Democrat says I should "get sober" because I oppose Patriot Act

Behold, it's the new Democratic Party of the Roaring 2020s!

In the "Greater Cincinnati Politics" group on Facepoo, I opined that more elected officials should get behind the effort to repeal the Patriot Act. But one feller replied...

"Please get sober and see a therapist."

Oh, and that guy's a Democrat. Gee, what a shock!

Are the Democrats happy that they're now known as the party of the Idiot Act and technocratic authoritarianism?

U.S. won't approve vaccine until April

Today, the U.K. approved the low-cost but promising Oxford vaccine to fight the novel coronavirus. This will give the U.K. enough vaccines to cover the country's entire population.

But what about the good ol' U.S. and A.? Welp, the U.S. has announced that it's not approving it until April. No particular reason. Just because.

Uh, it's the same stuff! If the vaccine works in Britain, why wouldn't it work in America? Tens of millions of doses have already been prepared for the U.S., and we can't use them for another 4 months? And this is a vaccine that the media falsely claimed would be ready this past September. (They made this claim in order to keep people quiet about restrictions lasting too long.)

I don't care to hear another word about how we're "killing Grandma" because we won't stay locked at home 100% of the time with 3 masks on, when the government won't even approve a life-saving vaccine. If anyone is spreading this virus, it's the government for not approving a vaccine that almost every other country is already rolling out.

This is simply inexcusable.

Freedom to fascism in 40 years

Balancing the values of humanity is the glue that holds every successful civilization together. A free people can't live in a society that doesn't balance liberty with equality and order. Without law, there'd be chaos.

But I've long ago run out of patience with those who say freedom doesn't matter and support placing unreasonable limits on personal behavior. We have become a fascist society. That's the most accurate word for it. And we're still fighting against the Patriot Act, of all things!

A small bipartisan group of congresscritters is trying to repeal the totalitarian Patriot Act. In past years, it was mostly Republicans that blocked repeal, but now it's primarily the Democrats. Democrats are accusing Patriot Act opponents of placing the rights of terrorists ahead of their victims, and claiming that the Patriot Act would have prevented 9/11. These claims are baseless.

This is the party I was a member of in college, and again in the late 2010s. Now it's complete and utter crap. Democrats have taken up a hobby that used to be predominantly Republican: openly ridiculing those who properly cite freedom as a defense for their own stances. Back in 2013, Jim Hightower called the Patriot Act a "grotesque, ever-mutating, hydra-headed monstrosity from the Bush-Cheney Little Shop of Horrors" and noted that both major parties were guilty of executing it. But the Democrats have gotten worse at a faster rate since then. Now it's almost automatic for Democrats to attack the motives and character of those who reasonably object to excessive government intrusion.

Democrats today are squealing schoolyard bullies who are even worse than the Republicans have been at their worst. Then again, many Democrats today say they were Republicans until Trump, but - as I said a few weeks ago - that means they were still Republicans under Bush.

This is one of the reasons America has gone from freedom to fascism in 40 years.

With the Patriot Act's repeal being blocked by those who openly scoff at the very notion of freedom, I guess there's not much hope to repeal a similar authoritarian measure from that era: the Real ID Act.

Have no fear, the January ish is here!

Guess what, peoplefaces? The January issue of The Last Word is now pub, and you're gonna read it until your navel flies off in public!

This ish talks about kids breaking brand new toys, whether the Constitution protects the right to watch Peanuts specials, comic books getting ruined by an overflowing bathtub, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/489065817/The-Last-Word-1-2021

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2101.pdf

Trumpers turn against GOP

In recent days, Donald Trump supporters have been holding rallies in Washington, D.C., and one of the biggest targets they've opposed is...the Republican Party. They've been chanting, "Destroy the GOP!" They've even booed Republican Senate candidates.

I don't want to give these protesters any credit, but as bad as the Republican Party of Donald Trump is, the Republican Party of George W. Bush and Mike DeWine is even worse. Hell, the Democratic Party today is worse, because it seems like every time you encounter a Joe Biden follower online, they always say they were a lifelong Republican until Trump. That means they were Republicans under the warmonger Bush. Democrats today were essentially Rockefeller Republicans not long ago - except I don't think Nelson Rockefeller spent most of each day starting stupid arguments on Facebook.

And before anyone says that at least Bush wasn't racist, well, guess what? He was. Remember when a KKK chapter endorsed him?

Board of Elections member attacks people on Facebook

Look what a member of the Hamilton County Board of Elections is up to!

He has been spewing venom on Facebook of late, and now he's attacking me personally.

How can we trust the Board of Elections when a member spends all his time on Facepoo attacking folks? He can defend the miserable Mike DeWine all he wants, but personal attacks don't do much for the board's credibility. Incidentally, the man in this story is a Democrat - which in Ohio means he's actually a Republican. It was the Democrats who voted against a bill to stop DeWine from abusing his power. Hell, the Ohio Democrats have been led by David Pepper, of all people!

Democrats in recent months have acted like Nazis. They've squealed with laughter at others' misfortunes. They've defended politicians who abuse their post. They're selfish bullies who embody everything the Republicans have represented for 30 years.

They haven't just burned bridges. They've filled the creek with radioactive waste.

TLDR: A grown man who serves on the Hamilton County Board of Elections calls people "stupid" because they don't worship DeWine.

Have no fear, the December ish is here!

It's another December to dismember at The Last Word!

The December issue is now pub, and it discusses more lost drones, assorted misbehavior in schools and public places, a Cabbage Patch Kids wallet being thrown away by a teacher, an idea for a humorous Thanksgiving-themed bubble gum commercial, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/485822707/The-Last-Word-12-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2012.pdf

A person bunkerooed on the day after Thanksgiving

I had 2 Thanksgiving family gatherings this year - one on Thanksgiving Day and the other yesterday.

