DAY 243: "This Month in Covid History (August 2021)"

08-03 --- Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson (R) regrets previous mask mandate ban

08-04 --- Covid-denier radio host Dick Farrell dies of COVID-19

08-04 --- Macon County coroner removes COVID-19 from death certificates

08-04 --- Texas GOP anti-vaxxer H Scott Apley dies of COVID-19

08-10 --- Florida changes Covid data to downplay recent surge

 

08-10 --- YouTube suspends Rand Paul (R) after his misleading video on masks

08-11 --- Anti-vax Rand Paul admits to stock interest in Remdesivir since Feb 2020

08-11 --- TN Rep David Byrd (R) survives Covid with new liver, prohibits mandates

08-13 --- Mississippi Gov Tate Reeves (R) dismisses Covid as just 'sniffles' 

08-14 --- Mississippi honor student Mkayla Robinson, age 13, dies 1 day after diagnosis 

 

08-15 --- Cornwall, England superspreader festival leads to 4,700 infections  

08-15 --- Religious, Covid conspiracist Jimmy DeYoung dies from COVID-19

08-15 --- S.Dakota superspreader Sturgis rally concludes with rampant infections

08-16 --- Anti-vax goon squad threatens Walmart pharmacists at Springfield, MO

08-16 --- Civil-rights legend Lucille Times, age 100, dies of COVID-19

 

08-16 --- Florida Hillsborough County Schools report 6,000 affected by COVID-19

08-16 --- Galveston anti-vax parents die of COVID-19

08-17 --- Toxic Texas Gov Greg Abbott (R) tests positive for COVID-19

08-18 --- Ambulances unavailable in Mobile, Alabama as Covid cases surge

08-19 --- Actor & martial arts legend Sonny Chiba, age 82, dies of COVID-19

 

08-19 --- Lt. Gov Dan Patrick (R) blames Texas Covid surge on "African-Americans"

08-19 --- North Texas hospitals consider triage for the unvaccinated

08-21 --- Vax-skeptic radio host Phil Valentine dies from COVID-19

08-22 --- FL Gov DeSantis' policies lead to record-breaking 228 Covid deaths per day

08-23 --- FDA fully approves 1st Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

 

08-23 --- Judge orders Ohio hospital to treat Covid patient with horse de-wormer

08-24 --- New C.1.2 variant may be more infectious & evade vaccine protection

08-26 --- FDA recommends against use of horse de-wormer to treat COVID-19 

08-26 --- Mississippi Gov Tate Reeves pitches 'eternal life' as cure for pandemic fears

08-27 --- Blues-rocker Eric Clapton releases new anti-vax anthem

 

08-27 --- NRB fires Pastor Dan Darling for endorsing Covid vaccines 

08-27 --- US Intelligence review fails to find exact origins of Coronavirus

08-28 --- 'Mr Anti-Vax' radio host Marc Bernier dies of COVID-19

08-28 --- Texas anti-mask organizer Caleb Wallace dies from COVID-19

08-29 --- Pennsylvania anti-mask candidate threatens school board members

DAY 231: "Reaction Report, part 9"

     As planned, Bat received his 2nd Pfizer shot on Wednesday, exactly three weeks since his 1st (and well in time for his family get-together at Grandma's place). 

     The store pharmacist applied alcohol before he had the chance to say his skin was allergic, but aside from itchy redness later, it didn't present the usual symptoms (full-blown hives).

     She did say he might possibly develop flu-like symptoms, particularly muscle aches, but this is already a condition for someone living with muscular dystrophy. 

     As for other side effects, he had a headache early this morning, and this brought about a nauseous episode, also a common experience for him. But an hour later he was fine.

     Upon leaving his appointment Wednesday, he bought sun-blocker for the vacay and a few cans of beer for the more immediate weekend. We got tortas-to-go at the local Mexi-truck and caught the bus a few minutes later. 

     Now the whole house is fully vaccinated -- just as the next round of booster shots gets underway.

     Meanwhile, 99% of the Third World still has no access to vaccines, as these are predominantly shipped to industrialized nations. Given that we're throwing so many away, we ought to insist that unwanted vials be sent abroad. Afghanistan, India, and South Africa come to mind.

DAY 225: "Randism"

      Years ago, the soundbytes of an open forum between libertarian Congressman Ron Paul and Wolf Blitzer shocked many of us when the audience in attendance registered their tacit approval of the merits of allowing the uninsured to die without medical care, as this was perceived as being a necessary condition of living in a truly "free" society.

     Said Paul at that moment: "That's what freedom is all about, taking your own risks." Nevermind any of those risks to which humans might be subject on a daily basis, such as navigating the ideologically unregulated toxins in their food, air, water, and medications.

     Libertarians are quick to label such circumstances as some form of "responsibility" but they refuse to admit to the duties bestowed upon us as stewards of good citizenry. Paul and his ilk would never let anything like education, compassion, equity, or health get in the way of making a good dollar.

     To beat back regulation they would have you convinced that it's solely up to you to dodge transmissible viruses or excessive heat by simply pulling-up hard on your own bootstraps.

     To that end we can decode the latest death threats issued this week from DeSantis, Abbott, Noem & Rand Paul (himself the product of daddy Ron Paul's life work). By continuing to circulate disinformation about masks, vaccines and variants, these four and scores like them can accomplish quite a lot while preaching "feedumb!" to the masses.

     They can, in effect...

 •  Impede the administrative aims of President Biden.

 •  Bolster faith by disparaging science, and thus maintain religious hierarchies.

 •  Euthanize minorities and the poor.

 •  Destroy public schools by proscribing mask mandates & further lockdowns…a handy excuse to withhold public funding, divert tax dollars to charter schools, teach creationism, and finally repeal the Age of Enlightenment.

 •  And, perhaps most importantly, make a profit. Take for example the covid-treatment medication Remdesivir. Manufactured by the biblically-named Gilead (a company known for its kickback schemes), Remdesivir is quite a bit more costly than, say, a free & effective vaccine. Furthermore, as has been revealed only yesterday, the wife of the aforementioned anti-vax Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, has owned stock in Gilead since February of the previous year, thus exposing his motivations for trivializing the dangers from COVID-19.

     Even now, their new edifice to Moloch slouches toward Meggido to be reborn. Our nation's children are the latest sacrifice meant to satisfy free marketeers in Government and those in the corporate think tanks responsible for their reckless jabber. Finally maskless, these ghouls have shown us their true faces and it's up to us as a united body to recognize it.