covid politics

[Brian Roth]

My elderly Mom is a lifelong Republican, but from the Old School and is becoming more and more disgusted with the current politics. Mom was very active in the state Republican party for decades and was actually an state Elector in one of the 1980's presidential elections. So, she is not some sort of "screaming liberal."

This crap:

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/new...vid-holocaust-deepens-party-split/5486501001/
.....is driving her crazy this past week.

I've been a registered Independent voter for years....to Mom's chagrin <g>.... but we talk often, and today she recalled how the country rallied around getting polio vax into everyone when she was younger (and I was a very young kid) yet we now have millions refusing to take Covid steps. I don't want some unvaxed dickhead causing my Mom or me (we've both had our two jabs) to end up in the ICU....or deceased.

Yet, I know more than a few folks who refuse to take the correct steps. One common remark from younger and healthy (yet otherwise intelligent) friends: "Well, the FDA hasn't approved the vax, it's an experimental lab product." Then I rarely encounter "It's my body and no one tells me what to do!" (sometimes from anti abortion folks.....hmmmmm.)

Then you have the nutballs (JR may recall some of those) that include a couple of my cousins who believe Bill Gates is injecting us with microchips as part of the New World Order/End of the World/Trilateral Commission/antichrist/satan scheme, or we are being injected with iron particles.(videos: "See? A spoon sticks to my arm where I got the jab because of evil magnetism in the vax.")

Screw it....I'll just have a beer and listen to classic rock songs <g>. I'm too old for this sh!t storm!! Maybe we'll get through this intact.

Bri

 

[Brian Roth]

BTW...a year ago I made a hat for myself out of Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap for a halloween costume.

 

[iturnknobs]

BTW...a year ago I made a hat for myself out of Heavy Duty Reynolds Wrap for a halloween costume.

Thanks for your posts. It is up to all of us to denounce all this current stupidity outwardly and loudly. It benefits everyone, even if the morons can't see the way currently.

 

[iturnknobs]

Not fake news...I won't be very afraid, because I don't have children. I pray that these children primarily are affected by Trumper/Anti-vaccine dolts so that some jerks learn a lesson. I will watch children suffer as the result of awful adults behaving poorly in the name of "politics" and tribalism. Life lessons are hard. No significant change occurs without pain. Darwinism for the win. I'll crack a beer and watch the sh*tshow continue.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/08/covid-cases-among-kids-overwhelming-florida-hospitals-doc/edit: straight outta the right-wing crap-rag
edit 2: I'm guessing the "credible" debates about children wearing masks will be put on the back burners for a while...and if not, bring the pain.
edit 3: Business as usual. Nothing to see here...in a Republican state.
https://www.wdsu.com/article/more-t...itive-for-covid-19-in-just-four-days/37246194

 

[iturnknobs]

More from the Republican yahoos. All Republicans should encourage their acting surgeons to stop wearing masks. Please, really prove your point.
https://www.axios.com/rand-paul-youtube-suspension-d740d447-62d0-4881-b497-7f3b3799b64d.html

 

[JohnRoberts]

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle....".

JR

PS: Of course everybody thinks they are moderate.

PPS: Big tech is the new speech police. The first amendment was written to protect us from government censorship, not private industry doing the dirty work for them.

 

[iturnknobs]

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle....".

JR

PS: Of course everybody thinks they are moderate.

PPS: Big tech is the new speech police. The first amendment was written to protect us from government censorship, not private industry doing the dirty work for them.

You can't cry fire in a crowded theater. Especially when it causes harm. More Republican shenanigans. I keep waiting for bad examples from the left, but they're hard to find.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/twitter-suspends-marjorie-taylor-greene-192914743.html

 

[JohnRoberts]

Can you yell "pants on fire?

Q- when did we deputize twitter and facebook to police speech?
A- we didn't.

JR

 

[iturnknobs]

Can you yell "pants on fire?

Q- when did we deputize twitter and facebook to police speech?
A- we didn't.

JR

When did any conservative decide that they could choose who and not who to provide services to? You did... decide who to provide a wedding cake to and NOW you want a private company to allow anyone to say the craziest of things because of freedom? Your party decided against freedom many cakes ago...

 

[JohnRoberts]

Um no... I didn't do that....
====
"Doctor" Rand Paul cited two different scientific studies about the limited effectiveness of surgical masks to block virus sized particles.

