My mother, 94, was rushed to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing Michigan yesterday (yes same one in national news because they are in CRISIS MODE!!!) She was kept in the hallway all day until a bed opened in the ER. She cannot be admitted because there are NO BEDS and a severe STAFFING SHORTAGE!! She went through weeks of radiation for vaginal cancer AT 94!! These unvaccinated fkers are killing people!!! They will pay for this...I honor our hospital workers. RESIST folks. And when the time comes we will take to the streets. I promise you that. And MAHALO, Eric, for helping us fight this battle together. And FUK CNN. They are Faux 2.0. And they will pay dearly also. I promise.
You think the facts from this report by NPR which was updated just this past December would have gotten at least as much attention as the press gave CRT:
“People living in counties that went 60% or higher for Trump in November 2020 had 2.73 times the death rates of those that went for Biden”
Even more shocking:
“ In October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth,”
This analysis controlled for age and tracked with vaccination rates.
A six times higher death rate in areas that went strongly for Trump seems like a story worth a lot of headlines. Republicans aren’t a death cult, they’re a suicide cult but one that only the followers sacrifice themselves.
Golly, Eric. Here is another MSM story you missed regarding Biden's many failures:
Biden polls plunge over impending heat death of the universe
President Joe Biden’s approvals have fallen to new lows as voter concerns grow over the administration’s failure to take steps to deal with the heat death of the universe expected to occur when protons decay in several trillion years. While Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the president is focused on the need to take decisive action during the time remaining, Republicans strongly criticized the administration’s apparent lack of urgency.
“The administration’s failure to address this growing threat mirrors their failure to anticipate the next 17 Covid variants,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The American people deserve answers to this growing threat and will no doubt remember the president’s inaction in 2022 and 2024.”
In a focus group of 127 former Trump voters, 97 percent said that Biden is a actually multi-dimensional being working with Tom Hanks and JFK, Jr. to allow the universe to burn out so that real Americans can be replaced by immigrants. Three independents asked to participate in the focus group to add balance were unable to decide whether to get out of bed and did not attend.
The Washington Post also recently ran a very, very long column that excoriated Joe and read much like the Times' piece. Since the beginning, Covid coverage has been (I'll be charitable) questionable. In the beginning, reporting compared Covid to the flu (you'll feel bad for a few days then it's over). Move to the early months of 2021, when many elite journalists were among the privileged few to get fully vaxxed first—while the rest of us were waiting to become eligible—and they railed against still having to wear masks and pounded the CDC to change its recommendations. CDC caved, just in time for Delta to arrive. At first, journalists dismissed it, surmising it was no worse than the first strain—until reality intervened. On the heels of Delta came Omicron, which hit with the speed of lightning. Suddenly the storyline was why didn't the administration stop Omicron immediately and of course: WHERE ARE ALL THE HOME TESTS? Reporters proclaimed failure, failure , failure in story after story—when just weeks before few people—including them—had even thought about wanting a home test kit. Journalists also stuck with Omicron is "mild" and "kids don't get sick and even if they do they don't die." Which we know isn't true.
By the holidays, "tired" of two years of the pandemic, the line became, oh, everyone is going to get it so just get sick and then we'll all have immunity. (Not quite true). There have been recent stories cheering that the end may be near; because so many people have caught the virus, the pandemic will be over with Omicron. (To quote Laurie Garrett, "No.") Those stories are matched with the cynical take that okay, since we can't stop this disease big deal if people get sick and die or have long term health problems. They're old fat sick people anyway so who cares because I'm a healthy 35/40 year old and I want my kid in school. His teacher or other students get sick? So what.
Meanwhile, throughout 2021 as vaxxes became widely available, the press ran stories not about the 95-99 percent of employees, etc who complied with mandates or willingly got vaxxed on their own, but the tiny percentage who refused and got fired. Why?
