Ebola quarantine criticized (a blast from the past)

Didn't believe me when I said full lockdowns and other extreme measures used to be absent from any pandemic protocols?

In 2014, the world was dealing with the deadly Ebola virus pandemic. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York (a Democrat) and then-Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey (a Republican) issued quarantines for people who had been in contact with infected patients.

These quarantines were pretty short, and they affected only a few people. They were nothing even close to the frenzy we've seen this year. But some blasted the Ebola quarantines as much too strict. Criticism came from the Obama administration, Dr. Anthony Fauci, socialist activists, and others. A quarantined medical worker said, "This is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated."

That was considered "extreme" only 6 years ago!

Fauci recommended only monitoring - no quarantine.

When Florida ordered only monitoring, some infectious disease experts said even that was too strict.

How did the approach to pandemics change so much in only 6 years? Why do people put up with it, when they didn't put up with anything even close to it in 2014? I don't know about Zoom, but we certainly had YouTube in 2014, so they can't say it's because we didn't have it then. Many public officials double down on their coronavirus policies even as the caseload shrinks as immunity builds. At the end of the year when there's just a handful of cases, will we all have the doors to our homes welded shut?

Americans face political identity crisis

Sometimes it's easy to forget there's a presidential election coming up in November. I can't believe it's only August now.

And I've never seen such a political identity crisis among the American public. The Democrats probably had this one sewn up, but I think they've blown it with their pandemic response - not as if the Republicans are any better. I'm on several online forums opposing lockdowns, and I can't even count the number of people who say they're lifelong Denocrats - even liberals - who are abandoning the party because of this. Some even say they're voting for Donald Trump.

I'm strongly inclined to vote Libertarian this year, but I can't say I blame anyone for abandoning the Democrats. The Democrats deserve it.

Americans' identity crisis doesn't just involve party affiliation but also ideological labels. Because of this fiasco, some who considered themselves to be on the left no longer do. In addition to equality, peace. and economic security, one of the main reasons for voting for more liberal candidates is protection of civil liberties. America's more liberal politicians would be considered on the right in many countries, but they've been marketed as progressives or at least moderates. Their pandemic policies have proven them to be anything but. No pandemic playbook supported these policies before. Their practices would have been considered outside the mainstream of both the Democratic and Republican parties 30 years ago.

Both major parties are guilty to an extent, but it's pretty bad that the rank-and-file left and right seem to agree that the nation's best governor for dealing with the pandemic is a Republican. But they also agree the best country for dealing with it is one that has one of the more progressive governments. Guess what, Democrats? The real left just isn't all that into you.

The modern Democrats have pulled off one of the biggest bait-and-switches in the history of politics - second only to the Republican noise machine we've covered for decades. People voted for progressive principles, but for months now, the politicians they voted for have been thumbing their noses at us. Who's laughing? Not us. In many cases, not even these politicians. Their personal babysitters and the media are the ones accepting payoffs from foreign dictatorships.

I've spent 30 years exposing what I call the right-wing media. I no longer think the media is right-wing or left-wing. Their motivation is money - much of it from overseas ruling parties like that of China - and they gin up fear to make a buck.

That damn sure isn't liberal.

Not a great choice, Joe

This is why...

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/11/joe-biden-vp-pick-wall-street-executives-are-happy-about-kamala-harris.html

Do people think I'm going to endorse a "centrist" candidate with Wall Street support? It is to laugh!

We already had one Wall Street party. Why did we need two?

Following the herd

The populist consensus against full lockdowns to fight coronavirus is backed by science. Scientific journals know it, but they're refusing to publish scientific findings, solely because of their implications.

Herd immunity is the idea that once an infection reaches a certain number of people, its spread is significantly limited. Vaccines rely on herd immunity. But there's some out there who think people should catch coronavirus on purpose to artificially speed up the process, as no vaccine is available yet. I'm not a fan of this approach, because it would amass its own death toll.

But what if it's already happened? We don't get a choice to reverse it once it's already occurred.

Many have said that in order for coronavirus to reach herd immunity, it would have to infect 60 to 70% of people. Folks act like this number is etched in stone, and that no new discoveries can change it. However, the number of new cases in a county, state, or country usually drops precipitously when about 15% are infected. In some high-density communities, it's higher, because it spreads faster there, but it appears lower in other places.

