There are lots of moments when federalism just seems to bog down. I remember watching former governor Rick Perry fumble around during hurricane relief when he was tasked as being a go between with the federal government and local government. Bill White (the mayor) got so exasperated that he told him to just stand in the corner while he worked directly with the federal relief people.

When it comes to a response to COVID, we are rapidly getting to that level of gross incompetence. The fact that the state actors are the ones again in the crosshairs shouldn’t be lost on anyone. The state level is dominated by Republicans while the local level has been dominated by Democrats. That alone is a good explanation for why things have gone awry.

In a time when it would be great to have one unified voice of how to proceed we have voices on four different levels. We have the national government making rules and recommendations. State governments have virtually punted any response or responsibility. This is especially true for those that have possible 2024 aspirations. So, that leaves local authorities and or private businesses to pick up the slack.

My daughter had a volleyball tournament this past weekend. Except, they weren’t allowed to go. One member of the team had been exposed to COVID. So, the whole team was barred from coming. I think the tournament organizers really don’t understand what they were doing here. See, there wasn’t one player on the team that was exposed. There were multiple players exposed.

Kids on these sorts of teams go to multiple schools. Those multiple schools have multiple rules in terms of COVID and exposure. Some tell you if you have been exposed and some don’t. Some advise you to get tested when exposed and some don’t. Obviously, a lot of people know these rules and will be less than honest about their exposure. That’s especially true when you consider the consequences of reporting that exposure.

I’d have to imagine that if every team were following the rules to the letter there would be no tournament. So, in a roundabout way they were actually guaranteeing more exposure and not less. Obviously, the situation caused a lot of frustration for the girls and for their parents. Frustration leads to less cooperation and less following of the rules. I imagine that is not what we are after.

That’s just one isolated situation. Multiply that numerous times and you’ll get what we currently have. You get a situation where national, state, and local entities say three different things. Public and private entities say two different things. Multiply that by the number of private entities we deal with on a daily basis and the number of public entities we may deal with and you get a recipe for frustration and confusion. That’s for the people who are inclined to follow rules and recommendations in good faith. As we know, many people are not that way.

In that world, it shouldn’t be surprising that some people won’t follow the rules and instead may resort to drinking their urine to fight back the virus. This is federalism problem, but it really is a problem where some people are not invested in finding solutions. Some people are more invested in making sure others fail. They want frustration. Frustration is a path to their electoral success. At least we are all on the same page as far as that is concerned.

I’m adding a little to El Jefe’s theme this morning.

It seems that in the Czech Republic a woman has been punished for spreading false information about The Covid.

She posted false information online about some people who died in a nursing home after receiving the vaccine. It was untrue. She was the first Czech citizen to be convicted under a new law that you can’t do that.  And if you think about it, it is kinda like yelling fire in a crowded theater when you spread lies to encourage people not to get the vaccine.

“Jana Peterková is obliged to public official apologies on her social networks and website. She also needs to pay financial compensation in the amount of CZK 250,000 crowns and cover the costs of the proceedings.”

I looked it up and CZK 250,000 is $11,684.17 at today’s exchange rate. That is still a hefty sting.

But, what ready got my attention is the picture of Jana Peterková.

Y’all, it’s KAREN!

All I can figure is that the Czech version of Karen is Jana.

Right now, tennis bad boy, notorious anti-vaxxer and all-round shitty person Novak Djokovic is winging his way from Melbourne Australia to Dubai after being deported for violating Australian immigration laws, lying about it, and then insisting that rules don’t apply to him.  He dragged immigration officials, tournament officials, the tennis world, and indeed the entire population of Australia through almost two weeks of drama just because he doesn’t want to get a simple safe and effective vaccination.

A three federal judge panel ruled on Sunday afternoon that Australia immigration officials were within their rights doing their damn job and enforcing the country’s immigration laws.  Even better, there was no court that would receive an inevitable appeal from Djokovic.  The decision was final. The decision was unanimous and, to add insult to justice, the panel ordered Djoker to pay all of the costs incurred by the government for this sorry chapter of his life that resulted from his own decisions and conduct.

