https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/03/thoughts-on-coronavirus-crisis.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/04/thoughts-on-coronavirus-crisis-part-2.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/04/thoughts-on-coronavirus-crisis-part-3.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/05/thoughts-on-coronavirus-crisis-part-4.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/05/thoughts-on-coronavirus-crisis-part-5.html
1.) Quiet Waikiki
Last Thursday (5/7/2020) was my visit to Waikiki since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.
Waikiki at night is usually a very festive atmosphere with crowds of people from all over the world.
But now, it's a ghost town. The sidewalks are nearly empty. The shops are closed (except for the ubiquitous ABC Store, the chain of local convenience stores on nearly every corner of Waikiki). The bars & clubs are closed. Even the street musicians aren't even around.
I remember being in Waikiki a week after 9/11. It was quieter than usual but nowhere even close to being as quiet as now.
But I did see some hearts lighting out of the hotels
Pablo Wegesend
Hearts on Waikiki hotels
2.) Missing the simple joys
Restaurants are currently open for take-out only. But I really miss being able to sit down and eat in the restaurant.
I also miss being able to workout at the YMCA. I don't have any weights at home and therefore haven't lifted weights in 2 months. There's no room for them in my tiny apartment.
Sometimes I pass by houses and notice people working out with weights in their garages. I'd like to join in, but obviously, people are going to be suspicious of strangers walking up to their houses.
Yeah, I know there's fitness apps and workout videos online, but for me, exercise is a time to get away from screens. I already spend too much on screens.
3.) Work conditions for essential workers
There has been much appreciation for the essential workers.
Sadly, it's not always the employers that are giving the appreciation.
Too many employers are treating this as "business as usual", ignoring social distancing and PPE guidelines and forgetting that in the era of social media, bad working conditions aren't secret anymore.
The most notorious violator is Amazon, a company many people use to order stuff online.
Sadly, it's not always the employers that are giving the appreciation.
Too many employers are treating this as "business as usual", ignoring social distancing and PPE guidelines and forgetting that in the era of social media, bad working conditions aren't secret anymore.
The most notorious violator is Amazon, a company many people use to order stuff online.
Jason Koebler, “Amazon Vp Resigns, Calls Company ‘chickensh**’ for Firing Protesting Workers,” Vice, May 4, 2020,
Amazon’s strategy throughout the coronavirus crisis has been to fire dissenters and disparage them both in the press and behind closed doors. There have been dozens of confirmed coronavirus cases at warehouses around the country, and workers have repeatedly said the company isn’t doing enough to protect them. Last week, Amazon ended a program that allowed workers to take unlimited unpaid time off if they fear getting sick from the coronavirus. Last Friday, Amazon workers together with Target, FedEx, Instacart, and Whole Foods workers, went on strike to protest their working conditions.In statements to Motherboard, Amazon has said its own protesting workers are “spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon,” and that it “objects to the irresponsible actions of labor groups.” Last month, Amazon fired Chris Smalls, an Amazon worker in New York City. In a meeting, Amazon executives said that they believe Smalls is not “smart or articulate,” and that publicly they would focus on “laying out the case for why the organizer’s conduct was immoral, unacceptable, and arguably illegal,” according to leaked notes from that meeting obtained by VICE News
The issue is so bad that one of the company's vice-presidents, Tim Bray, is resigning in protest of what the CEO, Jeff Bezos is allowing to occur
Tim Bray, “Bye, Amazon,” Ongoing by Tim Bray, April 29, 2020,
Fast-forward to the Covid-19 era. Stories surfaced of unrest in Amazon warehouses, workers raising alarms about being uninformed, unprotected, and frightened. Official statements claimed every possible safety precaution was being taken. Then a worker organizing for better safety conditions was fired, and brutally insensitive remarks appeared in leaked executive meeting notes where the focus was on defending Amazon “talking points”.
