How is this even possible?

[Maximus1]

Protection of life just lost.
Accordingly I don’t see Trump promoting testing. I see numbers of dead turned into a number of strands of smoke as best as he can.
We are being conditioned to experience rage when anyone says the word China. This is the priority.

 

[PetraG]

Could have been? There is no reason to think that it isn’t going to continue and in places get worse.

It is possible you’re right, but Heaven forbid that this get worse than the 1918 pandemic. The current estimates project that this pandemic will not have the case-fatality rate of that one. That one also struck people who seemed far less vulnerable than this one does:
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

These are the sobering considerations made only recently:

A year of terror and a century of reflection: perspectives on the great influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 - BMC Infectious Diseases

Background In the spring of 1918, the “War to End All Wars”, which would ultimately claim more than 37 million lives, had entered into its final year and would change the global political and economic landscape forever. At the same time, a new global threat was emerging and would become one of...

bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com

The 1918 H1N1 pandemic virus spread across Europe, North America, and Asia over a 12-month period resulting in an estimated 500 million infections and 50–100 million deaths worldwide…
[That is an extremely high fatality rate, to put it mildly.]

This is where the authors talk about strains being seen relatively recently:
The emergence of novel highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, including H5 and H7 subtypes, are of particular concern due to their pandemic potential. Circulating HPAI viruses are of potential concern to global public health. Asian lineage avian influenza A (H5N1), which circulates in fowl, is rarely found in humans but has resulted in life-threatening cases when able to establish stable lineages and H7N9 has resulted in sporadic human infections in China resulting in > 1500 infections with an estimated 39% case fatality rate since 2013. Because HPAI viruses can arise from previously known low-pathogenicity viruses with only minor mutations, it is important to be vigilant concerning these potential pandemic viruses

 

[Maximus1]

Thanks for the article( I think lol)
If you wanted to imagine a weapon to take out the USA, A VIRUS that exploits all of our weaknesses, this is it.
Taiwan just had their 5th day with no new cases. They never shut down.

 

[PetraG]

Taiwan just had their 5th day with no new cases. They never shut down.

That is great news. If someplace sees the infection die down without shutting down, that is great.
Even learning that we took precautions we didn’t have to take but don’t have to take any more would be way better than learning that precautions like we’re taking are going to be needed off and on for a year or two. (I do look at this as being like dealing with a flood in the pitch darkness. When you’re dealing with something dangerous, you want to be able to see it!)

As soon as there is evidence that it is safe to come out, it’s Olly olly oxen free!!! as far as I’m concerned!

If you wanted to imagine a weapon to take out the USA, A VIRUS that exploits all of our weaknesses, this is it.

Yes, except there aren’t any guided viruses. (If China wanted to do that, for instance, they wouldn’t have let it loose until they developed a vaccine and slipped resistance into their flu shots…and since viruses do mutate, even that would have been a stupidly chancy thing to do.) They’re very competitive; I don’t believe they’re that stupid. (All tyrants are arrogant, though, and there is nothing that produces monumental stupidity like arrogance does…)

The virologists from different places around the world don’t believe this was a laboratory-generated virus, so I don’t either.

 

[Cathoholic]

PattyIt . . .

NO testing has a three year shelf life. Most of the reagents used are one year at a maximum…often 6 months.

I think you are right.

Trump probably got his facts mixed up (The Obama administration depleted the N95 masks and never filled them. I agree.–The Trump administration should have taken over for the Obama administration’s deficiencies. But fake Russian collusion and impeachment charges have also kept Trump pretty busy) and could have been thinking about the shortage of N95 masks left from 2009 and the Obama administration.

I’m not sure what he meant. But one thing is for sure.

Trump did not think Wuhan Corona Virus tests should be available before the Wuhan Corona Virus was “invented”.

 

[Pattylt]

Trump did not think Wuhan Corona Virus tests should be available before the Wuhan Corona Virus was “invented”.

I’m sure he realizes that but I do wish he’d think through what he’s going to say a bit more! Just like I really don’t think Trump was trying to imply injecting disinfectant! But he stumbles and goes off track so often that he really should work on…I’m going to say X and I’m NOT going to expand on it…because I mess up when I do! . He seems to have problems speaking in complete sentences…it’s not an unusual problem…many people rarely speak in complete thoughts and use filler words. Trump uses filler partial sentences!

It’s frustrating when you know he’s trying to say one thing and it comes out completely different. My daughter has given up listening to him. She says she’d rather read what he meant to say the next day…after it gets parsed and cleaned up. I agree with her.

 

[Cathoholic]

PattyIt. . .

I’m sure he realizes that but I do wish he’d think through what he’s going to say a bit more!

I get that. I am not disagreeing with you here.

