Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[LordMortis]

If you want your blood to boil and have facebook look up

Brian Sims was live — at Pennsylvania House of Representatives

[malchior]

Here is the vid if you haven't seen it.

[LawBeefaroni]

Can't really come back from that.

[malchior]

Can't really come back from that.

This is the beginning of a long heartfelt post. How did so many parts of the GOP get infested with this authoritarian deceptive evil? They are a plague.

Edit: Here's the chief of their evil clan pushing a horrific message from the Federalist that masks are about social control.

[Unagi]

I thought it was a useful timeline. Something I might want to refer back to, anyway.

I’m sure it is. I was just overwhelmed by it all.
Thank you for taking the time to compose it.

[Paingod]

Can't really come back from that.

I feel like his next logical step might be a molotov cocktail over to the other side of the room. Just to be safe.

W.T.F. doesn't even cover it. This is GOP members deliberately attempting to kill their rivals and their rivals' families.

[LawBeefaroni]

Can't really come back from that.

I feel like his next logical step might be a molotov cocktail over to the other side of the room. Just to be safe.

W.T.F. doesn't even cover it. This is GOP members deliberately attempting to kill their rivals and their rivals' families.

The most generous way to look at it is that they were too scared to admit their position is wrong and unsound. So scared they put colleagues and colleagues' families at risk. That is the absolute most generous view.

The most likely is as you said: they were trying to infect their political rivals with a potentially deadly virus.


So how do you go back to work with people like that? You can't. House completely divided.

[Paingod]

So how do you go back to work with people like that? You can't. House completely divided.

There's "difference of opinion" on topics and then there's "You conspired to kill us"

I mean - it would be one thing - a horrible thing - if the GOP members were independently keeping this quiet. A sick idiot here or there refusing to accept the truth. That's still horrible. Instead they were passing notes with each other so they knew who was sick - but not telling the people on the other side of the room? That smells like conspiracy. I hate even thinking that way, but I don't know how else to process it.

This deserves to be on the front line of every re-election ad in the state. "While we worked to save your lives, they worked to end ours" ... but the Democrats are far too soft to gut that fish on camera like that. They'd rather put it back in the water.

It reminds me of Eric Trump, when he said in 2017 that Democrats aren't even human, which sounds a whole lot - IIRC - like how the Nazis felt about Jews before things got rolling over there.

I'm feeling very today and should probably stop posting and skimming social media.

[LordMortis]

I'm feeling very today and should probably stop posting and skimming social media.

+1. The first thing I saw today was that PA rep and five hours later I'm still mad unto distraction.

[Holman]

The PA GOP is full of garbage people.

Even before the virus, their entire mission was to run state government as a war against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. My public-school-educated kids have suffered directly from the PA GOP's vicious, unnecessary, and unfair budget strangulation for their whole lives.

And now this. I could not despise them more deeply.

[Blackhawk]

Edit: Here's the chief of their evil clan pushing a horrific message from the Federalist that masks are about social control.

And with that the mask is cemented as a symbol of 'libs' and a maskless face as the badge of the right.

There's also no coming back from that. It essentially guarantees that future controls will fail, even if Trump is out of office.

[Paingod]

The longer version of the PA explosion. It's a holy shit rant. This guy for President. Just loop this rant and let Trump respond until November. Democrats need anger and passion right now. It needs to be on display and in force.

[Kraken]

Unreal. I hope there will be consequences, but if the GOP has a stranglehold on PA, there won't.

[Smoove_B]

It's funny - when you characterize the GOP as being filled with sociopaths, people get offended. And yet, right here you have a perfect example of it in action. I don't know how you can possible go back to a working relationship with people like this. Not agreeing with your ideas or general philosophy is one thing. Acting in such a way as to disregard the health and safety of those around you along with (potentially) their families? It's insane. The good news is that they can relocate to Kentucky and join state politics there. From what I've been told, it's completely acceptable there as well.

