Unmasking the Stupid 0
Brian Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun, marvels at Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s determined effort to ignore reality. A snippet:
Oh yeah. I do have an idea. The person who is supposed to lead this nation refuses to wear a mask. He refuses to believe the virus is real. And he refuses to even mention the fact that he has completely blown the country’s response to the pandemic. And he’s blown it not only in the first instance but in every instance thereafter.
And DeSantis, for one, doesn’t dare do what he knows is best for Floridians and all those with whom they come into contact. Because he doesn’t dare cross President Donald Trump publicly, out of a cultish devotion or fear of reprisal, or both. Even Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is waking to the fact that COVID-19 kills and is moving his state to a more enlightened status.
But DeSantis chooses to do stupid. And, by Gump’s definition, that makes him stupid.
Elsewhere, Paul Krugman points out that “Americans didn’t fail the COVID-19 test; Republicans did.”
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to those who come to your aid in your time of need.
Sheriff Wade said the manager of the nearby Econo Lodge motel and a female driver who witnessed the accident went over to assist Guiford when he began to fire a gun from inside his truck.
Shortly after, Sheriff Wade reported that Guiford got out of his truck, shot the motel manager in the leg, then attempted to cross the highway.
A Grave Discussion 0
While we’re on this topic, I suggest that you read Vinita Mehta’s post at Psychology Today Blogs exploring why right-wingers don’t take the threat of COVID-19 as seriously as persons elsewhere on the political spectrum.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Monumental Errors 0
My local rag published the letter I wrote to the editor on Monday. You can find it on their website, but I’ll save you the trouble. Here is the text:
I find myself bemused by those who refer to the removal of Confederate monuments as “erasing history.”
Let’s consider the history.
Almost all of the monuments in question were erected in the 1890s and early 1900s coincident with the imposition of Jim Crow and the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan. They were intended to remind freed slaves and their descendants of their “place” and of who was in charge. They memorialized, not gallantry on the battlefield, but racism, oppression, and theft of labor in daily life.
When invoking history, invoke the history that was, not the history that was made up.
Blown Smoke 0
David deconstructs a strawman argument.
This, by the way, is a frequent tactic of persons who do not have the facts on their side. It’s not always a right-wing tactic, but often is because the facts lean left.
Groundwork? 0
I hope that Jason330 is wrong, but I think his point is worthy of consideration.
Them’s the Brakes 0
In a related vein, Jamelle Bouie comments on Donald Trump’s isolationism–from news, that is.
Image via The Bob Cesca Show Blog.
A Tune for the Times 0
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The Trump Kool-Aid 0
Thom and Dr. Justin A. Frank discuss the similarities between Donald Trump and cult leaders and the source of Trump’s appeal to the Trumpettes.
Immune Response, Reprise 0
Andie Dominick of the Des Moines Register interviewed ER doctor Tom Benzoni about COVID-19 in Iowa and published an edited version of the transcript on its editorial page. Here’s a tiny bit; follow the link for the rest (bold type is used to indicate a question).
Any thoughts for people who don’t think the virus is real or a threat?
Gravity is just a theory. You can go ahead and walk out a second-story window because gravity is a theory. The virus doesn’t care what you believe.
Great Moments In Zoom 0
You can’t make this stuff up. (And you wouldn’t want to.)
Full Disclosure:
I’ve attended two Zoom meetings.
Both were private, by invitation only, and neither was Zoombombed. And, I must say, Zoom seemed to work quite nicely on my Android devices.
I think part of the security problems Zoom had was because, four months ago, hardly anyone had heard of Zoom. Then all of a sudden everyone was trying to use it. And, per security maven Bruce Schneier, Zoom is making progress on the security front.
Immune Response 0
Writing at Psychology Today Blogs, Nathan Heflick discusses the results of a survey that indicates that many persons may be unreasonably optimistic about their ability to escape COVID-19. He finds the implications of their optimism disturbing.
A snippet:
Follow the link for the complete article.