This is clear. Areas like New York City that were hard hit in April now have few cases. When cases in Arizona and Florida peaked, I predicted the same would happen there - and now it is. These areas are now doing much better than many places that have never had many cases. Also keep in mind that, because of the inexcusable testing gaps, the number of actual infections in the U.S. is perhaps 10 times the number of known cases.

Of course it's herd immunity, and anyone who's been paying attention knows it. We didn't choose it. It simply happened. Are we supposed to deny herd immunity is even real just because the threshold is lower than what we believed in March?

Scientists certainly know it now. But why is the herd immunity limit lower than we thought? That's because older estimates didn't account for things like T-cells from other coronaviruses providing some immunity, people having different amounts of exposure to possibly infected individuals, age differences, and whether people have underlying conditions.

Findings containing new estimates have been submitted to scientific journals. Publishers of these journals know the studies have just as much merit as anything else, but they won't publish the findings. Why? One journal was quoted as saying: "Given the implications for public health, it is appropriate to hold claims around the herd immunity threshold to a very high evidence bar, as these would be interpreted to justify relaxation of interventions, potentially placing people at risk."

In other words, they don't want people to know about the lower threshold, because it might encourage them to purposely get infected. They don't even want public officials to know, because it might coax them to lift some restrictions that are still in place. These publications know the findings are valid, but they don't trust public officials or the masses with this knowledge.

Why shouldn't some restrictions be lifted in places where herd immunity has significantly reduced cases? And how can a journal act like herd immunity can be reversed once it's already happened?

To not publish valid scientific findings is dishonest and Orwellian. It also represents a complete breakdown of trust. But why should a scientific journal try to reinforce only the beliefs that already exist? Science is supposed to be about progress and new discoveries - not working backwards from a conclusion. I don't believe some of the same scientific ideas I once did, because newer science replaced them.

Rewriting science is as bad as the media rewriting history to favor their goofy economic and military theories.

A person bubbled at Kroger

Today at Kroger, a young woman who works there bubbled.

Before anyone asks, compliance with mask orders isn't exactly stellar, and it's already been proven that bubbling is eminently possible even behind masks.

Have no fear, the August ish is here!

To the shock and awe of many, the August issue of The Last Word is now published, as this zine bips along like it's been doing for 27 years!

This edition talks about my visit to the Gum Wall in Greenville, Ohio; George Washington's pirate adventures; Care Bears drinking glasses getting broken; a student getting caught bringing Pepsi to school when his Thermos leaked; and a whole lotta ruined toilets!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/471175333/The-Last-Word-8-2020

If that doesn't work, bop over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2008.pdf

Schools must reopen like normal

As a leftist, I know we're supposed to be the ones who support education. When I first voted when I was 18, one of the reasons I supported more liberal candidates was that I wanted to be able to attend a good college.

Back in March, closing schools would have been one of my first moves to fight the pandemic. But this is not March, and remote learning is not a robust long-term solution. America's young people need to be back in school - and our schools need to look almost like they did before. From kindergarten all the way through college, the nation's students deserve the best.

Sure, there should be a few things that are different. Kids need better access to cleaning equipment like sinks, and schools might want to consider more outdoor classes - which would have benefits even in normal times. Most everything else though should be the same. Schools should be friendly and inviting.

Remote education should be offered - because many still fear this virus - but by no means should it be mandatory. The risk from this virus in our schools is statistically very, very small - much smaller than for other diseases, accidents, and crimes. The flu kills many children during every season. But the odds of children not recovering from the novel coronavirus are slim indeed. Studies from around the world prove it's relatively safe to return to school.

At the same time, keeping kids out of school for too long takes a toll on educational achievement and social development. It also places additional burdens on their families. It puts disproportionate harm on low-income households and students with disabilities.

Many pediatricians have endorsed a normal return to school, as schools help support the whole child - not just their academic endeavors. Schools help build social and interpersonal skills. Social development is lifelong, and is important in every level of schooling. School activities can help promote good physical and mental health.

Nobody here - least of all me - is demanding that kids must be corralled in filthy buildings and subject to abuse. Quite the contrary. Extreme social distancing for months on end is itself a form of abuse. Our young people need inviting, well-run, modern schools.

America's families should be demanding nothing less.

Can lieutenant governors be a quartermaster to power-hungry governors?

