Play Dirty?

 It's pretty clear that Trump and Republicans just want to win anyway possible, even if it mean disenfranchising America citizens over technicalities.

We saw this behavior back in 2000 in Florida and in the end it turned out to be successful.

In that election they fought over hanging chads while in the one comin up it is going to be about disallowing perfectly good ballots over technicalities.

The one most likely to have some success is challenging signatures.  Most people sign their name, sometimes years ago, when they register, but over time some changes happen.

Usually not significant but all indicators are that Republicans is close states are preparing to challenge as many signatures as they can for voters from certain counties which lean Democratic.  if they were really interested in preventing fraud they wouldn't pick specific counties.

They will of course find ballots to question and some will get thrown out.  They are hoping this might swing a swing state.

It is an assault on democracy.

Polls and Voting

 How accurate are polls?  Generally they can be fairly accurate but there are lots of variables that need to be accounted for.  It would be pretty easy to set up a poll that would show a distorted result if the people you query are not representative of the population you are predicting.

Even some of the most respected polls have sample sizes of a few thousand people.  The is supposed to be representative of a population over 300 million.  They actually end up being fairly accurate but there is risk in the results.  Stilll polls do not determine elections, they are just predictors.

At this point about half of all the ballots the will be cast have already been cast.  This is still going to result in long lines on election day, in some cases deliberately as a way to discourage voting.  Being able to cast your ballot safely and quickly should be the standard for asll Americans.  National elections should be run nationally.  Unfortunately this basec obligation and right of Americans is too often jeopardized for political purposes.  

Voting rights should be non-partisan but unfortunately we still see some racism involved where certain white American would prefer that only their vote get counted.  It doesn't help that we have on of the political parties attempting to suppress voting under various pretenses.

It needs to be fixed and hopefully after this election it will be addressed.   

Deliver the Mail On Time and More

 There is no outrage over the media ignoring the Hunter Biden story because there is no story to ignore simply lies and innuendos.

The reason some can't drop it is because they parlayed the non story about Hillary Clinton's e-mails successfully last time.

Of course there are lots of illegal or barely legal going ons in Trumpland as we have obstruction of justice, conflicts of interest, illegal use of Government resources for private purposes etc. etc.

Who cares?

This election is about what is good for America, not a few rich white men who are unable to get the mail delivered on time.

America needs to address the dangers of the Coronavirus.

America needs to address the issue of Climate Change.

America needs to address the inability to pass meaningful legislation.

America needs a rational immigration policy.

America needs to restore it position as a beacon of hope to the world.

America needs to increase economic prosperity to create jobs while having fair trade policies.

America needs to protect the rights of all Americans equally and fairly.

America needs to protect our social programs.

America needs to assure every American has access to world class health care.

America needs to reform our justice system, including the courts.

We need to end the Trump ineptitude and reinstitute effective Government.

Science and Common Sense

 With 6 days to go until the election we have an unprecedented number of early votes already cast.

What is going to happen on election day will of courese determine if we are going to continue this anti-science and pro-wealth agenda or give the Government back to the people.

In order to combat climate change we have lost too much time already.

Further the new jobs and infrastructure improvements would be a significant boost to the economy.

Oil and gas will not go away overnight and there may be a place for them in a carbon neutral future, but rising sea levels, extreme and frequent storms and long climate events are not going to stop without significant action.

Soe of it is already irreversible.

This election is not about a short term change of policy, its about the long term health of the planet.

It is also about the day to day lives of Americans threatened by the coronavirus.

There are better ways to deal with it that protect people and don't destroy the economy.

Vote for Science and Common Sense, ignor the hate.

Lies and Hypocrisy, Election Strategy

 The hypocrisy of many of the Republican senators can be demonstrated by news clips where they go on record that they shouldn't vote on a Supreme Court justice close to an election.  Well documented lying is all too common today.

