There’s a good article in the Guardian.  The headline and the subhead each tell conflicting stories.  The headline, ‘Trump says briefings ‘not worth the effort’ amid fallout from disinfectant comments.‘  The subhead? ‘The President remained behind closed doors after advisors reportedly warned him that the briefings were hurting his campaign.’

It’s worth reading the original but I’ll save you some time.  Trump has been using the daily Covid-19 briefings as little campaign rallies, bragging about himself, insisting he’s doing a great job, pretending he knows things, and blaming anyone – everyone – not himself.  The thing is, daily appearances by Trump have served to expose him as the tiny-minded, flim-flam man he is.

He saw, and seized, the opportunity of the daily briefings to campaign for free.  The efforts have hurt his re-election bid.  His advisors suggested he stop so he stepped aside for a day or so with a snooty response, ‘not worth the effort.’  Like a cold sore, though, he’ll be back.  Irritating, obnoxious, demanding to be seen, he’ll be back.  The man has the self-control of a two-year old.  There’s no way he’s letting cameras focus on somebody in his administration who isn’t him for any length of time…

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The fallout from the ongoing debacle that is the Trump Administration’s handling of the current crisis is going to continue for some time to come; first illness, then financial, then illness again, and then financial some more.  All the while, this administration sits back making wrong-headed, ideological choices.

Did you know?  This is the EXACT same mistake Republicans made in the run-up to the first Republican Great Depression.  Simply put, they didn’t DO anything in response to the brewing crisis because of an ideology that suggested the economy should (and would) sort itself.  The same problem infected their thinking in the run-up to the second Republican Depression in 2008.  Can’t regulate derivatives.  That would be too much government interference.  Besides, what could go wrong?  Um…

And now they’re doing it again.  The current economy is in desperate trouble and Republicans are focusing all of their attentions on those who need help the least.  I’m not surprised.  It’s the Republican way.  “Comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted.”  Conservative media sold their consumers a bill-of-goods called ‘Supply Side Economics’ or colloquially, ‘Trickle-Down Economics.’

Of course, anyone with the sense of a stick of butter knows, now, that the whole thing was a scam that hasn’t worked, doesn’t work, and will not work.  But you know what DOES trickle?  Economic pain.  Not only does it absolutely trickle, it trickles UP.  The longer our Congress Critters ignore the plight of those at the bottom of the economic scale, the worse the subsequent economic crash is going to be.

Meanwhile, as those at the bottom suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous economic fortunes, the Trump administration is working as hard as it can to INCREASE the price of gas AND the cost of mailing a letter.  INCREASE costs on people already desperate and struggling?  Why…that IS the Republican way!

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So, the World Health Organization is coordinating worldwide efforts to find a vaccine to combat the Coronavirus.  The civilized nations are working together to find something.  They’re sharing information and coordinating efforts AND they’re committed to getting any resulting vaccine out to anybody who needs it as quickly as possible.

Victims of the Greatest Nation on Earth™, though, won’t benefit.  I mean, they COULD benefit.  The civilized nations have said they’ll include the U.S. even if the U.S. is too stupid to participate in the process (not an exact quote).  My prediction?  I think the U.S. will refuse any resultant medications.  Ideology again.

If the WHO effort succeeds and a vaccine is developed and then distributed around the world as needed, why, that would be Socialism.  (The horror!)  Besides, the pharmaceutical companies in the US won’t be able to price-gouge Americans if someone else holds the patent – or, worse yet, refuses to patent the vaccine at all and just allows it into the world.  (Oh, the humanity!)  No.  Americans are just going to have to keep dying until the U.S. develops it’s OWN vaccine that some corporation can own, control, and extort usury profits.