I am not joking when I say this is the 'zombie apocalypse'. I recently skimmed an article in Business Insider with the headline Twitter users are comparing Elon Musk's Neuralink chip implants to a similar device featured in the hit dystopian series, 'Black Mirror'. And, did anyone see the Senate hearing for the Florida Surgeon General yesterday? This is unreal. Imagine if the media (including social media) across the board agreed to set aside entertainment and profit in order to get focus on the health of our Democracy by reporting facts and truth and prioritizing stories with the greatest risk and impact to us all. I know someone is writing a book in the field of 'alternative history' right now, for future generations. The media's complicity is dooming us.
Please, will some sharp lawyers somewhere present the cause of action against fox entertainment in a way that will eliminate their entire funding, forever. They are using their platforms to the detriment of us all. They have to be forced to answer. Sue them out of existence.
I don't even know what to say about the people who refuse the vaccine out of some misguided loyalty to bizarre beliefs. I see them the way I see the person thinking he can jump from one rooftop to another and failing. I would tell them not to do it, but I can't stop anyone hellbent on destroying themselves. As for the Biden angle - once again the lazy press is fantasizing that Biden has powers he doesn't have. He's not a scientist nor a superhero nor a god. He has no control over the spread of a virus as tenacious as Covid. For all their education and reporting chops - which I would hope would include more than a healthy dose of skepticism - the press act like a child with a broken toy saying, "Daddy, fix."
The COVID story is the same as all of the other stories. Since it has been left to political "journalists" to cover the pandemic, they refuse to accurately report the story for fear of losing access to Republicans.
Clearly, the NYT will not change. They have consistently turned a blind eye to the rise of fascism from Stalin to Hitler to Trump. No amount of criticism fazes them, no amount of deaths and suffering impacts their intentional arrangement of facts to suit their preferred narrative. Just as clearly, the White House press Corp will not change its absurd pre-written narratives and insne questions. So, what is the solution? These journalists can't be shamed into unbiased reporting. They remain almost blissfully convinced they they will remain untouched under an authoritarian regime. There are excellent reporters at both the NYT and WaPo, but the Beltway reporters (who knew full well the danger posed by Trump, and his history of corruption, bankruptcies, extortion, and lies) stood by enraptured by his rise to power and busily closing book deals to exploit the ensuing chaos. The death of nearly a million people due to rampant propaganda is of little interest to those who exist in s bubble where headlines, clicks, and cable cameos are their north stars. So, what can be done?
“The president tiptoed around an organized Republican revolt over masks, mandates, vaccine passports and even the vaccine itself.” Had Joe Biden directly addressed that he would have immediately been assailed by the likes of Kristen Welker (NBC) for being divisive.
Stories —like these ones Eric mentions— are journalistic malpractice with life-and-death consequences.
Again, I wish that there was a journalism governing body like the American Bar Association is for lawyers. Our pundit class would be escorted by security out of the building in a New York Minute and given a cheese sandwich and a roadmap as parting gifts.
I am an epidemiologist, and I study Covid. From the bottom of my scientific heart, thank you for this.
I'll give you another Covid topic that the press mangles: long Covid, or PASC. Reporters love to present stories of the triathlete who got Covid sniffles for two days, but then ends up bed-ridden for a year as the result of long Covid. These tales are becoming as common as the "Trump voter in the diner" malarkey. Several of my friends are now completely terrified of long Covid. Yes, occasionally folks who had only mild infections experience long Covid, and yes, it sucks! But unlike what the press coverage would have you believe, we're finding more and more that PASC is NOT random. In fact, you can probably cut your risk if you just GET A DAMN VACCINE ALREADY.
Of all places, Politico did a piece that tore David Leonhardt several new bodily portals, and he deserved it. I've been promoting him as excellent, and apparently he now wants to be executive editor and so makes sure that he presents republican disinformation as the same as Democratic, just like Bothsides Baquet and the rest of those who (don't) cover politics for The Times.
