Coronavirus pandemic bad enough but Robt. F. Kennedy Jr. just makes it worse

 

Would John F. Kennedy turn over in his grave, or would he agree with his nephew, Robt. F. Kennedy, Jr. in the denial of vaccines to prevent COVID-19? I believe the former, and it is tragic to see this once politically famous family go down in flames. For repeatedly making false claims about coronavirus vaccines, Robt. F has been banned from Instagram. This is significant since much of anti- vaxxer misinformation is passed along through social media.

However, "His Facebook account remains active despite similar claims posted there." Yet Instagram is a part of Facebook. Go figure. And here is one of his bizarre lies...connecting the death of legendary baseball player Hank Aaron to the Covid-19 vaccine. Kennedy is a lawyer and should know better; anyone this educated should understand science making it clear since the COVID-19 pandemic started that vaccinations are the precursor to protection from the virus.

Kennedy's advocacy is not acceptable as two variants of the pandemic are raging across the U.S., one from Great Britain and one from So. Africa. At the same time we have our homegrown variant from California which is spreading in 12 states and a few countries. Being highly transmissible, and the UK B117 has been judged more contagious, plus the fact that even the current vaccines aren't guaranteed against these variants, anti-vaxxers are doing great harm to other Americans.

And if this wasn't bad enough, Dr. Rishi Desai, chief medical officer at Osmosis and former CDC epidemic intelligence officer reports...

"As the medical community warns about highly transmissible mutations of COVID-19, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts are among states rolling back pandemic-related restrictions."

But if you're still not convinced, this recent headline from National Public Radio should rattle your cage: "Why The Pandemic Is 10 Times Worse Than You Think." There is reasoning behind this statement and it comes from a research team at Columbia University which has built a mathematical model giving a much more complete picture of how much virus is circulating in our communities. And it's much more scary...

"It estimates how many people are never counted because they never get tested. And it answers a second question that is arguably even more crucial — but that until now has not been reliably estimated: On any given day, what is the total number of people who are actively infectious? This includes those who may have been infected on previous days but are still shedding virus and capable of spreading disease."

Here's the model's conclusion...

"On any given day, the actual number of active cases — people who are newly infected or still infectious — is likely 10 times that day's official number of reported cases."

We've been warned about asymptomatics, and, of course, there are deniers squirming everywhere, so there is every reason to believe these numbers, especially when you consider the U.S. has racked up 28,093,867 cases and 492,119 deaths from COVID-19. But why are people still protesting the very science that will save their lives? Aljazeera has this answer...

"Lockdowns have been financially devastating for millions of people who have been unable to work and lost their incomes. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), unemployment has soared across major economies since the beginning of the pandemic."

I will accept that conclusion but must add that in the U.S. there is a group that

erroneously believe they are fighting for their rights against a government that is attempting to curb their rights.  This gang of misfits, led by Donald Trump, is the major factor that is interfering with pandemic control in the U.S. And, until we rid the country of this faction, COVID-19 and several other problems before the current new President, Joe Biden, will haunt our progress as a free nation.

Trump acquitted, giving even more power to extreme right

 

Donald Trump has been acquitted in the impeachment trial even with seven Republican Senators crossing the aisle and voting for conviction. Moscow Mitch releases a glaring put down of Trump, yet votes to acquit him. Lindsey Graham got his nose out of Trump's butt long enough to vote to acquit. Greg Sargent's prediction in the Washington Post was fulfilled...

"Mark it now: The vast majority of them will agree that the storming of the Capitol was an abomination and that the perpetrators must be held to account. But little by little, many will migrate to a place where Trump himself is absolutely and comprehensively exonerated from any culpability for inciting it in any way."

It is frightening for sane thinking people--yes, there are still some left--who have come to realize that Republicans have absolutely no honor left. This radical right would let a lunatic go in the face of overwhelming evidence that he committed terrible atrocities while in office. Donald Trump will go down as the most vile and corrupt president to ever serve this country, but also the world's most effective con man. But these morons in the Senate acquitted him. 