Political campaigns are famous for bluster and huge sweeping statements about the potential failings (and, therefore, dangers) of the opposition.  But I think this time, it’s for real.  Thinking Americans had to vote out Herbert Hoover and the Republicans in order get any relief in the 1930’s.  Thinking Americans had to vote out Bush 43 and the Republicans in order to get any relief in 2008.  Thinking Americans MUST vote out Trump and the Republicans in 2020.  These guys are literally killing Americans trying to make a buck…

I’ve long held that if the right conservative influencer told the rank and file that they could “own a lib” by driving an ice pick into one eye, you’d see a spike in one-eyed conservatives.  I have no conservative credibility, though, so the concept remained a hypothesis.  Until now.

As it happens, I was too…um…conservative in my thinking.  I STILL don’t know if they’d actually blind themselves (they would) but I DO know they’ll play Russian Roulette – just to own a lib.  Nice.

I wrote a couple of days ago that I had noticed a “movement” afoot to simply ignore the shelter in place and social distancing guidelines.  I wondered who might be encouraging such behavior.  Now the answer is coming out and no one is surprised to see various conservative groups (and money) are behind the AstroTurf movements.  One of the groups tied to the Michigan protests, for example, is the ‘Michigan Conservative Coalition.’  But THAT’S just the public face of a group called ‘Michigan Trump Republicans’ and was organized, in part, by a woman who started her career as a tea party leader and organizer.  Of course, the Tea Party was a Koch sponsored venture to undermine America.

Trump was planning to use the Obama economy to campaign on and now that the economy is in the doldrums, well, Trump is concerned so he’s supporting these actions, tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA.”  Still, there’s a bright side.  Hey, maybe they’re right.  Maybe this whole thing IS overblown.  Doctors say no but some people just trust their gut more than some educated, elitist doctor.  So?  Russian Roulette!  They’re betting their lives they’re right based on fabricated junk from conservative influencers.  Like Russian Roulette, the odds are in their favor.  But, also like Russian Roulette, those who lose, lose forever…

The people who attend these little political rallies will serve as our national canaries in the coalmine, as it were.  If they get sick and die, the rest of us will know we need to quarantine for a while longer.  If not, great!  Let’s get back to it.  In the meantime, the rest of us need to stay as far away from conservatives as we can while they marinate in their germs…

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One of the most recognizable symbols of human oppression, of forcibly taking one’s liberties, is the confederate flag.  Does anyone else find it odd to see them flying at rallies protesting the “taking of liberties?”

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I’ve made a decision.  I’m only going to highlight things the Trump administration gets right.  It will be a LOT less typing…

So…yesterday, I was talking to a conservative person I know and she suggested that about 300 people should all get together at a local beach.  The point of the gathering was to demonstrate that everyone is over-reacting to this Covid-19 thing.  It’s not a true threat, it’s an exercise in government control.  If they can make you wear a mask, they can make you do anything.

Then I see this in the Guardian: “Thousands of people protested Michigan’s stay-at-home order at the state capital. The protesters chanted “Lock her up!” in connection to Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer, even though Whitmer’s handling of the crisis receives a favorable review from 71% of Michigan residents.”

Okay, I’ll let Gretchen (we’re on a first name basis, now) explain the basic problem with the idea:

“Whitmer expressed sadness that the thousands of people who attended the protest may have jeopardized their own health by participating.
“We know this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health,” Whitmer said. “That’s how Covid-19 spreads.”
The Democratic governor added that ignoring the social distancing guidelines will likely only serve to extend the stay-at-home order.
“The sad irony here was the protest is they don’t like being in this stay at home order and they may have just caused a need to lengthen it,” Whitmer said.”

Seems obvious, right?  Okay, fine, but the question I have is, who in the conservative media is pushing the idea that banding (closely) together in public is a good idea?  Conservatives don’t come out en masse on their own.  They follow instructions.  (THEY think they’re taking suggestions…)

So…SOMEONE in some conservative media is telling these people Covid-19 is not a true threat and that people need to push back by ignoring guidelines; violate shelter in place, violate social distancing – just…screw the whole damn thing.  Owning the libs AGAIN!

