Martin Longman is the web editor of the Washington Monthly.
He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. Before joining the Monthly, Martin was a county coordinator for ACORN/Project Vote and a political consultant. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Man, there are a lot of people suffering! Tony, if you’re reading, so sorry. Hang in there, man. Many of us will no doubt be in your shoes before long.
As for the little girl, I can’t even imagine the pain that family is going through and I can’t imagine a worse time. Can anything be worse than losing a child? Where I live funerals are no longer allowed so people are constricted even in their ability to grieve. My heart goes out to Tony and to your friend.
Goddammit, Martin. This one really hits home, in the best and worst ways.
I guess we have to be made helpless to save our loved ones before it truly hits home what little control we have over our the sorts of journeys we get to take in life. Random chance is a major influence. It doesn’t actually even out, not in the course of a human lifetime at least.
My love goes with anyone hurting because of this pandemic.
Thanks for posting this (as difficult is to realize how awful this is in very personal terms). Saw this in my walk around Sherwood, Oregon earlier today.
One thing I have realized from all this is how much I have taken for granted. A good friend of mine died unexpectedly on March 13. He was 62 years old. He had recently had surgery but was doing fine. He started having some serious abdominal pain in the late morning, his wife took him to the ER and they sent him to the hospital. A scan revealed he had an inoperable aortic aneurysm which was rupturing. The surgeon explained the situation to he and his wife, he signed a DNR order and they started palliative measures. At 11:10 PM,… Read more »
I love your thoughtful comment, Mike. A friend and colleague of mine recently passed on following a fairly long walking with terminal cancer. She left behind three young children and her husband had died the year before. When she realized it was terminal, she sent a message to the professional group we were both members of, asking each of us to learn on her dime. She said (this is a paraphrase), “Why did it take something like this to bring into view that the only thing that’s truly important is love and time with loved ones. Ironic that it took… Read more »
Sad story, really hurts. So many of us have one or we shortly will. My son is a nurse and he must wear a paper mask all day. They are out. He told me he is a little worried about it. First I ever heard that from him. He was a cop for many years and never said that. Meanwhile our President, and apparently governors in Rhode Island and Florida, are trying to keep people from NY locked up and the hell out of their state. So even to,the point of hunting people from NY in RI to be sure… Read more »
Check him out. He sounds good to me. He gets a little repetitive but at least he doesn’t say shit like Trump: “ If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call” when talking about Michigan gov. That is a statement right there that someone like Biden should jump on. Trump lays out bombs in his daily campaign rally on tv and are invitations for Biden to jump on. Instead, nothing.
Agreed. I’m quite aware of his record, and to say I haven’t been a big fan is an understatement. But he is getting the job done, and doing it well. He is indeed worth checking out. I can’t believe I’m saying this but he’s really helps bring you back down to earth.
No we’re not. At least not if you count the POTUS, whose obvious strategy now is to intentionally fuck things up (standard issue Republicanism) and then shift the blame to Democratic governors.
Man, there are a lot of people suffering! Tony, if you’re reading, so sorry. Hang in there, man. Many of us will no doubt be in your shoes before long.
As for the little girl, I can’t even imagine the pain that family is going through and I can’t imagine a worse time. Can anything be worse than losing a child? Where I live funerals are no longer allowed so people are constricted even in their ability to grieve. My heart goes out to Tony and to your friend.
Goddammit, Martin. This one really hits home, in the best and worst ways.
I guess we have to be made helpless to save our loved ones before it truly hits home what little control we have over our the sorts of journeys we get to take in life. Random chance is a major influence. It doesn’t actually even out, not in the course of a human lifetime at least.
My love goes with anyone hurting because of this pandemic.
Thanks for posting this (as difficult is to realize how awful this is in very personal terms). Saw this in my walk around Sherwood, Oregon earlier today.
One thing I have realized from all this is how much I have taken for granted. A good friend of mine died unexpectedly on March 13. He was 62 years old. He had recently had surgery but was doing fine. He started having some serious abdominal pain in the late morning, his wife took him to the ER and they sent him to the hospital. A scan revealed he had an inoperable aortic aneurysm which was rupturing. The surgeon explained the situation to he and his wife, he signed a DNR order and they started palliative measures. At 11:10 PM,… Read more »
I love your thoughtful comment, Mike. A friend and colleague of mine recently passed on following a fairly long walking with terminal cancer. She left behind three young children and her husband had died the year before. When she realized it was terminal, she sent a message to the professional group we were both members of, asking each of us to learn on her dime. She said (this is a paraphrase), “Why did it take something like this to bring into view that the only thing that’s truly important is love and time with loved ones. Ironic that it took… Read more »
Sad story, really hurts. So many of us have one or we shortly will. My son is a nurse and he must wear a paper mask all day. They are out. He told me he is a little worried about it. First I ever heard that from him. He was a cop for many years and never said that. Meanwhile our President, and apparently governors in Rhode Island and Florida, are trying to keep people from NY locked up and the hell out of their state. So even to,the point of hunting people from NY in RI to be sure… Read more »
I’ve not listened to Cuomo’s press conference but I could never support that cynical bastard for any office above that of dog catcher.
Check him out. He sounds good to me. He gets a little repetitive but at least he doesn’t say shit like Trump: “ If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call” when talking about Michigan gov. That is a statement right there that someone like Biden should jump on. Trump lays out bombs in his daily campaign rally on tv and are invitations for Biden to jump on. Instead, nothing.
Agreed. I’m quite aware of his record, and to say I haven’t been a big fan is an understatement. But he is getting the job done, and doing it well. He is indeed worth checking out. I can’t believe I’m saying this but he’s really helps bring you back down to earth.
I don’t know what else governors are supposed to do at this point, with no fucking federal leadership, no coordinated response, no nothing.
It’s fucking horrible. It’s why I left Tennessee, I could see it coming.
No we’re not. At least not if you count the POTUS, whose obvious strategy now is to intentionally fuck things up (standard issue Republicanism) and then shift the blame to Democratic governors.
Sure and outside of Pelosi this morning no one seems willing to challenge him.
I am very concerned about John Prine who is on a ventilator now, among others
He is in bad shape. I can only pray he makes it.