Warehouse workers reached out to AECJ for support. They responded by internally promoting a petition and organizing a video call for Thursday April 16 featuring warehouse workers from around the world, with guest activist Naomi Klein. An announcement sent to internal mailing lists on Friday April 10th was apparently the flashpoint. Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, two visible AECJ leaders, were fired on the spot that day. The justifications were laughable; it was clear to any reasonable observer that they were turfed for whistleblowing.
Management could have objected to the event, or demanded that outsiders be excluded, or that leadership be represented, or any number of other things; there was plenty of time. Instead, they just fired the activists.
Snap! · At that point I snapped. VPs shouldn’t go publicly rogue, so I escalated through the proper channels and by the book. I’m not at liberty to disclose those discussions, but I made many of the arguments appearing in this essay. I think I made them to the appropriate people. ¶
That done, remaining an Amazon VP would have meant, in effect, signing off on actions I despised. So I resigned.
The victims weren’t abstract entities but real people; here are some of their names: Courtney Bowden, Gerald Bryson, Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham, Bashir Mohammed, and Chris Smalls.
I’m sure it’s a coincidence that every one of them is a person of color, a woman, or both. Right?
For a head of a tech-oriented company, Jeff Bezos is sure ignorant of the power of social media. He is ignorant of the fact that working conditions NEVER stay secret for long!
And this could be the start of a reinvigorated labor movement!
Learn more at
Jamelle Bouie, “Another Way the 2020s Might Be Like the 1930s,” New York Times, April 28, 2020,
Jamelle Bouie, “Another Way the 2020s Might Be Like the 1930s,” New York Times, April 28, 2020,
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4.) People wanting to be unemployed for the sake of benefits
While some people have been fighting for more respect at work, some people have actually asked to be laid off because they found out they could make more money from Unemployment benefits than from working
Hans Bader, “Workers Are Asking to Be Laid Off, Because Covid-19 Unemployment Benefits Pay Better Than Work,” Foundation for Economic Education, April 27, 2020,
Scott Horsley, “Bitter Taste for Coffee Shop Owner, as New $600 Jobless Benefit Drove Her to Close,” National Public Radio, April 21, 2020,
But the extra money can create some awkward situations. Some businesses that want to keep their doors open say it's hard to do so when employees can make more money by staying home."We basically have this situation where it would be a logical choice for a lot of people to be unemployed," said Sky Marietta, who opened a coffee shop along with her husband, Geoff, last year in Harlan, Ky.
and more
The very people we hired have now asked us to be laid off," Marietta wrote in a blog post. "Not because they did not like their jobs or because they did not want to work, but because it would cost them literally hundreds of dollars per week to be employed."With the federal government now offering $600 a week on top of the state's unemployment benefits, she recognized her former employees could make more money staying home than they did on the job.
If I was the employer, I would tell those slackers "No" and also "I could report you for fraud". Unemployment benefits are meant for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, not for slackers who want to game the system. There's a limit of money available for unemployment benefits, and those slackers are a drain on those who really needed the money.
Though in Hawaii's case, the backlog in the Unemployment Insurance is so well publicized that a person has got to be really stupid to ask to be laid off to get unemployment benefits here!
What is more common is people desperately clinging on to jobs they don't like knowing that even if they applied for Unemployment Insurance, it might be weeks (or months or even forever) before they get any money coming in.
Which brings us to.........
5.) Technological negligence in Hawaii's state government
Computer technology moves so fast that even something a decade old is considered outdated.
Hawaii's state government takes being outdated to a whole new level.
The computer mainframe system used by Hawaii's Unemployment Insurance office was set up in the 1980s, before the existence of the World Wide Web. Not only that, but it was also before the use of the mouse.
Marcel Honore, “How an Antiquated It System Failed Thousands of Hawaii’s Unemployed,” Honolulu Civil Beat, May 6, 2020,
The nearly quarter of a million unemployment insurance applications that Hawaii has received during the COVID-19 pandemic are being processed on a government mainframe that was installed in the early 1980s, back when Pac-Man was a cutting-edge video game.
It’s fragile and slow, with technology so obsolete that it predates using a mouse, officials say.
