Timothy Snyder is a history professor at Yale University and a prolific author, having written tomes such as “Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin” and “Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning,” his latest and shortest (a pamphlet-like) book, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The
Out of 800 safety deposit boxes in an exclusive, private bank in Brussels, 66 are robbed and no one notifies the police. Neither the bank director, his assistance or the 66 box renters whisper a word about the robbery to anyone–especially not to the authorities.
Undoubtedly 2020 will go down in history as a complete disaster. COVID-19 takes center stage in this regard and – to a different degree nationwide – the fate of George Floyd.
Yet there’s always a silver lining to be found in the rubble. For instance:
The concept of the quarantine is nothing new. You’ll find an early reference to it in the Torah’s book of Leviticus, written in the seventh century BC, describing the procedure for separating out infected people to prevent spread of disease.
Let’s all join in the hatred of all police for the sins of a few. Let’s defund one of the most important public institutions in our county’s history. Let’s have all badges removed and allow people to tend to their own safety and security.
When I arrived in La Ciudad de Los Angeles in 1943, those of us who called coastal California our home considered ourselves among the most fortunate in the world. We enjoyed a superb climate, with warm sunny days the rule, and a winter where the temperature rarely dropped below the 40s.