That’s the way he talks. He’s thinking about a million different things, and you get bits and pieces of portions of it and sometimes it comes out like this.

I often don’t know what he means, but I have a pretty good idea what he doesn’t mean.

And if he makes a mistake on N95 masks vrs flu tests in stock (or whatever), it is not a major issue.

What really counted is when Ventilators were in short supply and it looked like thousands were going to be triaged to “good luck” Trump, US private industry, and US ingenuity came through. Even the Democrat Governors have admitted that.

Now we are sending ventilstors overseas (to help others with our surplus) if I recall correctly.

 

[ProVobis]

It’s not his fault it tanked.

Before Trump, the six worst market crashes all occurred under Republican administrations. I’m beginning to think it’s no coincidence.

It must be something in the air.

 

[Maximus1]

You are right. My comment was more about us than China for now.

 

[ThinkingSapien]

Before Trump, the six worst market crashes all occurred under Republican administrations. I’m beginning to think it’s no coincidence.

On a somewhat related note, am I the only one that feels that now is not the time for another tariff dispute?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ff-threat-adds-to-uncertainties-idUSKBN22D58W

 

[PetraG]

I think you are right.

Trump probably got his facts mixed up (The Obama administration depleted the N95 masks and never filled them. I agree.–The Trump administration should have taken over for the Obama administration’s deficiencies. But fake Russian collusion and impeachment charges have also kept Trump pretty busy) and could have been thinking about the shortage of N95 masks left from 2009 and the Obama administration.

I’m not sure what he meant. But one thing is for sure.

Trump did not think Wuhan Corona Virus tests should be available before the Wuhan Corona Virus was “invented”.

It is a lot more simple to suppose he knows quite well that the Obama Administration didn’t have a thing to do with those tests not working, but he knew there would be zero penalty from his base for trying to shift the blame.

Occam’s Razor says the President is making the whole blame scenario up out of whole cloth.

I don’t know why the President would be “occupied” with the Russian investigation, since utterly baseless insinuations from someone we all know about not even being a citizen weren’t supposed to slow Mr. Obama down. He certainly is a bit hypocritical to complain about people making up faked stories about a sitting President, I know that.

 

[Cathoholic]

As I said.

Trump did not think Wuhan Corona Virus tests
should be available before the Wuhan Corona Virus was “invented”.

Occam’s Razor says the President is making the whole blame scenario up out of whole cloth.

No it doesn’t.

There were ventilators needed that were not there.
There were N95 masks needed that were not re-stocked.

This is not “whole cloth”. It just isn’t.

 

[PetraG]

No it doesn’t.

There were ventilators needed that were not there.
There were N95 masks needed that were not re-stocked.

This is not “whole cloth”. It just isn’t.

Again, I am talking about his repeated statement that the Obama Administration left him with bad tests. Why should I believe he is so ignorant that he would repeat the same misstatement over and over again? This isn’t a subtle mistake. It is a “how is that even possible” mistake. His aides would let him know that. The pointed questions of reporters would make him want to say it right next time, if it were just a mistake. People make misstatements like that once by accident. When someone keeps repeating something like that, there is a cause for concern!!

Either (a) the truth of what he is saying is irrelevant to him or (b) he has some serious short-term memory problems or some kind of an intellectual incapacity. I suppose it is also possible that (c ) he is so incapable of admitting a mistake that he will double down on a preposterous mistake rather than admit he can make one.

I don’t think he’s that addle-brained that he is incapable of learning, to be blunt. I think he believes his audience will believe and defend whatever he says. It is hard to say that is a poor calculation on his part, but it could hardly be more insulting. I don’t know why the incapacity to admit a mistake would be considered acceptable in his position, either.

What seems clear is that he keeps repeating a preposterous attempt to shift blame. No one has come up with an explanation that dispels that possibility one iota.

 

[PetraG]

There were ventilators needed that were not there.
There were N95 masks needed that were not re-stocked.

OK, if you move into an apartment and it has an expired fire extinguisher in the kitchen, that says scary things about the last occupant of the apartment. That would be fair.
What does it say about you, though, if that’s still your fire extinguisher three years later? (Not that this would be on the President personally, excepting that he himself thinks it is reasonable to be blaming the last President.)

 

[Cathoholic]

What does it say about you, though, if that’s still your fire extinguisher three years later?

I get that PetraG. And I am not critical of this question.

Just because Obama didn’t have Vents. and N95s in “the cupboard” doesn’t excuse the Trump administration.

There has been unprecedented continual proverbial “nipping at Trumps heels” since before he came into office.

I keep thinking it’s a wonder he get so much done despite the constant Anti-American attacks.