At yesterday's get-together - which drew 12 people - an LAP bunker blast was detected. Laughs were heard.

Tea Party group sued over voter fraud claims

Every corner of the political spectrum has its grifters. We've learned the hard way that there's "progressive" scammers like MoveOn.

Folks on the right have been conned as well. True the Vote is a Tea Party group that purports to fight voter fraud. But this organization actually promotes voter suppression. Given the atrocious quality of the major parties lately, my heart isn't in the cause of electoral politics like it used to be, but True the Vote has been alleging for years that opponents have committed voter fraud and has been advancing strict voter ID laws.

Now a True the Vote donor in North Carolina is suing the group for $2.5 million for not following through on its claims. After the recent election, True the Vote filed 4 lawsuits alleging voter fraud. But now it's already dropped all of them. The donor felt scammed because True the Vote couldn't prove its claims and wasn't keeping him updated on its efforts.

One of the leading lights of Occupy Cincinnati once told me that, although the people running the Tea Party supported the legally indefensible Citizens United ruling, people who were in the Tea Party didn't. The disconnect between the Tea Party's leaders and its followers may apply to this story to some extent. We see a disconnect like this on the left too. Despite all the "progressive" blogs that suspiciously began supporting COVID-19 lockdowns in unison in March, notice that you don't know any rank-and-file followers who are complaining because people didn't stay home on Thanksgiving.

Maybe there should be a new big tent political party just for people who were ripped off by groups that claimed to represent them.

My head hurt for 2 days

When I update the illness log, you'll see that it doesn't just deal with contagious conditions.

On Tuesday, I felt like I had a hangover, because I wasn't able to sleep. Worse, it felt like there was something lodged in my throat - which kept expanding throughout the day.

Yesterday, my head hurt so bad that I kept popping aspirin. I would have gone to urgent care, except COVID-19 restrictions had forced our urgent care to close, and there was also still a backlog at medical facilities caused by restrictions months ago.

But last night, I began gagging and felt a foreign body dislodging from my throat. The pain that filled my head subsided instantaneously.

After that, everything was chill.

Ticketmaster tyranny

Seeing how the media can't contain its glee about COVID-19, this hasn't been a perfect week for the media ghouls. On Monday, Pfizer revealed that its new vaccine has more than a 90% efficacy rate, and its long-awaited approval is nigh. I have no objection to vaccines in general, and I hope to receive this vaccine the day I'm offered it.

But any reasonable person should be able to draw the line between medical progress and tyranny, and Ticketmaster is eager to turn this vaccine into a terrifying immunity passport. Ticketmaster is working on a new system that would require concertgoers to use their smartphone to verify their COVID-19 vaccination status or provide a recent negative test before being allowed to attend live shows.

Ticketmaster hopes to roll out this system in 2021. But why should the pandemic even still be a thing in 2021? The vaccine itself is supposed to be a tool in the arsenal to fight the pandemic, so why are the goalposts for the end of the pandemic being pushed back past the vaccine's rollout? As far as I'm concerned, once the vaccine is administered, the pandemic is over.

As with COVID-19 itself, the media seems to be expressing much glee over Ticketmaster's new system - boasting that the technology will also be used for airline travel, amusement park entry, and employment verification. They're also rubbing their hands together in excitement that it will boost the fortunes of investors who invest in it. In addition, another new technology will facilitate enforcement of social distancing at concerts. (Does anyone even still practice social distancing?)

This isn't how we do things in a free country. Even during a pandemic, we're supposed to have some freedom to move about and not subject ourselves to ridiculous high-tech misrule. Ticketmaster cares about one thing only: control.

There ought to be a law. There should be a law that says companies like Ticketmaster can't implement immunity passports like this. As eager as I am to get a vaccine and put the pandemic in the rear view mirror, Ticketmaster is guilty of little short of fascism.

A person bunkerooed on Halloween

Last night, I went to an important family gathering, and the bouquet of a silent-but-deadly bunker blast was twice detected.

On the way home, after midnight, I saw a person in a Big Bird costume walking down the street.

Get a Clu!

This is more Last Word material than 'Pail material, but this discovery is so exciting I can't wait another month to reveal it! If there ever was a Snuffleupagus moment, this is it!

I've insisted for years that there was a local AM station in the 1980s called WCLU that programmed a top 40 format. Briefly in the mid-'80s, its on-air personalities called the station Clu 132. Everyone said I was just making the whole thing up.

Well, now I've found some solid proof that the station was real...

https://musicofmylife.net/2020/05/25/the-cincinnati-am-rock-radio-blues

Peep that blog entry! It's from someone who says they regularly listened to WCLU in its heyday! It also includes a copy of a WCLU music survey from the week of May 25, 1983. These surveys were distributed at record stores. WCLU's playlist of currents at the time featured 60 records, so its format was really more of a top 60 than a top 40. If you're going to run a top 40 station, well, a top 60 is even better!

The #1 record on WCLU's playlist that week was "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. The rest of that week's playlist includes everything from Def Leppard to Gladys Knight to Robert Ellis Orrall. And I guarantee you the Mtume song was not about gum.

A part of local radio history that everyone denied has been preserved for posterity!

Have no fear, the November ish is here!

The November edition of The Last Word is pub-a-roo!

This ish talks about visiting national parks in Colorado and Utah, people bringing beer to school in 7th grade, a Frank Zappa poster getting ruined, college students partying, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/481830249/The-Last-Word-11-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2011.pdf

I'm voting!

I'm in the middle of filling out my mail-in ballot right now, and it's mighty sad.

