Hindsight Is 2020

Pianist Tom Lehrer released an album entitled "That Was The Year That Was," a live recording containing satiric topical songs covering the news in 1965. The popularity of his songs outlasted their subjects. "Always predict the worst and you'll be hailed as a prophet," he noted.

As predicted in the Chinese zodiac, the "Year of the Rat" (2020) has been one for the books. The coronavirus has become an international pandemic, killing more that 250,000 Americans and over one million others worldwide. At this writing, over 60 million humans have been contaminated.

A cousin in Isolona, Liguria in Northern Italy notes: "We are in very bad shape with the infection, and the hospitals are full. This wave is worse that the first. Let's hope this bad period ends soon. We must have faith in science. Blessings to you and your family. We shall stay in touch."

A friend who lives nearby in Rapollo, Liguria describes a grim situation: "here, things are falling apart. Contagions increase exponentially and we continue with lockdowns. What is worrisome is that the winter is too long to hope that the emergency can be stopped soon. I hope you are all well."

Meanwhile, we have been obliged to face an election year like no other, pitting a wannabe autocrat with no experience, along with his minions, against a veteran politician with years of experience in the U.S. Senate and eight years as Vice-President of the United States.

Herr Gropenfuhrer, as he's come to be known in the GonzoPR blog, certainly has his fans nationally, but the sitting president has show little interest in exhibiting signs of leadership or resolve to address the coronavirus pandemic facing the country.

But good news is on the horizon. As we move into 2021, the "Year of the Ox," signs are evident that we're rounding the curve. On November 3, former Vice-President Joe Biden decisively defeated Herr Gropenfuhrer in the election for President of the United States for the next four years.

Meanwhile, Herr Gropenfuhrer continues to challenge the results, a defeated despot barricaded in his bunker like Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane, sequestered at Xanadu, his dilapidated pleasure palace. He needs to just recognize that Joe Biden winning is actually the best outcome for him.

And there are other signs of hope on the horizon to address the health and welfare if the world as well. At least three pharmaceutical companies have developed vaccines to address the international pandemic with an anticipated rollout December and the first quarter of 2021.

On a positive note, 2020 has turned out to be a productive year for many associated with the GonzoPR enterprise. Because of lockdowns and social distancing required by the pandemic, writers, artists and creatives of all types have focused on their projects and have produced stellar works.

In terms of home improvement projects, we've been able to accomplish quite a bit during this past year of lockdowns and social distancing: new flooring for the home, a new roof for the little hut (below) at the Owl Conservancy and time to complete a number of writing projects and yard maintenance.

Finally, the nation has spoken about removing the toxic enterprise occupying the White House. The president-elect is the perfect individual to lower the temperature in this country and, most importantly, concentrating on a cure for the deadly coronavirus sweeping the world.

The End Is Nigh

As one nightmare concludes with the election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, the coronavirus continues to rage in a year that can only be characterized as unprecedented. Consequently, GonzoPR will revisit and review this past week with its team of correspondents.

Now that the election is over, it's time to gather perspectives from Helmut Vallindaklopf in Washington D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa, Italy and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand for reports on how people from around the world view what has transpired here in the USA.

What does it matter? Since 2016, Herr Gropenfuhrer has dominated American politics. At times, he seemed to possess magical powers, winning the presidency despite an aversion for the usual rules, yet maintaining an approval rating even as he was impeached and presided over a pandemic.

JM: "In the end, Trump didn't have magical powers after all; he instead became only the fourth elected president in the past century to lose re-election after Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush. Helmut, what is the mood as viewed from your bunker on Connecticut Avenue?

HV: "Well, clearly, some in this country expected more of Donald Trump, yet many others were not fooled. A majority of Americans basically told Herr Gropenfuhrer: "you're fired!" He's had all this time to ruin democracy on his way out the door and this is the best he can come up with?"

JM: "Yes, but unfortunately, he has refused to concede and is promoting a grand conspiracy blathering about lawsuits while cheered on by his entitled children and his personal lawyer and witch doctor, Rudy Giuliani. Ramona, how are the people viewing the election from your side of the Atlantic?

RV: "Clearly, most everyone is relieved. The diplomats I have been speaking to are looking forward to an American president who will treat them as allies instead of adversaries, while Vladimir Putin of Russia seems to be preparing for a more acrimonious relationship with the United States."

JM: "Yet, Herr Gropenfuhrer has still not conceded. Wolf, how's the view in the Far East, particularly China?"

WM: "Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to formally congratulate Biden on beating Trump, and Beijing has indicated that it doesn't plan on doing so as long as Trump continues to dispute the election results, so we'll have to wait and see.

