Darkness, Darkness

"Worst year ever," proclaimed one headline. "We're losing more than we know," read another. How would you describe 2020? I've asked the team of correspondents here at the GonzoPR blog to describe what they've missed in the last 12 months, and what they thought was good about 2020.

JM: "Let's query our intrepid reporters around the globe: Helmut Vallindaklopf based in his Connecticut Avenue basement bungalow in Washington, D.C., followed by his sister Ramona Vallindaklopf based iin Genoa, Italy and finally, Wolfgang Majoris based iin Bangkok, Thailand. Helmut?"

HV: "Thanks, JM. What have I missed? I definitely long to head back out into the wilderness instead of remaining cooped up in this dingy basement apartment covering the escapades of Herr Gropenfuhrer as he has lied and pillaged as the erstwhile president."

HV: "What was good? Seeing voters turn out in record numbers to assure that he will not remain at the helm of America in the most critical time of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and restoring order amidst the chaos he has wrought. Over to you, Ramona."

RV: "Thanks, Helmut. What have I missed? In a word: travel. Don't get me wrong, I love Genoa, but we've be under lockdown for nearly a year, and I long to travel to Switzerland and many other destinations. What was good? Realizing how much we have and how little we need. Wolf?"

WM: "What have I missed over the past year? Mostly, seeing my family, other than on Zoom or reasonable facsimile. What was good? When the dust settles, we'll realize how much we have, how little we need and the true value of human connection. How about you, JM?"

JM: "I think the human connection is what I miss the most. Despite everything, we did not give up, and a virus for the pandemic has been developed. We've found new levels of resiliency and resolve, and the future looks bright as we leave the Year of the Pig for the Year of the Ox.

Bobi The Bulldog

The family lost beloved Boba Fett, an English bulldog and valued member of the tribe, after complications at the Oregon State University Veterinary School to remove a cancerous mass in his chest. A faithful companion to our wee one, Bobi was coming up on his eighth birthday in March, 2021.

Boba was a sweetheart around people, though an occasional errant dog could ignite his wrath. As implied by the name of the breed, bulldogs can be stubborn and ferocious, but most are friendly and capable of forming strong bonds with children and other animals.

However, when a particular dog would strike a pose or look at him sideways, Boba could be relentless. One particular incident comes to mind: as an Irish wolfhound walked by the house one day, Boba bulled open the storm door and took the dog down while the owners stood helpless and horrified.

After interceding to break up the fight, all was well with all concerned. Boba Fett was a reliable companion to family and friends, and he was little brother to Moxie the Golden Retriever. Boba Fett was loved and adored by all who came into contact with him. We will fondly remember him always.

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.

Pandemic Pandemonium

Hunter S. Thompson once said: "I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours." That theory seems to be quite true. The New York Times reported that the Sinclair Broadcast Group recently published an interview with a conspiracy theorist claiming that Dr. Anthony Fauci created the coronavirus using monkey cells.

Sinclair, which operates about 200 television stations, has also downplayed the severity of the virus. Fox News has repeatedly run segments downplaying the severity of the illness and promoting ideas that scientists consider false. So, I've called in our team of correspondents here at the Gonzo PR blog to discuss the issue.

We have Helmut Vallindaklopf at his Connecticut Avenue bunker in Washington, D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf at her bases at the Hotel Columbo in Genoa, Italy, and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand. My question is: "Why is the U.S. enduring a far more severe outbreak than any other country in the world."

HV: "Well, you know, this isn't the first time the U.S. Has witnessed a pandemic: You had the Spanish flu outbreak more than a century ago, and before that it was smallpox, and you can go back far enough to the Middle Ages when the black plague was wreaking havoc throughout the known world."

RV: "Yes, my brother, even an epidemiologist from a previous age by the name of Dr. Thomas Tuttle prescribed face masks and social distancing to slow the influenza pandemic. He made a lot of enemies, but it worked. Incredibly, he looked a lot like Dr. Anthony Fauci."

WM: "Meanwhile, you have a group of doctors claiming that makes were unnecessary and that the drug hydroxychloroquine cured the virus according to Breitbart news. The problem is the size and strength of right wing organizations who propagate such nonsense." JM: "Right you are, Wolf. We will gather again soon."

A Walk In The Woods

Back in America after 20 years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Maine to Georgia. His accomplice is like many I've had on sojourns, one who is gloriously out-of-shape, a fellow named Stephen Katz.

