Hellscape 2020: A New American Journal graphic by Walter Simon [Art Market Place]
By Glynn Wilson –
EDITOR’S NOTE – You may not see much of this in the mainstream media’s year in review stories, which quite frankly so far have made me gag, literally. And want to gouge out my own eyes like a scene from King Lear. Maybe jump out a third story window. Never fear. I’m wearing a custom smily face mask as I say this.
No really, I don’t think a picture of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez dancing butt to butt at the Super Bowl halftime show in Miami in February is an image that defined in any way the hellscape of 2020. But that’s the image The Washington Post led with online (I won’t even bother to provide the link).
In fact, it could be argued that the year 2020 was the year sports and live music entertainment died. I know that’s a bit hard to capture in one still photograph. But what about a painting?
Anyway, each year since I started doing this independent web publishing project 15 years ago, it has become a custom to go back through our monthly archives in late December, where we might discover insights not found elsewhere. The disastrous year of 2020 — when we all thought the world was about to come to a fiery end — is no exception.
January
New American Journal graphic by Walter Simon. Market Place
Remember back in January, before the coronavirus hit, when I revealed that 2020 was the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac? Well, man, did that turn out to be prophetic or what?
The Year of the Rat King: 2020
The rat in the year of the rat is associated with an aggressive attitude and entrepreneurship. In Chinese philosophy, it’s linked to material success and a luxurious lifestyle. If that sounds a bit like a certain American president who was under impeachment in Congress at that time, well credit the Chinese.
It did indeed turn out to be the year of the ratfucker, which is what rats turn into when people don’t bow down to their aggressive charms. According to Chinese philosophers, rats have only a few friends, but they do have powerful manipulative skills. They go to great lengths to win a battle. When heavy bad karma causes inner conflicts, they will get involved in speculations or adventures out of their desire to live dangerously.
Could that be the motivation for Trump and his supporters refusing to wear masks?
When that doesn’t go well, they turn against themselves, trying to self-destruct, and will take down the entire “mischief of rats” with them. Thus the term ratfucking.
If you don’t go along with a rat king’s plans, in other words, he will screw the entire country and the world. In this case that means refusing to promote social distancing, showing disdain for wearing masks, and playing golf instead of coordinating a national response to get vaccines distributed to everyone.
I warned at the time: “Wake up and smell the rat shit people. This guy’s no good. Rats spread the plague.”
Who knew then that the COVID plague was coming?
February
Earth Hanging in the Balance. A New American Journal graphic by Walter Simon [Art Market Place]
Hunkered down for the winter in the Conecuh National Forest near the Florida state line in February, I had lots of time on my hands to conduct research on human genetic and cultural evolution and produced a three part series on the essential nature of our survival problem and offered a suggested solution. It is still valuable reading as we move into the post-Trump reality. The series was shared all over the world, and is part of the reason this website went over 2.1 million hits in March.
New American Journal graphic by Walter Simon [Art Market Place]
Can Altruism Trump Selfishness to Save Democracy and Planet Earth?
How Existential Anxiety Leads to Authoritarianism
How to Create a Functioning Communications System to Save Democracy and the Planet
New American Journal graphic by Walter Simon [Art Market Place]
As it became about time for Spring Break, we moved to Pensacola and began scouting a new winter camp. Unfortunately, our plans had to change due to the coronavirus pandemic.
March
An uncrowded beach in Pensacola: Glynn Wilson
News of the novel coronavirus began spreading in the first two weeks of March, first from Washington State and then New York. But when it was time for Spring Break 2020 in Florida, all hell broke loose.
Coronavirus Hits Gulf Coast Just In Time for Spring Break
Novel Coronavirus Pandemic Hits Hard, Threatens Global Recession
Since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was acting like Trump and not urging his people to take precautions and refusing to cancel Spring Break beach parties, I packed up the media camper van and hightailed it out of there to a cozy log cabin in the woods on Lookout Mountain for the month of April.
April
A nighttime view of DeSoto Falls with the Milky Way galaxy in the sky and Saturn and Jupiter in view right above the waterfall: Ron Burkett
The defining moment in April was the death of John Prine from COVID. Even though I was camped out in the woods away from everybody, it still felt like the apocalypse was upon us and I had the second experience of the year when I thought I was a goner.
If Coronavirus Takes Me, You Can Bury Me On Lookout Mountain
This little picture of a Snuffy Smith log cabin got lots of engagement on Facebook: Glynn Wilson
Of course Earth Day 2020 was mostly a bust in April, with public events canceled. But it did offer some lessons we should have headed as the coronavirus raged.
