All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (14 Viewers)

I follow this doctor on Twitter. I like his practical approach. He added later that unvaccinated folks don’t get invited to his house. His house, his rules. And he clarifies that people who are immune compromised or cancer patients may need to be more strict. This works for his family.

Reasonable guy. And I myself am opposed to the idea of mandates on a governmental level. I also know many people who are not particularly political (i.e. not Trumpistas or those who refuse the vaccine because 'lol the Democrats support it') but are generally 'tired' of the whole mask-thing. I never thought masks were a big deal but I get how a 'normie' would be 'over it' at this point.

Bigdaddysaints said:

Before anything it has to be proven that it was a lab leak, Which will probably never happen because China will never let it be investigated properly.

Also, I never knew the Obama admininstation in 2014 had put a ban on gain of function, that was lifted under the Trump administation in 2017. (maybe it was discussed here already, i may have missed it in the 400+ pages)

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I don't understand why the global community doesn't presume China is guilty? They won't cooperate, so assume the worst. Let them cooperate and prove you wrong in this case. They held back stuff like the early covid patients from WHO investigation. This is extremely complicated because America has their hands in this via funding, and it implicates some liberal darlings like Fauci. However, it sets a dangerous precedent to let a country set off a global pandemic, cost the world trillions, and there be no consequences.

MT15 said:

I saw this original story the other day. One of FL state senators has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is about to start radiation therapy. The newly appointed FL Surgeon General visited her in her office and she asked him to wear a mask due to her medical condition. He refused, shockingly, so she asked him to leave and he did. At least the GOP is calling him out about that.

Senate President blasts Florida Surgeon General for his ‘unprofessional’ actions

Simpson sent a memo to all members and Senate staff. Ladapo has been critical of lockdowns and mask mandates

floridapolitics.com

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Calling him out for leaving, no doubt.

Well, this is absolutely insane:

https://www.livpost.co.uk/p/telegram-channel-harassing-schools (some strong language in article)


Note the 'common law' thing. Seems to be a lot of crossover between the freemen-on-the-land/sovereign citizen movements and anti-vaxxers. We've previously seen people here trying to ignore lockdown restrictions on similar grounds (as you'd expect unsuccessfully: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-58208420).

But harassing children and schools on fictional legal premises is another level of... well, can't use the language I'd like, but you can fill it in.

nolaspe said:

Election "distracted" Trump White House from COVID response, Birx tells Congress

"[W]e probably could have decreased fatalities into the 30% less to 40% less range."

www.axios.com

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We can't forget the treason rampant in the Trump Administration. Top to bottom, from "Let the blue states die" to knowing in January that Covid was deadly and deliberately deciding to ignore it. Over Two Hundred Thousand dead because Donald J Treasonweasel Trump wanted to pretend Covid didn't exist. A firing squad is too good for him.

In addition, Deborah Birx can go pound sand. She stood in front of cameras and touted Trump’s ability to read and understand scientific papers and facts about Covid. She’s got her own responsibility for this mess we are in and she cannot run away from it now by claiming he was “distracted". He knew exactly what he was doing.

Taurus said:

We can't forget the treason rampant in the Trump Administration. Top to bottom, from "Let the blue states die" to knowing in January that Covid was deadly and deliberately deciding to ignore it. Over Two Hundred Thousand dead because Donald J Treasonweasel Trump wanted to pretend Covid didn't exist. A firing squad is too good for him.

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That was good ole Jared who decided we didn't need a national covid strategy, and letting the blue states die. Showing the world once again, the horrible outcome of nepotism.

J-DONK said:

That was good ole Jared who decided we didn't need a national covid strategy, and letting the blue states die. Showing the world once again, the horrible outcome of nepotism.

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Or how horribly blue states are run. Also not much different than the lefts stance on Florida during this whole Amish rake fight.

The irony is that if Trump handled the pandemic like a reasonable adult, he probably would have beaten Biden handily -- so ignoring the election yet focusing on his presidential duties would have been the better strategy.

He didn’t know how to do his Presidential duties. Had zero clue.

Farb said:

Or how horribly blue states are run. Also not much different than the lefts stance on Florida during this whole Amish rake fight.

