CoronaFarce-rus

[41chevy]

All my life, I have dismissed paranoids on the right (the U.S will embrace communism") and the left ("It can happen here" -- referring to fascism). It's not that I've ever believed liberty was guaranteed. Being familiar with history and a pessimist regarding the human condition, I never believed that.

But the ease with which police state tactics have been employed and the equal ease with which most Americans have accepted them have been amazing to say the least!

People will argue that a temporary police state has been justified because of the allegedly unique threat to life posed by the new coronavirus. I do not believe the data will bear that out. Regardless, we are closer to a police state than ever in American history.

"Police state" does not mean totalitarian state. America is not a totalitarian state; we still have many freedoms. In a totalitarian state, this rant could not be published, and if it were published, I would be imprisoned and most likely executed. But we are presently living with all four of the key hallmarks of a police state:

No. 1: Draconian laws depriving citizens of elementary civil rights.

The federal, state, county and city governments are now restricting almost every freedom except those of travel and speech. Americans have been banned from going to work (and thereby earning a living), meeting in groups (both indoors and outdoors), meeting in their cars in church parking lots to pray and entering state-owned properties such as beaches and parks -- among many other prohibitions.

No. 2: A mass media supportive of the state's messaging and deprivation of rights.

The New York Times, CNN and every other mainstream mass medium -- except Fox News, The Wall Street Journal (editorial and opinion pages only) and talk radio -- have served the cause of state control over individual Americans' lives just as Pravda served the Soviet government. In fact, there is almost no more dissent in The New York Times than there was in Pravda. And the Big Tech platforms are removing posts about the virus and potential treatments they deem "misinformation."

No. 3: Use of police.

Police departments throughout America have agreed to enforce these laws and edicts with what can only be described as frightening alacrity. After hearing me describe police giving summonses to, or even arresting, people for playing baseball with their children on a beach, jogging alone without a mask, or worshipping on Easter while sitting isolated in their cars in a church parking lot, a police officer called my show. He explained that the police have no choice. They must respond to every dispatch they receive.

"And why are they dispatched to a person jogging on a beach or sitting alone in a park?" I asked.

Because the department was informed about these lawbreakers and they must be dealt with.

And who told the police about these lawbreakers?" I asked.

His answer brings us to the fourth characteristic of a police state: Informants told us.

No. 4: Snitches.

How do the police dispatchers learn of lawbreakers such as families playing softball in a public park, lone joggers without face masks, etc.? From their fellow citizens snitching on them. The mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, set up a "snitch line," whereby New Yorkers were told to send authorities photos of fellow New Yorkers violating any of the quarantine laws. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti similarly encouraged snitching, unabashedly using the term.

It is said that about 1 in every 100 East German citizens were informers for the Stasi, the East German secret police, as superbly portrayed in the film "The Lives of Others." It would be interesting, and, I think, important, to know what percentage of New Yorkers informed on their fellow citizens. Now, again, you may think such a comparison is not morally valid, that de Blasio's call to New Yorkers to serve a Stasi-like role was morally justified given the coronavirus pandemic. But you cannot deny it is Stasi-like or that, other than identifying spies during World War II, this is unprecedented in American history at anywhere near this level.

(As an example my friend Klaus jumped the Berlin Wall when it was first up. He told me he had to leave his wife and son  behind because one or the other said they would turn anybody in who tried to leave. They would've been paid in extra food.)

We are dangerously on the tipping point now.

[Quickfarms]

Wow California, except the City of Los Angeles, is fairly normal.

Everyone in my family is still working and enjoying the lack of commuting.

I do refuse to do most work in Los Angeles now, but it’s a cesspool normally and I don’t want to have to deal with the residents.

The protestors in Huntington Beach are not wearing masks and the police are just watching them.

I see people out jogging, walking or riding there bike without a mask all the time.

Yes you have to wear a mask when we go into a business.

I do put on gloves and a mask when I go into a store.

[HeavyGunner]

I always enjoy the guests Joe Has on his show. Pretty interesting insights and opinions from a former Seal on Captian Crozier. 

 

[david wild]

Notice the Liberals have left us, they used to take a swipe once and while but they sure seem quiet or have moved to a site more their Liberal liking ? 

