Weekly Opinion Editorial
by Steve Fair
2020 comes to a close on Thursday. It has been a year to remember. In the not so distance future, there will be books written and movies made about 2020. Americans have become more acquainted with Zoom and on-line video meetings than they wanted to. They have eaten at home more. They have learned to recognize people by their eyes, since masks are the fashion statement of the year. Let’s recap 2020 by month.
In January Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
announced they were stepping aside from their royal duties. The next day COVID-19 arrived in the United
States when a Washington state man who had traveled from Wuhan, China tested
positive. Kobe Bryant and his daughter
were killed in a plane crash on the 26th. Britain officially left the European Union on
the 31st.
In February, the impeachment of President
Donald Trump dominated the news. Impeached
by the U.S. House in January on a partisan vote, Trump was acquitted by the
Senate February 5th on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of
Congress. Parasite dominated the Oscars,
the first time a non-English speaking movie won Best Picture.
In March, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic
by the World Health Organization. Experts
claimed that up to 70% of the world’s population could ultimately be infected
by the virus. The stock market reacted
negatively and had its largest single day point drop in history on the 9th.
Americans stocked up on toilet paper (not
normally an expandable consumption product), and other staples creating shortages
on retail shelves.
In April, armed militia members took to
the Michigan State Capitol to protest stay-at- home orders by the governor. Tensions got high as local elected officials across
U.S. imposed mask mandates and prohibited certain businesses to remain open.
In May, George Floyd died and the media
focus moved to racial injustice and inequality.
Protests were held across America, many turning into riots and looting.
In June, President Trump declared himself
the ‘president of law and order’ in front of a church across the street from
the White House. Former Vice President
Joe Biden was chosen as the Democratic nominee for president.
In July, Major League Baseball started
their shortened season, but fans weren’t allowed into the stadiums. The games were played in front of cardboard cut-outs. California Gov. Newsom shut down churches in
the state by banning in person worship, prompting lawsuits from several.
In August, hurricane Laura struck the
Louisiana coastline, killing six and a large swath of destruction. The hurricane season in 2020 was one of the
most active with twelve(12) named storms. President Trump accepted the GOP
nomination for president. Joe Biden announced
his vice president choice- Senator Kamala Harris, (D-CA).
In September, Supreme Court Justice Ruth
Bader Ginsburg died and President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to
the high court.
In October, President Trump was diagnosed
and briefly hospitalized with COVID. Judge
Amy Barrett was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 partisan vote.
In November, America voted and former Vice
President Joe Biden was projected the winner by the media. President Trump disagreed and vowed to expose
voting irregularities across the country.
The state of Texas (along with 17 other states) sued four states,
challenging their seating of their Electors.
The Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Alex Trebek died after a long battle with
cancer.
In December, two companies- Pfizer and
Moderna- were approved to administer a vaccine to combat COVID. The arrival of the two vaccines were
developed in less than a year after President Trump had initiated Operation
Warp Speed. The media gave him zero
credit. A mutated strain of COVID shut
down the United Kingdom fueling fears a second wave could be more challenging
than the first.
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