Going shopping for toilet paper and watching the insanity only solidifies my belief that one person one vote leads us on the road to ruin. If the founding fathers could see what was going on today, they probably would have would have said, “ Do you really believe these dolts are capable of self government? Better burn Tom’s declaration and send a note of apology to King George.”
I'm so tired of hearing that Trump became president but didn't win a majority of the votes. Poor Hillary. Her f'n husband was elected twice without getting a majority of the votes.
Ahhhhhh....you know what, I know a stab when I get one, but even I cant be nasty about those words. I love you too Ralph. You friggin crimicane you. [/QUOTE] Appreciate the laugh and smile your comment made, please be safe, wishing nothing but the best
So anyway, 881 Americans died today. That's a new high. We're staring down the barrel of something bigger than 9-11, Pearl Harbor or pretty much anything since the Spanish Flu of 1918. This is a global pandemic. I said it before, and I meant it, I don't give a **** about what he did before this. I wanna know what he's done to prepare for it and to act now that it's here. So far, mixed reviews. A month ago, he boasted of there being 15 patients and soon that will be zero. Now, he told the American people to brace themselves for the possibility of 200k dead. I'm tired of the partisan, open up the war chest fully and attack this issue. Don't just open it and then say you're gonna think about using parts of it. We need to mobilize to make up for a lack of infrastructure that blame falls on those for decades before. It's all about the now and what we're doing to combat this. We have one enemy, but for some reason, we can't get the political out of it.. So we have 2 'imaginary' enemies, and one real one that is killing us while the two imaginary armies go to war with each other. I was reading that some Governor's were talking about rolling back some of the protective measures so that people could celebrate Easter.... Someone needs to remind folks that church was shut down in 1918. This isn't some new war on religion. It's about safety, not persecution. What we do in the now dictates what kind of tomorrow will be left.
It is going to be bad. I felt that the press conference yesterday indicated (to me) that the Administration is taking it seriously and going pretty much all out, as is private industry. NOBODY in the entire world took the pandemic threat seriously except for a few health care experts that nobody listened to. The head of the WHO is a total joke and a toady for China. Our lack of PPE is related to the fact that so much is manufactured in China...they kinda need that stuff too. That outsourcing has been going on for years...through administrations of both parties. If anything, the current administration has been lobbying to move a lot of that back here. I read today that the Purell manufacturer here in Ohio (Gojo) is still right now having to pay millions of dollars in tariffs for the plastic pump parts for it's dispensers manufactured in China...Sen. Rob Portman is trying to get a temporary hold on those tariffs. But the blame game HAS GOT to stop! I don't want to add to it by bringing up mistakes by "the other side" (y'all know my side) but the "Gotcha!" questions, "Blood on his hands" comments, and somebody (you know who) already planning for "investigating what he knew and when he knew it" ARE HARMFUL!! I don't know how everyone else is doing...i hope y'all and your friends are well. I worry especially about Corey...stay safe, my man! Susie and I are sheltering in place in Fort Myers Beach...we don't ever leave the condo except to check the mail downstairs. We are even having groceries delivered like a couple of old folks (ok...guilty). The beach is closed to everybody...even residents can't walk it. All visitors told to leave. Hotels, restaurants, and bars all closed (like pretty much everywhere) and all rentals and time shares frozen for 90 days. We own so we are legal. Would like to be back in Ohio but I'm kinda paranoid about traveling (certainly not gonna fly...would drive instead)...Gov. Dewine and Dr. Amy Acton are (IMO) handling this whole thing the way ADULTS would handle it...and the way every state should be handling it. I wish Gov. Desantis would lock down Florida as he has been encouraged to do by many. The new "Murray Models" unveiled by Dr. Birx at yesterdays briefing were very interesting. Looking them up by state predicts Ohio peaking on April 19 and the state having sufficient ICU beds and ventilators. Florida's chart shows a peak of May 3 and not so optimistic about resources. Stay safe everybody...and as they say on cruise ships..."washy, washy!"
Great post, Stu, great example. In my efforts to help disseminate information and analysis, it seems to be the same story everywhere, until it becomes localized: Hey, it popped up on xxx continent, we're safe here, though Hey, it popped up on our continent in xxx country, nothing here, though Hey, it popped up in our country, but it's in xxx state, nothing here Hey, it popped up in our state, but it's not in our county Hey, someone in our county has it, but it's been explained as a travel case, we're good Hey, there is a confirmed case that can't be explained, but there's only 1,2,3,4,5... Well, there is community transmission, but it isn't exponential growth like everywhere else and nobody has died Huh, someone in our community died today, but he had underlying health concerns anyway Uh, the growth rate has picked up, but we're not locked down yet, besides, they're not even testing anybody so how bad can it be? We have 100, 200, 300... confirmed cases and 10, 20, 30 deaths, but nobody in my neighborhood or where I work has been sick Someone just reported to the neighborhood/building/place of employment they were exhibiting symptoms Several other people have been confirmed sick ... In the last couple months I've spoken to family and friends in Montana, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, among others, and there are still a couple at #3 or #4. For some reason, humans have a hard time learning/listening from others without an apparent immediacy of consequence. And this virus doesn't provide immediacy of consequence until it is too late. By the time you know it is in your area, someone has had it for a week without showing symptoms, sharing it freely. "Fortunately" the fatality rate is "only" in the 0.5%-3.5% range (as a direct result of the disease). Any higher, and the catastrophe would be world-altering. As it is, some areas will still be severely affected, even at this low end. AFTER the war is won, after-action reports need to be written, evaluated, and lessons-learned implemented. DURING the war, all hands on deck, BTHO SARS-COV-2.