[david wild]

Of course any nitwit knows this joke is over the top and why try and defend ultimate stupidity.

[Mack Technician]

The thread may have turned to a bastion of negativity and liberal folks are running to a more upbeat, positive, outlook on Covid..... so.....keeping in step i’ll not waiver. 

Somebody explain to me how the talking air-heads can keep comparing the Covid number of dead to how many people died in Vietnam? Do they listen to themselves or go out talking to millions without wondering if what they’re about to say makes any sense? 

Is dying of Covid heroic? Are people volunteering to contract and die of Covid like people who go to war and die? Are they contracting it so others don’t have to? Are people getting Covid to defend our constitution.....or freedoms? Do Covid’ers die full of bullet holes, bleeding out in a muddy hole in the prime of their young lives and stripped the benefit of ever growing old? Bleeding heart fools looking for any shock value, or tragedy they can attach. 

 

[mackey58]

😪

[Mack Technician]

Don’t you go crying on me Mackey. The positive libenergy Calvary is coming to heal your broken heart 💔. 

For the Democrat this will be a stellar year. Greenhouse gases are predicted to be reduced by 8% from the release of Covid-19. This will pave the way for AOC to get into office and declare global warming a national emergency. In that case she will be able to control our economy as a political “idiot savant” dictator with incredible dance moves. 🎶 💃 🎶 . Add to that thousands of Covid victims who won’t be breathing and polluting this earth with their deadly carbon dioxide breath and even Chuck Schumer may start to tap his feet a little. 

One more positive for a Democrat. Trumps willingness to hop on board the Corona crazy train may cost him the presidency........IF Biden hasn’t lost his ability to tie his own shoes by November. 

Remember when Republicans kept shutting down the economy because Obama was “spending too much money and running up the debt”. Don’t see much of that going on. Seems like not a fiscal conservative to object? Instead we’re shutting down working tax payers, bringing in no personal incomes or tax revenue, and blowing the top off our debt ceiling. Nearly everything Trump did is wiped clean by Covid and the tariff war. 

How’s that for a pinko eye dryer? 

[41chevy]

1 hour ago, mackey58 said:

😪

Gather you dislike Veterans and the military in general. Good to know

[Maxidyne]

He never said that.

[david wild]

Trump went along with this hoax because the young are to stupid to know this no worse than any  other thing that has come along, remember Y2K the world was going to end, it's all BS but Trump had to go with flow because the smart people are out numbered by the stupid, he knows this is a joke and is just playing the smart card.

[Mack Technician]

I’m on the fence with Don’s handling of Covid. He’s hasn’t been a complete Cov-idiot like some governors, but he certainly hasn’t taken a Libertarian approach either. He could have kept his opinions to himself on Georgia’s reopening. He’s still the only viable option for November at this point.

Despite his shortcomings, His policy decisions are excellent. Pence has been schooling him on attracting Christian conservatives and it worked. Trump can’t properly pronounce half of the 66 books, but he keeps showing up in the right place at the right times to mispronounce them to a cheering crowd who’s flattered he even gives a damn enough to try.

Wisconsin Republicans will be taking King Evers IV before the State Supreme Court on Tuesday to knock out his stay home order. I’m throwing $25 into the kitty. If Republicans win I’m sending 💰 to Tom Tiffany as another gift of thanks for his campaign. They knocked down Tony’s attempt to block our April election, they’ll beat him this time too, hopefully. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Mack Technician

[Mack Technician]

On 4/29/2020 at 10:13 PM, 41chevy said:

All my life, I have dismissed paranoids on the right (the U.S will embrace communism") and the left ("It can happen here" -- referring to fascism). It's not that I've ever believed liberty was guaranteed. Being familiar with history and a pessimist regarding the human condition, I never believed that.

But the ease with which police state tactics have been employed and the equal ease with which most Americans have accepted them have been amazing to say the least!

People will argue that a temporary police state has been justified because of the allegedly unique threat to life posed by the new coronavirus. I do not believe the data will bear that out. Regardless, we are closer to a police state than ever in American history.

