Carole Simpson

Americans Unmasked, Americans Die

Jun 29, 2020 | Bad Behavior, Coronavirus, Dumb Americans, Health, Something. To. Say.

Americans Unmasked, Americans Die

Hello everybody. I have something to say about the masking of America.

I watched the most recent news coverage of the pandemic. And that virus is just going crazy right now, especially in the south and southeast. Half the states are seeing big spikes in infections and hospitalizations.

Medical scientists all say the best way to control the virus is for everybody to wear masks. But everybody is not. I have my own unofficial reporters throughout the country, and they say a lot of people aren’t wearing them. And you know we haven’t seen President Trump and Vice President Pence covering their faces. Why not? Is it some kind of machismo? They’re so strong and manly they don’t need masks? Give me a break.

They say we’re in for a rough six months. Where is the leadership? If the universal wearing of a mask can help control coronavirus, shouldn’t the president be promoting the practice every chance he can. Maybe there should be a fine of at least $100 for people caught in public spaces without a mask. We have to wear seatbelts.

I know, the face coverings are ugly, uncomfortable and hot. But that’s gotta be better than getting sick or dying.  Let’s beat this virus. Come on America. Mask up.

Until next time.

And A Child Shall Lead Them

Jun 5, 2020 | Black Lives Matter, Racism, Something. To. Say.

And A Child Shall Lead Them

Hello Everybody, I have something to say about the healing power of children.

The awful events of the past week and a half left me in the dumps. My days were dark and my nights sleepless. Then I remembered some videos of children that gave me cheer and I watch them over and over. I’d like to share them with you.

First—and I’m sure you’ve seen it: the two toddlers who make black and white together look beautiful. Then a black teenager leading a protest march in Washington, DC. And finally, a 4-year-old’s song that always lifts me up:

[Video inserts]

That precious baby sings, “don’t worry,”  We may as well believe every little thing’s gonna be alright. To think otherwise is hazardous to our health.

Until next time?

The Pandemic Makes Some People Act Crazy

May 29, 2020 | Coronavirus, Dumb Americans, Health, Something. To. Say.

The Pandemic Makes Some People Act Crazy

Hello Everybody:

I have something to say about the pandemic’s effect on many Americans.

I’m in my third month of isolation and I’ve been doing okay. I watch way too much news but that’s the business I was in. So, I feel stressed out and anxious, because nobody knows what’s going to happen, or what the new normal will be. I don’t think I’m going to like it.

But Memorial Day Weekend sent me into a tailspin. I was so angry. Did you watch the news? Who were all those people who went to crowded bars, who huddled up together on beaches and touched each other’s bodies everywhere at parties? No masks. No social distance. What were they thinking?

More than 100-thousand dead Americans since February.  40 million Americans out of work. And here we had these lunatics throwing caution to the wind, as one woman said on camera, “Cuz, I gotta get my party on.” Well, party on, idiot. You and all the other idiots, willing to endanger themselves and the rest of us. I have to say they looked like 20 and 30-somethings.

How are we ever going to control Covid-19, if younger people ignore the restrictions and requirements? They’re crazy, just like Donald Trump, who does the same thing.

I thought the pandemic would make Americans band together and fight with all our might to destroy this killer. But no, we have too many people, who think they have a constitutional right to be stupid.

Until next time.

Georgia’s Rush to Re-Open

May 22, 2020 | Coronavirus, Something. To. Say.

Georgia’s Rush to Re-Open

Hello, Everybody,

     I have something to say about Georgia. It’s on my mind. Specifically, the state of Georgia’s headlong rush to reopen its economy on April 24th. It was among the first states to end its lockdown by opening some of its businesses to the public.

     When I heard which places Georgia would first open to the public, I thought it was a really strange assortment. Not parks and beaches and golf courses in outdoor spaces. No. Georgia announced it would re-open:

      Barber shops, beauty shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors and gyms. Except for the fitness centers, all the other places require close physical contact between the worker and the customer.  It is Impossible to do someone’s hair and maintain a 6-foot social distance.

       Then I got a message, you know, a video clip someone sent me on social media that had no identification. But I listened to a black man’s little diatribe about the kinds of businesses Georgia opened up and he pointed out that the services were those most often used by black people. I do know that black women never want to go long without getting their hair and nails done. The same is true of black men needing haircuts or wanting to try the latest styles. 

      The man concluded that Georgia’s political leaders were using black people as guinea pigs to see if they caught the coronavirus. Let the damage be done to the black folks, not the white people who are more frequently choose other establishments.