On Earth Day 2020, Future Human Prognosis Looks Cloudy
Earth from space: NASA
May
A view of sunset over Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge Appalachian Mountains in rural North Carolina: Glynn Wilson
As the calendar turned over from April to May, I fled from the virus again to a rural area in the mountains of North Carolina with the opportunity to practice my new mission of altruism by planting an all heirloom seed organic garden and experiment with simple survival from the earth.
Let’s Get Busy Living Better Together: Even While Social Distancing Apart
An all heirloom seed organic garden in rural North Carolina: Glynn Wilson
No matter what the politicians in Washington tried, nothing seemed to work.
America Torn Asunder: 100,000 Dead, 40 Million Unemployed
But I felt safe for a time, anyway, and remained busy through the summer.
And we got rid of Jeff Sessions from the political scene once and for all.
So Long Jeff Sessions: We Won’t Be Sorry to See You Go
June
A basket of bounty, the fruits of honest labor: Glynn Wilson
The summer began with a warning from scientists that turned out to be close to reality, even if the president and his minions were not listening to science.
Scientists Project Active, Deadly 2020 Hurricane Season
American pride fell to a record low just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
July
A view of the Statue of Liberty at sunset from the Staten Island Ferry: Glynn Wilson
The times and the holiday made me think of Thomas Paine, and wonder about democracy’s future.
“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”
– Thomas Paine, The Crisis No. I
What to Make of American Independence in These Times that Try Human Souls, Again
The world seemed stable and safe enough in July for a road trip to Washington, D.C., so I headed up the road to check on the Black Lives Matter protests, among other stories, and found a president hunkered down in the White House feeling isolated, alone and hated.
President Donald Trump is so unpopular and afraid of protesters surrounding the White House that the parimeter had to be extended out with ugly fencing, which is now covered with BLM graffiti: Glynn Wilson
Not Since Nixon Has a President Been So Isolated and Hated: Trump Has to Go
Visitors to Shenandoah National Park enjoy a summer sunset view along the Appalachian Trail by Loft Mountain Campground, Sunday, July 12, 2020: Glynn Wilson
On the way back south, I managed to catch one spectacular night in Shenandoah National Park, and began to feel like perhaps we had a chance to make it through the year and save democracy by getting rid of Trump and getting back to work saving the planet.
Shenandoah One More Time in the Summer of Our Discontent
After spending much of the spring and summer just trying to stay alive and find a way to survive, politics and the election of 2020 came back into focus and began to dominate the news, and with that, tensions began to rise again.
The Race for Control of the U.S. Senate is On: Alabama’s Doug Jones Now Has an Opponent
Then John Lewis died, and it was a sad day in America all over again.
President Barack Obama honors Congressman John Lewis with the Medal of Freedom in 2010: White House
Timely Death of John Lewis Spurs Us On to Continue the Revolution Until Trump is Gone
August
The Dog Days of August brought political conventions and the nomination of democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to take on Trump in November. But Trump began trying to steal the election by manipulating the United States Post Office to suppress voting by mail.
By Labor Day, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did what he does best: Obstruct legislation to help the American people.
Living in rural America at the time felt like living in Plato’s Cave.
Plato’s Cave: An Allegory For Our Time
But help was on the way.
Some good news started creeping into the headlines and knocking out some of the bad when Steve Bannon was arrested on his Chinese billionaire’s yacht.
Counter protesters for Trump and Jesus stand off anti-Trump protesters in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, original site for the 2020 Republican National Convention, on Monday Aug. 24: Glynn Wilson
The Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina was a bust, so Trump moved most of the action to the White House.
The Republican National Convention in Charlotte North Carolina was a Dud
Looking like a modern day anti-Christ with a chance to win in November, Trump and his followers literally tried to convince Americans that smart, educated people are really dumb, and that dumb, uneducated people are really smart.
Dumb is the New Smart, and Smart is the New Dumb
A day after President Donald Trump stood on the South Lawn of the White House and abused the people’s House for political purposes like no president in the history of the United States and ranted against what he called “agitators” hell bent on destroying “the American way of life,” thousands of Americans marched to the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech just down the National Mall and sent a warning to the president in the event he tries to steal the election in November.
September
With the advent of the last month of the summer and the beginning of the fall campaign, Democrats were able to issue a collective sigh of relief at least for a few minutes as the Democratic Party’s ticket for president, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, still held an eight point lead nationally over Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the wake of both party’s national conventions, five points higher than where Hillary Clinton was against Trump four years before, according to polls at the time.
Which of course no one trusted.
