Associations of Old Age: Let's Hear it for the Hmong

The weight of the world descends on us and we seek refuge in recreational diversion, at least as much as old age permits. The Tokyo Olympics offers some respite although it has been severely affected by the covid-19 pandemic. I had occasion to watch the continued dominance of the all around women's gymnastics by the USA as Sumi Lee captured the event. Let's hear it for the Hmong! Wait a minute (Chotto Matte Kudasai), weren't the Hmong the native people and fierce fighters who supported us during the Vietnamese war and whom we abandoned to the murderous cruelty of the Viet Cong when we bailed out of the Vietnamese war? Or yet again as we watched the U.S. women's volleyball team take on Turkey and almost blow a 2 game lead to a fierce and accomplished Turkish team, we noted that many of the Turkish women were Kurds playing for a government that despised and persecuted them.

Again, wait a minute weren't these Kurds the ones we abandoned at the boundaries of Iraq? To be slaughtered by Turkish troops or offered a hypocritical amnesty harbor by Asad? On to soccer where many of the players play for countries that pay for their services professionally often bidding against one another to gain their fealty. The picture emerges of a landscape dominated by money and agents who negotiate the financial landscape (including college play) basically a multimillion dollar game designed and dominated by the super rich. Oh what the hell let's watch the billionaires explore the edges of space for commercial purposes.

Covid doesn't care. There are 4,222,000 world deaths so far from the virus. Why is that number familiar? Oh yes there are 422,000,000 guns in the USA projected from the last 2017 statistic. Small wonder that gun violence is increasing. The number of deaths in  the U.S. from SARS is about 600,000 with an increase of about 60,000 per day...producing breakthrough illness and increasing its transmissibility and deadliness. There appears to be a new Lamda strain that is more deadly than the feared delta strain which is now producing breakthrough illness in vaccinated persons. Thus the return to masking and social distancing requests and mandates from the Fed and some mostly Democratic state and county jurisdictions. The counter cries have increased sounding much like "we have a right to die if we so choose" Former General Petraeus thinks that we are making an error by bailing out of the endless war. He could be right but his personal conduct makes you wonder about his judgement. Oh well back to the TV...