In this, our 16th episode of Madness Chronicles, we take a look at the madness of simply watching the news today. Remember, insanity is a state of mental illness, especially severe, extremely foolish behavior, and a state of frantic or chaotic activity. Let’s take a look at the news across the United States.

Outside of Baltimore, the mayor is frustrated with more gang shootings over the weekend. The Independent Sentinel reports: “The mayor begs criminals to stop shooting, so they have beds for virus patients.” He is the new Mayor, the previous one has just been sentenced to prison for corruption. The mayor says they need the beds for virus patients. Maryland has a total of five coronavirus cases.

Later in Philly, we learn that the City Council decided on a couple of unique approaches to virus control in this City of Brotherly Love headline. “Philadelphia will not arrest thieves, looters, drug dealers, but will try to eat a hamburger in a restaurant.” It seems that petty criminals will go free, but now you can be arrested for eating in a restaurant. Isn’t that maddening?

Another hour north and we’re in Brooklyn, New York, where the district attorney is legalizing shoplifting and other crimes. He refuses to prosecute low-level crimes in reaction to… you guessed it, the coronavirus. In a recent tweet, the ACLU calls for inmates to be released from prisons across the United States. They say it will help stop the spread of the virus. Interestingly, no one to date in prison has tested positive for corona?

Next door in New York City, Mayor de Blasio warned New Yorkers that he could issue a stay-in-place order. California Governor Newsome is making the same saber rattling by announcing that he is considering martial law. The announcement came after a total of 13 deaths attributed, but not confirmed, from the virus. Of which more than half were 70 years of age or older with other contributing physical problems. Is it just me, or is there some real, bona fide frenetic and chaotic activity?

One of the best I’ve read is that the FBI is restricting online queries to their system as a result of the coronavirus craze. They want all those requests to be handled by mail for the duration of the crisis. A question comes to mind. The World Health Organization strongly recommends that we use credit and debit cards because handling cash passes COVID-19. Wouldn’t it be more risky to have more mail in the system than to use online services? Not to mention, handling mail is more labor intensive than letting a computer process queries.

There are many things we do not know about the coronavirus. It is mortal? Obviously, to a segment of the population. Are you killing Americans? As of today, they report about 150. Are the 150 deaths from the coronavirus? You can’t get a straight answer. Did all 150 people die completely from the virus? The reports we received suggest that more than half of them died from complications of other physical illnesses they had prior to the illness, with more than half being in their 70s and many in their 90s.

Our current charades remind me many years ago in the jungles of Vietnam serving as a Marine. We were an infantry company, about 150 marines, about ten miles from the allies setting up our perimeter for the night. It was in the badlands of the DMZ. Just before dark, our Captain called a big meeting. He had received word from G-2, the Media Intelligence Section, that we would be attacked that night by a force of 10,000 NVA. He ordered everyone to be on high alert all night. That meant no sleep after walking in the mountains all day.

We feel like most Americans feel now. Enough already. 10,000 of them, 150 of us, who cares. We had two options. Actually, to believe that those hills around us somehow had a Division of bad guys, or we could just roll the dice, was silly. Almost all of us went to sleep. That’s what most Americans are doing right now. There is something wrong with our current situation.

Let’s wake up from this madness before it’s too late. I wish you all good health and until next time… have fun, enjoy life and beware the craziness among us.