7/31/2020 On Moving the Election and Mailing It In.

First of all I think President Trump's tweet about moving the election date is a dumb idea. He's trolling someone or someone(s). Judging by the newspapers and press, it worked.

The left seems intent on a wholesale move to mail in voting. It's something I could support if not for these two not insignificant objections:

1. Fraud. Denying there will be fraud and telling me it's paranoia or whatever for me to believe it to be so isn't a compelling argument. Anyone who would either buy into lies or lie themselves to justify a coup d'état by high level CIA, FBI, DOJ, Treasury, and State Dept. people, and who would also justify arson, violence, rioting, and defacing and vandalizing federal properties and personnel will also deny fraud even on a massive scale. You can't convince me that people who would run a coup d'état operation wouldn't run a mail in ballot fraud scheme.

2. Ballot counting will be a historic and epic clusterfuck (that's Marine talk for an embarrassment). It will be an absolute nightmare. There will be a combination of incompetence and (criminal) mischief at unprecedented levels across the country, everywhere where ANY objection can be leveled against the results or lack thereof. I would be beyond shocked if there wasn't ongoing, widespread conflict over results across the country still taking place after Jan 1, 2021. Every undesired outcome across the country will be challenged in courthouses, statehouses, the Congress and Senate. The meltdown will be the biggest embarrassment in US election history. Rioting? You ain't seen nothing yet!

Were it not for these two serious objections, I'd be all for it. But for way too many people in our great country, right and wrong have been subordinated to partisan party's desires. After watching some of the Barr hearing this week, and now hearing that the Appeals Court in D.C. will hear Judge Sullivan's en banc request, I don't think you can convince me that a nationwide mail-in voting system can be done honestly and efficiently.

7/29/2020 Because Trump

People who are willing to excuse the framing and setting up of a US President in a coup d'état by US intelligence and law enforcement agencies and agents... because Trump,

who are also willing to excuse violent assault and attempted destruction of US courthouses and other government properties... because Trump,

and who are willing to excuse the slander of i high school student who wore a MAGA hat.... because Trump,

WILL ALSO excuse massive and unprecedented voter fraud, election fraud, and election interference by big tech firms... because Trump.

People's hierarchy of values and moral code are being exposed daily as fully dependent and subordinate to their politics. When wrong becomes right... because Trump.

7/22/2020 CCP Virus in Charlotte County Update

My county reported 30 new cases of the CCP Virus yesterday, with 0 new deaths, and 295 new cases and 3 deaths in the last week. We currently have 55 people hospitalized with the virus.

 

 

My biggest concern about the CCP Virus continues to be our elderly population. As more and more data becomes available, it's becoming clear to me that while this virus is extremely unlikely to kill otherwise healthy children and young adults, it is very dangerous to elderly people and people who have other serious health issues even if they're not older persons.

And coupled with that concern for the elderly, is a concern for how much this virus is spreading at this time. Even in light of disturbingly bad data due to false positives and shoddy accounting methods, this stuff, if not quite as deadly as first though, is still spreading. When comparing this virus to other pandemics, flus, and colds, the high transmission rate of this virus can't be ignored. And a lot of people are ignoring it. Yeah, they are.

 

Caroline and I went to try out our camper a few weeks ago, right before Independence Day. We stayed at a local campsite, checked in and out by phone, never went to the office or used common areas even one time. We kept the same isolation quarantines as we do at home, just at the campsite, using our camper same as we do the house. Not everyone was doing likewise.

In the sites next to ours during the morning hours after our first night a couple of campers made an early departure. Shortly thereafter four adjoining sites just to the east of ours filled up with four families who were obviously making a 4th of July weekend rendezvous. There were three travel trailers and one pop-up. In between to four campers they set up a couple of screened in awnings. And they socialized. No perceptible distancing, masks, or other indications that there is a pandemic. The groups seemed to be in their 50's and 60's, just by appearances. We didn't meander over and join them for a beer or social visit.

I have to presume these people all know each other. And I think that's where people are letting their guard down and where the virus is making "progress" from its point of view. Poeple tend to feel safe around their own families and friends. And each time you're with family and friends, you're also with their family and friends by proxy. Whoever they were around in the last week or so isn't around you, but if they were exposed to the virus, their little piece of the CCP Virus just might be. Our own dear friends and families have had some seemingly safe gatherings. Out of town visits with the kids and grandkids, family gatherings at the beach and shore for the annual get together there, weddings, etc. Even I flew to Albany, NY for my dear Uncle's funeral. Afterward, a small group of family did gather, and that evening I did eat and my aunt's house with dear cousins who were there. I knew the trip on the plane and the visit was a risk, so I isolated myself afterward for two weks and I also got tested for the virus. Caroline just went to KY to get some things done in our condo to prepare for a kitchen renovation. She had limited contact, except with our son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and a dear friend. But the flight and the visits ARE a risk. Period. We know that and are behaving accordingly.