[El Guapo]

I wonder what the most reasonable state GOP in the country is. The MA GOP doesn't seem completely insane, but I suspect that's in part because they don't have any real power in the legislature.

[malchior]

It's funny - when you characterize the GOP as being filled with sociopaths, people get offended.

It is like the police stuff going on now. Evidence is kneeling on people's necks right now. This system is racist. The police, economy, and healthcare system all kill and abuse people of color in disproportionate numbers. The GOP is filled with sociopaths. Business leadership is filled with them or something analogous. Maybe it isn't the people but the system. Who cares? We're completely broken and it will change. Whether it is even worse than this dystopia is up to us.

And yet, right here you have a perfect example of it in action. I don't know how you can possible go back to a working relationship with people like this. Not agreeing with your ideas or general philosophy is one thing. Acting in such a way as to disregard the health and safety of those around you along with (potentially) their families? It's insane. The good news is that they can relocate to Kentucky and join state politics there. From what I've been told, it's completely acceptable there as well.

Not to mention the GOP members are so gerrymandered and protected that they have no real fear of acting in anything but this manner.

[Skinypupy]

I'm feeling very today and should probably stop posting and skimming social media.

Same.

I don't know what reality many of my friends and neighbors inhabit, but it certainly isn't mine.

[LawBeefaroni]

I wonder what the most reasonable state GOP in the country is. The MA GOP doesn't seem completely insane, but I suspect that's in part because they don't have any real power in the legislature.

The Illinois GOP is powerless so they're not able to effect too much crazy. The Illinois Democratic Machine is criminal but less murderous than it sounds like PA's GOP is.

[LordMortis]

I don't know how you can possible go back to a working relationship with people like this.

I couldn't. That's me. My health and my family? It doesn't get more I can't go back than that.

[Smoove_B]

Just in time - our NJ governor has declared that our High Schools can conduct in-person graduation (with guidelines) starting in July. I am against this and here's why:

DECATUR, Ala. – Decatur City Schools officials confirm that one of the students that graduated from Austin High School on May 21, has tested positive for COVID-19.

School officials say they took extra measures to screen the students, staff, and guests to lessen the possibility of exposure. A nurse on staff did screen the student, but school officials say they were not told that the student had recently been tested for being exposed to COVID-19.

The Morgan County Health Department issued guidance that anyone that may have been exposed to the student in question would be in the incubation period until June 3.

So now you have an unknown number of people sitting around until early June, wondering if they are incubating the disease. This was preventable and yet the school had to increase risk and bring all these people together to mark a milestone. I get it - it sucks. But something tells me wondering if you have COVID-19 sucks more.

[malchior]

Just in time - our NJ governor has declared that our High Schools can conduct in-person graduation (with guidelines) starting in July. I am against this and here's why

Much of what Murphy is doing is because he was very ineffective prior to the crisis. Without the political capital to spend he is bowing to every special interest. The graduation decision was every pol in the state bombarding him and he had no ability to stop it. Then we have the Turnpike initiative that was just passed despite it raising tolls significantly in the middle of a pandemic and no one knows if we need the widened lanes at all. No one knows what this economy will look like after the crisis passes but the pols are stuffing the patronage mill with cash. As usual. I totally need to get out of here when this is over.

[stessier]

Just got this from my daughter's school (private). We were moving to a different school next year before this started anyway, but it seems overly optimistic to me.

We are all looking forward to being back on campus for the coming school year. I want to thank families who contributed to the recent survey that was sent out, with an opportunity to share priorities to start the coming school year. There is a resounding consensus in that regard:

1. To be on campus and as close to normal in policy, protocol, expectations and experience, as we can.

2. Ensuring appropriate safety measures are in place to mitigate illness and ensure sanitary conditions.

I am confident that both are achievable on campus starting in the fall.

Our county schools are evaluating a number of options for next year. I like that they still have everything on the table.

Option 0: What the district is currently doing. Entirely e-learning; no face-to-face learning.

