In most coastal states, almost everything has been in a state of lockdown for about five or six weeks. Businesses have issued work-from-home guidelines, essential businesses are doing the best they can, and hospitals across multiple states are in crisis. The degree of lockdown varies depending on the governor, but to be clear, Republican and Democratic governors have all issued stay-at-home lockdown orders across the country. It took a bit longer for the midwest and Southern states to act, but again, no has been locked down for more than six weeks here in America. It’s just felt like we’ve been in this situation for months. The answer to this crisis is patience and doing what’s best for our communities and our healthcare workers. The answer is not “gathering in public places to nonsensically protest the coronavirus lockdown.”
While many Americans are filled with fear, Melissa Ackison says the coronavirus pandemic has filled her with anger. The stay-at-home orders are government overreach, the conservative Ohio state Senate candidate says, and the labeling of some workers as “essential” arbitrary.
“It enrages something inside of you,” said Ackison, who was among those who protested Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s orders at the statehouse in Columbus with her 10-year-old son. She has “no fear whatsoever” of contracting the virus, she said Thursday, dismissing it as hype. The Ohio protest was among a growing number staged outside governors’ mansions and state Capitols across the country. In places like Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, small-government groups, supporters of President Donald Trump, anti-vaccine advocates, gun rights backers and supporters of right-wing causes have united behind a deep suspicion of efforts to shut down daily life to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As their frustration with life under lockdown grows, they’ve defied social distancing rules in an effort to put pressure on governors to ease them.
Some protests have been small, promoted via Facebook groups that popped up in recent days and whose organizers are sometimes difficult to identify. Others are backed by groups funded by Republican donors, some with ties to Trump. The largest so far, a rally of thousands that jammed streets in Lansing, Michigan, on Wednesday, looked much like one of the president’s rallies — complete with MAGA hats and Trump flags — or one of the tea party rallies from a decade ago.
Yes, astroturf MAGA “activists” are being encouraged to go out in public, stand really close to each other and scream at politicians to reopen the economy. In a pandemic. I can’t with these stupid f–king people, but yeah, it’s clear that several Republican “thinkers” and “donors” believe that this is the way. Take “conservative economist” Stephen Moore, a white man who went to the Washington Post to explain how these “protesters” are just like… Rosa Parks.
In a statement to the Washington Post, conservative economist Stephen Moore reportedly said, “I think there’s a boiling point that has been reached and exceeded.” Moore belongs on the White House council focused on “re-opening” the country’s economy and as well as a coalition of conservative leaders advocating for steps to lessen the country’s lockdown, according to the Post.
“I call these people the modern-day Rosa Parks — they are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties,” Moore said about the protesters, according to the Post.
Can you imagine being this privileged and out-of-touch? Why is “millions of people must die for the economy” a thing this month? Do… do these people think that they are somehow immune to the virus, that it won’t affect them if they’re angry and white enough? And these people need to 100% stop adopting the language of slavery AND the civil rights movement.
Here are some photos of the “protests.” These photos… I cannot.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I just can’t even with these people.
I do feel incredibly sorry for all of the healthcare workers that will likely be completely overloaded in the coming week or two because of these people’s absolute stupidity.
True. I look at these pics and think “the media will never let us know which ones are on vents two weeks from now”. But I shrug, because Darwin’s law man. But the health care workers, yeah. That’s the problem. I hate these people because of what they do to others. I don’t care what they do to themselves.
That’s where I am. If they want to put themselves in harms way, I figure let them go for it. But then I started to feel guilty for the people who have to be responsible for their idiocy. I wish it would only affect the morons that are doing the stupid things, but unfortunately that won’t be the case.
I’m living in the only zone in Nova Scotia without a verified case, and we have people coming in from other infected areas to shop for freaking patio furniture.
There’s a seniors assisted care facility that’s a huge hot spot in Halifax area. There’s a lot of neglect of the residents going on and the whole thing is such a shit show. I feel so bad for the workers that are trying to keep everything afloat, but I’m so angry that nobody spoke up early enough to avoid this situation.
This whole pandemic has me in equal parts of rage, anxiety, and depression. It’s an awful feeling.
True, but the media will say something about the fact that they were at these rallies, because it will be the only way to contact trace everyone from the rallies they came in contact with. They should all be denied testing. Show up for care only if you show symptoms. You chose to play Russian Roulette. Face the consequences. I loathe these people.