It broke my heart to read recently about a 31 year old man, a father of 2 little kids and another one one the way, in need of a heart transplant but the guy has refused to be vaccinated and hence, has been denied a transplant, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to literally die on that hill. He says he has "done his own research" (probably listening to Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers) and - amazingly - has determined that the vaccines aren't safe. But I guess taking a tiny risk and getting to see his kids grow up just doesn't stack up against protecting himself against a phantom vaccine menace. He has about 3 weeks to live unless he gets this surgery, and the hospital says he has to have the shot to prevent a significant risk of dying post-surgery from covid.
I wonder if anyone has been keeping stats on the number of deaths from covid caused by the misinformation that's been peddled to the gullible. Talk about getting covid stories wrong. Yesterday I wrote a comment mentioning that menace, Alex Berenson, who blogs his anti-vaccine rubbish here on Substack. It's just about the only platform he has left and I hope he loses it soon.
Amazing how so many Americans, and to be fair, other humans around the world, fail to follow science. You know, science, that thing that brought you weather satellites, microwave ovens, more efficient automobiles not to mention the newer electric ones, coast to coast travel by plane in 5 hours, MRIs, Cat-scans, laptops, smart phones, on and on and on... yet refuse to believe the science of vaccines. We have had many vacancies shot into our arms since the first Smallpox one that came out in 1796. Vaccines protect us from disease and have extended the average life span dramatically. As I've said many times before to those who will listen, Darwinism isn't just about physical traits. It also has to do with the ability to make smart informed decisions. The squirrel who senses danger before crossing the road increases her risk of survival over the ones who only see the nut on the other side of the street. It's no different for humans as the statistic on unvaccinated Covid patients is showing. Sadly the media is stoking this ignorance. I don't want anyone to be sick or to die from this pandemic but if these anti-vaxxers are unwilling to take the small risk (we take risks everyday when we head out on to the road in our automobiles) then all I can say is "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies..."
My mother, 94, was rushed to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing Michigan yesterday (yes same one in national news because they are in CRISIS MODE!!!) She was kept in the hallway all day until a bed opened in the ER. She cannot be admitted because there are NO BEDS and a severe STAFFING SHORTAGE!! She went through weeks of radiation for vaginal cancer AT 94!! These unvaccinated fkers are killing people!!! They will pay for this...I honor our hospital workers. RESIST folks. And when the time comes we will take to the streets. I promise you that. And MAHALO, Eric, for helping us fight this battle together. And FUK CNN. They are Faux 2.0. And they will pay dearly also. I promise.
You think the facts from this report by NPR which was updated just this past December would have gotten at least as much attention as the press gave CRT:
“People living in counties that went 60% or higher for Trump in November 2020 had 2.73 times the death rates of those that went for Biden”
Even more shocking:
“ In October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth,”
This analysis controlled for age and tracked with vaccination rates.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/05/1059828993/data-vaccine-misinformation-trump-counties-covid-death-rate
A six times higher death rate in areas that went strongly for Trump seems like a story worth a lot of headlines. Republicans aren’t a death cult, they’re a suicide cult but one that only the followers sacrifice themselves.
Golly, Eric. Here is another MSM story you missed regarding Biden's many failures:
Biden polls plunge over impending heat death of the universe
President Joe Biden’s approvals have fallen to new lows as voter concerns grow over the administration’s failure to take steps to deal with the heat death of the universe expected to occur when protons decay in several trillion years. While Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the president is focused on the need to take decisive action during the time remaining, Republicans strongly criticized the administration’s apparent lack of urgency.
“The administration’s failure to address this growing threat mirrors their failure to anticipate the next 17 Covid variants,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The American people deserve answers to this growing threat and will no doubt remember the president’s inaction in 2022 and 2024.”
In a focus group of 127 former Trump voters, 97 percent said that Biden is a actually multi-dimensional being working with Tom Hanks and JFK, Jr. to allow the universe to burn out so that real Americans can be replaced by immigrants. Three independents asked to participate in the focus group to add balance were unable to decide whether to get out of bed and did not attend.