I don’t think it’s Fox “News” but it’s someone with a sizeable following.  See, initially, Fox “News” had taken the same position.  That was Trump’s fault.  When HE started saying it was an over-blown non-issue – “the Democrat’s latest hoax” – Fox followed suit in defense of their “man.”  But Fox very quickly realized that they might be killing off their own audience – old people – and changed their tune.

Eventually, the followers of whomever is pushing this dangerous idea will begin to understand their error the way many conservatives learn lessons: it happens to them.  Maybe, someone they know.  It’s very likely many of the thousands who gathered outside the Michigan Capital had a great day shouting “lock her up” and they’ll go home this evening feeling very satisfied with themselves and gloating.  “See?  Out in public and I’m still alive!”

But it’s also very likely that many of the thousands who gathered outside the Michigan Capital are going to contract, pass along to – possibly kill – loved ones, and possibly even die from Covid-19 themselves.  All in a vain attempt to prove Trump’s “gut” knows more than Fauci’s knowledge.  Um…silver lining?

Well, Easter Sunday!  Apparently, that’s the day a rabbit brought Jesus back to life with chocolate eggs…or something.  Anyway, happy Easter!  Stay inside.  Remember, you’re on restriction…

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The Trump Bump and Drop Flop:
When Trump’s dithering allowed the pandemic to get going on a roll, many Americans did what Americans often do.  They got behind the President.  (Not me, I have to confess.  All day, every day, I expect the very worst from this administration and have YET to be disappointed…)  He got a little bump in the polls.  Even the people who tried to rally around him couldn’t take it for long, though.  His numbers are returning to where they were before.  People have even started calling for him to stop attending the daily briefings being the lying, petulant man-child he is.  HE thinks he’s impressing the hell out of everybody.

Trump keeps telling people what a great job he’s doing.  Yesterday, the United States took first place in the number of Covid-19 deaths.  Yay!  We’re number one!  If the goal is to kill more of  your citizens than any other country, I guess he’s right…

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Living the Con Con:
I still don’t know where my conservatives are.  On March 29, I wrote that they should be shouting from the rooftops in celebration of the complete destruction of the American dream.  Instead, they’ve disappeared from social media almost entirely.  They SHOULD be out, in force, extolling the virtues of the ineffective central government they’ve created.

As it happens, financially starving the government for 40 years forcing the various departments to adapt and make due under increasing pressure set the stage perfectly.  Putting a team of morons in charge was just the icing on the cake.

THIS – what we live in right now – is what the conservatives wanted.  They win.  They’ve destroyed our government.  The economy, I guess, was just collateral damage.  So where are they?  Why aren’t they out shouting about their “success?”

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Worse than Fox?
Apparently, our conservative brethren have a new, even MORE horrifying lying channel, ONe America Network, or ONAN.  If I understand, ONAN makes Fox “News” look almost honest.  Trump likes ONAN better than Fox.  ONAN will likely do more damage than Fox, as well, but I guess it doesn’t matter much at this point…

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The tree of liberty…
I’m opposed to revolution.  It’s so…bloody and destructive and unpredictable.  So I don’t call for revolution.  But I see it coming.  With Trump’s Covid-19 betrayal of the United States, I’ve watched the very worst of humanity trying to take every possible financial advantage of the virus despite the fact that people are dying.  Hell, probably BECAUSE people are dying.  Death can be great for profits.  Because this group of sub-human cretins insist on profit, even in the face of a human disaster, people at the bottom of the economic pile may have no choice, sooner or later, but to turn to violence…

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The ascent of the wicked…
I have long held that any existing hierarchy that has been around long enough will eventually be controlled by the very worst of humanity.  There’s a reason.  The person who advances in such a system tends to be the person most willing to do whatever they need to do to advance.  People with morals or ethics tend to self-select out.  Those people get confronted with some situation that requires some kind of ethical compromise and – from the corporate point of view – balk.

So, over time, the very worst of humanity, the people most willing to do – whatever – continue to rise through the ranks, eventually securing the corner office for themselves.  These days, it looks to me like so many of our offices and institutions are directed by the most horrible examples humanity has to offer, I don’t see a way through that doesn’t involve bloodshed.