"Police state" does not mean totalitarian state. America is not a totalitarian state; we still have many freedoms. In a totalitarian state, this rant could not be published, and if it were published, I would be imprisoned and most likely executed. But we are presently living with all four of the key hallmarks of a police state:

No. 1: Draconian laws depriving citizens of elementary civil rights.

The federal, state, county and city governments are now restricting almost every freedom except those of travel and speech. Americans have been banned from going to work (and thereby earning a living), meeting in groups (both indoors and outdoors), meeting in their cars in church parking lots to pray and entering state-owned properties such as beaches and parks -- among many other prohibitions.

No. 2: A mass media supportive of the state's messaging and deprivation of rights.

The New York Times, CNN and every other mainstream mass medium -- except Fox News, The Wall Street Journal (editorial and opinion pages only) and talk radio -- have served the cause of state control over individual Americans' lives just as Pravda served the Soviet government. In fact, there is almost no more dissent in The New York Times than there was in Pravda. And the Big Tech platforms are removing posts about the virus and potential treatments they deem "misinformation."

No. 3: Use of police.

Police departments throughout America have agreed to enforce these laws and edicts with what can only be described as frightening alacrity. After hearing me describe police giving summonses to, or even arresting, people for playing baseball with their children on a beach, jogging alone without a mask, or worshipping on Easter while sitting isolated in their cars in a church parking lot, a police officer called my show. He explained that the police have no choice. They must respond to every dispatch they receive.

"And why are they dispatched to a person jogging on a beach or sitting alone in a park?" I asked.

Because the department was informed about these lawbreakers and they must be dealt with.

And who told the police about these lawbreakers?" I asked.

His answer brings us to the fourth characteristic of a police state: Informants told us.

No. 4: Snitches.

How do the police dispatchers learn of lawbreakers such as families playing softball in a public park, lone joggers without face masks, etc.? From their fellow citizens snitching on them. The mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, set up a "snitch line," whereby New Yorkers were told to send authorities photos of fellow New Yorkers violating any of the quarantine laws. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti similarly encouraged snitching, unabashedly using the term.

It is said that about 1 in every 100 East German citizens were informers for the Stasi, the East German secret police, as superbly portrayed in the film "The Lives of Others." It would be interesting, and, I think, important, to know what percentage of New Yorkers informed on their fellow citizens. Now, again, you may think such a comparison is not morally valid, that de Blasio's call to New Yorkers to serve a Stasi-like role was morally justified given the coronavirus pandemic. But you cannot deny it is Stasi-like or that, other than identifying spies during World War II, this is unprecedented in American history at anywhere near this level.

(As an example my friend Klaus jumped the Berlin Wall when it was first up. He told me he had to leave his wife and son  behind because one or the other said they would turn anybody in who tried to leave. They would've been paid in extra food.)

We are dangerously on the tipping point now.

About #4 (snitches) I was listening to public radio and they were doing a whole session training people “what to do about others who aren’t complying with distancing and other mandates”. 

Leftist radio spends the first half the day trying to establish Trump as a fascist and the second half training citizen pinko police the application of regulations and how/when/where to report their neighbors to the states authorities so they can be mini-fascist minions. You can’t make this stuff up. 

If not for Click & Clack the Tappet Brothers repeats and Garrison Keillor’s legacy they’d be doing pop can drives to stay on air. 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Mack Technician

[41chevy]

5 hours ago, Mack Technician said:

I’m on the fence with Don’s handling of Covid. He’s hasn’t been a complete Cov-idiot like some governors, but he certainly hasn’t taken a Libertarian approach either. He could have kept his opinions to himself on Georgia’s reopening. He’s still the only viable option for November at this point.

Despite his shortcomings, His policy decisions are excellent. Pence has been schooling him on attracting Christian conservatives and it worked. Trump can’t properly pronounce half of the 66 books, but he keeps showing up in the right place at the right times to mispronounce them to a cheering crowd who’s flattered he even gives a damn enough to try.

Wisconsin Republicans will be taking King Evers IV before the State Supreme Court on Tuesday to knock out his stay home order. I’m throwing $25 into the kitty. If Republicans win I’m sending 💰 to Tom Tiffany as another gift of thanks for his campaign. They knocked down Tony’s attempt to block our April election, they’ll beat him this time too, hopefully. 

