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Monday, October 5, 2020

The Plague's The Thing

stilton’s place, stilton, political, humor, conservative, cartoons, jokes, hope n’ change, rose garden, barrett, superspreader, Covid-19, trump, screwed

It remains to be seen whether last week's White House Rose Garden event will be remembered as the day President Trump presented Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, or as the first meeting of the Biden transition team. Because every friggin' nitwit in the photo above who isn't wearing a mask has helped reduce Trump's chance of winning in November.

It's no great mystery how to avoid SARS-CoV-2: wear a mask for the protection of others, observe social distancing, and wash your damn hands. Had that been made a national priority and the message expressed clearly and truthfully from the beginning (thanks, Dr. Fauci, you lying dog) we wouldn't have even needed the shutdown.

And had President Trump consistently made this message clear, with both words and his own personal behavior,  then we'd already be well into a thriving and prosperous "new normal." But no. The protocol for avoiding a major Covid-19 outbreak in the White House was laughably ineffective, and almost certainly because of a "trickle down" disdain for common sense measures originating from the man in the Oval Office. 

Masks? Social distancing? Taking temperatures? All were largely ignored...and now the inevitable has happened. We could soon be looking at a Biden presidency (followed within hours by a Kamala Harris presidency) owing to the hubris of those who apparently didn't believe in science after all.

Many of you readers, dear friends all, aren't going to be happy with us for saying that. So just imagine how unhappy we are for having to write it. 

We certainly hope that the President (and the people in his immediate circle) will recover fully and quickly, that he will win re-election, and that everyone will have learned that virology and politics really don't mix.

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On a barely other note, this latest 2020 nightmare event has been a hard gut punch to our already wobbling last glimmer of optimism. And thinking about the upcoming election, we've been reminded of an old joke which sums up exactly how we're feeling about the important choice America is about to make...

stilton’s place, stilton, political, humor, conservative, cartoons, jokes, hope n’ change, choice, natives, death, bunga, explorers

54 comments:

jimp8606 said...

A tip of the hat to Billy Shakespeare, I like how you made that work...catch the king, as it were. We are praying vigorously for his recovery, or I may need to polish my Hamlet. ;-)

Beegee said...

You are wrong on the mask wearing and social distancing. As far as I'm concerned, CV-19 is not going to go away until all who are going to get it get it or there is a vaccine and I will not get the vaccine. I am also in my late 70s and have a breath issue, but I would rather take my chances than be made to wear an mask and social distance. It is Government tyranny.

Brie Camembert said...

I fear too that America is about to get the government it deserves - a real case of bad Kamala.
but I did like the bunga joke (yes, I'm wierd)

Unknown said...

(thanks, Dr. Fauci, you lying dog)???

Surely you meant "Thanks, Dr. Fauci, you lying dog-face pony soldier"!

Ray

Anonymous said...

Well the demmies have tried every other way of getting rid o DJT, so why not the virus. I think this was an assassination attempt.

Fish Out of Water said...

Was surprised there were no counter demonstrators at Walter Reed Hospital, banging drums and wishing for his speedy demise: the hospital for those unfamiliar is located in The People's Democratic Republic of Montgomery County, which isn't just solid blue, its downright indigo. Perhaps progs do have sf imposed limits?

Bobo the Hobo said...

Thank you for that “bunga” joke; kind of a palate-cleanser this morning.

Fish Out of Water said...

@ M. Mitchell Marmel: Nope, I did not. I'm guessing they are poster children for the Brave, Prog New World.

Emmentaler Limburger said...

Well, now: the medical community is largely at sea with the issue of masks. Some, mostly, from what I’ve seen, politically-connected, believe they are necessary and good. Others, apparently just as large a group say they are not. And others say they are not, but are “necessary to show that you are doing something .” which is befitting of our current Neanderthal, virtue-signaling populace. So, there you go, Stilt. Unfortunately, modern “science” has become a simple buzz-word; a tool for the left to denigrate those who would oppose their latest lever in the vast machine by which they wish to appropriate what is yours and gain control over your very life.

Me? I wear one because The Big Gretch has made it impossible to function in Michigan without one. Try to go into a store without a mask is similar to the risk one of the unconverted would take to walk freely among the Triffids...

Rod said...

With the mouth on that bitch, I'm not so sure Kamala would last long either; so IMO winning the House back has become a big priority.