Plan 1: Students attend school with face-to-face learning one day per week. The students, divided into four relatively equal groups, would attend class on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday with a quarter of the class physically present. Friday would be an e-learning day. Social distancing would be implemented.

Plan 2: Students attend school with face-to-face learning two days per week. Students would come every other day (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday with half of the class physically present. Social distancing would be implemented.

Plan 4: Every student attends classes Monday-Thursday. Friday is used for e-learning and planning. Social distancing is not implemented.

Plan 5A: Regular schedule, similar to pre-COVID-19 operations. Every student comes to school, every day, Monday-Friday.

Plan 5B: Same as 5A with the exception that hours are shortened. Students are dismissed early to provide an e-learning platform for students whose parents do not feel comfortable sending them.

Under plans 1-4 families choose for their students to be 100% e-learning (with limited teacher support) or both e-learning and in-person instruction. Under the five-day attendance plan, schools would be “back to normal” and unable to provide e-learning services. Under the Option 0 plan schools would be unable to provide in-person services.

[Unagi]

What happened to Plan 3?


My thoughts on all this are:

eLearning = no spreading

Each student meeting the teacher for 1 on 1, once a week = may as well just have everyone there.

I know I'm slightly exaggerating, but not much.

[El Guapo]

Plan 3?

DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT PLAN 3

[stessier]

Plan 3?

DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT PLAN 3

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

[Unagi]

Plan 3?

DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT PLAN 3

Plan 3: We alert the mothership that we have a problem, and they come down and inoculate our families, this must be done with complete secrecy.
Be sure to delete Plan 3 if you share these plans with ANYONE!

[malchior]

Secret Plan 3: Children of GOP party members will be exempted from school. Instead they will be trained at the "Trump youth" academy. All other children will be dealt with 'appropriately' per Secret Plan 6.

[Defiant]

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

Fortunately, the real Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the novel.

[stessier]

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

Fortunately, the real Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the novel.

Yeah, my daughter had to read the book this year and then that article. Restored my faith in humanity a bit.

[pr0ner]

[Holman]

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

Fortunately, the real Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the novel.

Yeah, my daughter had to read the book this year and then that article. Restored my faith in humanity a bit.

LORD OF THE FLIES lost a lot of context when the Cold War ended. It's not really about young boys.

[Unagi]

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

Fortunately, the real Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the novel.

Yeah, my daughter had to read the book this year and then that article. Restored my faith in humanity a bit.

LORD OF THE FLIES lost a lot of context when the Cold War ended. It's not really about young boys.

Well it is now.

But seriously.
I knew it was really about the nature of man.

But what’s the Cold War connection?

Was it a knock on communism


The conch is the promise of ya all being equal.
But the reality is brutal and not everyone is equal

[Holman]

Yeah, it's weird. We're pretty sure it's some Lord of the Flies scenario, but can't really be sure.

Fortunately, the real Lord of the Flies wasn't as bad as the novel.

Yeah, my daughter had to read the book this year and then that article. Restored my faith in humanity a bit.

LORD OF THE FLIES lost a lot of context when the Cold War ended. It's not really about young boys.

Well it is now.

But seriously.
I knew it was really about the nature of man.

But what’s the Cold War connection?

Was it a knock on communism


The conch is the promise of ya all being equal.
But the reality is brutal and not everyone is equal

At the time it was about the forced subordination of ideas and explanations to political tribalism.

One assumes Zuck and Jack have read it. [Heavy sigh]

[Unagi]

The irony for me is that recently I’ve thought about Lord of the Flies and how it intersects with being alive here now.

Where in Twitter is the conch.

[Unagi]

At the time it was about the forced subordination of ideas and explanations to political tribalism.

Seems particularly relevant today.

Seems it’s context has been reborn.

[malchior]

Politico

Bad state data hides coronavirus threat as Trump pushes reopening

Federal and state officials across the country have altered or hidden public health data crucial to tracking the coronavirus' spread, hindering the ability to detect a surge of infections as President Donald Trump pushes the nation to reopen rapidly.

