“Casting oneself as Anne Frank for having to wear a two-dollar cloth mask at Walmart during the worst pandemic in a century would be a stretch for most people in the world, but not American movement conservatives.” — a look at how conservatives are treating a life-or-death crisis as just another culture war issue. Which means “owning the libs” and supporting Trump by not being sensible. Case in point, a guy whining to Costco employees that he shouldn’t have to wear a mask in their store because freedom! Or the man who allegedly shot a Waffle House cook in a dispute over mask-wearing.
As a former tourist-town resident, I can identify with Amsterdam’s relief that the Trump Virus has shut down tourism. And it’s also shutting down money laundering in Los Angeles.
Richard Burr has gotten a lot of flak, deservedly, for selling stock after he learned how bad COVID-19 would get. Insider trading is nothing new for Burr.
Our other senator, Thom Tillis, is ready to punish China for its role in creating a pandemic. Somehow I don’t think he’ll punish Trump.
Rich people are happy to discuss how we may have to sacrifice some lives to keep the economy going. I notice none of those interviewed discuss sacrificing some of their money to keep human life going. Sort-of related: the trolley problem test of our willingness to sacrifice for the greater good doesn’t work very well.
How will COVID-19 alter us? In crisis situations elsewhere, “Planning tends to be tentative and short-term. People cultivate moments of joy when danger recedes, knowing it might not last. Violence and disruption remain painful, but at least there is no expectation of normalcy or control to shatter. Pain runs deep, but so does resilience.”
Georgia found a simple way to lower Trump Virus infection rates — oh, wait, it didn’t, the state simply reported day-by-day infection dates out of order to make it look like they were going down.
Oh, joy, a new COVID-19 symptom.
“If you’re a thief, accuse your enemies of thievery.”
What we should be doing to fight the pandemic. But it’s unlikely we will because, Trump. By contrast the Indian state of Kerala has its shit together on this.
In non-Trump Virus news:
Tired of robocalls? Business groups are arguing that one part of the government’s robocall restriction law is invalid so the Supreme Court should throw out the whole thing.
Milk companies told a dairy farmer he needed to dump his milk. Instead he sold it directly to customers.
Scientists are working on ways to save Minnesota’s forests from global warming.
Now that’s courage: armed black citizens are patrolling the white neighborhood where Ahmaud Arbery got shot.
Theocrat Rick Santorum’s claim that separation of church and state is un-American. And a woman in Nebraska is suing all the gay people for being gay.
