The Orange Plague

“Attacking governors and mayors and journalists for asking questions that might please your fans, it doesn’t save one life,” - Jake Tapper

Other nations are winning their wars against coronavirus—we aren't. It's time to accept that the difference between us and them is that our "leader" has consistently lied about and downplayed the virus, leading his fans to do the same—and endanger America.- Seth Abramson

Imagine these views being not only politically incorrect, but the speakers being attacked by an authoritarian leader as "enemies of the people". That would be a dictatorship. And it is not imaginary.

Now imagine a deadly pandemic raging across the land. Of course every rational person knows the pandemic is very real. But there are still countless Americans who see no deadly pandemic. This is absolutely a cult-level of delusion, and it is also frighteningly real.

There is zero threat or danger from these journalists’ remarks about the actions or inactions by our government, or more accurately, Republicans. The actual dangerous threat to the people is from the dishonest and corrupt authoritarian leader and his party that denies science and ignores advice from medical professionals.

We've heard the Orange Virus crow about "saving thousands of lives" by his so-called "travel ban" from China. It wasn't a travel ban. It only banned Chinese from coming to the US. Americans and others have been coming here from China all along. 

There were 1,300 direct flights to 17 cities before President Trump’s travel restrictions. Since then, nearly 40,000 Americans and other authorized travelers have made the trip, some this past week and many with spotty screening.

How about that? Whodathunk you didn't have to be Chinese to carry the virus?

Not every Republican is as criminally negligent and corrupt as the Trump Cartel, but they certainly enabled and empowered them. Mitt Romney is the only one who took a stand for conscience.

If a handful of Senate Republicans had found a conscience, maybe we wouldn’t have useless greedheads like Kushner gumming up the works to profit from the pandemic.

But here we are.

Americans are suffering this present terror to an increasingly horrible degree, exacerbated by real enemies of the people.

They are the opponents of public health care. These are the “covidiots” who refuse to promote social distancing, and even encourage people to flock to churches, increasing the danger of covid-19 to tens, or hundreds, of thousands of Americans.

And thousands will die because of these Republican enemies of the people.

Now imagine an emergency room doctor being fired for speaking the truth about the ongoing crisis he witnesses.

That happened to Doctor Ling Min in Bellingham Washington.

This doc wasn’t fired by the hospital, but by an outsourced Wall Street investment firm. Trump allies, needless to say.

Wall Street’s predatory capitalism has a powerful grip on our nation’s emergency rooms.  

About a third of hospital emergency rooms are staffed by doctors on the payrolls of two physician staffing companies—TeamHealth and Envision Health—owned by Wall Street investment firms. Envision Healthcare employs 69,000 healthcare workers nationwide while TeamHealth employs 20,000. Private equity firm Blackstone Group owns TeamHealth, Kravis Kohlberg Roberts (KKR) owns Envision.

Care of the sick is not the mission of these companies; their mission is to make outsized profits for the private equity firms and its investors.

Trumpism, anti-government conservatism, Republicans, “Trump Christians”, and predatory capitalism have been in alliance with the coronavirus. These partners of the coronavirus have been like a virus itself, infecting and spreading across the nation. This is ‘Republican America” folks. And there’s nothing “great” about these leaders betraying the American people in service to their greed and lust for power.

And there can no longer be any doubt that the Party of the Orange Virus will boost the death toll of the coronavirus.

They have enabled this Orange Plague, and Americans are dying.

On March 14th Karen Kolb Sehlke, a Trump-loving woman from Texas claimed the virus was “media driven”, like the “impeachment hoax”, by Democrats. It’s all a socialist conspiracy to “overthrow Trump”.

“Wake up!!! This is what the beginning of socialism looks like!”

On April 2nd she died from covid-19.

Yes, there are real enemies of the people, and they are not journalists. How many thousands more will die from this Orange Plague? 

Soon, more than just Bernie and progressives will be demanding better public healthcare.

If we can’t learn the hard way, we’ll never learn.

17.8 Tons Of Medical Supplies...To China!

I'm not blaming Trump or anybody for the coronavirus. In fact, Trump and his administration weren't the only ones to fail to grasp the severity of the coming pandemic. Many in the corporate media downplayed the danger. Denial is a universal human defense mechanism.

An important difference is Trump was warned by intelligence officials in January. Afterwards he downplayed the threat.   

Whatever his reasons for denial, it was still perhaps just a fallibility of human nature. But that doesn't mean he isn't guilty of unconscionable lies and negligence.

