The Felice Brothers

How on Earth did it take until the Year of Our Lord 2020 for the Felice Brothers to be brought to my attention?

This is my new favorite band!

So this is how it ends.

Years from now, when history teachers are telling their students about the decline and fall of the USA, their students aren't going to believe it.

They're going to have to tell them "You see, the US, like most countries, had a certain segment of the population that were stupid assholes. Now most countries just figure out a way to work around the stupid assholes, but in America they had a really screwed up system that allowed a few smart assholes to end up with all the money. And these smart assholes bought radio stations and TV networks and started think tanks and foundations all to convince the stupid assholes that they were actually the smart people ans that they were the most important and that the actual smart people were all out to get them because they were just evil or whatever, and then they convinced the rest of the country to pretend to take the stupid assholes seriously and to accomodate them in their delusions and basically let the stupidest assholes in the country be in control of every aspect of their society.

And they gave all the stupid assholes guns. Not like hunting rifles or six-shooters, like military-grade assault weaponry. And told them they should be allowed to take those weapons with them wherever they went.

Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs

— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020

 And that any time anything didn't go exactly the way they wanted it to, all they had to do was show up with those guns, and the rules would be changed to accommodate them."

A City Walked Back Its Face Mask Rule After Store And Restaurant Employees Received Threats

"We now have to weigh the safety of store owners and employees to threats of violence," said the city manager of Stillwater, Oklahoma.

"But wait," the students will say. "Wasn't the facemask rule there to protect people from a deadly disease?"

"Well, yes," the teachers will say. "But the stupid assholes were convinced that having to wear a mask to go shopping was an intolerable infringement on some undefined 'rights' that were more important than people dying from a virus."





"which was not a huge leap for these assholes, since they had already declared that their right to bring a machine gun into Chipotle superseded the right of children to not be murdered in large numbers."

Joe the Plumber: ‘Your dead kids don’t trump my constitutional rights’

05/27/14 02:09 PM—UPDATED 05/28/14 07:56 AM

"anyway, it wasn't long before not taking common sense precautions during a deadly pandemic not only became a way for stupid assholes to demonstrate their courage strength and grit or whatever, it became something that they felt they needed to force on to other people."

Reopened restaurant tells workers: Don't wear face masks — or don't work

CBSNews

CBS NewsMay 6, 2020, 3:49 PM EDT

And at this point, the political party that controlled most of the country had just gotten fully on board with the idea that human lives were worth sacrificing in order to keep the money flowing.

Texas lt. governor on reopening state: 'There are more important things than living'

BY JUSTINE COLEMAN - 04/21/20 12:04 PM EDT

Chris Christie Says People ‘Are Going To Have To’ Accept More Deaths To Reopen Economy

Josephine Harvey

HuffPostMay 5, 2020

"Wait. So all this needless illness and death and misery was just so the stupidest assholes could project some kind of tough-guy image? Like they knew they were going to get people killed, maybe even themselves, but that was an acceptable price to pay to be able to look like big strong heroes?"

"Oh yeah. Toxic masculinity was huuuuge in the stupid asshole community. Just take a look at these sample tweets to get an idea of what patheitc, insecure, frightened little babies these men were."

WHY CAN'T A MAN LEAN IN?

When a man leans into his girl, he reveals that he feels needy & lower value. He reveals that he has a weak mindset, and that he feels dependent on her

This is exactly what turns her off. She is looking for strength and confidence in a man, not weakness pic.twitter.com/8puZlfWnkc

— Rivelino (@alpharivelino) May 4, 2020

"Yes, this was serious. There was an entire subculture dedicated to shaming men who didn't act appropriately brutish and shaming women for, well, for existing. So all it took was for their president, a man elevated to this position for being not only the stupidest, but the biggest asshole they could find, to dispairage the idea of wearing protective gear for the common sense precautions to become completely taboo for these wanna-be tough guys."

"So they all took their cues from this president? I assume he must have been the epitome of masculine strength ans fortitude. What was he, a former Green Beret? Am intrepid explorer? Champion prizefighter?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? Actually, he was a pampered millionaire draft-dodger with a string of bankruptcies and failed marriages who spent most of his time complaining about how someone had been 'unfair' to him. Oh, and he looked like this:"

"And so this is why the US collapsed?"

"well, honestly it wouldn't have mattered, because the stupid assholes had already ensured that nothing would ever be done about global warming, which is why we now have to do everything underwater,

Bad Ads -- Domino's Pizza

This is some condescending bullshit.

