U.S. Was Beset By Denial & Dysfunction...

[Guest]

https://thedispatch.com/p/how-misinformation-about-the-us-needing

How Misinformation About the U.S. Needing ‘1 Million Ventilators’ SpreadEven the New England Journal of Medicine was misled.
The global COVID-19 crisis seems on track to eclipse 9/11 as the leading defining episode of the 21st century thus far. The dystopian trajectory of the pandemic calls for clear, accurate information to ensure efficient distribution and use of resources. Yet one recent example of misinformation related to the likely total number of necessary ventilators (indispensable devices in treating the most serious cases of COVID-19) not only appeared at major media outlets, but even misled the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine. The error conflates the total number of ventilators required with the number of patients who may need the use of a ventilator over the course of the pandemic. How the error spread is a cautionary if convoluted tale. 
On March 25, the New York Times published an article titled "Amid Desperate Need for Ventilators, Calls Grow for Federal Intervention." That same day, former Times reporter and author Alex Berenson pointed out a flaw in the article on Twitter.  The article asserted that "[t]he United States currently has between 160,000 and 200,000 ventilators, but could need up to a million machines over the course of the outbreak, according to the Society of Critical Care Medicine." As Berenson noted, the study in question did not call for 1 million ventilators, but rather that "as many as one million people in the United States [may] need treatment with a ventilator over the course of the pandemic." [emphasis added]
 On the same day the Times posted a correction of that article, the Times published another article that made the same error about the study. The second article, titled "For Dr. Deborah Birx, Urging Calm Has Come With Heavy Criticism," used the identical inaccurate wording that appeared in the first article: "The United States currently has between 160,000 and 200,000 ventilators but could need up to a million over the course of the outbreak, according to the Society of Critical Care Medicine." Despite the first correction, the second correction took several days to appear and did not note the Times's repetition of the error.
More at link. 

[Guest]

@medaille said:

@BigAl99 said:
The impeachment was real, he was impeached, nothing fake about that.  You can argue whether you agree with it or not but it happened.

The impeachment was rejected because the charges were not impeachable.  I don't really see how anyone can claim that there was anything real about it other than all the democrats voted to do it despite there being no substance to it.

No he was impeached by the house and the but acquitted in the senate trial senate.   A technicality but it will always leave a apostrophe next to his name.  

[Guest]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavir...story.html

“The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil,” Navarro’s memo said. “This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.”

Dated Jan. 29, it came during a period when Trump was playing down the risks to the United States, and he would later go on to say that no one could have predicted such a devastating outcome.

[Guest]

Hahaha so he restricted travel with China. Good move!  

[Guest]

@BigAl99 said:

@medaille said:

@BigAl99 said:
The impeachment was real, he was impeached, nothing fake about that.  You can argue whether you agree with it or not but it happened.

The impeachment was rejected because the charges were not impeachable.  I don't really see how anyone can claim that there was anything real about it other than all the democrats voted to do it despite there being no substance to it.

No he was impeached by the house and the but acquitted in the senate trial senate.   A technicality but it will always leave a apostrophe next to his name.  

Like Clinton, who actually committed crimes.

First impeached President reelected!

[Guest]

@savannahskol said:

@BigAl99 said:

It's so Orwellian;

"The nationalist not
only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he
has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."
George Orwell 

Wut?  
Trump may not have been perfect in this...but where has he committed "atrocities"?  & how does he have record poll #'s with committing "atrocities"?   
 "Nationalism" the paradigm of the day?   Hardly. 


Nah, it's (Albert) Camus-ian; To a T.  
BigAl, find whatever political points  you need to score in one of the greatest allegorical/existential works in lit.
& especially apt.  

"The Plague". 

Some gems:  

"The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence, and by reason of their very duration great misfortunes are monotonous."

"The habit of despair is worse than despair itself."
"Can one be a saint without God? That's the problem, in fact the only problem, I'm up against today."