JM: "Well, I guess that should come as no surprise. Maybe he thinks that Trump matches up with many of the other fine dictators in the world, like Putin. But his claims to the throne are weak and pathetic, and he will ultimately go down. Stay tuned and we'll gather again in the near future."

Somewhere In Time

The past four years, and particularly the last 12 months, have been among the strangest of a lifetime: the coronavirus, the spate of violence leading to Black Lives Matter, and global warming resulting in devastating wildfires and deadly hurricanes. Truly, we have entered the Bizzaro World.

Climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate, punctuated with massive wildfires in the West and an ungodly number of hurricanes, not to mention the resulting loss and life and property. How can we wait for action from a government refusing to acknowledge that science is real?

Now, we have the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a liberal legal icon, right before the most important election of a generation. The efforts to draft a new justice, Amy Coney Barrett, before the election takes place on November 3 will occur. It's not a question of if as when the vote will happen.

Further, The New York Times has information on the current president's federal income taxes, showing that he paid zero income tax for 10 of the past 14 years because of massive losses. In 2016 and 2017, he paid only $750 each year. Apparently, he has been fraudulent for years.

For his entire life, Herr Gropenfuhrer has stayed one step ahead of disaster, applying his gift for keeping reality in check. He has concocted his own odd reality -- about success and his virility, while skirting imbroglios with ex-wives and other women, and more that would be much too long to list here.

Then, we have the first presidential debate, which was more like a schoolyard scrum than a serious discussion of the issues and policy decisions that will help guide this country in these times of increasing division amongst its citizens. We will need a concerted effort by leaders of principle to move forward.

Now, our erstwhile president has the coronavirus after a number of ill-advised appearances that has contaminated many more within the circle of White House staffers. His contracting the disease he dismissed as a threat is an irony of Sophoclean proportions that he can no longer spin away.

The collective reasoning here at GonzoPR was: "Could this be a hoax, too?" With any other president, this question would not be reasonable nor expected. But now, under this president, it is indeed perfectly understandable to see why some might think we can never be sure.

As editorial director of the GonzoPR blog, and in consultation with other members of the editorial board, Helmut Vallindaklopf, Ramona Vallindaklopf, and Wolfgang Majoris, we have unanimously agreed that a response to the maddening chaos must be made.

But how do we respond when the crises have reached fever pitch? What can we, as individuals -- as citizens of the United States -- do in such a situation. There's only one answer really: vote. Vote like your life depends on it, And believe me, it does. Voting will be our only option to escape where we have been -- Bizzaro World.

Fire And Brimstone

As if 2020 wasn't bad enough, with the pandemic, contentious politics and racism running rampant, literally hundreds of forest fires have decimated millions acres of timberlands and grasslands. Many homes located in 11 Western states, including Oregon, Washington and California are witnessing an unprecedented fiery maelstrom.

With most people in these areas already quarantined due to the coronavirus, it is yet another good reason to stay indoors to avoid poor air quality. Those who would dismiss the fires as an unusual situation that will pass are only fooling themselves. These fires are the result of the Earth in distress at an alarming rate.

Fires continue to spread across the western United States. More than 40,000 Oregon residents -- approximately 10 percent of the state's population -- have evacuated their homes and are seeking shelter in Springfield, Eugene and other Oregon cities. The rest of the West is experiencing the same situation.

Climate change and global warming are the cause, and with the current administration backsliding on environmental commitments at home and abroad, we are currently on the fast track to hades. States usually send firefighters to help, but "we're all in the same soup of cataclysmic fire," says Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

Millions of residents smothered in toxic air, rolling electrical blackouts and triple-digit heat waves are pervasive at this moment of time. Climate change, in the words of one scientist, is smacking us in the face. Climate change scientists have long worried about this sort of cascade effect in which a series of disasters overlap.

These scientists say the mechanism driving the wildfire crisis is straightforward: human behavior, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, has released greenhouse gases that increase temperatures, drying forests and priming them to burn, in many cases near cities and towns with vulnerable residences and businesses.

We have but one choice: take advantage of the upcoming election and vote for politicians who will be dedicated to the environment, restoring the many agencies responsible for public lands and environmental issues, protecting our lives and livelihoods. We need to rectify the situation. If not, there will be hell to pay.

Lookout Lore

In the early part of the 20th century, the fledgling lookout system seemed to make sense for the vast forests of the American West. Most were built by the U.S. Forest Service, and at one point, they numbered in the hundreds. None of these lookouts were chosen for ease of access or safety. Virtually all have impressive views.

As a seasonal employee of the USFS for nine seasons, I spent most of my time as a wilderness ranger and firefighter. However, on occasion, I was asked to fill-in for lookout employees, so they could take their four-day weekends to refresh and resupply. It was always a delightful assignment, and I appreciated the opportunity.