The Washington Post also recently ran a very, very long column that excoriated Joe and read much like the Times' piece. Since the beginning, Covid coverage has been (I'll be charitable) questionable. In the beginning, reporting compared Covid to the flu (you'll feel bad for a few days then it's over). Move to the early months of 2021, when many elite journalists were among the privileged few to get fully vaxxed first—while the rest of us were waiting to become eligible—and they railed against still having to wear masks and pounded the CDC to change its recommendations. CDC caved, just in time for Delta to arrive. At first, journalists dismissed it, surmising it was no worse than the first strain—until reality intervened. On the heels of Delta came Omicron, which hit with the speed of lightning. Suddenly the storyline was why didn't the administration stop Omicron immediately and of course: WHERE ARE ALL THE HOME TESTS? Reporters proclaimed failure, failure , failure in story after story—when just weeks before few people—including them—had even thought about wanting a home test kit. Journalists also stuck with Omicron is "mild" and "kids don't get sick and even if they do they don't die." Which we know isn't true.
By the holidays, "tired" of two years of the pandemic, the line became, oh, everyone is going to get it so just get sick and then we'll all have immunity. (Not quite true). There have been recent stories cheering that the end may be near; because so many people have caught the virus, the pandemic will be over with Omicron. (To quote Laurie Garrett, "No.") Those stories are matched with the cynical take that okay, since we can't stop this disease big deal if people get sick and die or have long term health problems. They're old fat sick people anyway so who cares because I'm a healthy 35/40 year old and I want my kid in school. His teacher or other students get sick? So what.
Meanwhile, throughout 2021 as vaxxes became widely available, the press ran stories not about the 95-99 percent of employees, etc who complied with mandates or willingly got vaxxed on their own, but the tiny percentage who refused and got fired. Why?
I despair.
I am not joking when I say this is the 'zombie apocalypse'. I recently skimmed an article in Business Insider with the headline Twitter users are comparing Elon Musk's Neuralink chip implants to a similar device featured in the hit dystopian series, 'Black Mirror'. And, did anyone see the Senate hearing for the Florida Surgeon General yesterday? This is unreal. Imagine if the media (including social media) across the board agreed to set aside entertainment and profit in order to get focus on the health of our Democracy by reporting facts and truth and prioritizing stories with the greatest risk and impact to us all. I know someone is writing a book in the field of 'alternative history' right now, for future generations. The media's complicity is dooming us.
Please, will some sharp lawyers somewhere present the cause of action against fox entertainment in a way that will eliminate their entire funding, forever. They are using their platforms to the detriment of us all. They have to be forced to answer. Sue them out of existence.
I don't even know what to say about the people who refuse the vaccine out of some misguided loyalty to bizarre beliefs. I see them the way I see the person thinking he can jump from one rooftop to another and failing. I would tell them not to do it, but I can't stop anyone hellbent on destroying themselves. As for the Biden angle - once again the lazy press is fantasizing that Biden has powers he doesn't have. He's not a scientist nor a superhero nor a god. He has no control over the spread of a virus as tenacious as Covid. For all their education and reporting chops - which I would hope would include more than a healthy dose of skepticism - the press act like a child with a broken toy saying, "Daddy, fix."
The COVID story is the same as all of the other stories. Since it has been left to political "journalists" to cover the pandemic, they refuse to accurately report the story for fear of losing access to Republicans.
Clearly, the NYT will not change. They have consistently turned a blind eye to the rise of fascism from Stalin to Hitler to Trump. No amount of criticism fazes them, no amount of deaths and suffering impacts their intentional arrangement of facts to suit their preferred narrative. Just as clearly, the White House press Corp will not change its absurd pre-written narratives and insne questions. So, what is the solution? These journalists can't be shamed into unbiased reporting. They remain almost blissfully convinced they they will remain untouched under an authoritarian regime. There are excellent reporters at both the NYT and WaPo, but the Beltway reporters (who knew full well the danger posed by Trump, and his history of corruption, bankruptcies, extortion, and lies) stood by enraptured by his rise to power and busily closing book deals to exploit the ensuing chaos. The death of nearly a million people due to rampant propaganda is of little interest to those who exist in s bubble where headlines, clicks, and cable cameos are their north stars. So, what can be done?
