All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (2 Viewers)

[Maxp]

I fear we are really going to be in a bad place due to the obvious cuts to the federal agencies that deal with infectious disease, but also the negative effect the Affordable Care act has had on non urban hospitals. Our front line defenses are ineffectual and our ability to treat the populous is probably at an all time low. Factor in the cost of healthcare and I can see our system crashing. What do you think about the politics of this virus?

 

[el caliente]

People be wildin, and that’s why I follow that Tweeter.

 

[H B Lowrey]

Masked up? I’m vaccinated, so I go without a mask whenever possible.

Good for you. So then, you have no beef with the COVID advice you've been given and you haven't been deprived of anything?

 

[H B Lowrey]

People be wildin, and that’s why I follow that Tweeter.

You equate those with the trucker thing? Too precious.

 

[el caliente]

You equate those with the trucker thing? Too precious.

I’m not equating anything, I’m letting those tweets equate it to the trucker thing.

You don’t?

Good for you. So then, you have no beef with the COVID advice you've been given and you haven't been deprived of anything?

I have no problem with the advice given by doctors saying to get the jab, or the ones that lean more towards herd immunity, etc. If their recommendations work for you, then do what’s best for you.

Doctors recommend a lot of things to prevent and ward off health problems, that doesn’t mean cigarettes will be going out of business, hostess will stop making crap cup cakes, or that folks are going to get to bed early. Folks are selective about what medical professionals recommend.

Why should I care if some guy doesn’t want to get vaccinated, when I am about to get into a head on collisions with a guy who decided to drink and drive, (and the hospital bed I would be occupying is currently filled by a guy that decided doing an 8 ball would make for a great time).

I’m fine with the truck drivers, blm folks, or students who feel their voice can only be heard through protest. If that’s the only way that they will be heard, than they are going about this the best way possible. These aren’t kids asking mom for a cookie, these are folks trying to make a living.

 

[MT15]

El, you should care because the unvaccinated are filling up our hospitals, making it harder for everyone else to get needed health care. It may be easing up now, but there could be a new variant at any time. Vaccinated people may catch it, but will have mild illness. The unvaccinated affect all of us in that way.

Also, the “trucker” protests are being used by QAnon and other nutcases. They aren’t what they seem to be. They aren’t guys trying to make a living, not anymore.

“There’s a misconception that every participant in these chats is a trucker, but that’s not true at all. It’s really anybody who’s been a part of these movements who’ve been waiting for an excuse to do something — QAnon, anti-vaccine, sovereign citizens,” said extremism researcher Sara Aniano, who recently published a report on QAnon’s growth after Jan. 6 for the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, a London-based nonprofit group. ”This feels like the culmination of everything that’s happened since Jan. 6th.”

As U.S. ‘trucker convoy’ picks up momentum, foreign meddling adds to fray

Facebook said Friday it removed trucker and convoy groups run by overseas actors. Many anti-vaccine and conspiracy-driven groups have moved to embrace convoy organizing.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[el caliente]

It’s kind of comical that the truckers have the sympathy of only 32% of Canadians (little support right?), meanwhile Justin Trudeau only pulled in 32.6% of votes in the 2021 election.

Canada’s Trucker Blockades Are a Warning

If a crackdown on protesters goes bad, the negative consequences may not be confined to the country.

www.theatlantic.com

I saw that rules went into effect last night clearing out many of the protesters, so I wonder what that will do with this movement. Does it build back better? Does it go home and eat waffles covered in maple syrup, never to be heard from again? Does a different industry pick up that torch?

I think that movements like this are far from over. If these folks plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize better than they just did, what has been happening in Quebec might seem like a Sunday stroll in the park.

 

[el caliente]

I’m vaccinated, I’ve had my booster, if I’m required to wear a mask before entering somewhere I will. I won’t get upset at someone who decides not to get the vaccine, or who will skip entering somewhere (rather than put on a mask). Life is too short to be a star belly sneetch.

 

[Farb]

Are we to the point where we can all admit the school masking thing was a mistake or are we still holding the old version of 'science'?

