We’re in the middle of yet another oppressive heat wave in some parts of La-La Land, and the calendar has barely skipped to fall. Naturally, that meant it was the optimal time for my place of employment to devote two aisles to a massive array of Christmas decorations and tzatchtkes, displacing the Halloween displays that had dominated the front of the store for weeks further back. If that was Augtober, I suppose we’re now in the midst of Octember.
I can almost understand the desire to cash in on folks’ intense desire for some sort of escape and hope from the times we are in. The last time many of us were confronted with the possible reelection of Donald J. Trump we were months into a pandemic that had people all over this city afraid to touch doorbells and crossing the street to avoid contact. Christmas decorations were actually up in front of some homes in my area in lieu of Halloween, since all we heard was that the traditional act of trick or treating needed to be cancelled. In many cases, they stayed up almost until Easter, because I suspect the owners were too afraid to step outside to remove them by that point.
We’re now in even more polarized times than ever, and on top of the harsh reality that Tuesday night Tim Walz did little to advance the likelihood that he and Madame Vice President might actually save us from the prophesized anointing of End Times Fat Orange Jesus coming to pass we are coming up on the one-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks on Israel, that just yesterday escalated further, as BUSINESS INSIDER’s Jake Epstein described:
Iran launched a massive attack on Israel on Tuesday as tensions soar and violence further grips the volatile Middle East.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Telegram that “a short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel.” On other social media pages, it said that “all Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel.”
“The air defense system is fully operational, detecting and intercepting threats wherever necessary, even at this moment,” the IDF said. Air raid sirens could be heard across the country.
Video footage showed Israeli air defenses intercepting Iranian missiles over Jerusalem. Other footage has shown incoming missiles impacting Israel, which so far has not reported any injuries. Tehran reportedly fired nearly 200 missiles in the barrage.
And the analysis from CNN’s Helen Regan’s of what might come next hardly lightened the mood:
The Middle East is edging ever closer toward a full-blown regional war as Israel vowed to respond to Iran’s huge barrage of ballistic missiles fired at the country on Tuesday night, capping a day of dramatic military escalation in the region.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said hours after the unprecedented attack.
Tuesday’s attack has further changed the dynamics of the conflict, transitioning from a war involving Iran’s proxies toward a direct confrontation between two regional military powerhouses.
It’s hardly a comfortable time for anyone to be Jewish, lest one risk being labeled an enabler of child murderers by a significant amount of otherwise undereducated folks under the age of 30–ironically, with their faces obscured even more than those who are in a renewed state of panic and desire for lockdown. Our good friend and champion fear-monger Rong-Gong Lin II and his Left Angeles TIMES felt compelled to drop yet another 1000-word plea for its justification in this morning’s edition:
California’s protracted summer COVID surge has finally ended, a welcome window that provides a key opportunity to prepare for yet another expected resurgence of transmission this autumn and winter, doctors say.
Key to thwarting that threat is the availability of updated vaccines, which have been formulated to boost protection against recently dominant circulating coronavirus strains — the same approach used to develop the annual flu shot.
That’s why doctors are urging everyone age 6 months and older to get an updated COVID vaccine, ideally before Halloween. And unlike last year, the new shots have arrived on time and are plentiful.
“This summer’s COVID surge was particularly enduring. Viral levels in California wastewater were calculated as “high” or “very high” for 15 straight weeks, from the start of June through the first half of September, according to the CDC. That’s about as long as the 2022 midyear wave and twice as long as last year’s. COVID levels in wastewater in California finally fell back into the “moderate” level for the week ending Sept. 21, the most recent for which data are available.
Because, as any “sane” person should know, “COVID is not over”. I’d reach out to Lin and assure him that I just received my seventh vaccine, but he’s probably far too busy conducting analyses of bilge from his remote location to be even remotely concerned that his bottom line request was actually heeded.
All of this is happening as Rosh Hashanah 5785 has been ushered in by shofar blows around the world. Last night I had the pleasure of attending an outdoor service, resplendent with music and a darn tasty seder (it’s not just a Passover tradition), and met some upbeat, successful and, frankly, normal people for the first time in months. It didn’t cost a penny and no pagers exploded.
My social media feeds this morning are filled with images like these from folks all over the country who are simply relieved to still be alive and kicking and able to send such greetings to what they consider to be their circle of friends.
I suppose there are some that feel that spending hundreds of dollars for an animatronic Buddy that almost resembles Will Ferrell is a way to cope with the challenges in front of us. In that case, you do you. Besides, my needs and wants are a LOT more urgent.
So I’ll offer my own sincere wishes for a safe and healthy New Year for those who celebrate, and will humbly ask any of you who have yet to do so to return them. There’s plenty of time for “We Need A Little Christmas”. We need a LOT of New Year’s, NOW.
Until next time…