As I am never voting for a major party again after they botched the coronavirus response, I'm voting Libertarian for President and Senate. But there's also 2 amendments to the Kentucky Constitution on the ballot, and I'm voting no on both.

The first measure is a section that would ostensibly expand the rights of crime victims. Last time it was on the ballot, I reluctantly voted yes, but that version of the amendment was thrown out as too vague. This time, I'm voting no, because our government has managed to make criminals out of everyone.

The other amendment would lengthen the terms of commonwealth attorneys and district court judges. I'm voting no on this too.

Pete Wilson statue removed

Remember Poopypants Pete?

Though of a different party, Pete Wilson was the Gavin Newsom of the '90s. Republican Wilson's authoritarian incompetence as Governor of California drew much ridicule in The Last Word in its early years.

A life-sized bronze statue of Poopypants, now 87, loomed in a San Diego park for 13 years. But now it's being removed because of Wilson's hostility to immigration and gay rights as governor. More recently, Wilson has voiced support for the failed Trump regime.

The owner of the statue says it will be stored for safekeeping, but no decision has been made on whether it will be returned.

A person bunkerooed at Canyonlands

Last week, I went on a fact-finding mission to some fine national parks in Colorado and Utah. At Canyonlands National Park, I heard the audio of an LAP bunker blast.

Road photo embargo ends

I have a bunch of road photos from late 2019 and early 2020 that I embargoed because of the Cincinnati roadmeet in May because I was afraid highway authorities would remove some classic signage if they knew it was out there. I finally posted them days before the meet, but I haven't officially released them until now!

These include some events where I scouted out sites for the meet. There's some amazing stuff, so peep it all!

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cinwcen19.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cinnw19.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoutw19.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoutn19.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoute19.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoutft19.html (the only page in this batch that was not embargoed)
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoutw20.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/scoutn20.html

Have no fear, the October ish is here!

In our time-honored spirit of populism, the October ish of The Last Word is already pub, and this one's a beaut!

This ish talks about...

• A recent trip to Ocean City, Maryland.

• Crowds at our local fireworks.

• Signs getting ruined at NKU.

• National Geographic World magazines getting ruined.

• The wild parties sweeping America's colleges.

• People smoking blunts during online school.

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/477854704/The-Last-Word-10-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2010.pdf

Trump's Supreme Court pick supports lockdowns

Some of the coronavirus measures are unconstitutional. Full stop. For example, an actual lockdown violates freedom of assembly.

But not long ago, Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Judge Amy Coney Barrett ruled in an Illinois case that the state may enforce its draconian lockdown.

Reuters has also said Barrett is "a favorite among religious conservatives."

Just because Joe Biden is backed by so many narcissistic dorks and bullies doesn't mean Trump is any better.

Willingness to overturn lockdowns should be a litmus test for a Supreme Court appointment.

A funny dream about Ronald Reagan

A couple days before I embarked (arf-arf!) on my trip to Ocean City, I had a hilarious dream!

I dreamed I watched a TV interview with Ronald Reagan that was as ridiculous as you might imagine. The camera appeared to be in a dining room of a house, looking through a window to a kitchen where ol' Ronnie was seated. The former leader of the free (?) world was sitting on a stool. Instead of the body of an older man, he had the body of a young, muscular man and was wearing only a t-shirt and gym shorts. Throughout the interview, he was lifting a weight with one hand.

In the interview, Reagan kept talking about how great he was compared to George H.W. Bush and all later Presidents.

People bunkerooed on my Ocean City trip

Last night, I got home from a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, and Shenandoah National Park. The latter half of this fact-finding mission was like an encore of last year's Shenandoah trip.

As it is obligatory to mention it here, several bunker blasts were detected. Usually, that's 'Pail material, even though this is otherwise mostly a serious blog. (Writing serious material isn't as fun or productive as it used to be, and that's why this blog isn't as busy as it used to be.) But since it happened during a mish, it's Last Word material, and the next ish should provide more details!

Horseshit theory summarized

A synopsis of American politics under lockdown culture...

• The left and right agree that a governor who is otherwise one of the most right-wing governors in America has had one of the best responses to the pandemic, thanks to her state's lack of lockdowns or other major restrictions.

• The main dissenters from this view are the loudmouths on so-called "liberal" blogs that began supporting lockdowns to appease their advertisers. (These websites had steadfastly opposed stay-at-home orders before mid-March.)

• The left and right agree that a Republican governor with one of the most authoritarian responses to the crisis should be impeached.

• The biggest dissenters from that notion are "moderate" Democrats - who are inexplicably considered "moderate" despite their apologia for authoritarian measures instituted by a Republican.

Horseshoe theory? It's more like the horseshit theory. In my time, I've stepped in dog shit. I'm sure I've stepped in cat shit. I bet I've even stepped in rabbit shit. But the totalitarian lockdown culture is horseshit. People oppose politicians when these politicians completely lack any shred of humanity, ethics, or respect for the country's values - and whip up panic to promote their plans. One critic of the horseshoe theory says so-called centrists actually support fascist governments, and I think that applies here. I think it's fair to say some governors are indeed fascist.

We live in a time and place - a dystopia, if you will - where the so-called noble middle ground means supporting fascism.

And trust me, at all the meet-ups and Internet forums where I meet real leftists, they're every bit as opposed to lockdown culture as anyone else is. Media coverage is considered as much of a joke as lockdown politicians are. When I first voted in 1991, nobody who was considered to be liberal would have issued stay-at-home orders or closed schools for 6 months over a virus like this. It wasn't in any pandemic playbook.

We're getting the same old line in Old Line State search

It's possible I may go to Ocean City, Maryland, soon - so last night I went on Google to search for some visitor information.

