Out Foxed

https://www.salon.com/2020/03/30/fox-news-concerned-about-potential-legal-action-over-its-misleading-coronavirus-coverage-report/

> “The Murdochs, of course, own Fox News. So, they were taken personal steps to protect themselves, while anchors like Trish Regan and Sean Hannity were telling viewers that it's a hoax and putting themselves in potentially mortal danger. So I think this is a case where Fox's coverage, if it actually winds up being proved that people died because of it, this is a new terrain in terms of Fox being possibly held liable for their actions."<

The personnel and the management actually working at Fox News also knew they were maliciously lying.  Managers actually instructed employees on how to protect themselves from the virus which they were busy telling viewers was a hoax.

> “Discovery will undoubtedly show that its personnel were putting out falsely comforting information it knew to be false and misleading in order to sync up with [White House] messaging.”<

But don’t get excited that Fox News deliberately spreading news that the pandemic was a hoax resulting in the deaths some of their trusting viewers will have real consequences for the notorious propaganda mill.  Cases probably won’t actually reach the courts. Most legal experts think they’ll get away with it.

What about Fox News viewers? Well, the dead ones are dead so they won’t be watching anyway. And their families will probably find excuses to keep watching and believing Fox News anyway.

As the king James version of the Scriptures ought to say, “None are so dumb as those who will not think.” Or, as the New Jerusalem version ought to translate it, “None are so gullible as those who watch Fox News.”

Trial By Faith

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/georgia/face-coronavirus-grandmother-4-dies-days-after-contracting-virus-church/WHYT4XC3EJB4PPEP3B5FD37VAU/

I do not know this woman’s motivation for going to church. But there is a lesson we all need to learn contained in this experience.

Please be aware that this is not a hoax. It is not a political game. And while it’s wonderful to go to church to be with others who share your beliefs, God is available in your own home. He will understand your worshiping from that sanctuary during this crisis.

Some are declaring they will go to church anyway, even  doing so defiantly to make a political statement or to prove their faith. But please remember what Jesus said about taking chances because you just know God will save you.

Matthew 4:7

“Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"”
New American Standard Version (1995)

Listen to Jesus, don’t listen to Satan. Listen to the doctors and other medical professionals, not foolish people, however well intentioned they may or may not be.

Them! I Mean THEY!

https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-covid-19-misinformation-campaigns

So, to sum up; the Chinese created it to hurt themselves (and us), and we created it to hurt Iran (and the Chinese), except when the Jews created it because...reasons, or the Illuminati created it because...other reasons, until George Soros created it because...he’s Jewish?  Does that count as one or two?  Also, the Democrats created it to hurt Trump.  Anyway, ultimately, it is absolutely clear and undeniable that THEY created it.  Which should surprise no one.  After all, THEY are always doing nefarious stuff for...reasons.

Amazing!  Just  look at all the people who created  it! I’m sure there are many, many more too. I’m surprised THEY all managed to work together. One would think THEY would be fighting against each other instead of helping each other out.

And here I foolishly thought it was just a natural evolutionary development because viruses mutate into this sort of thing all the time.

I’m so embarrassed for being so gullible.

Faith Based Fubar

News reports indicate a Louisiana pastor called his flock together to show disdain for the political opinions of the covid-19 virus.

"The virus, we believe, is politically motivated," Tony Spell said. "We hold our religious rights dear and we are going to assemble no matter what someone says."

Undeniably these dunderheads deserve what they get. The problem is many of them have children who may also become ill and even die. Those kids are innocent. They didn’t choose to have stupid, self-destructive parents. And what about their elderly relatives? And what about all the other people with whom they will have contact, including strangers.?  Those innocents don’t deserve to face the consequences of the actions of the asinine.

I cannot help but be reminded of The Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn, (July 4, 1187) In which Saladin won such a great victory against Crusaders that he ultimately went on to recapture most of the Holy Land.  The Crusaders acted with incredible military incompetence, largely because they were confident that the shard of the True Cross which they carried with them would guarantee victory no matter how bad their military decisions. They were wrong.