"What we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise."

Actually this is a good response to my point, since it is allegorical to the Nazi occupation of France.  Read it in high school and then again in freshman English, in college back in the 70's, remembered more the character vignettes than the overall message.  I found him to be a real downer, the "Stranger" in particular although he had a point with morality guiding politics.  Appreciate your providing this opportunity to go back to an earlier time and lessons like Sisyphus, Prometheus and Nemesis.

[Guest]

@BigAl99 said:

@savannahskol said:

@BigAl99 said:

It's so Orwellian;

"The nationalist not
only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he
has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."
George Orwell 

Wut?  
Trump may not have been perfect in this...but where has he committed "atrocities"?  & how does he have record poll #'s with committing "atrocities"?   
 "Nationalism" the paradigm of the day?   Hardly. 


Nah, it's (Albert) Camus-ian; To a T.  
BigAl, find whatever political points  you need to score in one of the greatest allegorical/existential works in lit.
& especially apt.  

"The Plague". 

Some gems:  

"The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence, and by reason of their very duration great misfortunes are monotonous."

"The habit of despair is worse than despair itself."
"Can one be a saint without God? That's the problem, in fact the only problem, I'm up against today."

"What we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise."

Actually this is a good response to my point, since it is allegorical to the Nazi occupation of France.  Read it in high school and then again in freshman english, in college back in the 70's.

I have never read it.  Worth the time during this shut in?

[Guest]

@A1Janitor said:

@BigAl99 said:

@savannahskol said:

@BigAl99 said:

It's so Orwellian;

"The nationalist not
only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he
has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."
George Orwell 

Wut?  
Trump may not have been perfect in this...but where has he committed "atrocities"?  & how does he have record poll #'s with committing "atrocities"?   
 "Nationalism" the paradigm of the day?   Hardly. 


Nah, it's (Albert) Camus-ian; To a T.  
BigAl, find whatever political points  you need to score in one of the greatest allegorical/existential works in lit.
& especially apt.  

"The Plague". 

Some gems:  

"The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence, and by reason of their very duration great misfortunes are monotonous."

"The habit of despair is worse than despair itself."
"Can one be a saint without God? That's the problem, in fact the only problem, I'm up against today."

"What we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise."

Actually this is a good response to my point, since it is allegorical to the Nazi occupation of France.  Read it in high school and then again in freshman english, in college back in the 70's.

I have never read it.  Worth the time during this shut in?

No it's depressing, it's about small personal victories and large moral failures.  This is something I would recommend reading with a group open to discussion.

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavir...story.html

“The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil,” Navarro’s memo said. “This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.”

Dated Jan. 29, it came during a period when Trump was playing down the risks to the United States, and he would later go on to say that no one could have predicted such a devastating outcome.

Trump was mostly likely working from the flawed information he was receiving from the WHO at that time,  even though he was proactive in trying to limit travel and even banned it with China... how does the story line still go that while his opposition was focused on his impeachment,  and doing nothing themselves to prepare for this epidemic,  Trump was working on it,  even if he was at times working with bad information.

the donald does plenty of shit that is worthy of skewering him over,  this isnt one of them,  at least not to the extent that he is catching shit.   He was ahead of most media and other elected officials on this and has been since day 1.   Those trying to focus the blame for this mess on him just come across as petty and agenda driven IMO.  no offense Barr, but this is pretty limited in my eyes... of course I am still of the opinion that nobody should be blamed except those that are ignoring the warnings and still acting like morons in exposing the public and that doesnt seem to be linked to any particular political party.

[Guest]

@A1Janitor said:
The impeachment was real ... as was the acquittal.

Partisan bullshit.  Let’s see the “whistleblower” and IG transcripts.  All bullshit.  More of the same ... insurance that was started by the corrupt Obama administration before the election.  

OJ’s acquittal was real too. 

Speaking of bullshit!!!  Where's my beer?