Events of the past 4 months have proven America's current government structure is a failure.

Most if not all states have a lieutenant governor - who serves much the same role as the Vice-President does at the federal level. This position should be remade as a check on gubernatorial abuses.

Too often lately, we've seen executive decisions made by unelected state or municipal health officials, when the decision should be made by governors or similar elected leaders who consider the input of other appointees. But even governors should have limits, as some have clearly abused their power. The broad powers they receive under a state of emergency should have a time limit. If the emergency goes on long enough, lawmakers should be able to convene to override their orders. The governor shouldn't be required to call them into session.

But there should also be a check on governors' powers even when the state of emergency is new. The great pirates did not give their captains limitless powers. Rather, they chose a quartermaster who could veto captains' orders. Government should work the same way. The lieutenant governor should be elected separately from the governor - not as their running mate. This means the governor and lieutenant governor could be of different parties, but even if they're of the same party, the point stands. The lieutenant governor should have the power to veto governors' executive orders.

The office of the Vice-President should work like this too.

Personally, I wouldn't veto every recent gubernatorial order. But in many states, some orders are crying out for it, and there's no limit. It's as if each state is a dictatorship.

Will America's overlords release the people from this dictatorship? We have to fight for it. But you can start in your own community and discover your own frontier!

Post-pandemic plans?

Hey! Who's making post-pandemic plans?!

I've long been skeptical of the media's irresponsible sensationalism, so I know better than to believe everything they say about the pandemic. I studied mass media in college, and I know the difference between journalism and whiny clickbait. I have no fear of coronavirus per se. As always, I have much more fear of the government's authoritarian response to it. So I was delighted to see footage from this week of people sunbathing on the beaches of Miami, Los Angeles, and New York!

The elitist media is truly enjoying this pandemic, so it's only fair that the beleaguered public gets to take part in things they enjoy too. (Here's how much the media enjoys people dying of coronavirus: Some nobody from Bloomberg News actually wrote a piece titled "A Lower Covid-19 Death Rate Is Nothing To Celebrate.")

My stance isn't just a liberal stance or a conservative stance. It's a human stance. I am saddened by the virus's death toll, but the tyrannical response to the pandemic was ineffective at reducing it.

There's still no exit strategy to end extreme social distancing (or the widely ignored mask orders), but it'll die off once we get a vaccine or - probably even sooner - a widely available drug. It's not too early to make plans for what you'll do when the pandemic ends. I'm making plans, and they're beautiful!

I've been thinking of an out-of-town trip, but that costs money, and the American economy isn't exactly the dynamo it was in my childhood. My business partner recommended a different plan, but the plan she suggested would really just be symbolic. I'm not saying what it is, but it's not like I haven't done anything along those lines before. I might also celebrate by making some crazy YouTube videos - even crazier than before! I'm even thinking of purchasing some little amenities that I wouldn't otherwise buy. There might even be a big party!

Right now, I'm not in the mood to do anything except sleep off this crisis. I've hardly used a square of toilet paper since March, because I've hardly eaten anything. Every morning when I wake up, my heart sinks when I realize the kind of world we live in now. Maybe I'll feel better when the crisis ends.

Have no fear, the July ish is here!

Get out your Skedoodle and your Bee Gees records! The July issue of The Last Word is now pub!

This ish talks about bureaucratic incompetence in reopening America, people who think pi is 4, bubble gum getting wasted at Surf Cincinnati, people blowing bubbles while wearing a mask, and more!

So bip your beeper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/467894608/The-Last-Word-7-2020

If that doesn't work, bop on over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2007.pdf

Casey's Law challenged as unconstitutional

Civil liberties count. I don't care what the media lately thinks.

Kentucky is one of very few places that has Casey's Law - a law that allows you to have someone involuntarily locked up in the name of drug treatment. The law is of course unconstitutional - as it shreds due process protections.

Now the law - which has been on the books since 2004 - is finally being challenged in state court. The challenge has 3 grounds: due process, equal protection, and First Amendment rights. But the law's defenders say the law offers due process by requiring - among other things - reviews by 2 doctors. Um, no, that's not how it's supposed to work.

Civil liberties. What a concept!

Study shows schoolchildren don't spread coronavirus

This is why your kids don't need to wear hazmat suits when school starts back up again (as if that media-backed idea was going to last past the end of August).

