By Timothy D. Naegele[1][2]

Clearly, the Coronavirus and its mutations are not following the trajectory of the Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 50-100 million globally, and came and went within 18 months.[3]  As 2021 comes to a close, the United States and other countries are shutting down again, with even worse predicted in the future.[4]  Time-honored events such as American college football's bowl games are being canceled, because of the virus.[5] 

Americans do not trust their government with respect to information about the virus.  And our already-stressed healthcare system may be overwhelmed, as more Americans seek critical help for Coronavirus-related medical needs.  Medical professionals have not recovered fully from the effects of the first rounds of the Coronavirus pandemic; and many have taken early retirements or just quit because of the stress.  Also, Americans with non-Coronavirus medical needs are being turned away again.[6]  

China and Russia may be on the verge of striking at Taiwan and Ukraine, respectively; and Brain Dead Joe Biden and his Vice President, Willie Brown's former ho Kamala Harris, seem more out of touch than ever.  Lots of Americans have lost faith in our great nation, which is not limited to supporters of former President Donald Trump.  They include vast numbers of Independents, who constitute an estimated 41 percent of the American electorate.[7]  Many have become devout "anti-vaxxers," who do not believe the directives issued by our federal government, state governments or local governments.  As the days pass, more evidence is mounting that governments at all levels are incompetent, and incapable of addressing the problems created by the Coronavirus pandemic and its mutations.

My last article here—entitled "Have Woke Anti-Americanism And China Risen To Take The Place Of The Soviet Union, Which Replaced The Nazis’ Third Reich?"—concluded with rays of hope and optimism.  It referenced another article on the subject by Conrad Black, a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher and writer.[8]  I have not changed my belief that Black may be correct, and there are reasons for long-term optimism.  However, in the interim, Americans may go through even more pain and suffering, before there is a light at the proverbial "end of the tunnel."  Indeed, I concluded:

As Americans seem mired down with the reemergence of Coronavirus lockdowns and fears, and the ineptitude—if not downright dishonesty—of the Biden-Harris administration as it implodes, they need to heed what Conrad Black has written above.  A powerful backlash is building against woke anti-Americanism, which will likely overwhelm it and consign it to the dustbin of history.[9]

This and other factors may temper our enemies' actions against us.

© 2021, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  Last year at this time, I wrote a similar article assessing what had happened during the year.  Tragically, the assessment this year may be even worse.

See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/22/2020-annus-horribilis/ ("2020 Annus Horribilis")

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/timothy-d.-naegele.pdf (Timothy D. Naegele, "The Coronavirus and Similar Global Issues: How to Address Them"), p. 286.

[4]  See, e.g., https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10355849/US-hits-record-nearly-500-000-Covid-cases-24-hours-Experts-says-viral-blizzard.html ("US sets WORLD record 489,267 COVID cases in 24 hours as country risks grinding to a HALT: 'Incoming viral blizzard will make it hard to keep everyday life operating'"); see also n.6 infra.

[5]  See, e.g., https://www.si.com/college/2021/12/29/holiday-bowl-canceled-nc-state-ucla-covid-19-outbreak-official ("Holiday Bowl Officially Canceled, NC State Won’t Play in a Bowl Game")

[6]  See, e.g., https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/30/hospitals-staffing-shortages-omicron/ ("First they ran short of PPE, then ventilators. Now, the shortage is hospital staff")

[7]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party_strength_in_U.S._states 

[8]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/20/have-woke-anti-americanism-and-china-risen-to-take-the-place-of-the-soviet-union-which-replaced-the-nazis-third-reich/ (Timothy D. Naegele, "Have Woke Anti-Americanism And China Risen To Take The Place Of The Soviet Union, Which Replaced The Nazis’ Third Reich?"); see also https://www.nysun.com/national/powerful-backlash-building-against-woke-anti/91833/ ("Powerful Backlash Building Against Woke Anti-Americanism") and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Black ("Conrad Black")

[9]  See id.