Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California
July 14,2020: Small Tyrant
The other day we watched for maybe an hour as this little fellow swayed on a branch of the bamboo that lines one neighbor’s fence. The hummingbird was guarding the bird feeder and, though he was not sporting his courting red, green shimmered on his wings. Every time another hummingbird approached the feeder, this fellow would dive full speed from his perch and chase his rival away. Male, female, it didn’t matter. Though he didn’t appear to be thirsty himself, he was determined to keep every other hummingbird off his turf. How can a creature so small carry such animosity and pack such a powerful punch?
I don’t know if the analogy fits exactly, but I thought of this picture as I read the morning headlines. Our president now is going full force against the country’s leading virus expert … in the middle of a pandemic… just because the medical evidence makes him (the president) look bad, not because the doctor has done anything wrong. I am outraged as a citizen and potential victim of this folly. Forget the politics. This puts every person in this country at even greater risk as we lose access to rational voices and pertinent medical information, and as all hope for a cogent national, science-based, apolitical strategy melts away. We are all - Democrats and Republicans alike - victims of this man’s irrational ego and we have to recognize the lengths that he will go to save for himself the throne on which he sits. Who will he go after next?