[conspire] Remember, remember, the Fifth of November

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):

> Prior to the Tuesday, a TV clip had someone from Wisconsin saying not
> wearing a mask was "self expression".  He went on to elaborate on his
> combat and seeing buddies die.  If my numbers are correct, COVID19 has
> now claimed more American lives and all of the US military conflicts
> since WWII.   Aren't each of those people as precious to their friends
> and families?  Many didn't have anyone to hold their hand in their
> last hour on a ventilator.  

Indescribably sad and horrifying.  And also the avoidable deaths and
suffering are not only continuing but picking up speed.  There is a lot
of room for 'worse', and we're measurably headed there.

An inability to admit error, folly, and having been duped by domestic
and foreign con men is _so_ strong a motivator that people literally die
(and kill, and infect) rather than change course.  The closes
psychological parallel I can think of is the Imperial Japanese military
forces (and civilians) on Okinawa, following the April-June 1945 battle:

  Thousands of civilians, having been induced by Japanese propaganda to
  believe that American soldiers were barbarians who committed horrible
  atrocities, killed their families and themselves to avoid capture at the
  hands of the Americans.  Some of them threw themselves and their family
  members from the southern cliffs where the Peace Museum now resides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa#Japanese_losses

How does a population that's bought into lethal delusions correct
course, short of being among the last few standing?  It's a real dilemma.