“They should all be denied testing.”
and treatment. and I don’t give a F if that’s cold/heartless/whatever.
they should be denied care over someone who DID play by the rules and got sick anyway. if they get sick, f*ck ’em. I know it’s terrible but I’m at the point with these people that I HOPE they get sick or that they infect someone they love. that’s the only way it hits home for these idiots.
my faves, though, are the ones who are like “it’s a hoax, let us work!” but are also wearing masks. dumb azz hypocrites.
Yes, my first reaction was “well let them get the virus and see what happens”, but they will affect hospitals and the whole society Just because of what – freedom?
Exactly. I see my neighbors having mini cookout parties, friends posting on FB birthday get togethers for their kids and so on. And I just don’t know what the hell their thought process is. Like, get over yourself and your kid. My son has a milestone birthday this year and we will social distance and it will be just the family. He will hopefully look back as the years progress and tell the story of the COVID and how he couldn’t really have a birthday party. It’s called making sacrifices and growing up. I can’t even with these people.
It’s like a friend was whining her son won’t get prom and yearbook signing and grad. And then added: and what about my memories of all these things? ROBBED. I just wanted to say get over yourself. You do realize 100 ago the sacrifice would have been going off to fight a war, and not on play station! 🤦🏻♀️
Rant over.
LOL I’m so jealous of the cookout part of that. Not because I want anyone NEAR me. But because we have a fire ban (can’t blame the province) and all I want to do is roast marshmallows and hotdogs because I know I CAN’T do that.
I turn 30 in late May – I’d been hoping to get away for a weekend, but obviously can’t now. I’m a LITTLE salty about it, but not really. I know it can’t be helped and that it’s for the best, and I know plenty of friends are going through the same thing right now. Husband has promised me all the cake I can eat (baked OR icecream) even if he has to make it all completely on his own, and we found a wine company that delivers in the province by mail. So honestly, I’m perfectly okay with that. He had me at cake.
I’ve seen so many parents complaining about what their kids are missing out on. Honestly, I’m sure there are some kids completely heartbroken over this – but I think there are a lot more parents that are upset than the kids if that makes sense. A lot of these events are just as much for the parents as they are the kids, and ALL the kids are going through it. It sucks hard. But I think people tend to forget how resilient kids are.
“and what about my memories of all these things? ROBBED.”
because her son and/or his classmates getting infected and really sick would make for such a fun prom. Of course if you point that out to her she’d say teens don’t usually get that sick or die from it but I wonder she’d still insist her kid go to prom right after his grandparents’ funeral after they spread COVID-19 to the folks who are most vulnerable
My nephew just turned 18 and knows full well the rest of his senior year, including prom and graduation, are shot. He’s bored to tears at home with his parents and younger brother, but he gets it
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh Erinn … we have a fire ban too. I live in a rural area and I have been wishing for outdoor campfires. XO
This all leads back to the Republican gutting of education. A populace that understands science would have more respect for the decisions made by Government during a pandemic. If Trump was more intelligent and better educated, he too would better listen to the experts.
These people may be getting their “news” from Facebook. Frightening.
Rituals and traditions, these rite of passage moments, are really important to some people, and feel like a loss. Especially graduation, because it’s all mixed up with the child leaving the parents, going into the world, etc. I’ve missed a few funerals during lockdown, and it’s rough. I think it’s fair to say some people are coping better than others.
“People are dying, Kim!”
My hubby and I got in a huge argument when I vocalized my disdain for the whole, ” my kid is robbed of prom, soccer sign up, graduation ceremony” that I’m seeing on FB.
Me: grab some perspective; health care workers are being robbed of their health, peace of mind, their families.
Retort: well, prom is a big deal for some people…
Me: my dear friend on the front line purchased a ventilator. F*ck your kid’s prom.
@JBones, exactly. While I get it, the whining needs to stop. We are facing a crisis of global proportions with an inept leader. Which makes this far worse than many realize. Get over yourselves with the milestones. My parents have their 50th wedding anniversary this year and they chuckled and said: well, we’ll find a way to celebrate later. But they are immigrants who worked hard and have a different perspective.
Hey Erinn,
Happy almost 30th! I think 30s are a pretty cool decade, I hope you enjoy them!