Mask advice has become a new way to stir up division, mostly ignoring the underlying science. Some people seem trapped in the prison of two ideas. Either masks are 100% effective at preventing covid transmission, or they do nothing. The truth is somewhere in between but porous cloth masks are closer to doing nothing than blocking everything.

I still have some n-95 masks stashed that actually do something, in addition to making it difficult for me to breath.

JR

 

[hodad]

====
"Doctor" Rand Paul

JR

"Eye Doctor" Rand Paul.

And I've seen enough of him to suspect that his neighbor was probably justified in beating the living crap out of him.

Not that I'd ever advocate such a thing--Rand Paul just seems like the kind of guy that would elicit that sort of behaviour in others.

EDIT: Speaking of Sen. Paul, this just popped up"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/11/rand-paul-gilead-stock/

Sen. Rand Paul revealed Wednesday that his wife bought stock in Gilead Sciences — which makes an antiviral drug used to treat covid-19 — on Feb. 26, 2020, before the threat from the coronavirus was fully understood by the public and before it was classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The disclosure, in a filing with the Senate, came 16 months after the 45-day reporting deadline set forth in the Stock Act, which is designed to combat insider trading.

Oh, Rand. Forgetful, forgetful Rand.

 

[iturnknobs]

Um no... I didn't do that....

The party you vote for and stand by did/does protect a business from having to sell a same-sex couple a wedding cake...so yes, you sorta did. Now they complain because they can't express their scientifically proven falsehoods, while harming the public, through a private business...seriously?

"Doctor" Rand Paul cited two different scientific studies about the limited effectiveness of surgical masks to block virus sized particles.

...as he neglects to quote Flu numbers from 2020. They were at a record low(also a virus).
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-coronavirus-flu-cases-record-low/4127197001/

Mask advice has become a new way to stir up division, mostly ignoring the underlying science.

Yep, people have ignored the fact that masks reduce the spread of viruses in the name of politics...very one-sided. Not my side.

The truth is somewhere in between but porous cloth masks are closer to doing nothing than blocking everything.

I would guess almost any doctor/surgeon would argue that point, seeing as they willingly wear them out of RESPECT for the health of their patients. I believe that the virus also primarily rides on respiration droplets which masks DO block. Once again, not helpful talking points that I find all over right-wing media outlets.

I still have some n-95 masks stashed that actually do something, in addition to making it difficult for me to breath.

Not to be a broken record, but don't be silly and run a race with it on...or use said activity as an example of a "talking point".
https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_cee2c97a-fa31-11eb-8680-93461c3f7996.htmlI think we should really tell people there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure health care providers who are actually doing the hard work will appreciate it.

 

[iturnknobs]

"Eye Doctor" Rand Paul.

And I've seen enough of him to suspect that his neighbor was probably justified in beating the living crap out of him.

Not that I'd ever advocate such a thing--Rand Paul just seems like the kind of guy that would elicit that sort of behaviour in others.

EDIT: Speaking of Sen. Paul, this just popped up"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/11/rand-paul-gilead-stock/

Sen. Rand Paul revealed Wednesday that his wife bought stock in Gilead Sciences — which makes an antiviral drug used to treat covid-19 — on Feb. 26, 2020, before the threat from the coronavirus was fully understood by the public and before it was classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The disclosure, in a filing with the Senate, came 16 months after the 45-day reporting deadline set forth in the Stock Act, which is designed to combat insider trading.

Oh, Rand. Forgetful, forgetful Rand.

This is the guy claiming Fauci was "taking money" for GOF studies. I would guess Fauci didn't personally/directly take money for GOF studies, but I'm guessing Rand Paul is directly taking profits from his Gilead investment...

I wouldn't support masks or vaccines if this is what my money was riding on, either. Huh. Weird.

 

[JohnRoberts]

This is the guy claiming Fauci was "taking money" for GOF studies. I would guess Fauci didn't personally/directly take money for GOF studies, but I'm guessing Rand Paul is directly taking profits from his Gilead investment...

The accusation is that Dr Fauci directed money to Wuhan lab for GOF research, he did it thru a third party organization to keep his finger prints off it since the Pres Obama administration prohibited it. He has denied that, but his emails revealed communication with scientists involved.