After years of bad guys all over the world getting away with actual murder, from Rodrigo Duterte Wrecking to Philippine government to Vladimir Putin’s murderous rule over Russia, to TFG’s teflon life where he’s never been personally held to account for his entire corrupt existence, wins for good guys are few and far between.  Of the thousands of Deplorables who stormed the US Capitol only about 700 were charged with crimes and most of those are only petty charges.  Less than 20 are charged with serious crimes and only 11 charged with what all were guilty, sedition.  Bad guys get off scott free on a daily basis, especially willfully ignorant anti-vaxxers who are participating in mass illness and death simply because they’re assholes.

Because bad guys win almost all the time, it’s rare when one of them gets theirs, especially famous ones like Djoker.  Like other narcissists, he believes that simply because he’s really good at hitting a tennis ball he can inflict his warped existence on everyone around him with no consequences.  Australia proved him wrong, and that victory is especially sweet.

What’s infuriating, though?  This entire episode was easily avoidable by Djokovic doing the right thing and just getting vaccinated.  Just think of all the lives he could save, especially in his native Serbia where anti-vaxxers have caused the virus to surge again in a population that’s only 47% vaccinated.  That’s the real tragedy of Djokovic’s failure at being a decent human being.

Novac Djokovic is the latest in a long string of bad sports in the tennis world.  I must confess that the only real sport I follow, and indeed still play, is tennis.  It’s a great sport you can play well into…er…uh…maturity, and helps those of us who play stay in shape.  It’s also a brilliant sport to watch in person and even on television, though it is better in person.

All that said, like other professional sports, tennis has its bad guys.  Back in the 70s it was John McEnroe, who raised being an asshole on the court to a fine art form, but players like Jimmy Connors, who on occasion acted out; Ilie Nastase, nicknamed Nasty Nastase; Dennis Ralston in the 60s, and a few others were all close seconds.  There were fewer on the women’s side, but Serena Williams is famous for smashing racquets and screaming during the match to throw off her opponents when she’s behind.  Nick Kyrgios is also well known for being a jerk on the court.

Bad sportsmanship is one thing.  Being a shitty person is a whole other thing, and that’s the spot Djoker occupies.  He’s famous for smashing racquets, screaming at crowds who don’t worship him, and was booted from the US Open in 2020 after he hit a line judge in the throat with a ball he had slapped during one of his rages.  On top of all that, he’s a notorious anti-vaxxer.  At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Djoker held a private tournament in Serbia that turned into a super spreader event and where he himself contracted the virus.  It got so bad that the final match was cancelled.

Learning nothing from that disaster, Djoker has flouted public health rules in many countries; he did it again in Australia last week, but this time got caught by a functioning government not star struck by the world’s number one player.  First, he refused to get vaccinated, and then refused to disclose that fact to the public.  Then he lied on his immigration form saying that he had not traveled internationally in the last 2 weeks when, in fact, had traveled to Spain for an event the previous week.  Worse yet, he appeared in person for an interview the day after he had tested positive for COVID.  Appropriately, Australia cancelled his visa and ordered him to leave the country.  He refused, of course, and was then isolated in a quarantine hotel while his lawyers appealed the ruling.  The judge in the case restored his visa based on a narrow ruling that he was not given sufficient time to respond to the government’s decision.

What did Djoker do then?  He immediately started practicing for the tournament exposing who knows how many people to possible infection.  Wisely, the minister of immigration for Australia cancelled his visa again today, but rather than just getting on a plane and leaving, Djoker then immediately appealed the ruling again; another hearing is scheduled for Sunday.  It’s expected that he’ll lose this appeal.

Australia has some of the most strict COVID policies of any country in the world, and has had relatively low infections as a result.  Melbourne was especially strict, with almost 300 days of lockdown over the last 2 years.  Djoker’s flouting of Australia’s health policy and wanton self-interest has turned the Australian Open into a circus where everyone is talking about Djoker, and actual tennis has taken a back seat to his malignant narcissism.  In fact, he has become TFG of tennis with all the bad traits that label carries with it.  He couldn’t care less about other people; rules don’t apply to him; he ignores science and good public policy; he’s simply a shitty person.

Fingers crossed that he gets his on Sunday and is sent packing back to Serbia so he can fume and watch great players not him compete for the first Grand Slam win of the year.  I’ll be celebrating his deportation.