On the Malheur National Forest, my job was wilderness ranger for the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, but once in a while, I staffed lookouts on Antelope Mountain and Dixie Butte. Many, but not all, lookouts were female, and most seasonal Forest Service employees were college students who would return to school in the fall.

The Europeans had years of experience protecting and managing their own forests. Gifford Pinchot, a Yale graduate, attended schools of forestry in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. When he came back to the U.S., he brought some conservation ideas learned overseas. His arrival on the scene was timed perfectly.

President Teddy Roosevelt shared Pinchot's enthusiasm for forest conservation, and appointed him as the chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Soon, trails and lookouts would become a permanent part of the federal fire protection system. Some were built in extremely inhospitable places, like Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Over the years, lookout cabins themselves went through several architectural periods. The first were free-form: anything that could be constructed to serve a dual purpose of a place to live and an observation point. That approach produced some odd-looking structures. None of the earliest posts seemed to survive.

The most important piece of equipment in a lookout was a rangefinder, which was used to to determine precise bearings on any fire or smoke spotted by the lookout. If more than one lookout could acquire a reading on the same fire, the district ranger station could triangulate the exact location.

In a typical lookout, the firefinder was placed in a two-by-two foot space in the center of the cabin, with telephone or two-way radio mounted beside it. Bed, table and stove filled three corners, with a door on the fourth side. Cupboards below the windows stored supplies. Firefinders were manufactured in Portland, Oregon.

Because many forest fires were lightning-caused, the buildings were protected by lightning rods grounded to all sides, and the telephone also had a grounding switch. On peaks subject to numerous lightning strikes, lookouts could protect themselves by standing on a low stool with glass insulators on short legs.

Many lookouts were artists or artisans who practiced their crafts in their spare time. One I knew transported (by road) a loom for weaving rugs and other projects. Today, lookouts are a dying breed. Most have been replaced by helicopter or airplane surveillance and infra-red heat sensors to determine the location of a forest fire.

River Rambler

I first met Steve Ponder (orange vest), a professor of news/editorial at the University of Oregon School of Journalism, when I was hired as an instructor of public relations. We hit it off, having a common interest in hiking, and particularly river rafting, on the great rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Like me, he was hired by Ken Metzler.

Steve passed away this month at age 78. Turns out, we had both worked for the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District of the Wenatchee National Forest, he in the 1960s and me in the 1970s. We shared stories of hiking the Buck Creek Trail and exploring the wonders of the Glacier Peak (bottom photo) and Alpine Lakes Wilderness Areas.

An active volunteer with the Deschutes Land Trust and other environmental groups, he was an avid outdoorsman, and spent many years conquering mountain trails on foot and wilderness rivers behind the oars of a raft, including the Colorado River five times through the wonders of the Grand Canyon.

Steve was born in Bakersfield, California and grew up in Wenatchee, Washington, working his way through college at the University of Washington as a U.S. Forest Service lookout. During his journalism career, he reported for the Associated Press and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, among others.

A favorite memory of Steve was how he responded to the question: "Why did you switch from being a journalist to being a professor of journalism?" His stock response was that he had "three main reasons: June, July and August." He loved to raft the rivers of the Pacific Northwest and would look for any excuse to go.

After Steve retired from UO SOJC, he continued to teach classes, as is the custom for retiring tenured professors, and we shared an office in the UO SOJC. We jokingly deferred to ourselves as the "denizens" of 313 Allen and spent our free time reminiscing about the days of yore. Steve was a great colleague, mentor and friend.

An Environmental Ethos

You would think that 50 years after the first Earth Day, we would have made progress toward making our home planet more livable. While there was progress at first, we've been backsliding of late, thanks to the current administration in the White House. To paraphrase Pogo, we have seen the enemy, and it is us.

As climate change makes the planet less livable, a mass migration has begun. Scientists can project such changes with precision, but until recently, little has been known about the human consequences of those changes. As their land fails them, hundreds of millions of people will choose between flight or death.

For most of human history, people have lived within a narrow range of temperatures, in places where the climate supported abundant food production. But as the planet warms, that band is suddenly shifting northward. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the planet could see a temperature increase of epic proportions.

According to a recent study, we could experience greater temperature increases in the next 50 years than in the last 6,000 years combined. By 2070, the kind of extremely hot zones that now cover less than one percent of the land surface could cover nearly 20 percent of the land. So what are we to do?

For one thing, we must vote in a national administration that is more sympathetic to the environment. The current administration clearly is not. We must also look to the future for solutions and energy from young climate activists who are taking up the cause, like Greta Thunburg and Jamie Margolin, a native of Seattle.

Both appeared at a joint hearing before congressional committees the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. "The status quo (is) the climate crisis," Margolin said, noting that it is still frightening to think about the future. One thing is for sure, if we don't do something soon, we will end up like Bizarro World.