And I guess I was a protected youth, then lived pretty clean life because I'd not heard the Bunga joke. Is that Barry's tribe?

Shang Kwon said...

"We certainly hope that the President (and the people in his immediate circle) will recover fully and quickly, that he will win re-election, and that everyone will have learned that virology and politics really don't mix."


That says it all, Doc. Living in Michigan I saw first hand the idiocy of politics vs. sanity. I hope you feel better after getting that off your chest.

Anonymous said...

I think people have the right to make up their own minds on what they will risk their lives. If they are arrested for DUI after a night at a restaurant and letting slip a bit too much bubbly - their fault. Maybe pushing the speed limit a tad and failing to stop in time at a yellow / red light - their fault.

And for not wearing a mask. If they suspect they are infected, they need to get themselves tested. They say it takes 2 days to 2 weeks to begin feeling the effects of COVID. Not fair but germs don't play by rules.

If you are going to an event and you see behavior you don't like - don't go in. Your choice. If you decide to risk it, you made the decision to go in and participate.

Rod said...

And let's not fail to realize: HIPPA privacy protections, especially when carried to extremes to help cover up bullshit numbers reporting DO NOT go well with Contact Tracing and providing essential information about infection avoidance to the public. Where's the reporting and discussion in Congress about that?

Average Joe said...

109 percent with you 99.99 percent of the time but me wearing a homemade mask to protect people from a disease I don't have is ludicrous at best. Those unfortunate few who have died would likely have done so with a heavy duty flu. Known many with it and all hated it for the bad flu it is. We've been lied to.

Geoff King said...

If we are all to wear masks (evidently for the rest of our lives as their will never be a cure), and they are effective against the spread of virus's, why are they now pushing for everyone to get their annual flu shot? Does that virus ignore masks and not Covid?
Tells me either the masks or the flu shot or both are bullshit.
I prefer to trust in my God - given immune system, and inevitable herd immunity to get me through this.

Anonymous said...

You know how it is with opinions; everyone has one.
Mine is that if we didn't have entrenched and crooked people in the healthcare system working overtime to eliminate Hydroxychloroquine this never would have gotten out of hand. Screw the masks. How about we just use the cheap and safe drugs that have been proven effective for 50+ years?

pkerot said...

Coronavirus is a VIRUS, which is so small that it easily passes thru cotton fabric.
The virus enters your body thru your eyes so a mask is nothing but virtue signaling theater. Even if you were infected, 99% of people survive being infected and most never have symptoms. I am 70, diabetic and have 25% lung loss and I wont wear a mask for the reasons I just stated.
You dont quarantine HEALTHY people, you quarantine SICK people!!!

Big Wazoo said...

Please watch this video by Karl Denninger. You may find it interesting. Or not.

https://www.bitchute.com/video/YG4NwA2v87qG/

Kent Neal said...

First time disagreeing with Mr. Jarlsberg, but I am not a fan of mask wearing for a variety of reasons. The media reporting on this virus has been misleading at best and downright deceptive most of the time. Granted this virus is contagious, but the morbidity is far less than we are led to believe. When the death rates went down, the media switched to reporting the increase in infections, and the scary ever increasing number of deaths. (As if the number could go down.) Almost never do you get statistics comparing the number of deaths year to year, because if you did, you would see how few people are dying from this virus who would not have died anyway. Nearly all have compromised immune systems or other underlying conditions which make them susceptible and more likely to acquire and succumb to the virus. Acquired (herd) immunity and a vaccine will soon make this china flu a footnote in history. Whether we will look back on the compulsive mask wearing of 2020 as the behavior of brainwashed "sheeple" or virtue signaling depends on who writes the history.

rickn8or said...

So death by bunga not as pleasant as death by snu-snu then?

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@jimp8606- I like to invoke Shakespeare from time to time to show that this is a classy joint (grin).

@Beegee- We'll have to agree to disagree on masks and social distancing. The science is simple, but the misreporting and distortions have been massive. At this point, anyone can believe anything and find plenty of confirmation on the big, stupid Internet. And I'm pissed about that - the media, that is, rather than the people who are understandably confused. But I'm in complete agreement that CV-19 isn't going away until there's herd immunity and/or an effective vaccine.

@Brie Camembert- To say I'm apprehensive about the future is a considerable understatement.