How can any sane and compassionate American not be horrified at how this corrupt, impeached Republican president is botching the federal response to the coronavirus? 

We've heard his long string of dismissive lies, minimizing the danger of COVID-19, AFTER he was informed the pandemic would be here soon. In fact, it was already here at the time he was pushing his disinformation.

By January 29th cases were reported in 17 countries. In China, the outbreak surpassed that of SARS. Five cases were confirmed in the U.S. 

By February 2nd the death toll topped 300, including the first fatality outside China. The World Health Organization and U.S declared a public health emergency.

By this time everybody should have known the threat is real. 

Yet...

On February 23rd he declared, “We have it very much under control in this country.” 

On February 26th he said, “And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.” 

And his behavior only got worse, even as he signs the stimulus.

Now he and his party are not just picking corporate "winners and losers", as the Right has projected so thoroughly on Democrats. His demented ego is playing personal grievances and favorites into matters of life and death in a national crisis with deadly consequences. 

We've witnessed his childish, vicious, and personal attacks on the governors of Washington and Michigan, and his reluctance to facilitate aid even to his native state.

He wasn't so reluctant at sending offers of help to Iran, North Korea and China, though. He never met a dictator he didn't like.

It's as if he is at war with Americans who dare question his imperious and vengeful rule. His vendetta towards governors who won't praise him is blackmail, bordering on genocide.

Apart from his vindictive self-centered nature, here's one other explanation why our "War President" has been punishing states with governors who fail to praise him. 

Note the date. It is weeks after he had been told we were going to be hit by the lethal coronavirus, and his cronies did this anyway.

~~~~

The United States Announces Assistance To Combat the Novel Coronavirus

PRESSSTATEMENT

MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

This week the State Department has facilitated the transportation of nearly 17.8 tons of donated medical supplies to the Chinese people, including masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials.  These donations are a testament to the generosity of the American people.

Today, the United States government is announcing it is prepared to spend up to $100 million in existing funds to assist China and other impacted countries, both directly and through multilateral organizations, to contain and combat the novel coronavirus.  This commitment – along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector – demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak.

This assistance only adds to what the United States has done to strengthen health security programs around the world.  For the last 20 years, the United States through USAID has invested over one billion dollars to strengthen the capacity of more than 25 countries to prevent, detect, and respond to existing and emerging infectious disease threats.  Since 2015, under our commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), this support has helped improve surveillance and laboratory systems, risk communication, outbreak response, and address the rising threat of anti-microbial resistance.

The United States is and will remain the world’s most generous donor. We encourage the rest of the world to match our commitment.  Working together, we can have a profound impact to contain this growing threat.
~~~~~~
Even if this aid had been planned before the pandemic directly threatened us, maybe our leaders could have cared for the health and welfare of Americans enough to reconsider sending to China the supplies that we would so desperately need.

Tragically the president has decided "Let them die" is his policy towards millions of "disloyal" Americans.

Remember?

Remember the Democrats’ stimulus spending?

The Right howled. 

Now they want stimulus spending.

Remember when Socialists said, “We’re all in this together”?

The Right howled. 

Now they say, “We’re all in this together”.

In This Together

Everybody’s going to feel the effects of this one. No border wall could protect us from the Covid-19 corona virus pandemic.

It has finally arrived. We are in a crisis at a time the country is not in capable hands. We have a president who has openly refused to accept any responsibility and a Republican Party that loathes government intervention and public healthcare.

So far, Republicans are essentially obstructing legislation that provides for free coronavirus testing, paid emergency medical leave, extended unemployment insurance, food assistance, and help for health care workers.

Trump wants to cut funding for the CDC, and in his revenge-fueled obsession, did his best to destroy every measure undertaken by President Obama.

“When Bolton became Trump’s national security adviser in 2018, he quickly moved to disband the White House National Security Council’s Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, which President Barack Obama set up after the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak to lead federal coordination and preparation for disease outbreaks.

In April 2018, Bolton fired Tom Bossert, then the homeland security adviser, who, the Washington Post reported, “had called for a comprehensive biodefense strategy against pandemics and biological attacks.” Then, that May, Bolton let go the head of pandemic response, Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, and his global health security team. The team, the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, was never replaced.”

How did our "not-racist", “Disaster President” respond when questioned about this by a woman of color?

PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked Trump if he took any responsibility for dismantling a key pandemics response team in 2018.