It all started with Benton MacKaye, a mild, kindly, infinitely all-meaning visionary. In 1921, he unveiled an ambitious plan for a long-distance hiking trail along the full length of the Appalachians from Maine to Georgia. To say his life at this point was not going well would be to engage in careless understatement 

Herewith are some selected Bryson quotes of note from A Walk In The Woods: "It was hell. First days on hiking trips always are. I was hopelessly out of shape -- hopelessly. The pack weighed way too much. Way too much. I had never encountered anything so hard, for which I was I was so ill-prepared. Every step was a struggle."

"Henry David Thoreau thought nature was splendid, splendid indeed, so long as he could stroll to town for cakes and barley wine, but when he experienced real wilderness, on a visit to Katahdin in 1846, he was unnerved to the core. The experience left him, in the words of one biographer, 'near hysterical.'"

When hiking, "life takes on a neat simplicity, too. Time ceases to have any meaning. When it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again, you get up. It's quite wonderful, really. You have no engagements, commitments, obligations, or duties; no special ambitions." (You are) "far removed from the seats of strife."

Such is the life of a long range hiker and explorer of the mountain country, one that I treasured in my time as a wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service. It was only a seasonal gig, but one that paid well enough to fund my undergraduate and graduate school endeavors. I will treasure that time always.

Nellie Franklin Hall?

The University of Oregon Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to rename Deady Hall, the first building on campus, named after Matthew Deady, a politician and jurist in the Oregon Territory. He served on the Oregon Supreme Court but unfortunately, held racist views considering that Oregon would become a "free" state.

As a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention, he was influential in shaping the new state constitution, which outlawed slavery but excluded African-Americans from settling in the state. Deady also advocated for discrimination towards Chinese immigrants and was actually in favor of slavery in the State of Oregon.

So what to do about a new name? I suggest Nellie Franklin, BA, Music '32, the third grade teacher at Ascension Catholic School in Portland. She was also the music teacher for all the grades at the school. "Miss Franklin," as she was known, was the first African-American to graduate from the UO and led the way for black women to join sororities. She was noted as one among the 100 Ducks Who Made a Difference.

The Politics Of Complacency

As the coronavirus persists and the nominating conventions (such as they will be) approach, it's time to gather the team together for a discussion about world events: Helmut Vallidaklopf in Washington, D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa, Italy and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand. My questions are these: how can most of the Republican party be so complacent? In other words, what gives?

Let's start with Helmut, who is holed up in his basement bunker on Connecticut Avenue in D.C.

JM: "Helmut, what causes people to abandon their principles in support of a corrupt regime? And how do they find their way back? How do you explain what's going on at the White House?"

HV: "That's quite a bit to absorb, but I'll give it a shot. As a wordsmith yourself, you know that the word 'collaborator' has a double meaning. A colleague can be described as a collaborator in a neutral or positive sense. But the other definition of collaborator, relevant with Herr Gropenfuhrer, one who is working with the enemy. In this negative sense, collaborator is closely related to another set of words: collusion, complicity and compliance, such as the Vichy government during WWII."


JM: "Of course, you mean that, at its base, the meaning of collaborator carries an implication of treason: betrayal of one's nation, of one's ideology, of one's morality, of one's values. Very much like Herr Gropenfuhrer is selling out this country and other democracies of the world, including Europe. We now turn to Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa for her report of European affairs as they relate to the U.S."

RV: "Well American passports are worthless right now. America is not united anymore and is barely a state. They have crashed right through failed state into a plague state, unwelcome across the world. Americans have gone from having access to most of the world to being banned from most of it. Today, Americans are only allowed in the Caribbean and the Balkans. An American passport is meaningless, Worse, it's a plague. We certainly don't want them in Italy."

JM: "In the absence of a humane government, America is now ruled by COVID-19. Welcome to the Plague States of America. The Republican senators who are willing to discuss their disgust with Herr Gropenfuhrer off the record, but voted in February for him to remain in office, all indulge in a variation of this sentiment. We now turn to Wolfgang Majoris, our correspondent in Thailand."



WM: "Clearly, China does not fear the United States. In fact, they're making their own inroads with Iran and other countries that are not sympathetic to the Americans. And, of course, Herr Gropenfuhrer is in Putin's pocket. Perhaps the only antidote is time. In due course, historians will write the story of our era and draw lessons from it."

JM "Indeed. We will see more clearly the path that led the U.S., and specially the White House, into a historic loss of international influence and economic chaos since the years leading up to the Civil War. Well, that's all for now. I'll be checking in with you all after the conventions, and we'll chat more."

