Hit the anti-vaxxers where it hurts...their pocketbook

 

Let's be reasonable. I have done everything I can to prevent catching Covid-19, including getting the vaccine, wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and staying in my home except for necessities like shopping, going to the doctor, etc. Some, but very little entertainment. The same applies to my wife. I am 89, my wife 77, in reasonably good health for our ages. On the other hand, we know people

 

even family members, who take none of the above precautions.

Some acquaintances have caught the virus, no doubt needing medical care, and my wife's family of eight all recently came down with coronavirus after openly flaunting it for months. This included two young children under 5, and a mother suffering from cancer and on chemotherapy. My wife agrees with me that they should pay any and all medical bills out of their pockets. It can't get any closer to home than this, compounded by the fact my wife tried to help repeatedly.

Anti-vaxxers are constantly in the news with a staggering amount of arrogance, but a complete lack of science. The latest is their use of Ivermectin to fight the virus, using this in lieu of getting vaccinated. Ivermectin, as you may know, is a drug for treating parasites in animals and has been used in treating tropical diseases on humans. But, the CDC is adamant: Ivermectin should definitely not be taken to treat Covid-19. Just more unnecessary medical bills from stupidity.

It remains to be seen just how much effect the FDA's full approval of Pfizer's vaccine will have on these skeptics. As far as I am concerned that kind of reasoning is for the double-digits and doesn't hold water when it comes to the whole reality of this situation. Especially as the Delta variant rages across the country and we have dimwit Republican governors siding with this radical group. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida's Ron DeSantis come to mind.

I did a blog on this August 2nd, "Private health insurers/Medicare should deny anti-vaxxers coverage," with a picture that should chill the hearts of even the most dedicated anti-vaxxers. It shows a young boy looking through a window from

outside his mother's hospital room, unable to get close to her because she has coronavirus. It is heart-wrenching, but a clear picture of how bad things have gotten. In my blog I said...

"It is getting worse because 1 in 4 Americans are refusing to get the vaccine. In addition to vaccine denial, "Relaxing precautions, such as no longer wearing masks or engaging in social distancing," a major contributor according to leading epidemiologists."

Here's more from my August 2 blog...

"It was actually Piers Morgan that came up with this concept of denying health coverage to those who will deny the vaccination. His headline: "Piers Morgan: If you refuse COVID-19 vaccine and catch the virus, you should be denied state-funded health care and pay for it yourself." I added the idea of including the private insurance carriers. The U.S. currently stands at 49.9% fully vaccinated, with most of the summer still ahead of us."

There's a new trend. Corporations, educational institutions, the health care industry demanding that their people get their vaccinations. More, businesses refuse service to anyone who isn't vaccinated, also requiring a vaccination before hiring. The public is finally coming around to the fact that we are being taken advantage of. If you want to be obstinate about getting vaccinated, then you're on your own. If you think you can handle all this, then just continue to be an idiot.

Read more... 

West's megadrought could kill animals quicker than humans

 

We're in a 20-plus-year drought here in the West and now the US government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time in history. And who get the brunt of all this? The animals! We live in the suburbs of Phoenix, AZ  and regularly see coyotes, bob cats and javelinas come out in the open looking for water. There will also be mandatory cuts to water for Zonis who cherish their swimming pools.

Here's a fact...

"Some 40 million people rely on the river for water, contributing to its decline — to say nothing of the nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland that it irrigates."

Although most of the yards are covered with granite here, some do have grass yards, mostly migrated mid-westerners. This requires enormous amounts of water, particularly when the temperature peaks over 100 degrees, as it has regularly this summer. "Wild animals can die of dehydration, but many of the major impacts of drought are far less obvious." Please take the time here to find just how all the animals are being affected, keeping in mind they are helpless in some situations.

Minnesota Republican Party in ruins

 

Minnesota Republican Party Chair, Jennifer Carnahan, GOP donor she was close to, Anton “Tony” Lazzaro, was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges. Her husband...

"Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, accused by party officials and former staffers of running a toxic, retaliatory workplace, mismanaging party finances and, through the use of non-disclosure agreements, squashing transparency."

And there so go the typical travails of an average Republican Party family. “The party is in ruins,” Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP, said on Friday. Welcome to the real GOP world folks.

Read more...

Ron DeSantis: Almost successful destroying Florida

 

Bring on the Republican clowns...

To Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the graves of those who have expired due to his completely incompetent handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in his state is simply something to joke about. Absolutely no concern for his constituents, only that he maintains business as usual in the state.

Here's a quote from DeSantis that now reverberates "loudly" for him in the state of Florida: "My actions will speak louder than words." Actions, let's see, his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic: 3,039,988 total coronavirus cases, 41,937 deaths. His latest daily case count, 15,402. If your state is #3 in the U.S. for total cases, #4, total deaths, looks like Ron DeSantis' actions are either piss-poor or virtually non-existent.

The Florida Flush has been demeaning the coronavirus vaccine for months, even passing legislation that bans vaccine passports, which threw the cruise industry into turmoil. He questions booster shots but his latest is the active drug, Regeneron, to be used in lieu of getting vaccinated. Today's Ringmaster just happens to have a huge donor ($10 million), Ken Griffin, whose hedge fund Citadel owns $15.9 million worth of shares in Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc. 

If that doesn't bring the circus tents down, nothing will. In one of his quotes DeSantis called Washington a "swamp." Take a look at Florida that is barely above water where...

"children's hospitals and staff are 'overwhelmed,' said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University."

With Florida the epicenter of the COVID-19 surge, there were 22,783 new cases on Thursday of this week, along with 199 deaths, according to the CDC. But for DeSantis this is only a 3-ring circus because he knows he can send the jugglers in to fake the news. He's done it repeatedly and his latest performance is the Regeneron bamboozle that gullible Floridians will no doubt swallow. The show must go on but recent polls show the tents could fold, and soon.

More political clowns later...

Greg Abbott: One of the political clowns who run your country

 

Bring on the Republican clowns...

Greg Abbott is in the dark ages by the way he runs his state of Texas. With Republican politics as usual, add to that his abominable handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Texas is #2 in the U.S. with 3,379,781 total cases. Also #2 in total deaths 54,674. According to Worldometer, they have quit reporting both.

The only reason for not reporting most likely is Abbott is ashamed of his results and doesn't want the rest of the country to know. Abbott is one of the pandemic killing machines with his record of 54,674 deaths and his relentless drive to deprive Texans from their right to protect themselves from coronavirus...

CNN says: "Abbott has opposed mask mandates and issued an executive order banning school districts from requiring masks. He had lifted the state's mask mandate in March and allowed businesses to open at 100% capacity despite warnings from public health officials."

Now when Texas needs leadership, Greg Abbott is like a Tom & Jerry cartoon. But this time his clowning around has brought the virus to his front door. The Texas Gov. has Covid-19. He was vaccinated, but also showing the hypocrisy of this man, he opposed vaccine mandates. Texas looks like a 3-ring circus to the rest of the U.S., even the world, and what is terrifying is the fact that these Republican governors will continue to stay in the ring until we vote them out of office. 

More political clowns later...

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Republican killing machines: Gov. Ron DeSantis/Gov. Greg Abbott

 

The Republican death cult has smoothly extended its reach from a general attitude of callousness for the American people to actually proposing and legislating their deaths in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moscow Mitch McConnell led this movement when during Barack Obama's administration, saying he could care less about America. All he wanted was to deny Obama a second administration. He didn't. But McConnell has gone on to continually attempt thwarting the Democratic agenda.

Then only recently Moscow Mitch did the same with President Joe Biden, followed by Kevin McCarthy's invitation to insurrectionists to join the Republican Party. As L. Davis Bond said in the Galveston County Daily News...

"These two men care nothing about America. They only care about getting elected, so they can take care of the rich and be rich and powerful themselves."

And there you have the basic purpose of the Republican Party, the above and to stay in power so they can stonewall or undo anything in the Democrats' a

genda. The GOP has no mission of its own, only to block the left at every turn. And this goal has become more obvious as Republican governors like Florida's Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott have become killing machines to circumvent every move Joe Biden makes in his objective to control the deadly coronavirus.
 

I have done a series of posts documenting just how Abbott and DeSantis have attempted to literally destroy their states by blocking any precautions set up by the CDC, especially banning mask mandates and undermining vaccinations. All this when Texas has 3,322,528 cases, 54,385 deaths; Florida 2,875,150 cases, 40,528 deaths. Combined, there are over 6 million cases between the two, and Texas is number one in new cases and new deaths. Here are some of my posts...