And if this isn't enough, there is a new proliferation of self-proclaimed "prophets"

who, according to Alex Henderson of AlterNet, "are known for making political predictions." Ruth Graham of the New York Times reports that "some of them have turned out to be way off in their predictions." Graham adds...

"Such 'prophets,' according to Graham, are likely to promote political conspiracy theories."

These heretics operate mostly online and are, according to Graham...

"are part of the rising appeal of conspiracies in Christian settings, echoed by the popularity of QAnon among many evangelicals and a resistance to mainstream sources of information."

But let me tell you, there is no bigger threat to this country--that is other than Donald Trump--than Fox News anchor, Tucker Carlson. I wish someone had done the same tally on him as they did on Donald Trump lies. However, there are a couple of PolitiFact sites here, and here. that will give you an idea just how deceitful and dishonest this lowlife is. Max Boot of the Washington Post says...

"When Donald Trump was in office, he posed the most dangerous threat to American democracy. With the former president now golfing full-time, the most dangerous threat may well emanate from the Fox 'News' Channel — and specifically from its top-rated host, Tucker Carlson. He seems to be on a mission to make America’s worst problems even worse."

One of Carlson's specialties is promoting vaccine conspiracies, which influences people in the wrong direction and a major threat to their health. He is the epitome of an anti-vaxxer, anti-masks, anti-distancing, all rolled into one pompous moron. Tucker Carlson is the go-to for far-right extremists who, according to AlterNet "have the potential to mount a coordinated, low-intensity campaign of political violence." From the Proud Boys to QAnon, these noodle-heads are dangerous.

AlterNet reports...

"Several U.S. security experts say they now consider domestic extremism a greater threat to the country than international terror. According to my [The Conversation] research on political violence, the U.S. has all the elements that, combined, can produce a low-intensity terrorist conflict: extreme polarization and armed factions willing to break the law, in a wealthy democracy with a strong government.

The article points out that during modern days, civil wars only break out in poor countries where leadership is weak or non-existent. Yet, Donald Trump, in his four years in office has driven the powerhouse United States to the point of all-out insurrection with a radical faction that only seems to get stronger. Joe Biden is busy with controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and there are other issues on his plate like immigration and minimum wage but we all must look out for the radical right.

Latest News for those in a hurry

 

Joe Biden wants to eliminate credit bureaus. His idea is to transfer all data to a public registry under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I found numerous violations of consumer rights as a private advocate several years ago. My question is, would the government handling this be any better...or worse? Read More...

Sorry but I cannot conjure up the least amount of sympathy for a sleaze, namely Rush Limbaugh, that has spewed downright dangerous rhetoric for this country over the years. Example...

"Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Limbaugh told listeners that the virus was no worse than 'the common cold' and that the news media had 'weaponized' the crisis to hurt Trump."

Limbaugh needs to go and he can take the rest of conservative talk radio with
him. Read More...

Election officials across the country are experiencing a rash of phone calls from Republican voters. Their primary concern is what happened on January 6, at the nation's Capital. Insurrection orchestrated by Donald Trump with lives lost and over 200 rioters in jail. The result is 1,000s of Republicans are leaving the party, 33,000 from California alone. Read More...

The big question today is who's in control? Demented State Republican Parties would have us believe it is still Donald Trump. Here's an example from Alex Henderson of AlterNet...

"In the view of the Oregon Republican Party, what transpired on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection — and the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol were not supporters of Donald Trump. Rather, the uprising that the world witnessed that day was a 'false flag.' Its aim, according to the party, was to discredit Trump and 'advance the Democrat goal of seizing total power, in a frightening parallel to the February 1933 burning of the German Reichstag.'"

Joe Biden needs to get Merrick Garland confirmed and in his seat as Attorney General. 

Gun sales are booming with 330 million firearms on the street. With a U.S. population of 329 million, wouldn't you say that is enough? Not so say the 40 million who purchased guns in 2020, plus another 4.1 million in January of 2021. This is both obscene and insane when you consider America's gun violence is the second highest in the world. Douglas A. McIntyre of USA Today says...

"Growing civil unrest may have prompted people to buy guns for personal and family protection, many social scientists have posited, although this remains a matter of debate. Another theory is that chaos brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is a major cause."

This may be true to some extent but McIntyre leaves out the most important reason. These buyers, led by the NRA's head gun nut, Wayne LaPierre, are making these purchases because of the propaganda fed to them by the gun lobby. Don't be misled, LaPierre, like Trump, may be temporarily disabled, but there is still power in both of these misfits. Five-million of this total were new buyers with sales to women up 40%. Fortunately Joe Biden plans to take on the gun lobby. 

 

First step, Donald Trump impeachment conviction - Second step Prison

 

Donald Trump is being tried in the Senate for inciting an angry mob of his double-digit followers to take over and attempt to destroy the U.S. Capitol. His conviction is at best 75/25, 75 against, but there have some indications since the trial began that Republicans are feeling the heat, recently hearing that their constituents are fleeing the party by the 1,000s. And this may not be his biggest problem. NY Atty. Gen. Letitia James is preparing her case against Trump and it's a doozy. 

Trump's complicity in the Capitol riots is settled in his speech to the rioters the day of the insurrection. He takes his last shot at Biden's election results amassing a hoard of lies that mirror the 20,000+ deceptions he spewed during four years in office. By the way, during this diatribe the audience chanted, “We love Trump.” He tells these idiots to go to the Capitol and fight. They did and CNN's Erin Burnet lays it all out in a ghastly timeline that cinches Donald Trump's involvement.

I want to see Trump put in prison, and for a long period of time for his criminal acts while in the White House and what he did on January 6. The most reprehensible act from the ex-oval office lunatic is his incompetence in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. First it was a hoax, then, it'll go away when the weather gets warm, followed by an insanity of the ages in belittling the CDC and the only one in the administration that knew what was going on, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And then he appointed Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General, many feel to dismantle the USPS. It helped that DeJoy was a large donor to Trump's election campaign. DeJoy did his appointer's bidding by removing one of the most important tools of the UPSP to expedite mail, sorting machines. Working in the junk mail industry for 35 years and witnessing what these appliances are capable of, I can understand how this move slowed the mail at a critical period during the pandemic and Christmas. 

But the kicker comes from a Republican representative from Illinois, Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Trump, and continues to condemn him and his loyal followers for what this maniac has done. In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Kinzinger said, "My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America." Continuing, I say this as a lifelong Republican who voted to impeach Trump last month. There's more...

"Winston Churchill famously said, 'Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.' All Americans, but especially my fellow Republicans, should remember this wisdom during the Senate’s trial of former president Donald Trump."

Will Kinzinger's rhetoric do any good, especially considering that fellow

Republicans continue to support Donald Trump. The congressman doesn't think this is all for naught...

"It’s a matter of accountability. If the GOP doesn’t take a stand, the chaos of the past few months, and the past four years, could quickly return. The future of our party and our country depends on confronting what happened — so it doesn’t happen again."

And hate to say it but don't think most of the GOP has learned their lesson, or any lesson, based on the outlook for Trump's conviction. Without this the United States will become the laughingstock of the world (again) and the Republican Party will assume the reputation of nation destroyers. But hopefully the New York Atty. Gen. will proceed with their evidence and put Donald Trump in jail so my wife and I can enjoy our final days knowing there is some justice in our country.

Excepting hunters, ALL guns should be kept at home

 

There have been numerous attacks on the 2nd Amendment, and I won't quote it now because it has been done hundreds of times and most people know its details. The problem is that the two factions in the gun violence dilemma, the gun control advocates and the gun rights advocates cannot agree on the interpretation. The 2nd is ancient, written by men who believed at the time there was a challenge by the U.S. government to take away their rights.

That was 1791, over two hundred years ago, and things have changed dramatically, but the gun rights gang doesn't believe that justifies the control of their guns, all 390 million of them. Incidentally, the current U.S. population is 329 million. Looks like the NRA came up at least 1 million short. In all sincerity, does any fair-minded person think our country needs that many guns? But wait, Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's head gun nut believes we need even more.

America comes in second in firearm-related gun deaths around the world with 37,200 annually; Brazil is number 1. However, as you can see in this illustration, the U.S. ranks higher than a lot of violent nations. With this said, there's a controversy going on in Utah re. just where these 390 million gun owners can take their weapons. Steven. F. Alder of The Salt Lake Tribune feels the two sides must come together, offering this as guidance...

"Let’s adopt a rule from that old Johnny Cash song: 'Just leave your guns at home boys, don’t take your guns to town.'”

Good advice but apparently the Utah Legislature and Gov. Cox don't agree because they support "the right to carry a concealed gun without a permit." There is some ridiculous reasoning for their thinking that could only come from a Republican.  But Alder wants the guns to stay at home, no matter the governor's logic. Here's Alder's thinking...

"We need legislation making it a crime to bring a gun to any public meeting of any branch of government and especially to any protest. It should not just be illegal to have a gun in court, but also at legislative and executive branch meetings. Most importantly, it should be illegal to take a weapon, concealed or open, to any protest or demonstration. Those bringing a weapon to such events should be arrested — not protected!"

The author is making his point in relationship to the state of Utah and its government agencies, but the concept is appropriate not only for state properties, but also for the private sector. State gun laws for gun owners have become so lax that anything goes, and I do mean anything. As an example, in Arizona all that is required to buy a gun is to produce a warm body. And what is even more farcical is that you can take guns into bars, reinforcing Alder's piece.

Okay, I give up, here is the 2nd Amendment...

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Where does it say, or even infer, that an individual can bear arms in a bar? And where does it say even an individual can bear arms; I believe the terms used are both "Militia" and "people" when it refers to having a weapon. And then there is the phrase "being necessary to the security of a free State," a statement that would indicate necessary protection from tyranny; well, folks, we are talking 1791 when this Amendment was passed. 

This is 2021 and the only recent tyranny we have experienced is Donald Trump and I am not sure he even owns a gun. The gun rights issue is pure malarkey. Pew Research Center says that 60% of the American public favors stronger gun laws. On the other hand, the NRA, led by head gun nut Wayne Lapierre, would have you believe that more guns on the street is the answer. Gun violence is its own pandemic but, in this case, we know the source. Read more...

.

Catching up on the news

 

"'Insulting' GOP bill would let Arizona lawmakers throw out presidential election results." As a Zoni, I have witnessed the stupidity of the governor and AZ legislature for over twenty. This is just another one of their idiocies. Read more...

"Josh Hawley has become 'the face of the Biden resistance': report." AlterNet says...

"Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has become one of the most hated Republicans in the U.S. Senate and is being associated with violent insurrection, extremism and refusing to accept democratic election results."

Read more...  

"Gun seller turned congressman becomes first of 2 republicans fined for 'skipping' metal detectors: report." You can take a gun nut out of his gun store but you can't the "nut" out of a gun nut. Read more... 

"Nearly 150 constitutional scholars sign letter dismantling Trump's 'First Amendment' impeachment defense." Yet, a Republican congressional mass will vote no to impeachment. Pathetic! Read more...

"The polls are in — and the Republican Party looks like a total mess." Here's an example...

"McConnell's favorability, according to FiveThirtyEight, is 19%, while Cheney's is 27%. And the favorability among the 'better-known Trump allies' includes 19% for Hawley, 34% for Cruz and 23% for McCarthy." 

Read more...  

"Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's multi-million-dollar profits made while working for the government." Calling the New York Attorney General...Are you listening? Read more...

"The good news and the bad news in the fight against COVID." AlterNet says, "The good news: millions of people around the world have been vaccinated." The bad news not so good. Read more...

"Trump's election fraud lie has cost taxpayers $519 million -- and his tab is still rising: report." RawStory covers a piece in The Washington Post...

"President Donald Trump's onslaught of falsehoods about the November election misled millions of Americans, undermined faith in the electoral system, sparked a deadly riot — and has now left taxpayers with a large, and growing, bill. The total so far: $519 million."

        Read more... 

"Multiple Republican lawmakers are debating bolting and forming a new party: ex-GOP House member." Just what we need, another gang of Republicans running loose. Read more...

"Opinion: The GOP is not a normal party." Clearly the understatement of the year. Just count the psychiatrists like Brandy Lee from Yale who have labeled Donald Trump unfit mentally to hold office. The rest of the Republicans, especially those who continue to ardently continue to support Trump, well, they all seem to be on the midst of a brain freeze. Read more...

 

UPDATE: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds dooms her state to COVID-19

 

Two cities, Des Moines and Iowa City defy Iowa's idiot Gov. Kim Reynolds and keep their COVID-10 precautionary measures in place.

Idiots abound in politics, most of them Republicans, some Democrats. Joe Manchin may qualify as a disturbed maverick, but he's definitely no idiot. The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, indubitably qualifies and she just recently became certifiable. Her entitlement is how she is lifting all the regulations in place for COVID-19 control. Here's the scenario according to the Daily Beast...

"She’s lifting the measure put in place to slow the spread of the virus. As of Sunday, gone are the mask mandate, the rules requiring businesses to limit capacity and enforce social distancing, and the caps on indoor and outdoor gatherings."

New coronavirus cases have "fallen dramatically" recently but Iowa has just been invaded by the U.K. variant, which has now not only been determined to be more transmissible, but also more contagious, thus, dangerous.  Don't politicians read, and I don't mean Facebook? I know they are dull wits, but, damn, Reynolds is dealing with the lives of over 3 million Iowa residents, some of which are no doubt dull wits like her. Yes, I can just imagine the delight of some...

'Hey dude, the Gov just turned us loose from our condemned isolation. Let's head

for the Embers and put away a few with our comrades.' And then there is the family thing where they figure they can now get the whole bunch together in numbers, attend those parties lately missed, or take the kids to sporting events where crowds proliferate. In other words, do all the things we used to do when it was normal. Well, folks, it ain't normal and it may not be for some time.

I'm not picking on Iowa, it is only one of many states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia and more; all Republican governors. Trumpism at its best, which almost brought this country to its knees, and continuing under faux leaders like Reynolds. It should be noted that Iowa ranks 47th in vaccine distribution with 97,000 shots being given, which is just over 3% of the population. Iowa is also 27th in the nation for coronavirus deaths, 28th for total cases.

And worse, the state is 7th in deaths per 1000 population, which bodes poorly on either the medical care or the attitude of people in taking care of themselves. But the attitude that really matters here is that of Gov. Kim Reynolds which clearly sucks. She has released her 3+ million constituents to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, most importantly on each other. Additionally, predicted bitter cold and heavy snow will slow down any vaccination efforts.

It is obvious that state leaders want to get back to as close to normal as possible, but what they don't understand is that "normal" is just not yet attainable with the coronavirus raging across the country. And really good leaders don't just look at the present, but they also keep an eye on the future. Our future right now includes vaccinating the public and prioritizing the preparation that is necessary to deal with the various variant mutations. But not opening the gates to more problems.

Latest News Briefs

 

Biden struggling on stimulus with $15 minimum wage attached to bill. Both are important by do the stimulus now and let Bernie ramrod minimum wage. Read more...

Coronavirus cases on decline in U.S. but U.K., Brazil and So. Africa variants could change that. Read more...

Trump funnelled money from donors into private business after election loss, report finds. Read more...

Trump court appointee grants Capitol rioter, Jenny Cudd, request to go to Mexico for a vacation. A quote from Cudd...

"F--- yes, I am proud of my actions, I f---ing charged the Capitol today with patriots today. Hell, yes, I am proud of my actions," Cudd said in the Facebook video, according to court records.

Read more... 

Climate change "may have played a key role" in coronavirus pandemic, study says. Human caused climate change screwed up forests of Southeast Asia proliferating bats in the region. Result coronavirus? Read more...

Having to fight Republicans on a bill that will substantially help the country recover from COVID-19 and a slowing economy is typical of the miserable Party the GOP has become. Pathetic! Read more...

QUESTION: "Will I get the vaccine or the virus first?" Yet there are those out there who oppose the vaccine and more seriously those charlatans that provoke anti-vaxxers and profit from their stupidity. But this article is about how the coronavirus vaccine is being distributed and its problems. Read more...

450,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, a number that should ricochet around the Donald Trump impeachment trial. The U.S. leads the world in deaths and the signs are for a slow recovery with the three new variants. Read more...

U.K. variant increases the risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with previous variants. Whoa...didn't they tell us the variants were more transmissible but not necessarily more contagious? Other scientists say this is...

"preliminary and still does not indicate whether the variant is more deadly or is just spreading faster and so reaching greater numbers of vulnerable people."

Read more... 

Federal executions likely a COVID superspreader. AP reports...

"As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19. Guards were ill. Traveling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses, who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases.>

Read more... 

"FBI net closes on Maga mob that stormed the Capitol." As Donald Trump's impeachment Senate trial nears and dozens of Capitol rioters are in jail or on bail, there is no sign of the Department of Justice and FBI letting up in their relentless pursuit of the insurrectionists. Read more...

Get ready for a Super Bowl superspreader in Tampa. The Daily Beast says, "Out-of-towners desperate to escape the confines of more restricted states could spell a fiasco in Tampa." There's more...

“With the Bucs playing in the Super Bowl, no one is thinking about COVID,” [Warren] Colazzo said. “It’s an escape from what’s going on. The last three nights, I’ve met a lot of people from California and other lockdown states who came here just to party. They are not even here to watch the football game.”

Read more... 

"Iowa Governor Rescinds Mask Mandate in Face of Mutations." And in this move by one of the country's most incompetent governors is a guarantee for more COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state many past presidential candidate think has the most common sense. Unfortunately, here, we have a certifiable idiot. Read more...

Capitol rioters supported anti-vaxxers and vice versa

 

This blog has repeatedly attacked anti-vaxxers with the position that these idiots--yes, they are the lower rungs of grey matter--are causing a dangerous situation where people are being urged not to do what will keep them healthy, even save their life. The harm they have done is incalculable as evidenced by the four-year old killed by his mother who followed the advice from a Facebook group of anti-vaxxers. Now they are coming for the COVID-19 vaccination group.

A CNN piece says, "Antivaxxers worked with 'Stop the steal' organizers for Jan. 6 rally." Del Bigtree, an anti-vaccine activist exclaimed to the crowd at the "MAGA Freedom Rally D.C." about a block from the Capitol, "We're being led off of a cliff." He added...

"I wish I could tell you that Tony Fauci cares about your safety..." he said. "I wish I could believe that voting machines worked... but none of this is happening."

Now, for the millions of people out there, especially the double-digit Trump supporters, that means science is for shit; years of scientific development and discoveries to help human beings live longer is bogus. Bigtree implies the pandemic is a farce and vaccines are not necessary. Go about your business and all will be well. It's these morons you see protesting masks and distancing in public places. It is this reality absent gang that is perpetuating the coronavirus pandemic. 

Yes, primarily Trump supporters in this display of ignorance, following the lunatic that said nobody could tell him anything. Well, they finally did and we finally got rid of the White House maniac. But his pathetic followers still stand ready to fight the election fraud battle, his upcoming impeachment trial, and now the war against vaccines. Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate calls it...

"Conspiracism that allows you to connect anything together if you want to, because it doesn't require fact."

Well, we do have the facts, and they all provide that government agencies are telling us the coronavirus vaccines are safe and proven to be effective. But then, the anti-vaxxer goons think the U.S. government is trying to kill us, when, in fact, it is them trying to kill the public with their doomsday rhetoric. And listen to this...

"In the wake of Trump's electoral defeat, some leaders of the anti-vaccine movement latched onto the "Stop the Steal" crusade, advancing their own conspiratorial claims and, in some cases, promoting private business."

In case you missed it, they are using Americans lives to promote their private business ventures. And here lies the current problem...

"But public health experts warn that anti-vaccine messages now pose a unique threat to the nation's health given the urgency for widespread coronavirus vaccination."

Anthony Fauci has pointed out that we need to reach a herd immunity of around

85% of the U.S. to be vaccinated to get the country moving again by the end of the year. With the anti-vaxxer resistance movement continuing its helter skelter efforts, this goal does not seem likely, and we can contribute all the coronavirus deaths following that period to these lowlife extremists. In closing...

"A national poll published this week from Monmouth University found 24% of people in the US will avoid getting the coronavirus vaccine if they can help it. The poll also found that willingness is driven more by political leanings than demographics."

This is a good article so read more...And, the pandemic is still raging so get your vaccination as soon as you become eligible. 

Animals deserve better than this - Yes, tell everyone, we just want to live

 

Sylvester is looking for his forever home after being discovered crying from a drainage inlet in San Antonio. Animal Care Services are being lauded for their work in rescuing the frantic kitten. You have to wonder how this little guy ended up under the streets of San Antonio. It sounds likely that it was a feral mother cat who had her litter and, for some reason had to abandon them. There are so many of these situations that the rescues just can't keep up with them. Read more...

If you have a forever home for Sylvester, contact San Antonio. Animal Care Services.

And then there's Ethan, A dog that was left starving outside the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville. KHS says...

"OUR BABY HAS TAKEN HIS FIRST STEPS! While he is wobbly & learning to use his legs again, this is huge progress! Less than a week ago, he was on death's door, & now he is finally able to walk a little again."

Ethan is still too wobbly for adoption but give him some more time and then contact KY Humane Society. "Kentucky Humane Society officials said although Ethan has a "long road ahead of him," they are optimistic that he will fully recover." Read more...

The latest on COVID-19

 

Beginning on a positive note, Western Australia is locking down for a single case of coronavirus and one of its residents said, "We welcome the restrictions." It was for five days to protect against the new U.K. variant. Here's the Aussies take...

"It may seem strange to act so aggressively for a single case, but we Australians complied. There were no complaints of infringing on freedoms. No marches against masks. My city of Perth came to a standstill. The roads were quiet, and our beaches were deserted. A trip to the supermarket for essential groceries saw everyone wearing a mask — for the first time"

How refreshing...after experiencing the idiot U.S. population protesting against everything from wearing masks to observing distancing. Perth even has a beach, a magnet similar to California and Florida, but the residents did the right thing and stayed home. By the way Perth has had 904 cases for the entire pandemic. I might add, Australia is 35th on the Worldometer list for COVID-19, the United States is number one. Read more...

Dr. Sheetal Khedkar Rao, 42, an internist in suburban Chicago is quitting. She says, “After awhile, the emotional burden and moral injury become too much to bear.” And there's another dilemma going on in the health care industry, workers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccination. 

I had an appointment with one of my many doctors today and I asked him why this was happening. His answer was a shocking opinion that it was misinformation, likely from social media. Later I asked his medical assistant the same thing, but her answer was more questioning the vaccine, until she researched it. And that, folks, shows where to go for the coronavirus facts. Not take the word of the amateurs and misleaders on social media. Read more...  

And closing today with the idiot of the month, maybe the year, maybe even the century. Naturally it had to be in Florida, where the population thinks COVID-19 is a fairy tale, and the guy who owns this grocery store thinks coronavirus deaths are just "hogwash." His employees and patrons parade around mask free.

Alfie Oakes, the owner added, "Why don't we shut the world down because of the heart attacks? Why don't we lock down cities because of heart attacks?" Apparently Alfie dufus thinks heart attacks are contagious. This moron deserves no more attention. For some great laughs, read more...

Donald Trump and his former administration persist, and it is alarming

 

70 million warped Americans and some double-digit congressional members still support Donald Trump. That's over 5% and, although not astronomical, any percentage over zero, considering the events of the last four years, and Trump's recent act of insurrection at the nation's Capitol, is completely unacceptable. These pour souls follow Trump for a number of reasons. Here are six...

