<strong>By David Taub</strong>

Remember the story of “Typhoid Mary?”

Allegedly, she was the first person in the United States diagnosed with typhoid fever. Because she was asymptomatic, she refused to stop working as a cook.

Thousands died from the tragic infection that was traced back to just one person.

Many of us are puzzled about how the deadly COVID-19 traveled so quickly to every place on Earth in only a few short months.

Remember the myth about the invention of chess? A very smart mathematical wizard in China conned his Emperor, who was not very smart (much like our own POTUS).

As a reward, graciously offered by the duped Emperor, the Wizard asked only to receive one rick grain on the first square, two on the second square, and then thereafter square the progression of tiny rice kernels on each of the 62 squares remaining.

The Emperor quickly agreed. The real math showed that the rice owed to the Wizard was more than the rice-rich kingdom could produce in centuries.

Realizing this, the enraged and embarrassed Emperor quickly rewarded the Wizard with a one-way trip to “heaven.”

The number of rice grains on the 64th square is 263, or 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 grains! That is what exponential means. Viruses thrive on exponential growth.

Our POTUS has insisted on creating a fake make-believe alternate reality where COVID-19 is no big deal. POTUS declares that “soon it will just fade away;” perhaps much like General McArthur’s axiom pertaining to old soldiers, who also “… just fade away.”

Truth and reality intrude so that we now witness the largest daily nation-wide increase of infections yet recorded, as we continue to lead the world in this mortifying statistic. And 137,000 dead with no end in sight.

Our most exalted medical experts document a truth that is diametrically opposite to the unending litany of POTUS’s lies.

Dr. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease guru, recently testifying under oath at a Congressional hearing. He said unequivocally that wearing face-masks is "definitely helpful in preventing acquisition as well as transmission" of COVID-19, and that the U.S. “has not prevailed” over this killer.

For his honesty, Dr. Fauci has become persona non grata at the White House. Truth to power.

When you conflate science with science fiction, you get politics! And bad politics at that. Outraged by the truth of real numbers, POTUS just (July 15) ordered hospitals to send their infection/death data to the White House instead of the CDC.

Hello? What kind of BS is this? Will you believe those White House “analyzed” numbers? I damned sure won’t!

I continue my study of the newly discovered virus, DUMB-20; I am disappointed that NIH refuses to fund my research. I identified a large number of symptoms characterizing DUMB-20, and they seem to be exhibited most flagrantly in our own “typhoid Donald,” especially affecting his cerebral abilities.

DJT represents how this infection creates a cognitive dissonance, rendering him DDB (deaf, dumb, blind) to undeniable facts of the real world. Yet, burrowed inside his cocoon of unreality and deniability, POTUS demands extraordinary efforts from everyone else to protect him from a killer virus that he says he has turned to dust.

On July 17, there were a stunning 75,600 new infections, 11 records set in the past month. With his “stable genius” intellect (you bet), empty heart and stone-cold soul, POTUS claims “Only I can fix it!” Oh? So why ain’t it fixed already? With staggering increases in new cases and deaths every day, it seems to me someone has a whole lot of fixin’ to do. And the sooner, the better.

Who might that “someone” be? At present, there is no coordinated action plan being developed in the White House to address the pandemic that literally sucks the life out of our republic.

DUMB-20 appears to be highly infectious. Sadly, some of those newly infected by POTUS’s narcissistic self-absorption will die of terminal STUPIDNESS, but their death certificate will indicate that it was COVID-19. Wrong. DUMB-20 is the culprit, no doubt!

With 137,000 deaths and climbing, POTUS maintains we are doing okay and he is on top of things. You should be outraged at this craziness.

Donald John Trump has laid waste to our country with a slash and burn style of non-leadership, preferring an incompetence and malevolence only he can deliver.

We the People must put an end to this. He makes a better “bean salesman” than POTUS! Can you believe that insane photo? That’s worse than the horrible “Bible” photo op. Thank you, Mr. President. DUMB-20 strikes again!

Disclaimer: I hope I did not confuse our readers with my last opinion piece about me not speaking or writing about POTUS again. The last three sentences of that piece were intended to indicate I meant AFTER the election. Sorry if I unintentionally misled anyone.

<em>“Well, all I know is what I read in the newspapers.” – Will Rogers.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;
</span>David M. Taub was Mayor of Beaufort from 1990 through 1999 and served as a Beaufort County Magistrate from 2010 to 2015. You can reach him at david.m.taub42@gmail.com.</em>