Last week, I blogged about how Google search results have begun favoring media clickbait much more than before. My Ocean City search proves it. The first 28 sites - I repeat, 28 - that came up were articles by established media sources. No independent blogs or sites whatsoever. At least one of the 28 was so clearly laden with propagandistic conjecture in its headline that it would have been worthless in any context.

When I do a Google search, I have a right to expect a diversity of viewpoints - not a compilation of media elites' propaganda.

Ironically, one of few stories I've found that even touches on Google's increasing favoritism towards established media is in the Wall Street Journal, which ran a piece last November about it. The article reported that Google had a blog post reading, "We do not use human curation to collect or arrange the results on a page." But the piece says that's not quite true. It says Google had indeed been gaming its search results in response to pressure from various parties. Some changes were found to favor large businesses over smaller ones. Google even favors major websites like Amazon and Facebook.

Google was also found to have been keeping a blacklist that omitted some sites from searches - despite denying doing so.

Many of Google's changes to its search algorithms unambiguously favor the political right. Some on the right dispute this, but we can agree that Google certainly favors the authoritarian elitism that defines the established media - which no real leftist supports. Whatever the weather, these findings bolster the view that Google should be prohibited from arbitrarily manipulating search results. It's doubly true when you consider that these media outlets often report false information to appease the dictatorship in China where they have investments.

Meanwhile, Snap Map shows people in Ocean City are having a good time right now! They're gathering on the beach, the boardwalk, and in bars like it's an ordinary September! If it isn't still like this when I go there, it's only because some functionary was deranged enough to reject thousands of years of epidemiological science.

U.S. coronavirus death rate passes Sweden

From now on, I don't care to hear anyone who supports America's draconian coronavirus measures (which were borrowed from China) criticize the lenient measures taken in Sweden.

For months, America has had far more known cases per capita than Sweden. Right now, it's 19,300 per million in the U.S. versus 8,400 in Sweden. But now the death rate in the U.S. has also surpassed that of Sweden.

As a left-wing populist, I believe it's important to not only fight a virus but also save our social institutions from ruinous lockdowns. But the latest statistics prove once again that lockdowns don't even save lives from being lost to coronavirus.

Google results favoring media clickbait?

Notice something about Google these days?

It used to be that when you did a Google search for a variety of popular topics, the results would reveal gobs of independent websites, blogs, and message forums. Nowadays, such a search mostly brings up established news outlets - at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low, thanks largely to outright falsehoods that the elitist media has published.

How did it get to be like this? Does Google actually rig its results to favor established media, thereby censoring independent sources? Or have established media outlets figured out a way to game the search results so more people click on their clickbait and are brainwashed? It has to be one or the other - or both.

In either case, it's further proof that the media needs to be broken up. If Google is rigging search results, it should be prohibited from doing so. Allowing it to do so would be like letting the phone company block calls based on content.

Major media monopolizing Google search results is antithetical to democracy, equal time, and the free press. Over at AlterNet, the greatest dream in life of some folks may be to become obedient followers of the elitist media's "experts" - but not here, because we think for ourselves.

Democratic platform a Strongly Worded Letter on coronavirus

We can only dream of the Democrats actually putting their words into action.

The Democratic platform has a section dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. I read this section. There's nothing in that section I truly oppose - though it's possible they buried something bad in another section. The problem is that Democratic officials don't act on good ideas, preferring instead to implement authoritarian measures - not unlike the Republicans.

This section quite properly blasts the Trump regime's incompetence and misrepresentations. It correctly says Trump "wasted critical weeks" early in the pandemic and practiced "racist and xenophobic rhetoric." This section supports better testing for the virus and providing vaccines for free. It endorses 'Net neutrality, scaling up manufacture of useful medical equipment, and enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (which has been arrogantly defied throughout this crisis). It also supports efforts to fight problems like utility shutoffs.

There's no explicit support of science-free measures like ruinous stay-at-home orders or keeping schools closed for 6 months. In fact, that section accurately accuses Trump of using an "authoritarian playbook."

But why do the Democrats criticize authoritarianism in their platform while so many of them practice authoritarian policies and provide no exit strategy? It's a complete lack of leadership. And they have nobody to blame but themselves. If they truly believe both stances at once, it's a textbook example of what George Orwell called doublethink - simultaneously believing two contradictory ideas. But I think it's truly a battle between patriots and turncoats within the party. As with the Republicans, there are some forces within the Democratic Party that care only about ruining as many lives as they can, and they think it's funny. There are some rotten people in politics who enjoy harming others.

The Democrats really botched things, didn't they? Their actions speak louder than the mere words in their platform - and it isn't good.

Where did I sign up for this when I registered under their miserable party? They lost a supporter - and many others.

Have no fear, the September ish is here!

Ba-de-ya! It's September, and the September edition of The Last Word is now pub!

This ish talks about how Orwell's '1984' has come to life in 2020, a college project against censorship, an armchair ruined by ink, a library unearthing hidden beer and gum, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/474409918/The-Last-Word-9-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2009.pdf

If you don't want to use that union, we should like to borrow it for a while

Workers are like a family and are always looking out for each other. I've written positively about labor unions for years, and have fought against so-called "right-to-work" laws.

But the pandemic brings out the worst in bad unions, and quite frankly, some of these unions should be kicked out of the labor movement. Many folks have urged the AFL-CIO to oust police unions that defend racist violence and death squads. It's also been noted that some labor leaders marched in support of the disastrous Vietnam War - defying their own membership, many of whom were as antiwar as anyone else.

Some leaders of some other unions are not allies of workers. They're bullies. At a time when workers need a voice, these unions have instead stood with corporate masters and weaponized the ongoing crisis. This would have been a perfect time to demand higher wages or repeal of "right-to-work" laws, but instead they've doubled down on the house arrest regime that's been cheered by Big Business and has ruined small business.

