Governor Strawman
Today, in a leaked audio of a call with Republican representatives, Greg Abbott admitted that opening up the economy will increase the community spread of COVID-19. At the same time, he offered up his strawman argument that, since we’ll never get to zero spread, we should open up anyway. Of course, NO ONE has EVER set the standard of zero spread. The standard is 14 consecutive days of diminishing new cases, which we are most certainly not experiencing.
This is the same argument that Abbott and other Republicans have used to not do immigration reform. They keep saying that reform can only happen when undocumented immigration is brought to zero. They KNOW it will never be at zero, so by default immigration reform will never happen.
If you want to get really aggravated, listen to the leaked recording:
El Jefe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map
New detail emerging. Run your cursor over the small “hot spots” represented in purple that are quite distant from much of anything and are not in meat packing regions. Seniors and those with underlying health conditions have been doing a good job at limiting their risks. MAGAt covidiots seem to be the new at risk demographic.
Sadly it’s not just A-butt in TX or Kemp (GA) who are missing the meaning of “flattening the curve” so we don’t have to do this all over again, only more so, if re-openings are premature and without adequate plans for testing, contact tracing, and PPE.
1Thanks, but I’ve got a few better things to do than to listen to Governor Green-Helm trying to say the word “Carona…Vi-russ”.
2Edit: Despite CDC Prediction of Surging Death Rate to Come, Pence Confirms Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force Winding Down
Edit: “They are just going to declare victory, let thousands die, and hope nobody cares too much.”
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Sound familiar? Its the Vietnam declaration of victory, along with all the other undeclared conflicts that followed. Transformed into the biggest mendacity of a murderous sociopath’s government since Hitler’s Weimar chaos.
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3full article:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/05/despite-cdc-prediction-surging-death-rate-come-pence-confirms-trumps-coronavirus
I looked at that huge purple area at the adjoining borders of Arizona/Texas/Utah. I have an awful feeling that it is hitting the Native American population badly, and that is what is showing there.
4Yup, It covers the Hope, Navajo and Ute reservations right there.
5Not surprised at all that Abbott did this. The man has no reflectio in a mirror.
6AK Lynne @4 & 5. Astute eye. You saw what we have been hearing for weeks; the Navajo Nation has been pleading for help with no more federal response than one would expect from this maladministration. Arizona/Texas/Utah or McSally, Sinema, Cornyn, Cruz, Lee, and Romney. Add in CO, NM, & NV which with Sinema would be a total of 6 Democratic Senators, or maybe 7 plus Romney, out of 12 possibly worth contacting to see if they have a soul. This is an extension of the fact that poor and minority communities are suffering the most as is the pattern in every crisis and state.
Thing is the new COVID-19 demographic is Covidiot* 45’s covidiots which means the “flattening of the curve” won’t be happening anytime soon. But those are his* people. Think there’s any chance we can use that factor to leverage help for the Navaho Nation and other minority communities?
7Remember back in March, when Abbott was first asked why Texas didn’t officially begin social distancing? He said he saw no need because Texas still had over 200 (out of 254) counties who had no reported cases. As of yesterday (May 5th), Texas was down to just 42, and I don’t for one second believe some of them.
For example, the Houston Chronicle had an article a couple of days ago about a small group of West Texas airplane owners and pilots who had formed a small air force to fly patients and medical equipment to and from remote areas of West Texas. Three times the article mentioned either Ward County or Monahans, which is the county seat of Ward County and how they were flying ventilators to the county hospital. As of now, Ward County does not report any cases, but they seem to need ventilators. Hmmm…
For another example, Somervell County does not report any cases, even though it is surrounded by counties that do. On top of that, it is about an hour southwest of Dallas on US 67 and less than an hour south of Fort Worth. How can they not have any cases. Somervell borders on Erath County (county seat is Stephenville), and my brother – who lives less than an hour’s drive from Stephenville – says he thinks Erath County is purposely lowballing their numbers. Why? I can’t imagine, except that the area is a hotbed of NSGOP voters who believe in magic. Maybe they think that if they close their eyes, cross their fingers, and wish really, really hard that it will all go away. And they vote.
8Maybe the states and cities that have to self quarantine for two weeks before their citizens can head to Texas can reciprocate as Texas and Dallas are becoming a hotspot
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