Sometimes I Just Have to Scream

That's right. Sometimes I can't take it anymore, and I just have to scream. 

I scream only inside my house, so no one except my dogs hears me. And the screaming doesn't last very long. But sometimes I just need to vent my frustration with a good old-fashioned scream.

I am tired. And I'm frustrated. And I see no end to the current situation the United States is in. In fact, the experts are predicting that things will almost certainly get worse ... much worse.

I bet you are tired and frustrated, too. I'm not tired physically. But emotionally and mentally, I am exhausted. I'm tired of hearing about the coronavirus. I'm tired of watching the federal government's inept and uncaring leadership encourage people not to wear masks in public. I'm tired of all the self-centered, selfish, stupid people who think the pandemic is a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats to make the president look bad. News flash: He does a fine job of making himself look bad, without help from others. 

I am tired of the federal government cutting off funding for more testing to see how many people actually have the coronavirus. I am tired of the federal government cutting off funding for coronavirus research by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. It's almost as if the Rethuglicans in government are doing everything possible to increase the death rate from Covid-19.

I am tired of news stories every day that illustrate the treasonous actions of the so-called president, who has done NOTHING in response to Russian offers of cash to Afghan militants for killing members of the American armed forces. I am tired of an attorney general who has turned the Department of Justice into a personal attorney for the president. I am tired of ongoing efforts by this administration to strip millions of Americans of health insurance during the middle of a pandemic that so far has cost more than 130,000 American lives -- and we are still in the first phase of this pandemic. Is this the Rethuglicans' plan to make America great again?

I am tired of the racism and hate that spews forth from this person who supposedly is the leader of this country. I am tired of the constant assaults on our environment, the attacks on wildlife and the attacks on the principles upon which our republic was founded.

I am tired of the massive hypocrisy of so-called evangelicals, who continue to spout their belief that "God will protect" them from catching the virus, and who don't bother to attempt to cloak their racist, anti-LGBTQ feelings.

I am tired of being hounded for donations by non-profit organizations. Recently I received FIVE requests for money from the local PBS station, three by e-mail and two by snail-mail. I have received numerous requests for money from the local Holocaust museum. I received a donation form from Yellowstone Forever, seeking a donation above and beyond my annual membership. I am tired of 'urgent appeals' from Mercy Corps, an organization to which I sent ONE donation some 25 years ago. I know times are tough, but give it up already!

I am tired of staying home. I am tired of not being able to travel. I am tired of not being able to have lunch with a friend. I am tired of hoarding and food shortages and skyrocketing grocery prices. 

Most of all, I am tired of wasting a year of my life. I am a senior citizen. I don't know how many years of travel remain. When will I reach the point where travel is no longer fun, or even possible? I don't have time to waste. And yet here we are, with some governments actually making it illegal to wear a mask. 

I am rapidly running out of things to keep myself occupied. The only good thing is that the weather is nice. It's warm (even hot) and sunny, so I can spend time outside. But when winter comes with its cold winds and hours and hours of darkness, staying home will be a real strain. What then?

All the sleep in the world will not take away my tiredness. What we need is a president with actual concern for the American people, not someone whose only concern is stoking the fires of divisiveness to help his reelection. We need a government with a plan, willing to use its resources to help its citizens. Fortunately, my state's governor is doing a good job with the pandemic. The same cannot be said about the federal government or the Rethuglican governors of several southern states.

Most things are out of my control. So I will continue to stay home, try to keep from going stir crazy, wear a mask when in public, and scream as needed.