How do stay-at-home orders save jobs? They don't. Even if a workplace doesn't close, potential customers have been forbidden or discouraged from visiting it unless it's for goods or services deemed essential. Instead of fighting for better wages and encouraging workplaces to provide better conditions, some unions have instead blockaded livelihoods. This is at odds with what unions are intended to do. The AFL-CIO's constitution even says unions may be expelled if they advance "authoritarianism, totalitarianism, terrorism and other forces that suppress individual liberties and freedom of association."

How did things get to be this way? You might think unions would not be part of America's failed political class, but are all of them much different from other organizations? We know how corruptible businesses, governments, schools, and even some religious bodies are. Human nature is what it is, so I guess we shouldn't expect every organization to be perfect. But since when do unions try to prevent workers from doing their jobs and getting paid?

These rogue unions should have to forfeit their monopoly bargaining power. After all, they don't even use this power. In workplaces organized under these unions, workers should be able to form a new union. Although unions are stronger in numbers, it only takes one person to officially declare themselves a union.

There's evil out there. I'm not a philosopher, so I can't really explain why. Malicious people get into positions of power in our once-great institutions. Bad unions are merged at the trough with bad corporations and bad governments. Good unions - sadly - are often on their own.

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.

Nurses protest at White House

The response by many countries to the ongoing pandemic is among the worst failures in history, and America is no exception. In the United States, every level of government has completely failed.

Yesterday, a group of registered nurses held a protest outside the White House to call for mass production of medical equipment. The event was organized by National Nurses United, a nurses' union. Nurses came from as far away as California and Puerto Rico.

At the protest, the names of nurses who died from the virus were read. Protesters demanded the Trump regime use the Defense Production Act to order mass production of protective gear, test kits, ventilators, and other needs.

By all accounts, this protest had self-discipline and humility. If we're serious about any cause, that's how it has to be.

Another cause ruined by irresponsible idiots

The lockdowns have got to go. But you don't get to act like an ass about it.

Every time I join some worthwhile cause, it gets infiltrated. Every single time. Occupy is a good example.

I'm horrified at the current martial law policies. Frankly, I never even dreamed America would sink to these depths. I've actually had physical pain in my heart for over a month because of this terror. But the "protests" lately are counterproductive and idiotic, and are a scam. These events are being put together by interests that just want to exploit public sentiment instead of effectively fighting the lockdowns.

A real rally for freedom wouldn't look like the bar scene in Star Wars.

What I'm fighting against is primarily lockdowns. That's not the same as business closures or some other emergency government powers. Yes, our public officials have a responsibility to quantify and remedy economic loss from these closures. But you can't put a price tag on the horror of societal loss resulting from martial law.

The media won't cover my perspective, because they want to equate opposition to lockdowns with these "protests."

America is full of brave medical workers who don't need their work insulted by idiots who don't even give a damn about the cause they claim to support.

A person bubbled in 2 cities at the same time

Earlier, I walked around the neighborhood, and some woman bubbled in 2 cities at the same time!

As I was walking up O'Fallon Avenue - which runs on the line betwixt Bellevue and Dayton - some woman was walking across the street. She pursed her lips, and everyone knew just what was coming next. Why, she bubbled! Best all, she bubbled at the precise middle of the street - meaning she bubbled in both Bellevue and Dayton at the same time!

Gordon look-alike sighted

I've just received a very important e-mail about a celebrity look-alike. According to this bulletin, a man who strongly resembled Gordon of Sesame Street was seen at a local Meijer store. This was not the Gordon who took over in the mid-'70s, but an earlier actor.

In other comedy genius news, a man and his granddaughter were heard arguing about bunker blasts at a park.

Kentucky GOP passes unconstitutional vote suppression bill

Now is not the time to pass garbage like this - though with the bipartisan failures at fighting the current crisis, it might not make much difference.

Recently, Kentucky lawmakers passed an unconstitutional Republican bill to require a photo ID to vote. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed it. But now the legislature has overridden his veto.

Then how am I supposed to vote in the upcoming primary? Recently my ID was stolen. I can't replace it because the courthouse is closed indefinitely.

So how can I vote? Does Kentucky like being sued?

Sweden fights conservavirus without martial law

Wow, someone on Daily Kos has actually posted something intelligent about conservavirus instead of attacking people who disagree with them...

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/4/13/1936788/-The-facts-about-how-Sweden-is-battling-the-corona-virus-pandemic

As of that writing, Sweden has not imposed a lockdown but has seen considerable success fighting the pandemic. Some of the Daily Kos groupthinkers sided with Trump when he mischaracterized the Swedish response to the virus. I don't expect the facts to change their minds though.

Swedish authorities have warned that if people don't follow commonsense sanitation measures, they'll crack down. But - like people I see around here - folks in Sweden are heeding the advice.

Another suicide caused by lockdowns

This is the latest suicide caused by lockdowns, this time a 15-year-old girl in Stockton, California:

https://fox40.com/news/local-news/stockton-mother-reminds-parents-to-reach-out-to-their-children-after-daughters-suicide

Educators in the area say at least 2 other teen suicides may have resulted from the lockdown.

Welcome to the new materialistic world where life means nothing.

Oregon county suspends habeas corpus over conservavirus

Boom...

https://www.opb.org/news/article/umatilla-county-oregon-suspends-habeas-corpus-hearings-coronavirus

Are the people who said the government wasn't going to use conservavirus as an excuse to gut constitutional liberties happy now?

Umatilla County, Oregon - a 62% Trump county, not surprisingly - has done what the "centrist" thought police claimed would never happen. The county is using the virus as a pretext for suspending habeas corpus.

The county - which has 2 large state prisons - has canceled all habeas corpus hearings for the next 2 months. About 12 cases were canceled. Many of the inmates have severe medical conditions.