@Ray- Damn, I wish I'd said that!

@Anonymous- I'm going to go out on a limb and say "nope" to the assassination theory. The Dems have indeed tried a lot of ways to get rid of him, but in this case Trump was practically begging to be infected. No help from the Dems was necessary.

@Fish Out of Water- I don't think the Lefties have any limits or morality. Rather, I think their media handlers have judged that protesting against a sick man wouldn't go over well with voters.

@Bobo the Hobo- It's funny and instructive!

@M. Mitchell Marmel- I believe they left when they were asked if they wanted "death or bunga?"

@Fish Out of Water- They are the Eloi. (HG Wells "Time Machine")

@Emmentaler Limburger- Masks are effective (no, not 100%) in reducing the amount of spray, spittle, and viral load coming out of the wearer's nose and mouth, period full-stop. If everyone is wearing them, then any non-infected mask wearer stands a much better chance of remaining non-infected. Again, indisputable.

That being said, I agree that there's plenty of misinformation out there, and it all started with that lying shitsack Dr Fauci (as well as the Surgeon General) saying that masks might do more harm than good BECAUSE THEY WANTED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO AVOID BUYING MASKS SO THE GOVERNMENT COULD BUY THEM ALL after being caught flat-footed with no significant reserves. Fauci has admitted this - he lied, lied, effing LIED about masks in order to grab supplies off the shelves. Maybe an understandable emergency strategy, but a longterm disaster because now a lot of people don't believe in the simplest, least expensive, and most effective method of dealing with the virus until a real vaccine is in place. Bonus: after establishing a precedent of lying for political expediency, both Fauci and the Surgeon General have no credibility on ANY aspect of this crisis because (wait for it!) they're liars.

Assholes like The Big Gretch have additionally complicated things by pushing too hard and trying to grab too much power. Masks really AREN'T about gaining control over people, though it's understandable at this point that reasonable people might think so. And that's why I'm spitting mad.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Rod- What has Willie Brown told you about Kamala's mouth...?

@Shang Kwon- I'm not sure that I feel "better" getting this off my chest because I know a lot of people aren't going to like what I'm saying. But if I wasn't honest, there really wouldn't be a point in anyone coming here to read my meandering opinions.

Truthfully, if someone had told me that politics would have screwed up a pandemic response this much, I wouldn't have believed them.

@Anonymous- Yes! If you're going out in public, the responsible thing to do is wear a mask for the protection of others because you don't know if you're an asymptomatic spreader in the initial stage of infection. And if you go somewhere that feels unsafe because people are unmasked, then by all means get the hell out of that situation. People have the choice to protect themselves or not. They don't have the choice to infect others or not.

@Rod- Great point. But where's the discussion in Congress about anything genuinely important these days?

@Average Joe- And you know "it's a disease I don't have" how? Because of the daily nasal swabs or because you "feel okay?" There's no question that Covid-19 is more deadly to those who are already compromised (such as the elderly), but it's potentially serious for everyone. Among those who have survived (which is the vast, vast majority) a frightening number have lingering complications which may, as far as we know, last a lifetime. Heart damage, lung damage, kidney damage, loss of mental clarity, etc. The numbers that say how many live or die don't begin to tell the whole story.

@Geoff King- You can trust your God-given immune system all you like, but the people with compromised immune systems that you potentially infect may not feel the same way. I wouldn't want that on my conscience. Regarding masks and vaccines, you've raised a false point: vaccines are to help prevent you from GETTING a bad case of flu. Masks are to help prevent you from SPREADING a virus you already have. And both work for the job they're designed to do.

@Anonymous- We'll have to disagree on the masks, but I sure as hell agree with you about the money-driven plot to bury HCQ. Although newer studies show that Ivermectin works even better and more safely.

Duke of URL VFM#391 said...

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/10/dont_blame_the_lack_of_masks_for_trumps_illness.html

Geoff King said...

If wearing a mask is to prevent you from spreading a virus you already have by catching the droplets containing said virus, 5hen they also act as virus concentrators forcing you to re-inhale what your body has already expelled, thereby dramatically increasing your own virus load and causing much worse symptoms as well as a higher chance of death.

udaman said...