Absolutely stunned (not really): China hid extent of coronavirus outbreak, US intelligence reportedly says
China continues to cover up their tracks and silence those critical voices: Australian Report: Wuhan Whistleblower Dr. Ai Fen Has ‘Disappeared’
Things have been quiet here in The Villages for a few weeks now. With the announcement of the virus's impact on "the elderly" folks here, for the most part have taken it seriously. Like Stu, we've been having our groceries delivered. Our golf courses are still open but often you'll see 4 carts in a foursome. PCP pipes stick out from where the cups were and instead of holing out, you bump the pipe. No lifting the flags. Rec Centers and pools are closed. Couples walk or bike ride for exercise and I try every day to go for a long cart ride to get some fresh air. Everyone exercises social distancing rules. I carry a Q-tip to push ATM and gas pump buttons. There's a pilot program here that allows anyone to get tested through an appointment with UF Hospital. They have golf cart drive through testing. Last I heard everyone that has been tested here has been negative. We have had a couple of dozen that have come down with it. The early ones were all travel related but there have now been some community cases. In some ways Florida's medical resources could be sufficient because with a larger population in the winter months we have excess space in the off season. But that's offset by our large elderly population that is more likely to need hospitalization. I'm hoping that the heat and humidity will dampen the spread of this thing. It probably would have been helpful if Congress had taken some earlier action other than selling their stock.
Calif's uber liberal left wing Gov....had this to say about Trump and his response. Must have killed him to say that...and he'll not be getting a Christmas card from Pelosi. "This is not the time to bicker. I don't care who's up and down, whose polls are looking better than someone else's or who wants to run for president or who doesn't. When it comes to times of crisis, we need to [rise] above the partisanship and I've extended always an open hand, not a closed fist, in those circumstances. And this is no different," Newsom told Tapper. "But let me just be candid with you. I’d be lying to you to say that he hasn’t been responsive to our needs. He has," the governor continued. "And so, as a question, as a sort of an offer of objectivity, I have to acknowledge that publicly." Calif. Gov. Newsom tells CNN Trump has been 'responsive' to state's needs: 'I'd be lying' to say otherwise Oh yeah and even though the interview was on CNN don't try and find it...I'm sure they've buried it so deep it'll never see the light of day again.
Stu, I've been doing great inside my little bubble. Then that all went to hell. Someone was exposed to COVID19 (my mother in law), and she's come down real sick. This wouldn't be a big deal except that my wife and daughter both went over there to see her Sunday and were there for hours picking some stuff up. I've been fussing about it, but how do you tell your wife she can't see her mother and how do you tell a grandmother that she can't see her grand daughter?? Well, they are all panicking now that they've exposed me (I was at home), so we do the waiting game. Grandma is in quarantine for now. I've locked myself up extra tight now and a friend of mine is even mailing me a can of Lysol which I badly need for our place. Remember that social distancing folks, it's no joke. Even with the best intentions, it can go to hell in a hand basket really quickly. I'll be teaching my daughter for the rest of the school year, and my wife will as well as long as they keep her office shut, starting on Monday. They haven't cancelled the school year yet, but I would imagine that's coming because I too, believe this is going to be bad. One thing I hope to live to see is the post corona world in which we are going to have to face some tough restructuring decisions regarding infrastructure in this country. It's not a Trump thing. It's not an Obama thing. These things have been getting trimmed or gutted since the 70s. We need a real 'come to Jesus' moment with ourselves as a society.
Thanks guys. I love a good scrap so, here we go again, right? Back on topic, our Governor won't put the state on lock down. In her words "Y'all, we ain't California!" which is ironic really, because our cases are growing at a faster percentage than California. We really need to drop this partisan stuff and I don't think it's going to happen because we have too many old dogs, who refuse to learn a new trick on the fly.
I ordered Kleenex and PPE masks on Amazon today. They're both to be delivered between June 27- July 6. I won't hold my breath waiting for the masks...
In Feb. I order hand sanitizer from Amazon. Original delivery date Mar. 6. No delivery. Next date given was Mar. 23. No delivery. Vendor listed it as shipped but no delivery. Cancelled my order Wed.
That's the frustrating thing...all the good advice about using hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes...and you can't find them anywhere.