You’ve probably already met Jenna Ryan, a 51 year old Texas realtor who attended the January 6th attempted overthrow of the United States government.

Bless her heart, she never learned that there’s a difference between guts and gall.  And she has parlayed herownself into a little ole 60 day stunt in prison, where she intends to do a lot of yoga and lose 30 pounds. I am hoping it’s 30 pounds of gall.

Jenna took the trip to the capitol on a private jet where she had been invited by “a cute guy” on Twitter or TikTok or Instagram or some damn place you meet other nice people.  She marched into the capitol tweeting on her cell phone, promoting her business, and trying to make a name for herself on rightwing radio.  Seriously. Oh yeah, and she also wanted a book deal.

She then decided that she’s a victim. Yeah, y’all are suppressing her.

She went so far as to assert that the backlash she has received is akin to the experience of “the Jews in Germany.”

“They’re making fun of my skin color. They’re calling me an ‘insurrection Barbie,’” she said.

I dunno, Jenna, but it seems to me they’re making fun of everything about you.  I mean, you weren’t born with that stoopid hat on. And women didn’t die for your right to vote so you could push your business while overthrowing democracy.

“You guys, will you believe this?” Ryan said on Facebook Live while inside the Capitol, according to the sentencing memo. “I am not messing around. When I come to sell your house, this is what I will do. I will f—ing sell your house.”

So, anyway, Jenna went to prison last month and I hope she’s shedding some of her privilege.

Meanwhile, some really mean people set up a political PAC for her to enjoy while she’s doing yoga. It’s called Stop the Persecution of MAGA Blondies.  It claims she filed it but she’s in prison right now so I kinda doubt that. Cue the whine machine – they’re making fun of Jenna again.

Amidst all of the shenanigans between Rand Paul and Dr. Fauci, more statistics seem to be bandied about. Some of them are actually thought provoking and deserve some exploration. Paul has taken it upon himself to be the fly in Fauci’s ointment. At every step of the way he has been there to question his findings and disagree with his conclusions. After all, he’s a doctor. Despite popular belief, he is still licensed to practice as an ophthalmologist. I guess he has that going for him.

This is where we get bogged down into the small details of pitting one expert against another. See, Rand Paul did go to medical school. I’m sure he did take classes in immunology. He probably knows more than the average bear. Yet, when compared with a medical doctor that has spent the past four plus decades studying immunology exclusively there can be no real comparison.

The numbers I saw last night would allow you to question all of this. In 2018, the world death rate was 0.76 percent. That was the same death rate as 2019 and the same as 2020. That nugget of information would lead one to believe that COVID hasn’t impacted the world population at all. I suppose if we looked at this through a vacuum we’d close the book and move on.

Sadly though, we don’t live in the world. We live in the United States. In the United States, death rates have not been level. When one looks at the world rates for just COVID we see something else entirely. Sure, there are disputes about how deaths should be counted, but these deaths are counted the same way around the world and they have yielded very clear results.

So, two things are clear based on the data we do see. First, the overall mortality rate IN THE UNITED STATES has gone up since COVID has been a thing. So, releasing world data is nice, but that demonstrates that most of the world has gotten this thing under control. That’s because when health experts in those countries have proposed ways to get the virus under control, the people in those countries actually listened.

There are nearly eight billion people in the world. The U.S. population represents around four percent of that total. Basic math tells us that the mortality rate would really need to spike in the U.S. for it to have a dent in the overall world mortality rate. This is especially true when we consider that things like masking and heightened hygiene have decreased the amount of flu deaths we normally have and probably improved health on the other end.

Fauci already has earned his keep and faith in his expertise. In addition to all of the potential disasters he has helped prevent in the intervening decades, he had to listen to Trump prattle on with his nonsense for over a year. One can forgive him if he loses his cool even this one time.

So, we can debate whether we should count people who die because of COVID or whether people die with COVID. We can argue as if those verbs, pronouns, and adjectives even matter. The point is that an expert that has been doing this for going on 50 years tells us it matters. Sure, he could be wrong I guess. Science continually improves itself throughout time. If you are prepared to take the word of an eye doctor over him then you take your life into your own hands. Good luck.