Let me be the first but to suggest that this is this election cycle's October surprise. I believe that Pres. Trump and the others were purpose!I given the Covid virus by whatever means they could come up with, aerosol perhaps. As has been stated numerous times, the masks are ineffective in blocking something as small as a virus. President Trump will conquer this virus just as he has conquered everything else that has been thrown at him the last four years.

M. Mitchell Marmel said...

As with so many other things, it's a matter of attitude. If I must mask in public, then, by Dobbs, I'm gonna wear a bandana over my face like an old school bank robber and RAWK the look... ;-)

Anonymous said...

So all wasn't Peace and Love at Walter Reed. Amazing how a smart phone makes some feel so empowered.

https://www.weaselzippers.us/457017-classic-liberal-woman-loses-it-when-she-sees-trump-supporters-outside-hospital/

John the Econ said...

I'm with you @Stilton on this one. Yes, masks are largely theater, but they do have the benefit of reducing the velocity of dispersion by the infected.

And the fact of the matter is that the optics for Trump on this were bad. The simple math on this was that he was going to get exposed sooner or later just because of the nature of his job.

TrickyRicky said...

Sorry Stilton, you know I agree with your worldview 99.9% of the time. I believe you are wrong on this one. To claim the science is settled reeks of the man-made global warming scam. There are many virologists and other medical professionals out there who argue, with data, that the masks are a political prop in this instance. It's somewhat telling that the mask supporters seem to be largely connected to the WHO, CDC and other health bureaucracies that apparently have a political agenda. I will wear a mask when required to, for now, but am becoming more and more fed up with the obviously random and capricious acts of submission demanded by dictatorial assholes such as Cuomo, Whitmer, and closer to home, Polis.

QUARANTINE THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR AT RISK. That's how quarantines are fucking done!

Anonymous said...

Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge, but it can be cured with education. Stupidity, however, is forever and no amount of education helps. Willful ignorance and stupidity have allowed this Wuhan flu to become a pandemic.
My wife is a hospital nurse with a compromised immune system herself simply trying to last long enough to reach retirement age. Every day that she has to drag herself to work and face you willfully ignorant and stupid pandemic infected people should add a pox to your condition! There! Now I feel better after getting that off my chest!

Colby Muenster said...

Yes, I wear my mask like a good boy in public places, and try to keep my distance, but I can't help but wonder if these practices are merely postponing the inevitable. Wouldn't it possibly be wiser to just get it over with, sorta like the Swedes did? If our country is going to just shut down every time there's a bug going around (like the annual wave of flu), we won't have a country in another year or two. Of course, if (shudder) the Dims actually (double shudder) take over in January, any exaggerating of the impact of diseases will come to an abrupt halt unless it's a chance to blame Trump for their failures.

Concerning the inspiring story at the end, made me wonder what the word cowabunga really means!

CenTexTim said...

I'm with you on this, Stilton. Masks are not 100% effective, but as you said, they help prevent the spread of the virus from asymptomatic individuals to others. Throw in social distancing and hand washing, and the combined effectiveness of those three behaviors increases.

The best analogy I've heard is that of car safety measures. Seat belts by themselves help improve the odds of surviving a wreck, but are not 100% effective. Add air bags and crumple zones, and the survival odds go up. (Yeah, I know, it's not a perfect analogy, but nothing is.)

lastrick said...

I'm NO prude and I love a dirty joke as much as the next person but That dirty joke was over the line. I love your site. Look forward to it every day. Today was a real disappointment.

Anonymous said...

Its a pet peeve... Dont use the phrase "social distancing" because it is not accurate, it is mind kontrol.

Instead say "PHYSICAL distancing" because that is what it is.

igor said...

Coward Bunga??

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@pkerot- Yes, a single virus particle has no problem migrating through cotton fabric. A virus particle embedded in saliva or mucus, however, does NOT go through - which is why even simple masks greatly reduce the risk from people who knowingly or unknowingly have the virus. You're right that the virus can enter through the eyes as well, which is why some people wear face shields or eye covering (which I do). Nothing can eliminate the risk entirely, but I find that a strange reason to reject the measures that can reduce the risk substantially.

To your other point, I agree that you don't need to quarantine healthy people - which is a policy we can enact when we finally have a way to know who's "healthy" versus asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic (but contagious). That technology isn't available on a widespread basis and won't be for a long time. Which is why "better safe than sorry" is excellent policy.