      I’m not agreeing with that premise, but it does make me suspicious. And it doesn’t help that scientists are also accusing Georgia now, of cooking its books. The state is accused of manipulating statistics to show that its virus problem is in decline when researchers think it is not. Georgia…Georgia.

Until next time.

It’s Still Racist America

May 14, 2020 | Being Black, Gun Violence, Something. To. Say.

It’s Still Racist America

Hello Everybody.  I have something to say about the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

Since we’ve all been staying home to escape the coronavirus, we have been lulled into a stupor thinking about little but the impact of the virus. But recently there was a rude awakening when the news media started covering the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

 

The unarmed black man was shot and killed by two heavily armed white men back in February in Brunswick, Georgia. But it wasn’t covered by national news. It finally came to light recently when a phone video was released that showed the awful, cold-blooded and senseless shooting. Arbery had just been jogging when he was gunned down.

This was a new one for black men in America—jogging while black. We’ve heard  about driving while black, walking and shopping while black. But jogging? And the white men who are now charged with doing the shooting were still walking around, no serious investigation, no arrests, no prosecution.

But national outrage forced local authorities to arrest the men and make pronouncements that justice will prevail.

I pray that will be true. For a short period of time, we forgot that this was still America…that racism persists…and black men can be killed for nothing. Pandemic or not.

See you next time.

Pets and the Pandemic

May 5, 2020 | Coronavirus, Mental Health, Something. To. Say.

Pets and the Pandemic

Hello everybody.

I have something to say about the joy of pets during the despair of the pandemic. I can tell you that things are a little less stressful if you are staying at home with a loving pet.

This is my crazy poodle, Roxy. She’s still a puppy and makes me laugh when I might rather cry.

Like other canines and felines, she doesn’t know anything about the horrors of the coronavirus. All your pets want is food, a walk, some playtime and plenty of sleep. Ah, but even more, they want you to join in the fun: their very best friend.

They love you.

How anxious can you be when your cat crawls onto your lap and starts purring. It’s so calming. Or when your dog stares at you, with his tail wagging and a squeaky toy in his mouth?

In March when the national stay at home orders took effect, there was a run on animal shelters all over the country. Shelters in Los Angeles and New York had a 500 percent increase in applications for cats and dogs to foster. Shelters with animals to adopt were overwhelmed.

People stuck at home to avoid catching the coronavirus, don’t want to be alone. They want company. They need emotional support, even if it’s provided by a creature with four legs and a furry coat.

Until next time.

The Pandemic Is Setting Us Back

Apr 18, 2020 | Coronavirus, Health, Something. To. Say.

The Pandemic Is Setting Us Back

Hello Everybody:

I have something to say about the coronavirus quarantine.

Over the past five weeks, I’ve had plenty of time to wallow in the daily statistics of sickness and death. That got to be too much.  Instead I decided to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. What good could COVID-19 have on America? I struggled. And struggled. It’s killing too many people before their time; it’s straining our health care system; it’s imposing impossible demands on doctors, nurses, health workers and first responders; it’s wrecked the economy leaving millions with no jobs and no income. And we don’t have as much fun.

I was looking for something positive.  Maybe there will be new technology and new medicines, but that will take awhile.  And then I thought maybe going through this horrible ordeal will bring our country together, brother to brother and sister to sister, a new happy family.  But then I realized who’s president. He’s divisive.  And folks, divided we will fall.

See you next time.

America The Frightful

Apr 11, 2020 | Coronavirus, Something. To. Say.

America The Frightful

Hello Everybody. I have something more to say about that #%$!! coronavirus.

      I just learned one of my close relatives tested positive and is in the throes of fighting this “thing,” this microorganism that is trying to steal her breath.  What does Trump call it, “the invisible enemy,” yes.  It has changed America the Beautiful, into America the Frightful.  The virus is on a death march from sea to shining sea, sickening and killing our people regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. But, one caveat: as if marginalized people didn’t have problems enough, “The Rona” as they call it in urban communities, is hitting blacks and Latinos the hardest.

      Each day the news on the increasing number of infections and the exploding number of deaths is heart breaking.  And I, who called myself, the wise old woman, realize I’m not wise. I can’t get my head around this transformation of our country. Things happened so fast.

      Wasn’t it just a month or five weeks ago that we were working on the job, going to school, playing sports, eating out at restaurants, going to movies, the gym, and church? Socializing with friends, hugging our loved ones, and flying on airplanes? Our cities weren’t ghost towns.

      That virus reared its ugly head and our lives turned upside down and inside out. And you know what? I think life as we lived it–in just February–may be gone for years. Maybe forever. Change is gonna come.

See you again.