Sherman R. Frederick/Publisher
The British comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus skewered government bureaucracy in a most delicious way with its famous skit on the Ministry of Silly Walks. It consisted of John Cleese walking to work and then interviewing applicants seeking a grant to develop their own silly walks.
Google it, boys and girls. You’ll find many similarities to where California is today as the Sacramento Flying Circus explains the rules of silly mask rules post-COVID-19.
Here’s the lay of the land courtesy of Calmatters.org:
“Masks at school, but not at the store. Well, unless you work at the store. But store employees may only have to wear masks until June 28. As long as they’re fully vaccinated. But it’s up to businesses to figure out how to verify employees’ vaccination status. Or not.
“If that sounds confusing, then it’s an accurate portrayal of the patchwork of policies various state agencies unveiled Wednesday, six days before California’s grand reopening.”
Given Gov. Gavin Newsom’s performance during the pandemic, I guess I shouldn’t be unnerved by this lack of clarity. You will remember how his goofy color-coded system remained clear as mud to the end, and how Marin County, probably the most effective county in California when it came to vaccinations, failed to advance because it was too damn effective with vaccinations.
Talk about silly bureaucracy. Now we sit and wait for mask clarity from the same folks who brought us that absurdity?
I keep thinking counties and private businesses are about to be put in a position of submitting plans for mask-wearing only to be told by some state health bureaucrat, dancing at the end of a string pulled by lobbyists who donated big money to the governor, something akin to John Cleese’s character in the Ministry of Silly Walks skit:
“I mean, the right leg isn’t silly at all and the left leg merely does a forward aerial half turn every alternate step.”
I hope I’m wrong. I bet I’m right.
FAILURE OF BLM
I hesitate to ask this “fart in the elevator” question, but doesn’t the Black Lives Matter mantra to “defund the police” make Black lives matter less? Everywhere cities have defunded the police, Black communities have experienced big spikes and crime, not a reduction.
Right here in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle examined crime in Oakland since it defunded the police. They found big increases — shocker! — in the same poor and Black communities in which high crime existed before.
So, if we’re being honest with the stats, defunding the police appears to increase death and misery in Black communities. But look, if anyone in Marin wants to try their hand at writing an op-ed that takes the position that defunding the police has been good in any way for Black communities, I’m more than happy to publish it. I’m willing to listen. If you are a “defund the police” supporter, make the case. Please.
ONE MORE THING
Mixed up sayings that kinda, sorta make sense:
— You can take one man’s trash to another man’s treasure, but you can’t make him drink.
— We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.
— It’s not rocket surgery.
— You’ve opened this can of worms, now lie in it.
— When the cows freeze over.
OK, that’s more than enough for today. Thanks for your time. Until next week, adhere to the hippie credo: Be kind and always question authority.
(Sherman Frederick is the editor and publisher of Marinscope Community Newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com, or by phone at 415-408-1073.)
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