One year ago, the first Covid-19 cases began appearing in America. We barely knew it at the time, and I still 100% believe that many of covid cases were misdiagnosed in January and February in the US. I still remember the stories about movie industry types convening at the Sundance Film Festival and coming back to LA with a mysterious, lingering flu which knocked them out for weeks/months. One year later, and we know of 400,000 Americans who have died from the pandemic which is still raging across North America and Europe. In the past year, Donald Trump never even thought to memorialize the dead. But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wanted to spend the night before the inauguration remembering those who have passed.
There is hope that this will turn the page. After a year of this viral hellscape, we have several vaccines on the market or coming out shortly. The vaccine distribution has been an utter catastrophe and that won’t be fixed overnight. What will hopefully be fixed overnight is how we talk about the pandemic and how we expect our leaders to talk about public health and public safety. One of President Biden’s first acts will be a mask mandate on all federal property, and he’s already spoken to governors across the country, encouraging them to also put stronger mask mandates into place. There’s also a hope that the Biden-Harris administration will be able to fix the vaccine rollout and incentivize an even larger vaccine production by working in concert with drug companies.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
And get Covid-19 relief passed. Those 1400 dollar checks need to go out and he needs to work on more direct stimulus payments to citizens. Much better than funding big business and corporate payroll tax cuts.
Just a few more hours.
That was such a moving tribute to those we’ve lost to Covid. The fact that these deaths were ignored and never acknowledged before was disheartening. Finally, we can see the dawn after a long dark, tumultuous night.
The responsible adults are back.
The tribute was so moving I bawled my eyes out. No one had taken even a moment to acknowledge the 400,000 souls we lost. We needed a moment to feel it. Thank Godvserious people are in the building. They will treat Covid and our government like it deserves to be taken seriously.
I cried too. Maybe we all needed a good cry.
I agree it was really moving and a nice touch that the night before inauguration the President and Vice President elect and their families were doing this instead of celebrating themselves. It’s almost like I’ve forgotten what’s normal from non-narcissists. There’s been so much talk of “deprogramming” the MAGA people, but I feel like I may need to be deprogrammed from constantly expecting the worst from the federal government.
Seconded. Like so many others, I’ve spent the last four years steeling myself for whatever new outrage was emerging from the Oval Office. It was such a pleasant shock to watch the memorial yesterday and recognize that it’s exactly the sort of thing a President should be doing to comfort the nation. I’m not an American, but I cried my way through that service while working away at my computer, partly out of grief for the huge losses to COVID, and partly out of relief that you have a caring responsible human being at the helm again.
I lit a candle and immediately burst into tears. Did not expect to be moved so much, but realizing that we’ve never had this loss of life acknowledged and publicly mourned together until now just broke me. It was such a healing and kind thing to do.
I watched, I cried, I thought about my mom- one of the 400,000 dead.
I just turned off this morning’s coverage.
Not watching one more minute of that murdering, racist, criminal incompetent- who is being indulged in another nazi rally on his way out of town.
I’ll turn it back on when the news can focus on decent human beings.
I’m so sorry for your loss Ariel.
My sympathies Ariel. I am so sorry you lost your mom.
I’m sorry, Ariel.
I’m so sorry, Ariel.
I am so sorry for your loss, Ariel. This wretched virus has robbed us of too many loved ones. Prayers ascending for you and your family.
I am so so sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking. <3
Finally, some compassion and normalcy. In political news, Hawley denied Biden’s candidate for Homeland Security a quick confirmation, bc Hawley is an obstructionist dick. Also, McConnell wants to bring back the filibuster without a sixty count Senate approval so he can obstruct Biden’s legislation just like he did Obama’s. Schumer said no, so we’ll see how it plays out.
ugh both of these f*ckers just need to go.
It is refreshing and emotional to have leadership, period, and especially leadership that is respectful of the American people. All those lives lost haven’t even been acknowledged until now. I am so looking forward to the next four years with kind, decent, intelligent people leading the way. I have so much hope that things will finally start to get slightly better.
I hope at least some of those who voted for 45 now realize how important it is to have stable, competent leadership in the face of a crisis. How many lives could’ve been saved if we’d had a normal president who took this seriously?
I lost my beloved cousin to Covid Monday morning. She and I grew up together, and as only children, were more sisters than cousins. I watched the Remembrance last night, and it nearly destroyed me, but I thought it was absolutely perfect and beautiful. Brian Williams said he thought this memorial should be made perfect, and I agree. I have a glimmer of hope with new leadership coming in today, that we can get control of this wretched virus so that others won’t have to suffer loss as so many of us have. The 400,000+ losses we have already suffered didn’t have to happen.
I am so sorry for your loss. My father died of COVID on Christmas Eve. It is utterly heartbreaking that they are among the 400,000 Americans who have died in this pandemic. It is even more disturbing that if our leaders and our fellow citizens had behaved differently from the beginning, many of those 400,000 would likely still be alive.
I am so sorry that you lost your father, and on Christmas Eve! Those of us who have lost loved ones to this horrible disease have become part of a club that no one would ever want to join, but we are now forever connected in sadness and grief. Prayers ascending for you and your family as you grieve this terrible loss.
I’m so sorry for your losses, Babz and BearcatLawyer.
So sorry to hear of your losses. Sending love.
I appreciated this so much. I know it doesn’t resolve all the feelings we feel about covid, but the acknowledgement helps. I lost my grandfather last week to covid so this tribute really hit home for me. Here’s to #46, wishing you the best Mr. President, thank you for giving us hope again.
I am so sorry for your loss. Hopefully President Biden will do everything he can to get this virus under control and get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Thank you BEARCATLAWYER! I appreciate the thought during this very hard time.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your grandfather.
So sorry for the loss. <3
I’m so sorry, SimplyCarmen. I have hope that with new leadership, we can bring this pandemic under control, and all the terrible losses can stop.
Wow, I just to this chills from this .
Babz, I’m so sorry for your loss.
Thank you! It still hasn’t really settled in yet, but the observance yesterday was a balm to the grief my family and I are feeling.
Simplycarmen, I’m very sorry for your loss.
Thank you so much JFERBER!
To all those who’ve lost loved ones to this awful scourge, may time and love bring healing. Know that you’re not forgotten but are remembered and prayed for.