So this is how it ends!

[Dung Beatles]

I'm honestly not seeing strong leadership there. Evictions- that will be up to the courts. Larger gatherings, we've asked people not to, but we understand weddings and such are important, maybe try to wait for the big ceremony. Oh and if we follow these things we will flatten the curve some, but we are going to see a peak where we are getting 6000-8000 new infections per day and our heal care system will collapse exceed capacity.

I picked that almost at random because good leadership isn't filled with bombast and self-praise. The point is getting the hard work done and reassuring the public with concrete measures sans self congratulatory nonsense.

Good leadership requires a measure of stoicism and restraint sans egotistical feeding and self dealing.

There are lots of people in our government showing good leadership every day. Trump isn't one of them.

[Michael Tzadok]

Republican Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/...virus-update-2


Edit: Do you see what he did here that's different than the POTUS? He spent his time assuring the public, he never heaped praises on himself, didn't attack his perceived enemies and he didn't offer up some pie-in-the-sky fantasy about some new cure or everything being just fine.

He talked about doing the work, he talked about direct action, he talked about taking charge of the situation and never wasted time trying to make everything about himself or his political rivals.

Trump can't do this anywhere, at any time.

He cannot lead. He does not know how to lead. He's a useless whiney silver spoon trust fund man-child with delusions of grandeur and possibly has the most vicious insecurity complex of any democratically elected President in any Western country for the last 100 years.

I'm honestly not seeing strong leadership there. Evictions- that will be up to the courts. Larger gatherings, we've asked people not to, but we understand weddings and such are important, maybe try to wait for the big ceremony. Oh and if we follow these things we will flatten the curve some, but we are going to see a peak where we are getting 6000-8000 new infections per day and our heal care system will collapse exceed capacity.

[Dung Beatles]

You got Cuomo saying that he would consider an attempted Federal Quarrantine of New York(where there are about a third of the cases) an act of war. I don't even know WTF that means... Pretty much every POS in political leadership right now has shown quite definitively that they put their political affiliations and scoring political points above the welfare of the American people. Find me one who hasn't and then we will talk.

Republican Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/...virus-update-2


Edit: Do you see what he did here that's different than the POTUS? He spent his time assuring the public, he never heaped praises on himself, didn't attack his perceived enemies and he didn't offer up some pie-in-the-sky fantasy about some new cure or everything being just fine.

He talked about doing the work, he talked about direct action, he talked about taking charge of the situation and never wasted time trying to make everything about himself or his political rivals.

Trump can't do this anywhere, at any time.

He cannot lead. He does not know how to lead. He's a useless whiney silver spoon trust fund man-child with delusions of grandeur and possibly has the most vicious insecurity complex of any democratically elected President in any Western country for the last 100 years.

[Michael Tzadok]

Not only but he certain has the lion's share of the blame.

When the President of the United States tells people it's a hoax and it'll just go away on it's own, that is taken as direct guidance from the Oval Office.

Everything the POTUS says is guidance. That's how it is in America. People listen to Presidents and set their agendas and beliefs accordingly.

According to one of greatest Republican presidents, Eisenhower, the buck stops with the President.

The President's words, actions and agenda become the words, actions and agenda for the entire US Gov't. This gambling people have done on getting what they could out of a wrothless mung gargling bastard like Trump has been a catastrophe.

Sure, we all share some of the blame because we're all cogs in the yadda, yadda machine but in the end, by all means, the higher elected officials take the higher share of the blame. What power the President cannot use because it belongs to the governors should be buttressed by LEADERSHIP at the top.

If it comes to declaration of Martial Law with this tin pot dictator wannabe, I'd rather take my chances with the virus. If suspension of constitutional rights is the only way this dick stroking numbskull can get anything done then he's not fit to sit in high office.

Even if he had declared it a national emergency from the beginning, all he could do without the support of Congress is to stand in front of a camera and babble. So you can't say he owns the lion's share of anything. FFS most of the Republican party said it was a hoax when the Dems were saying it was the Apocalypse, yet how many motions did Pelosi put forward in Congress to get the ball rolling on martial law?