There's no reason to cancel it over the fear the virus might be spread, because in that county, these hearings are almost always by remote video or phone - not in person.

ICE protesters defy lockdown, except they really didn't

How does it defy social distancing guidelines to travel by car?

As the patchwork of martial law continues to grip America, a coalition of civil rights groups organized a protest against ICE in Newark, New Jersey. The thing about this protest is that it was by car. It wasn't on foot where people might break social distancing rules. The protest consisted of a motorcade of about 20 cars that circled 2 local ICE hotspots.

Guess what? Participants were ticketed even though they were clearly more than 6 feet apart, as they were in cars.

How is it even constitutional to ticket someone when they weren't even violating the guidelines?

ICE detaining so many people in crowded conditions is what really spreads viruses.

Airlines want to repeal refund rule

Aw, the airlines aren't making as much money as usual, the poor things.

Many flights have been canceled lately - not because the airlines feared the spread of viruses but because passengers have canceled their plans. Passengers who haven't canceled are being crammed onto more crowded flights - at a time when this is least desired. It would be better and safer to just run mostly empty flights.

Now the airline racket is begging government regulators to repeal rules that require airlines to refund customers over canceled flights. Airlines have already circumvented these rules by giving passengers credit for future travel - which expires before the end of the year - instead of refunds. Formal complaints have been already been made against airlines for this practice.

Some nobody with the airline industry said issuing refunds "is almost unbearable."

One, two, three. Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww!

Grow up, airlines!

Colorado man cuffed for being in public

It's as predictable as the day is long. Our right-wing overlords love a crisis, because it gives them an excuse to take our rights away.

Some folks said that nobody in any Western country would be arrested or handcuffed for violating the lockdowns unless their behavior is too egregious for the circumstances at hand. That was a lie. I knew it was a lie.

In Brighton, Colorado, a 33-year-old man was handcuffed by police at a park just for playing softball there with his family. He was cuffed and shoved into a police car in full view of his 6-year-old daughter.

The man had refused to provide identification - probably because America isn't supposed to be a right-wing police state. Well, guess what? It is now, unfortunately.

Who really violated social distancing guidelines? Small private gatherings are constitutionally protected. End of story. The police violated the guidelines by cuffing the man.

Is there any stretch of the imagination where this is even remotely acceptable?

FDA approves more Trilafon

The FDA won't approve remdesivir, but they approve mind control drugs like this.

Trilafon (perphenazine) is one of these drugs like Ritalin that's handed out like candy every time a patient disagrees with a shrink. It has dreadful side effects that often last long after a person stops taking this drug.

Now the FDA has just approved new dosages for this horrid drug.

Approving a discredited drug must be a mighty big emergency, huh?

Man pardoned by Bevin faces child porn charge

Among the many convicts pardoned by Matt Bevin after he lost the election was a man in Christian County who had pleaded guilty in a 2014 sex offense against a 15-year-old.

Now this same man is facing federal child pornography charges for a video he allegedly made at the time.

People shoplifted from Circle K

This story is more like Last Word material, but today I went to the local Circle K convenience store and saw people shoplifting.

There was a woman and a teenage girl in there who had just obtained orange juice from the dairy case. I thought they were going to, you know, buy it.

Instead they darted out the door and skipped away!

The cashier saw this ghastly deed and chased after them on foot. But after only a few seconds, she decided she couldn't catch them and went back into the store.

Ohio lawmaker wants Trump tried for crimes against humanity

The "centrists" like Gavin Nuisance who praise Trump all the time may deny it, but there's no mistaking this: Donald Trump should be tried for crimes against humanity for his actions that have exponentially worsened the conservavirus pandemic. I figured this a month ago. Trump's actions have been not only incompetent but intentional. I don't think he's the only culprit, because some entities are more interested in money or hype than in saving lives.

Ohio State Rep. Tavia Galonski, an Akron area Democrat, is looking into referring Trump to the Hague for crimes against humanity. One of the main reasons is that Trump touted misusing chloroquine to treat conservavirus.

Some of Trump's apologists have complained about news outlets that have reported positively on remdesivir despite it not being FDA-approved. Tough toilets. Many doctors have confidence in remdesivir because it has already saved the lives of critically ill patients in a compassionate use program. Another crime against humanity is that the FDA won't give full approval to remdesivir under the emergency rules.

What happens if Trump or anyone else is tried for crimes against humanity? It's hard to say, but some legal rules may be much different than they are for ordinary criminal cases. And it might not work in Trump's favor. But I haven't looked into the details, because it's not every day that the President of the United States gets tried for crimes against humanity.

Unmasking Trump regime's bad mask advice

Another article about conservavirus? Well, as long as it's allowed to spread, that's going to be the top story here.

Because this isn't 1991, CNN has largely become a shambles, but here's a link to a piece about how little understanding of public health Trump's CDC has...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/world/coronavirus-who-masks-recommendation-trnd

A few days ago, the CDC recommended people wear masks to stop the spread of conservavirus. But - as that piece shows - the WHO doesn't recommend masks for anyone outside a medical setting and who isn't caring for someone with the virus.

"There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly," said the WHO's Dr. Mike Ryan.

The WHO's Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said, "In the community, we do not recommend the use of wearing masks unless you yourself are sick and as a measure to prevent onward spread from you if you are ill."

I would think the WHO would know more about this topic than the Trump regime does. In a speech in which he recommended masks, Trump announced he wasn't even going to wear one himself. Plus, if masks are that helpful, why weren't they used as much before this pandemic?

So why wear one? The WHO is pretty clear and unassailable on that. The CDC's website is way out of date on other aspects of this virus, and can't be trusted. Also, wouldn't masks interfere with eating? I'll blow a damn bubble with bubble gum in a public place, because that's how we face crises like this. We don't go around following orders that are completely discredited.