 

Yes, all those interactions do SEEM harmless. "It's just my brother, sister, and their families from out of state." "It's just my cousins and aunts and uncles, they're all being careful. I'm sure it's OK." "Well, we hadn't seen this part of the family for so long, how could we say no?" I get it, and seeing "them" seems a risk worth taking. Well, the young people "they've" been in contact with aren't likely to die of the virus. It doesn't mean that "they" don't have it. And if you are or were around them, and they are or were infected, you CAN catch it. And maybe you're not likely to die from it, either. Yoiu're in your 40's or 50's or even your 60's. A few days after everyone went home, your 80+ year old mom just called. Her air conditioner is out. Or her washing machine won't work. Or she needs someone to take her to a doctor's appointment for some serious issue. Do you know you didn't catch CCP Virus from your family reunion? The wedding? The camping trip rendezvous? The annual beach house get together? The 4 or 5 couple dinner party you went to at your neighbor's house on Monday evening?

"OK, mom, I'll be right over." I don't know. My personal feeling is that if we're not going to be extremely cautious with our socialization with extended family and friends, then we'd better be doubly and triply cautious with the elderly. And if that elderly person depends on you, like life and death depends on you, then you ought to be more careful and less casual.

7/14/2020 Latest Testing Numbers and Thoughts

I haven't posted a new update in a few days. Charlotte County, Florida, has 54 new CCP Virus cases today, with 0 new deaths from the virus. The totals for the last week (I am NOT sure if that's the most recent 7 calendar days or the most recent Sunday to Saturday type 7 days) is 270 new cases and 1 new death.

 

 

Down here in Florida they are testing like mad. We are approaching 3 million tests. In my county alone, there have been 15984 tests, total, and 1212 positives (7.9%), of which 79 have passed away (6.5% of positives). I have been monitoring these numbers pretty regularly, and I believe the actual percentage of fatalities compared to positives for June is quite a bit lower than the 6.5% overall number, and that July will be lower still, in the less than 1% range, something closer to .4% or even lower.

Why? Well, first off, the virus is hitting younger people now. Secondly, the hospitals are doing a much better job treating patients, including use of controversial medicines and NOT using ventilators in the same manner they did early on which was a disaster of epic proportions. Lastly, the data is still awful, but the data in March, April, and May was much worse, as testing lagged and the snapshot was so small it was extremely misleading.

 

 

Yes, there are a LOT of positive tests coming back now, as they are testing an incredible number of people. But if the mortality rate stays at something below 1/2 of 1% (or even lower), at what point do we shift attention to identifying and protecting vulnerable people and allow others to return to normal? I don't know the precise answer, but the most disturbing aspect of the opinions I've seen posted on it is that they fall out along political lines with near 100% uniformity. That tells me that nearly everyone in both the left and right echo chambers are making their minds up based on partial information, and rejecting anything that challenges their echo chamber orthodoxies. Not healthy.

7/7/2020 The Propaganda War on White People

Grand Teton, Glacier, and Denali Photos in my man cave.

I have refrained from writing this piece for two days. After the interactions I had on a post on Facebook left me frustrated and stressed out, I came across this, and it rankled me. What got me so much under the skin on this is, I love our National Parks. The picture above was taken in my man cave. Treasured places that mean EVERYTHING to me.


Onward. I will be short and sweet. This (below) was tweeted by ABC News. You can find the story yourself, I won't be giving ABC any mouse clicks if I can help it. The tweet has three main elements and it illustrates very simply the culture war against white Americans that is going on right now. We are being dehumanized intentionally.

 

It refers to venturing into parks, campgrounds, and forest lands "THAT REMAIN STUBBORN BASTIONS OF SELF-SEGREGATION"

If you look closely at the ABC screen in the tweet, it refers to "THE GREAT WHITE OUTDOORS IN THE US."

And lastly, right below that it says, "NATIONAL PARKS FACE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS OVER RACE".

Friends, I have had it with these motherf***ers! Last I checked, our parks are for all of us. I've been in several in the last few years. People of all colors, religions, and nationalities, especially U.S. citizens, go there to love our country and commune with our world. It seems to me like the attack on whiteness is being waged in an all out war now.

And people shake their heads and wonder why we hate the fake news anti-American propagandists of mainstream press and networks. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse and I couldn't hate them any more.....

7/2/2020-2 The Three Biggest CCP Virus Blunders in the US, and Who to Blame?