And most of them will not be spent in quarantine. I hope you plan a delayed birthday party for later.
I feel sorry for the healthcare workers too, because you know they’re probably watching this and shaking their heads. I honestly can’t wrap my mind around how selfish and stupid people can be…and these same Covidiots will be the ones whining about overcrowded hospitals or how rough it was to be sick.
This is proof of natural selection, that’s for sure.
I have a friend who is in the health care field. And he continues to post: STAY HOME. Yes, Darwinism at its finest.
Erinn, my parents have a 50th anniversary this year. We planned a trip of the entire family. That is postponed until who knows When. I will admit, I do miss my shopping trips 🙁 but as I always say: First world problems.
AND, more importantly how asinine to compare these idiots to Rosa Parks. How absolutely moronic. And the supporters continue to drink that cool aid. So next Trump will say he is their MLK. Let’s see if he would even dare
As an emergency management worker, I am absolutely sickened by the selfishness and entitlement of these people. It’s not “my body, my choice,” because you’re making choices on behalf of everyone around you. It’s not like they alone will get sick; they’ll spread it to all the people they decided to huddle up with. This is how the virus will proliferate and destroy communities, but it’s not their problem!
They are getting that ole fawning, tea-party coverage. Let me tell you something, as someone who was VERY, and I mean, very, active in the Iraq-era peace movement, liberals don’t get this kind of coverage. Or anything close to it.
And this is another reason why we have trump and why our country is such a mess; the media. They are not innocent in all this.
They want their circus. Well, now we’ve got one at the cost of 40,000+ people.
we have some gun rights activists from Ohio creating the protests planned at the PA statehouse (in Harrisburg).
So much of it looks staged, too. Like someone signs professionally made and handed them out to people. They look like they’re playing assigned roles. It’s such far cry from, say the Women’s March, which you could see was a true grass roots response to Trump. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me who feels like they’re going through motions.
That’s not to say that people aren’t complying with social distancing or minimizing the virus. They are. I just think most would rather complain than go out and demonstrate because it’s not a true cause for them, they know it’s a passing inconvenience.
Someone posted the receipts on Reddit about how all the websites organizing this were created literally overnight and the same Registry info.
Link to reddit commenter with ALL the receipts: https://www.reddit.com/r/maryland/comments/g3niq3/i_simply_cannot_believe_that_people_are/fnstpyl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
They are staged. I’m sure there are small groups of idiots out there doing it on their own, but some big businesses are also getting together to fund these protests. They’re also lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit employees from suing employers if their employers force them back to work and they get sick and/or die from covid-19.
The events themselves are staged, but I do think a fair amount of those people honestly think they’re protesting legitimately. They’re being played, at the cost of all the rest of us.
From the first photos and footage of these protests, my gut reactions were “paid” and “staged”, at least to some degree.
Totally agree about the disproportionate coverage. I was watching the news last night, they mentioned a poll that shows that over 2/3 of Americans are concerned that states will open too early and cause a second wave of the virus. But that was mentioned almost as an aside. A little later they covered the protests (never mentioning what a small percentage of people were protesting), they had commentators on to discuss the protests and whether the stay-home orders had gone on too long…
If I hadn’t caught when they very quickly and with no fanfare stated that Americans are more concerned about opening too soon, I would have thought that these idiots were the prevailing view and that the Governors had gone rogue.
Darwinism at its best
Why the masks if they’re not scared of the virus??
Exactly! They are such hypocrites. Just like DUMP!!! What a bunch of brain dead idiots!
Yes. My favorite is the woman holding a no masks sign, who is … wearing a bandanna as a mask.
The irony of the sign choosing to use “my body my choice”. I highly doubt she is pro choice and to me is very hypocritical.
@Swack, I also doubt that she is pro-choice, but I assume she thought she was being very clever and “owning the libs” with that sign.
This is an issue that will essentially….well, fix itself in some ways, as protesters inevitably get infected. The problem is Trump stoking it for political gain, particularly in states with democratic governors to intentionally create divisiveness. Media should not be giving it the attention it is, though. That’s what makes them feel validated. They are desperate to be heroes in an underdog story but, of course, only want it if other people are paying the price.
Please delete; duplicate comment. Comment editor is acting weird. Sorry.