When the pandemic began hitting the U.S. hard in March, my first impulse would have been to close the schools. But school has got to come back sometime, and this story proves it needs to come back pretty much the same way it was before.

A new study out of France shows that schoolchildren do not spread the novel coronavirus to classmates or teachers. The scientists studied 510 students at 6 schools, and not only did the children show few or no symptoms, but also did not spread this virus.

Some countries have reopened schools just like before, and experienced no coronavirus outbreaks from it.

Other studies have backed up this study's findings.

Time to play outside!

When I was about 3, whenever my dog had to be let out, my mom said the dog was "playing outside." I didn't know yet that the dog was relieving himself instead of just playing.

As humans, we don't have to shit outdoors, but we really should be spending more time outside.

I regularly check the coronavirus numbers, and I've noticed something very interesting. The number of new cases in most states is cratering. But there's some notable exceptions in the South and Southwest.

Why?

I don't think there's any government statement on this, but there's some very clear evidence on what's going on. The states with the most new cases are ones with very hot weather right now where people are cooping up in air conditioned buildings. It's just like how the states with the most cases in April were the ones where people were congregating in buildings with heat.

Other people have noted this, and there's no way it's just a coincidence. I did see a study out of Japan that said coronavirus is 18.7 times as likely to spread indoors as outdoors, but there's very little government messaging built around this. In fact, many states are still suggesting that people stay at home (even though rigid orders to this effect have mostly withered).

Instead of "stay at home" orders, why not "stay outside" orders? The recent Black Lives Matter protests didn't spread coronavirus - and they were all outdoors.

Meanwhile, the number of new deaths is tumbling in every part of the country. Nationwide, the 7-day rolling average has fallen from 1,071 per day to 618 in only 20 days. Some governors have said that the new cases in their states are mostly young adults who gather at indoor bars. The fact that so few young adults die of coronavirus is borne out by the rapidly declining death numbers.

Our society needs some friendly messaging urging folks to be outside as much as possible. People need to have their fun, so why not have fun outdoors? If we're serious about stamping out coronavirus, this should be the clear message.

A person wore a 'Sesame Street' shirt

Earlier, I received an e-mail charging that on Thursday a grown woman was seen wearing a t-shirt with Big Bird and Elmo on it.

WHO findings on asymptomatic spread censored

The regimen of strict lockdowns is quickly fading in the United States, but some folks say that even when these orders were at full strength, you could still freely browse the Internet and devour all the information you dared.

Well, that's gone too.

On Monday, when the WHO reported its findings that asymptomatic spread of coronavirus was very rare, I posted a link to the CNBC article on my Facebook timeline. If it was some fringe group instead of the WHO, I wouldn't have trusted it. But it was the WHO, and the findings included the relevant science. I don't blindly trust any agency, and I trust news outlets far less. But when they provide credible proof - as the WHO did - it's as good as any other data.

I operate on facts and science. The WHO said its findings should lead to more focus on symptomatic patients. Those are facts, so I report on them. Period. Am I supposed to ignore science and make up stuff to fit a narrative? If reporting facts leads to fewer lockdowns and more lenient rules on individual behavior, that's life. The only people who would go to any length to argue against this data are people who actually want lockdowns to be ramped up.

So Facebook did exactly that.

This morning, I found that Facebook had flagged the link to this story as "partly false" - all because it didn't support lockdowns.

You read that right. Facebook is arguing with the WHO about coronavirus. And the article they flagged was from CNBC! The rest of the time, CNBC is doompanic central, so it's not like CNBC is out there trying to push loosened lockdowns. Yet Facebook actually flagged CNBC for not supporting lockdowns enough!

Who knows more about public health - the WHO, or some Facebook nerd who still lives in their parents' basement?

Of course, this is the same Facebook that won't flag the years-long litany of racist and classist posts by right-wingers.

The WHO didn't backtrack on Monday's findings. In fact, yesterday it reinforced them - as much as some in the elitist media wish it hadn't.

With Facebook flagging WHO reports, not only do we have months-long house arrests of whole states and countries, but censorship now too. So not only has the right to peaceably assemble been violated, but also the right to free speech.