Trump: "I just think it's a nasty question ... I didn't do it. We have a group of people ... You say we did that, I don't know anything about it."

Sadly, this pattern of lies, irresponsibility and incompetence has been the norm.

Trump Feb. 26: Vaccine "sooner than expected"

Dr. Fauci Feb. 26: Vaccine a year out

Trump Feb 27: "The 15, within a couple of days, is going to be down to close to zero"

Public health authorities ten days later: 550 US cases in 34 states and DC

Trump March 4: According to his “hunch”, the World Health Organization mortality rate is a “false number”.

Dr. Fauci March 4: Mortality rate higher than the flu

Pence March 5: Not enough tests

Trump March 6: "Anybody that needs a test gets a test"

Trump: “I don’t take responsibility at all,” for the administration’s lag in rolling out coronavirus tests.

The World Health Organization developed a coronavirus test protocol that the Trump Administration declined, offering no explanation. This resulted in delays.

(Meanwhile, South Korea, which discovered its first case around the same time as the United States, has reported having the capacity to test roughly 10,000 people a day since late February.)

The Disaster President didn’t want infected cruise ship passengers to come ashore because he didn’t want the “numbers” of confirmed cases to go up.

Politico reporter Dan Diamond told NPR host Terry Gross that, based on his own reporting, Trump “did not push to do aggressive additional testing in recent weeks, and that’s partly because more testing might have led to more cases being discovered of coronavirus outbreak, and the president had made clear — the lower the numbers on coronavirus, the better for the president, the better for his potential re-election this fall.”

His March 11th Oval Office address to the nation was a sedated muddled mess, needing retractions and changes. The next day the Dow Jones took a 10% deep dive and nobody was reassured all was in good hands.

And still we are told. "It's a very contagious virus, it's incredible, but it's something we have tremendous control of." 

No, we don't. Mar-A-Lago has become a viral relay center.

This is not the time to let the Fool decide.

Being of the age that puts me in the most threatened demographic, I tend to be somewhat philosophical about this COVID-19 pandemic. While I'm not living in fear, I want to live. And I know what we can do about it. We can mitigate the rapid spread of the virus so it doesn't become a "Coronapocalypse".

We need to put forth our best efforts to wash our hands, avoid crowds and shaking hands, and keep a safe personal distance when possible. Social distancing is not social isolation. Call friends and family. 

Keep up with physical activities including exercise and routine household chores. Find pleasant distractions for entertainment. We found a jigsaw puzzle can be a nicer alternative than focusing on TV news. Catch up on books, movies, and music. Keeping positive and embracing humor are important psychological and physical defenses.

I'm lucky to have had a job that practiced sensible precautions with transmittable diseases. I volunteered to tend to AIDS patients when others got spooked.

But this virus is far more contagious. As we are increasingly aware, the effects will be felt by all of us, whether we contract it or not.

This viral pandemic needs to be seen as a wake-up call. Modern societies and many of their leaders have largely grown comfortable, arrogant and complacent. 

We will lose people. Many more will die. Our social lives will be disrupted. Our economy will take a severe blow and a lot of people will lose jobs and livelihoods. It is that serious. We need government, and we need honesty, competence, and accountability.

Maybe this mess will prompt us to learn the lessons of a crises that few of us in our part of the world have experienced.

One change immediately visible is the progressive motto, “We’re all in this together” is being uttered, even in the Trump White House. Welcome to socialism, boys. 

One thing is certain. Capitalism is not going to save us. The sacred every-man-for-himself delusion of the almighty “free market” will fail, or make things worse. Already we have jerks price gouging hand sanitizer and disinfectant materials.

I'm hoping the silver lining to this crisis will be a more open attitude, respecting science, and understanding the need for socialized public health. Mother Nature is showing us she can cull the herd anytime. That is reality. Global warming is also a reality, and will likely be our next catastrophic event.

The warning bell is ringing, we all need to take responsibility, and we ARE in this together.

"Buh-lieve Me"

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” ~Maya Angelou

Two years ago today:

In an interview on February 28th 2016, Birther Trump would not disavow David Duke and the KKK.

JAKE TAPPER: I want to ask you about the Anti-Defamation League, which this week called on you to publicly condemn unequivocally the racism of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who recently said that voting against you at this point would be treason to your heritage.

Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don't want his vote or that of other white supremacists in this election?

TRUMP: Well, just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke. OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don't know.

I don't know, did he endorse me or what's going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so you're asking me a question that I'm supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about.