The argument is made by some that all politicians lie.  Often they like to point to statements which contain some exaggeration or othe misstatement.  Most people I know except that mistakes will happen and at times everyone might misstate a fact about how many did something or when something happened  

The ies I'm talking about are when you deliberately say something you know is false.  Getting caught in a lie was a big deal at one time.  Of course we used to have an electorate that cared about honesty and decency.

I imagine some will dispute this, generally by making false allegations, but in today's politics Republicans have become the champion hypocrites and liars.  This is largely because of their leader but it has become more endemic to the party.

It is also encourage by the FOX lie network which is able to get away with fairly constant propagand.

Still I have faith in the American people who I believe have recognized what's going on.

Unfortunately I don't see it changing.  Its likely going t escalate after this election.

Its their only move nowadays.

Young Progressives

 In 2016 about 130 million votes were cast for president.  About 90 million eligible voters didn't vote.

Most agree that the non-voters are greater in the younger and minority groups.  So one of the issues is clear, get these folks to vote.

Of course this is something the Democrats are more interested in.

Those groups tend to be more progressive than the others and if they all voted we would see some significant changes in our country.

You can see the impact if you simply look at what is happening in our urban areas, at least their residential parts.

I grew up in the Bronx and it was, like the other Burroughs mostly a place for working people with neighborhoods that tended to represent particular nationalities .

We had Irish Neighborhoods, Italian neighborhoods, Puerto Rican neighborhoods, German and others.

It was heavily Democratic, They were often Union members, veterans, who got jobs in the various small manufacturing and retail related jobs, like warehousing, available to them.  They were generally religious and family people although there were plenty of underlying issues there.

They supported the traditional Democratic party and once elected to a seat you were pretty safe.

It still as Democratic as ever and the people there still work in similar jobs, but the children of these people are starting to vote and they are much more progressive.  So we see them turning out and voting for fellow progressives.

This trend is expanding and it bodes badly for the Republican party.

They are getting energized about climate change, health care, social equality and wealth inequality.

They are voting and I think we will see some historic results.

 

GIG Economy

We had a society where workers could expect a decent wage and benefits as well as a pension that was nearly adequate.

Most of these were the result of unions fighting for the worker.

A lot of these jobs were located in the "rustbelt" but cheaper labor was available.

So first we saw a move to the Sunbelt followed by a move to cheaper overseas locations.

You became responnsible for your own pension and health benefits to a great extent if you could even retain employee status.

Modern economic thought treats employees as an asset not a person.

It led to a surplus of labor, especially unskilled labor.

If you want to be an entrepreneur because you have an idea that you believe in, it is a thrill a minute.

If you become one because the job you do was defined that way and you are left on your own, not so great.

We have moved to the gig economy where you don't have a job, you have a gig with now security or benefits to speak of.

Good luck with that.

Energy Subsidies

 Of course he will continue to lie and misrepresent until the election and probably after.  Everyone knows who I'm talking about.

It really is unlikely to make a difference unless every reputable pollster is simply lying.

The latest lie he is making is aimed at some oil producing states.

Drilling and fracking are at best necessary evils until we can transition to renewable options.

However the American taxpayer should not be subsidizing these climate damaging activities.

To the extent we subsidize it should be geared to climate friendly industries like Solar and Wind.

We need to build those industries here because they represent potentially millions of jobs and will help reduce climate change.

So should we subsidize wealthy oil men to drill and frack or clean energy?

I prefer the clean stuff. 

To address his concern about Wind.

Maybe we could find a way to save some birds?  

We have been supporting the vultures.

He Gave them the Virus I Guess?

 Trump has an unusual knowledge of American history, the little he exhibits.

When he claims to have done more for black people since President Lincoln you have two problems.

While many Presidents have done more for black people he doesn't seem aware of it.

Grant pushed for the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution which guaranteed former slaves the same rights as all citizens.  Trump is trying to suppress those rights.

