I Love Yew, Texas UPDATED And UPDATE to the UPDATE and The Holy Cow Will This Ever End UPDATE
Okay, this may turn out to be my favorite story all year.
Remember when Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick said it would be some kind of damn honor for old people to up and die of the virus if it meant saving the economy? And remember how Dan and Gov Greg Abbott decided to reopen Texas and now we’re the nation’s hot spot and all our ICUs are full so if you’re in a car wreck, take an aspirin and call the doctor in the morning. Remember that?
And remember how Dan and Greg are saying we should open the schools for little children next month because, well damn, they don’t take up much space in the ICUs. You could pack two or three of them in one room.
And remember how you didn’t hear a peep from them about the Texas Republican Party holding an in-person meeting in Houston next week because they didn’t want to piss off their base?
Well, sit back and grin, my friend.
The Republican Party of Texas is moving forward with its controversial in-person convention during the coronavirus pandemic — but elected officials including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will be giving their scheduled speeches virtually.
“All the elected officials are switching from a live, in-person speech to videos,” Kyle Whatley, the party’s executive director, said during a town hall livestreamed Tuesday night.
As our friend Anna the Geek told me at 11:00 last night when this news broke, “I keep thinking of the line ‘Some of you may die, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make’ from Shrek.”
So, the Republican Party of Texas came up with some story that is taller than it is wide about how Dan and Greg are doing as a sacrifice to help the convention go faster and get party business done. They said this will help to “get everybody in and out of there as safely as possible.” They decided absolutely not to come up with a story about how this would help that.
Congratulating themselves on weaseling out of this death watch.
Thanks to Anna the Geek for being the first to let me know!
UPDATE:
Whole New UPDATE:
The Texas Republican Party on Tuesday rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner’s formal request to call off its in-person convention, putting the GOP on track to hold Houston’s largest indoor event since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
James Dickey, chairman of the Texas GOP, in a statement said the party has been “proactive in implementing safety measures” and had “extensive conversations” with Houston First, the public nonprofit that serves as the city’s convention arm and operates the George R. Brown Convention Center. The convention is set to take place there from July 16 to 18.
“With these precautions currently in place, the Republican Party of Texas intends to proceed with an in-person convention next week in Houston,” Dickey said.
The ball is in your court, Mr. Mayor.
And it’s settled.
And they can’t whine because not even their elected officials were willing to attend. Well, they can whine and most assuredly will whine. The best response is to call them losers.
Whoever is surprised by this hasn’t been paying attention.
1I believe it was Molly Ivins who called Texas
2“the national laboratory for bad government”
Re-posting from yesterday (I thank the person who responded on that thread; Gohmert, yikes)). Question for JJ & other Texans here: my unemployed 30 yo son is looking for work and most of the openings are in Texas. He’s currently living with us in Oregon where COVID-19 cases are rising but our governor has been proactive so it’s been fairly sane. I’m worried about him moving to Texas – he’s anxious for work – his type of work is very competitive – but he’s willing to chance it. The current possibility is in Tyler. He would be in contact with the public some of the time and they are taking precautions to limit the numbers of visitors who are encouraged but not required to wear a mask (he would be). Should I be worried? Advise him not to move? His health is generally good, but as we know that’s no indication of how the virus will affect one.
3Hannah, I saw the post yesterday and was hoping somebody had a better handle on this than I do. Tyler is in deep east Texas, where culture is not appreciated. It does, however, have beautiful roses. I have no idea what the situation is there but I would suspect it’s much like the rest of Texas. Should you be worried about him? Yes, you should worry about your kids no matter wherever they are. Should you advise him not to move? No. He’s 30 years old. Let him make his own decisions and stand by whatever decision he makes. Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.
4The secret entrances and exits can’t be used? The Texas GOP are a funny bunch. Distancing themselves and showing up in virtual format. I think those who are planning to attend should do so virtually also. Patrick and Abbott are leading by example – by not showing up. So, they don’t need anyone there. I wouldn’t pay to go to a concert if the stars were “phoning it in” You can’t even say you met them or “saw them live” – ’cause they won’t be there. Stay home and watch on the tv.
5Sometimes you can’t just tell a petulant child not to touch a hot stove, you have to take their hand and remove them from the stove. That’s what Turner needs to do regarding this convention. Just like the Florida national convention, McConnell and others are graciously “letting” someone else take a turn. Abbott and Patrick need to have their hands held to the hot stove!
6Karma Headlines: Keeping it real!
S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem
The thanks of a grateful nation
7*****************************
full article:
https://triblive.com/news/politics-election/south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-exposed-to-coronavirus-joined-trump-on-jet/
A lot of people (say they) are too nice to wish the ‘rona on anyone, not even the orange patootie, but I’m not one of them. I sincerely hope the bugger gets sick and lingers for a long while on a ventilator before he dies ignominiously, and I willingly accept the karma for saying so.