You got Cuomo saying that he would consider an attempted Federal Quarrantine of New York(where there are about a third of the cases) an act of war. I don't even know WTF that means... Pretty much every POS in political leadership right now has shown quite definitively that they put their political affiliations and scoring political points above the welfare of the American people. Find me one who hasn't and then we will talk.

[Dung Beatles]

Not only but he certain has the lion's share of the blame.

When the President of the United States tells people it's a hoax and it'll just go away on it's own, that is taken as direct guidance from the Oval Office.

Everything the POTUS says is guidance. That's how it is in America. People listen to Presidents and set their agendas and beliefs accordingly.

According to one of greatest Republican presidents, Eisenhower, the buck stops with the President.

The President's words, actions and agenda become the words, actions and agenda for the entire US Gov't. This gambling people have done on getting what they could out of a wrothless mung gargling bastard like Trump has been a catastrophe.

Sure, we all share some of the blame because we're all cogs in the yadda, yadda machine but in the end, by all means, the higher elected officials take the higher share of the blame. What power the President cannot use because it belongs to the governors should be buttressed by LEADERSHIP at the top.

If it comes to declaration of Martial Law with this tin pot dictator wannabe, I'd rather take my chances with the virus. If suspension of constitutional rights is the only way this dick stroking numbskull can get anything done then he's not fit to sit in high office.

[Michael Tzadok]

You've got it in one. That's where the good ol' US of A is at right now. You can bullshit people, you can bullshit institutions, you can apparently bullshit plain reading of the law but you can't bullshit a highly infectious disease and bullshit is the only thing this administration is geared up to do.

I heard they are setting up checkpoints and self quarantining entrances to entire counties in some places.

It would be funny if the potential dire consequences of the Trump administration's incompetence weren't so clear.

People only think the panic is bad now. If this continued mass failure goes on much longer the panic will reach a crescendo and we'll have riots, mass civil unrest and 3rd world police solutions on our hands.

Of course, Trump will blame everyone when he has the lion's share of the blame for downplaying the problem until it was spread everywhere and then he'll blame the people who did do the right thing after the entire work has burnt down around him. He'll savagely sow division straight through and never once take responsibility like a man for a god damned second.

We elected a spineless coward, gave them the keys to the kingdom and the second a truly big problem popped up, he immediately began covering his own ass in praise and his critics with threats. His duty to the public welfare, comes a distant second to his effort to insulate himself from the fallout.

Really the only thing that could be done would be for Congress to invoke Article 1:9 of the Constitution and the Administration, with the approval of Congress to declare martial law and put the nation into a lock down.

You can't put this only on the Administration, frankly, there are the selfish citizens and both parties that have turned politics and responses into team sports. We The People got sold out for Elephants and Donkeys. The only people in power right now that you can say are blameless in this are the 9 judges of the US Supreme Court.

[Dung Beatles]

I can't remember whether it was Hamburger Hill or Platoon(or another Viet Nam war movie I'm thinking of) where the guy essentially gets blown in half and the medic is sitting there saying "Don't worry, you'll be fine, you'll be fine."
That is what is going on at that COVID Taskforce Briefing at this point. The US continues with exponential growth in infections, doctors, nurses and EMS aren't even being tested despite being exposed. There are hospitals that are literally having to shop for things that they can substitute for PPE at Home Depot, i.e. the health system is starting to show its first signs of collapse. So now Trump and crew are saying "Don't worry it's OK, you will be OK."

You've got it in one. That's where the good ol' US of A is at right now. You can bullshit people, you can bullshit institutions, you can apparently bullshit plain reading of the law but you can't bullshit a highly infectious disease and bullshit is the only thing this administration is geared up to do.

I heard they are setting up checkpoints and self quarantining entrances to entire counties in some places.

It would be funny if the potential dire consequences of the Trump administration's incompetence weren't so clear.

