"Two Weeks to Flatten The Curve" was also used as justification for harsh lockdowns that extended far beyond the curve being flattened, hence the public perception that "Two Weeks" was misleading. It wasn't going to be a short term sacrifice and "they" knew that at the time and "they" felt the noble "fib"was necessary. People notice when you keep moving the goalposts.
Fauci has used his influence to push several "noble lies" beyond the masks. From 'two weeks to flatten the curve' to steadily 'nudging' the threshold of heard immunity, to his participation in the Lancet letter denouncing the lab leak theory and the aforementioned role in GOF research. So it's no surprise that half the country doesn't trust him.
But just like Andrew Cuomo who was ultimately done in for being a grabby old creep, Fauci will eventually go because of the dead puppies.
Your observation that his act has drifted into Lenny Bruce territory is a good one. Especially the latest Netflix special. But I think you're taking these quoted comments a bit out of context. They were delivered during a stand-up set. I watched it and I took the list of demands as half-kidding and the Gasby line to conclude the list the punchline. Anyway, I laughed.
This became a global story for a lot of reasons far more significant than the victim being a pretty white girl. It combined the zeitgeist of the day (social media influencer) on the Great American Road Trip that turned into a missing person case with a fugitive presumingly on the run. All fueled by tons of gorgeous content (video and images) that documented the entire journey. Sure, her being a PWG could only help, but this was always going to be gigantic story. You couldn't invent a better Dateline episode.
It had been years since I had heard "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" from Unplugged, recorded a few months before his suicide. You know what he's singing about and who he's singing it to - and the end of the song still strikes your spine like a bolt of lightning.
I was in college for the entire short arc of grunge - Nevermind to Cobain's death - so my emotional attachment to the music makes me biased, however, I do think most "rock" may sound dated simply because guitar driven rock is essentially dead.
It's my understanding that antibodies do not have to be present in the previously infected to prevent reinfection. That the memory cells created by the virus will produce antibodies when/if that person is exposed again. Further, what I referred to as minuscule was the percentage of people who have actually contracted covid twice. It's far more rare than breakthrough infections of the never infected vaxxed.
We clearly have very different views as to what constitutes *good* public health policy in Oct 2021 and what justifies authoritarian measures to try and manage this virus after 20 months of mass exposure in the U.S. Your Plan A has us at almost 70% vax rate in the country. Mandates will get us to 75, maybe 80%? I don't think that is very much different than Plan B - which is we just let the virus run its course while providing boosters and protections to the most vulnerable while continuing to develop promising therapeutics that treat the sick.
Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses - here and below.
There doesn't seem to be very many peer reviewed studies at this point in time. But considering it is an open question as to natural immunity vs vaccination, and considering that the actual reinfection rate of covid 19 is minuscule - why would the state mandate a vaccination on the previously infected population? Conceding that vax+infected is "better" than just previously infected, do you really believe that marginal improvement warrants compulsion? At best, this seems like poor public health policy. At worst, a total abuse of power.
The natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a large Israeli study that some scientists wish came with a “Don’t try this at home” label. The newly released data show people who once had a SARS-CoV-2 infection were much less likely than never-infected, vaccinated people to get Delta, develop symptoms from it, or become hospitalized with serious COVID-19.
"I can’t believe we’re still debating this" is a bad faith response to some legitimate questions. Perhaps if public health leaders did a better job of being open and honest and engaged people on issues like natural immunity, they wouldn't be compelling citizens to obey or else. One size fits all - get it or lose your livelihood. Doesn't matter if you are at risk or not for disease that has 99+% survival rate for anyone under the age of 70. You are mandated to get a shot that actually doesn't prevent you from getting infected or spreading the virus anyway. It's enough to go full authoritarian because by getting the shot you are slightly less likely to spread it?
yes, we do know that vaccinated people are more likely to become ill. An actual fact. But let's be real, burn patients are not being turned away. We are nowhere near the hospital occupancy rates of last year. If we are concerned staffing levels are dropping, perhaps we should stop firing healthcare workers because they don't want to get the jab.
I am pro vaccine. I am vaccinated. I strongly believe people over 50 or anyone with health issues should get the shot. But I am also pro choice and allowing people to make their own health calculations on if they want to get the shot or not.
This isn't the bubonic plague. Let's stop acting like it is.
Why does someone who has been naturally infected by Covid be required to take the vaccine when they are already better protected than uninfected, fully vaccinated people?
If vaccinated people can spread Covid as easily as unvaccinated people, why would vaccinated people care if others are unvaccinated?