There’s no Microsoft Windows or anything resembling it. The dozens of state workers now assigned to field unemployment calls must instead use a keyboard to move the cursor across a basic, Atari-era screen as they try to help thousands of out-of-work applicants who urgently need payment.
and this
“The mainframe was never designed to be a web service,” Kunstman said last week. “It was like, before the web.”
Any private company that is that negligent in updating its computer system would've been out of business a long time ago.
For Hawaii's state government, this negligence is business as usual.
more from the article
more from the article
Local open-government advocates, however, point to the broader, years-long neglect by various high-ranking officials to overhaul Hawaii’s state IT systems. Doing so would have made the government more transparent — and vital programs more accessible for residents in need, they say.
At one point, coming out of the Great Recession, several key agencies including DLIR, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health considered creating a shared, user-friendly portal that would have allowed residents to apply for multiple benefits and services, as well as to file unemployment claims.
Ultimately, the initiative fell through when it failed to get the needed buy-in across all agencies, those involved say.
So let's summarize this! A system was proposed that would've integrated information from multiple state agencies to make it user friendly for the general public, but the agencies refused! It's like some people in the state government just love being inefficient! The people in the state bureaucracy are just notorious for being on a power trip, and this inefficiency gives them this power.
People who assume government operates better than private businesses often neglect to take the following into account
- business usually keep their computer systems updated in order to continue to satisfy costumers.
- if those customers aren't satisfied with the business online system, revenue stops coming in
- The government usually gets its revenue no matter what. Yes, some years the government gets less revenue (especially this one), but if you're unsatisfied with the government's services, too bad, you still got to pay taxes. Or else!
- Voting for politicians usually requires waiting every 2-4 years to vote. Choosing a service from the private sector means you can make the choice anytime you want.
- What incentive does the government really have to update its computer system?
- People usually only find out how bad a government agency is working when an urgent crisis happens. That means for most people, the Unemployment Insurance office's crappy computer system was "out of sight, out of mind" until they needed it
- Because the issue was "out of sight, out of mind" for a long time, there was no real incentive for the government to update the computer system until it got massive bad publicity this year.
6.) The predicted decline of cities
I love the city life.
I love being able to walk, bike, or bus all the city has to offer. The malls, the parks, the entertainment centers, and more.
I'd rather live in an apartment than a big house. I really don't want to bother with taking care of lawns.
I hate the long suburban commutes.
But because viruses spread easily throughout crowded cities, and especially within public transportation, people have predicted a decline of urban life.
New York City has nearly half the coronavirus cases in the US. It is a very crowded environment where a large proportion of people live in apartments and ride public transportation.
People in the mostly rural red states live in wipe open spaces and rely on their car for transportation. They can't relate to the fear of the pandemic because they just don't experience crowds that often.
The increase in people doing "work from home" and teleconference could mean that fewer people will feel the need to move to cities. They can stay in the suburbs and not have to worry about long commutes.
However, there would always be the appeal of the big city, no matter what bad has happened. 9/11 didn't stop New York's shine, And even past epidemics like the Black Plaque and the 1918 flu didn't eliminate the appeal of large European cities like London, Paris, or Milan.
Learn more about urban demographic trends at
Sabrina Tavernise and Sarah Mervosh, “America's Biggest Cities Were Already Losing Their allure. What Happens Next?” New York Times, April 19, 2020,
6. Law enforcement during the coronavirus crisis
The reason I don't take this whole "right-wing" and "left-wing" seriously is because of their inconsistencies. Law enforcement is one example
- The Right-Wing demands respect for the police, calls their critics "snowflakes" and ridicules legit concerns from ethnic minorities about abusive policing. But when the law has shut down businesses that European-American conservatives use, all of a sudden, they're concerned about how far law enforcement would go
- The Left-Wing thinks the police, in general, are racists, but yet, they think only police should have guns. They forget to realize that the same police they call "racist" are enforcing bans on gun possession, putting ethnic minorities at risk for being racially profiled, stopped and frisked all in the name of "getting illegal guns off the streets"
I understand those are over-generalizations. However, those patterns do exist in some form.
