Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

The Houston Chronicle asked all 143 Republicans running for Congress if they thought the election was legitimate. 13 said yes. The rest said no.

But this is a both sides problem.

To my begrudging respect, my be-eyepatched congressman is one of the 13. He's being primaried. Hard. My favorite quote:

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

As God as my witness …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I understand why that sh*t is appealing to hard-core conservatives. What I don't understand is why Democrats have not been able to make Republicans pay more of a political price for pandering to those people.

Part of the answer is that people like Sebby, and people who pay less attention to politics than he does, have such a strong Both Sides instinct. Sure, the Republican Party is organizing around the principle that when a Democrat wins an election, it's illegitimate, but look, AOC is progressive and she bothers a lot of people too.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

“The Trump fanatics are not the GOP.” -Sebastian
“We owe our eternal loyalty to the rightful victor of the 2020 election, Donald Trump.” -The GOP

Yup, that all makes sense. Carry on.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I have the book that starts where the series ended. Haven't started but will soon.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Republicans fight back. It's way easier to just shove Al Franken in front of a bus.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Was this Texas wide, or Houston local? Would be interested in similar surveys outside Texas.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

In Sebby's defense the R's in the purple states responses might be of more interest?

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

There’s no interest. There are reaffirmations. The left, the right, here, anywhere, any social media platform… There are Sides Picked.

Even you’ve been cowed to a bit of fealty to certain pieties.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

You would get similar results here.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I live in a state with a perfectly reasonable if conservative Republican governor who would win a general election in a landslide if he ran again and had the Republican party line.

But he's stepping aside in a situation where he was polling behind a Trumpster in the Republican primary and probably would have had his best shot at reelection if he ran as an independent (but would likely lose that once it was a three way race).

I think I know how that survey would turn out.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Put a pin in this and see what the reaction of the Progressives will be if the GOP takes Congress in November. ETA: It’ll lash out at moderate Ds and Rs viciously.

The Democrats are already, in Trumpian fashion, setting up an argument that elections will be illegitimate because Trump, evil genius, is taking control of state election officials and instrumentalities.

You could take this same argument and switch some words and it’d match up perfectly with the silly argument that Trump stole the election in 2016 and equally silly argument that Biden stole it in 2020.

No white hats. Blue pigs, red pigs, same mud. Sure, the blue are more reasonable. But in a game where winning is the only thing that matters, that’s a liability. And so they all go just as deep, just as ugly. And differentiating between their tactics is, intellectually, a dry handjob. It embarrasses those who do it. Telecasts naïveté. (ETA2: Not that a dry handjob is naive. If there’s no lube, one must make due with what he has…)

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Yeah, the GOP has a Trump primary problem. It had a Tea Party problem a few years back as well.

It’s a basis to scrap primaries. They’re awful. Counterproductive. And let’s face it — only nuts vote in them. In many states, independents can’t even vote in a primary.

If you care enough to vote in a primary you need a fucking hobby. People who get excited about them should probably be encouraged not to vote. …Maybe give them free vouchers to the casino on primary voting days.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Wait, so the fact that sometimes (only sometimes) Dems challenge very close elections in court is the same as revving up your mob to storm the capitol and kill some people because they got soundly beaten in an election?

Oh, man, we're rescinding that King of False Equivalences Award. Congratulations! You have now won the Emperor of False Equivalences Award. No need to send your information to www.glenngreenwald.com to get your certificate, just bend over and grab it from out of your ass.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I know I'm really late reading this, but this statement is ridiculous. What about all of the people who need hospital care that can't get in because there's no room? I was diagnosed with breast cancer this past year. I along with many others (heart attack, stroke and car accident victims, to give a few examples) needed access to medical care that might not be available because it was being consumed by people who didn't want to get a readily available vaccine.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

No. You put words in my mouth. I see nothing wrong with either party challenging an election in court.

I’m talking about the media blitz of articles pushed by D operatives to suggest that Trump and his ragtag organization (hated by establishment R machines everywhere) are going to help steal 2022 and 2024 through manipulation of local election officials (who also hate Trump).

If you want to respond to me, respond to what I said, not what you’d like me to have said. This will better set up your second paragraph. One must have an actual mic drop before declaring it.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

There are indirect harms caused to people who need care. But the majority of the harm accruing from omicron (which was the variant at issue in that comment) was not causing hospitalizations and was hitting the person who didn’t get the vaccine. Delta and Covid Classic? Different stories. Omicron is not as lethal or as likely to cause hospitalization.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I am so sorry. I am wishing you great strength in this. I will add you to my prayers, and if there is anything at all I can do to help, please let me know. Cancer sucks.

