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Authors: Gail Collins and Brett Stephens

Ms. Collins and Mr. Stephens are opinion columnists. They talk every week.

Brett Stephens: Gale, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. We made two major discoveries on Thursday. The first is butter dried sweet corn. The second is the Omicron variant of Covid, which was first discovered by scientists in South Africa. I think you can say that corn is better than krona.

If we end up with a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths again, should we return to lockdown? Or do something different?

Gail Collins: We had a great time, Brett. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We have the same old gang every year. Well, every non-pandemic year. One of them wrote to me the next morning and said it was great that life felt "back to normal".

This is exactly how I feel, but you are right-suddenly we encountered a new variant of the virus. My immediate plan is to comply with all security protocols, otherwise pretend it didn't happen.

I have received all the vaccines and put on a mask every time I go shopping or travel. But I will not stay at home. Still going to restaurants, plays, concerts and planning vacation trips. Think this is irresponsible?

Bret: I think it is wise, necessary and brave.

Gail: Well, I didn't expect to get a badge when I went to the jazz club, but thank you. continue.

Brett: We will create the Knights of Birdland, just for you, Gael.

Back to Covid: I think we should stop assuming that we can make it disappear, whether by blocking communities and closing borders, or by launching new drugs. We cannot eliminate risks, but we can mitigate them, especially by creating conveniences for people with higher risk factors. Let us hope that vaccines and therapies will continue to catch up with them as new variants emerge and develop. But most importantly, we must still continue to live as close as possible to normal life: send children to school, let them meet friends, go to work, socialize, eat in our favorite restaurants, consumer culture, etc.

All this shows that the Biden administration was wrong to shut down travel to some countries in Africa. We should close downtime.

Gail: Yeah. I don’t know if I’m sure that we shouldn’t take a break during the trip from Africa until the scientists get more information about the latest variant.

Bret: My guess is that it may already be here, sorry to say. The better news is that Gael, Georgia has issued a guilty verdict for the heinous murder of Ahmad Arbery. your opinion…

Gail: I'm very relieved to see a horrible racist murder by a jury that is almost entirely white so quickly. The evidence is so clear that it is hard to imagine different results. However, you may have noticed that we are living in difficult times.

Brett: A good reminder, for all our problems, this country has indeed made meaningful racial progress. I suspect you will get the same sentence 50 years ago, and not just because one of the murderers was stupid enough to film them for crime.

Gayle: Speaking of terrible crimes, how about the tragedy of the parade in Wisconsin. According to the prosecutor, a driver named Darrell Brooks crashed into the parade and killed 6 people?

Brett: It's heartbreaking. And it's outrageous. Brooks has a criminal record as long as an elephant's trunk, and it is reported that he recently tried to run over a woman with the Ford Escape he used during the rampage. However, he received a bail of $1,000. This seems crazy to me, not to mention that the Democrats who have been pushing for bail reform have committed suicide politically.

Gail: I don't like bail, full stop. Even if allegations of violence are involved, the judge should figure out whether the defendant has a history that indicates that he might strike again if he is released.

If there is a bad record, the prisoner will stay in the prison, and the prosecutor is obliged to conduct a fast trial. A person like Brooks will not restrain himself because his bail is $1,000 or $50,000. If there is no previous history of violence or serious threats of escape, then the defendant should be released until he is tried.

But the problem is that the cost of reforming the system will be high.

So, ahem, more government spending...

Brett: Okay, I'm curious. Please tell me more about where some money must be spent to make your ideas work.

Gail: Well, more judges, court officials, public defenders, and reserve personnel can push the system faster. Not to mention prison facilities, we need to get more people detained before trial.

Brett: Maybe someone put ayahuasca in my coffee. I agree with you, Gail.

Supporters of bail reform are right about one thing, because it is heinous to detain those who are deemed innocent for months or years because they cannot afford bail. As you suggested, the answer is to give them the right to trial the Sixth Amendment expeditiously, which should take weeks or months, not years. If this requires billions of dollars in additional spending, I will support it.

Brett: Everyone from Donald Trump to Nancy Pelosi can support a better criminal justice system, including better prison conditions, which has become a shame in places like Lex Island, and more inside the prison walls. Major reform efforts include prison drug rehabilitation centers. I think the point where reform supporters lose their conspiracy is that they think that violent people can get away with it. Doing so will only lead to atrocities like Waukesha, while ensuring that the public will strongly oppose any form of reform.

Another crime-related question, Gail: What do you think about vigorously monitoring and prosecuting quality-of-life crimes, such as public drug use or shoplifting?

Gale: If the law-and the system that supports it-imposes the same punishment on people, regardless of class, race, or income, I might accept it. If the punishment for a homeless woman caught shoplifting is the same as the punishment for a suburban teenager caught shoplifting, it would not be too extreme.

Brett: That's right. But I still like to live in a city like this. People can’t smoke ice next to Macy’s in broad daylight, camps for the homeless won’t appear under the highway overpass, and pharmacies don’t have to put toothpaste and other commonplaces. Keep the items behind the locker to prevent people from stealing them. In other words, not San Francisco. Liberals should be especially committed to making cities livable, especially for middle-class residents.

Gail: Speaking of quality of life, our colleague put together a very interesting test, you can use it to determine the most suitable place for you to live. My New York City is at the top of the list and I am very happy to be in my target town. Almost anyone who loves diversity, live music, restaurants and car-free culture will be happy here. Suppose they happen to have a comfortable and affordable living space. Just one detail...

Anyway, I want to know if you took the exam and where you came from.

Bret: The quiz didn't seem to give me an option to leave the country, which is what our family did when we moved to Hamburg after Trump was elected in 2016, and what we will do again if he's returned to office in three years . Next time consider Taormina or Tel Aviv.

Gail: Good plan ahead, but I want to be positive.

Bret: Anyway, according to the algorithm, San Diego is the perfect American city for me. The weather is good, and many families tend to be conservative. But I don’t plan to move away from my old farmhouse anytime soon. Unless Trump’s end happens again, it will be difficult for me to live anywhere more than 60 miles away from Times Square.

Gale: If "a farmhouse outside of New York" is an option, then you can definitely get most test takers.

Bret: Unfortunately, it caused problems with the old farmhouse. We have a haunted in the attic and basement, worthy of the "Silent Lamb" sequel.

Speaking of Times Square, this is the tragic news of Stephen Sondheim’s death last week. Talk about genius! A friend of mine who has a keen sense of melody and a gift for language sent me a song from "Happy Let's Go". She thinks this song is suitable for our weekly chat:

But things that are actively promoted-

You could have fooled me--

Are we still old friends!

Nothing can kill an old friend!

Where there is a will, old friends

Survival does not require success!

Frank, Charlie, Mary and Beth

What can old friends discuss?

Gail: I like your idea. Sing. Or in fact, both. This may be our Sondheim season.

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