During the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations we saw the civil rights movement and the national guard was called up to protect the protestors, not subdue them as Trump wanted to.

Truman significantly desegregated the Military providing significant opportunities.

Johnson passed the civil rights act and voting rights act which Trump is interested in gutting.

While other president's have done things these stand out to the casual observer of major actions.

Trump is trying to suppress black votes, eliminate housing opportunities and generally remove services from the cities they live in by failing to help fund them (taxes are way down due to the virus),

Even his opportunity zones primarily helped developers more than ordinary citizens.

Has he done more?  Has he done anything?

Voting issues

 It would make sense for someone who wanted to cheat in an election to try to attack the actual voting system.  Everybody knows that and everyone tries to prevent it.

By all accounts this has been extremely effective.

You may hear one of the candidates talk about it like it actually exists but the amount of fraudulent voting is miniscule.  

Issues with the voters registered, such as not removing voters who die or move from the rolls is not fraudulent voting unless someone votes.  Some of our systems might have trouble keeping up with things like that but that is simply bookkeeping unless a vote gets cast.

If applications or blank ballots get sent to the wrong address, it is still not a fraudulent vote unless someone tries to vote.

The real issue in this country is voter suppression or uncounted legitimate votes.

Our systems tend to reject ballots is anything is questionable.  We also know that some want to make voting as difficult as possible to discourage certain legal voters from trying.

Asking your followers to provide a threatening presence at a polling place isn't fraudulent butit is designed to suppress some voting.

Every citizen should be able to vote without being harassed.  

We should all want that..

Terrible Cover Administration

 At his most recent rallies Trump is saying that only he can fix the problems he caused?

America needs him to get out of the Coronavirus mess he created and to recover from his economic decline.

It reminds me of an old joke when a person accused of killing both his parents throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.

That didn't work and Trumps argument is only going to work with his true believers.

I imagine there are less of them this time around since they have seen him in action.

America is a great and strong country which has not become greater or stronger over the last four years.

Have you noticed his themes are like a greatest hits record, not his though.

He is like a cover band trying to revive successful past platforms.

Stronger Defense, has been near the top of the charts frequently.

Law and Order, another popular one although he hasn't provided much.

Pro life, a fairly popular number.

Jobs, this has played well for both parties.

Etc. Etc.

His record in all these areas is questionable but he plays them anyways.

The only reliable thing he has done is provide credibility to the racists, misogynist, homophobes and conspiracy nuts.  Is that enough to win?

Vote and Stay Vigilent

 Whatever happens in the coming election, we need our Democracy to continue.

I don't think we are about to have a coup, I don't think any institutions would let it happen, but possibly that was the way many others felt right before they had it happen in their country.

So we need to be vigilent.

The people running the election are not part of some conspiracy planning to skew the results.

Strangely the people who are part of a conspiracy are those claiming to fight the hidden one.

They mostly ended up their by chance, although there are some military people who always wanted to be in the military.  I don't think they planned to take over the country.

The current level of lying is reaching new heights.  In his last rally he said Biden would end Christmas.

Hail Mary Time?

Its pretty clear to everyone that for Trump to pull out a victory he needs something of a miracle.

In Football we call a last second heave to try to score a touchdown a hail mary but we can also call it pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Four years ago it was provided by the FBI when they announced they had found more e-mails.

They really hadn't, it was merely copies kept by her aide, but it provided enough impetus for the victory.

The victory was by the narrowest of margins and there were other factors involved such as complacency and the failure to woo working men.

However it seems pretty certain that without the last minute FBI announcement it wouldn't have mattered.

The attempts to manufacture a siilar scandal are falling woefully short.

Most hail Mary's fail.

Completing two in a row would be real magic.

 

Shock News

 The fact that so many of Trump's supporters seem to think he is the one honest man and everybody else is dishonest and lying is just inexplicable.