In at least a dozen states, health departments have inflated testing numbers or deflated death tallies by changing criteria for who counts as a coronavirus victim and what counts as a coronavirus test, according to reporting from POLITICO, other news outlets and the states' own admissions. Some states have shifted the metrics for a “safe” reopening; Arizona sought to clamp down on bad news at one point by simply shuttering its pandemic modeling. About a third of the states aren’t even reporting hospital admission data — a big red flag for the resurgence of the virus.

The spotty data flow is particularly worrisome to public health officials trying to help Americans make decisions about safely venturing out. The lack of accurate and consistent Covid-19 data, coupled with the fact that the White House no longer has regular briefings where officials reinforce the need for ongoing social distancing, makes that task even harder.

[Isgrimnur]

Daliy Kos

Back in April, it became clear that Florida was intentionally hiding a list of daily deaths that had previously been compiled by county medical examiners. Since that time, those examiners, as well as hospitals and local officials, have complained that the number of COVID-19 deaths being reported in Governor Ron DeSantis regular updates, doesn’t match what they’re seeing in their areas. Last week, the scientist behind Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard was fired after she says she refused to alter numbers as she was told.

With 52,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Florida is in the top ten states when it comes to infections. But the 2,300 recorded deaths is less than half of those from Michigan, a state with a similar number of cases. Considering the number of elderly residents and retirement communities, Florida’s relatively light death toll seemed somewhat miraculous, and DeSantis has been bragging both about the “success” of his policies and sneering at pundits that warned of potential disaster from his refusal to enforce social distancing guidelines.

But there’s still more evidence that “miracle” isn’t the right word. The correct word is “con.” Because it looks like DeSantis has been taking COVID-19 deaths out of one column and inserting them into another.

Even before the state took what had always been public information and began to hide it behind a newfound concern for privacy, there was evidence that DeSantis was covering up COVID-19 in the “Sunshine State.” On April 17, the Sun Sentinel warned that there was a spike in “pneumonia deaths” indicating that COVID-19 was already present and active in the state at a time when the official test results were showing a handful of cases. Even though flu cases were winding down in mid-March, pneumonia deaths had continued to head straight up. State Department of Health officials refused to comment on whether there was a connection between the soaring death count and the coronavirus, even as the official number of COVID-19 remained low.

As a infectious disease expert from George Mason University made clear, “It is likely that they missed some COVID-19 deaths and reported them as respiratory deaths.” However, while it might have been possible that deaths in March and early April were missed simply because state officials weren’t keyed to look for COVID-19 deaths, that certainly wasn’t true after that day.

On May 7, the Miami Herald called on DeSantis to stop hiding the true toll of deaths from the novel coronavirus. In particular, that paper pointed out that DeSantis “continues to keep Floridians in the dark about what is—and isn’t—happening in the state’s 3,800 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.” And on Wednesday, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that in spite of DeSantis’ claims about his actions in Florida, the “whack-a-mole approach” to dealing with nursing homes was failing. Instead, the percentage of deaths in those facilities was continuing to grow along with a rising tide of new cases.

EVERYTHING is politics.

[Smoove_B]

I legitimately don't eve know what to say anymore. RE: CDCs removal of warnings for church choirs as a high-risk activity

Further evidence that the CDC has become hopelessly compromised by leadership that buckles to political pressure from the White House, instead of upholding the agency's mission.

[malchior]

I legitimately don't eve know what to say anymore. RE: CDCs removal of warnings for church choirs as a high-risk activity

Further evidence that the CDC has become hopelessly compromised by leadership that buckles to political pressure from the White House, instead of upholding the agency's mission.

The country is in complete free fall. You can't even make this one look at all good considering we have a case study of coronavirus affecting a church choir. It's fucking ludicrous.

[noxiousdog]

Each student meeting the teacher for 1 on 1, once a week = may as well just have everyone there.

This is not accurate. Time of exposure is a significant variable in transmission.