Who should know more about addressing the coronavirus than the scientific community, which all Republicans seem to disregard with disdain: "More than 800 Florida physicians implore Gov. DeSantis to allow local school mask mandates."

Greg Abbott has mercilessly pushed his denial in Texas forcing one school superintendent to comment that she "can't do the one thing she wants to protect students." Further, "'I am frightened by what is coming': Texas officials scramble to staff hospitals as Covid-19 surge continues."

And here's one that takes the cake, DeSantis and Abbott screwing around with peoples' lives, especially the school children: "Abbott and DeSantis playing 'game of chicken' in balance between killing their constituents and owning the libs: columnist."

 Abbott at his very best putting his killing machine in motion: "Texas governor files legal challenge to end Dallas County mask mandate."

After the above, there should be no doubt that the Republican Party places

absolutely no value on the lives of American human beings. They can try and explain it away with any number of excuses, but it still comes down to their greed for power. But what is even more frightening is that a certain portion of American's agree with this lunacy, thus, why these political lunatics do what they do. The ringleaders are Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott but there are more.

President Biden has come on strong against those GOP governors that rally against masks and the vaccine telling them to act to save their constituents or "Get out of the way." If they don't, they may have no choice in 2022 and 2024.

Here are three of my recent blogs on the Covid-19 pandemic:

When it's too late for a vaccine...what?...UPDATE

Private health insurers/Medicare should deny anti-vaxxers coverage

Doctors' battle cry: “We can’t let COVID win.”

 

Doctors' battle cry: “We can’t let COVID win.”

 

That was almost 18 months ago expressing a commitment to take "care of the infected and the critically ill when no one else would." And they did, when at times it looked as if everything was against them. This is the story of Thanh Neville, M.D., M.S.H.S., is an ICU physician and researcher at UCLA Health. She is also the medical director of the UCLA 3 Wishes Program so she understands dying patients. What she doesn't understand is the refusal of the unvaccinated. 

Dr. Neville recounts how it was and is on the frontlines...

"We reused N95 masks, carefully placing them in labeled brown paper bags in between shifts. We witnessed lonely deaths and held up iPads for families to say their heartbreaking goodbyes. We created elaborate backup schedules and neglected our personal lives. We stepped up during surges and when our colleagues fell ill."

But she and her fellow physicians stuck together to fight an enemy not seen since the flu epidemic of 2018. And there were deficiencies like personal protective equipment for the staff where some got sick, then some died, "more than 3,600 from COVID-19 in the first year." And during this period, most of the emphasis was on patient deaths, but the health care industry plodded along doing what they knew must be done to save Americans from this new deadly virus.

And because of the severity of the situation, it was necessary to quarantine ourselves in order to protect our loved ones...

"We counted the risk factors of our children, our elderly parents, our spouses, and came up with our own formulas to decide whether to come home at the end of the shift or hole up in a hotel room."

Vaccines were finally introduced across the U.S. and there was hope. Cases did take a sharp turn down giving workers a brief respite. But the Delta variant snuck in the back door with a sizable transmissibility that knocked the health care folks and their patients right out of their socks. The unvaccinated, led on by anti-vaxxers and a hoard of misinformation, had turned a large portion of the population against the vaccines to add to the problem. Dr. Neville became angry.

She's mad at those who refuse to get vaccinations. Most all of the vaccination

population is, and we are fast becoming tired of the anti-vaxxer excuses and whining about their freedom and how they are being persecuted. The doc is most angry over the misinformation with specifics on the virus that misleads people and jeopardizes their health. She attacks those not considered anti-vaxxers but resist the decision to get vaccinated...

"Although such individuals do not consider themselves anti-vaxxers, their inaction itself is a decision — a decision to not protect themselves or their families, to fill a precious ICU bed, to let new variants flourish, and to endanger the health care workers and immunosuppressed people around them. Their inaction is a decision to let this pandemic continue to rage."

Dr. Neville finishes with the following...

"I am at a loss to understand how anyone can look at these past months of the pandemic — more than 600,000 lives lost in the U.S. and more than 4 million worldwide — and not believe it’s real or take it seriously."

There is no doubt there is maximum agreement between all of us who are and have been vaccinated for months. In case you haven't checked recently, here are the latest USA figures on the coronavirus...

Coronavirus Cases: 36,951,577

Deaths: 634,998

Amen! 

Read Dr. Neville's article in full, here.