Mt. Rainier: Monarch Of The Cascades

Astride the Cascades of Central Washington, Mt. Rainier (photo by Roger Wallace) towers above the shores of Puget Sound, the inland waterway that lies to the west of the mountain. The highest peak in the entire Cascade Range at 14,410 feet, Rainier's bulky mass can be seen on the skyline of almost every major city in the vicinity.

The mountain supports the largest single glacier system in the lower 48 states, with 26 officially named glaciers acting as sources for several major Northwest Rivers -- the Nisqually, Puyallup, Carbon, Cowlitz and White Rivers, which produce invaluable sources of hydroelectric power and irrigation for fruits and vegetables.

I've only climbed the mountain once -- dragged up the mountain might be a better way to describe it -- with my father and his band of Mazamas from Portland. Driving to Paradise Lodge and parking in the overnight parking area, we took the easiest route, via Disappointment Cleaver, which required two days and an overnighter at Camp Muir.

Near the summit, altitude becomes an issue for many climbers and summer weekends can cause bottlenecks, but we went on a Wednesday when mountain traffic was reasonable. At Disappointment Cleaver, you're already at 12,300 feet, about 1,000 feet higher than Mt. Hood. At the summit, you feel you're at the top of the world.

Years later as a wilderness ranger for the Glacier Peak Wilderness to the north, I would admire the peak from my better half's lookout on Little Bald Mountain on the Naches Ranger District and my own various and sundry wilderness perches on the Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee Ranger Districts of the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

The Tipping Point

Indeed, here in the United States, we are at a critical juncture in our history. It has the distinctive flavor of the "end times," with the coronavirus pandemic and more recently, the brutal murder of George Floyd by crazed police officers, one primary suspect and three accomplices, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here at the GonzoPR blog, we have never shied away from commenting on such situations. As such, I've called in our team of correspondents from their bases from around various parts of the globe: Helmut Vallindaklopf in Washington D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa, Italy and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand.

JM: "Today, I'm going to ask you each for a statement, and then you follow with a question, starting with Helmut, who is in the middle of all this from his basement bungalow on Connecticut Avenue."

HV: "My statement? It's clear the U.S. has been downgraded from leading democracy to flawed democracy as seen by countries worldwide. My question? Has it ever been more painfully obvious that we need economic policies that lift up working families and narrow the gap between the richest and poorest of Americans?"

RV: "My statement is that we are indeed at a tipping point in our society, most recently with the brutal murder of George Floyd. We've been exposed by Herr Gropenfuhrer for everybody to see that we are weak, even though he talks tough. He's a bully, plain and simple. My question is: has it ever been more apparent that we need a strong social safety net to protect the most vulnerable among us and lend a hand to those in need?"

WM: "My statement is that here in Southeast Asia, even China considers him as a gift in diminishing the role of the U.S. in world politics. Observers around the world concur: Trump has changed the image of this country in ways no one could have predicted. My question? Has it ever been more apparent that we must stem the tide of racism and police brutality in this country?"

JM: "All points to consider in preparing to vote in 2020. Even fascists like Hitler and Mussolini built important structures like the Autobahn in Germany and the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Herr Gropenfuhrer has failed to finish the one thing he promised: a wall. All eligible voters must vote their conscience, of course. But we must oust the scoundrel in November for the common good."

Mt. Lassen: Amblu Kai

"Amblu Kai" means "mountain ripped apart" to the Native Americans who lived in the vicinity. Prior to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Lassen was the most recently active volcano in the lower 48 states, The rocky dome stands 10,000 feet above the Sacramento River. The peak is the southernmost in the Cascade Range.

The closer you get to the mountain, the more attractive the landscape. The forests thicken, and more streams and lakes appear. The reawakening occurred in May, 1914 at the start of World War I. The mountain's ash covered an area about one mile wide, and a small lake occupied part of the crater floor.

When the mountain erupted, the first person to investigate the phenomenon at close range was -- who else? -- a wilderness ranger named Harvey Abbey who climbed the mountain's deep snow to reach the summit. Volcanic ash and sand covered an area about one mile wide, extending down the mountain's slopes.

By 1921, the volcanic activity had subsided. Today, Mt. Lassen is the easiest and safest of all the Cascade Peaks to climb. The summit trail begins at a parking lot near Sulpher Works thermal area. The summit trail is usually open about the Fourth of July and remains in use until the first heavy snows in October or November.

Covidious Conundrum

As promised in Corona, Corona, it's time to put the band back together to address a number of subjects related to the coronavirus.

We'll have team coverage featuring Helmut Vallindaklopf in Washington, D.C., Ramona Vallindaklopf in Genoa, Italy and Wolfgang Majoris in Bangkok, Thailand.