Also, if I haven't adequately beaten up on Sebby for this idiocy so far, I pledge to redouble my efforts.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Oh god make it stop.

Please acknowledge the woman's pain and harm and apologize for your error.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Less likely to require hospitalization, yes, but still consuming much needed resources. Non-COVID patients are absolutely being impacted.

I was diagnosed about 10 months ago. I've had 3 related surgeries since then. All 3 had scheduling issues because of COVID. The cancer center I go to (which houses oncologists, surgeons, and provides chemo) has reduced its patient capacity. Cancer patients need these appointments, and timing matters.

It's not just hurting the people who decline to get vaccinated.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Dude, my local hospital said, at the height of Omicron, unless you have a life threatening problem do not come to our ER, go to urgent care. I’m not one to denigrate docs, but urgent care isn’t always good care. I’m sure this problem is not limited to Detroit. It is not a minor thing.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I just went through a cancer screening last week. Don’t lecture to me.

I’ll respect her post by responding to it what she said.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I'd shared some of this earlier, but to drive home the point:

I was diagnosed with colon cancer in December and had surgery just before Christmas. My chemo started last week. In many ways, straddling the worst of Omicron, this was great timing, because a little later and the surgery would have been more of a problem and a little earlier and they would have delayed the chemo.

The hospital was impacted in a whole lot of ways. All single rooms were reserved for Covid patients, and so there were covid patients on every floor; the rooms usually set aside for cancer patients, altogether in one building where there would be oncology specific staff 24/7 and where the resources were tailored to cancer care, were filled with Covid patients, cancer patients went back in the other buildings where they had non-specialist staffing and where things like doing our blood work (we get a lot of blood work) went through the regular lab instead of a lab that gave us accelerated service (so the blood work was ready when the doctor was available - this sounds small, but it can be the difference between having a critical issue dealt with in one hour and in twelve hours). This also meant immunocompromised people couldn't be segregated from a population that had all kinds of life threatening stuff (when you have cancer, a cold can sometimes be what kills you).

Every appointment I had got changed. Often last minute. Several appointments where I needed blood drawn and tests run were done over days (me visiting one place for a blood draw, then needing to do a virtual pre-visit, then having the visit itself) when normally they would have been all at once.

For me, looking back, the problems turned out to be modest and manageable. Unfortunately, I know at least one person, the spouse of one of my partners, for whom these kinds of things resulted in death. Because an issue that would have been managed most times in normal circumstances spiraled out of control in a short period of time (the problem was mucositis - mouth sores - she literally choked to death on a mass of swollen infected sores in her throat).

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

First, I trust you realize I feel horrible for your situation. I chose to treat you comment on its merits alone because I think that is the respectful response. I was fortunate the lesions I have are not cancerous. I don’t know what the other side of that conversation is like. It’s horrifying simply to wait and try to read the doctor’s face.

Regarding my comment, in context, I asserted most of omicron harm was to dimwits who refused vaccine. Was 90% an overstatement? That’s a dispute of degree, and I stand to be critiqued for rhetorical hyperbole where it fits. I’ll cop to that. But in context, I don’t think it’s heresy to state that these jackasses are largely harming themselves. I’m speaking in aggregate, coldly, as to numbers. And yes — that sounds wildly insensitive, particularly having just been thru an experience with the HC system myself.

I meant no insensitivity. I think it’d have been disrespectful to answer any other way than as I did.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

It’s not. But in aggregate, omicron:

1. Has much bigger footprint;
2. But far fewer hospitalizations; and,
3. Far shorter hospitalizations

Also, the backlog in hospitals is partly caused by zero tolerance policies (I know people denied a procedure because of the day of, they tested positive for omicron) and a stable of patients still to be seen for procedures either delayed by Delta shutdowns or required to be performed on an emergent basis because care was delayed because of Delta.

My comment at issue referred explicitly to the variant of the moment - omicron. Does it excuse nitwits from not getting vaccinated? No.

There’s a whole lotta reasons for the backlog. Omicron is one. Of many. When the data is parsed years from now, I think the worst of this thing will have been Delta. That had a large footprint and still pretty solid lethality.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I'm not sure why you said any of this in response to my post, since it has nothing at all with what I said.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

So sorry to hear that. Hang in there.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I am sorry to hear and offer my support.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Oh just wait two years when we will still be paying thousands month for insurance that rations care so that it is nonexistent. My GP, in her 40s, just retired. In the last two years the three GPs I had retired, died, retired.