TAPPER: But I guess the question from the Anti-Defamation League is, even if you don't know about their endorsement, there are these groups and individuals endorsing you. Would you just say unequivocally you condemn them and you don't want their support?

TRUMP: Well, I have to look at the group. I mean, I don't know what group you're talking about.

You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I would have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them. And, certainly, I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong.

TAPPER: The Ku Klux Klan?

TRUMP: But you may have groups in there that are totally fine, and it would be very unfair. So, give me a list of the groups, and I will let you know.

TAPPER: OK. I mean, I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but...

TRUMP: I don't know any -- honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I have ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him. And I just don't know anything about him.

Establishment Outrage

Bernie Sanders tweeted: "I've got news for the Republican establishment. I've got news for the Democratic establishment. They can't stop us."

The corporate establishment media joined the chorus of outraged corporatist establishment Democrats and authoritarian, establishment, Trump loyalist Republicans.

For some reason they all resent any challenge to their establishment privilege and power.

Bernie is in good company.

Bernie is anti-establishment.

Native Americans protesting the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines are anti-establishment.

Anti racist police brutality Black Lives Matter is anti-establishment.

The civil rights movement was anti-establishment.

The anti-war movement is anti-establishment.

The pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protestors were anti-establishment.

Martin Luther King Jr was anti-establishment.

Rosa Parks was anti-establishment.

The anti-Nazi White Rose were anti-establishment.

Gandhi was anti-establishment.

Harriet Tubman was anti-establishment.

The founding fathers were anti-establishment.

Jesus was anti-establishment.

Moses was anti-establishment.

The establishment corporate media joined the chorus of outraged establishment corporatist Democrats and establishment Trump loyalist Republicans.

Bernie told Anderson Cooper that he’s “very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba,” but said it’s “unfair to simply say everything is bad.”

“When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program,” Sanders said. “Is that a bad thing, even though Fidel Castro did it?” (Never mind President Obama once praised Cuba's public health care and education as well.“The United States recognizes the progress that Cuba has made as a nation, its enormous achievements in education and in health care.”)

Cooper noted that Castro’s regime imprisoned dissidents.

“That’s right, and we condemn that,’ Sanders responded.

And the corporate establishment media joined the chorus of outraged corporatist establishment Democrats and authoritarian, establishment, Trump loyalist Republicans in condemning Bernie as a Castro supporter.

Anti-establishment is anti-monarchy, anti-fascist, anti-authoritarian, anti-corporatism and anti-oligarchy. 

Anti-establishment means pro-democracy, pro-equality, pro-justice, pro-environment, pro-public healthcare and pro-public education.

No wonder the most corrupt and powerful establishment leaders are outraged. 

Rush To Judgment

Rush Limbaugh has made his career and fortune in denying truth and science, and scorning decency.

Now lung cancer is taking another smoker, despite his denial of the link between the two.

While he is a repugnant and vile man, I take no joy in his illness, and I wish people would not reflexively celebrate his condition.

However, no one should be surprised that the hate and racism Limbaugh generated has drawn hate back in his direction. In that sense, he asked for it.

I would much prefer that his hate and dishonesty would end by embracing compassion for the people who do not have the wealth and health care he has enjoyed.

That is unlikely, so death will have the final word.

This is sad to say, but our country would have been better off if he never existed, or at least wasn't such an authoritarian purveyor of divisive anger and lies. In that sense Limbaugh has been a cancer on our political discourse.

That said, I truly hate cancer more than I may seem to hate Limbaugh. It kills indiscriminately and cruelly. I will not celebrate his illness and suffering.

I do admit to finding some relief at the imminent end of his toxic and demonizing hate. Like Trump, he is an enemy of truth, decency and democracy.

Instead of rejoicing, I hope for a miracle.

I hope that he discovers he has the power to heal some of the wounds he has opened. I hope that in facing his mortality he realizes millions of people need better health care. I hope he finds a conscience and repents.

~~~

Limbaugh said on February 22nd 2020:

"I have seen what this bunch of people in the intelligence community are capable of. What they've tried with Trump here, this whole Russia meddling, Trump colluding? This whole thing is a gigantic lie, a totally bogus hoax, a silent coup. That's when I began to think the weapons of mass destruction thing was a setup against Bush, too.

"Why should we believe these people? They haven't been right about anything in the last four years. They were wrong about the weapons of mass destruction.” 

He can go to hell, anytime now.