Virus thread, the political one.

[gregl]

That paper should be orange.

I personally don't use the paper. I'm afraid that wiping my posterior with his face is too big a risk to catch an incurable illness.

Greg

[Too Tall]

You guys opened the cellophane???? Are you nuts???? Now it's worthless. Gawwwwwd.

[Mark Walberg]

Trump probably sells that paper.
It gets him exposure.

[jclay]

A Modest Suggestion:

Write one Letter to the Editor explaining why Trump and his enablers are a grave danger and must be voted out of office regardless of any other perceived concerns. Then send it to as many opinion editors of smaller newspapers and other types of small local publications as possible, particularly (but not exclusively) in battleground states.

This election isn’t about whether or not the Democratic Party or it’s candidates are terrific; it’s about limiting the very real damage being done by Trump and his enablers.

One measly little letter that you can knock out over a cup of coffee, or two. It needn't be long or touch on a plethora of relevant subject areas, but do something, anything, to make the case; and then ask your friends to do the same.

It's worth noting that the realities surrounding abortion are being grossly misrepresented and are driving an awful lot of folks in their election choices. These people are willing to let Trump burn the house down over Roe v Wade.

[vertical_doug]

A Modest Suggestion:

Write one Letter to the Editor explaining why Trump and his enablers are a grave danger and must be voted out of office regardless of any other perceived concerns. Then send it to as many opinion editors of smaller newspapers and other types of small local publications as possible, particularly (but not exclusively) in battleground states.

This election isn’t about whether or not the Democratic Party or it’s candidates are terrific; it’s about limiting the very real damage being done by Trump and his enablers.

One measly little letter that you can knock out over a cup of coffee, or two. It needn't be long or touch on a plethora of relevant subject areas, but do something, anything, to make the case; and then ask your friends to do the same.

It's worth noting that the realities surrounding abortion are being grossly misrepresented and are driving an awful lot of folks in their election choices. These people are willing to let Trump burn the house down over Roe v Wade.

John, This is already happening, only problem is the message doesn't get through the bubble. The best I can do is speak to my Dad and crazy Aunts to see what they are thinking and then set the record straight on Trump and his businesses.

I tend to think Barrett may be okay on Roe v. Wade and tend to think the 35% hard core Trumpers are the ones that care. (this include Evangelicals)

If you want to be afraid of something you should focus on the choice of Bill Barr trying to charge protestors with sedition. You are no longer an American with a different political belief, you are now an enemy of the state. A minority party needs to do this to cow the majority. (GOP is the minority party in absolute voter numbers here)

This is essentially the same tactic Nazis used to take control of Germany.

I still expect some really nasty DOJ announcement against Biden in October, and maybe even some sort of fake attack on the state justifying a harsh response. . The ricin letter almost fits this narrative. Something doesn't seem quite right with speed they caught the perp.

[jclay]

John, This is already happening, only problem is the message doesn't get through the bubble. The best I can do is speak to my Dad and crazy Aunts to see what they are thinking and then set the record straight on Trump and his businesses.

I tend to think Barrett may be okay on Roe v. Wade and tend to think the 35% hard core Trumpers are the ones that care. (this include Evangelicals)

If you want to be afraid of something you should focus on the choice of Bill Barr trying to charge protestors with sedition. You are no longer an American with a different political belief, you are now an enemy of the state. A minority party needs to do this to cow the majority. (GOP is the minority party in absolute voter numbers here)

This is essentially the same tactic Nazis used to take control of Germany.

I still expect some really nasty DOJ announcement against Biden in October, and maybe even some sort of fake attack on the state justifying a harsh response. . The ricin letter almost fits this narrative. Something doesn't seem quite right with speed they caught the perp.

I don't disagree with anything you've said; I offered the abortion comment simply because it's one of the two or three that I almost always encounter down here, deep in the Bible Belt; "democrats are baby killers", "democrats wanna take our guns away", "democrats are against freedom of speech and are stifling our religious freedom". Ok, that's four, but those are what I encounter 99% of the time with the first two predominating by no small margin.

The larger point, which I realize you get, is that everybody needs to push back in small ways by exposing the misrepresentations and lies that are the staple of the Trump crowd; and by all means, select the lies du jour for your target area and demographic. By way of example Wakulla County lies south of Tallahassee, is rural and home to our nearly extinct oyster and fishing folks, and it has some small publications that often publish conservative demagoguery with little to no counter point provided. Most folks there are not well educated, easily deflected by wedge issues and won't change their minds but there are some that if given concise, fact based counter narratives, will. I think they are worth trying to reach.

I'm starting to more adequately appreciate the gravity of the bell curve to everything relating to making well informed, rational decisions in the political arena and it's pretty frightening. I knew it was bad, but it's terrible. That any modestly intelligent, modestly well informed person would think that Trump and the GOP are better for anything this go-around is way beyond mind boggling.

[thollandpe]

Georgia's going to be playing football this fall, but they won't "risk" providing polling places on campus for their 38,000 students. The fucking hypocrisy.

And I heard through family that things are burning down at Wisconsin. I expect the same to happen all across the country within a few weeks.

This is going to be a really bad winter.