Another senseless death

I'm going to leave this story right here about the latest suicide caused by lockdowns...

https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/25/teenager-19-kills-fears-will-stuck-inside-coronavirus-12453434

This is more blood on the hands of public officials - but it was Boris Johnson who caused this death.

Our lives mean absolutely nothing to the little tinpot dictators who are interested only in their political goals.

Reuters report explores lockdown deaths

The media is in a mighty sorry state when we have to rely on Reuters for the full story to be reported. Then again, Reuters is based in Britain, and the major American media would never run an investigative report like this...

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-usa-cost

According to this investigation, even just the business closures are causing a spike in suicides, as people lose their jobs. The problem is magnified exponentially by lockdowns. Domestic violence is taking a toll too, as one New Jersey organization reported a 24% increase in domestic violence reports.

Even with the rigor of military discipline, few are able to adapt to lockdowns. The Air Force Academy has already seen at least 2 suicides caused by lockdowns that the academy instituted (which haven't even been in force for very long yet).

Health agencies are reporting a loss of tax revenue as businesses face a loss of customers. This in turn endangers important public health programs.

I'm not saying unessential businesses shouldn't temporarily close - as long as there's an adequate remedy for economic losses. But lockdowns are a much different matter.

Even the economic toll of lockdowns is immense. Stanford Univerity's Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said, "Depressions are deadly for people, poor people especially."

So that's what all of this is about. Once again, the lives of the poor are deemed to be expendable by our overlords. Next time you see some website or editorial demanding longer lockdowns, remember that their interests are not with saving lives but with protecting their lavish lifestyles. In every place lockdowns have been enacted, the number of new conservavirus cases always rises at a steeper rate, which proves this form of martial law is ineffective at stemming this virus.

There's nothing like a crisis to bring out the absolute worst of elitists' cold inhumanity.

Fox News sued for calling conservavirus a hoax

Conservavirus threatens lives in a variety of ways, but it doesn't help that people were encouraged to let their guard down earlier in the crisis.

Some weeks back, Fox News insisted the virus was a hoax. Now a little-known organization in Washington state is suing the channel along with cable companies that carry it because of this claim.

The lawsuit was filed yesterday in the Seattle area and seeks an injunction to bar the channel from "interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content." Because of the channel's denial, there are still people who believe the virus is a hoax. The suit asks for relief under the state's Consumer Protection Act.

Sadly, Fox News isn't the only offender. Far from it. Some outlets are more into apocalyptic views than outright denial, but both stances are deceptive and harmful to public health.

Some have said the First Amendment protects Fox News. There's some problems with that, however. The airwaves are supposed to be a public trust. The FCC used to be very unkind towards outlets that distorted news.

Also, lockdowns violate the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. So why are we suddenly so concerned about the First Amendment while it's being violated to a degree not seen in modern times?

If this pandemic is ever allowed to end, we need to crack down hard on the fake news media. I hope to see a long string of lawsuits against media organizations for their coverage of a variety of stories.

California becomes domestic violence hotspot due to lockdown

The conservavirus lockdowns are a benefit to wife beaters, because they have more chances to commit domestic violence.

According to a covered-up story, California is seeing an early spike in domestic violence cases. Santa Barbara County DA Joyce Dudley said, "We will see an increase in domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, animal abuse, spousal rape." Not only will there be more instances of these crimes, but many more will not be reported, because victims have little interaction with those in the community who might see the warning signs. Even domestic violence agencies are closed.

Dudley called domestic violence "predictable and preventable."

Lately, however, many websites have supported lockdowns and have acted as if the lives of domestic violence victims and others mean nothing. They don't just act this way. They've come right out and said it. Your life means absolutely nothing to them. Nothing.

A Kos Kid says Sanders should quit race just so primary can be canceled

Even though the media hates his guts, Bernie Sanders hasn't dropped out of the presidential race yet. But now someone on Daily Kos - probably one of the same ones who complains about the "dirtbag left" like they're so fond of doing over there - says Sanders should quit. Why? Just so the states get to cancel the primary and install who they want.

The Republican primary in a lot of states was canceled months ago just so Trump could be installed.

Since when do we go around canceling elections just so we can declare a winner?

Kentucky sued over conservavirus

I figured that states' actions on conservavirus might prompt lawsuits, but this suit may open up important legal questions.

A northern Kentucky woman has filed a federal suit against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron over attempts to limit out-of-state travel. The plaintiff says she regularly visits family in Ohio and exercises at Ohio state parks. She now fears visiting the Buckeye State "due to uncertainty over whether she will be detained or otherwise punished."

It would be hard to imagine Kentucky detaining someone for going to Ohio as long as they maintain a safe distance from strangers. But many states have tried to do things more extreme than that. Anyone who dares to oppose it gets called a communist.

Everyone has relatives who either think conservavirus isn't real or that it's so cataclysmic that you have to put everything on hold for a year. You know, some of us try to just go about our lives. It's hard to do when the government and the media are so invested in doom. My heart has been racing in recent weeks because perhaps our biggest foe in this crisis is the Trump regime itself, which has tried to use it as an excuse to abolish habeas corpus.

The freedom to travel and assemble is fundamental, and if it is curtailed, these restrictions must be limited in time and scope - and must actually be realistic. This point is highlighted by the fact that so many government officials are doing as little as possible to actually fight conservavirus.

For instance, the federal government is dragging its feet at approving broad use of remdisivir, which doctors have described as a silver bullet against the virus. It's been used on some critically ill patients in America and around the world - and they all recovered. More and more countries are approving the drug. Why won't the U.S. approve it for wider use? The FDA rubber-stamped pemoline for ADHD patients, though pemoline destroys the liver. ADHD is not a fatal condition. Conseravirus is - except that it wouldn't be fatal if people could get remdisivir.