8I don’t want him to die, BillR. I just want him to experience ICU and the ventilator and then recover with a bunch of non-disappearing aftereffects. Let him fully experience what he is forcing on others and live to regret another day. We don’t need Pence and Mother to take over before the election. Oh, yeah, and I want to see his ass handed to him in the election. So there’s that.
9There is a portable instant results testing machine at the White House and no shortage of materials to do daily tests Anyone who might get anywhere near him is tested
10BillR @ 8 AK Lynne @ 9 The GOP and their 1% unfazed owners can soak it up big time. Absolutely!
Although its not happening to everyone this way…
************************************
How bad can a covid infection become? Extreme!
Nick Cordero: Broadway star dies aged 41 of coronavirus complications
He presumably had access to top flight medical care.
Edit: Cordero entered the emergency room on 30 March and had a succession of health setbacks including mini-strokes, blood clots, sepsis infections, a tracheostomy and a temporary pacemaker implant. He had been on a ventilator and unconscious and had his right leg amputated. A double lung transplant was being explored.
article:
11https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/06/nick-cordero-broadway-star-dies-aged-41-of-coronavirus-complications
I’m sorry!!! I know I’m a bad Christian but I just can’t stop snickering! Karma, oh Karma! Where art thou? In Texas!
12BILLR @ 8,
I’d read his obit with great pleasure.
13Dan & Greg in their Quest For The Holy Republican Grail,
refuse to take Dr. (Tim the Enchanter) Fauci seriously (“I warned you!”) and send in someone other than themselves to battle The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, while they hide safely behind a rock:
https://youtu.be/tgj3nZWtOfA
14@BillR #8 & AK Lynne #9 I too would like him to experience ICU and a ventilator and recover with after effects, loose ignominiously in November then get prosecuted in January by NY State. I would like him to dissolve into Altzheimers after incarceration
15AK Lynne @9 and bananas @15, I’m easy. That works for me too.
16Hannah @3, see the CDC COVID tracker website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/county-map.html , Tyler is in Smith County sort of in northeast Texas. My friend Lee Hancock, formerly of the Dallas Morning News’ Tyler bureau, says that Tyler is “behind the Pine Curtain.”
17Of course then we’d have to deal with the Base wanting to sanctify him.
18I saw a clip of Abbott saying that opening bars was a mistake. He did not say it was his mistake. Or that some experts had said beforehand that it would be a mistake.
Anyway, I am ready for Dan Patrick to go ahead and die for coronavirus control and if, perchance, that did not slow the virus then he would still be dead, so that’s something.
19No matter how much they test, there’s always someone else with the virus. No matter how much he twists and turns and whines and crys, there’s always the virus.
He’s such a hypocondriac, I hope he wakes in the night and listens for a cough, a deep sigh, and waits for the creeping ailment. Aah, bliss…
20Too late, bananas, he’s already dissolving into dementia. He sounds like my dad did a few years ago, reading the chyrons over and over. (Dad died at 98 in the fall.) Check out @TomJChicago on Twitter for more discussion of dementia symptoms.
21#15. Has my vote! While in a corridor in the hospital, No family to visit, (he has no friends.)
22Later in life, in the “ home” his loving family picks out, again one visits, he can just jabber to himself and drool down his front.
Seems like there are a lot of us who are not “ nice” people. I will also take my chances with karma.
Okay, I thought Texas had the dumbest governor in the entire US, but Alaska’s governor Mike Dunleavy has now beaten out Texas governor Greg Abbott for sheer unbelievable density.
Dunleavy questions whether children who catch COVID-19 at school will be contagious at home. Huh?
https://www.ktva.com/story/42342773/ahead-of-decision-on-school-in-the-fall-dunleavy-said-its-unclear-whether-children-can-spread-covid19
Hey Stupidhead: if it is contagious at school, it is contagious at home.
23Bananas @15, I like your addition. Very nice!
24Seems to me the problem is the overcrowded hospitals not having room for more cases, so all the party of Greed Over People has to do is find a place where the hospitals aren’t overcrowded.
Oh, wait: Europe has said they don’t want Americans.
25So this is what my state representative, Kyle Biedermann, tweeted: “If you are driving with anyone not in your household in a vehicle, and you don’t wear a mask, you will be punished. This is absurd. Governor Abbott threatened that if Texans don’t comply he might shut down more businesses. Unless the Governor is willing to call a special session, as I and other legislators have requested, he bears the responsibility for all outcomes. Please know that I am and have been fighting to stop this madness.”
