Although I used to travel overseas a lot, I have obviously gotten out of practice. I went to add an international calling plan to my phone for the month I will be overseas and found out in the process that my phone (iPhone 11; carrier Verizon) was not necessarily compatible with the networks in Europe. When I went to New Zealand and Australia, I know I added an international calling plan to my phone then and had no trouble. I have since upgraded my phone and am now stuck with a phone designed to work primarily in the US, Canada and Mexico. Live and learn. I guess it’s time to upgrade to a ‘world phone’ as I suspect I will begin making more trips overseas. More investigation required. I won’t be making that mistake again.
I’m also looking into international healthcare insurance. Medicare, in general, does not cover medical expenses overseas. Although I do have a supplemental insurance plan, I don’t believe it covers international medical expenses either – more investigation required. In these days of COVID, I will make sure that I have some type of medical travel insurance before I head off over the pond. In addition to having insurance, I am continually monitoring the websites for the CDC and the Portuguese and UK (I’m flying through Heathrow) governments since quarantine and testing requirements can change very quickly. Right now, about 8 weeks before I am supposed to leave, all of the quarantine requirements have been lifted for US travelers to the UK and Portugal. However, there are still testing requirements in place so I will have to plan in the logistics of getting COVID tests before I leave and before I return. The old days of just buying a ticket and getting on a plane are long gone.
And, speaking of healthcare, the Republican leadership in this country seems to be doing everything in their power to ensure this pandemic drags out longer and longer and kills more and more Americans. Just this morning there is a picture of our own Governor Gianforte (Republican) and his wife that was taken yesterday at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport going viral here in the state. Why? Because, in spite of a Federal mandate that everyone in airports is required to wear a mask and in the face of increasing case numbers here in Montana, the Governor and his wife were completely maskless. Everyone else milling around the airport appeared to be complying and wearing masks. Gianforte and his wife obviously believe they are above the law.
The Governor’s office issued some BS statement that they could not find masks at the airport and were there only a short time while waiting for a family member. Bullshit. Unless you have been living under a rock you know that when you go to the airport, you need to be masked. This is not a new requirement. It has been in place for months and been widely discussed in the news. A true leader leads by example. It is clear that Gianforte has no interest in trying to do anything to try to forestall the rising spread of the COVID Delta variant in the state. He is not worthy of the office. I guess I’d better be careful. If he were to read this, perhaps he’d track me down and body slam me like he did that reporter a few years ago.
And then, of course, we have the Republican governors of Florida and Texas, where cases are skyrocketing, passing laws and issuing edicts against anyone in their states mandating the use of masks. These laws defy all common sense and are clearly politically motivated. Make no mistake, these governors are playing with people’s lives and these idiotic and irresponsible acts will result in the needless deaths of scores of people. As I was thinking about this, this morning I decided to look up the definition of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’. The definition is:
“a deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale”
Given that definition, it certainly seems that the irresponsible acts of these Republicans who continue to defy public health recommendations and those who continue to propagate misinformation do, in fact, constitute crimes against humanity. This continued campaign of misinformation and irresponsible, medical-defying laws will unquestionably lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths.
All of these governors argue that their decisions are in support of ‘individual rights’ and a stand against ‘government overreach’. What about my rights? Don’t I have the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’? A society that allows everyone to do whatever the hell they want without any regard to the common good is anarchy. There comes a point when all of us need to do the right thing to benefit the community. You can either be part of the solution or you can be part of the problem.
I am a great believer in taking personal responsibility for one’s own life and actions. The fact is, if you make stupid decisions that are detrimental to your wellbeing and those close to you, that is unfortunate, but you made the choice. It is a person’s right to make those decisions. However, the right to make stupid decisions does not cancel my right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And right now, with the Delta variant of this COVID-19 pandemic accelerating, the segment of the population refusing to do their part and get a vaccination and abide by masking protocols, is affecting, and in some cases, jeopardizing the health of myself and my family.
If a person chooses to go into the back country without bear spray, a firearm and proper equipment and they die, that is unfortunate. However, if that same person is camping in a communal campground and chooses, because it is their ‘right’, to not properly secure their food, the entire community is at risk from bear attacks. There is absolutely no difference between that scenario and what is happening now with the Delta variant. The community is under attack and, as such, it is incumbent upon everyone in the community to do their part to stop these attacks. This is a solvable problem. It is within our control to solve. All it takes is rolling up your damned sleeve and getting a little pin prick. If you are unwilling to do your part to help solve this crisis, you have absolutely no credibility to be bitching about the consequences. When there is an obvious solution to a problem and people refuse to exercise it, the only word that comes to mind is ‘stupidity’.