March 31, 2020

"I have one hell of a Ukraine story to tell you."

March 30, 2020

What if Fox covered Trump like it covered Obama

I guess this came out last year, but it's still relevant, maybe even more so.

March 28, 2020

Brian Tyler Cohen. If you're not already paying attention to him, you should start.

He's young, but his commentary on the administration and on Republicans in general is intelligent, and compelling.

March 26, 2020

A Woman With Lupus Said Her Health Care Provider Is Stopping Her Chloroquine Prescription And Thanke

Source: BuzzFeed

A 45-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) said she received an online message from her health care provider stating it will no longer refill her vital hydroxychloroquine prescriptions because that drug is being used to treat the "critically ill with COVID-19," the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The letter thanked her for her "sacrifice."

Dale, who lives in the Los Angeles area and asked to only be identified by her first name, told BuzzFeed News she "started crying" upon receiving the message from her doctor's office on Tuesday. She had previously called Kaiser Permanente, a major health care network based in Oakland, about why her prescription was being denied.

<snip>

Despite thin evidence for the drug’s effectiveness against coronavirus infections, shortages of chloroquine have erupted since Trump called it a “game changer” at a White House news conference late last week. The drug, a derivative of an antimalarial drug, has been added to the regimen for treating COVID-19 infections in China and South Korea and is being tested in clinical trials in the US.

<snip>

Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/kaiser-permanente-lupus-chloroquine

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Seriously, there are some evil fucks in the world.

March 24, 2020

I LOST it with my doctor today.

I'm fortunate to live in a very liberal/lefty/Democratic community. Both the town and county are very blue, politically speaking. The county to the south, however, are a bunch of gun-loving right wingers.

These are mountain communities, and we have only one doctor for twelve miles in any direction. He's a really good doctor, but he lives south of here, and is as Trump-loving as they get. I know that sounds contradictory (a good doctor who loves Trump), and it feels a bit surreal sometimes...like today.

I had to go by to pick up a prescription. I tend to not chat politics with him because he can be so maddening, but as I commented on the "strange times" we're in, he piped up with, "Well, Trump says it should only be two or three more weeks."

I lost it.

"Well, Trump is an idiot," I blurted.

I think it surprised him, because he stammered a little, "Well, yeah, he doesn't know about this stuff, so he has to rely on his experts."

"But he's NOT, Michael, that's the problem!" I was kind of feeling it. "He's saying stupid shit, and he's getting people killed!"

He quite literally mumbled something I couldn't hear, and I said my goodbyes and left.

I really don't like to make things awkward between him and me. He has been very good to my family, but for crying out loud! He's a fucking doctor, and he's still listening to the virus in chief for guidance!

Thanks for letting me vent.

March 24, 2020

The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It with Robert Reich

Mercifully free of coronavirus talk. But I think a lot of what he's saying is more doable in these fluid times.

March 23, 2020

Call your Congressional Reps and Senators!

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Especially if your rep happens to be Nancy Pelosi!

Democrats are trying to keep another TARP from happening; another big bailout for Wall Street, and bupkis for you and me. Keep 'em fighting!

March 20, 2020

Random thought: Expect a baby boom...

about nine months from now.

March 19, 2020

Looking for something to read while you're socially distant?

I managed to get my book up online faster than I thought I would:

https://www.mountainstormpress.com

This is my book about how all of the states got their names. It's free, it's online, and it isn't about politics (well, mostly; I do manage to get a dig in at racists and bigots here and there).

Everyone here was very kind when I announced that I was starting this project, so I thought I would let you all know that it's finished. (Next up: I might try to do videos )

Also, if it's not too much trouble, I welcome any notes on typos, mistakes, etc. (please be kind). I think I got the formatting issues fixed from earlier, but I wouldn't mind being notified of problems there too.

Anyway, enjoy.

March 16, 2020

Liberal Redneck on coronavirus