This virus didn't disappear following months of lockdowns - despite what was promised. It won't just disappear today. There could be a vaccine just a few months from now - but there's no guarantee we'll ever have one. Viruses are out there. I've known this for a long time, and I've had to live with it. Are we supposed to stay locked at home forever if a vaccine never comes?

Our elected officials need to rein in Facebook's censorship.

WHO calls asymptomatic coronavirus spread rare

We just spent the past several months walking on eggshells for nothing.

The World Health Organization has just announced that asymptomatic carriers of coronavirus are not behind the feared virus's spread. Some suspected this was so, but perhaps the biggest reason so many were afraid of this virus was asymptomatic transmission. But now the WHO says the amount of asymptomatic spread is very rare if not negligible, and that governments should focus on symptomatic cases instead.

Lockdowns and other limits on personal behavior have been ostensibly predicated on asymptomatic transmission. In April, the CDC issued a report that used it to try to justify social distancing measures that have now worn thin. But now we know asymptomatic spread was nothing to worry about.

This is likely the most positive development in this crisis so far.

The WHO came to the latest conclusion by looking at reports from many countries that have conducted contact tracing and have not found asymptomatic transmission.

The entire ordeal of lockdowns and other authoritarian measures has been guided by ideas that have now been debunked. By worrying about a phenomenon now known to be rare, we destroyed not just the economy but also our social institutions.

Will this change our overlords' behavior? They're stubborn - and we know there's some who want lockdowns to continue forever - but now it's harder to see what the excuse is to keep it up. They've planned for months in advance as if the pandemic is still where it was in March. A year from now, it will still be March 2020 to them. But I have every right to expect policies to be based on the new information - not on what we believed 3 months ago.

Meanwhile, the number of new cases in the U.S. is plummeting. The George Floyd protests have not increased the number of cases - even though many participants show up unmasked. (I went to one of these protests at Inwood Park, and not everyone wore masks.)

Have no fear, the June ish is here!

The June edition of The Last Word is pub like the amazing superpower it is! Aren't you glad?

This ish talks about paper towels clogging a gym toilet, chewing bubble gum at protests, backstabbing by fake liberal websites, flat Earth conspiracy theories, blowing bubbles with a bandana over your face, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/464529932/The-Last-Word-6-2020

If that doesn't work, poo on over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2006.pdf

Scam political sites must be prosecuted for fraud

Whether you're liberal, moderate, or conservative, most of you have probably been deceived by political websites that falsely claimed to represent your ideas.

Those on the left have been ripped off by unprincipled Red-baiters and authoritarians who had masqueraded as civil liberties champions. Those on the right have been robbed by sites that falsely claim to stand for limited government. Folks on the right and the left were generous donors to these sites, only to be stabbed in the back.

The states need to prosecute these deceitful sites for fraud. The sites profited off donors and didn't deliver. In fact, they did the opposite of what supporters paid for. That is the very definition of fraud.

I wasn't a big donor, but I was once a fan of some so-called liberal sites involved in this scam. I notice that certain individuals are involved in multiple sites. They know who they are. And I've caught them in some of their lies as they try to profit off panic.

Prediction: A few months from now - maybe even by August - sites that scam both the right and the left will be pretending they never got this bad. In some ways, they've already started positioning themselves as voices against authoritarianism. We know it's a lie. But since they truly can't sink any lower than where they are now, it'll sound like a big improvement.

Steve King loses primary

Even Republican primary voters have seen enough of the foolishness.

Over in Iowa, white supremacist Rep. Steve King is seeing his 9-term congressional career come to a stunning end. Yesterday, he lost the Republican primary for another term.

People are fed up.

A person bunkerooed at a roadmeet

Today was the long-awaited Cincinnati roadmeet that I hosted!

A half-dozen people showed, coming from as far away as Missouri, Tennessee, and Illinois. As Roads Scholars, we drove about the roads of Cincinnati like the unassailable superpeople we are.

Someone said the meet would have drawn even more people, except that recent circumstances may have discouraged them.

Best all, as we gathered in a restaurant parking lot as we prepared to leave, I briefly detected the unmistakable bouquet of a silent-but-deadly bunker blast.

Why I stopped trusting so-called liberal websites

I think that by now, it's clear that I'm alt-left or pirate socialist - no longer actually liberal. In the past few months - through the early presidential primaries and the coronavirus crisis - I've lost almost every shred of trust I had in so-called liberal websites and in the Democratic Party.

