It is actually illegal for Members of Congress to trade on information obtained through their work on Capitol Hill. His selling of the stocks may still be forgivable since you can’t really be responsible for the things that you are unable not to know. More problematic is the simple fact that he never told the public, who he was paid to serve. Maybe he kept his mouth shut for the same reason that the intelligence community didn’t share their information about the virus earlier on. Maybe he was afraid that Trump would come down on him for inciting panic. In any case, Burr now has a response ready. He compared the NPR story that broke the news of his stock sales to a tabloid fabrication. But he didn’t deny it. He just spread the blame, saying that lots of people, not just his friends, were at that meeting. But that’s not the point. If he knew this information, he should have shared it. That’s his job.

In the meantime, the rest of us are just trying to make do. Here is a paragraph from an email I wrote today to all my history students as they pack up and head home. I couldn’t bring myself to sound panicked or sad. They seem so worried already. Also, I need them to finish the semester and do the work, even if they are stuck at home. I mean, come on–online-only learning has been a thing for decades now!

—-

Dearest History Majors,

I know that everyone is scared, but I really believe that the quarantine can be an opportunity. History shows that in periods of confinement it is a good idea to make a schedule for yourself. Be disciplined with your days. Think of what Martin Luther King accomplished while he was locked in a Birmingham jail. Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest and Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserables while in exile. Use this opportunity to learn and grow. You can choose to make something worthwhile out of this experience. And most of all, be safe.

With Warmest Regards, Dr. Peacock

—–

Later in the day, Peterson received this email from a former student:

“I am sad that the year has ended this way, sad that people are getting sick, sad that my plans for the summer are shot. I’m confused and angry at how things are being handled. Smaller, poorer countries than ours seem to have no problem finding masks for their healthcare workers. No one seems to be paying attention to the quarantine. I am confused by the ocean of emails I am receiving from professors and my school, each of them giving different directions on what I have to do to pass. But I think I have to try and remember that I still have it so much better than many others do. More than anything, I want to be a support for the people around me. I want to steady and positive. I want to be the kind of person that responds well in a crisis.

“Right now what I really need is toilet paper and Lysol. I have an old sewing machine somewhere that maybe I could use to make a mask. Also, Netflix calls.”

 -HW

…and of course, that’s the whole problem. We want people to use this time of social isolation to do great things, to read great books, to think great thoughts, to begin great projects. But entertainment and distraction is pervasive.