The best part is that they are actually protesting policies set out by their leader!
The worst is that, as others have said, the hospitals have to take them anyway, putting others at risk so they can pwn the libs.
Also: the name for a group of Covidiots is a Covfefe.
Covfefe … Nicely done.
What policies? The man has no policies. He can’t maintain a single train of thought for more than a day, unless of course it involves his ego.
These are the same exact assholes that call teenagers snowflakes for daring to protest school violence. Who counter all lives matter to black lives matter. Who post memes about the greatest generation vs millennials and find the latter wanting. If the rest of the world could remain untouched by this selfish idiocy, fine, but we already know that we can’t.
Not following the rules is only acceptable for white people lol. If you’re brown or black, you deserve to be shot and killed for disobeying police/crossing borders for asylum/existing/etc.
These are not protests. These are Trump rallies. The man doesn’t care about lives. He doesn’t even care about the country. He’s falling in the polls in an election year due to his horrible actions (and inactions); and so, he’s using his people to push for something that will most likely lead to more deadly consequences at this time. Is there anyone amongst us who is not feeling the brunt of the lockdown at this time? Yet, the rest of us understand that in order to have a chance at rebuilding, we must listen to the experts and allow decisions for reopening to be made on sound scientific advice. The states need to have antibody testing and strict contact tracing measures in place. And it’s not just democratic governors who are pushing back against a sudden reopening…it’s republicans too. Trump is a puppet master doing the most damage. And he’s not just doing this to the US, he’s doing this to other countries too. There were stories of people in Nigeria overdosing on Chloroquine when he (wrongly) advertised it as a potent drug for treating COVID. All because of one man’s callous utterances! I really do hope there’ll be a change in November.
And yet he’s so scared in the White House that he’s having everyone around him tested so he doesn’t get sick yet encourages these followers to get together shoulder to shoulder to protest what he himself is keeping far away from.
Exactly right. Not once has Trump said he feels bad about the 40K people who lost their lives. We are pawns nothing more. All he cares about is getting things open so he can do his rallies. He is an addict without his cheering crowd fix. He is incapable of doing the minimal things necessary to help (get tests kits to the states). Or he doesn’t want to help because then we would know truly how many people have it. People are not important to him only stirring up his mob to rant his grievances about how mean we all are to him matters in this historical moment. This will be remembered for all of the hero’s who fought this virus without Trump’s help and in spite of his mob of idiots
He never demonstrated any regard for human life whether it be for Americans or for foreigners. Children dying in his concentration camps, Charlotteville, Puerto Rico in desperate need of assistance, the Kurds being slaughtered. This is no different. So unless they can act as prop for a photo op for his image or vote him into the White House they’re nothing to him.
I’m also very worried that if he loses the election in November he won’t accept it quietly and he will incite violence that could lead to a civil war. He of course thinks this to be wrong and his nut bag supporters are the same.
You are right. It’s the new Trump campaign strategy:
-steal and fence the national stockpile of supplies
-give up on any federal response (testing must not be panning out to provide Kushner enough quick profit)
-unleash coordinated disinformation online and via pro-Trump media personalities
-fund and encourage illegal protests
-use state media like Fox, Alex Jones, etc. and also CNN and other outlets to sensationalize this manufactured dissent
-amplify chaos narratives with false, apocalyptic claims (rinse and repeat)
-rile up religious fundamentalists and push lawsuits against Governors prohibiting large gatherings
-let the disease run rampant through the country to overwhelm all systems (healthcare, law enforcement, banks, food supply, etc.)
In short, create total chaos and scare the hell out of everyone so he wins the election and the GOP stays in power. Look for more domestic distractions soon, as well as more faked up international “bang bang” conflicts with China in the South China Sea, North Korea via missile launches, and more Russian fighter jets buzzing too close to U.S. planes like happened in the Mediterranean this week.
Moving back from the US to Europe was the single best thing I did for my daughters and myself. I just cant imagine living there right now…my parent- in- law and my Ex are pretty much like these People on the photos
I loved the pics going around of the nurses in Denver standing in front of the vehicles of the protestors in a medical counter protest. That was pretty bad a$$
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/20/heroes-healthcare-workers-stand-street-block-right-wing-protest-against-colorado
Yes! I am glad you brought that up.
