UPDATED:And Now, For Something Completely Different

Well, actually it's not, but given the rising levels of absurdity currently circulating, I couldn't help but think of Monty Python. Here in Ontario we have Doug Ford (a faux Captain Canada, the real one residing in the office of the Manitoba premier) inviting Trump to do an osculatory exploration of his posterior, an image none of us of sound mind really want to contemplate.

Taunting rhetoric aside, my friend Cam sent me the following, which I think does justice to the times we are now living through: an acerbic assessment of Trump and his coterie by Jonathan Pie:

Oh, and another thing I just received from Cam. The English teacher in me says this is a very special lady who would have been a great teacher of those not able to be placed in mainstream classes, i.e., Trump's MAGATS;

UPDATE: Amen

Just Wear A Mask

That is the message, simple and direct, delivered by CNN's Becky Anderson:


Somehow, I doubt her message will resonate with the unhinged who have emerged from their lairs during the pandemic. This recent delegation at a Palm Beach County hearing into masks should provide more than ample incentive to avoid the Sunshine State for the foreseeable future:



Lest we be complacent as Canadians, however, Emma Teitel writes:

Yes, Americans can be wacky. But so can we. In fact, we’ve got our own version of the God’s-wonderful-breathing-system brigade right here in Ontario. Last week, anti-mask protesters broke mandatory mask regulations when they rode the TTC barefaced, and this week reports emerged about anti-lockdown activists printing phoney official looking cards claiming to give people medical exemptions from wearing masks in public.

According to a survey by Policy Options, Canadians are not immune from believing conspiracy theories about the virus. From the think tank’s survey, “Almost one in 10 Canadians believes that the COVID-19 pandemic is a way for billionaire Bill Gates to microchip people.”

She ends with this simple but powerful advice:

Stage 3 is days away. Now is not the time to be cocky, or bored. Now is the time to be vigilant. And though not much fun, a big part of being vigilant in a pandemic is listening to public health experts. Wear a mask where distancing isn’t possible.

Or to put it even more succinctly: Time for everyone to grow up a bit. Maybe this report from the CDC will help in the maturation process.