I think that movements like this are far from over. If these folks plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize better than they just did, what has been happening in Quebec might seem like a Sunday stroll in the park.

Not sure if these have been posted but it appears you are correct (fingers crossed!)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/08/australia-trucker-protest-
canberra/



It seems as if world wide normal people are getting tired of the 'rules for thee but not me' ruling elites.

Edit: Why are the protests only happening in western civilization countries? They might be happening else where since our media tries their best not to cover them but I don't think so.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Most people need elites to rule them since they're otherwise clueless. Unfortunately most of the elites we have area also clueless.

Also:

 

[MT15]

Saul, I’ve posted that info at least 3 times already in this thread. They won’t read it, or act like they can’t. This “convoy” is a combination of grift from foreign countries and anti-vaxxers. It doesn’t have anything to do with mandates and everything to do with being anti-vaccine.

 

[el caliente]

Do Truckers use Telegram to communicate with each other?

Seems more like a Signal crowd to me.

 

[MT15]

Do Truckers use Telegram to communicate with each other?

Seems more like a Signal crowd to me.

They’re anti-vaxxers and QAnon. Some of them happen to be truckers.

 

[el caliente]

They’re anti-vaxxers and QAnon. Some of them happen to be truckers.

Did Ben give a percentage as to how many were truckers vs QAnon and Anti-vaxxers? He mentions a lot of outside parties funding the movement, but that doesn’t tell me anything other than outside parties have taken an interest in the movement. We could all give lots of money to one political candidate, that doesn’t mean we are funding an entire party. Can he give us some boots on the ground numbers? The folks being interviewed on CNN don’t seem like well funded freedom fighters.

I’m sure agents of chaos have embedded themselves in the protest, it happens all the time. I’m not willing to write off BLM because of the actions of outside agitators, so why should I here? This is why I am interested to see what happens next? Are the real truckers done with fighting city hall?

 

[MT15]

The big money is coming mostly from anti-vaxxers, specifically Kennedy, and the Jan. 6 folks. There have been several reports that when people go to interview they are finding more QAnons and anti-vaxxers than anything else. They have even reported that the vehicles are mostly pickups and other smaller vehicles as the days go on. The organizing has been taken over by QAnons and anti-vaxxers on line.

I know you are rooting for these guys, but this isn’t what you think it is. It may have started that way, but it’s now being pushed by people who want to outlaw all vaccines and think that politicians and celebrities kill babies to drink their blood.

This isn’t the movie Convoy. This isn’t a movie at all, it’s not the little guys fighting City Hall, it’s a bunch of dangerous nut cases who, as we saw on Jan. 6, are capable of tremendous violence. I wouldn’t romanticize them.

 

[el caliente]

 

[H B Lowrey]

It’s kind of comical that the truckers have the sympathy of only 32% of Canadians (little support right?), meanwhile Justin Trudeau only pulled in 32.6% of votes in the 2021 election.

Canada’s Trucker Blockades Are a Warning

If a crackdown on protesters goes bad, the negative consequences may not be confined to the country.

www.theatlantic.com

I saw that rules went into effect last night clearing out many of the protesters, so I wonder what that will do with this movement. Does it build back better? Does it go home and eat waffles covered in maple syrup, never to be heard from again? Does a different industry pick up that torch?

I think that movements like this are far from over. If these folks plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize better than they just did, what has been happening in Quebec might seem like a Sunday stroll in the park.

Hopefully they can locate a real cause.

 

[MT15]

Good thread about natural vs vaccine induced immunity. Final tweet has a link to a study. It’s hard to find good info on this because of the newness of the virus, the fact that the virus is changing pretty rapidly, and politicization of public health policy.

 

[insidejob]

Just in case you're on facebook and fall into this trap lol

COVID-19 vaccines do not contain HIV

COVID-19 vaccines do not contain harmful substances or introduce disease, though those debunked theories continue to cir

www.politifact.com

When I saw this article scroll past on the right side, I just had to read it. Some people are just that dumb I suppose.