It is so infuriating to see people gathering with no protective gear, protesting the stay at home orders that are meant to protect them.
I hadn’t seen that, thanks for posting the link!
My pleasure. I like remembering the honorable people when the idiots are sucking up all of the oxygen in the room
Thats awesome. Thank you for sharing.
Covid_19 is affecting the entire world.
There is one leader who is recommending re-opening while hundreds are dying and there is one country where protesters are out in droves endangering themselves and others.
What does that say…how does that look?
Exactly. It’s horrifying to watch unfold from here in Australia. We have had 70 deaths total, which is still 70 too many. But we are still talking about staying home for quite some time. Seeing these protests just makes me so angry for the rest of the decent people in the US.
The fact so many are still dying in the US and the re-opening is being considered boggles my mind and makes me so sad.
The numbers don’t lie – this is something the US is not winning.
Stay safe and well people xx
Melissa Atkinson is in the photograph of protestors pushing up against the doors of the Ohio statehouse that has been compared to a zombie attack.
Betsy DeVos and her brother organized the Michigan protests.
The same horrible, anti-Semitic sign referring to Jewish people as rats has popped up at numerous rallies.
There was a protest down near Cape Cod yesterday. MA is currently number 3 in cases right now and is riding a surge. Our big hospitals are at peak capacity and Trump keeps stealing equipment they purchase. Yet there these idiots were near the bridge to the Cape, demanding it be allowed to open. Most were carrying Trump campaign signs and others professionally made signs about opening the churches – churches here closed BEFORE the governor ordered a shutdown and few complained about it. Those signs came here from somewhere else. Thank God open carry isn’t allowed here.
You live on the cape? My ex lives there and I am so worried about him. I Fedex’d him masks. He has a pre existing condition that would render him almost helpless if he got this. I have spent a lot of time on the cape and it’s in my blood, but I do know there are more magats among the locals than one would imagine.
No, I’m north of Boston but I have extended family on the Cape.
I kinda wish the governors of MA, MI, etc would just put all the bodies on a bunch of trucks and drive them to the protesters so they can get a good look. Maybe that will wake them up.
At least I know they are all going straight to hell after this.
I’m so mad at these types of people. I went out to winn Dixie, a grocery store, and almost no one was wearing masks. Just mainly older people. Because “they” are telling us we can gradually reopen, these fools think the danger is over. And to compare yourself to rosa parks, that’s some phucking nerve! The only thing these protesters have shown is that they are selfish jerks
Yup. In my town, a few MAGA types were complaining early on but they’ve mostly stopped because a beloved vet, not that old, died from Covid. I do think when the virus hits close to home, some of those types of people do get the danger.
The photo of the guy wearing the “Keep America Great” face mask should be added to the dictionary next to the definition of “oblivious”…or imbecile, or ignoramus or mental illness.
I’m not a supporter of eugenics or forced sterilization but people like that might change my mind.
I see these twats are screaming about ‘their body their choice’ over vaccines but not when it comes to pregnancy or sexual harassment.
They disgust me.
Not quite on topic, but… is anyone finding themselves slacking on their social distancing or PPE usage?
I swear my family caught c19 early last month, but still can’t get antibody testing to confirm. I’ve been dutifully wearing my mask, limiting my excursions, and keeping the kids home.
This last weekend, my 13yo daughter was hospitalized for crazy low anemia from a horror-flick inspired period I’ve never seen the likes of. Only I was allowed to stay with her due to the hospital’s C19 procedures. The whole time I was in a room with her, i never wore a mask, even when the nuses came in. I actually forbade her from wearing her mask because she was at such a risk of passing out.
Anyway, thinking back on it, I really feel guilty for putting the staff potentially at risk. I guess in my mind, I rationalized we are immune and no longer shedding, but I have no proof to back it up.
TLDR; Anyone else feeling PPE/SocDis fatigue?
So, what has happened to me is that I have pulled back a little bit, but I was like crazed before. For example, I visited my brother and my niece at their restaurant on Saturday. They are only doing take out and curbside, and I went off hours. I did wear a mask and gloves. I also went food shopping this week. Early on I was able to book deliveries but it’s become near impossible, and I also feel like, I should leave them to the elderly at this point. I also went to my other brother’s house, but outside, and we all stayed 6 feet apart. These are all things I didn’t do in March.