@Big Wazoo- I glanced at it and it DOES look interesting, but I haven't had 20 minutes to see the whole thing. I'll try to.

@Kent Neal- I agree with most of what you say right up until the last line: that mask-wearing will either be viewed by history as the act of "brainwashed sheeple" or virtue signalers. In other words, you don't even posit a possible future in which people say "Sonofabitch, it turns out that we should have been wearing masks." I'm looking at things medically, you're looking at them politically (as many do). And there's the crux of our problem.

@rickn8or- Hey, different strokes for different folks.

@Duke of URL VFM#391- I'm sorry, but that American Thinker article (and I usually respect them) is utter BS. Right off the bat, they say that Trump wore a mask except in "carefully screened and tested environments." But that's not true - at the White House, "screening" had devolved into testing only a randomized sample of people each day, and use of thermometers to check for fever had tapered to a trickle. Their second point, "there's no evidence that the masks most people wear make any difference" is again bullshit. They make a BIG difference in viral output. Your mask protects others, their masks protect you. Why is that hard for people to understand? Oh yeah...because Trump mocked the idea.

@Geoff King- I love you, brother, but now you're just talking nonsense. Unless you mean some infected dumb SOB doesn't change his mask for a week at a time.

@udaman- Oh, FFS - let's invoke Occam's Razor here...the simplest explanation is most apt to be true. In the middle of a pandemic, Trump didn't want the people around him to observe logical protocol measures to prevent the spread of a virus. Then he and they got the virus as pretty much any dolt could have predicted. I've got no patience for conspiracy theories.

@M. Mitchell Marmel- YES! And while you're at it, pose for an old west Wanted poster!

@Anonymous- Thanks, I needed that!

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@John the Econ- Wait, wait, wait...don't go oxymoronic on me! "Masks are largely theater, but THEY DO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF REDUCING THE VELOCITY OF DISPERSION BY THE INFECTED." How in the name of God's little green apples does that make masks "largely theater"?

@TrickyRicky- There is so much misinformation out there now that any of us is pretty much entitled to believe anything. So I applaud you for wearing a mask when required to, and additionally applaud your resentment of politicians who are trying to use this as a power grab.

@Anonymous- First and most importantly, allow me to send a big "thanks" and a socially-distanced hug to your wife. Our front line healthcare workers are heroes in my book, and I hope she stays healthy.

And I agree with your opening statement about ignorance versus stupidity...but what happens in an environment like the one we live in now where well-intended people are "educated" with false information? At that point, they're neither ignorant nor stupid, but are just as dangerous as those who are.

@Colby Muenster- I wish it was as simple as "just getting it over with," only a lot of people who get the virus don't get all better and may have serious, life-long complications. This is well documented. And I think I'd rather be cautious until there's a good vaccine rather than "just getting it over with" and spending the rest of my shortened life getting dialysis.

@CenTexTim- Bless you, sir.

@lastrick- First of all, I sincerely apologize for offending you. That wasn't my intent, but I do have something of an off-color sense of humor sometimes. And I shared the joke for a reason: it's really how I feel right now. The choices we have in front of us aren't great ones, and there's no guarantee that whatever we choose won't be disastrous.

@Anonymous- Okay, I'll do that if you stop saying po-TAH-to.

@igor- But at the moment of truth, wouldn't we all be cowards?

Old Cannonballs said...

You're usually a pretty sharp guy, Stilt. I'm surprised you're drinking the deadly virus of death koolaid. The main thing it's killing, no matter what numbers the globalists' gatekeepers are spewing, is small business after small business. And that's the lockdown doing it, not the virus.

Lord of the Fleas said...

Wellp... if you want to talk about the SCIENCE surrounding the efficacy of face-diapers, you might as well go to the source of all things sciency in medicine, that being the CDC, and read this report:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article

... specifically the section on face masks.

(Spoiler: "There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.")

mpc105@comcast.net said...