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Ok, you’ll have to remind me when the Biden administration did anything to hurt Florida’s pandemic efforts. You know, like restricting testing and buying up PPE and ventilators that were promised to the states. Or lying to Florida’s citizens about the severity of the problem. Or discouraging people from doing the simple things that could be done, like wearing a mask. Or refusing to really advocate getting vaccinated, getting his own vaccination secretly and not telling anyone. How forked up is that?

Don’t worry, DeSantis has blood on his hands too. He didn’t kill as many people as Trump, but he is sure trying pretty hard. His state was mostly spared during the first horrible part of the pandemic, where nobody knew for sure how to treat it and there was no testing available. His big surge came after we had treatments and vaccines for cripes sake. Yet he still managed to get Florida’s death toll up there near the top (top ten!) That took real effort.

You’re just saying whatever BS you can think of at this time. You don’t have any real arguments.

I do think that his recent policies are idiotic and harmful like trying to bad mask mandates.

Farb said:

Or how horribly blue states are run. Also not much different than the lefts stance on Florida during this whole Amish rake fight.

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The only legitimate criticism I can think of is the nursing home scandal. Which was a horrible policy. Go look at deaths per 100k, FL/TX are higher then NY/CA.

You can look at Louisiana with it's .25 deaths per 100k, and see how effective sound governance impacted outcomes by looking at our neighbors. Mississippi is at .44, Arkansas is at .45, and Texas is at .57. What's the major difference in these states, and their approach to the pandemic? The frustrating part is JBE had to fight Republicans tooth, and nail to save their lives. Insanity.

Farb said:

Or how horribly blue states are run. Also not much different than the lefts stance on Florida during this whole Amish rake fight.

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There's a couple levels to answer here.
1. Derision and mockery because you've said nothing at all relevant. A highly-place Federal official was just fine with letting Americans die, so long as they were in blue states. You, apparently, are okay with this. Which leads to the second level...
2. Are we not brothers? Am I not a fellow American who'd stand should-to-shoulder with you against Russia or China? You really need to look into the mirror and ask just how far the rabbit hole goes if your response to callous, lethal indifference from OUR government is to try and blame me and my family for it. Jared was (and remains, so far as I know he's never apologized) completely sanguine about letting myself and my family die a terrible death because we don't support his step-daddy's political ambitions. And what? It's our own fault then? Really, my man? Really?

Taurus said:

There's a couple levels to answer here.
1. Derision and mockery because you've said nothing at all relevant. A highly-place Federal official was just fine with letting Americans die, so long as they were in blue states. You, apparently, are okay with this. Which leads to the second level...

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Nothing relevant to the point you must comment on it. Gotacha. Makes sense.
Question, were you ok with this from a alt-left administration?
https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/ala...cut-monoclonal-antibody-allocation-by-30.html
“Alabama’s hospitals are full and under tremendous stress. That’s why physicians are very concerned about federal efforts that will end up limiting our supply and access to this effective treatment,” said Dr. Aruna Arora, President of the Medical Association. “We’re calling on the federal government to help us provide more of this treatment – not less – so we can save lives and keep COVID patients out of the hospital.”

Taurus said:

2. Are we not brothers? Am I not a fellow American who'd stand should-to-shoulder with you against Russia or China? You really need to look into the mirror and ask just how far the rabbit hole goes if your response to callous, lethal indifference from OUR government is to try and blame me and my family for it. Jared was (and remains, so far as I know he's never apologized) completely sanguine about letting myself and my family die a terrible death because we don't support his step-daddy's political ambitions. And what? It's our own fault then? Really, my man? Really?

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I have no idea what you are talking about blaming you and your family for what exactly?
Yes, Orange man bad.

The question on if we are 'brothers' is a good one and I have been thinking a lot about that lately. My first instinct is yes, but as I think on it, the answer becomes 'no'. In order to share a country/government the citizens must share a common belief and core values. I don't think we do anymore. Can you name something we totally agree on that is central to the way we govern? I have trouble with that, maybe you can help.

Farb, this is a pretty dense technical article but it fact checks the lies that Rs and the right-wing media are making up about gain of function research and the Wuhan lab.