Nothing about him implies honesty but like Rupert Murdoch and various shock jocks he has learned that Americans, at least some of them, prefer to be entertained than informed.

When Fox news represented the opposition party, they strongly embraced shock value to get ratings.

Years ago I had a house guess who asked me to put it on for him because he gleefully wanted to see what they were talking about that day.  That's sort of the point, they present wild theories with little proof and argue its the news the real news shows are suppressing.

This is why the fake news claims of our President resonate with some, Fox went there first complaining about the liberal news and media.

One can argue how they define liberal but its not necessarily even real postions.

I don't watch Fox ever but I have seen it at airports and other places where they consistently accuse moderates of being radical leftists.

Someone who is in favor of reasonable gun restrictions is coming to take all your guns any day now.

As we watch their favorite son run up the national debt, the leftists are somehow to blame.

In a movie about a particular shock jock they were trying to understand his ratings.  People who agreed with him watched about an hour mostly to see what he was going to say next.

Those who didn't agree with him watched even longer for the same reason.

This is the Fox media plan.  The audience can't handle the truth, just get them to watch.

Glass Houses all Over

 It wouldn't be that hard to imagine a future where things we do today and consider normal are viewed as barbaric and possibly evil.

Take the use of fossil fuels.  If climate change causes the type of damage it probably will and billions of people are forced to relocate causing mass diruption, famine and possibly war, the burning of fossil fuels might be viewed the way we view slavery today or the exploitation of native Americans..

Maybe not, its hard to predict.

Still we should know better, we have been warned and yet most of us do very little about it.

Judging the past is tricky.  Morality isn't a relative thing, or is it?

There is significant evidence that ancient people engaged in human sacrifice at times.  Certainly we know the Aztecs did.

It was common not so long ago to have public executions which were sort of a carnival event.  

How many of us can't wait to view a You-Tube video of something gruesome?  

A few years ago some terrorists beheaded an American journalist and released the video/

It went viral.

The point is that human nature isn't really that great without some control.  In most revolutions the old regime is executed.  

Yet we like to condemn people from the past for things they didn't even consider wrong.

Pot and kettle maybe?

Lies and a Fireside Chat

There was no debate last night but we did have the two candidates conduct town halls.  

Trumps was mostly fictions that were easily spotted and almost constant.

Biden's were honest but a little too convoluted.

Trump was in fact disclosed as the crazy uncle we mostly ignore buying into conspiracy theories and listening to Fox propaganda.  You know the guy you tell, just because its on the internet it isn't true.

Biden on the other hand was a bit dull but he was basically giving honest answers to the questions.  Of course he had a few minor slips but nothing that mattered much.

Perhaps the most controversial thing is whether he will want to expand the number of Supreme Court Justices which he say he will announce after the current seat is decided.  Clearly if Republicans come to their senses and don't push Barret through he isn't likely to.  If they do he probably will.  They ahve a chance to honor our traditions but if they don't why should he.  

Of course controversy loves Trump and on almost every issue he took disproven positions or told lies.

He keeps the fact checkers very busy but just to clarify a few, Mexico isn't paying for the wall, Masks are good, the economy wasn't the greatest ever and he isn't as popular as Jesus.

And many more.

Fake Gold

 We live in a world where some people can take any two items and spin into a conspiracy of deep dark secrets.

Its almost like a party game.

If it turn out that a number of people from an office like to eat at the same restaurant and pne of those people have been falsely accused of sex trafficing we can weave a full scale case of a sex trafficing ring centered at that restaurant.

Who can prove what they were talking about?  Well it could have been anything so why not some illegal trafficking.  Wait young people have been seen going into that very same restaurant,  Must be agents or victims of that very ring that never existed in the first place.  In fact sometimes a group of people from the same office would arrive all at once and other times they would come and go separately. How mysterious!

The fact that people from an office would frequent a nearby restaurant must have dire overtones.

Can you prove it didn't?

Conspiracies theories aren't really hard to come up with and at time hard to disprove.