Here are some examples.
The first one from a right-wing pundit Kurt Schlichter, who usually ridicules those who are concerned Trump's immigration enforcement policies.
Kurt Schlichter, “Dumb and Corrupt Cops Risk Losing Our Support,” Townhall, May 7, 2020
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2020/05/07/dumb-and-corrupt-cops-risk-losing-our-support-n2568260
Many won’t play stupid games and they simply blow off dumb orders. I’ve witnessed police officers ignore all manner of Karen crimes, as they should. Bravo! We’ve seen a number of sheriffs stand up and refuse to enforce illegal and immoral orders from political hacks. Three cheers!
But then there are the Barney Fifes who, instead of saying “Hard pass” when ordered to dragging off some tattoo artist, comply instead. And that’s how we got a viral vid of two tubby constables hauling a guy to the pokey for trying to feed his family. Is that what LEOs signed up for? If so, we’re in trouble.
It’s a sad truth. Far too many of our LEOs are gutless drones who go along to get along, and it’s a disgrace.
That last sentence is exactly what many civil libertarians have been saying about Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) for years and why many want a reduction of laws. This is the root of criticisms of right-wing laws regulating drug use, immigration, and sex work. This is the root of criticisms of police who treat people with non-European ancestries as suspects. But such criticisms are heavily ridiculed in right-wing editorials, podcasts & more.
But when law enforcement policies inconvenience European-American conservatives, all of a sudden, they all of a sudden become civil libertarians and become the white version of the Black Panthers walking to state capitols literally armed for battle.
======
and here's another example of a right-winger finally learning the truth about law enforcement! This time by John Dempsey
John Dempsey, “Law Enforcement Should Not Enforce Health Guidelines - Now the Damage Is Done,” Townhall, May 7, 2020,
https://townhall.com/columnists/bronsonstocking/2020/05/07/law-enforcement-should-not-enforce-health-guidelines--now-the-damage-is-done-n2568359
It is often said that law enforcement officers, if ever faced with the unfortunate task, would stand up for the rights of citizens and refuse to violate the Bill of Rights. However, the edicts declared from the thrones of Democratic governors have some wondering if that is true.
Really?
Only now you figured that out?
Only now you figured out that law enforcement would violate your rights when ordered by their superiors to do so?
Activists in the African-American, Latino, and Muslim communities have been saying that for DECADES!
Civil libertarians and anarchists have been saying that for DECADES!
But only now, when European-American conservatives are inconvenienced by laws, they figure out that the police could care less about their rights?
John Dempsey also said this
It will take years for LEO’s to recover from this. They are being used as boots for a political agenda. At this point, when will police chiefs and sheriffs stand up to politicians who use them as pawns to keep businesses closed and the American dream suppressed?
Really, John Dempsey? Only now you figured out that LEO's have ALWAYS been used as boots & pawns for a political agenda?
When the agenda was to use LEO's to stop & frisk people of non-European ancestries in the name of "stopping drugs", "getting illegal guns off the streets" or "stopping terrorism". that was an example of LEOS's being used as boots & pawns for a political agenda!
But now you because European-American conservatives feel inconvenienced because the laws have closed churches and salons, only now they're worried about LEO's being pimped to enforce a political agenda?
and more from John Dempsey
Law enforcement’s reputation is severely damaged now. The problems and mistrust that have developed from enforcing health guidelines, instead of honoring their oath, will take years to heal.
Reputation severely damaged? Mistrust due to enforcement procedures?
How do you think many in the African-American, Latino, and Muslim communities have been feeling all these decades?
We've been telling you this in so many ways!
Protest on the streets!
Tweets!
Through Songs!
Through Kneeling During a Song!
But now John Dempsey feels oppressed because his favorite places are closed!