But I must admit I admire that pastor for discerning the true motives of the virus. Clearly it is a democratic virus. Clearly it is a liberal virus. No doubt it drinks lattes, eats avocado toast, and wants to take away everyone’s guns.  Under the microscope it’s probably millions of tiny clones of Hillary Clinton.

As the Scriptures ought to say, none are so dumb as those who will not think.

Ranting, Futilely

Ranting, Futilely

I have a tiny bit of spaghetti left because I foolishly bought only one package last time I wanted to try spaghetti. I only bought one package because I wasn’t sure I could enjoy spaghetti yet.  These days I can eat almost anything, though there are still a few things that don’t quite make it. Last time I tried to eat spaghetti,  it didn’t work out.

This time I found that spaghetti sauce, even though it’s a sauce I used to like, tastes odd. But I managed to doctor it so it tasted OK. I’ve eaten almost all my spaghetti.  I’m thinking it might be nice to have a little more. I can’t of course. 

You know why. There isn’t any spaghetti.

Apparently with so many Italians ill or dying,  no more spaghetti can be manufactured. It’s all made in Italy, you know. That’s why people have to hoard several years’ worth of spaghetti.  Apparently human beings die if they don’t have enough spaghetti.

Or at least some kind of pasta, because all the other kinds are gone too.

I know I’m not the only person who finds all this obsession with hoarding things that are in plentiful supply (if only people would stop hoarding them) to be very frustrating.  I know a number of people who tried to “corner the market” on obsessively purchased items have had legal action taken against them.  It makes me wonder if there any laws still on the books from World War II which punished people for hoarding. If there aren’t, maybe we should reinstate them.

I will finish my rant by noting that you don’t have to worry about me. I have enough spaghetti left to make another batch which will give me two, or maybe even three meals. I also have plenty of other food. I guess I’m an abnormal human being who doesn’t require massive amounts of pasta in order to stay alive.  As long as the tortilla, onion, and cheese supply holds out in the stores, I shall survive.

Say…You don’t think just because I said that people are going start hoarding tortillas, onions, and cheese do you?

You know what?  Enough ranting for one night. As the Scriptures ought to say, sufficient unto the day is the ranting thereof. Tomorrow maybe another rant. Or maybe a rave.

I mean a traditional rave. You know, like a rant but a little less sane? Not the kind of party? I seem to be getting a little less sane here. I think I better go to bed.

I shall of  dream of fields of spaghetti.

Or maybe of a field with a picnic table in it that has a big bowl of spaghetti on it?

Good night.

Cease Fire, Anyone?

Another Facebook conversation.

C:  If Hillary Clinton were president we would not be in this place. We would have plenty of tests and things would have been handled properly by the Pandemic Response Team that Trump fired in 2018. Just saying.

P:  What are you smoking??

Me:  Reality.

C:  Trump is in over his head! This crisis is his fault! He fired the Pandemic Response Team, waited weeks before responding, then said it was a hoax and try to blame the democrats. That the kind of leadership trumpsters have not problems with. That's why we are in this mess. Electing a 6 time bankrupt, reality TV personality, with not idea what the hell he is doing!        

R (to P):  Do you really want to embarrass yourself here?  Stop it please

P:  Talking about embarrassment...

is the best you have is Sleepy Joe...Hilary is going to jail..

Me:  Is Gandalf going to put her there or will he leave that pleasure to Luke Skywalker?

C:  Enjoy these next 8 months, because your Great Leader the orange baboon, won't be around after this year. Thank God! He is such embarrassment, only people who have their head in the sand think this morally bankrupt, draft dodger is anything but a joke! I'm watching him at this morning briefing, he is so embarrassing! 

