Time is of the essence.

While Republicans and Democrats are waging a war to decide when to restart the economy and the media is covering the battle, we are losing precious time to self-quarantine, to put a dent in the number of infected.

The best thing I’ve read today is Ezekiel Emanuel’s piece in the “New York Times”:

“Fourteen Days. That’s the Most Time We Have to Defeat Coronavirus – These decisive measures can prevent a decade of dislocation and extraordinary levels of death.”

Zeke lays it all out, but his wise advice is superseded by the battle between science and the economy, between freedom and “lock us up,” between one side hating the other so much and vice versa that nothing can be done.

Meanwhile, too many Americans are living in darkness.

Did you see Jackson Browne’s got it?

“Jackson Browne Tests Positive for Coronavirus – ‘It’s important for us all to be pretty forthcoming about what we’re going through,’ singer-songwriter says”

Browne’s crime? He flew back and forth to New York to do the “Love Rocks” charity show. Do a good thing and you pay for it.

Once again, Andrew Cuomo is leading:

“We’re Going to Get through It Because We Are New York”

Ignore the headline and watch the clip, Cuomo only goes on about the strength of New Yorkers at the very end. Before that, he talks about protecting our parents. Dan Patrick wants oldsters to die, Cuomo wants them to live.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.

The canard is this is a coastal elite problem, that it just can’t happen at scale in the red states.

But there are now infections in every state of the union. Once again, just because you feel different, that does not mean you are.

Also, youngsters think they’re immune, but that is far from the case, it appears that a 12 year old died today of Covid-19 in California:

L.A. County reports first death of a possible coronavirus patient under 18 as COVID-19 cases top 660

I’ll be honest, today’s news just washed over me. I read the stories, but I was numb. But then I saw tonight’s “New York Times” editorial and I got agitated:

“Coronavirus Is Advancing. All Americans Need to Shelter in Place – The worst of the pandemic is yet to come. Listen to the medical experts. It’s time for a national lockdown.”

The “New York Times” runs the country. And now, with Bezos’s investment and Marty Baron at the helm of the “Washington Post,” the “Times” is getting a run for its money. Fox News does very little newsgathering, and neither does MSNBC, instead they reference what’s reported in the “Times” and now the “Washington Post.” As for other papers? “USA Today” is a meaningless pamphlet. The “Wall Street Journal” has cut stories short to fit the printed page, it’s a shame what they’ve done to the paper. Used to be the “Journal” was the business paper of record, no more. Now the “Journal” is the news source for Republicans. It’s got some worldwide and national news followed by pages of opinion, and then another section where there are brief stories about business. Oh, occasionally they go deeper, they break a story, but if it’s not business, the “Journal” is irrelevant, and oftentimes the “Times”‘s business coverage is superior, if for no other reason than it’s longer and more in-depth.

So, the editorial in the “Times” is trying to jawbone the country into taking action. But it’s going to take days for the “Times” editorial to work its way through the system, if it does so at all. I would say the President could push the button, but he took himself out of the leadership position by ceding decisions and implementation to the States. This has come back to bite him on the ass, because he’s got little power. Of course he could appoint a Covid-19 czar, but you just know it would be one of his cronies with no experience. Fauci is tolerated. We need the equivalent of a special prosecutor here. Oh, that’s right, Trump stonewalled Mueller and beat impeachment, not because the facts were in his favor, but because of the tribal loyalty of his fellow Republicans. Cool, but this is a HEALTH issue, that is not partisan, that involves all of us. Suddenly, it’s about Republicans and Democrats. Actually, that’s the tack the right has taken from the beginning, the virus is a hoax and it’s all about bringing down the President.

Well, just wait until people you know start dying. It’s gonna happen. And then we’ll see all this footage of families crying, it will be a national tragedy, but we won’t be able to blame Trump for dilly-dallying because it would be inappropriate.

This should not be a partisan debate, but it is. My inbox is filled with Trumpers angry I’m beating up on their guy. This is how we got into this mess, with outlets doing their best not to piss off these people, this is where false equivalencies come from. In what fakokta world do we have to stifle what’s right because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings?

As for Fox News, there’s no one at the helm, did you read today’s story about Rupert Murdoch?

“As Fox News Played Down the Coronavirus, Its Chief Protected Himself – The cancellation of an 89th birthday party for Rupert Murdoch highlights a disconnect between his family’s behavior and statements made on air by some Fox commentators”

Read the article, Rupert’s not in charge, Lachlan is. And Lachlan is nearly completely hands-off. We haven’t even been yelling at the right people!

As for self-quarantining…

What part about staying in your house do you not get?

I continue to hear from people who say they’re taking this very seriously, then they talk about the errands they run, the frequency with which they go grocery shopping and the people who come to their abode. Rupert Murdoch is taking it seriously, why can’t you?