And so is UMass, https://www.masslive.com/umassfootba...n-october.html

There have been "only" two positives out of 1800 tests so far. The hypocrisy of squandering limited test resources on the football program, while the K-12 schools within walking distance of campus lack the ability to test teachers and students, is staggering.

If only they tried as hard to keep their nursing program open. Or hundreds of other ways to contribute to the Commonwealth. Maybe a course on social justice or public health will take that subject up this semester. Virtually, of course.

Stupid is as stupid does.

[vertical_doug]

And so is UMass, https://www.masslive.com/umassfootba...n-october.html

There have been "only" two positives out of 1800 tests so far. The hypocrisy of squandering limited test resources on the football program, while the K-12 schools within walking distance of campus lack the ability to test teachers and students, is staggering.

If only they tried as hard to keep their nursing program open. Or hundreds of other ways to contribute to the Commonwealth. Maybe a course on social justice or public health will take that subject up this semester. Virtually, of course.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Of the 17 AP Top 25 Games scheduled to be played this past weekend, 9 were played, and 8 were cancelled or postponed. (These are the leagues playing.) This only goes one way from here.
My friend who really wants things to return to normal keeps touting how Clemson was able to field a football team so everyone should be able to do it. Clemson starts in person classes today. They essentially treat the football team like pros in a bubble. But the asshole coach Swinney does not think they should be paid, while he is taking down 5+ per year

[echappist]

And so is UMass, https://www.masslive.com/umassfootba...n-october.html

There have been "only" two positives out of 1800 tests so far. The hypocrisy of squandering limited test resources on the football program, while the K-12 schools within walking distance of campus lack the ability to test teachers and students, is staggering.

If only they tried as hard to keep their nursing program open. Or hundreds of other ways to contribute to the Commonwealth. Maybe a course on social justice or public health will take that subject up this semester. Virtually, of course.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Hear, hear

American exceptionalism at its finest. In Germany, they are even allowing fans in some stadia (at ~1/8 capacity). Here, the masses yearning for circus to return want more than what they have in Germany, but aren't remotely interested in taking the steps necessary. Classic case of Step 1) collect underpants, Step 2) ???, and Step 3) make profit.

And this is before we get to the issue of hypocrisy. Maddening...

[Sbti]

>200,000 USA Deaths

“We’re rounding the corner”
"On the job(his response) itself, we take an A-plus."
Vaccine?
“maybe by the end of October.”

Note: Data from European CDC since we don't have a CDC anymore.

[thollandpe]

Tee Rump, and presumably his entourage, arriveD “too late” to the debate to follow the Cleveland Clinic’s testing rules.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/chris-...ronavirus-test

This isn’t just having to throw away a shift’s worth of PPE or swab production because you’re too vain to wear a mask. It’s a whole new level of reckless endangerment. And at one of the world’s most respected health care institutions.



They flouted testing, mask wearing, and distancing policy. This isn’t “let them eat cake.” It’s “fuck you and the cake you rode in on.”

https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and...allace-reveals

Pwning the libs.

[woodworker]

I'm raising my daughters to be Athenians ...but it's clear they live in Sparta.

[guido]

Barry Blitt once again nails it in the New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/b...he-white-house

[Mark Kelly]

Barry Blitt once again nails it in the New Yorker

That is genius.

[ides1056]

I'm raising my daughters to be Athenians ...but it's clear they live in Sparta.

The word "democracy" (Greek: δημοκρατία) combines the elements dêmos (δῆμος, which means "people") and krátos (κράτος, which means "force" or "power"), and thus means literally "people power".

hu·bris
/ˈ(h)yo͞obrəs/
noun
excessive pride or self-confidence.
(in Greek tragedy) excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

nem·e·sis
/ˈneməsəs/
noun
the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.
a downfall caused by an inescapable agent.

The Greeks understood the elegant architecture of life.

[Sbti]

The number of new cases coming from the "pro-life" Rose Garden superspreader event and the following Repuke debate/rally/fundraiser events, is exceeding the cases from many entire countries in the same time period. It seems these are amounting to a major Cluster(fuck).

[Chik]

What surprises me is not that it happened or the scale but how long it took to happen.

[Sbti]

There's video of Kellyanne up close and personal with criminal attorney Barr at the garden party. She's positive, he's "negative". Of course she could have the alternate virus. But for all of these people, Biden included, a one snapshot in time negative test is meaningless.

[monadnocky]

The word "democracy" (Greek: δημοκρατία) combines the elements dêmos (δῆμος, which means "people") and krátos (κράτος, which means "force" or "power"), and thus means literally "people power".

hu·bris
/ˈ(h)yo͞obrəs/
noun
excessive pride or self-confidence.
(in Greek tragedy) excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

nem·e·sis
/ˈneməsəs/
noun
the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall.
a downfall caused by an inescapable agent.

The Greeks understood the elegant architecture of life.

Ian Kershaw's brilliant biography of Hitler was penned in two volumes: Hubris and Nemesis. Reading them, you can see how timeless the ancient Greeks' wisdom is.

[72gmc]

Has the positive test been verified by anyone outside of the WH? And I don't mean his personal doctor.