K (to P):   I'm sorry that you've been duped into thinking our government's actions are for YOUR benefit. Especially our president. It's especially evident now, pouring money into an invisible market, when our people need comprehensive pandemic protocols, but instead get lies and false information that we're ok, when the world death toll is clearly rising exponentially. You seem like a nice, fun person, honestly, and I'm not trying to cut you down or start anything. Just please, try to remember that our government is supposed to work for US. Not that we're supposed to just assume that what theyre doing is for our benefit (it's not)

R (to P):  it is obvious you need to stay in your trailer park. You are not able to navigate the world without getting on your knees to service drumpf.  You can not comprehend a policy nuance to have a respectful conversation so get ready for abuse here when the best you can offer is the typical Fox News crap.  We are about to enter one of the most difficult times in the country’s history and your pleasure is to troll people who have a different perspective than you. Why? Your pleasure? Go back to the hate filled world you most enjoy please.

Skip some comments here.

P:  Good luck with that...you'll be crying with Joe and Nancy..lol

Me:     %Tell me lies, tell me lies, those political lies...🎼. Watch a lot of Fox news? 

You know what,  let’s wait and see. Remember that when the Mueller report came out you were declaring loudly that thousands of Democrats were going to be instantly arrested, only none were, were they? I wonder if you’re a Q anon follower? Seems possible.

Have fun in your living nightmare fantasy world you’ve created for yourself.

R (to P):   

Do you ever read the BBC, English versions world news, lectures at LCC , MSU, WSU, or UM?  So far the entire world knows that drumpf  is an idiot except the most radicalized Fox News zealots.  I suggest you start preparing your homeboys for the blue wave.  Moreover, Your home work is to analyze the record setting vote taking place now.  Fox News has not told you what that implies. Life outside of the bubble is different.

P:  Be sure to cash his check...enjoy.

M:  If you seriously think Trump is sending us a check you need to look again. All Trump said us that he will not veto the bill which Congress is authorizing to pay us back some of our money. That’s spelled CONGRESS. It is not spelled TRUMP.

R: lol- the guy is. Russian troll or bot. I am certain that even the lowest IQ MAGMA  lovers are embarrassed  by his inability to articulate simple issues when questioned. He was amusing but isn’t time to silence him  my brotha? 

There’s more but I had to edit some out as it was such a long series of posts. It’s an interesting view of the two sides of the division in our country today. Maybe P is a Russian agent or maybe he is a bot. But I have heard Trumpsters that I know as actual, real, living people whom I have known for years saying exactly the same things. In fact some of them are saying even more radical and extreme things.

As I said in another post, it is very sad that there is no vaccine against cults.

Visions Of Edgar Allan Poe

https://www.vox.com/2020/3/19/21185526/coronavirus-kids-safety-playgrounds-babysitters-grandparents

Good advice in general,  but not the excerpt below.  It’s hard to imagine things more cruel than taking my grandchildren away from me. Does that put me at higher risk? Yes. Yes, it does.  But if you are going take them away from me, you might as well just bury me alive.

> Can we see the grandparents? No. It’s difficult for young kids to not hug, kiss, and sit on their grandparents, McGinty says, and anyone over 60 years old and with a chronic medical condition is at higher risk. It’s not the time to visit and it’s not the time for them to be babysitting. Instead, the grandparents should stay indoors and minimize all contacts. They, along with people with an underlying medical condition, are the most susceptible and the people who need to be protected during this time. <

Burke And Hare Or DaVinci And Franklin?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-ban-on-fetal-tissue-research-blocks-coronavirus-treatment-effort/2020/03/18/ddd9f754-685c-11ea-abef-020f086a3fab_story.html

Fetal tissue research is very creepy and discomfiting. However, the abortions have already taken place.  What is done is done and cannot be undone. Or, to put another way; the moving hand writes, and having writ, moves on.

For centuries medicine was held back by the creepy, discomfiting feelings we held toward the dissection of corpses. This is exactly the same situation.

Reverence and respect for the dead should not cause the living to join them.