I'm wondering if we can bring a class action suit against the government for not approving it, which not only endangers the lives of those who catch the virus but also puts everyone else in fear of dying from it. The drug itself has been around for years.

The federal government's actions throughout this crisis have been not only incompetent, but malicious.

Before long, nobody is going to take stay-at-home orders very seriously, especially when they know the government doesn't take the pandemic seriously - except when it suits their goals.

Lockdowns lead to looting

While domestic violence and hate crimes have soared under the martial law regime of conservavirus lockdowns, I would have thought that at least standard street crime would be curtailed. Was I ever wrong! Instead, it's just getting worse.

In Santa Cruz, California, a group of 5 allegedly tried to rob and loot businesses throughout the city. Merchandise littered the sidewalks.

In Brooklyn, a man allegedly tried to rob a deli of money and Tylenol. Police found him on a nearby rooftop.

And when criminals are caught, they have to go to jail. Guess what virus spreads remarkably easily in jails?

Ohio says it has no access to antibody tests. Uh, yes it does.

I'm sick of hearing "can't, can't, can't" all the time. I'm tired of hearing how we "can't" test people for conservavirus, after other countries did it right away. I'm tired of hearing how we "can't" do this or that.

The United States and some other countries are dragging their feet, because it makes it easier to control people. This is why drugs like remdesivir haven't been approved for broad use yet.

Now there's antibody tests to determine if anyone has been exposed to the virus and has recovered. This has been touted as a vital tool in allowing people to return to society and ending martial law. A county in Colorado is testing every resident. Instructions for making serological tests have been distributed, and some hospitals are starting to make this simple test.

Ohio - along with California - has had among the worst responses to this crisis. It's been a mix of alarmism and selective enforcement of rules. As the latest example of Ohio's incompetence, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton claimed Ohio doesn't have access to antibody tests. The tests will be in "the future."

Uh, the FDA has already approved a test. Why doesn't Ohio have tests that other places are getting?

I've heard more excuses about how we "can't" fight this crisis than I have about everything else in my lifetime put together. That says a lot. No solutions. Just excuse after excuse.

San Francisco must pay raided journalist

I can't understand why the "liberal" San Francisco Bay Area has so many Tea Party public officials and policies in an era in which similar policies have been rejected in places like Cincinnati. San Francisco was even a Ronnie-come-early to right-wing talk radio, with KSFO touting its stance in 1994.

Last year, a freelance journalist in San Francisco named Bryan Carmody found his home and office raided by police wielding a sledgehammer. Cops were looking for the confidential source of a leaked report into the death of that city's former public defender Jeff Adachi. Adachi had been known as a watchdog against police misconduct, and there was speculation that people in high places tried to smear him for it.

Mayor London Breed did of course defend the illegal searches. Five city judges authorized these searches - even though a state law protects journalists from searches like this. Police seized computers, cameras, and phones.

Later, Carmody filed a claim against the city. Now the city has to pay him $369,000. In San Francisco, that will probably cover rent for the next 2 weeks, because of the city's serial refusal to rein in high housing costs.

Lockdowns likened to post-9/11 assaults on freedom

Last week, a rather well-written op-ed by Samuel Miller McDonald appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/23/coronavirus-civil-liberties-authoritarian-measures

I can't find this op-ed in any American paper. Few American media outlets or websites would dare print anything that criticizes the lockdowns.

The author talks about how 9/11 was followed by the Patriot Act and deadly wars. He talks about how the late 2000s recession led to taxpayer dollars being transferred to wasteful Wall Street execs and companies. He mentions that environmental ruin has helped fuel conservavirus.

The authoritarian response to the virus is likened to actions taken after 9/11 and the recession. The Trump regime is launching a bailout of Big Oil, and lockdowns endanger basic civil liberties. "Emergency" measures that infringe on freedom are rarely reversed. In fact, they often expand.

"Seeing self-avowed leftists and liberals praising such draconian reactions is frightening," the author writes. Don't worry. Nobody on this blog supports lockdowns. I don't know any "leftists and liberals" who do. Then again, I can't ask them, because I haven't been able to see them, as they're bullied into not leaving their home. The author goes on to say, "We must reject such authoritarian measures wholly."

The writer suggests ways to fight the conservavirus crisis. One way is for the government to provide a universal basic income to every person in America to remedy job losses. Another is to enact universal healthcare - not just for during the crisis, but after. Another is to nationalize utilities, and another is to limit actions like foreclosures. Still another is to reform the criminal justice system, and another is to loosen intellectual property laws to allow distribution of the drugs to fight this virus.

Do we want a right-wing police state, or do we want forward-thinking ideas that work?

Church blasted for not halting services

Here's another #1 smash from the album Lockdowns For Thee, Not For Me.

Solid Rock Church is a megachurch along I-75 north of Cincinnati known for its giant Jesus statue. A similar statue caught on fire there a few years ago, and the church spent a huge sum of money replacing it.

Now the church is refusing to stop holding services despite the risk of conservavirus. Many congregations have suspended services. But Solid Rock refuses to quit, which enables hundreds to sit elbow to elbow with potentially infected fellow worshipers.

The Butler County Health Department and a religious group called Faithful America are highly displeased at the church's actions.

And get this. Ohio recently imposed martial law against gatherings - but made an exemption for religious services. Why??? Why does religious privilege get to rule?

And how does any private group of a few people pose a health risk if a packed church full of hundreds doesn't? This is more proof that the official response to conservavirus often has nothing to do with science. If it did, we'd have our tests we were promised over a month ago.