Trumps allowing the governors to do what they think is good for their subjects  citizens. Some are using common sense and some are showing their true colors, like DiBlasio declaring war on the Hasidim for a funeral, Mich governess telling the state legislature to Fk off about limiting her power or Baltimore's  air surveillance. Not to spy on people but to prevent crime. No public meeting on it because of the Covid19 emergency.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-aerial-surveillance-agreement-boe-20200324-lvpjbsvqs5catntaeva2532a2a-story.html

I also understand that the crybaby emoji in not a sarcastic thing according to one response but sympathy for the dead young soldiers. But since I have not devolved to using pictographs and still can use primitive caveman things like  words , perhaps one of your children can explain it to me.

 

[Mack Technician]

Austria did a study. As of March 29th they lost 110 people to cardiac arrest where, in each case, the person was having all heart attack symptoms (designated as “preventable cardiac death”) but didn’t call for emergency help or go to the local emergency room. The thought is people are afraid to call 911 because of Covid. 

The country lost only 86 to Covid. 

 

[Freightrain]

They are shutting down ER's and hospital wings due to no patients.   I'm thinking they are too afraid to go because of Covid.   Are more dying at home?  No information there.  

Or is it all the "Oh, I have a paper cut and need to go to the ER" people not going and that is the reason for no one being there?  I'm sure there is a percentage of people that have no health care that used to go to the ER as their only option to get medication for a cough or headache.

[Mack Technician]

8 hours ago, Freightrain said:

They are shutting down ER's and hospital wings due to no patients.   I'm thinking they are too afraid to go because of Covid.   Are more dying at home?  No information there.  

Or is it all the "Oh, I have a paper cut and need to go to the ER" people not going and that is the reason for no one being there?  I'm sure there is a percentage of people that have no health care that used to go to the ER as their only option to get medication for a cough or headache.

It works opposite up here. Our local hospital pushes everything through the emergency room for extra revenue. 

I had a bearing chip in my forehead for a couple months and needed it out. The hospital wouldn’t let me come in without an emergency room charge. Had to drive to a different city. 

[Maxidyne]

Seen that happen here too- minor injuries are pushed to the ER, then surgery whether needed or not. The fact these hospitals have lost a lot of revenue just from delaying elective procedures suggests that they've been doing too many unneeded procedures.

[other dog]

On 4/30/2020 at 7:18 PM, david wild said:

Notice the Liberals have left us, they used to take a swipe once and while but they sure seem quiet or have moved to a site more their Liberal liking ? 

Oh, i'm sure she'll be along before too long...

[Quickfarms]

I am sick of the whole for profit medical industry

They are still collecting there outrageous insurance premiums yet my doctor won’t see me and the urgent care centers are closed.

My wife and I both need to go see the orthopedist due to this shelter in place has resulted in some injuries.

I think when this is all over I need to file a class action suit against the insurance company and medical group.

The auto insurance companies are getting out in front of this by reducing the premiums

[Mack Technician]

 

[Mack Technician]

Looks like forward momentum is being made by the State Supreme Court.

The argument by the Republicans is being favorably received. The court is questioning how a State Health Secretary could make a mandate intended to be enforced under penalty of law. It side steps the rule of Legislators who's authority it is to write laws to be enforced under threat of penalty. Therefore our Health Secretary, Andrea Palm, has "Redefined herself" to a legislators position and is spontaneously writing her own laws.

 

[davehummell]

It makes me wonder when cops show up to warn the parent about kids playing together?  I find it a bit offensive. I'm about sick and tired of this corona crap it's time to shit or get of the pot as my 90 year old grandmother would say. Dammit I NEED A HAIRCUT!  

[Mack Technician]

51 minutes ago, davehummell said:

It makes me wonder when cops show up to warn the parent about kids playing together?  I find it a bit offensive. I'm about sick and tired of this corona crap it's time to shit or get of the pot as my 90 year old grandmother would say. Dammit I NEED A HAIRCUT!  

My kids give free haircuts in case your desperate. You get to pick from 7 different stylish buzz cuts. 1/8”, 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, 3/4”, 7/8” or 1” length. 

[j hancock]

Don't forget a shave and a beer!  

Well, maybe not for the kids....