As Xenophon put it, “Excess of grief for the dead is madness; for it is an injury to the living, and the dead know it not.”

Footnote:  I shall confess my embarrassment. I tried to find the exact quote and I couldn’t understand what was wrong with Google. Why couldn’t I find it? The answer is because I was looking for the quote by Xenophenes, not Xenophon.  In self-defense I point out that the names are very similar, and their life spans were fairly close to each other.  Not to mention, they were both Greek philosophers. (All Greek philosophers sound alike to me.)🧐

Pandemic Panic!

The incompetence of the Trump administration will undoubtedly result in the deaths of thousands of Americans. No surprise there. However, let’s take a look at why people should not be panicking.

1.  Although it has been estimated that perhaps as many as 100 million Americans might contract the virus; it is also estimated that most of them will not suffer major medical consequences.

2.  Children tend to be somewhat more resistant to this particular coronavirus than the rest of us. They are less likely to contract it. If they do contract it, unless they are medically fragile, they are unlikely to suffer anything more than flu like symptoms. In other words, this particular disease is less threatening to children than most.  Of course you should take all precautions to insure that your children do not become ill, but if they do, it is less a danger to them then it is to older people.

3.  Even if the maximum number of Americans become infected, the death rate is expected to be only about 3.4%. That is much higher than the usual flu death rate and is very serious. However, it is not the sort of plague you see on television and movies. The end of the human race is not nigh. Civilization will not collapse. This is not the Spanish flu of 1918.

4.  Those few who  are at serious risk are those are in one of two categories. They are either disadvantaged with a compromised immune system or they are elderly. I am both.  Yet I’m not panicking.

Finally, let me observe that that the biggest problem you can expect to have with toilet paper and water is what to do with the huge stacks of them you have squirreled away in your garage. I can understand the hand sanitizer situation, but even that’s ridiculous. Washing your hands is much more effective as a method for preventing the spread of the virus.  There is no known shortage of soap or running water in sinks at this time. The CDC does not expect there to be a shortage of either.  However it wouldn’t surprise me if sinks and soap  start disappearing from hardware stores and grocery store shelves. That would make as much sense as the toilet paper/water thing.

This is bad, yes. Still, this is not a disaster. I suspect people are more likely to injure themselves fighting over stocks of toilet paper and water than they are to actually be damaged by the disease itself. So as the Scriptures ought to say, but regrettably don’t, panic not lest ye should be panicked.

Watch Out! He’s Sane!

https://quillette.com/2020/03/03/trailblazing-pete-buttigieg-revealed-the-extent-of-progressive-homophobia/

I cannot help but recall a time decades ago when the gay pride parades were so highly controversial. A gay couple complained that these weren’t gay pride parades.  These were bondage and S&M pride parades. They were a couple like Buttigiegs.  Moderate, normative Americans.

The Woking Brain Dead continue their efforts to do to the Democratic Party what the immortal minority did to the Republicans.

I can’t help but note one problem I have with the articles; its assumption that progressives equal social justice warriors. The two are not even vaguely synonymous.

What? Me Worry?

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4856339/voters-100000000-project

Nearly 100 million eligible voters did not vote in the last presidential election!  100 million!  No wonder democracy is dying in America.  It is dying of neglect.

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you."  — Pericles, unconfirmed.

What he definitely did say:

“We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.”

(Pericles commenting the participation of Athenian citizens in politics, as quoted in Models of Democracy (2006) by David Held, Stanford University Press, p. 14. Book II, chapter 40.)

If you can’t bother to vote, either you don’t belong in America, or America no longer deserves to exist.

The American revolution was not anti taxes (according to none other than George Washington), it was a rebellion against being governed without representation. Many have died to protect that concept since the 1770s.The majority of potential American voters today are clearly declaring that those deaths were in vain and that the American Revolution was pointless.

Or to put it another way,   “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” — John Stuart Mill, 1867.