The Ghosts Of Pandemics Past

Plus: Why The Sainthood Of John Paul II Should Be Rescinded ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( November 15, 2020 Dear Cog reader, S. Schirl Smith's grandfather, Emmanuel, was 37 when he died in Chelsea, Mass., during the 1918 flu pandemic. Her father, Alfred, was 5. Emmanuel's death has haunted the family for more than a century. Alfred had to go to work at age 9 and he never learned how to care for a family. "The grief of a loss that upends another life, shapes a family and creates trauma that will wind like a snake through the generations, spewing venom along the way," Smith [writes in this heartbreaking essay]( which concludes in present-day Chelsea, where another pandemic is raging. We love this piece because it reminds us how much is at stake with each individual loss of life – not just today, but for generations to come. Also this week: [Eileen McNamara]( on why John Paul II should be stripped of his sainthood, [Steve Almond]( on the deep cracks in our national foundation and Dr. [Amber Spry]( on ways to stay politically engaged now that the election is over. — Frannie Carr Toth Cognoscenti, editor newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[How The 1918 Pandemic Haunted My Family For Generations]( For my family, the damage of the virus reached beyond my grandfather's death, writes S. Schirl Smith. The wounds of the young boy he left behind festered in the man who would become my father. [Read more](.   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    ['The Halo Is Hopelessly Tarnished': Why The Sainthood Of John Paul II Should Be Rescinded]( The Catholic Church has never scratched a saint from its rolls, writes Eileen McNamara. But it should do so now to signal that it is finally, firmly and once-and-for-all standing on the side of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. [Read more](. [Trump’s Out. But The Cracks In The Foundation Of Our Democracy Remain]( This election took American democracy down to its studs, writes Steve Almond. What became visible are the deep cracks in our national foundation. [Read more](.  Support the news [The Election Is Over. Here Are 5 Things You Can Do To Stay Politically Engaged]( Political engagement should mean more than casting a ballot every four years, writes Dr. Amber Spry. [Read more](. [We’re Two Americas. Here’s How Joe Biden Can Govern Both]( Is it possible to simultaneously lead these mutually loathing nations? asks Rich Barlow. [Read more](. [Your Stories: Where Were You When Joe Biden Was Declared The President-Elect?]( The closely contested 2020 presidential election was finally decided four days after Election Day. Cognoscenti collects 'where-were-you-when-you-heard-the news' responses. [Read more](. What We're Reading "In the imminent future, patients will start to die because there simply aren’t enough people to care for them. Doctors and nurses will burn out. The most precious resource the U.S. health-care system has in the struggle against COVID-19 isn’t some miracle drug. It’s the expertise of its health-care workers—and they are exhausted." ("[No One Is Listening To Us]( The Atlantic) "I am glad for your sake that you were born an American, and, as you grow older, you will realize how many advantages and limitless opportunities lie before you. . . . Our country is not spotless or above reproach, but the precepts upon which it was founded still rule, and the fundamental conception of freedom, justice, equality, rights and religion make it a land of opportunity." ("[A World War II Veteran’s Timeless Words For His Son -- And His Country]( The Washington Post) "I learned so much in that one moment: You’re not beautiful. You’re indulging too much. Your body is wrong. You must have done it. I’d failed a test I didn’t even know I’d taken, and the sense of failure and self-loathing it inspired planted the seeds of a depression I would live with for many years." ("[Leave Fat Kids Alone]( The New York Times) 11/17 | WBUR TOWN HALL Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States, but there are still many questions looming about the transition of power and the consequences for our country. Join Here & Now co-host Tonya Mosley for a WBUR Town Hall on Tuesday at 6 p.m. with three NPR political reporters who'll discuss takeaways from the 2020 election and what we can expect next. They'll also take your questions live. [You can register for the free, virtual event here.]( “ Gridlock isn’t some inevitable outgrowth of political division. It is a monstrously cynical strategy McConnell and his colleagues have pursued for years. — Steve Almond, "[Trump’s Out. But The Cracks In The Foundation Of Our Democracy Remain]( ICYMI [Here Comes The Pandemic Winter]( As doctors, we're concerned, write Abraar Karan and Ranu Dhillon. We're headed into the biggest wave yet of COVID-19. Here's what we must do. [Read more](.      If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [WBUR]  [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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