There is a principle called Occam's Razor which tells us to use the simplest explanation because it is probably the correct one.

People just having lunch at a local popular place is pretty simple.

However the Rapunzel network can spin fake gold out of any straw you give them.

Have any of their conspiracies ever held up?  I can't think of one.

Truth Justice and the American Way of Life

 When did we decide that everybody was either a liberal or a conservative?

While the Democratic party has been the more liberal of the two, both parties tended to be moderate with a spectrum of political beliefs included.

There were more liberal parts of the country and more conservative parts but much of the country was actually just in the middle.

So to win in a liberal state like say New York, you had to be at worst a moderate.  So someone like Nelson Rockefeller was elected as a Republican Governor multiple times but probably couldn't survive in the party today.

Similarly we had conservative Democrats, often from the South who were a significant factor in the Party.

Americans often voted based on factors that were hardly ideological.  

Now of course you are either a die hard Trump supporter or a Radical leftist.

At least that's what certain media like Fox news likes to preach.

I consider myself an American who wants what's best for this country.  I think  I support the American way of life and am pretty much married to the the old catchphrase used by a TV superhero.

Truth, Justice, and the American Way of life.

Church and State are Separate

 One of the biggest problems in this country is that we act like God is part of it.

Whether or not God exists is something worth discussing but it is pretty clear that if he does he isn't particularly associated with America.

Why would he be?

It raises the question that tend to be ignored, why if he is the creator of everyone would he favor one person over another, let alone an entire country?

The country was founded by men who were in large part deists and generally Christian.  They were almost certainly aware of the problem of a state run religion since the Church of England was in fact just that.

So they mandated a separation and freedom of religion.  This is one of the fundamental principles of this country.

It was never perfect, religion creeped into certain areas, but if you are familiar with the scriptures you should know to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render unto God the things that are God's.  

Religion is not something that the state should favor.  In fact the tax exemptions we grant them seem inappropriate.  Simply put no person should be told what religion to practice or if they should practice any and no person should try to tell the Government what it should do because of their religion.

You can vote your conscience but don't think its your right to impose it on others.

Columbus, Daring Exploiter

 Columbus has become a controversial figure.

Since he has been long dead the change has to do with our society not his.

He was clearly an exploiter interested in getting rich and able to convince the Spanish monarchs to finance an expedition with the promise of great profit.  It was never an altruistic voyage, but it also wasn't designed as an evil one.

Once he stumbled upon what we now call America, his actions were both ruthless and exploitative.  He was there to make money any way he could.

What we celebrated him for was the bravery he displayed in making the voyage, which exposed him to significant danger.  That hasn't changed.

He is now under attack for exploiting the natives who he infected, enslaved and treated ruthlessly.

While his behavior was not unusual for his time it was clearly brutal and hardly Christian.

The bravery he exhibited is real and his voyage led to the exploitation of the Americas.

Most of the exploitation was actually done by others following him.

Recognize human nature and celebrate the best of it.

Supporters or Victims?

 Well he's out selling lies again but adding a bit of potentially deadly virus.

Wonder how his followers feel about it?

I assume they value their lives even though their leader doesn't.

After all even though cases and deaths can be traced to his rallies in Arizona and Wisconsin, Trump doesn't think his rallies have caused any problems.  His followers are expendable to him.

Yet they are invested in him and aren't convinced they are simply expendable pawns that mean nothing to him.

He likes when they fill auditoriums and buy his merch but otherwise they are not on his radar.  His only real customer is himself.

they don't get lifeboats as the ship sinks.

Hes Not Even Greek

 The next few weeks are going to be more chaotic as our current President grows more and more paicky.

Of course he might have a relapse since he hasn't been cured as he seems to think, but he might not, it's unpredicrtable.

He is as usual delusional thinking that his best chance is to appeal to his base, which already supports him.  The rest of the voters are not convinced by his rants.

