Underground Construction - December 2020 - 6

EDITOR'S LOG

Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief

Movie Titles, Politics & Hope

November was one heck of a month.
It had all the makings of a famous
Western movie (and one of my favorites):
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
I'll start with " The Ugly. " We had one
of the most contentious general elections
in history, from president, down to dog
catcher. I became sickened by the sheer
volume of political diatribe. As of this
writing, it appears that the Democrats
won the White House but are probably
(though still uncertain) not going to be able
to take the Senate. And the Republicans
unexpectedly gained ground in the House
of Representatives, setting up a new race to
take control of the House in 2022. Political
times just get curiouser and curiouser.
Also, there's been serious President
Trump aftershock now on behalf of much
of the mainstay media. Love him or hate
him, Trump, combined with COVID-19
chaining people to televisions and all kinds
of digital devices, were the best things
for mass media since the Tide Detergent
days of early TV.
CNN actually saw a spike in viewership,
and that was pre-COVID. This, from
a network that has been struggling to
maintain viewership for the past decade.
MSNBC even stayed alive for another year.
6

DECEMBER 2020 | UCONonline.com

Traditional network news outlets suddenly
were able to manufacture a constant
stream of stories to stay relevant. Not
since the days of Walter Cronkite and the
Huntley-Brinkley Report had the evening
news been more watched.
But now, apparently, President Trump
will eventually leave office and PresidentElect Joe Biden will assume the presidency.
While Biden's policies may or may not rile
the masses, his personality certainly will
not. Biden's a professional politician and
knows how to play the Washington game.
It remains to be seen just how well he will
be able to control the divergent masses
within his own party. Maybe that will be
something from which mass media outlets
can generate news.
For major news outlets, a return to
" normalcy " will mean no more Trump
(possibly) headlines, outrage and
attacks. Now, they may have to resort to
traditional journalism of accurate and
balanced reporting. I yearn for a return
to that but suspect it won't happen.
Even the most revered news sources have
reverted to the " yellow journalism " days
from the turn of the 20th century.
One thing's for certain, with a Biden
presidency and his somewhat confusing,
yet still negative, approach to oil and gas
being propelled by various factions within
the Democrat Party, energy will never be
the same. Oil and gas, which has already
been under fire, will now be under a full-on
siege. Economic sense could be sacrificed at
the cost of millions of energy jobs.
" The Bad " remains COVID-19. The globe
is currently on another coronavirus surge,
part 3 (or is it part 4, 5 or 6 - I think even
the panic-minded media has lost track).
What's different about this surge is that it
was expected by those doctors, researchers,
public officials, etc., who are experienced
and carefully follow the trails of reality.
For months, most Americans and,
indeed, people of the world, have been
relegated to a reclusive life - holed up in
homes, having food delivered, conducting

life in a virtual environment. We have
been isolated for our own safety. In all
fairness, in the early months when facts
were few, this procedure was for the
best. Now, however, ongoing research
has generated many facts and viewpoints
have changed.
As the world has emerged from
self-imposed home quarantines and our
heads slowly emerge from our shells,
we are steadily re-engaging. As of this
writing, Michigan had essentially closed
and a small handful of other states
were only about 25-percent open, but
the vast majority were at a minimum
of 50 percent open with many having
essentially no restrictions.
With society resuming life, combined
with the dramatically increased ability
to test and identify for COVID-19, it only
stands to reason that infection rates would
surge. And, as that happens, regrettably,
people die, concentrated in those over
70 or with substantial underlying
conditions. But life goes on - carefully and
hopefully with all still wearing masks.
For underground infrastructure personnel, sheltering in place has not been much of
an option. There's too much to do that's of
the utmost importance to the public health,
safety, communication, education and,
even, livelihood. That's our responsibility.
" The Good " is the sunlight peeking
through dark clouds after days of rain.
The Good is hope that is emerging with
news of amazingly positive vaccine
progress. If vaccination is able to begin
in December and continues distribution
at an aggressive rate through winter,
combined with millions of people reengaging in life again, the fabled " herd "
immunity becomes a reality. And a return
to normal is no longer a dream, and the
sun just broke through the clouds. *
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Underground Construction - December 2020

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