You are wrong on the masks. There is as much literature on the uselessness of masks as there is saying they are great. 2 ways we get past this: vaccine or herd immunity. If Dr. Mike Ryan of WHO is correct then there are 750,000,000 infected worldwide which means 0.13% IFR. Please stop with the mask BS. None of these masks will stop a ubiquitous virus. My sister aged 70 and I aged 71 had it. She needed two days in the hospiital and I needed none. I had two days of feeling poly but so far 3 weeks of loss of taste and smell. Look at the mask mandate in France. After the mandate the cases continued to escalate. Why? Because masks don't work. Nor does social distancing. Read more post less. Google masks for OR surgery. They didn't help even in surgery. Why do we still use them? I guess it is tradition. Looks cool. WTF do I know. I'm a physician since 1974. A virus will continue to spread and masks will not stop it nor will social distancing. Stop the foolishness. Now to keep the pandemic going we have to keep testing because sick people are disappearing and hospitalizations are dropping. STOP THE BS. Go back to your jobs. Most, like my sister and me at 71, will get the virus and do fine. The data is really corrupted. Using the PCR test is wrong. It is a laboratory test not really suited to the field. Just increase cycles and voila, positive test. Yes there are some who will die but most will be those with comorbities. I could go long but my bourbon is calling.

American Cowboy said...

750,000,000 infected according to the "expert" at the WHO? So if true and there were twenty times the number infected as previously stated as fact, I would think that means the death rate is twenty time LOWER! Just heard the daily report in a state I was driving through due to needed family duties. Three deaths, all three were in their late seventies and mid eighties, with under-lying health issues. Death is sad, but the fear and panic is insane, and infecting even otherwise intelligent people. FWIW, I am with Geoff in this one.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Old Cannonballs- My Clan MacGregor is offended that you would even suggest that I'd drink Koolaid. And before you suggest that I'm in favor of lockdowns or oblivious to the fiscal and human damage they do, scroll back up and read what I wrote: that with a real national commitment to basic health protocols we wouldn't have needed a shutdown.

We CAN'T shut down the economy. We MUST live with the virus until we reach herd immunity or have a good vaccine. And to do that, we need a full buy-in from the public to retard the spread of the virus as much as possible so we can keep businesses open.

@Lord of the Fleas- Oh sweet mother of pearl, you're not really going to cite the CDC as anything but a clown show at this point, right? They haven't gotten anything right during the entire pandemic.

And I note that the article you cite is back from the bad old days when Fauci, the Surgeon General, and the CDC were all lying about mask efficacy in order to buy up all the masks for healthcare workers.

But let's look at your "spoiler" summary saying that masks weren't found to have any significant effect. Since that time, the CDC has said that SARS-CoV-2 is spread primarily by "droplets" expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You know what doesn't sail through even basic face masks? Droplets. Nice wet gooey droplets. Which is why the CDC is currently (granted, they change their minds a lot, and not based on science) that people need to wear masks, socially distance, and wash their hands.

@mpc105@comcast.net- First off, I'm glad that you and your sister are doing okay. Secondly, it's really interesting to get the opinion of an actual physician such as yourself. I indeed Googled face mask efficacy in the OR, and there's certainly some solid looking evidence that standard surgical masks don't do diddly-squat. I've also seen tests run measuring droplet transmission with and without a mask that strongly suggested that masks DO make a difference. And I already knew that the PCR test gives too many false positives for the very reasons you mention.

So you've given me food for thought (and drink). But I can't say I'm keen on the idea of just saying "to hell with hygiene" and go back to business as usual, simply accepting that many will die (albeit low on a percentage basis) and many more will suffer permanent physical damange to their organs and/or brain. All of which may be absolutely true - maybe that IS the best thing to do. Just because I find an idea horrendous doesn't mean it's not necessarily right. Because in Life, it's always "death or bunga."

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@American Cowboy- I'll admit that I'm exhausted of the conversation at this point. I wish Trump well and hope he gets re-elected. I hope a safe and effective vaccine is developed soon. And I hope everyone reading this stays safe and healthy through whatever methods they've chosen to follow.

Goodnight, God bless, and don't forget to tip your waiters.

Pete (Detroit) said...

Late to the party, but Golly, Stilt - one of my favorite jokes EVER!
Vintage, Classic, and to the point!!

JustaJeepGuy said...


I pointed out back in February that the Wuhan flu is here, it's going around, and we're all going to get it sooner or later. That's just the way it is with a virus. Mask or no mask, our real best hope is herd immunity--and I read over a month ago that we've hit that mark already.

One other thing that helps is when the virus mutates into a less-deadly form. Any virus must do so to keep from killing off its possible host(s). If all the hosts die, the virus dies, and that is no way to achieve longevity.

