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2020-03-18 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

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Posted by trailing wife 2020-03-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11126 views ] Top

#1 We are actually not an individualistic culture.

Americans again and again show themselves to be conformists above all, with an instinctive talent for organizing that just as often manifests as drone-like getting in line-- and toeing the line. This allows us to pull off Grand feats of engineering and business success, but it's frankly a bit scary how quickly Americans are willing to follow their less-than-brilliant leaders' directives.

By what right, exactly, do all our little Mussolinis - in Champaigne IL and NYC and across the land - assume authority to lock down anyone?

Posted by Lex 2020-03-18 02:35|| 2020-03-18 02:35|| Front Page Top

#2 Why the fook are we destroying our economy and with it our children's hopes of getting jobs, building savings, starting families?

Just so we can lower the mortality rate from 99.98% to 99.92%?

Have we lost our minds?

Posted by Lex 2020-03-18 02:38|| 2020-03-18 02:38|| Front Page Top

#3 Victor Davis Hanson on our absurd over-reaction:

Last week, Ohio governor Mike DeWine, in heartfelt worry and with understandable concern, tweeted a statement from his state Director of Health: “I know it is hard to understand #COVID19 since we can’t see it, but we know that 1 percent of our population is carrying this virus today—that’s over 100,000 people.”

In translation, that would mean that DeWine and the director already also “know” that somewhere between 1,000 to 2,500 elderly Ohioans of that infected 100,000 right now, at a minimum (if the case load stays at the static figure of 100,000 and the current death ratios are accurate), are infected and will die in the next one to three weeks. At the time of the governor’s disclosure, there were five known cases of corona virus reported in the state.

Posted by Lex 2020-03-18 02:50|| 2020-03-18 02:50|| Front Page Top

#4 The industrial plant’s re-tooling to make medical supplies? Completely unprecedented…unless you compare it to America’s post-Sputnik industrial overhaul.

Not WWII?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-03-18 03:47|| 2020-03-18 03:47|| Front Page Top

#5 #1 Bull Lex. USA - even compared to Israel - is incredibly tolerant to outliers: the odd, the unconventional, the surly curmudgeon. And since all progress comes from such people ...

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-03-18 03:50|| 2020-03-18 03:50|| Front Page Top

#6 Don't be frightened of coronavirus, be proud of the response

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-03-18 04:20|| 2020-03-18 04:20|| Front Page Top

#7 Grom - I don't deny that we "tolerate outsiders." Political tolerance and a strong legal framework for preserving minority rights is not at all incompatible with what I said, which pertains to the overall cultural predilections of most people.

That culture can be heavily religious and still zealously protect the rights of atheists and religious minorities, for example.

Right now it takes a great deal of nonconformist bravery fir one to stand up and call bullshit on this pseudo-pandemic that is clearly not much worse than a bad flu season. I don't see much aptitude or desire for such truth-telling in either our political or our popular cultures right now.

YMMV.

Posted by Lex 2020-03-18 08:37|| 2020-03-18 08:37|| Front Page Top

#8 ^
(1) Not talking about minorities: ethnic, or sexual - f*ck them all, and their sense of entitlement, with a broom handle. Talking about oddballs people who think differently & follow different lifestyle.
(2) Right now it takes a great deal of nonconformist bravery fir one to stand up and call bullshit on this pseudo-pandemic that is clearly not much worse than a bad flu season

(i) Don't be so sure it's not much worse than flu.
(ii) It's an opportunity to correct 30 years of wrong policy toward China.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-03-18 08:55|| 2020-03-18 08:55|| Front Page Top

#9 (iii) This is a good shakedown cruise to prepare for the real thing... and for any and all disasters coming down the pike. It should also change a bunch of national conversations as the sillier among us come to terms with their experience facing the gods of the copybook headings.

Posted by trailing wife 2020-03-18 15:11|| 2020-03-18 15:11|| Front Page Top

#10 So when do we (U.S.) start reopening everything? ANybody have a plan for how to get out of this thing?

Unless it's 'elect anybody but Trump and we'll fix it then'.

Posted by Bobby 2020-03-18 16:31|| 2020-03-18 16:31|| Front Page Top

#11 In the past wars brought the nation together. Hopefully the silver-lining of the virus will be that it brings the nation together again.

Posted by ruprecht 2020-03-18 18:56|| 2020-03-18 18:56|| Front Page Top

#12 ^ Anyone been watching the talk shows? I confess I haven't (almost never do), but that'd probably be a better predictor of togetherness than whatever we might notice locally.

Posted by Oscar Bluetooth4930 2020-03-18 20:45|| 2020-03-18 20:45|| Front Page Top

#13 Anyone been watching the talk shows?

You mean like The View? Though I think them as more harping than talking...

Posted by CrazyFool 2020-03-18 21:35|| 2020-03-18 21:35|| Front Page Top

23:41 Whiskey Mike
23:37 Marilyn Uloling5420
21:44 Anomalous Sources
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21:16 Unosh Hupinelet8756
21:06 European Conservative
20:50 Frank G
20:50 Frank G
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20:12 Rob Crawford
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19:39 Frank G
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19:15 Lex
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