Look, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying"because of the Corona Virus Crisis, we're doing a lot more deliveries so we need to hire some drivers. I f you're looking for a job, we're hiring."  That's perfectly fine. No one would bew offended by that. There's no need to sugarcoat that. But don't sit there and look me in the eye with a straight face and pretend that you're performing some kind of a public service. "we're committed to helping YOU put food on YOUR table." No you're not. No you're fucking not. Don't pretend you give a shit about us. Do not - do NOT - dare to act like you're doing people some kind of a favor by hiring them to deliver your "pizza." Like we don't know that having pizzas delivered is the lifeblood of your business? Like we don't know that this is your business model 12 months a year?
You're actually going to sit there and pretend that you're not in the "pizza" business to make money - oh, no, perish the thought! We're just civic-minded people who are committed to putting food on people's tables during this time of crisis! We only want to help!
Jesus Christ, how stupid do you think we are?
Just say you're hiring drivers because you need drivers. We're all fine with that. No one is going to get their nose out of joint because you're making a rational business decision. Because for once, the rational business decision isn't hurting anyone. It might actually even help some folks. But we know damn well that folks getting helped is just a byproduct of your hiring needs. We know why you're hiring drivers and we're fine with that. You don't need to lie to our faces.

P.S. your pizza sucks.

Trump Coins

So apparently, the White House Gift Shop is now selling Covid-19 commemorative coins.

I am not.
This is a real thing on their website.

And here is the super-professional totally coherent header:

COVID-19 , WORLD VS THE UNSEEN ENEMY, EVERYDAY HEROES, PRESIDENT DONALD J, TRUMP, VICE PRESIDENT MICHAEL R. PENCE, SECRETARY S. MNUUCHIN, DRS. JEROME ADAMS DEBORAH BIRX ANTHONY FAUCI PRE-ORDER, HISTORIC MOMENTS IN HISTORY SERIES, ALL PROFITS DONATED!

All profits donated!

Donated to whom?

Shut up, that's to whom!

The Eric and Don Jr Future Legal Fees Fund is so a legitimate charity!


Here's the design:

123

I gotta say, the empty podium is a bit on-the-nose!


But apparently, the Covid-19 pandemic is something that has already been relegated to the pages of history as something upon which we can look back and proudly remember the heroes aho defeated the "invisible enemy." Namely Trump, Pence, Mnuchin. . . wait, what? Oh, right, of course, those were the guys on the front lines of this battle! They were the brave gallant men storming the metaphorical beaches of the Proverbial Normandy of public health.

123

Yes, together WE fought the unseen enemy by first denying the problem, then pretending that the problem had been solved, then blaming China, then drinking Clorox. Douglas MacArthur himself couldn't have devised a more effective strategy!

I don't know how long the White House Gift Shop has been in the commemorative coin business, they seem to only have two Presidential coins, one for Obama and one for Trump. Well, more than one for Trump. Besides the sort of official "Yes, this guy was President" medallion, there are a few others. Like this one:

Now sure, it may at first glance appear to be gaudy and chintzy and tacky as all fuck, but think how inspiring it could be when you read the official White House Gift Shop description:

#7 COIN, BE BOLD, FACE FEAR, THINK BIG, DONALD TRUMP, LIMITED EDITION - 1000 COINS, NUMBERED, CERTIFICATE, VELVET CASE, HISTORIC MOMENTS IN GLOBAL HISTORY COLLECTION, SYMBOLIZES THE GENIUS LEVEL THINKING & PROVEN SUCCESSES OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Yeah, that's right. Genius!





Oh, and that's just the front of the coin.
Check out the flip side:




Yeah, that's right. An "historic win!" I mean, it's true. No other candidate has ever won the presidency with a 3 million vote deficit.
And you know what else? Generation of Peace, that's what! I bet you feel pretty foolish now! Now that you know there will be Peace in the Valley for the next few decades, all thanks to something that Trump did or said or. . . something. No more war! Hurrah!


And to be honest, he's being modest. This was the original description that was posted on the site before the coin was available:








That's right: Genius makes its own rules! Previous Presidents may have felt constrained by the Constitution or the various laws of our nation, even our system of checks and balances. That's why none of them were geniuses!

And that's not the only coin commemorating the "Historic Moments in Global History" of the Trump administration. There's this little memento:








Because I guess we're still pretending that looking at a list from the Heritage Foundation and pointing at a name and saying "Uh, him I guess" is some sort of an historic accomplishment.


And if you think that's impressive, you should see the "Not the Vietnam" coin.

