Jeff—Saturday
I planned on writing about ticks this week. No, that’s not a
misspelling of the little jerks or blinks one might unconsciously develop in
behavior, but rather the little jerks one might find attaching to you in a
blink of an eye during a walk in the woods, or across a pasture. You see, my
farm is in an area where it’s said there are two types of people: those who
know they have Lyme Disease and those who do not know.
I shall now do all the superstitious gestures one does so not
to curse oneself before saying, "So far, no bad news." However, I do pick ticks
off myself regularly, and this season there are more ticks out there waiting to
pounce than politicians pontificating on cable news networks. My forester stopped by today and said he’s
never seen it so bad.
So, I decided to write about ticks. But then I got to
thinking. I’m leaving for Greece in a week and shall be escaping all of this.
It would be monstrously ungracious to my neighbors left to contend with this
infestation of nasty critters, for me to flaunt my good fortune at soon basking
in the Aegean sun and sea.
On reflection, I thought I’d share something with you that
may generate sympathy at what travails will confront me over there.
You see, the Greeks are political by nature, and I cannot
even begin to imagine the sorts of conversations (and diatribes) awaiting me
over there. Sadly, there’s no more a vaccination against biting political
inquisitors than there is against ticks, and one must take care to avoid the
consequences common to a bite by either: namely headaches, chills, sweats,
fatigue, and nausea.
Permit me to give you an example of what awaits me in
Greece, as represented in this article a few days back in Ekathimeri, Greece’s paper of record, titled “Civilization or
barbarism?”
The American president has shown repeatedly that for him executive power means precisely the direct execution of his personal will. And after he does whatever he wants, he is incensed by the reactions, claiming that he is being treated unfairly. Vladimir Putin himself (a “strong leader” in Trump’s words) found the Comey comeuppance OK: “President Trump acted in accordance with his laws and Constitution,” he said.
Putin does whatever he wants, Erdogan does whatever he wants, Duterte blesses executions on Philippine streets, Maduro wants to scrap Parliament, the owner of any two-bit company can fire whoever he wants whenever he wants. So why does the president of the United States have to answer to critics? And why do they question him? Trump has the reply: Because they are hypocrites and conspirators.
The furor surrounding Comey’s dismissal highlights Trump’s basic problem: He acts like a monarch, like the owner of the state, while others do not share this view, while there are institutions that can stand up to him. Today’s crisis is not sudden.
Trump’s election in itself showed the depth of suspicion against the political system. The sacking of a state functionary whose service was investigating possible Russian influence in the recent elections may not actually annoy many voters who wanted an “antisystemic” revolution.
He successfully exploited nostalgia for an idealized past, promising to “make America great again.” He has the gift of a salesman (who never questions his product’s magical qualities), persuading supporters that he fights the good fight while his opponents cheat.
This is the message beloved of autocrats and wizards’ apprentices – wherever judicial decisions, for example, do not align themselves with the interests of those in power. In Greece we saw the dead ends that follow when demagogues exploit popular anger without planning for the day after; we also saw how institutions can fight back. In the US, this clash will be hard and fundamental.
Sooner or later, more and more Republican members of Congress will be forced to abandon the president – or share responsibility for undermining a political system that spurred their country to greatness.
The choice is clear: Rule of law or chaos? Civilization or barbarism?
It looks like we’re in for an interesting summer, be it
ticks or talks.
—Jeff
Posts
I'd long heard of ticks, but I'd never personally experienced them until Sharon and I went on a trip to Minnesota about 10 years ago (in the summertime). Oh, Lordy. How on EARTH do people live with a creature like that??? (Yes, I'm talking about Trump...)
ReplyDeleteOn another note, who doesn't like dinosaurs? Here's one of the great dinosaur discovery stories of our lifetime:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/dinosaur-nodosaur-fossil-discovery/
Truly amazing!
So, to keep score, you're saying ticks are all bad, open pit mining isn't all bad and Trump is?