The latest national survey of 12,966 likely voters from Aug. 28-30 found Biden 8 points ahead of Trump, 51 percent to 43 percent. Biden also led in key battleground states.
Polls Show Democrat Biden Leading Trump by Eight Points With Two Months to Go
All the while massive, out of control wildfires were burning the American West from Colorado to Oregon and down through California.
Yellow Smoke From the Riverside Fire Clogs the Air Over Portland Oregon
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Then Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, and the court was also on the ballot in November.
The Supreme Court is Now at Stake Too in the Monumental Election of 2020
The front entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.: Glynn Wilson
Just as September was about to turn into October, the New York Times came out with an October surprise that would help take down Trump in the end.
Donald Trump the Criminal Tax Cheat: Is This the Smoking Gun to Bring Trump Down Finally?
October
Then came the October surprise that hit Trump from within his own denial of reality camp. He tested positive for the coronavirus, along with others in his administration.
Trump Tests Positive: Fake News or Karma?
Looking up the hill at the entrance to Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park, Autumn 2020: Glynn Wilson
The historic political moment was just too good to miss out on covering in person, so I headed back to the D.C. area and photographed the autumn color along the way.
Autumn Color: Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
It looked more and more like Trump’s reelection chances were doomed, when older Americans turned against him for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and related economic recession.
We camped up by Camp David and covered the election.
Secret Vistas: Autumn Color is Peaking in Maryland, but Don’t Get Too Close to Camp David
Who will ever forget the disastrous presidential debates of 2020?
A Majority of Americans Say Joe Biden Won Final Presidential Debate Over Trump
I made the trip to Gettysburg one more time and wrote once more about the final battle of the Civil War.
We Can End the Civil War Once and For All Time on Tuesday, Nov. 3
November
A street view of the Adams County Democratic Committee headquarters on Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg, Pa.: Glynn Wilson
As you will recall, Election Night 2020 ended with no clear winner.
Election Night 2020 Ends at Midnight With No Clear Winner for President
But by Saturday, Nov. 7, we had a winner.
But that did not stop the coronavirus plague from rising again as fall faded into winter.
With the Election All But Over, the Coronavirus Rages Out of Control
Trump has never really given up, but he did relent in his own way.
Trump Relents, Allows Transition of Power to Move Forward
By Thanksgiving, we knew it was all but over for Trump.
Thanksgiving 2020: Goodbye Donald Trump
December
Continuing my romance with the mountains, talk about purple mountains majesty, this is our view from the rooftop smoking porch of the Great Smoky Mountains: Glynn Wilson
After Thanksgiving, I made the move from the remote, jagged mountains of northwest North Carolina and landed in a cheery bed and breakfast in Knoxville, Tennessee to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
And by mid-December, the nation seemed to reach a turning point.
Nation Reaches A Turning Point on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020
Then came the Christmas star and the Age of Aquarius.
The Great Convergence of Jupiter and Saturday creates a Christmas star: Glynn Wilson
A Christmas Star, the Age of Aquarius, and A Reluctant 2020 Year In Review
And miracle of miracles, tongue in cheek, the statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol building just in time for Christmas.
A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol early Monday: Office of Governor Northam
The Statue of Robert E. Lee Has Finally Been Removed from the U.S. Capitol
Both chambers of Congress passed a coronavirus pandemic economic relief bill just in time for a Christmas recess, and Trump even finally got around to signing the damn thing, after being logrolled on his Florida golf course.
Trump Comes Around and Signs Pandemic Relief Bill
Amazingly, we had a White Christmas here.
A star magnolia tree covered in white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson
The Final Say on 2020: White Christmas Quiet
A Northern mockingbird in a weeping cheery tree in the white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson
New Year
I don’t know what’s going to happen in 2021, but it’s hard to imagine that it could be any worse than 2020. Maybe Newton’s laws will come into effect and we will bounce back up and live again after the Biden administration is sworn in Jan. 20 and gets busy distributing the vaccine to everyone by summer.
Perhaps by fall we can get back to sporting events and live music venues and look back on 2020 as hell on Earth. Maybe we can learn a few lessons too and work to make life more livable on planet Earth.
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Let them (us) eat cake! While millions are unemployed, laid-off, losing their homes, dying from a virus the administration claims is a hoax: Trump plays gold, Pence is skiing, the treasury secretary is at a Mexican resort (guess the wall only works one way), Moscow Mitch relishes the fact that he can kill relief for the working poor while many of those same folks thought the trillion dollar tax break for the 1% was a good thing-let us hope such stupidity does not continue into the Georgia run-ffs!