People only think the panic is bad now. If this continued mass failure goes on much longer the panic will reach a crescendo and we'll have riots, mass civil unrest and 3rd world police solutions on our hands.

Of course, Trump will blame everyone when he has the lion's share of the blame for downplaying the problem until it was spread everywhere and then he'll blame the people who did do the right thing after the entire work has burnt down around him. He'll savagely sow division straight through and never once take responsibility like a man for a god damned second.

We elected a spineless coward, gave them the keys to the kingdom and the second a truly big problem popped up, he immediately began covering his own ass in praise and his critics with threats. His duty to the public welfare, comes a distant second to his effort to insulate himself from the fallout.

[Michael Tzadok]

Honestly, that's his best bet to salvage his legacy if he even wants to salvage it.

I can't remember whether it was Hamburger Hill or Platoon(or another Viet Nam war movie I'm thinking of) where the guy essentially gets blown in half and the medic is sitting there saying "Don't worry, you'll be fine, you'll be fine."
That is what is going on at that COVID Taskforce Briefing at this point. The US continues with exponential growth in infections, doctors, nurses and EMS aren't even being tested despite being exposed. There are hospitals that are literally having to shop for things that they can substitute for PPE at Home Depot, i.e. the health system is starting to show its first signs of collapse. So now Trump and crew are saying "Don't worry it's OK, you will be OK."

[Dung Beatles]

Mike will turn the other cheek, and let Don stab him in the front, like a good Christian

Honestly, that's his best bet to salvage his legacy if he even wants to salvage it.

[doofaloofa]

It's only a matter of time before Trump stabs Pence in the back. It will be part of his final 'fuck you' to everyone who helped him.

Mike will turn the other cheek, and let Don stab him in the front, like a good Christian

[Dung Beatles]

So it seems that 45 has taken over the daily COVID briefings because every one was saying what a great job Pence was doing, and you know how Don hates folk stealing his ratings

It's only a matter of time before Trump stabs Pence in the back. It will be part of his final 'fuck you' to everyone who helped him.

[doofaloofa]

So it seems that 45 has taken over the daily COVID briefings because every one was saying what a great job Pence was doing, and you know how Don hates folk stealing his ratings

[hungryjoe]

So many responses to this. But I’ll go with the first question that popped into my head - tell me about your time in Malta!

Business trip. I was there to check out the Maltese facility for a review of several areas on behalf of the owner/President. Everyone knew why I was there. Hence, someone every night had take Joe out to dinner and entertain duty. By week two I was pretty wore out and requested to have the following Saturday to sleep in.

Saturday morning, I'm watching the news, Iraqis are celebrating. Auto and air horns start blowing outside. Get a phone call, I have a visitor in the lobby.

Malta had voted to join the EU. All drinking, driving and party in general laws were shelved. Dear lord, it was a weekend long celebration.

Visited the historic places, ate a bunch of awesome sea food and was allowed, for one night, entry into a "gentleman's club" wearing my sneakers. I still have the shoes I bought for a return visit.

Ate some horse. Practiced some JJJ and had an all around good time.

[Kovacs]

Ive got boxes and boxes of ration packs (MRE’s) which my partner has been trying to throw away for years and now I’m like ‘told you soooooooo!’.

Naturally being really grown up about the whole thing.

[Dung Beatles]

I'd like to point out something that should be troubling.

The price of Ramen noodles on Amazon Prime.

A 24 pack of Top Ramen noodles cost about $5.00 at the grocery store.

On Amazon Prime right now it costs between $25.00 and $30.00 plus $5.00 shipping and most of it is sold out.

Shortages really make weird shit happen. Imagine Top ramen as a sudden cash cow item. Nobody saw that coming. Accumulated shit like this is the deflation that kills economies. The price will undoubtedly go back down as manufacturing rises to meet demand but in the mean time, that years supply of costco MRE's that the media made fun of is looking more and more like the hottest deal that got away.