All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The CDC Advises Everyone To Wear Masks In Public

The advisory is in addition to current social distancing guidelines. Meanwhile....

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Trump Announces CDC Mask Guidelines But Says He Probably Won’t Follow Them

“This is voluntary. I don’t think I am going to be doing it,” the president told reporters at Friday’s coronavirus task force meeting. And his brain dead lemmings will faithfully follow his cue and do likewise, poetntially exposing others to the virus.

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Detroit Bus Driver Who Implored Sick People To Stay Home Dies Of Coronavirus

Jason Hargrove posted a heartfelt video about bus drivers’ working conditions less than two weeks ago.

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Will The Coronavirus Pandemic Lead To A Political Shakeup?

Even reluctant world leaders like Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro have been forced to reckon with the crisis — for political reasons, if not scientific ones. The only shakeup in the U.S. will happen at the ballot box come November because at present, the GOP will continue protecting Trump to the bitter end.

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Trump Says The Government Will Cover Coronavirus Expenses For The Uninsured

Lots of people will get help, though lots more will need it. I'll believe that when it happens and not before.

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Scathing Supercut Hails The Fox News Hosts, Republicans Who Are ‘Heroes Of The Pandumbic’

Donald Trump takes center stage in “The Daily Show” montage of conservatives who for weeks dismissed the threat of the coronavirus.

[Zelena]

Donald Trump ordered 3M to divert all their production of medical masks and gowns away from Canada and Latin America to the U.S.A. However, 3M has resisted such an unwise action. And here's the hitch, all the pulp for the production of medical masks and gowns comes from one mill in Nanaimo, BC, Canada--Harmac Pacific.

From the Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News:

US accused of 'modern piracy' after diversion of masks meant for Europe

The US has been accused of “modern piracy” after reportedly diverting a shipment of masks intended for the German police, and outbidding other countries in the increasingly fraught global market for coronavirus protective equipment.…

[worstblogever]

In 2015, in 2016, and in 2017, “Crazy Stupid Republican of the Day” published profiles of Virgil Peck, a former member of the Kansas House of Representatives, whose most despicable moment, by far, came in 2011, when he discussed combating the problem of illegal immigration by shooting undocumented migrants from helicopters with sniper rifles, comparing them to “feral hogs”. That prompted tens of thousands of people to petition for his resignation, and among the voices calling for him to do so was Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. Eventually, but only after all the outcry, Peck offered a meager apology for his remarks. Among the more radical legislation Peck supports include votes for a Personhood bill, stricter Voter ID laws to combat the statistically non-existent problem of “in-person voter fraud”, his vote to nullify federal gun laws, and a “religious freedom” law to allow for the discrimination of LGBT citizens. Peck Sponsored legislation to prohibit university professors from citing their titles or credentials in opinion editorials to prevent them from criticizing Kansas’ decidedly insane state legislature, voted to authorize the concealed carry of firearms without a license, voted to outlaw D&E abortions (which is obviously unconstitutional via Roe v Wade) and he also wet himself after the terror attack in Paris, sponsoring legislation to prohibit the relocation of refugees from Syria into Kansas. In August of 2016, the Kansas GOP finally got around to giving Peck a primary challenger in Dan Goddard, and successfully gave him the boot from office by a total of 171 votes.



It was on this date in both 2018, as well as 2019, that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled, the sitting U.S. House Representative from Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, Mike Rogers, who was first elected to office back in 2002 after serving for 8 years in the Alabama state legislature. Back in 2017, Rogers kicked off the new session of Congress in delightfully insane fashion by hastily submitting a bill to remove the United States from the United Nations on January 3rd, the first day of that term, because he doesn’t understand how things like diplomacy work. Back during the furor over the fraudulent videos created by the Center for Medical Progress, Rep. Rogers actually co-sponsored two different bills to attack the funding of Planned Parenthood, because apparently for him, irrational anti-choice legislation is like potato chips, he can’t just have one.

But really, Rogers has bigger, weirder aspirations for our country. When Donald Trump started to wistfully talk about a “Space Force”, a branch of the military that would defend America from threats from… space? Well, while Trump is clearly demented, but a lot of times, his ideas aren’t his own. They’re his rambling interpretations of crazy s*** other people whisper in his ear. And, that’s why it seems clear that Congressman Rogers’ repeated calls for a “Space Corps”, in effect a militarized version of NASA (to defend against… intergalactic armies that don’t exist) are the origin of Trump’s nutty suggestion.

Of course, Rep. Rogers also has had a habit over the past few years of putting his foot in his mouth, including in a 2014 speech where he made a homophobic joke, and how in the past year, he’s opined about how NFL players protesting police violence by kneeling during the national anthem as “Un-American”. Never mind that there’s nothing more American than having the freedom of speech to make such a statement… Rogers has racist GOP voters in Alabama to appeal to.

Anyway, after sixteen years and change office, Rogers voted for such insane legislation as the Terry Schiavo Incapacitated Persons Protection Bill, the resolution to create a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, and every attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, while voting against all equal pay legislation and LGBTQ protections that crossed his path, to name but a few of his more extreme positions. Mike Rogers has the benefit of having a district that isn’t just in a red state as crimson as Alabama, the 3rd District there has a +16 Republican lean in the Cook Partisan Voting Index that helped him win a ninth term in office in 2018 with 63% of the vote.

He thus returned to Washington, D.C., to continue polishing the turd that is his voting record:

• January 27th, 2019: Mike Rogers voted against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attacking our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Rogers also voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: Mike Rogers votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 7th, 2019: Rogers votes against HR 183, a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism as a hateful extension of intolerance.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Rogers votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
• April 4th, 2019: Mike Rogers is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
• May 17th, 2019: Rogers votes against The Equality Act, which would have prevented discrimination towards Americans based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
• June 4th, 2019: Rep. Rogers votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Mike Rogers votes against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.
• December 18th, 2019: Rep. Rogers ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump.