If firing police, firefighters, healthcare workers, military who refuse to get vaccinated creates a greater public safety environment for the rest of us, are these mandates really worth it?
Are these the types of bad faith arguments that should be ignored?
It seems to me the pro-mandate crowd is already ignoring those arguments.
Good perspective, Andrew. There is enough there there to completely hammer the administration without wading into social issues that are, frankly, beside the point. The supply chain problem didn't just materialize. It was a happening before the head of the DOT decided to take as much time off as he did. And it's obviously still a problem with no immediate end in sight. The decision of not communicating to the American public that he was taking leave is a big problem however - as is never having a plan in place to get on the problem sooner. Under any other time, they all could have gotten away with it, but certainly in August 2021 they should have anticipated this blowing up. That's on the Biden Administration and is representative of their judgment, or lack thereof, on this and several other issues from the border to Afghanistan. Wading into the social aspects only gives the administration a way to change the conversation away from their incompetence. Foolish to do that, imo.
It's too bad for Gruden that he wasn't arrested for domestic violence or drunk driving 10 years ago instead of writing these emails. Everyone knows that saying bad things is far worse than actually doing them.
"the committee is looking at everyone and every thing"
Oh please. You may be partisan - nothing wrong with that - but surely you can admit they are only looking at everything and everything that is politically expedient.
Didn't we already watch this political theater staged earlier this year as Impeachment #2?
"Meanwhile, nearly every Republican refused to serve on the committee or seriously engage with its goals."
The goals are politically motivated and the 2 republicans who would have raised questions about the FBI's involvement were denied by Pelosi.
I don't know how you see this is as anything more than a political side show intended to distract public attention away from this country's real problems. Mid terms are coming and the DNC is going to get slaughtered. Time to bring back the Orange Man!
On “Going to the Dogs Over Anthony Fauci”
"Two Weeks to Flatten The Curve" was also used as justification for harsh lockdowns that extended far beyond the curve being flattened, hence the public perception that "Two Weeks" was misleading. It wasn't going to be a short term sacrifice and "they" knew that at the time and "they" felt the noble "fib"was necessary. People notice when you keep moving the goalposts.
"
You are 100% correct.
The #1 rule of public relations is DON'T LIE.
"
Fauci has used his influence to push several "noble lies" beyond the masks. From 'two weeks to flatten the curve' to steadily 'nudging' the threshold of heard immunity, to his participation in the Lancet letter denouncing the lab leak theory and the aforementioned role in GOF research. So it's no surprise that half the country doesn't trust him.
But just like Andrew Cuomo who was ultimately done in for being a grabby old creep, Fauci will eventually go because of the dead puppies.
On “We Need To Talk About The Dave Chappelle Netflix Thing, Like We Did The Last Dave Chappelle Thing”
The only thing from the early 1970s that captures today's zeitgeist is runaway inflation.
"
Your observation that his act has drifted into Lenny Bruce territory is a good one. Especially the latest Netflix special. But I think you're taking these quoted comments a bit out of context. They were delivered during a stand-up set. I watched it and I took the list of demands as half-kidding and the Gasby line to conclude the list the punchline. Anyway, I laughed.
On “Remains of Brian Laundrie Found and Identified”
This became a global story for a lot of reasons far more significant than the victim being a pretty white girl. It combined the zeitgeist of the day (social media influencer) on the Great American Road Trip that turned into a missing person case with a fugitive presumingly on the run. All fueled by tons of gorgeous content (video and images) that documented the entire journey. Sure, her being a PWG could only help, but this was always going to be gigantic story. You couldn't invent a better Dateline episode.
On “Albums That Changed Everything versus Albums That You Can Still Listen To”
It had been years since I had heard "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" from Unplugged, recorded a few months before his suicide. You know what he's singing about and who he's singing it to - and the end of the song still strikes your spine like a bolt of lightning.
I was in college for the entire short arc of grunge - Nevermind to Cobain's death - so my emotional attachment to the music makes me biased, however, I do think most "rock" may sound dated simply because guitar driven rock is essentially dead.
On “You Can Ignore Anti-Vaccine Arguments”
It's my understanding that antibodies do not have to be present in the previously infected to prevent reinfection. That the memory cells created by the virus will produce antibodies when/if that person is exposed again. Further, what I referred to as minuscule was the percentage of people who have actually contracted covid twice. It's far more rare than breakthrough infections of the never infected vaxxed.
