The comments in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of NightMoves and AAN.

The year 2020 has been a crazy one for sure. It is one that none of us will ever forget and be glad when it is over.  I really don‘t know where to begin when it comes to talking about this year. I can tell you that on a personal level it has been an emotional roller coaster ride with family illness (not related to COVID-19 in any way), loss of income, loss of a social life, loss of friends through COVID and other reasons and just a total change in our daily routine and how we get through each day. For a big time sports fan like me it has been a really tough time. Thankfully baseball and hockey made it back to relieve some of that loss. It hasn’t been easy to be sure, but then it hasn’t been easy for millions of people who have been riding the waves in that same boat for the past 5-6 months.

To make it even worse we have all of the riots, protests, looting, black vs. white, Democrats vs. Republicans, lies, falsehoods, unnecessary shootings, deaths and a total disrespect for the laws of the land. On sites like Facebook the keyboard haters and bullies have been out in force spewing their hatred for everything from the kind of hamburger one eats to the president of the United States. I am sure it is the same on other social media platforms as well.  One thing I am 100% certain of is that this hate and division was not born because Trump is president, it began before he became president. However, it is the national network media that have been the ones to really fuel the flames of hatred and division even more than certain politicians. The networks make sure the word “black” is used in every shooting or killing that involves law enforcement. The networks go strictly for the sensationalism and do a great job of editing so viewers only see what they are told to show. They promote falsehoods, half truths and one side of all the problems going on in this country. They have become a disgrace to the profession and the real news reporters like Cronkite, Huntley, Brinkley, Morrow and others who were legitimate must be spinning in their graves.

How many of you remember the 1976 movie “Network”  when Peter Finch, as newcaster Howard Beale yells out the window, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” You really have to wonder how many network news anchors feel exactly like that, but keep it inside and just do as they are told?

Now we are in a situation where there is debate and division on both sides of the COVID-19 pandemic and a vaccine and when this will all end so that lives can get back to normal. In the meantime people are still getting sick, people are still dying, but no one seem to want to work together to end this. That is sinful and totally disgusting when so many lives and futures are at stake. It’s about time these politicians, regardless of their political affiliation started thinking about the people of the United States instead of themselves and their own self interests. (Wishful thinking, I know!)

Three quarters of this year have gone by and oh yeah, one more little thing. We are smack dab in the middle of hurricane season! While so far we have been very lucky, records for the number of named storms, how early, etc. and continue to be set. We are also in the heightened months of the hurricane season right now, so we are far from being out of the woods here in Florida. Still other parts of the country have not been so lucky. There have been torrential rains, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes occurring in various parts of the country leaving millions without homes, personal possessions, loss of life and much more. There was even snow the past two days in September! Mother Nature is just as pissed off about how things are going as we are, but does anyone in D.C. give a damn? Nope, they are more concerned about being “set up’ in a hair salon or other meaningless, self serving bullshit!

What the next three months will bring I have no idea, but I would like to think that some good things will begin to happen and head in the right direction. I would hope and pray that we can have a holiday season as normal as possible and the year can end on a positive note for the future. Of course November 3 will have a big say in whether that future will be brighter and better or darker and more deadly. I know which way I want it to be and who can, and will, get us there.

I recently saw a post that said “On New Year’s Eve I am going to stay up. Not to welcome in 2021, but to make damn sure 2020 is over!” Amen.

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN