Yep, I just put several pieces of pop culture together in a way that makes sense to our current situation. Here’s the explanation and it’s so simple that even many low information folks—oh, I mean those that binge watch 24/7 cable news or listen to streaming music all day—can understand.
Please note that there are spoilers here for War of the Worlds so if you don’t know the ending, turn back now.
Whether in its more recent rendition with a voiceover from Morgan Freeman or the original radio play by H.G. Wells, its not the men but the microbes that defeat the alien invaders. Freeman’s voiceover can be summed up as this, men have inhabited this planet for a long time and as germs have mutated, our bodies have responded by strengthening our immune systems to cope with the hostile environment encountered in world that we live in.
Please note that I’m not really a Keeper Of Odd Knowledge (K.O.O.K.) but I just watched the show over the weekend for the first time, from start to finish. When I read an article linked by Joe Miller today, the connection was obvious.
The article is an explanation of herd immunity which scientists know exists in the current Covid-19 pandemic but heretofore lacked a good way of understanding. Many, including me, sensed there was herd immunity at work but where we erred was in thinking that you had to be infected and recover from Covid-19 to be immune. Well guess what? That assumption is wrong.
On the one hand, this virus seems to be extremely contagious and transmissible.On the other hand, it appears to have been around for a while, possibly in December, and didn’t kill too many people until super-spreading events in March.
On the one hand, the virus seems to kill a lot of vulnerable people for several weeks. But then it peaks after six weeks or so and nearly disappears a month or so later.We’ve seen the same curve in every country, almost as if it hits a brick wall and then runs out of steam.
But why is that the case? Most antibody tests show no more than 10%-15% of the population contain antibodies in a given area – 25% in the most extreme case of New York City. Why would the virus not continue cutting through the population like butter, as it did the first number of people who contracted the virus? The theory of a more ubiquitous cross-immunity from other coronaviruses would answer those questions and explain that invisible brick wall.
A theory of partial immunity, at least from helper T cells (if not killer T cells) could also explain why, on the one hand, once the virus gets into prisons, most test positive for it, but on the other hand, nearly all of them seem asymptomatic. The outcome of prisons as a fully confined and defined population could be a harbinger of what would theoretically happen if the entire world were exposed to the virus after it had already targeted the most vulnerable population. It’s possible that upwards of 95% would be asymptomatic, just like we are seeing in prisons.
Perhaps, it could also explain why there appears to be a massive gap in severity of the virus in Asia vs. Western countries. Asian countries are regularly exposed to coronaviruses.
“In almost every context we’ve seen the epidemic grow, turn around and die away — almost like clockwork.Different countries have had different lockdown policies, and yet what we’ve observed is almost a uniform pattern of behavior which is highly consistent with the SIR model. To me that suggests that much of the driving force here was due to the build-up of immunity.”
Folks, as stated in this space previously, we should fear neither men nor microbes but only Almighty God. I’m not worried about Covid-19. The time and place of my death was appointed before the world began; all I can do is keep pressing on until my time is up. I suggest that you do likewise.
Victoria’s Secret is a women’s fashion company that has faced struggling sales and financial issues over the last year and a half, in fact they were even sold to a private equity company, only to have the buyer pull out of the deal. I am going to examine just how these problems began arising and what is being done to fix them.
Investing in a company like Victoria’s Secret should be a no-brainer, right? Most of their products are made using unpaid/sparsely paid jail labor and sold for a very large markup. Typically, if you sell a few items you have paid for the cost of the entire box and everything after that is profit. Items sold at VS are sold at very high margins, with the only expenses being rent and employee salaries. Add to that the long line of supermodels and stars who wear/market their products. Their annual fashion show gets millions upon millions of viewers. So why did the stock crater, profitability dry out, and cause 55% of VS to be sold to a private buyer?
The answer is complex and frankly I am not sure the company can dig itself out of the hole they created themselves.
Pink has VS seeing red
It seems like it started in 2002 when they opened VS Pink stores, aimed at the 15-22-year-old demographic. It used to be a brand for mature, older women who would buy a special something for themselves, and for their partner. It was sexy, unique, and basically you wore it in the bedroom for a little bit, or when you were feeling yourself (feeling good, head out of the gutter) or as a surprise for your man. This opening of Pink caused a sea change in the company’s philosophy and likely caused outright shock for anyone who has a daughter, fathers especially. Pink caters directly too college/high school students, but it’s not just the pajama’s, thong underwear, etc. that was shocking, it was the horrendously cheap quality. A hallmark of VS used to be an unmatched quality product.
In addition to poor-to-average quality products, Pink delineated the brand, in another way. VS used to be iconic with models/the bedroom, they began selling workout attire, perfume, swimwear, and regular clothing, similar to Abercrombie and Fitch. The phrase “I went to VS”, went from wow, am I in for a fun night, to……well she probably got some cheap underwear or a bath bomb. If you’re a company selling sex/smut/etc. you want to keep that identity, they threw it away.
Another thing, Victoria’s Secret didn’t keep up with changing times. This resulted in erosion of the brand’s perception. Back then if a girl was not skinny or didn’t have the right body type, her friends didn’t care, they bought the product anyway. Now girls tend to protest companies that do not foster inclusion. VS went all in on girls who were a size 0, basically very skinny, and had the perfect body type, think very toned and the perfect breasts and butt. This works for a while, but stories began to trickle out of VS associates telling certain girls “we don’t sell anything for your body type here” and not stocking sizes over a medium will get you killed in the social media environment we live in today. Think herd mentality (or Yelp), if you get treated wrong at a store, then you tell your friends. Often this results in a high likely hood they will boycott as well.
I spoke to several women about this issue ranging in ages from 18-55 and they all were very down on VS, I have included responses below.
Their products are cheaply made crap, the underwear rips after being washed about 4 times.
I wanted to get sized for a bra, they only had a guy working on the sales floor, he was more than eager to help…creepy!
VS isn’t for me, they market to supermodels…I like my body, VS wants me to hate it.
VS is for college kids, I am not longer in college, I found a new brand.
I’m not a skinny girl, VS has nothing for me…too bad because bigger women have sex too ya know.
I used to shop their religiously, then I realized at 30 I was double the age of the average VS Pink customer…. I found a new brand.
Not every girl looks like Kate Upton or Megan Fox. It creates a dangerous stereotype of perfect women, also it creates a culture of men not wanting to be seen with/date bigger women.
(Editor’s Note: who is Kate Upton? This is the first I’ve heard mentioned about Megan Fox since she quit the Transformers franchise over a decade ago. Guess Chief likes his squaws on the young side.)
Megan Fox Transformers (2007)
Note: every single woman I spoke with was done with the company and would not come back. When I asked their preferred brand, the answers ran the gamut; Aerie, was the number one choice. Most folks these days are intensely brand loyal and will not return if they have a bad experience or interaction.
The stock of VS parent L Brands has gone from about $100 to about $12 over the span of 18 months, most of this pre-pandemic. VS was actually sold (55%) of it to a private equity group Sycamore Partner, they are famous for buying distressed clothing assets and trying to turn them around. Sycamore backed out of the deal about a month ago. When private equity (think Mitt Romney, Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn etc.) want no part of you, it’s a sinking ship. VS is and continues to be a major drag on L Brands earnings. (L Brands also owns high growth brand Bath and Body Works). Problem is they have no buyer so they must do something to re-image the brand. I am not sure what the future will look like, but they announced they were closing 25% of their stores today. Ask how that strategy worked for Circuit City, Sear’s, Pier One, and a host of others. I think VS is circling the drain, problem is management likely doesn’t see the dark hole, they think there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Chief
PS I spoke to a former girlfriend who works for law firm Lowe, Ballem & Lynch, a direct competitor of Dewey, Screwem & Howe, the latter being a friend of the blog. Anyhow the ex had this to say about VS. I used to shop there, I won’t anymore, the Pink store is 90% high school and college age girls, and I am not one anymore. As far as the flagship VS stores, they carry nice stuff but it’s very overpriced, and all the photos are of perfect bodied models. They also manipulate their sizing, I wear a size small at most places, at VS the medium was too small and sometimes the large felt just right? It made me feel very self-conscious and questioned my motives of being a customer of theirs. I shop at Aerie (American Eagle Brand) and they cater to all women, we all have unique bodies and I just feel more comfortable. It doesn’t help CEO of L-Brands Les Wexler (the founder by the way) was linked to Jeffrey Epstein and his underage girls…. I have a hard time supporting someone like that.
Blogger note: For the record Wexler did step aside.
Photo-05/16/2020 residents of Virginia flocking to beaches in violation of their governor’s order that they can only fish or jog.
I wish to tweak a saying quoted often here so it reads, “Lie, damn lies, computer models, and statistics.” This applies not just to Covid-19 but to every other catastrophe of the imagination including population explosion, climate change—formerly global cooling and/or warming depending on which decade and paperback prophet of doom is quoted—rising sea levels, rainforest depletion, fossil fuel depletion, viability of socialism, and just about everything else that leftists have popularized over the years.
High on my list of news recently is the fact that Gavin Newsom is being dragged kicking and screaming, like a spoiled little girl throwing a tantrum, into allowing California into opening despite his wishes. As we have been demanding, the Orange Man has taken up our cause stating that churches are essential. Last week the Justice Department told California to reopen churches and so did the CDC. Look we know the CDC didn’t want it to happen but since Trump is their boss and churches elsewhere are opening anyway, Trump got the CDC to move churches toward the front of the line and issue guidelines for doing so. Frankly, the CDC guidelines sound way too much like those from Tennessee but at least Trump got the ball rolling.
Further irony can be found that my church declined to participate in the statewide protest to hold services on May 31st—not wishing to disobey the civil magistrate—but Newsom will likely be forced to open all churches by then anyway. Look for mandatory and reduced attendance and social distancing to be required when California rolls-out the rules tomorrow. Basically, we will get services without worship and people will be allowed to congregate. Many of the masses will claim victory but without the sacraments is it truly worship—I think not. You will find that we are still a long way from singing, greeting, weddings, funerals, and “regular” resumption of church life.
Folks, I can think of nothing worse in the current climate than dying right now. Denying a Christian burial in such times as these is a curse. That most churches never protested such is a sad commentary on the weakness of the faith in our country. Ditto for weddings.
Anyway, here are news stories that you may have missed.
Sacramento Bee attacks Newsom.
“If we move through Phase Two, that’s roughly 70 percent of the economy. That may sound significant, but modifications are real restrictions in terms of commerce, and the biggest restriction of course is customer confidence,” Newsom said at a press conference last week.
He expanded on that claim during Tuesday’s press conference, when he said that 21 sectors of the state’s economy were now able to operate.
“You go industry by industry, sectors that never closed, construction and the like. And each one of those categories, you add them all up, you’re now north of 70 percent,” Newsom said.
But is it fair to say 70 percent of the state’s $3 trillion-a-year economy is reopening now? Sung Won Sohn, a business economist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, questioned Newsom’s analysis.
Take the restaurant industry, for example. Sohn said the restaurants where he lives are open for takeout, but their business probably is off 90 percent. The same with car dealers, another major segment of the economy.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” said Thornberg, founder of Beacon Economics and a business forecaster at UC Riverside.
Thornberg said that there is no way to fact-check the statement because it was an empty one.
However, there was good news because of the shelter at home order as deaths in other areas are down significantly.
The pandemic is having a positive impact on California’s highways. The California Highway Patrol says the number of crashes and DUIs have dropped significantly in the past two months.
The agency says the number of crashes is down 75% from March 19 through April 30, compared to the same time last year. There was also an 88% drop in the number of deaths on the road and a 62% decrease in the number of crash-related injuries.
Oh, Newsom is not the only governor leading from behind. In Virginia, the governor there has declared that since so many disobeyed him last weekend, he will bless their behavior, specifically at the beach.
Under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s eased coronavirus restrictions in effect Friday, the state’s oceanfront was relegated to fishing and exercise only, and social distancing was required.
But that didn’t keep crowds away from Virginia Beach over the weekend as temperatures reached the high 70s. Sunbathers took to the sand, bikers peddled along the bustling boardwalk and newly reopened gift shops were crowded with customers buying hermit crabs and snow cones, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
Following the weekend crowds, Northam announced during a press conference Monday that Virginia Beach would be allowed to reopen May 22 at the start of Memorial Day weekend, which normally kicks off the coast’s busy summer tourism season.
OK, here’s a sampling of stories that focus on the lies of Covid-19 in terms of deaths and other myths.
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame wrote many years ago that, “There is a right way, a wrong way, and the weasel way.” Often the way of the politician and the weasel are indistinguishable.
Newsom Moves the Goal Posts Again
Recently, our embattled monarch, Gavin Newsom, has been moving the goalposts of reopening California businesses in reaction to all the pushback that he has received. Barack Obama called this style of leadership, “Leading from behind.” Newsom is being forced to let California resume operations not because he wants to but because the revenue is falling frighteningly short of projections and the natives are getting restless. (Oh, and for the first time in 22 years, Republicans just picked up a House seat in last week’s special election.)
Today Newsom redefined the requirements for opening California counties for business.Please note the science has not changed since last week, only the politics.
The changes eliminate requirements that a county have zero deaths and no more than one case per 10,000 residents over 14 days.
Johnnie Does nailed this very point on our blog a few days ago.
Newsom estimated 53 of 58 counties could meet the new criteria.
Twenty-four counties in mostly rural Northern California had already been cleared to move faster under the old standards.
Folks, in part, you have Elon Musk to thank for this change not you local county supervisor. Elon has embarrassed the crap of out of the unelected bureaucrats and made sure the whole nation knew what horse’s asses the Alameda County Health guy is and by extension, Newsom as well.
Alameda County is allowing Tesla to restart, while the vast majority of other businesses in the county must remain closed.
Oh, lastly, we get this little nugget about Sacramento County.
“In all the hospitals in the county, there are a total of 15 people with COVID, so that’s an example of how the epidemiological data has gone down,” –Dr. Peter Beilenson, Director of Sacramento County’s Department of Health Services
OK, so now even the densest amongst us learn we’ve been sheltering in place for two months for no reason; 15 people hospitalized in the whole county. WTF?
State Worker Pay-cut
As a “good” Democrat, Newsom is promising that State workers will feel the pain of California’s economic shortfall as well but will they really? Will Newsom really cut State worker wages by ten percent?
The better question, is ten percent of what? What state workers make now or what they will make in the new fiscal year starting July first? Or something else?
First remember that a government budget cut has nothing to do with current expenditures. A cut is measured in terms of what fiscal planners wanted to spend next year versus what they actually got. For example if the boat patrol agency wanted to increase spending by ten percent and the legislature and governor gave then six percent, in budget language, the boat patrol agency had a four percent budget cut even though in real dollars they were given six percent more than last year.
Given the above, exactly what budget cut is the governor talking about? The only thing you know right off is that it wouldn’t really be as simple as paying workers 90 percent of what they got this year. Thus, we need to invoke the weasel way of budgeting. Only by invoking weasel logic can you divine the likely way Newsom gets to claim his ten percent salary cut without actually having to cut ten percent.
Given the above, how does he get to ten percent?
Here’s my best guess based on what I know combined with some early trial balloons for accounting gimmicks. Look for the plan to include these four points:
The following is based on SEIU contracts which cover over 90,000 State employees; other unions will vary.
First, the promised pay raise of 2.5 percent is gone.
Also, the promised healthcare stipend of $260 per month may go away also. It was set to start in the new fiscal year beginning July 1.
The CERBT may be suspended to backfill a cut in pay so workers won’t feel the pain as much. (Remember, weasel way.)
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration could offer some relief from potential pay cuts for state workers by temporarily eliminating one of the paycheck deductions workers see each month, according to an Association of California State Supervisors web post.
Newsom this week proposed reducing state workers’ pay by 10 percent on Thursday in a budget that aims to reckon with a projected $54 billion deficit.
Most state employees pay roughly $2,600 per year toward the benefit, although the amount varies by salary and bargaining unit, according to a State Controller’s Office report. Public safety workers, who typically retire earlier than other employees, pay much more.
The deduction shows up as “CERBT” on state worker pay checks, which stands for California Employers’ Retiree Benefit Trust Fund.
Back in 2016, the CERBT fund was implemented as a way to deal with unfunded liabilities related to healthcare of retirees.
The retiree health care contributions are intended to pay down an unfunded $74 billion liability that the state faces.
Other unions may have different arrangements with the State.
Oh, and look for a hiring freeze or similar gimmick.
Lastly, buried somewhere in the agreement will be something that backfills the money at some point in the future, either in the form of employee retirement being calculated on the basis of no cuts or something similar. Somehow, I think Gavin will make the unions whole at some point in the future or else…
Like most things in life, what you think you know about Covid-19 is probably a lie…if all you know about it is from cable news sources.
Very few places have a problem with this virus
Did you know that 30 counties in the United States account for 55 percent of all Covid-19 deaths and 1,996 counties had zero or one death?
10 percent of counties account for 95 percent of all deaths.
Half of all counties in the US have zero deaths.
As of May 11, for example, 10 states accounted for almost 70% of all U.S. cases and nearly 75% of all deaths (but only 52% of the population).
Together, New York and New Jersey alone account for 35% of all cases and 44% of total COVID-19 deaths, though only 9% of the U.S. population. These state-level figures do not, however, adequately describe the concentrated nature of the spread of COVID-19.
The 30 counties with the most COVID-19 cases, for example, account for 48% of all the cases in the U.S. and 55% of all deaths, three to four times greater than their 15% share of the U.S. population.
That is, just 1% of all counties, representing 15% of the U.S. population, are responsible for almost half of the country’s COVID-19 cases and more than half of the deaths.
Of those 30 counties, 24 are in the Northeast corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, the passageway served by a commuter railway system that runs through Manhattan.
Overall, only about 10% of all counties contain 95% of all the COVID-19 deaths, even though they account for 64% of the population.
Just as important, 50% of all counties (with 10% of the U.S. population) have zero COVID-19 deaths as of May 11. In fact, 63% of all counties (with 15% of the population) have no more than one COVID-19 death each.
Why is our approach to the virus the same for all people, when the virus itself is so overwhelmingly biased toward a defined group of people?
Understanding that this virus only kills the elderly and sick in statistically significant numbers does not diminish their lives or even the seriousness of the virus. This understanding magnifies the need for a strategy that lets out healthier and younger people keeping the country running while shielding the vulnerable population until the virus burns out.
According to Minnesota’s health department, 99.24% of all statewide COVID-19 deaths have occurred either in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, or among people with significant underlying health conditions, with the overwhelming majority (78%) of decedents in the former category. That would mean just three individuals who died of COVID-19 in Minnesota were outside a nursing home and had no underlying condition. That is a 0.05% fatality rate just out of the known cases, and we’ve seen from serology tests that the true number of cases is exponentially greater than the number who tested positive. This fact should change our entire approach to the virus.
I have spectacular news to share with you. Amid all the death, doom, and gloom resulting from the coronavirus, we can now celebrate the fact that the virus has cured all other forms of death. Nobody dies from other causes of death anymore. At least that is what we are seeing in some states that are so eager to use the virus as a pretext to crush our liberties.
Approximately 2.8 million people die every year, which means roughly 470,000 will die over a 2-month period. Given that it’s very likely 5%-10% of the country have the virus, but very few die from it as a percentage of those infected – nearly zero among younger people – how many of those typical deaths are now being coded as COVID? This is particularly concerning when we see states report a few random deaths among younger people. While anomalous death from the coronavirus is certainly possible in younger people, this raises serious questions about the accuracy of any existing recorded deaths for those particularly young.
We saw this play out in April when Ventura County, California, coded the death of a 37-year-old who overdosed on fentanyl as a COVID-19 death.
Nearly 70,000 are dying every year from drug overdoses, particularly young adults. How many of these respiratory deaths will easily be coded as the coronavirus so long as they test positive?
There was much commotion when Georgia officials announced the death of a 22-year-old in Columbus, but the local coroner absolutely disputes that assertion. The 22-year-old new mother tragically died four days after giving birth, but Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan believes she died from a complication stemming from the C-section. “The E.M.S. personnel and myself pretty much came to the same conclusion,” Bryan said. “I personally don’t believe she died from the virus.”
Nowhere is this more of a concern than in nursing homes, where we are seeing more than 50% of the recorded deaths and where many of them are being added retroactively. Naturally, roughly 25% of the annual 2.8 million national fatalities occur in senior care facilities, and many have already tested positive for the virus, but didn’t necessarily die from it. But per CDC guidance, it must be counted as a COVID-19 death.
Face Masks are Bad for You
While this is a no brainer for me, most folks think masks are good. The reality is that masks are a placebo. For those in Rio Linda, a placebo is more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect. Wearing a mask is just as effective at preventing Covid-19 as wearing a breast cancer ribbon is at preventing you from getting this type of cancer. As we documented here previously, even the renowned Dr. Fauci said as much a few months ago.
With the advent of the so-called COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a number of medical practices that have little or no scientific support as regards reducing the spread of this infection. One of these measures is the wearing of facial masks, either a surgical-type mask, bandana or N95 respirator mask.
Now that we have established that there is no scientific evidence necessitating the wearing of a face mask for prevention, are there dangers to wearing a face mask, especially for long periods? Several studies have indeed found significant problems with wearing such a mask. This can vary from headaches, to increased airway resistance, carbon dioxide accumulation, to hypoxia, all the way to serious life-threatening complications.
There is a difference between the N95 respirator mask and the surgical mask (cloth or paper mask) in terms of side effects. The N95 mask, which filters out 95% of particles with a median diameter >0.3 µm2, because it impairs respiratory exchange (breathing) to a greater degree than a soft mask, and is more often associated with headaches. In one such study, researchers surveyed 212 healthcare workers (47 males and 165 females) asking about presence of headaches with N95 mask use, duration of the headaches, type of headaches and if the person had preexisting headaches.
They found that about a third of the workers developed headaches with use of the mask, most had preexisting headaches that were worsened by the mask wearing, and 60% required pain medications for relief. As to the cause of the headaches, while straps and pressure from the mask could be causative, the bulk of the evidence points toward hypoxia and/or hypercapnia as the cause. That is, a reduction in blood oxygenation (hypoxia) or an elevation in blood C02 (hypercapnia). It is known that the N95 mask, if worn for hours, can reduce blood oxygenation as much as 20%, which can lead to a loss of consciousness…
CDC Has Two Sets of Books on Covid-19
The CDC’s count of Covid-19 deaths is half of the John Hopkins count for the same period; of course since “if it bleeds, it leads” the media will use the high score.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday updated their coronavirus tracking numbers, leading to confusion on social media about two websites within the organization that show vastly different death tolls.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) website for the coronavirus lists the total deaths from COVID-19 – the disease caused by the virus – as 37,308 in the United States. That’s a much lower number than what has been reported in the media or by other coronavirus trackers. For example, the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker, lists the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. at 65,645.
Most of what you’ve been told about Covid-19 is untrue or severely distorted. Most of the information is geared to get you to trade your freedom for security. This is always a losing proposition for the masses. Covid-19 is mostly lies, damn lies, and bogus statistics. Covid-19 is no longer a public health issue, just another political tool that folks can use to transform the United States into a country where the masses serve the elites. Our founders called this tyranny, but you think its security.
Quarantine cannot and will not stop me from trolling…well maybe when the police forcibly remove my camp from under a local overpass, but anyways here we go!!!!!!
Christy Smith concedes special election to Mike Garcia:
Instead of preparing for a new job in congress, Democratic Assemblymember Christy Smith is going back to work in Sacramento. Her political opponent, former Navy pilot Mike Garcia, is poised to be the first Republican to flip a Democratic House seat in California since 1998.
There you have it folks two good old American names facing off for a congressional seat. I for one was shocked when I found Smith listed her occupation as “Assemblyman” and Garcia as Navy Fighter Pilot…I figured with names like those, they worked at a local diner. Congrats to Garcia for winning, but I’m very disappointed in Smith for conceding early. Reports said a local ACE Hardware got an online pick up order from “LA DEM PARTY” for a chisel drill bit, to be used to ensure Smith’s victory. Problem for the Democrat Party is they hired Jorge “The Drunken Jedi” Riley to pick the drill bit up, and sadly he saw an open watering hole on his trek and as is his custom, his car stopped automatically. Riley never made it to ACE and as a result, the following day Smith cancelled, notice the state and national party are still holding out hope Riley finds the ACE as they have not given up yet.
Lamar Alexander (R-TN) doesn’t want the Senate to re-convene due to Corona concerns: Good lord this clown was Governor when The Troll was birthed in Knoxville, TN, the best state in America. By the way, little trivia…. Did you know Tennessee’s state flag, the 3 stars….what do they represent? Tennessee was the third state to join the Confederacy.
Tennessee flag shaped like the state
But now back to Alexander……. You dumb dumb, you really need to take a dirt nap. So you force folks who work at Wally World, grocery stores, pharmacies, slaughter houses, and auto makers forced to make ventilators…yet this jackhole doesn’t want to report to work because he is scared of the ‘rona? Folks are barely clinging to what possessions they own, let alone guns and religion, trying to make ends meet, and you refuse to take a pay cut or even show up to work! Yeah, this clown is getting a full salary while sheltering in place instead of doing his job. He’s just more swamp trash that needs to be taken to the local landfill. Other folks are scared of this disease too you low life, seriously you can’t retire soon enough for my liking. During a cursory look at your work history, you love suppin’ at the public trough…congrats; while us working folks pay your salary, you refuse to come out of your ivory tower. I hate to break it to you, but under the Constitution, a document I doubt you have ever read, says your job is essential. You are a check on the President and Judiciary you moron. Classless scum you are.
Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar (NFL) arrested in Florida for armed robbery: Ummm, well I have to blame Trump for this, it has to be his fault right? Seriously like shouldn’t the NFL be practicing right now? Dunbar is charged with 4 counts of various armed robbery offenses, Baker with 8, both have refused to turn themselves in; however, both have hired attorneys who claim their client is innocent.
Two NFL players — including a 2019 1st round draft pick — have been accused of armed robbery and arrest warrants have been issued, TMZ Sports has learned.
Law enforcement confirms NY Giants cornerback Deandre Baker (the 30th overall pick in 2019) is facing 4 charges of armed robbery and 4 charges of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar is facing 4 counts of armed robbery.
Well my god it’s a miracle…if neither of them did the deed, then who did? I cannot believe these two young men find themselves in such a tough spot; even with a police report saying “they dun’ it.” Their attorneys find themselves in the unique position of defending clients who claim they didn’t do it and actually have enough money to pay them…at least for now. Baker was a first round pick in 2019, so he is likely to forfeit about 30 million, since NFL contracts are not guaranteed, but he is still dumb as hell. Like I said, I blame all of this on the lockdown, and because both are black, it must be Trump’s fault. Don’t believe me? Apparently, many a governor is studying why this disease affects blacks more than whites…your honor I submit this as exhibit 1000 to impeach Trump. Between this, Russia, Ukraine, the sexual assaults, and Covid-19 deaths, something has to be done, just ignore the party of compassion when they encourage confiscating semi-automatic weapons and yet continually threaten to shoot the Orange Man.
We will be back soon for more trolling, got to move camp as the local PD has just shown up. But I will leave you with a new flame for Troll. Yes, Aniston is too old, and at 50 the baby making days are over, as far as Hope Hicks goes she has not responded to my hourly Twitter direct messages, so I present to you, Paige Spiranac, a great women’s golfer who let’s just say I would love to lay up on her hills.
When this virus thing went down, it started as “we must flatten the curve” and for the most part, we all tried to do our part. We put up with essentially house arrest, social distancing at stores, and admired most folks who were viewed as essential. Now the narrative has changed, we now “can re-open fully when there is a cure.” I want to examine that last statement closer.
Until we “have a cure” is the literal definition of weasel words that can be used to pick winners and losers. Governors Newsom, Cuomo, and Wolf (PA) are the worst of the worst when it comes to this. To be fair Cuomo has a big problem in NYC, and Gavin has issues in LA County, and depending on how you look at it, the surrounding areas should be cautious. Governor Wolf in PA is an absolute tyrant. He actually exempted his family’s cabinet manufacturing business from the shutdown…. well I guess his royalties are essential, aren’t they?
Gretchen Whitmer
These governors, including Duchess of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, have very little interest in your health or financial well-being; instead, they want to pick winners and losers. If you voted/campaigned/donated to a rival, now is their chance to get even. They have shutdown dine-in operations, movies, and retail shopping, forcing millions of low-income workers from the workforce. Worse yet, they are forcing grocers, slaughterhouses, and certain big box retail to remain open, regardless of worker fears.
Why is it churches cannot open? Not necessarily for service but for funeral/weddings? Yet one can get married at the County Clerk’s office if you file the right paperwork? This is punishing a business you do not care for, and in my opinion, Gavin has a large bone to pick with organized religion ever since the Prop 8 (Anti-gay marriage) commercials that used his likeness in 2008. What better time than now to keep the lid on and stymie the church’s finances/well-being going forward. Since churchgoers tend to skew older, I don’t see any services being held this year. Notice, sports with fans, movies, and churches all fall in “phase 4” of the re-opening which is when a vaccine is produced.
My issue is why are they treating the entire state like its one gigantic outbreak? Let’s take the hometown of our blog, if you look at the “Sacramento Area” (Sacramento County) last I checked we have had 54 total deaths, in a county with a population north of 2.1 million.
Sacramento County Covid-19 cased as of 05-14-2020
If I was a betting man, I would lay heavy odds 7/9ths of those deaths occurred in nursing homes.
Covid-19 deaths in Sacramento County all were over 65 years old and/or with underlying conditions
How come we cannot apply for the county to re-open? Oh, I forgot, seems we had a one person in Sac City die of Covid-19 on Tuesday, so we had to restart the “2 weeks no deaths” clock. Notice Dr. Beilenson even stated we should get a waiver from the Governor because our infection rate is low. Sorry Dr. but Gavin lives in the Sac suburb Fair Oaks, and most if not all the electeds in Sacramento reside here as well, so we are not going to re-open until it’s absolutely safe. Even when we are allowed to reopen, things will not be the same for a very long time.
As William has stated, when exactly do we think we will have a cure? Let’s be real, cancer, AIDS, the common cold, and the flu, we may have shots or feel good remedies, or in the case of cancer use a combination of tactics to defeat it, but we do not have a cure let alone a magic elixir to prevent it altogether be it a vaccine or whatever. Truth is we probably never will. With the Corona virus mutating like it has, we do not even know what we are up against. Even If we were able to find one vaccine to prevent all the various types of Covid-19, how do we mass produce it? How will it be mandated? Remember here in California, we have a large group of anti-vaxxers. To see what kind of pushback to expect from them, look no further than the recent measles outbreak and Disney or the anti-vax headquarters of wealthy Marin County. It is clear that Governor Newsom intends to mandate that everyone have whatever experimental vaccine gets to market first and damn the side effects.
Try to internalize what’s happening now. We have shutdown fairs and firework shows, and recently have moved our Junior Colleges and CSU classes to online only for the fall semester. L.A. has promised to be shut down until the end of August at the earliest. Does anyone really think we are just going to re-open everything after Labor Day as if none of this had happened? We all know that answer.
Hey, Johnnie if you were in charge, what would be different?
Given all the above, I was posed a question by 90-Day Guy asking me how I would have handled all of this if I were Governor. What follows is my answer and it may surprise some of you. Keep in mind that 90-Day Guy didn’t offer his own plans as the nightly edition of Cable’s Primetime Lineup hadn’t aired yet to tell him what to think.
As governor, my hands would have been tied. I think Newsom did well reading the initial outbreaks. It seemed like the lion’s share were in the Bay Area and parts of LA. Keep in mind the Bay Area has cases, but not many deaths. I would have kept monitoring and received daily updates from the counties themselves. Once a few Bay Area counties and LA County had their Directors of Health Services shut the county down, my hands were tied. Sacramento and a few others followed suit and I had no choice. I would have to shut the state down. (Remember that at this point in the outbreak, the experts were projecting that millions would die if we did nothing.) While many will disagree, we cannot just have people traveling all over the state to do shopping that does pose a public health risk. Yes, I would have shut it all down for two weeks, everything. No cars on the roads, as far as food goes, I guess you could leave the grocers/pharmacies open for pick up only. But what we needed was to stop the transmissions, not simply say try to stay at home but its ok to come out if you need to.
After the two weeks, I would have lifted the order, but said to the counties, it’s up to you to enforce, continue, or rescind. I would have put out suggestions like the older folks should consider staying home longer. Ditto for those with bad immune systems; leaving it up to them to form a plan with their employer. Those who are scared of their own shadow may continue to cower at home but know that we would eventually get back to normal. This would give me some insulation and make the counties do their own work. In truth the Bay Area and LA area counties would remain closed longer and maybe a smattering of more populated areas, but the rural ones would re-open in full. Boom, just like that I would be lauded for shutting down for a bit, putting no one out of work for a prolonged time, yet making folks aware of distancing.
That is precisely where Newsom went wrong. He enjoys playing king and loves power. Instead of supporting small businesses, he threatened their livelihoods by bullying them with threats of pulling their cosmetology/alcohol licenses. That behavior is rule by a dictator and an evil one at that. Newsom wants us kept at home and enjoys seeing businesses closed. Need more proof? Why is it that the government workers still get paid, essential workers get paid, and the teachers get to stay home collecting their full salaries, yet regular working families are paying a heavy price and being expected to do without with no end in sight? Most hourly employees have now gone two months without the dignity of working to support their families. The working poor are the hardest hit by this shutdown and stand to lose what little they have accumulated. Newsom has no care for them, his only solution is telling Donald Trump to print more money and give it to California because we don’t want to help ourselves.
Final Thought
Keep waiting for a cure folks, just understand we aren’t all in this together because some of us are getting paid and still doing well, it’s the rest of you we want to stay confirmed in their homes. At least until there is a cure…….
The dystopian future of Liberals in California is here and many plan to keep it that way. While the rural and more conservative leaning (think State of Jefferson) counties are opening for business with or without the blessings for Governor Newsom, the large, populated areas plan to stay locked down in perpetuity. Besides the San Francisco Bay counties, those in southern California are charting a similar course; holding out for the miracle of a vaccine to prevent Covid-19. Los Angles leaders—both city and county—say they won’t fully reopen until this magic unicorn is widely distributed.
For those of you that keep doubting, here’s yet more ammo to back-up my contention.
Los Angeles won’t completely reopen until there is a cure for the coronavirus, Mayor Eric Garcetti said in an interview Wednesday.
The mayor told “Good Morning America” co-host George Stephanopoulos the city of 4 million will continue wearing masks, working from home and practicing social distancing.
“We’ve never been fully closed, we’ll never be completely open until we have a cure,” Garcetti said.
… Los Angeles County’s top health official said the stay-home policy will last another three months.
The county’s population is about 10 million.
“We all have to all recognize that we’re not moving beyond COVID-19, we’re learning to live with it,” said Garcetti.
Los Angeles County public health Director Barbara Ferrer said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting that based on “all of the data that we’re looking at … we know with all certainty that we’ll be extending health officer orders for the next three months.”
Folks, these guys in Southern Cal are echoing our Governor on the vaccine as the necessary trigger to resume normal operations—whatever that will look like. More cold water was poured on this idea today by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, has warned that there may be no quick end to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite assertions from governments that a vaccine could be available in as little as 12 months. As CNBC reports, speaking at The Financial Times‘ Global Boardroom webinar on Wednesday, Swaminathan said, “I would say in a four- to five-year time frame, we could be looking at controlling this.”
Her comments will come as a disappointment for those who are hoping worrying about the virus could be a thing of the past by as soon as next year. Swaminathan said a number of factors impact the timeline in which we can control the virus, including containment measures, if and how the virus mutates, and, of course, whether we discover a vaccine.
She noted that while a vaccine is the “best way out,” there are a large number of uncertainties that could prolong the time it takes to put a dent into the virus’s spread. Finding a vaccine is just the first step. The logistics of making enough of the vaccine and distributing it to over 7 billion people on the planet is a monumental task.
Swaminathan isn’t the only WHO official who cautioned about thinking that the pandemic could have a short run. At a separate event yesterday, executive director of the WHO’s emergencies program, Dr. Mike Ryan, warned COVID-19 “may never go away.”
Americans want to go back to work but their government won’t let them; especially, here in California. Those that think that magic fairies will sprinkle pixie dust on everything, and we will open again in a week or two are in desperate need of recreational pot or something else.Trust me, any shelter in place order that lasts for more than four weeks requires more than the immediate attention of a doctor.
If you want more proof that barring a revolt of the people—which I think has begun—we will still be cowering in fear at the end of the year, here’s another clue for those that have the eyes to see.
The Los Rios Community College District will be moving to a fully online fall schedule due to novel coronavirus concerns, school officials said Monday in a message to staff and students.
Also, the sage Dr. Fauci poured cold water on the idea of school resuming in the fall. His comments came when questioned by Senator Rand Paul, the only Senator confirmed to have had Corona virus.
Following up on Paul’s question about reopening schools come fall, Fauci said that there is still much that researchers don’t know about the novel coronavirus and the country should not be “cavalier” in reopening institutions too quickly.
“We don’t know everything about this virus … especially when it comes to children,” Fauci said. “We ought to be careful and not cavalier.”
I know of other schools looking to continue either distance learning only or a hybrid system of part brick and mortar classes and virtual learning. They can see the likelihood of resuming traditional school fading more every week.
Ok, let’s review some other context clues that our elites plan for this to go on for many more months.
Last month, in Los Angeles, the County Supervisors announces that they will not allow any professional sporting events to be done in front of a live audience including NFL Football games.
Also, last month, KOVR TV reported that shelter in place will run thru at least October.
All county fairs and the State Fair are cancelled, again a decision made last month. The last of the county fairs were scheduled for the end of August.
Last week, Governor Newsom decreed that all elections statewide will be conducted by mail-in ballots. Were our voter rolls clean this might not be such a big deal but since we have at least 1.5 million more people registered than we have adult humans in this state that are eligible to vote, it’s promoting a criminal enterprise to make such a declaration. This declaration presupposes that Covid-19 will be here and require people to be protected from it, meaning part if not all the population will still be sheltering in place in November.
Recently, tech companies like Microsoft have stated that all employees will be working from home for at least the next five months or longer. Facebook and Google have decreed that their employees will work from home until early 2021. Twitter has said employees can work from home indefinitely.
Microsoft said that, in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, employees can work from home till October, Facebook and Google went one better and set a deadline no early than 2021, and today Twitter confirmed that employees can work from home as long as they want…
Thus the “good” liberal companies in Silicon Valley are aligned with the power elites that are planning for a prolonged siege of the country and its economy. For now, they are allies of Newsom but somehow, I don’t think Hollywood is nearly as willing to follow suit.
Newsom repeats that we will not undo this situation until we have a vaccine, and everybody has been inoculated.There is more certainty that there will never be a vaccine than one will be available in a few months. The fact is that few viruses ever have a vaccine developed for them. Lest you doubt me, try this: Where is the common cold vaccine? Where is the AIDS vaccine? We know that as of two months ago, Covid-19 had 30 different strains and more seem to be in the wild now than then. Also, remember my caution that the vaccine may be just as dangerous as the disease it claims to cure.
The metrics established by the Governor will keep all population centers far from the threshold needed for any meaningful reduction in restrictions. This will go on for months not days or weeks.
Those who think they will find themselves in church anytime soon are dreaming. When services are finally allowed, the meeting size will be limited to 50 people per service and like in Tennessee where Bibles, prayer books, hymnals, bulletins will be banned along with offerings and Communion.
The truth is that many private schools and church congregations will never meet again. I know of several churches and private schools in my county that are on the verge of insolvency. I know of one such institution that is over a million dollars in the hole as a result of the current panic. The fact is that people quit writing checks when they don’t have a job or have their hours are severely cut.
The government has failed us, the faith community is impotent, and that leaves only the people themselves to rise-up and go to work while those waiting for permission cower in their homes as life passes them by.
Willie Brown is correct, if everybody goes back to work, they will flood the zone so much that government will be unable to pull anybody’s license. Piecemeal loses but workers and business owners can act much more swiftly to take back their lives.
Better asking for forgiveness than permission is one economic lesson of life with Covid-19.
In addition to Modoc, Sutter, and Yuba counties, over the last few days Placer, San Joaquin, and El Dorado counties have also made moves to try to reopen their economies.
Placer County
Based on the requirements, Placer County won’t be in the first wave of counties to get the green light.
That’s upsetting some Placer officials. The county this week sent the governor a demand that he allow them to set their own reopening course.
“If we don’t see any action, we may be calling a special meeting to seek a legal injunction,” Placer County Board supervisor Kirk Uhler said on Thursday. Uhler said he believes the governor has overstepped his legal authority in effectively shutting down much of the economy and requiring people to stay mainly at home.
It could be the first county in California to pursue legal action against the state over Newsom’s stay-at-home orders.
“It is not up to the governor at this point to say what the rules are. We are not in a state of emergency. Get out of our way,” said supervisor Kirk Uhler. Uhler said Newsom is overstepping his authority by continuing to hold counties to the statewide order as businesses suffer.
San Joaquin County has joined a growing list of communities applying for local control over reopening.
Business owners are desperate to open and pay their bills, but increasing coronavirus cases and deaths will make it tough to meet the governor’s requirements.
“We’re now getting to a desperate stage where our economy, in order to bounce back, is going to have to step up and go to work,” said Tom Patti.
This week, El Dorado County became one of the first in California to send a proposal to Gov. Gavin Newsom outlining plans to reopen key parts of its economy.
Hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he would pull the car maker’s plant from the Golden State, the company sued Alameda county, accusing officials of “defying” state laws by refusing to allow the facility to reopen.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Twitter rant late on Saturday, that saw Musk branding California county’s chief health official “ignorant,” after the local authorities refused to give the company the green light to reopen its plant with more than 10,000 workers in Fremont due to coronavirus restrictions.
“I’m not messing around. Absurd & medically irrational behavior in violation of constitutional civil liberties, moreover by unelected county officials with no accountability, needs to stop,” Musk sounded off.
Backing up his words with deeds, Tesla wasted no time in filing a lawsuit, asking the court to declare the county-imposed ban on its operations “void and unenforceable,” while arguing that the Tesla factory has been a part of the state’s “critical infrastructure.”
Meanwhile Tesla’s Factory is open anyway
The parking lot was nearly full at Tesla’s California electric car factory Monday, a likely indication the company was resuming production in defiance of an order from county health authorities.
The lot at the massive plant in Fremont, which employs 10,000 workers, appeared to have a similar number of vehicles as it does when the factory is fully operating. A normal complement of workers would violate orders from the Alameda County Health Department, which has deemed Tesla’s Fremont factory a nonessential business that can’t open under restrictions intended to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The Times conducted an analysis to see which counties could pass just the first two criteria — whether deaths have stopped in the past 14 days, and whether there is no more than one case per 10,000 residents in that same time period. Most of California failed that test.
In fact, 95% of Californians live in counties that don’t meet that standard, The Times analysis found. Not a single county in Southern California nor the San Francisco Bay Area met the criteria.
The 24 counties that did meet the criteria, for the two-week period that ended Thursday, are all in Northern California and most are sparsely populated.
The three largest counties meeting both criteria are Placer County, population 380,000, northeast of Sacramento; Santa Cruz County, population 274,000, south of San Jose; and Butte County, population 227,000, in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada.
But so far, the authorities who have locked us in have yet to figure out how to get us out.
If they don’t figure it out soon, the public is going to find a way to get out on its own.
In fact, some counties and some professions are already opening up.
And trying to keep businesses from opening with threats of suspending their liquor licenses or cosmetologist licenses won’t work — not on a mass scale that would be needed if many people start to say: enough.
The goal of the shutdown was to curb the coronavirus and keep the hospitals from being swamped.
We kept the hospitals working, but we have yet to curb the virus and a vaccine is probably at least a year away.
In the meantime, we’re headed over the economic cliff and facing unemployment numbers the likes of which we have never seen before.
Ok, let me get this straight, California is projecting a 56-billion-dollar budget hole since they don’t want to reopen and then they asking Donald Trump and Congress to bail them out for twenty times that amount? ONE TRILLION DOLLARS Reasonable people should respond, “WTF?” Based on last year’s budget, such a bailout would allow the State to operate as usual for five years while their citizens continue to shelter in place. And my poor pastor thinks Gavin will be opening his church for worship in two weeks, dream-on both of you.
California and other Western states are asking the federal government for $1 trillion in relief for states and local governments amid the coronavirus pandemic and massive budget shortfalls that have followed.
Folks Gavin Newsom is being forced to do something no Democrat likes to do, face reality. Government doesn’t create jobs, wealth, or economic activity only the hard work of the private sector. When you’ve lost Willie Brown and Elon Musk in very public ways, it makes you wonder who has privately broken with the Governor. If you needed proof government was the problem and not the solution, you’re living it now. Oh, at his press conference last week, Newsom was lamenting that California didn’t have the power to print fiat money like Uncle Sam. As Maggie Thatcher said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.”
Final thought, in both New York and California, you are seeing the leading candidates for President in 2024 self-destruct before either declares for the office.