So, the police are going to randomly stop people to see if they’re related? Give me a break, Kyle. This is the same guy who, the first month on the job as state representative, sent out a “questionaire” to Texas muslims to verify their allegiance to the U.S. What this had to do with our district beats the hell out of me. He reminds me of Ted Cruz, the master of grandstanding.
26“And while Trump continues to lie, we’ll just close with this, for folks who think young children are somehow exempt from the virus: CNN reported earlier this week that Texas is struggling with outbreaks in daycare centers.
At least 1,335 people have tested positive from child care facilities in Texas, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported Monday, citing figures from Friday.
Of those infected, 894 were staff members and 441 were children. The cases came from 883 child care facilities that are open in the state, DHHS said.
The new cases mark a significant increase from June 15, when there were 210 reported cases from 177 facilities — including 141 staff members and 69 children.
No big. Just reopen and your kids will be fine, as will their grandparents. No less an authority than the President of the National Death Cult says so.”
Taken from this if you want to read the entire column. https://www.wonkette.com/donald-trump-schools-not-doing-enough-to-spread-covid-19
27Whether at the state or federal level, there’s a cost for kissing Trumpf’s ass. It’s people lose their health, their insurance, their rights, and they die. I guess when he said he was a “wartime president”, he meant people would need to sacrifice- for him.
28And out of Tulsa, 2 weeks after the rally, there’s a sharp rise in Covid cases.
29Who woulda thunk it.
TexasTrailerParkTrash @25:
So, the police are going to randomly stop people to see if they’re related?
Probably not if they’re white.
30Rick @14:
31Fox news neglects to point out that Covid 19 has nasty, big, pointy teeth.
It’s all about who you pay attention to.
Let’s pack the schools with children. After all, their parents haven’t had all THAT long to grow attached to them — and they can always have more once Biden has cleaned up the mess, can’t they?
What? Go into an arena? And breathe? And get coughed on? Hell no! I’m an important person! I would even say I’m vital!
How to spell hypocrite: R-e-p-u-b-l-i-c-a-n.
32P.P.@ 28:
33One of these days, Trump might actually cotton onto the fact that killing off his base BEFORE the election is a bad idea. I’m sure he wouldn’t care one way or the other once the results are in, but NOW???
megasoid @ 7:
Unfortunately, Trump seems to have some sort of natural immunity to the virus. How else do we explain the fact that he seems to go out of his way to catch it? He constantly interacts, maskless, with others and he breathes on every microphone he comes in contact with, often immediately after others have used it.
The White House touts the fact that he’s constantly being tested. Assuming that’s true, of course. The fact that they lie like they breathe suggests to me he may not be. Especially if they’re using the nasal swab which, so I understand, is quite uncomfortable.
But even if true — it signifies nothing. The test tells you if you’ve contracted the virus. It is not a preventive. Do his staff understand that fact as they blithely parrot, “He gets tested every day”?
34This may be a day late, dollar short, but for Hannah: Tyler was named after the states’ right advocate who accidentally became president. They now have two high schools, one named after Tyler, the other for Robert E. Lee. Historically, east Texas was the part of Texas that thought slavery and the Civil War were great ideas. If your son is non-Anglo, is not Christian, is not strictly heterosexual, or has school age kids, he may want to try to visit the place first. Even in public schools they may be forced to abide under fundamentalist fake-Christian education.
Although I have not been there in many years, it was a place where the first question people ask when you meet is “what church do you go to”? Unless you are obviously a redneck (AKA a cedar chopper in the parlance of East Texas), in which case the first question would be “ya gawt any beer?”
Louie Gohmert is the congressman from Tyler.
35Surly, you left me an opening to tell my favorite Southern joke. Don’t stop me, even if you have heard this:
New family moves in across the street and the wife says to her husband, “Let’s go say hello to the new neighbors.” But when they get there no one is a home.
The husband peers through the glass while the wife asks, “I wonder if the new people will go to our church?”
“No,” says the husband, “They’re Methodists.”
“I swan, how can you tell they’re Methodists just by looking in the window?”
“Because there’s a bottle of whiskey on the mantel. If they was Babdiss, theyda hid it in the kitchen.”
36Rick @30: You are exactly right. There was a letter to our local paper from a (white) woman who owns the yoga studio. It so happens she is married to a black war veteran who suffers from PTSD. He was shopping at the natural foods store and some b***h called the cops on him for “looking suspicious” because he was wearing…wait for it…a mask. The cops showed up at his house as he was returning. The police were apologetic but what do you think this did to the poor guy’s emotional difficulties? We are a tourist destination and I thought (erroneously, I guess) that we were above things like that.
37