“The president tiptoed around an organized Republican revolt over masks, mandates, vaccine passports and even the vaccine itself.” Had Joe Biden directly addressed that he would have immediately been assailed by the likes of Kristen Welker (NBC) for being divisive.
Stories —like these ones Eric mentions— are journalistic malpractice with life-and-death consequences.
Again, I wish that there was a journalism governing body like the American Bar Association is for lawyers. Our pundit class would be escorted by security out of the building in a New York Minute and given a cheese sandwich and a roadmap as parting gifts.
I am an epidemiologist, and I study Covid. From the bottom of my scientific heart, thank you for this.
I'll give you another Covid topic that the press mangles: long Covid, or PASC. Reporters love to present stories of the triathlete who got Covid sniffles for two days, but then ends up bed-ridden for a year as the result of long Covid. These tales are becoming as common as the "Trump voter in the diner" malarkey. Several of my friends are now completely terrified of long Covid. Yes, occasionally folks who had only mild infections experience long Covid, and yes, it sucks! But unlike what the press coverage would have you believe, we're finding more and more that PASC is NOT random. In fact, you can probably cut your risk if you just GET A DAMN VACCINE ALREADY.
Of all places, Politico did a piece that tore David Leonhardt several new bodily portals, and he deserved it. I've been promoting him as excellent, and apparently he now wants to be executive editor and so makes sure that he presents republican disinformation as the same as Democratic, just like Bothsides Baquet and the rest of those who (don't) cover politics for The Times.
It broke my heart to read recently about a 31 year old man, a father of 2 little kids and another one one the way, in need of a heart transplant but the guy has refused to be vaccinated and hence, has been denied a transplant, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to literally die on that hill. He says he has "done his own research" (probably listening to Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers) and - amazingly - has determined that the vaccines aren't safe. But I guess taking a tiny risk and getting to see his kids grow up just doesn't stack up against protecting himself against a phantom vaccine menace. He has about 3 weeks to live unless he gets this surgery, and the hospital says he has to have the shot to prevent a significant risk of dying post-surgery from covid.
I wonder if anyone has been keeping stats on the number of deaths from covid caused by the misinformation that's been peddled to the gullible. Talk about getting covid stories wrong. Yesterday I wrote a comment mentioning that menace, Alex Berenson, who blogs his anti-vaccine rubbish here on Substack. It's just about the only platform he has left and I hope he loses it soon.
I loved your chosen quote from the Atlantic piece by Kate Cray.
Amazing how so many Americans, and to be fair, other humans around the world, fail to follow science. You know, science, that thing that brought you weather satellites, microwave ovens, more efficient automobiles not to mention the newer electric ones, coast to coast travel by plane in 5 hours, MRIs, Cat-scans, laptops, smart phones, on and on and on... yet refuse to believe the science of vaccines. We have had many vacancies shot into our arms since the first Smallpox one that came out in 1796. Vaccines protect us from disease and have extended the average life span dramatically. As I've said many times before to those who will listen, Darwinism isn't just about physical traits. It also has to do with the ability to make smart informed decisions. The squirrel who senses danger before crossing the road increases her risk of survival over the ones who only see the nut on the other side of the street. It's no different for humans as the statistic on unvaccinated Covid patients is showing. Sadly the media is stoking this ignorance. I don't want anyone to be sick or to die from this pandemic but if these anti-vaxxers are unwilling to take the small risk (we take risks everyday when we head out on to the road in our automobiles) then all I can say is "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies..."