Coronavirus, Chapter 2

The contrast between Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was stark, wrote Gil Eyal, who has studied the nature of expertise. At a few recent briefings, he noted, "It became clear that the President and the nation's foremost public health expert were battling, however politely, over who the American people should trust. While the scales may be tipping in Fauci's favor at the moment, the battle is far from won." 

Michael D'Antonio noted that "somehow Fauci seems to have won President Trump's confidence even as he has corrected him in real time. In this way the doctor has served both the President and the country while maintaining his own credibility. Neither a toady nor an attention-seeker, he has put himself in the position to tell everyone the truth, even when it's hard to hear." 

This is a frightening time for our country, and the entire planet.  This virus, which seemingly started in Wuhan, China, is a silent, invisible killer; a virus which could potentially wipeout up to 30% of the global population.  Maybe, but maybe not. 

(Side note: The actual virus that causes Covid-19 is known as "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2. "This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003," explains the World Health Organization. "While related, the two viruses are different.")

It’s simply too soon to tell.  Personally, I know my days are already numbered, as are those of some family members.  But having to go we ahead of my time, and it such an excruciating manner, kept away from family and friends at the very end… that’s horrible dying all alone.

Think about that for just a moment.  You’re in isolation in the ICU unit of your local hospital, likely on a respirator, clinging to life, and only 1, maybe 2 heavily covered nurses or nursing assistants or doctors are there doing your final countdown, watching the minutes, seconds ticking away.  Your family and friends are likely in the Waiting Room, or pacing around the parking lot outside, awaiting word on your prognosis, some sort of outcome where you can leave this life more on your terms and in your time.

We’ve known for years now, but it’s become painfully obvious more recently, that Donald Trump was born with not only a few screws loose upstairs, but without the vital empathy and compassion genes.  He lacks the moral, human ability to feel genuinely bad or even sad for his fellow human beings.  Not possible for him to shed a tear, feel genuine, real remorse or other human feelings.  He sees those things as a sign of weakness, rather than what they really are:           Strength.

He takes zero responsibility for his actions and behaviors and rather, blames his predecessor, President Barack Obama, for the shortage of medical supplies, the global pandemic, and basically everything else that’s “wrong with our great country.”   

Yup, pass the buck, because well, I’m just that great. 

Beware of leaders who speak only in superlatives. 

YES, I’m talking about Donald Trump.  

My only error was calling him a leader.

Coronavirus, Chapter 1

Do you remember those now cute, zombie apocalypse movies from the early 2000s?  Some are almost comical, with an rather unusual, farcical view of some sort of disease, wide-spread illness across the globe.  My personal favorite was "Warm Bodies", featuring Nicholas Hoult (The Beast in the X-Men First Class series). It utilizes minimal makeup for a 'zombie-light' look.  It works!

Link to IMdB page: 
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt/

And although that movie was cute, at times sweet, back to the real world and planet Earth in April 2020.  We're now living through that pandemic outbreak with the Coronavirus, and the "man" at the top here in the United States is doing everything he can to minimize the gravity of the situation and the severity of the virus itself.  Pretty sure it won't become serious to him until it hits Ivanka or little Barron.  By then, yeah, it will be too late for them and the rest of us.

Oh, and those "stimulus" checks from the $2 trillion bill passed by Congress, you remember those checks.  $1200 to most individuals (myself included), and $2400 for most couples (as well as $500 per child dependent).  And although that sounds great and amazing that Congress finally came together on something, this is NOT a stimulus package. NO.  10 years ago in 2009 when "the black guy" as Trump calls him (the rest of us know him as the best American President, Barack Obama), when Obama was in office, that was a much needed stimulus to boost the economy.  

Now, in 2020, it's not money being used to "boost" the economy here, it's to keep people afloat, for the foreseeable future.  How long?  Who knows.  Could be weeks.  Could be months, but hopefully, NOT years.  At this moment, April 2nd, 6.6 million people are reported to have filed unemployment claims here in the U.S. That's astonishing!

UPDATE - As of today, 04/14/2020, over 25,000 people have died here in the United States, and almost 600,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the coronavirus.

As of April 10, 2020, according to models by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, it is estimated that 60,415 in the U.S. would die of the coronavirus by August, assuming that social distancing policies continue through May.  That is down from an 82,000 prediction just a few days ago. 
 
Further, Congress has decided to bail out potentially failing companies to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars -- airlines, hospitality chains, and others.  Seems like the CEOs and board members of those companies should be digging into their own coffers to pony-up saving their employees and their companies... NOT the government.  

Because the truth here is that the $2 trillion will not be the only resource we will require moving forward.  It's only a fraction.  A band-aid, if you will.

Trump's lack of leadership soon enough (January 2020) and denial and minimizing, have lead us to this point in history.  I mention those checks for $1200 and $2400 (the bulk of them) are NOT stimulus as they were in 2009.  Donald Trump's re-election campaign is pushing for HIS signature on those checks as a reminder to "all Americans" that HE alone can fix this, and HE alone can "make our lives better" by doing this, in hopes that this shady, questionable move will somehow help him get back into office for another 4 years.  

Coronavirus current outbreak map as of 04/02/2020

Coronavirus current outbreak map as of 04/02/2020

Pay attention, people.  NO, he does not deserve another 4 years to further ruin our government, our lives or the world at-large.  Do NOT fall for Trump's b.s. move here. 
To be clear, NO, Donald Trump didn't personally cause the virus, but his response, or lack thereof, has been slow and minimal.  "Let's wait and see what happens" is his go-to, signature response.

DON'T FALL FOR HIS B.S. -- PAY ATTENTION. 

CNN's online coronavirus outbreak worldwide map:

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/ 

Train Wreck, Dumpster Fire, Shit Show

Just some cool pics to show the Donald J. Trump Administration in-action, er, um, IN action.

I believe that's the Official Space-Force 

Marching Band & Glee Club up there.

The Official White House Presidential Portrait.  

Good likeness, I'd have to say.

Donald J. Trump – Underneath The Smoke And Mirrors

Speculation has run rampant in recent years about just what's going on outside (as well as inside) the head of business/chick maggot, er, uh, magnate and Republican President Donald J. Trump.  Is his trademark coiffure and elaborate comb-over, hair plugs, a weave, or some weird, sci-fi combination thereof?  And why does he often appear tan to the point of being, well, orange -- is that coloration due to a spray-on tan, makeup, or just unusual skin coloration?

An image showing Donald Trump without his signature hairpiece and makeup outside his lavish estate have surfaced across social media.

Sources close to the Trump campaign report staffers are not sure who took and leaked the picture.

 The "leaked" photograph displayed above seemingly answers some of those questions, showing that Trump without a wig or makeup is... just another bald and pale senior citizen with a few wisps of white hair remaining on the top and sides of his pate and a kind of "You kids get off my lawn!!!" look to his countenance.

The image is just a digital creation, however, one that originated with on the Liberal Darkness website, publisher of such political spoofs as "Donald Trump Holds Unique Cheetos Contest to Help Find Running Mate" and "Gays Luring Pokémon-Go Players Into Homosexual Gyms."

Well, we can clearly see, his face IS orange, along with whatever the color of that stuff on the top of hes head is called.

And finally, we have a winner!  Look closely through the wispy, wimpy, aging and crotchety Grandpa-on-his-porch-at-the-end-of-the-street junk on his head.  Pretty much only Trump in all his vain glory would call that "hair". 

That initial picture of "old man Trump" at the beginning of this piece, that's how I imagine he really looks without the makeup and cheap hair dye.  It's actually a Photoshopped image, but you know, it just seems so real.