The websites profit off panic and fear. There's never any good news to keep morale up. It's all negativity, all the time.

I don't have the sunniest personality, but there's only so much gloom you can take.

For over 2 months, these sites have backed authoritarian methods to fight the pandemic. To this day, even after most states and countries have lifted these practices, these sites support continuing them. They bash Democrats and Republicans alike who seem to support ending these policies.

These sites have used outright lies to back up their stances. All to exploit their readership for profit.

These sites have also become increasingly classist and conspiracist.

Since these are historically liberal sites, they do of course get some pushback in the comment section. But dissenters often find themselves hounded off.

The people in charge of these websites are backstabbers. People supported these sites for years - only to have these sites betray everything they stand for.

As folks on the left and the right have found enough common ground on sites like the "LockdownSkepticism" forum on Reddit that they've begun to respect each other, I've lost respect for ostensibly liberal sites that profit off panic and prolong the crisis.

They've gone clear off a cliff, and I refuse to go off the cliff with them.

Having a (bunker) blast at Sharon Woods!

Earlier, I was informed of something uproarious that occurred on the loop trail around the lake at Sharon Woods. A man walking around the lake released a loud-and-proud bunker blast that could be heard from 100 feet away.

Maybe he was practicing for a roadmeet!

Alaska to drop all coronavirus rules

Regulatory powers shouldn't be all or nothing in the fight against coronavirus. But responses that were too authoritarian should have been rejected out of hand for being doomed to fail.

Now Alaska is set to become the first U.S. state to lift all coronavirus restrictions. Certainly, local governments will be allowed to have regulations to strike a middle ground without imposing a police state. But statewide rules will be just a memory. Alaska was also one of few places in America able to block out-of-state visitors, because it does not border any other part of the U.S. Even that restriction is probably being lifted on June 2.

It's also interesting that states that repealed lockdowns the earliest - Montana is another example - now have some of the fewest cases of this virus per capita.

Nationwide, the prevalence of this virus is estimated to be less than one-fourth of what it was at its peak, based on the case count weighted with the number of tests given. But some act as if it's only getting worse, and blogs make money by whipping up this fear. If Alaska can drop all its rules, certainly the other states can drop enough of their rules that they can honestly claim to not be a command state. But don't hold your breath. Some folks don't want anything reopened until the case count is precisely zero - which may be futile even with the long-awaited vaccines or similar preventative antibody treatments coming, as even polio still has a handful of cases each year.

Panic has accomplished nothing. Only science will win - as new treatments or even vaccines will be rolled out soon.

Left and right united against lockdowns

At long last, the right and the left have found an issue they can agree on!

That issue is coronavirus-inspired lockdowns and other authoritarian responses to the pandemic. By and large, we agree with each other that the lockdowns are a failure. I never for once doubted this policy was doomed to fail, or that it was an unwarranted infringement on civil liberties - at least in regard to shutting down small private gatherings and severely limiting movement. Now there's a Reddit board against lockdowns, where the left and right stand together.

After all, does anyone really gain from these lockdowns? There's plenty of evidence proving how ineffective and harmful they are.

This anti-lockdown coalition primarily represents the rank-and-file of the right and left. It doesn't represent anti-freedom racists who have tried to exploit this issue to recruit followers, and it doesn't represent the so-called liberal blogosphere that has profited from the crisis using fear and panic. The real battle now is against elites who refuse to sacrifice but want to control or exploit everyone else.

The rank-and-file right is actually showing respect for our side, so our side gives them respect in return. Common ground is much more productive than the screeching doom and demagoguery practiced by the blogosphere that profits off the crisis. Frenzied warnings of inescapable doom now permeate self-described liberal and conservative websites alike. Reddit commenters on the left have called it an unprecedented betrayal of what the left purports to believe, and their wallets are now closed forever to websites they once supported. Those on the right have stopped supporting their former heroes as well.

What is even still right-wing about some on the right? What is liberal about those so-called liberal blogs? Today, none of us are liberal or conservative, but leftist. The botched response to the pandemic broke the country. Why wouldn't it create a political revolution too?

Ohio primary rigged and nobody does a damn thing about it

They're not even trying anymore.

