The following is a collection of September journal entries centered around politics in the 2020 pandemic, Some of the entries are directly political, indicating how different political factions in 2020 chose to handle the pandemic, or not as the case may be. Others are indirect, showcasing how one’s political leanings could influence the way one handled not only the practical aspect of the disease, masks and other anti-infection measures, but also the psychological stresses of Covid. Varoon’s entry on the 18^th details his reaction to the death of Justice Ginsburg, which has far reaching political ramifications that will affect millions of Americans. –Kyle Amadeo, journal curator

“As the groups liberal, I explained my position, I see mask wearing as demonstrating my values, that if wearing a mask has the possibility of me not spreading the disease, then I will do that for the good of the community even though wearing a mask is not fun.  That seemed to end the conversation.  As I thought about it later, I contemplated how mask wearing really is political signalling”. –David. September 13, 2020

“My other cousin both coaches cheerleading and is on a team herself. She was given not a mask, but a fabric that went around her whole neck and face (like a ski mask but without the top part”... “The fabric was thin though, so I am not sure how well it would be at stopping the spread of germs”. –NA. September 14, 2020

   CDC article on the state of mask preparation in the US as of September 2020

“As I walked around the track I saw a mother talking to another mom (both wearing masks), however what I found interesting was that the first mother was rolling a stroller with a very young baby in it. The baby appeared to be only a couple of months old, and I realized that up until that point I had not thought about how it might be a hazard for very young babies to wear a mask. Being that babies so young are very susceptible to disease…”  –NA. September 14, 2020

“More and more anti maskers are pissing me off. It feels like they only care about themselves. They don't want to be inconvenienced and in turn everyone else in America is inconvenienced. I just think that everything would end sooner if people just wore the masks and wash their hands. An even bigger issue I have with anti maskers is them protesting. Why do they think it's okay to protest but Black Lives Matter protesters are “thugs” and “doing things the wrong way”? Why is it okay to protest wearing a mask meant to protect the public from a deadly illness but not okay to protest for the right to live”? –Steph. September 14, 2020

“As I write this my very political friends are texting back and forth about the Biden town hall on CNN. I watched part of the Trump town hall. It's utterly amazing how I see the world one way, and he sees a completely different way. I don’t understand how he is asking for praise for the fact that 8% of the country is unemployed, 190K+ have died from the pandemic and there is real racial strife that is questioning our core beliefs in this country.” –David. September 17, 2020

“Just before our run ended, my running partner told me that Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. I was pretty upset about this. She was an advocate for so many policies that I aligned with and she was such an icon to me and many others”. –Varoon Phondge. September 18, 2020

   Bill Maher’s reaction to the news of Justice Ginsburg’s death 

   Fox News reaction to the news of Justice Ginsburg’s death

On both videos, note the unbridled comments that serve as a stark time capsule of what people thought when the news broke of the Justice’s death, without propriety chaining them.

“...trying to do homework while dealing with having to explain to extended family that we are not comfortable sending my cousin who lives with me to a family party due to the size of the gathering and the likelihood that folks will not adhere to cdc guidelines”. –Joe Bagod. September 19, 2020

   Video on the debates surrounding not only how to handle the virus but also the very validity of the threat posed by the disease.

“I am angry that the pandemic is happening.  I am angry about the folks we’ve lost.  I am angry about the folks who aren’t taking it seriously.  I am angry at the media who have participated in the counter-science propaganda that gave birth to charlatans selling “essential oils” and encouraging parents to skip vaccinations”. –Joe Bagod. September 19, 2020

“Today was another day of mostly staying in the house. My neighbors keep having parties and it seems that some people think that the pandemic is over. It's frustrating to see people ignoring social distancing and not wearing masks. It seems like this pandemic will never be over if people can’t just follow simple rules”. –Steph. September 19, 2020