I don't think Dr Fauci is a stupid man, so extremely unlikely that he would skim program funds, or take kickbacks. He was reportedly the highest paid government employee at $400k+ in 2019, so should not be that lean and hungry.

You generally don't make profit from stock market investments until after you sell them, but Gilead pays a 4% dividend. My two stock investments in pharma companies are up (and don't pay that much dividend).

I wouldn't support masks or vaccines if this is what my money was riding on, either. Huh. Weird.

You wouldn't? Thanks for your honesty.

I just looked at the Gilead pipeline and they aren't working on Covid, but do have a few anti-viral drug development programs (HIV, HBV, and HDV) as well as oncology drugs and more. I don't understand your argument. If Sen Pauls bought Gilead because of some inside information I wonder what he knows? It isn't obvious to me.

I suspect Sen Paul was making a "the king has no clothes on" revelation about mask efficacy, which is embarrassing to mask proponents.

JR

 

[iturnknobs]

I just looked at the Gilead pipeline and they aren't working on Covid, but do have a few anti-viral drug development programs (HIV, HBV, and HDV) as well as oncology drugs and more. I don't understand your argument. If Sen Pauls bought Gilead because of some inside information I wonder what he knows? It isn't obvious to me.

Remdesivir? Not covid? Approved for use with covid patients by FDA in April 2020? Seems obvious to me and more nefarious than unprovable connections to GOF studies that aren't connected at all to covid except by conspiracy theories because people want someone to blame besides themselves for being idiots and supporting idiots. See next post.

 

[iturnknobs]

It would appear the masses in the major cities of Texas who make up the majority of the population are smarter than the rural, win at all costs, "own the libs” JERKS. Science over stupidity.


Read the tweet. Research the rest. Do not let the minority make decisions for the majority...ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S POLITICS BEFORE SCIENCE. Feel free to do whatever you would like out on the farm. That's not how cities work.

 

[iturnknobs]

I suspect Sen Paul was making a "the king has no clothes on" revelation about mask efficacy, which is embarrassing to mask proponents.

JR

There is no "revelation" about mask efficacy. If there was, we wouldn't wear them in hospitals and infectious settings. Wow.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Remdesivir is a 20 year old anti-viral... I didn't make that connection.

So you suggest that Sen Paul wants people to not wear masks, catch Covid, so they will use a 20 year old anti-viral. Boosting a stock that his wife owns?

JR

PS: Sorry, I'll check your tweet later maybe. I have something to do now.

 

[JohnRoberts]

There is no "revelation" about mask efficacy. If there was, we wouldn't wear them in hospitals and infectious settings. Wow.

The discussion about different types of masks is getting old. We did a pretty deep dive into this a year ago.

You seem to be trying to conflate all masks to be the same thing, they aren't. I'll try not to insult you with data but even a N-95 serious mask only stops 95% of airborne particles. Covid virus ranges in size from 0.06 microns to 0.14 microns. N-95 masks block 0.3 microns, so by definition can't prevent all Covid virus entry. Of course masks are not a binary all or nothing. Anything helps but the arguments flying around pro and con lack proportion. Of course surgical (spit) masks serve a real function in surgery.

I wore my cloth mask today to shop at Walmart, required again since the latest CDC guidance. I do not expect it would save any of my fellow shoppers from being infected with covid by me. The world is a stage and we are but players in this political theater.
=====
To put this into perspective vaccines are vastly more protective than wearing masks. I would hate for low information people to get a false sense of security from wearing masks.

President Biden has yet to nominate a permanent head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at a time when the government is navigating a surge in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant.

It’s unclear why the post remains vacant more than six months into Biden’s presidency, but some experts suggest politics may be getting in the way.

hill article
I have suggested before that giving COVID vaccines full FDA approval would eliminate one more excuse against wider vaccine use. (I expect approval within weeks, but the future has not happened yet.)

JR

 

[iturnknobs]

Observe that now the "sky is falling" reportage is counting "cases" not deaths...

Be very afraid.

JR

PS: There are probably even more symptomless cases than those numbers suggest.

This is in another red state that has had their governor attempt to ban mask mandates...not my party...nor are we merely talking about case counts. Party of tough guys.
edit: for those who don't want to "sift" through the article...
“We have 0 ICU beds left for children ... Your child will wait for another child to die.” — Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08...-kids-your-child-will-wait-another-child-die/