#3 COIN IN HISTORIC MOMENTS COLLECTION, NOT THE VIETNAM COIN, AS SEEN IN NEWS WORLDWIDE, THE GATHERING OF LEADERS

Okay, I'm sure that's supposed to be "LED by a fearless American President." Or who knows, maybe it's referring to the heavy metal which Trump no doubt consumed in copious quantities as a child?
Who knows? But either way, this is a celebration of the day that President Trump legitimized a murderous Communist dictator on the world stage, which is more than you've ever done.probably.

"Generational Peace." Ah, finally. After all this time it is so wonderful to be at peace with a country that we were not at war with and which posed no threat to us at all. I know I sleep better at night knowing that Trump's enemy/best friend/enemy again/probably friend has agreed to terms of peace.


And of course, no Trump genius coin collection would be complete without this mintage:








Celebrating the creation of the newest branch of the military which is totally a real thing that is going to totally exist and isn't just a colossal racket to funnel more money into well-placed aerospace company coffers!






You can tell its serious because there's a Star Trek logo in the center!

Why we can't have nice things

(I started this one around the end of March then forgot about it. Some of this may be a bit dated)

Medicare for All Scares Me More Than Coronavirus

COMMENTARY

.

Really? A virus that is probably going to kill hundreds of thousands of people just here in the US doesn't scare you as much as the idea of everybody being able to go to the doctor and get medicine? Really? Like the thought of the US turning into I Am Legend is less frightening to you than the possibility of becoming Canada? Seriously?

The world today is dealing with an unknown -- a virus currently without a treatment or vaccine, and, like most Americans, I’m praying one will be found. But what scares me most in this moment of crisis isn’t the coronavirus; it’s the push for “Medicare for All” as a solution that can harm millions, including my children.

Oh my God, yes. It's a system so potentially harmful to so many that it has only ever been tried in Canada.
And Norway.
And Sweden.
And the Netherlands.
And the UK.
And Taiwan.
And, well, you get the picture. Anyway, yes, a change in the way that Americans pay for medical services is obviously way more frightening than the possibility of The Stand coming true!

 The Democratic debate between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this month illustrates the current campaign to capitalize on the COVID-19 crisis to establish government-run health care.

Well, you say that, but. . .
I mean, of the two Democratic candidates, only one is pushing for single-payer healthcare. Biden has (in)famously said that, were Medicare for All come across his desk while he was president, he would veto it. And Bernie Sanders has been advocating for single-payer since time immemorial, he is hardly "capitalizing on the COVID-19 crisis."

Naturally, Sanders weighed in with his favorite talking point: "First of all, the dysfunctionality of the current health care system is obviously apparent,” arguing that we spend too much for what we get.

And does anyone dispute that? Does anyone dispute the fact that we spend more per capita on healthcare than any other country and get worse results?

U.S. infant mortality rate worse than other countries

So, you know, you can sit there and say "oh, there goes Bernie again, saying his favorite old talking point," but whatever you think of Senator Sanders he is 100% God damn right about this. We spend more and get worse results than any other wealthy country. The numbers don't lie.

But saying there will be better coverage doesn’t make it so,

True. But what does make it so is the numerous examples we have all over the world of single-payer systems that provide coverage to everyone at a lower cost than our ridiculous employer-based for-profit system. Have you ever been to any other country? Have you even gone next door to Canada? When it's safe to travel again, go take a little sightseeing trip to Quebec. Maybe go see the Eifel Tower or La Sagrada Familia. Talk to people in countries that have single-payer systems. See if any of them -ANY of them - would prefer to be left to the tender mercies of Aetna.

I know I've told this story before, but several years ago we went to Montreal to visit my wife's Quebecois relatives. They had some complaints about their healthcare system ( I don't remember what). But when I asked them if they would prefer the American "system," they all laughed in my face. (politely). No one who has a single-payer healthcare system wants to change over to a private for-profit insurer. You'd have to be a lunatic.

Right now, patients in China, Iran, Italy, South Korea and the United Kingdom are dealing with rationed care, some being turned away. The “wonders” of government-run health care aren’t being offered to everyone.

Wow. Just imagine living in a country where they don't have enough tests, enough ventilators, enough intensive care unit beds for all their Covid-19 patients! I wonder what that would be like. . .

Thank God we have our private for-profit healthcare "system" to protect us from outcomes like that!

 “Free” and “available” are not the same things, and it’s not truly free, as taxpayers will get the bill,

Oh my God, we know that! We know! I don't know why you people always think that's some great gotcha line. We understand that single-payer isn't free. It is paid for with tax dollars. Same as the highways, the police department, public schools, Yellowstone. . . We understand that things cost money. It's just that single-payer is an exponentially more efficient way of paying for healthcare and ensuring that everyone is covered.