DeleteOh crap, I didn't know we were KEEPING SCORE! I'm sure I'm behind. Or a horse's behind. I be something.
DeleteHaving lived in Minnesota and having had a cabin in the woods of Wisconsin, I know about ticks. Friends laugh at me when I wear long trousers when playing golf on a hot summer day. If they were in the woods as much as I, they would wear longs too!
ReplyDeleteBingo. You're preaching to the choir on that, Stan. When working in the woods (ticks drop down from trees and jump up from grasses and brush) long pants tucked into socks, long sleeve shirts buttoned at neck, and a hat are the order of the day...plus Deet spray, though some suggest certain essential oils like lavender and lemongrass do the trick too.
DeleteWe have ticks near NYC that might carry any one or two of three different diseases. Several years ago David contracted ehrlichiosis from a tick bite. They tested him for Lyme's disease, which turned out negative. He nearly died before they figured out that his symptoms were from a then rarer tick-bore disease. A neighbor of ours in Garrison, NY was treated for Multiple Sclerosis for six months before they found out she had a tick-borne disease. Ticks and the deer that carry them are--to me--as awful of the rats that carried the bubonic plague. But the Bambi myth prevails when it comes to controlling their population.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just Bambi to worry about. The single biggest reservoir host of Lyme Disease is the white-footed mouse, leaving Mickey and Minnie to contend with as well. Good news is that if you do a thorough tick check and remove any attached ticks within 24 hours, your chance of infection is generally eliminated. Or so I hear.
DeleteBy the way, the best way to remove the tick is to pull it straight out with tweezes (or fingernails). The other folklore methods...burned match, vaseline, etc... aren't nearly as effective at getting the thing off and at times can aggravate it into being more aggressive.
We never saw the tick that infected David. He had a bite, but no tick. The little bastards can infect you and not stay on to be seen--which reduces ones chances of knowing what bit them. Yeah, the mice, BUT. Deer can move over much greater distances and therefore spread infected ticks over a much larger area. Sujata told me that she is being treated for Lyme's disease contracted in Baltimore, which means the radius of infection is getting larger and larger. Just saying in case people might think they are safely far away from Lyme, Connecticut.
DeleteThe map at the top of the article shows the distribution of Lyme Disease in the US. It's way beyond Connecticut.
DeletePunto, as we say in Italian. My point exactly.
DeleteAnd folks should know that of the ticks showing on that fingertip, it's the tiniest one that is the deer tick and the most dangerous.
To add to your anxiety, it's the nymphs of the tiniest ones that are most dangerous. Good luck on finding them.
DeleteLooks like you're getting it either way ... people with ticks on, or people ticked off...
ReplyDeleteDeet them all, I say.
DeleteWe're glad you're heading back to Greece, Jeff. The ticks so far, and it's only May, have been the worst we've ever seen here. We treat the cats and dogs regularly, but are still finding ticks. And I, having suffered tick bite fever in S Africa, have developed a tic whenever I see one. Have a good trip over. Cathy
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy, and yes, from all I hear it's the worst tick season yet. And the poor dogs in some areas are particularly at risk.
DeleteTake Lyme Disease and ticks seriously. A friend died a few years ago from advanced Lyme disease and two tick-borne parasitic infections. She was not diagnosed for years. (And she lived in Jersey City, not in the woods or rural environment.0
ReplyDeleteAnother friend's dog got Lyme Disease from running around his yard in Westchester. The friend noticed he was behaving oddly and took him to a vet and his diagnosis was Lyme Disease.
For sure about that Kathy D. It's very serious and sadly I hear many stories like the ones you tell about patients who suffer because far too many doctors completely misdiagnose the tick borne disease.
ReplyDeleteYes, true. It took several years and many doctors to diagnose my friend's Lyme disease. And, even to get all of her past medical records.
ReplyDeleteFinally, someone recommended a well-respected diagnostician in NYC who put his entire staff to work until they discovered the cause of her illness. By then, it was too late to cure the disease.