One has to wonder exactly what that policeman in Kenosha Wisconsin was thinking when he shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back. Seven times? In the back?
As for basketball and other sports going on strike and not playing, here’s our take. They are very fortunate that they can afford not to show up for work. The black man or woman stocking the shelves in a grocery store cannot afford to do so. Nor can basically anyone not independently wealthy who needs to pay the rent, put food on the table and clothe their families.
What purpose will it serve the men and women stocking shelves if the basketball playoffs are not played? We’ll tell you. No purpose other than to garner attention for the plight of the black man or woman, which right now, will not make a difference.
So what will make a difference? What will change the culture of the small percentage of policemen and women who shoot black people in the back? Who stop them for driving black? Communication. Education. Acknowledging and weeding out the bad apples in police departments – quickly.
This is a deep cultural issue that will not be solved overnight. It doesn’t help that there are riot and protests nightly. It doesn’t help that the shootings in Chicago are forcing people to move out of the downtown area, fearing for their safety. It also doesn’t help that the democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden spoke for the first time in three days about the violence, riots, arson and looting going on in the United States.
There is no easy fix to this problem. One can barely catch their breath in the United States before another major huge event hits the airwaves. Perhaps it’s time to take a collective deep breath and hold it for a long while… which people were forced to do when we were all quarantined in March, April and May.
The issue of kids returning to school is not an issue. Children must be in school. The government cannot keep the schools closed for a myriad of reasons, two of which are that children need to socialize and not sit at their kitchen table on zoom school and parents need to get back to work to get the economy going.
Yes, the coronavirus is still here. Yes, there will be an outbreak when the schools reopen. But it will pass, especially if the government and schools together have a plan. If a child gets sick, that class stays home for 2 weeks and everyone needs to be tested. We sincerely hope the government has enough testers on hand for what is surely coming.
And finally, teachers should be wearing masks, washing their hands regularly and going back into their classrooms upbeat and not scared.
Just when you thought it was safe to leave your house, guess who’s back? Extinction Rebellion who plan to resume large-scale street protests next week. Can we talk? Can they not let people live for five minutes without causing them undue aggravation?
All anyone wants to do is go to work and come home with the least amount of hassle. What possible help is it to the global climate if they block a bridge and keep people in traffic for hours and hours? We’ll tell you. None.
Blanche, don’t you wonder how these people can spend all of their time figuring out ways to make other people’s lives miserable to save the planet? Oh yes, one more thing. Extinction rebellion is made up of mostly white, middle-class people. Doesn’t bode well for them in today’s atmosphere.
In case you were wondering, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos became the world’s first person ever to hit a net worth of $200 billion yesterday. He could buy and sell many countries.
Montreal’s bicycle-obsessed mayor Valerie Plante is at it again. This time she’s going after St. Denis, a main north-south thoroughfare in Montreal. It now has 2 lanes going south and 2 going north. Madame Plante wants to make bicycle lanes on both sides and turn it into one lane in each direction.
Those bicycle lanes would of course also mean that parking is out, as are any deliveries.
Do the people who dream these ideas up live in the real world? In fact, they don’t because they have no skin in the game. Meaning, that their salaries will not be affected if stores are forced out of business because no one can get to them. Never mind that St. Denis was shut down due to endless construction for about three years.
Somebody best emerge from the shadows to run against this woman, who is single-handedly destroying business in Montreal.
Good Shabbos We’ll talk…
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