Over 300 residents of Butler County, Ohio, won't have their votes counted in the recent primary election because the Postal Service delivered their ballots late. The ballots were postmarked on or before April 27 as required - but the board of elections didn't receive them until Monday, which was 3 days past the May 8 deadline to be delivered.

Why did it take 2 weeks for the Postal Service to deliver them?

I firmly support making voting easier, especially in these tough times. But when Oregon became the first state to allow voting by mail, I foresaw this very problem. By then, many government agencies had been beset by right-wing corruption. The Postal Service was certainly no exception. I started to see the Postal Service's leadership as just some political operative who holed themselves up in their room and made a pretend post office by cutting up paper grocery bags, writing fake addresses on them, and pasting them all over the bedpost.

What exactly is being done about these lost votes? So far it's just been breezily dismissed as part of life. We suffer immensely under a media and political culture that rejects science and facts like it's going out of style. Quite frankly, I think a significant number of public officials lately have no fucking idea what they're doing.

Have no fear, the May ish is here!

The May ish of The Last Word is late because of my cardiac episode and other reasons, but now it's here, so don't spill your beer!

This issue talks about people stealing from Circle K, using bubble gum to fight coronavirus, the ruinment of aircraft carrier toilets, USA Today's stupidity, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/460487980/The-Last-Word-5-2020

If that doesn't work, point it here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2005.pdf

Ludlow won't enforce social distancing in parks

As the U.S. is seeing far fewer new conservavirus cases, even mild social distancing measures are starting to wear on some.

The local city of Ludlow is reopening its parks, along with most park features such as basketball courts. And Ludlow police have put out a message on Twitter saying not to call the cops if people aren't following social distancing protocols. The post reads...

"Do not contact us because groups are congregating in the Parks.

"Ludlow Police WILL NOT be enforcing people's decisions to not social distance."

Yeah, it's over. Probably.

If this was April 8 - not May 8 - it might make sense to more rigidly police these rules. But I don't think it does any good now. How many weeks has it been since Kentucky has enforced these rules? There's "protests" at the Capitol all the time now. Ludlow's decision seems to run afoul of state rules, but it seems like the state rules just aren't being enforced anywhere anymore.

At this point, I think Sweden may have had the best approach all along.

Alabama! Pennsylvania! Game day bucket go boom!

Lockdowns are over - but only if you want it.

I think now we know how people - at least in America - react after being locked down for 7 weeks. They just stop caring about the lockdowns. After all, our public officials completely wasted most of these 7 weeks.

Today, walking around the neighborhood, I saw cars with Alabama and Pennsylvania license plates parked on the street. And this is in a neighborhood that doesn't get tourists even in normal times. So yes, people are going on roadtrips. I saw a news photo of Central Park from just a couple days ago, and photos of California beaches from the previous weekend, and it's obvious nobody cares about stay-at-home diktats anymore. Lockdowns wear on you. They're not just ineffective, but unsustainable.

I knew lockdowns would fail. I know that doesn't give anyone a license to do anything too stupid, but there's limits on what people can tolerate.

Conservavirus in the U.S. isn't spreading nearly as much as it was a month ago - because pandemics die. Viruses like this just don't stay prevalent for very long. They can't, and they won't. But I am convinced lockdowns delayed its decline. I've done my homework on this, and the experts were wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

Be safe - but live a little.

Another electric rate increase rubber-stamped

Because this is a day ending in y, Duke Energy's latest rate increase request was of course rubber-stamped. So our already exorbitant electric rates are going up by another 10%.

I don't remember voting for this, do you?

Tuesday's cardiac incident

I knew it would come to this, but nobody listened. I'm just lucky I'm still around to tell about it.

On Tuesday morning, I suffered a cardiac incident and a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) and had to go to the hospital. They said I was very close to either a heart attack or a stroke. I think it may have actually been a mild heart attack.

I have been very weak since then and have mostly just laid down in bed for days.

This had been building up for 6 weeks because of the ongoing crisis. It's been 6 weeks of sheer terror. My heart has been racing all the while. The hospital said I had a heart rate of 133.

In my Facebook post about this, I only made a brief mention of what caused this health scare, yet still someone was petulant enough to drop me from their friends list. Some people are not true friends. They're just lying, idiotic bullies.

When the pandemic is allowed to end, there should be a tickertape parade for the healthcare workers who put their lives in danger to save others' lives.