Also, "not free" and "available" are not the same thing. I pay way too much to Aetna every month for my health care plan. And if I got Coronavirus, I would pay more in deductibles and co-pays to be hospitalized. But there is no guarantee that a ventilator would be available to keep me alive. Or that the necessary medications would be available.

MIT team races to fill Covid-19-related ventilator shortage

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office
April 20, 2020

FDA takes another step to ease shortages of drugs for Covid-19 patients on ventilators

By ED SILVERMAN @Pharmalot

APRIL 20, 2020

If the product isn't available, it doesn't matter whether you have private insurance, Medicare or the British NHS. No system is going to conjure up medical equipment that doesn't exist.

But with government-run health care, nations do decide who they won’t bother saving. 

Oh, yeah. Nuch better to leave those kinds of decisions up to corporate bean-counters who are paid to figure out ways to deny claims!

In talking about this crisis with the Washington Post, medical experts said that rationed care was likely here in a piece titled “Spiking U.S. coronavirus cases could force rationing decisions similar to those made in Italy, China.” 

Well, it's a good thing that we didn't switch over to a single-payer system, then because. . . whait, seriously?

You're raising a hue and cry about the possibility that a single-payer system would lead to healthcare rationing, then you say"oh, by the way we're going to have rationing now with our precious private insurance system?" Do you ever go back and read wht you've typed?

“We have very effective means of making that a comfortable, peaceful death,” said Philip M. Rosoff, professor emeritus of at Duke University School of Medicine and chair of its hospital ethics committee from 2005 to 2019.
Well, isn’t that special. And it’s happening now. 

Oh my God.
As Josephine says in HMS Pinafore: "He little thinks how successfully he has pleaded his rival's cause!"

You are arguing against yourself!
You are stating the case that here in the USA, where we do not have a single-payer healthcare system, healthcare is currently being rationed and doctors are easing patients into death and you think that this is an argument for KEEPING the current system? Because if we were to change to a Canadian-style system, it could lead to the rationing of healthcare and doctors allowing patients to die? It boggles the mind! How do you see any tiny sliver of logic in this?

Under government-run health care, all of us may find ourselves at the mercy of an Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) up-or-down vote on whether we should be allowed to live or die. This calculation is already in use by economists who make a financial calculation of whether someone’s life is worth saving. 

Ooh, that sounds awful! I would hate to be at the mercy of . . . wait, ALREADY IN USE? Jesus Christ, this is the most illogical irrational argument I have ever read. This would get a failing grade as a freshman term paper.

In a moment like this, with a virus that causes respiratory distress, my two children who have cystic fibrosis may be determined too costly to save. 

Okay, that would be horrific. Just absolutely appalling and tragic. I can see why you'd never want to switch to a system that would allow such a thing to happen. Oh wait, you weren't done with that paragraph? Oh, please continue!

 Before the virus hit, a recent ICER report determined that the cost of life-extending medication for CF sufferers wasn’t worth it, even if it was a full cure.

I don't. . . I don't know what to even say here. Everything that you want to warn us about you then turn around and say it's already happening. I don't even get what point you think you're making.

That’s why Medicare for All is so scary. The known practices of withholding care in government-run plans has the potential to put all Americans at risk, no matter the illness.

see, this always gets me. Conservative idots are always going on and on about how the government spends too much, spends money they don't have, runs up deficits, etc. But then they think that if there's a government-run healthcare plan, suddenly the government is going to turn into penurious penny-pinchers saying "Gee, we'd like to let you have this surgery, but the money just isn't in the budget. Can't spend money we don't have, you know!"

Also, do you have any examples of this "known practice" of withholding care?

Just this week, the National Council on Disability asked  the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to take proactive steps so that care will not be denied to those with chronic illnesses and disabilities. 

Okayyyy. . . that's rather like me asking you not to murder me and then pointing to that request as evidence of your :known practice" of being a murderer.

In recent days, I’ve been heartened to see so many Americans make sacrifices to ensure those who are most at risk with coronavirus stay safe. My prayer is that more continue to use social distancing precautions and take all safety measures necessary. And we all hope that the testing proceeding now will be successful.
Shouldn’t this mindset continue after the corona pandemic ends? If Medicare for All is allowed to proceed, treatments won’t be for all, but only the few that the government determines have potential value, as they see it. 

You mean like how the government decided that Cystic Fibrosis patients aren't worth saving? Oh wait. . . that wasn't the government! That was you friendly neighborhood private for-profit insurance company's soulless bureaucrats! my mistake!
But. yeah. We certainly wouldn't want medical care to be restricted to those deemed worthy of saving. Far better that it be restricted to those who can afford it.

This kind of idiotic thinking - this is why we can't have nice things.