Sweden and South Dakota didn't lock down their populations; how have those places done?

JustaJeepGuy said...


Oh, I also wanted to throw out a small conspiracy theory: what if the Chinese communist party released the Wuhan flu with the intention of shutting down the protests in Hong Kong and didn't bother to think it might get out to the whole planet? Or maybe they didn't care that it might get out, as long as the Hong Kong protests stopped....

DrMikey said...

Thank you for the kind response to my post as mpc105@comcast.net. I am using my wife's computer so I haven't a clue how to make this note show me. I wrote about the masks. One thing of late is bothering me. There was to be a study from Denmark with 6000 people, have using masks and half not. The study was completed August 1 but has never been published. I have written to the administration of the hospital in charge and to one of the researchers. I got no response. Possibilities include political motivation or influence not to publish or late enough in the pandemic that there weren't enough cases to make a good determination of mask capabilities. Either way it bothers me that a statement has not been made about the outcome on a much anticipated study. Many of the mask studies are physical property studies. By this I mean, particle size, capture numbers. We need more "this arm wears masks all the time" and "this arm never wears a mask." Another thing is when CDC, WHO and many studies end the study with "we determined masks MAY or MIGHT or COULD reduce the spread" ignore that study because that MAY, MIGHT and COULD are not scientific results. You have to have a real controlled study. Issues in the real world are touching your mask(some studies on preteens and children that within an hour mask is touched dozens of times and medical students were little better), mask fit, proper use, etc. But let's remember that the mask might stop big droplets that contain the virus but then droplets dry, virus sits and waits and then you cough into mask and mobilize virus and constantly out the sides, out the top and on and on. I don't know about you and the Mrs. and comorbidities. If you are like my sister at 70 and fit, trim with no comorbidities you will probably do fine. I drink a little too much, am a little overweight but have no other comorbidities. I did better than my sister. If you have serious comorbidities then try not to go to the grocery store or shopping. Don't let the mask make you feel safe if you are in the old and comorbid group. Look at France and the date of their mask mandate. The new cases kept climbing after the hard mandate. There are some states that did the same and mandates didn't change anything. I would be happy to send you references for masks but I'm sure you have seen them. THere are about equal numbers of "masks will stop a virus" and "masks are useless" studies. If you go back to earlier in the pandemic you can see that the curve in NYC was unaltered by all the mandates. There was no bending or flattening the curve. Many will tell you it worked but it did not. Note the upslope of all the curves after lockdown or mask mandates. Don't bet too hard on "long haul covid" just yet. These still must be considered anecdotal cases until more study including biopsy, autopsy and hard evidence. To say this patient has heart disease and he didn't before covid is like me saying " I had covid and now I can a marathon." There has to be hard evidence. I now know 6 people who had covid and none have "long haul" symptoms. It may be real but things like "chronic fatigues syndrome" are hard to diagnose accurately. In any event, if you have comorbidities and you are old protect yourself. Sadly, if you are high risk the best way to do that is to stay at home. Don't trust a mask to protect you no matter what Fauci says.

rickn8or said...

"Don't trust a mask to protect you no matter what Fauci says. "

What Fauci says THIS week...

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Pete (Detroit)- Glad you liked the joke! And again, I wasn't sharing it just because I was in the mood for a dirty joke, but because the punchline really speaks to how I'm feeling just now. It's basically a filthy parable. (grin)

@JustaJeepGuy- It's my understanding that Sweden has done better than the U.S., but worse than their neighbors who did more lockdown/mask measures. What we're supposed to learn from that I have no idea anymore.

And I 100% believe that SARS-CoV-2 is a Frankenstein virus created in that lab in Wuhan (by their own accounts, they were working on pretty much exactly this kind of virus but (ahem) not this virus. Right.) The science involved makes this pretty much a sure thing (looking at the grafting/splicing points in the gene structure). I'm guessing that Our Government Masters know the truth, but are suppressing it so there's not a nationwide demand to nuke China in retaliation. No, really.

@DrMikey- I very much appreciate your posts and have to say that you've really impacted my thinking about all of this. Your arguments seem well reasoned, documented, and are clearly expressed. Mind you, my "evolving" (as the Dems say) mindset isn't a particularly happy one: there are three people in my household and all of us have fairly significant co-morbidities. So we can't just think about ourselves, but must also consider the possible grenade that would go off in our lives if we bring the virus into our home.

