren't recommended. We were to leave them for the medical professionals. Then things changed a bit. They became recommended. Now in Humboldt, as in many other places, they are "mandatory" to be worn if you are in any place other than your residence or wherever physical distancing (they have started to use the term, too, finally) can't be practiced. In all of this, however, I did not read what would happen if you refused to wear one. Would you be sent home without your groceries? Would you be fined? If it were so serious I would expect a hefty fine for violating such an order from an esteemed member of the government. Or, if it is really so serious, why can't you be jailed or shot? No word on the penalty, but that is secondary as to what the mask order means.

The mask order means only one of two things. The first choice is the one people come to naturally. That is, the numbers Humboldt has been pumping out on its infected and dead are lies and it is far worse than what we are being told. That would mean the shelter in place and physical distancing orders aren't working and the dead are piling up. This just isn't happening. I've delved into it. I've talked to medical professionals. I can find no proof that this is going on, which means the other option is what is happening, and it could result in the number of infected and dead increasing.

Government officials and capitalism's apologists have been crying for the economy to open back up. There is some valid points to their concerns, but all those points should be taking a back seat to people's health. Dead people tend not to spend money. Regardless, they are clamoring for stores to reopen and business to get back to normal, and it looks like in California that is going to happen probably sooner than it should, and having us wear masks is them saying, "Get ready. Get used to this. This is our last measure of protection for you before we open the hobby shops and library." They want to reduce the dead, and this is the way they want to do it. They know more people will be infected, but hope it will be less than projected, and they know the economy will reopen, but hope it will do better than projected. So what can you do?

At this point it is obvious that the government is trying to appease both sides while doing nothing substantial about either. When it comes down to it, it will err on the side of the economy because people can always pump out more kids, but a recession is difficult to recover from and can take years. So you have to protect yourself. They may reopen the economy, but I would advise that if you care about your health and safety, don't participate in it as much as you did before. Only go out when you need to until all this dies down. You are not responsible for businesses succeeding. Listen to the medical professionals and not government officials. They are the last people you should be listening to in this case. They don't have your best interest in mind, and see you as nothing but a number. Hey, remember when they thought $1,200 was not only enough to buy your compliance, but also thought it would get you through the shutdown? Yeah, that's how out of touch those people are with reality.

So while our Sheriff Lobo and Dr. Moe Howard butt heads over the health of the economy and the health of the populace, they'll continue to make declarations that are possibly quite dangerous and issue orders with no teeth. The medical professionals, meanwhile, are telling the public what is going on, and it looks bad. 

Oh, and stop falling for those Russia planted quarantine protests. Be smarter than that. If you aren't going to believe your government (which you shouldn't), you also don't want to believe and fall for the Russian government's pitiful attempts at sabotaging the country. If you do, don't expect me to be on the other side of the hospital window as you gasp for breath as you die. Well, maybe I will show up, but just to applaud . . .

Day 4: California Under Martial Law Lite (Moon Over Marin)

Yesterday, Sunday, was eye opening. Up until that point I thought this shelter in-place order would ensure I could edit my latest Sinful Cinema book, work on my next novel, watch a movie or five, and read copious amounts of books. Instead, I found myself spending my early afternoon at Target of all places. If I get coronavirus, I got it there.

I've been avoiding stores as much as humanly possible. But one has to eat. One also has to drain clogged sinks, which is why I was at Target. I had my own bag with me and hand sanitizer for those moments when I needed it. I would have been better off with a gun. The Target in Eureka, CA is under reconstruction in order to make the store more visually appealing, so it looks odd from the moment you step in. If they really wanted to make the store appealing, however, they would kick out most of the shoppers.

While WinCo is regulating how many people go into the store at once, Target is letting capitalism and consumerism go at its normal society-dooming pace.  Luckily, despite Target's ignorance, the store was far less crowded than it would be on a normal Sunday afternoon. But what I saw sent chills down my spine.

A side note: many of you know I write horror stories. I usually write about people doing bad things. I tend not to write apocalyptic horror. There are enough people doing that, and doing it quite well, thank you. But after witnessing the folks in Target, I am starting to rethink my stance on the genre. Maybe I should delve into it. It is easy enough to see how the end begins, after all.

When there's no room left in Hell . . . the diseased shop at Target.

People were not following the social distancing guidelines set forth by people much smarter than themselves. They would get right up next to you because they could not wait a few moments to grab a sponge. I witnessed a Target employee sneeze into his elbow and then go right back to stocking food. A young boy made an effort to cough into his elbow, but it was really a half-hearted attempt. His mother just rolled her eyes. Kids, right? Then there was . . . the lady.

She was shambling down the wide aisle toward me. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a grey sweatshirt with a football team logo on it. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Hair askew. Makeup smudged. As she neared me, she coughed. Into the air. No attempt to cover it.

"Cover up," I growled.

She whipped right around and said, "You can't tell me what to do."

A Target employee was watching this exchange. Had she not been watching, I would have dropped the lady on the spot. Doing her in before Covid-19 could do it for me.

The world ends with an uncovered cough. It spreads through creatures like this one, and the fools who flooded the beaches at Spring Break. It ravishes communities because one person couldn't be bothered to cough properly. On this, day four of the siege, I can't help but look out my window and see the empty streets under the grey clouds and think, "How many of these houses will end up vacant?" My guess is far more than should be.

Kill Your Television

I've been thinking of buying a new television. Granted, I need money to do this, but banks are easy marks, so I'm not super worried. My Toshiba, which was given to me, is developing some weird lines at the top of the screen that don't bode well for its future. I have another smaller set I can use, but the Toshiba is so big I can't move it on my own (not without dropping a testicle or two, at least).

So I've been mulling it over. I want a widescreen, doesn't have to be huge, and won't be plasma. (A waste of time and money for a not-so-great picture.) It will be HD, of course, as that is the wave of the future. I probably won't get a Blu-Ray player to go with it, though. Most of the movies I enjoy (with the exception of the Star Wars films) won't benefit from Blu-Ray. I don't care how good the picture looks, a shit movie is still a shit movie even if the shit is clearer.

I've been looking around Target, Sears, Costco and so on. Getting jealous. Choking on the idea of spending that much. Wondering how I'll fit it in here. I need one, though, and probably sooner than later.

I hate being a slave to television. I enjoy "Top Gear," though, and watch some sports and a hell of a lot of movies (it's my job), so I need something. If any of you know of any good scams, fill me in. If I can't watch "The Devil's Rejects" whenever my little heart desires I may just go insane.