We’re about to see HOW Anti-American these attacks have been when some of these lone ranger intelligence people have formal charges dropped upon them.

Clearly nice work on the Vents too.

I understand it. You viscerally dislike our President.
I used to, but he has earned my respect and he has won me over with his push-back against the pro-abort industry.

You and I both were Cruz supporters four years ago (if I recall correctly).

Right now Trump is the best we got, and I think his actions are splendid. Sometimes his words are great too. Other times when he muses out loud about many things saying a vignette of samples, that can be good, or not so good.

Consider the abortion activist alternatives. Biden? Bernie? Hillary? (If they parachute her in at the.last second?) Andy Cuomo?

It’s a cornucopia of abortions R us.

I am voting with President Trump for another four years. I hope you re-consider and join me PetraG.
You have had some great posts!

 

[Maximus1]

Trump could have had masks manufactured at lightning pace if he chose to. In WW2 they cranked out ships at lightning speed. Today the availability of masks was simply a matter of will

 

[PetraG]

Just because Obama didn’t have Vents. and N95s in “the cupboard” doesn’t excuse the Trump administration.

Honestly, at this point he looks better if he doesn’t try to blame the last Administration.

There has been unprecedented continual proverbial “nipping at Trumps heels” since before he came into office.

I keep thinking it’s a wonder he get so much done despite the constant Anti-American attacks.

It is not “Anti-American” to attack the President!! It is the most consistently American thing in our history!

Besides, what was “American” about his support of the utterly false narrative that Barack Obama was not born in the United States? He said he had people in Hawaii and they couldn’t believe what they were finding. There is no evidence he had a soul in Hawaii who had found a drop of anything to support the false narrative he was supporting.

I understand it. You viscerally dislike our President.
I used to, but he has earned my respect and he has won me over with his push-back against the pro-abort industry.

No, I viscerally dislike a constant source of lying and disinformation who hypocritically accuses other sources of information as “fake” when I can see for myself who is faking.

That’s the thing: I don’t need “the media” to look at White House transcripts and watch a history of videos of what he says. I can tell when he’s lying to me all by himself and I know he habitually just makes stuff up.

You and I both were Cruz supporters four years ago (if I recall correctly).

Try Kasich, but the point is not who might have been President instead. The point is whether what this President does to the truth is tolerable. It is not.

If you recall correctly, I frequently post that I know who the Father of Lies is.

No, I have resigned myself to casting a vote for someone other than the eventual winner. Look at the bright side: I don’t live in a swing state.

 

[Cathoholic]

It is not “Anti-American” to attack the President!! It is the most consistently American thing in our history!

I’m not taking issue with attacking the President so much as gratuitously attacking him.

The point is whether what this President does to the truth is tolerable. It is not.

Sometimes correct. I don’t support any politician’s lies.

Many times the media reports him as lying when there is no lying.

So far the biggest lie by politicians? Abortion.

 

[Maximus1]

Trump communicated in " heel nippings" against Obama to reach office. Trumps style for decades is to offer, " the mistake of others," to get on TV.

 

[PetraG]

I’m not taking issue with attacking the President so much as gratuitously attacking him.

The constructive criticism of elected officials too easily surpasses the boundaries of charity. I will grant you that.

On the flip side, however, a person who has appropriate moral qualms about gratuitous personal attacks should be questioning someone very pointedly for his habit of coining and using names like Sleepy Joe, Lyin’ Ted, Mini Mike, Low Energy Jeb, Jeff Flakey, Al Frankenstein, Fat Jerry, Crazy Nancy, Little Adam Schitt, Crazy Arnold, Fake Pocahontas…

Sometimes correct. I don’t support any politician’s lies.

Many times the media reports him as lying when there is no lying.

As I said, I am talking about the instances when he is caught lying by me or at the very best caught speaking inscrutable nonsense by me. Who would think a source of information as credible when it makes stuff up and doesn’t issue retractions? He regularly attacks others for what he regularly does himself.

Either he doesn’t know fact from fiction or he doesn’t care. Neither is a tolerable alternative.

So far the biggest lie by politicians? Abortion.

That is a reason not to vote for them. It is not a reason to tolerate habitual false outbursts by the President. We wouldn’t let a bishop do it. We wouldn’t let a pastor do it. We wouldn’t let any other elected official do it. Yet with him, it is always pointing the finger somewhere else.

He won’t stop until his base says, “Cut it out, already. You’re treating us like fools and making fools of us. We like what you do, but we’re only going to take so much.” I am sure he is counting on it that they will never do that–that they do not care that much that he doesn’t stick to the truth, provided he sticks with a script they like and policies they like. Defending truth-telling won’t compete with those. I can’t say that the calculation is incorrect. I can say it is reprehensible.