Three presidents ago, George Bush in a moment of commendable lucidity attempted to launch a national scientific defense program to protect us against viruses; this rational effort soon deteriorated as international politicians continued their far-right-and-left Hatfield and McCoys’ feud and enthusiastically pursued worldwide wars.
Mr. T all along expressed his belief that he knows more about everything than the Intelligence community. He essentially dismantled a long-standing scientific governmental community and boldly expressed his mistrust in Science.
As long ago as November 2019 our US Intelligence agencies repeatedly wrote detailed memos and sent warnings to our senate, house of representatives, and president that a dangerous virus problem was developing in China that endangered the U.S.
Our politicians so busy with their right and left Hatfield and McCoys’ feud and worldwide wars were too busy to notice.
When the virus hit the U.S.A., the most pronounced initial reaction was to protect business and commerce rather than comprehensively engage the issue scientifically; Mr. T pledged the reopening of financial transactions within two weeks.
Eventually scientific facts caught up with him, and American scientists and medical leaders were able to gain a tentative foothold. Several fundamentalist religious leaders denied the need for scientific steps and said that God would protect true believers.
They brought church members into medically dangerous gatherings where common sense distancing defenses were ignored. U.S. prisons, commonly run by profit-making corporations, literally often without in-cell water and soap, quickly became endangered by the virus.
Planet-wide, an unprepared international community floundered for weeks before finally accomplishing a modest semblance of strategic cooperation to combat the virus.
The entire world was brought to a near standstill, and science gradually appeared to have gotten a tentative priority handle on determining how to slow the virus’s progress.
Now we are waiting to see what happens. Heartwarming.