Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History Book Review

History is an interesting thing. We may not realize that we are going through it until it passes us by.

Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, by Washington Post writers Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta was published in June. In the book, the authors describe with fastidious detail how the former Presidential administration not only politicized Covid-19, but how the egos and careers of certain officials led to the public health and economic catastrophe that is our reality.

Starting with early 2020 and ending last the fall, we start the narrative when it was just a mysterious flu like sickness that appeared to arrive from China. As the months pass and number of cases and deaths rise, the revelations of mismanagement, lack of communication, in-fighting and political bullshit allowed the virus to take hold and kill over half a million Americans.

Reading this book felt like it was a ticking time bomb. It was just a matter of time before all of the elements would come together and explode into chaos and destruction. What made me angry is that the fate of the American people was put aside to ensure that a small handful of individuals remained in power, regardless of the damage that was created in its wake.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

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The Murder Of Jamal Khashoggi And The Parallels To The Current American Presidency

Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi made headlines around the world two weeks ago when he entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his fiance. That was the last time that he was seen or heard from. After two weeks of speculation and questions, it was announced that he died inside the consulate.

Of course, you know who waffled in his reaction. First he defended the Saudi government, then he sent Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo to play hardball.

His waffling is not surprising. During the 2016 election, he made the following statement:

“Saudi Arabia, I like the Saudis,” Trump said at a July 2015 rally. “I make a lot of money with them. They buy all sorts of my stuff. All kinds of toys from Trump. They pay me millions and hundred of millions.”

If that is not enough to raise a few questions, then his proto-despotic tendencies should be more than enough to make the average citizen ask if he is up to doing the job.

Yesterday, The Washington Post published Mr. Khashoggi’s final article yesterday.  While the article speaks of what is happening in the Arab world, it also speaks to what is happening outside of the Arab world. Democracies that were secure are being shaken and tested. Dictators and autocrats rule in countries where Democracy was the law of the land.

If nothing else, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi  reminds us all that a Democratic government lives or dies by the will of the people. If they do not speak up and fight for their rights, they may watch those same rights slip through their fingers unnoticed.

Last year, Mr. Khashoggi’s employer presented the following statement to it’s readers and the public:

“Democracy dies in darkness.”

That statement has never been as true as it is today.

RIP Jamal Khashoggi, may your memory be a blessing.

The Post Movie Review

Freedom of the press is one of our core freedoms. Without that freedom, our democracy is not a democracy.

The new movie, The Post, takes place in 1971. Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), is the owner/publisher of The Washington Post. The Vietnam War is raging on and the country is split down an ideological divide that looks impossible to cross. Kay is dealing with two equally troubling the issues: the newspaper’s financial issues and the fact that she is not just one of the few women in the newsroom, but one of the few women running a newspaper. The men around her are not exactly pleased to have to deal with on a professional level. Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) is her editor who is not afraid to tell the truth. After the New York Times publishes the Pentagon Papers and is called by the government for the printing, the documents get into the hands of the Washington Post. The question is, do Kay and Ben publish the papers and is freedom of the press more important than the security of the nation?

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is a must see for every American citizen. It is a must see because the same arguments that the real life versions of the characters were having 46 years ago, we are still having the same arguments today. Especially with you know who in the White House. It is also a must see because without knowing it, Kay Graham was one of the women who helped to break the glass ceiling.  She is still remembered today for her contributions in the arenas of both supporting the right of a free press and for the thousands of female journalists who have careers because of her.

I absolutely recommend it.