1. "All-in" isolationists, ultra-nationalists, white supremacists, racists and insurrectionists

2. Opportunists and political chameleons

3. Narrow-minded, limited information input and vulnerable to cultism

4. Voting with their pocketbook

5. Hold your nose and vote Republican

6. But he and I are Christians!

You can see definitions of all six on Salon and the article makes an interesting point, "Not all Trump supporters are alike." Well, you would think not when you consider the Capitol rioters compared to supposed evangelicals, like those above in number 6. I am not a Christian, but I know what a Christian is, and Donald Trump is not one. Read more... 

Betsy Devoss. What can I say. You select an incompetent illiterate to run the U.S. Department of Education? Yes, you do, when you are also an illiterate incompetent, namely, Donald Trump. But, we're rid of her, or are we? Jeff Bryant in AlterNet confirms what we already know, she's gone but not forgotten.

DeVoss tried her best to push private schools over public education and this is what Bryant thinks has happened...

The public "should remain incensed over how her efforts to privatize public schools are being rolled out in state legislatures across the country."

That's right, the deviner of moving our learning to the closet of selectivity was proposing a system that is no better than public schools, according to a study released by The Washington Post. The AlterNet article claims, "This [private education] Is Not What People Want." With more...

What's telling about these bills is that proponents of school privatization clearly see the need to quickly ram through their proposals because popular opinion is not necessarily on their side.

Jeff Bryant has done a good job of covering this subject pointing out the positions of many states o    n the issue. Read more... 

Animals deserve a forever home

 

A note beside a dog chained to a park bench told the story of a young boy who had to give up his dog because "the parents were abusing him and treating him very badly." The pup was named Max and his animal angel, Mascotas Coyoacán, provided this scenario...

"The saviors removed the chain from Max and slowly but surely made sure that the puppy learned how to not be afraid of humans and that they can give love, not only pain. The full story of Max, now named Boston, is down below. If you want to help Mascotas Coyoacán save more dogs from living on the street, click here to donate—every penny helps! Also, Max is still searching for a new home, so if you’re searching for a lifelong companion, here is the perfect one."

There's much more in this article with pictures of Boston and Mascotas Coyoacán, a story that should warn the hearts of all of us. Support your own shelters, rescues and humane shelters. Read more...

Donald Trump could be behind bars soon

 

Considering the corruption and violence of the mafia over its years of reign, not even the "wise guys" could hold a candle to what Donald Trump has done to this country. His best effort was the 459,472 COVID-19 deaths of U.S. citizens attributable to Trump's incompetence in handling the pandemic.

Chauncey Devega in Salon described Trump as, the leader of a political crime family." Devega says...

"Much of Trump's apparent extortion, self-dealing, influence-peddling, and outright blackmail was done in plain sight. One such scheme, in which Trump attempted to extort the president of Ukraine into launching a phony investigation of Joe Biden, resulted in his impeachment (that is, for the first time)."

There's more...

"Trump's blatant disregard for the law is part of his brand as a billionaire reality-TV star turned president and (until last month) the most powerful person on the planet."

Much of this has been said before but the Salon article has put some interesting twists on Trump's shenanigans. Read more...

Remember when Trump, while still in office, was fighting non-existent voter fraud? And how he begged his double-digit supporters to give freely of their money to further his cause? Well, get this...Matthew Chapman in Raw Story says, "Trump and the GOP funneled much of the money into political organizations.

At least $175 million going there leaving a paltry amount left for the fight...

"Trump and his allies filed dozens of lawsuits in state and federal court to try to toss out the results of the election — and was ultimately smacked down nearly every time, including by a judge he appointed. However, the fraction of these suits funded by Trump directly may not have been that expensive — especially considering he has vehemently fought paying Rudy Giuliani his legal fees."

Instead of President of the United States, Donald Trump should have been elected as the 'world's best conman.' Read more...