I'd made sort of a cautious peace with occasionally going out wearing an N95 mask, but hadn't gone full goggles yet (that's changing as of today). The sensible thing is for no one in my family to emerge until a real vaccine is doing its thing. It's also not a possible thing, as we still have to make very regular visits (more than once a week) to a medical facility to deal with various problems. And sadly, if masks are as ineffective as you say, it will be another year or more before my daughter can even try to find work again (as an SLP, she's got to work close to open mouths).

Even so, I'd rather be informed than happy (if I can't be both). So thank you and keep posting!

@rickn8or- Fauci says whatever is politically expedient for himself and whatever will best "manage" the peons, even if it's a lie. I wouldn't trust that SOB if he told me the sky was blue.

Rastapopoulos said...

@Stilton Jarlsberg - it is okay to suffer from CCCP-19 fatigue.

We've been inundated with hysteria and rants from every corner of our lives, while retreating into an uncomfortable form a reclusion that saps the soul.

Take heart Stilton Jarlsberg, as all is neither lost nor even really even at risk.

For those with training, you will realize the mask edicts are not much more than "do something, anything" kabuki theatre.

When the Chinese Plague escaped, or was released, all of our efforts were to flatten the curve.

Flattening the curve was not to imagined as some safe spot where you will forever escape the CCCP-19 virus, but as an effort to keep the risks in control.

Nobody promised us a rose garden, as the song goes.

That we are not each personally experiencing the deaths of a portion of our family seems amazing after the MSM's "Chicken Little Dance" gleefully declaring "you will die, die, die..." Poppycock.

Of course someday will will each die, so perhaps they are right? But it isn't going to be for the lack of a mask or the arbitrary 6-feet distancing between others.

Did you know that Europes CCCP-19 virus is a metric version? Yup, more energetic as you need 2 meters distance to protect yourself, except in the places where it is apparently sluggish and one 1 meter is required...

Keep yourself healthy, respectable Vit-D, Vit-C and Zinc levels and do good hygiene may help. But as the CCCP-19 virus hasn't cleared the streets of the homeless and addicted, perhaps that is a fable too?

As for Fauci pay more attention to what he does (he is taking his Vitamins but largely ignoring his mask when he thinks he is off camera) to his suspect words.

Can you get sick? Yes.

Could it be serious? Yes.

Is it a death sentence? Nope.

Will a mask save you? Nope.

Will social distancing save you? Nope.

One theory heard is that we now face several varieties of the CCCP-19 virus, with different mortality rates. The weak version is enough to help us with antibodies that will protect us from the full brunt of the real McCoy.

Where did the weak versions come from? How are they covering more people than the really bad stuff? You guess is as good as mine, so whether the hand of God or the hands of Men, something has changed.

As for the POTUS and associates becoming infected, who & how were they targeted? At many of the events non-Republicans appeared also with varying levels of faux-prophylactic masks and distancing. But only one party is stricken? Something is not right in Denmark there.

Be safe, know that stressing risks a grave more certainly than the virus, and also be ready in your heart that if you would get sick and die, that you are ready to meet your maker.

Geoff King said...

Doctors in Australia have determined that farts can spread Covid.
I swear I am not making that up.
They say that wearing pants, just like masks, can cut down on the spread of the virus but not eliminate it. They recommend that people should not fart in close proximity to other people. I think that is a good idea with or without a virus. I damn sure won't start putting a
mandated cork in it if the CDC gets wind (pun intended) of the Australian study.

Anonymous said...

Masks work to stop the spread of all sorts of germs. As evidence, note that doctors and nurses who perform operations wear masks to stop the spread of germs, both from the medical personnel to the patient and vice versa. If EVERYBODY who had gone out in public had worn masks all of the time, the damned covid would have already been done spreading. But some selfish assholes don't believe that covid is real and so they don't wear masks and they keep spreading it.

BTW, I knew three people who died of covid. So wear a damned mask already!

Rusty W

Lee The Voice said...

Binga banga bunga I don want to leave the junga, oh no no no no no.

Anonymous said...

I saw that about Ivermectin and yet Trump was not prescribed that. However, in california there is now a doctor who said he has cured 1700 patients with hydroxychloroquine...
https://youtu.be/PE3QfTnIazU