The crazier he gets the worse his chances get.  Since he doesn't use logic or science he probably doesn't understand why he rants more and his polls get worse.

He is becoming like a Greek punishment where the more he tried to quench his thirst the thirstier he gets.

It's not for eternity, just a few more weeks.

Get it Done

 Voting is a fundamental right for citizens of this country, all of them not just the ones you like.

It's also not very complicated whether done by mail or in person.  I would like an on-line option as well but think that is not likely near term.

The simple process of counting the ballots should also be simple.  

Still this is an unusual year and many more people will vote by mail.  There are fears that the States will have trouble getting results computed.

Why?

Some states have gone to mail voting exclusively and get counts done quickly.

There is no reason that we should have significant delays counting.

Just do it.

Does the Fly Know?

 I kept waiting for the device to be activated and for Mike Pence and the fly to swap DNS and have him emerge as a fly-man.

I guess the plexiglass was actually a device designed to beam him over so it never happened.

They both had their talking points but many of the questions weren't particularly useful.

One of  seemed to want to know if they had talked about their boss dying in office or other becoming incapacitated.

Well they both avoided that question as they should since what would happen is they would become President.  Something every one who runs for that office knows.

If the question was geared to the President becoming senile or incoherent it would be a tough discussiion.

not much came out of this and clearly neither candidate was going to contradict or go into issues that weren't consistent with their bosses.  Why would they.

It was relatively civil if non productive.

At least we had the fly to entertain us.  Flies like to hang around the dead and decaying.

Could be an omen.

The Smart Thing

 Ultimately the only thing we have is the ability to learn from our past to adjust future behavior.

Some don't learn and repeat the same mistakes.

While the warm weather in the Northern Hemisphere didn't stop the virus it slowed it down as transmission requires an accumulation and closed rooms are more viral.

The fall will result in an uptick and we already see that happening.

As predicted.

It is pretty clear to everyone that certain political events are putting attendees at risk.

How bad is the risk?

Well most people who get Covid19 actually do recover, although some have lingering effects, but some do not.

The death rate is not clear but maybe 1% is not an unreasonable estimate.

That doesn't sound so bad until you understand that it is much higher for those most vulnerable.

It would also be over 3 million people if everyone in the country got it.

The smartest thing would be to take precautions, protect yourself and others by wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands.

Not everyone is smart enough or considerate enough to do that.

Who's Better Off?

 The only group that really did well under the current President are people who own stock.

This Isn't insignificant if you consider those who have investment accounts such as 401 Ks  but those who own significant stock or executives with stock options did significantly better.

Even before the virus hit we were mostly enjoying the continuation of the Obama recovery which while a bit less boomy than other post-war recoveries was steady.  The statistics clearly show that we simply had a continuation of pretty much all the trends that started after the financial crisis without the excesses.

The actions taken didn't lead to a great increase in much except to increase profits for many companies which they shared with their stockholders and executives mostly.

The Pandemic has changed that and while the disease itself isn't the Administration's fault the response is.

While we are seeing the predicted fall increase around the world it is clear that we had the worst response of just about anyone.

So if you think America is being fixed the question is what was broken?

Social Justice, Clean Energy and Health Care

 Many people would probably consider the 1950s the golden age of modern America unless of course you are Black. 

There was a seedy underbelly including the mob, poverty, a lot of undiagnosed PTSD and alcoholism, but most of those people stayed out of sight.

On the surface we had a booming economy, lots of jobs, the development of the interstate highway system and suburbs and the early days of television.

It preceded the major disruptions of the 60s although we did have freedom riders and the start of feminism.

If the American dream was ever in reach it was in those years as everyone graduating high school was likely to get a good job since American manufacturing was still dominating most of the world.

This was the time when the baby boomer generation was growing up and they have been so dominant demographically in modern America their nostalgia makes this seem like a Norman Rockwell portrait.