We clearly have very different views as to what constitutes *good* public health policy in Oct 2021 and what justifies authoritarian measures to try and manage this virus after 20 months of mass exposure in the U.S. Your Plan A has us at almost 70% vax rate in the country. Mandates will get us to 75, maybe 80%? I don't think that is very much different than Plan B - which is we just let the virus run its course while providing boosters and protections to the most vulnerable while continuing to develop promising therapeutics that treat the sick.
"
Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses - here and below.
There doesn't seem to be very many peer reviewed studies at this point in time. But considering it is an open question as to natural immunity vs vaccination, and considering that the actual reinfection rate of covid 19 is minuscule - why would the state mandate a vaccination on the previously infected population? Conceding that vax+infected is "better" than just previously infected, do you really believe that marginal improvement warrants compulsion? At best, this seems like poor public health policy. At worst, a total abuse of power.
"
The natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a large Israeli study that some scientists wish came with a “Don’t try this at home” label. The newly released data show people who once had a SARS-CoV-2 infection were much less likely than never-infected, vaccinated people to get Delta, develop symptoms from it, or become hospitalized with serious COVID-19.
https://www.science.org/content/article/having-sars-cov-2-once-confers-much-greater-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital
"
"I can’t believe we’re still debating this" is a bad faith response to some legitimate questions. Perhaps if public health leaders did a better job of being open and honest and engaged people on issues like natural immunity, they wouldn't be compelling citizens to obey or else. One size fits all - get it or lose your livelihood. Doesn't matter if you are at risk or not for disease that has 99+% survival rate for anyone under the age of 70. You are mandated to get a shot that actually doesn't prevent you from getting infected or spreading the virus anyway. It's enough to go full authoritarian because by getting the shot you are slightly less likely to spread it?
yes, we do know that vaccinated people are more likely to become ill. An actual fact. But let's be real, burn patients are not being turned away. We are nowhere near the hospital occupancy rates of last year. If we are concerned staffing levels are dropping, perhaps we should stop firing healthcare workers because they don't want to get the jab.
I am pro vaccine. I am vaccinated. I strongly believe people over 50 or anyone with health issues should get the shot. But I am also pro choice and allowing people to make their own health calculations on if they want to get the shot or not.
This isn't the bubonic plague. Let's stop acting like it is.
"
Why does someone who has been naturally infected by Covid be required to take the vaccine when they are already better protected than uninfected, fully vaccinated people?
If vaccinated people can spread Covid as easily as unvaccinated people, why would vaccinated people care if others are unvaccinated?
If firing police, firefighters, healthcare workers, military who refuse to get vaccinated creates a greater public safety environment for the rest of us, are these mandates really worth it?
Are these the types of bad faith arguments that should be ignored?
It seems to me the pro-mandate crowd is already ignoring those arguments.
On “Parsing Out Pete Buttigieg, Parenting And Otherwise”
Good perspective, Andrew. There is enough there there to completely hammer the administration without wading into social issues that are, frankly, beside the point. The supply chain problem didn't just materialize. It was a happening before the head of the DOT decided to take as much time off as he did. And it's obviously still a problem with no immediate end in sight. The decision of not communicating to the American public that he was taking leave is a big problem however - as is never having a plan in place to get on the problem sooner. Under any other time, they all could have gotten away with it, but certainly in August 2021 they should have anticipated this blowing up. That's on the Biden Administration and is representative of their judgment, or lack thereof, on this and several other issues from the border to Afghanistan. Wading into the social aspects only gives the administration a way to change the conversation away from their incompetence. Foolish to do that, imo.
On “Fall Of The House of Gruden”
It's too bad for Gruden that he wasn't arrested for domestic violence or drunk driving 10 years ago instead of writing these emails. Everyone knows that saying bad things is far worse than actually doing them.
On “The Problem with the January 6th Committee”
When was the last time a congressional investigation was interested in finding the truth?
What are the "congressional investigators" going to discover that the DOJ couldn't?
"
"the committee is looking at everyone and every thing"
Oh please. You may be partisan - nothing wrong with that - but surely you can admit they are only looking at everything and everything that is politically expedient.
"
Didn't we already watch this political theater staged earlier this year as Impeachment #2?
"Meanwhile, nearly every Republican refused to serve on the committee or seriously engage with its goals."
The goals are politically motivated and the 2 republicans who would have raised questions about the FBI's involvement were denied by Pelosi.
I don't know how you see this is as anything more than a political side show intended to distract public attention away from this country's real problems. Mid terms are coming and the DNC is going to get slaughtered. Time to bring back the Orange Man!
On “Time to Forget ‘Never Forget’”
Chip, you win 'Comment of the Day'. Phenomenal.