Comments like that have a tendency to come off as hyperbole and it’s when people start to disregard me as FAR too extreme.  For the record, I’m not saying I’m absolutely right.  (It’s a solid read of history, though.)  All I’m saying is I don’t see any realistic alternatives.  But that’s just me so I invite your help.

In the comments section, please leave your view.  Where do we go from here?  We have a Federal government unwilling to help us in our struggles and incompetent to do so even if they were willing.  We have individual states battling it out to obtain needed supplies.  People who didn’t otherwise have to die, will anyway.  People who didn’t otherwise HAVE to become homeless, do anyway.  People who SHOULD have been protected by their government are instead left to their own devices in how to deal with massive corporations or even just this month’s rent.  What will desperate, abandoned people do?  How do we avoid bloodshed?

Oh, there IS one proviso: no magical thinking, okay?  No “philosophical points.”  No responses that include “if” or “maybe.”  ‘IF someone would…’ or ‘Maybe they could…’ are philosophical answers because “someone” won’t and “they” can’t…

The lying conservative media has decided to float the idea that there’s a reason  Trump’s response to Covid-19 was such a pathetic, miserable failure.  The excuse?  (Of course, I mean “explanation.”)  You may not be surprised.  Apparently, it’s the Democrats fault!  (It’s really the only story they have…)

See, the evil Dems were busily impeaching Donnie over his criminal activities (all fake news, of course) and the process kept Trump SO busy, he didn’t have time to deal with the Pandemic.  Frankly, I’m surprised by the admissions…

The first admission in that story is simply the acknowledgment that the Trump administration failed completely and in every conceivable way in it’s response to the threat.  The second admission is that Trump, even as an adult, is so limited in his brain power that he can’t focus on more than one thing at a time.  Most adults can multi-task.  It’s a thing.  And it’s really important for whomever is doing the “Presidenting…”

BUT…the third admission in that oh-so-very-poor “explanation” is that WHEN Trump, knowing his limitations and inability to focus on more than one thing at a time, realized he had TWO things demanding his attention – one threatening him, personally, and the other threatening potentially millions of Americans, Trump chose to ignore the plight of Americans and protect only himself, instead.

Narcissistic to the end…

Captain, My Captain:
I think the first thing I’d like to address is Captain Brett Crozier, Commanding Officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt being relieved of his command.  He wrote a letter – an email, actually – requesting urgent assistance for his crew.  Covid-19 had been found on board and he needed help.  He sent the email to several people, some, apparently, outside his chain of command.  Someone leaked the letter to the media and the San Francisco Chronicle printed it.  Two days later, the Navy relieved the commander.

They said he hadn’t acted professionally.  I say he was protecting his crew.  They say he had lost the ability to lead.  His crew cheered him as he left the ship.  My guess is they would have followed him anywhere.  The Navy claims they took the action on their own – no pressure from above.  That could be.  Trump has morons everywhere in government.  Perhaps they don’t need direction to do the wrong thing at every turn.  But Trump has publicly supported the decision and whiny petulance is just Trump all over.  Captain Crozier did the right thing.  The Trump administration – once again – did the wrong thing.  Maybe Captain Crozier can get his ship back after we relieve Trump of his position due to his inability to lead…

…assuming we survive Trump’s continuing bungling of the Covid-19 response…

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Primarily speaking:
Well, like everyone else, I’m in lock down.  I spend the day staying mostly indoors, staying away from people as much as possible, little to do, seeking ways to keep busy.

I’ve never enjoyed a presidential primary so much…

It crossed my mind that the primaries could continue using paper ballots.  It’s a slower process, sure, but at least things could keep moving forward.  The thing is – and, yes, I know this sounds like a conspiracy theory – you know all the brilliant, impossible victories Biden started piling up?  What if paper ballots create a surge in Bernie votes, a surge that, for some reason, isn’t captured in electronic voting machines?  My guess is, that’s the very issue the DNC is wrestling with today.