If Kurt Schlichter and John Dempsey feel oppressed during the lockdown, they should also speak up for the African-Americans being abused by the NYPD who claimed they were enforcing social distancing (nevermind the same NYPD was very lenient towards European-Americans who weren't social distancing in public parks).
Zuri Davis, “The NYPDs Violent Covid-19 Arrests Show It Hasn't Learned Much in the 6 Years Since Eric Garner's Death,” Reason Magazine, May 7, 2020,
https://reason.com/2020/05/07/the-nypds-violent-covid-19-arrests-show-it-hasnt-learned-much-in-the-6-years-since-eric-garners-death/
The NYPD, on the other hand, still seems intent on violently cracking down on nonviolent crimes. In a single week, at least three violent arrests for social-distancing violations have gone viral:
In those 3 videos, not only were the NYPD brutal to those not social distancing, but they were also threatening and even pushing those who were filming them.
As of this time, the allegedly pro-liberty writers Kurt Schlichter and John Dempsey are silent. They're only pro-liberty when it comes to European-Americans.
==========
On the Left, there is a Democrat state representative from Michigan named Sarah Anthony.
She usually wants the government to make gun laws stricter.
But when she feels threatened, what does she do?
Call on people with guns to protect her.
But isn't that why so many people don't want more restrictions on guns.
I get that Sarah Anthony feels inadequately protected when a bunch of European-American militia types stormed the state capitol!
So she asked some African-Americans with big guns to protect her!
It was very powerful imagery!
It was like the Black Panthers coming back to life with big weapons protecting African-Americans!
Lois Beckett, “Armed Black Citizens Escort Michigan Lawmaker to Capitol After Volatile Rightwing Protest,” The Guardian, May 7, 2020,
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/07/michigan-lawmaker-armed-escort-rightwing-protest?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
Sarah Anthony was quoted with this
Anthony said it had been meaningful to receive a personal offer from constituents to help ensure her safety. But, she said, “the thing that I hope does not happen with this photo is that this creates an environment that would feel like more guns are needed in order to protect ourselves.”
But guns can be necessary for self-defense. They may not be for everyone (I personally prefer to carry pepper spray), but if used properly, guns are a powerful tool for self-defense.
Other African-Americans can definitely use the same protection Sarah Anthony got. Most will not have access to a well-armed posse to bodyguard them 24-7. But those with less prestigious jobs in less protected neighborhoods and also feel unsafe when commuting to and from work should also have the right to carry a pistol/revolvers/tasers/spray/etc for self-defense.
7. ) Back to Hawaii
On social media, many people are sharing photos of empty beaches in Hawaii. Especially popular is the photo of empty Hanauma Bay.
Those who don't like tourists or don't like crowds are filled with joy.
However, local sourpuss Jennifer Fiedler feels that we shouldn't share such photos because they might encourage tourists to return and give us the coronavirus
Jennifer Fiedler, “Please Stop Posting Photos of Tourist-Free Hawaii,” Honolulu Civil Beat, May 7, 2020
I think Fiedler needs to chill. People taking photos of now empty beaches are documenting history in the making.
You can't just lie via omission just because it might inspire a bad idea in someone's head.
It reminds me of all this worry about news reports about crime & homelessness would scare tourists away from Hawaii.
But now, someone is in panic mode because photos of empty beaches might attract too many tourists.
You just can't win with some people.
Look, we should be documenting history in the making, regardless of whether it may attract or repel tourists.
As the common hip-hop phrase goes, We Need to Keep It Real!
In the last year-and-a-half, I haven't had as much time to film vlogs (I usually call them "YouTube speeches).
But last Saturday, I finally got around to making one on the coronavirus crisis.
This one is more focus on my life during these times.
Here's the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0umfMyH0dTU
8.) My latest video (this one on the coronavirus crisis)
In the last year-and-a-half, I haven't had as much time to film vlogs (I usually call them "YouTube speeches).
But last Saturday, I finally got around to making one on the coronavirus crisis.
This one is more focus on my life during these times.
Here's the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0umfMyH0dTU