I am guessing smart, sane people just don't want to do this any more.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Speaking of both side-ism and false equivalence, I suspect Sebby may have written this article, which says, gee, "Why wasn't Congress as deferential to Trump when he was being Putin's patsy as they are when Biden is facing down Putin?"

Really, why were they so mean to poor wittle Donnie when he was selling us out internationally? https://www.politico.com/news/2022/0...ssion-00010051

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

So Sebastian completely fabricates statistics in order to support his completely fabricated factual assertions that happen to back up his pre-conceived biases? Astounding. On one day its inaccurate prognostications, on another its rhetorical hyperbole. But no matter how you dress it up, it still smells the same.

The part where Sebastian got so miffed that Paisley would dare to challenge his complete fabrications with her own actual experiences that he doubled down on his made-up facts, while totally ignoring that she had just revealed that she had been diagnosed with and was battling a terrible disease? And then claimed it was out of “respect”? Well, “painfully awkward” does not quite capture it, but that’s what I’m gonna go with.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

“if you're infected during the omicron surge, the risk is lower for all the outcomes I just mentioned. For example, the risk of an ER visit drops by 70%.

PAMELA DAVIS: Hospitalization's a 56% reduction, ICU admissions, 66% - and mechanical ventilation, gosh, that's 84%.”

“Davis and her team believe about 60% of the people in this study were vaccinated. So some of this could be due to vaccination, but the data altogether also suggest that omicron inherently in some way causes less severe disease compared to delta.”

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/05/10707...delta-study-sa

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Nobody is disputing those statistics. But I think you forgot to quote the part of the article where they say that 90% of the harm resulting from unvaccinated individuals happens solely to unvaccinated individuals.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Cool, some stats. Do you think the total number of people infected is relevant to how you assess those stats? Because in Massachusetts, total hospitalizations at the peak of the Omicron wave was about 6x total hospitalization at the peak of the Delta, and were about where total hospitalizations were in the first wave, at the point when people were cheering for the doctors and nurses working 24 shifts. Total deaths for the state at the Peak of Omicron were about 3x those from the peak of Delta, though thankfully only at about 40% of where we were in the first wave.

So, yes, Omicron is not as severe as Delta in most people, yet still kills a multiple of the number of people killed by Delta and clogs up Hospitals and uses our resources at a massively higher rate than Delta. And Delta was not a walk in the park.

My apologies if those stats don't confirm your biases. I know you probably spent a couple hours googling to try to make your point.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

Texas wide.

Belated Song of the Day
 

Staying in the 70s, but moving to Africa. Specifically, Zimbabwe, which of course at the time was Rhodesia. Zimbabwean chimurenga music was associated with the struggle against the Rhodesian government, and one of the best of these bands was the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, featuring Thomas Mapfumo, later of Blacks Unlimited. When you have a name as spectacular as the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, I imagine it is hard to make music that wont suffer by comparison, but they did it. Mapfumo suffered for his art and political resistance, including a prison sentence under the Rhodesian government. I don’t know if this song, Sekai, is specifically about rebellion or resistance to the white government, because I don’t speak a lick of Shona. But musically, it is one of the most infectious, joyous songs I know. Perfect for those times when dark clouds are gathering on your mental horizon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ukOzBFzniI

Re: Belated Song of the Day
 

Very cool. Happy yet still cool.

Song of the Day
 

Someone here recently mentioned the documentary “Summer of Soul (… or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)” — about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. It was a six-week music festival that was, as far as I can tell, attended by everyone on Harlem, and nobody else. And it was unbelievable. The bands, the music, the crowd, the energy. Everything. I’ll admit that I never really gave Gladys Knight & the Pips their due until I saw them just rip through their version of “Heard It Through the Grapevine” in the film. But now I know.

Respect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxippYD8Y6U

As a bonus, here is a little clip from the film, just so you can see the Pips doing their amazing Pip thing, which is … I don’t even know:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4kVn3xqxw0

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

I can't think of a single doc other than a derm (who is killing it) who would do it again. Two I know got MBAs to go into the mgmt side, and two others I know left completely for finance gigs in pharma and biotech sectors.

Lawyers make more than most GPs I know.

Re: Implanting Bill Gates's Micro-chips In Brains For Over 20 Years!
 

The only ones I know who like it are experts I work with all the time. Write a 25 page report (or get Icky to write it for you) bill $6,000.