The only real solution is to cancel the rest of the primaries and “fix it” – if you will – at the convention…

…assuming we survive Trump’s continuing bungling of the Covid-19 response…

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A Covid-19 silver lining:
Having JUST said I’m in lock down, I should clarify – I’m not.  I’m “essential” (read: “sacrificial…”)  I spend a LOT of time driving.  The roads are great.  They’ve even stopped wasting time with traffic reports on the morning news.

Yeah, I know that’s a pretty thin “silver lining” but at least it’s something…

Oh, wait.  The people truly trapped inside, never get to experience and enjoy the improved traffic conditions so I guess, for them, it’s no lining at all.  Never mind…

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We’re Number One:
Well, the United States managed to mangle it’s Covid-19 response to the point of having more infections than any other nation.  We haven’t hit the highest number of deaths, yet, but I have high confidence that with this crack team in charge, we will.  We will.

Early on, I saw one of my conservative friends ripping on the Italian government in social media as the Italians struggled to contain the virus.  It was an opportunity, you see, to try and attack Italy’s socialist medical system as inefficient and ineffective.  Now that the Capitalist system shows every sign of failing even MORE spectacularly, my conservative friend has gone silent on the subject…

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Greed kills:
If so-called “Free Market Capitalism” is so great, how come every seven to ten years Democratic Socialism has to step in to save it?  Worse, since we KNOW Democratic Socialism saves Capitalism every time Capitalism fails, why not just STICK with the better system?

…assuming we survive Trump’s continuing bungling of the Covid-19 response…

So…yesterday, conservatives started touting the idea that keeping the American death toll from Covid-19 to under 200,000 would constitute a “win.”  First, I have to acknowledge the possibility that Trump is using the ‘Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott Impressive Scale’ – using inflated numbers so the actual result looks better.  But the truth is, I DO think keeping the death toll under 200,000 would be a “win.”  In fact, with this group in charge, it’ll be a freaking miracle.

To be fair, Trump really HAS done every single thing he knows to do in combating this virus.  He tried ignoring it.  He tried calling it names.  He deflected responsibility and blamed anyone – everyone – else.  All the while, he has lied, lied, lied AND tried to convince anyone who would listen how great he is.  I mean, c’mon!  How much can one person do?  Eventually, he was forced to turn to (horror of horrors) science.   And experts.  Trump HATES science and experts and you can see it in his face every time Dr. Fauci refutes some “gut instinct” Trumps spews.

The thing is, this administration wasn’t built to wield the powers of government effectively.  This administration was built specifically to destroy the government.  The person in charge of any given department was put there, apparently, because of how much they effing HATE that department.  Who better to destroy it?  So is there really any chance this collection of ‘Keystone Kops’ is suddenly going to become a lean, mean administrative machine capable of…well, just…capable?  No.

That leaves it to the individual states.  Fifty different responses to the problem.  The states that insist on getting it wrong (like Florida – always Florida) will continue to be a problem for any state that gets it right.  That is to say, the red states are likely to continue to infect and then re-infect blue states for the foreseeable future.

Back on the Federal level, the two main concerns of the Trump maladministration at this point seem to be 1) Trump’s re-election and 2) profits – in that order.  Putting the health and well-being of Americans in third position – and at the mercy of Capitalists – can only aggravate the problem, long-term.  It’s very short-sighted.  Dead Americans commonly don’t buy as much as living Americans.

The current reports are that the trump team is supporting requests for medical equipment from red states but shorting – and chastising – requests from blue states because, of course he is.  This likely reflects Trump’s belief that the virus has a political agenda but tends to expose Trump’s own agenda: apparently, if 200,000+ people are going to die, Trump thinks they should be Democrats.  (Sorry, Michigan Republicans.  I guess you get what you vote for…)

So get comfortable, my fellow Americans.  Thanks to all the trumpery, it looks like we’re going to be in quarantine for a LONG time to come.  I hope the wine holds out…