JM: "Helmut, let's start with you. You're at the ground level of this pandemic crisis, literally as well as figuratively, in your basement apartment on Connecticut Avenue."

HV: "True, JM. Herr Gropenfuhrer has claimed he was being sarcastic when he suggested the idea of injecting disinfectant. Tens of thousands of Americans die, and what does he do? He spreads bad information, reinvents history, concocts weird science and challenges anybody who questions his authority."

RV: "That is correct, brother. However bad things are here in Italy, it's hard not to feel sorry for Americans. The country he promised to make great again has never seemed so pitiful. Over the years, the U.S. has stirred a wide range of emotions, but never pity. They are stuck with a malignant narcissist."

WM: "Today, the lies are no longer about the size of his audience, or the fruits of sucking up to Korea and China. The bill has come due for his contempt of truth and competence. The U.S. has reacted like a country with shoddy infrastructure and a dysfunctional government whose leaders are too corrupt or stupid to avert mass suffering."

JM: "Some interesting perspectives here, to be sure. Herr Gropenfuhrer appears to be a master magician. He's lucky. But, it's a funny thing about luck; it eventually runs out. In any event, it will be a long time before America is great again. What a pity. We will reconvene our team as the conventions draw near."

Ducks Interrupted

A friend recently asked if, in my time associated with the University of Oregon, I have ever witnessed anything as strange as the recent effect of the coronavirus on the institution. My reply? "Well, I've seen some interesting times for sure, but nothing like this. "Like what kinds of things have you witnessed?" she asked.

"Well, most but not all, were in the 1970's," came my reply. "There was the time protesters stormed the ROTC storage area in Esslinger Hall and set fire to the place. More protesters marched from the Erb Memorial Union to Alton Baker Park in resistance of the Vietnam War." "What else?" she asked.

"Can't remember the exact year, but maybe the early 00s, my PR Writing class was disrupted by students protesting the Workers Rights Consortium controversy that caused a rift between Dave Frohnmayer and Phil Knight. And, of course, 9/11 was a bad deal. But this is unprecedented: a strange time to be a student."

Be that as it may, this season was unarguably the best athletic outing for University of Oregon athletics ever. Men's football, women's basketball and men's basketball all captured Pac-12 titles, and despite having their post-seasons cancelled due to COVID-19, the future looks bright for the Mighty Ducks.

The Plain Players

One of the many advantages of having lots of time? You can become pretty darn organized: you know, sorting through old files and notes and categorizing such things. As a result, I've stumbled upon an old news release I wrote to promote The Plain Players, a theatre group from my days as a wilderness ranger.

With a dateline of Plain, Washington, it begins: "Just plain folks? Well, not exactly. The Plain Players, a little theater group based in the Plain-Lake Wenatchee are, will present its third annual variety show on Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, and residents of the upper Wenatchee Valley are bustling in anticipation of the event."

"The show will present local talent from the upper valley and will include 'music dancing and laughter,' according to director Corky Broaddus. 'It's become a traditional event every Memorial Day,' said Broaddus, a theatre arts graduate from the University of Puget Sound working as fire dispatcher for the Forest Service at Lake Wenatchee."

"'It helps relieve all the cabin fever from the winter and gives us a chance to show tourists some of the local talent.' Last Memorial Day weekend, the variety show packed two full houses on consecutive nights with people coming all the way from Seattle to view the talent. This year, Broaddus promises a whole new repertoire."

"Grace Crandell, a former Wenatchee resident now living in Plain, will emcee the show. Grace and her husband, Carl, retired owner of the Crandell fruit company, will perform a singing duet accompanied as always by music maven Char Townley on piano."

"Linda and Gregg Harbury of Plain, will sing an original cowboy ballad and the George Reinhart family will perform two musical numbers."

"Gladys Krakora, Cindy Cram and Shirley Burkholm, a singing trio from the Plain Community Church, will harmonize on a medley of three tunes from the 1950s. The show will also include several comedy sketches and an original mime act featuring Meg Vollrath and Tony Moran, both from Plain, Washington."

"Admission to the show, which is produced by the Lake Wenatchee-Plain Community Club, is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children under 12. Proceeds from ticket sales go to the community club, which sponsors The Plain Players, as well as other special projects, including Halloween parties and films for children."

"The Plain Players, under the direction of Broaddus and Byron Newell, also present feature-length plays annually at the old Natapoc Grange. In 1977, the group performed the Children's Theatre Production of Cinderella and was well received locally. Broaddus also has plans for a three-act comedy 'sometime this fall.'"