In my layman's opinion, these are the three biggest blunders we made dealing with the CCP Virus, and who I feel bears the blame:

1. Excessive use of ventilators early on in the pandemic. Unbeknownst to medical personnel, even though the CCP Virus acted like other respiratory ailments, using ventilators on the CCP Virus, unlike those others did more harm than good. We'll probably never know how many people who might otherwise have survived perished due to damage the ventilator did to their lungs. It was more than a few, a lot more. There's a reason we stopped hearing about ventilator shortages fairly early on. But the blame? Nobody. How were doctors supposed to know until they found out. I think it's unfair to blame the doctors who treated similar symptoms in a similar fashion to detrimental effects. How could they have been expected to know? I think it's unfair to accuse them for this blunder.

2. Public officials from both parties encouraged people to go out and shop, go to restaurants, parades, etc., until well into March. At that time they still didn't fully grasp the communicability of this virus. They were still going on bad "not transmissible from person to person" information. As it became clearer and clearer that this was really bad scoop, one by one cities, states, and our Federal Government all changed their tunes. But initially, that was not the premise they went by. I blame the Communist Chinese government and their loyal sycophants at the World Health Organization for this. The Chinese coverup, aided and abetted by the WHO got us off on the wrong footing altogether. A little transparency in fall of or late 2019 would have gone a long way to help us fight this thing better earlier on in 2020 when it was KNOWN to have reached our shores.

3. The third and by no means least of the blunders has to be the deadly Nursing Home blunder. Fearing a massive shortage of hospital beds, officials put CCP Virus patients into nursing homes alongside our most vulnerable elderly citizens. In New York City, the Federal Government set up a field hospital in Central Park, another at the Javits Center, and sailed a hospital ship into the harbor to augment local medical facilities and staffs. In my estimation, by that time the New York governments, City and State, were convinced they'd use all the hospital beds, all the nursing home beds, and all the temporary hospitals the Federal Government set up and STILL might run out of space. Well, they were wrong. And I think it is a fair question to ask, why didn't they use the Federal beds as the first overflow and hold the nursing homes in reserve, rather than the other way around? Well, it is easy for political reasons to blame Cuomo, as I have read from many. I think that may be unfair. As in #2, first I lay blame on the Communist Chinese, it was their withholding information that had New York scrambling in the dark. What I don't know is, were the nursing homes seeking those patients for financial gains, as there were incentives for having CCP Virus cases. If it was the corporate greed of these organizations that wanted patients BEFORE the Federal beds were used, then shame on and blame on them. It was no doubt a massive blunder, but to me too easy to blame Governor Cuomo and overlook the Chinese government. I strongly suspect the corporate greed was a major factor, but I haven't seen or read specific stories that give evidence that this impacted patient location prioritization.

So those are the three biggies if you ask me. This has been a learn as you go exercise. And if you ask me, if you're blaming Fauci and politicians left and right, but not pointing a finger at the Chinese, you're doing it wrong.

Masks, closures, and Hydroxychloroquin are the three runners up, but in my opinion, not to the extent of these three.

7/3/2020 On Vigilance, Sensationalization, Morons in Alabama

After my trip to NY for Uncle Frank's funeral, I put myself into a 14 day lockdown. Other than my wife, I've had absolutely minimum contact with any and all other persons. I was nervous about the flights to and from Albany, as there were a lot of passengers on my flights who seemed pretty casual about CCP Virus concerns. My flight up was on the 18th. Don't you know the same flight a week later, the 25th, at least 3 passengers have come down with the virus. My caution was well founded. Even at our camping shakedown cruise campsite this week, we checked in and out by phone and stayed away from the pool, from other campers, and the camp office, etc.

 

Wink News Story 

On a related note, in the interest of the same caution I referenced, last Thursday I went to get tested for the virus at one of the Florida Department of Health mobile sites, a walk up site in the parking lot of our Publix. They said 3-5 days for results, which would be delivered by telephone, and if none was received in 4 days they gave me an email address I should write to. Assuming they meant 'business days', I wrote the address yesterday after we got home. So far, still waiting.

Meanwhile, local news reports the number of cases is skyrocketing. I'm fine with reporting accurate information that will get the attention of people who are full on cavalier about this stuff. But one report did irk me. They reported an 11 year old died from the virus, 'the youngest victim of the virus in our state, yet'. But then within the report they told us that this unfortunate 11 year old had very serious ongoing medical problems. While I am trying to take the damned virus seriously and exercise caution and consideration, reports like that one, breathlessly pushing the big numbers, then fanning the flames about the youngest victim in our state yet just set off my bullshit detector.

While reports of people infected on the same flight I was on, albeit a week later get my attention and help to keep me focused and to remain vigilant, reports like the one on the news last night make me feel as if I'm being manipulated and misled. Can't the damned press just play it straight and give us the facts? The goddamned virus is sensational enough without television news bullshit.

 

Oh, and speaking of cavalier, I read about kids in Alabama having a party and trying to see who could catch the CCP Virus first. How goddamned stupid are these kids? Are their parents proud? Are they trying to kill grandpa and grandma? Morons.

Now, where in the hell are my damned test results?