If you were to strip away the nostalgia you would find those years to be full of poverty, racism, misogyny, homophobia and the fear of nuclear destruction.

We have made a lot of progress in many areas and even economically we have created a safety net that while certainly not as good as many European countries allows people to survive, generally.

What has probably changed the most is the loss of manufacturing jobs that once dominated.  Many of those jobs were lost to other countries with lower pay scales or to automation.

These jobs were replaced with service jobs.  

There is only one path for America and that is to adapt to the new economy, keep innovating, keep growing and keep cleaning up from the past.

Social justice, clean energy and guaranteed health care shouldn't really be controversial.

Of course we didn't have those things in the 50s so I guess some view them as problematic.

Can't Fool Mother Nature or Science

 There was a song that hit the charts in the 60s called "I Fought the Law and the Law Won"  It was redone by the Clash and is a very upbeat song with a clear message.

What brings it to mind are the many pictures of events where you see Trump, his family and his supporters ignoring the rules about mask wearing.  Well now the price is being paid.

It was odd at the debate when his whole family came in wearing masks and promptly took them off if defiance of the rules.  Once you start believing your own bullshit you are probably in trouble.

Some things are simply not political and the virus was one of them.  Of course the mishandling of the response is.

I'm actually surprised he got sick because he is a bit of a germaphobe but his favorite network was spreading his lies about it going away and he believes everything he sees there.  Sort of a wheel of dumbness.

His followers are blaming the Democrats or the radical left or I guess antifa.

Some antifa people in action!

Power to the People!

 Our political systems are not reflective of the way we now do politics.  Take the fact that after we vote for President there is over two months before we actually change Presidents.

This lame duck period is somewhat antiquated because of what used to be travel issues.  It is better than what we once had when the change took place even later but its still too long a gap.

Our constitution has served us pretty well but realistically it has parts that need to be fixed.

Do we have any need for the electoral college?

There are many other provisions that could use clarification and redefinition.

Voting rights and equal protection under the law need to be strengthened.

Of course any attempts to change the constitution will be attacked by one of the parties as a power grab.

I guess it would be since the power should be given to the people not the special interests.

It was a good slogan and its still valid.

Power to the People!

Karma?

 Its hard not to feel like Trump getting the virus is a bit of Karma and maybe it is.  Still as a person I wish him either an asymptomatic infection or a speedy recovery.

It highlights the risky behavior has consequences and I imagine many of his rally attendees are also either already infected or carriers.

Of course where and when he got infected is not known.

It does demonstrate that he has accepted risks for other people and apparently himself that were significant.  

When we have a new deadly disease there needs to be an appropriate response.  Most of the world went with lockdowns when maybe mask wearing and social distancing from the beginning would have been effective.

Some countries that seem to have handled it the best did that.  This is not the first corona virus to emerge and the previous two were handled mauch better or we were much luckier.

The H1N1 virus was luckily much less deadly and provided us with a warning.

The group set up to prevent future infections had a plan but since it was set up under the Obama administration Trump eliminated it.

Hence the Karma.

Here We Go Again!

The amount of phony information showing up on social media and elsewhere has picked up again because of  concerted effort to sway voters.  Some of it might even have some actual facts in it but thy are taken out of context and distorted.

This unfortunately starts with the President who continually lies and distorts everywhere he goes.

Since the debate there is a concerted effort to depict Joe Biden as wearing a wire or having an ear piece.  Both have been debunked but that doesn't matter to the lie spreaders.

Of course we will see a lot of innuendo also based on debunked information.

Its not worth spending time trying to disprove most of this because that only serves to spread them further.  Generally you can find mainstream media that debunks them and you can chare them if you want but even that sort of helps propagate the false claims.

We are a month away and I would like to think that everyone outside his base of cult followers can see the truth.

This bombardment of fake items and lies had some impact four years ago and it might even have some again.  

However fool us once shame on you.  Fool us twice, shame on us.