It's becoming clear that Mike Rogers may not represent the people of Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District quite as much as he does Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and white nationalists more and more with each passing vote, but we’re hoping his vocal criticism of all sides regarding the government’s response to the spread of COVID-19 is his political undoing, because as we’ve seen, the Trump administration can’t tolerate any criticism, no matter how warranted it might be.

[Jim Kelly]

The CDC Advises Everyone To Wear Masks In Public

The advisory is in addition to current social distancing guidelines.

I don't know where to land on the masks, since the previous reasoning seemed sound to me. And if everyone is self-isolating and distancing, you shouldn't have to use a mask more than once a week (going out to buy food). The important thing is to have enough supply for those people that really need it. I wear a scarf when I go shopping .

Yesterday, out by the dumpster, I found an empty box that was labelled for the kind of disposable masks we used when I worked in the hospital. There would have been thousands of masks in that box. And I don't live anywhere near a hospital. I wondered who had dropped the empty box on the ground near the dumpster--someone hoarding? The contents of that box could have been put to good use by doctors and nurses.

Arguing about masks and testing on social media seems to be used as a wedge, so people can dismiss all the other information and guidelines from the CDC and other medical professionals.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I don't know where to land on the masks, since the previous reasoning seemed sound to me. And if everyone is self-isolating and distancing, you shouldn't have to use a mask more than once a week (going out to buy food). The important thing is to have enough supply for those people that really need it. I wear a scarf when I go shopping .

Yesterday, out by the dumpster, I found an empty box that was labelled for the kind of disposable masks we used when I worked in the hospital. There would have been thousands of masks in that box. And I don't live anywhere near a hospital. I wondered who had dropped the empty box on the ground near the dumpster--someone hoarding? The contents of that box could have been put to good use by doctors and nurses.

Arguing about masks and testing on social media seems to be used as a wedge, so people can dismiss all the other information and guidelines from the CDC and other medical professionals.

Finding the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant would be easier than finding a mask these days. I use a scarf when I go out.

[shooshoomanjoe]

I hope all these people on the right filing for unemployment benefits realize how valuable these social programs are to people.

[JackDaw]

Finding the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant would be easier than finding a mask these days. I use a scarf when I go out.

Most of the experts asked about subject of masks on UK radio say there is no evidence to support their effectiveness for use by general public when out and about. (Big difference..of course..between surgical grade masks used by medical staff..and ones used in everyday life. And even the surgical grades are little use without knowing right way to put them on, take them off. Oh..and you might need as many as six or seven per day).

One danger is that they give a sort of false confidence, that it’s okay to stand fairly close to somebody. It’s not, to adapt an old advertising slogan: “Only a fool breaks the two metre rule”.

[PaulBullion]

Donald Trump ordered 3M to divert all their production of medical masks and gowns away from Canada and Latin America to the U.S.A. However, 3M has resisted such an unwise action. And here's the hitch, all the pulp for the production of medical masks and gowns comes from one mill in Nanaimo, BC, Canada--Harmac Pacific.

From the Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News:

If Trump claims that this is fake news, would that make it Pulp Fiction?

[jetengine]

Masks do ****, they literally dont stop you GETTING Covid 19 and slightly slow you GIVING Covid 19 but lose effectiveness quickly when you make it damp.

[Tami]

Masks do ****, they literally dont stop you GETTING Covid 19 and slightly slow you GIVING Covid 19 but lose effectiveness quickly when you make it damp.

Masks are primarily for reducing the risk of the wearer spreading anything to others. How effective they are depends on the type of masks used, and their condition. There was also mention that wearing a mask might also slow down how often people touch there faces.

Psychologically, masks could either make people more likely to not social distance, or make it easier for people to social distance. One the one hand, masks give off the impression of 'do not approach', like wearing a hazard symbol. On the other hand, it might act like wearing a condom. 'I'm protected, so I can interact with you'.

I say, use them if you have them when you go out but don't stop social distancing. Same with gloves, if you have them use them, then discard them.

[Kirby101]

Yes, masks, any mask can hamper the spread from asymptomatic people. Not necessarily protect the wearer. The new data from places like Korea and Singapore. That is why the new directives.
Unless you are 100% sure you don't have the virus, you should wear a mask. And even if you are 100% sure, you may still have it. That is why everyone should wear one, it makes certain those that might have it wear one. And these don't have to be medical masks, any of the homemade masks will limit the aresol from a cough, sneeze or talking.

[PwrdOn]

I'm pretty sure the consensus was always that masks helped, it's just that they have been in short supply this whole time so the administration has been telling people not to wear them because they were afraid that people would hoard them and drive up the price. Now that the cat is out of the bag on that, and we are resorting to literal piracy to get masks, there's no need to pretend they don't work anymore.

[Gray Lensman]

I hope all these people on the right filing for unemployment benefits realize how valuable these social programs are to people.

Probably not. On the right, the pundits are the only ones upset that these programs exist at all. The rank and file right wing voter is upset that 'undeserving people' are getting benefits.

If you heard that last sentence as a dog whistle, you're probably correct.

[worstblogever]

Gonna share this one, showing the sort of silliness from the outsiders upon the Democratic establishment:

[The Cool Thatguy]

Probably not. On the right, the pundits are the only ones upset that these programs exist at all. The rank and file right wing voter is upset that 'undeserving people' are getting benefits.

If you heard that last sentence as a dog whistle, you're probably correct.

"No one but me is worthy!"