I became convinced I had this in late February. At first I didn’t know what it was, but as more info has come out recently, I discovered that actually what I had DOES fit the symptoms. I was sicker than I had ever been, and thought I was going to die, but it was not respiratory, it was intestinal including truly horrifying acute abdominal pain. And a throbbing headache that nothing would help, that lasted a whole week. That alone had me crying at one point. Also a low grade fever.
Of course until we get antibody tests we can’t be sure, so we still have to take precautions, but yeah, I think I had it, I think I actually had it quite badly, and it settled in my kidneys at the end, and I am probably lucky I didn’t have renal failure….but I didn’t, and I am fighting against relaxing. Because what if I’m wrong?
“I became convinced I had this in late February. At first I didn’t know what it was, but as more info has come out recently, I discovered that actually what I had DOES fit the symptoms. I was sicker than I had ever been, and thought I was going to die, but it was not respiratory, it was intestinal including truly horrifying acute abdominal pain. And a throbbing headache that nothing would help, that lasted a whole week. That alone had me crying at one point. Also a low grade fever.”
I had those same symptoms and I was convinced it was food poisoning, I threw out so much food (that I couldn’t really afford to throw out because I’m trying to avoid the grocery store for as long as possible). I’m prone to cluster headaches and to migraines, so when I get terrible headaches it’s hard for me to know if it’s that or if it’s a symptom of something else. I also had terrible chills, but I figured I wasn’t sleeping well and fatigue also causes chills (even if not usually so bad).
Each symptom can be individually explained away, but it also replicates some reported COVID-19 symptoms (and they all went away at about the same time), so it’s hard to know.
Holy sh@t @larelyn. Hope everythings better now. I get fatigued, but put it in the same basket as sh!tting, eating and washing clothes. “Gotta be done if one wants to live polite-ly” is the boring mantra.
Gather up all these ‘freedom fighters’ and tell them they’ve won a cruise – leave them in the middle of the pacific ocean until ‘science’ sorts the wheat from the chaff.
The level of self-centeredness and entitlement here is staggering, and as an emergency management worker I am sickened. “My body, my choice?” What about your effing COMMUNITY? These people don’t care that they’re not just making decisions for themselves, they’re making them on behalf of everyone around them. Living in a hot-red state (but from a deep-blue one), I hear all the time that “people have to make their own choices,” clearly not understanding the implications of that. But this is the America we have come to deserve… selfish and entitled. And we will suffer because of it.
Trump’s incompetent response to covid19 will do more damage to his re-election prospects than anything else. It’ll be a high price to pay to get rid of him though.
Sadly, it’s not just the MAGAts. I had a revealing discussion with a fellow NURSE on Facebook just last night where she was complaining about the drastic cut to her hours due to her employer not being overrun with Covid cases. My hospital is much the same, since we have cancelled all elective surgeries and we have been fortunate, the census is extremely low and we are all working reduced hours. Yes, it sucks financially, but I can’t help but feel extremely grateful that I live in an area with very few cases and those are weeks old.
I tried to see where she is coming from, at age 60 she is now raising her 2 year old grandson and she just bought a home she is afraid of losing. But damn, when your healthcare professionals are thinking with their wallets ahead of common sense…I fear it is only going to get worse.
The co-opting of the Civil rights movement by the right has been done on purpose and is one their more sinister ways to eradicate truth and the meaning of words. George Orwell 101
Yes, and I saw one dummy with a sign she coopted from the feminist pro choice movement. They are real pieces of work these pieces of isht.
So let me get this right –
States rights good – Slavery, weapons stockpiles and the freedom to infect people with a potentially fatal virus for which there is no vaccine because you’re pissed you can’t freely go to the park and wave your AK47 around
States rights bad – A woman having control over her own body and trying to keep people healthy so they don’t overwhelm the hospital systems or the folks that serve them.
If that ain’t this f*cking country in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.
Okay – you want all this freedom? Anyone who voluntarily goes out about in public must register all movements. If they become ill, they will receive no additional medical care and if it is determined that they infected someone else (unless that person was also voluntarily out in public) they will receive a sentence of manslaughter if that person becomes ill and dies as a result of the virus. They will also surrender all masks, hand sanitizers etc to medical professionals for use in treating people infected with the virus (because it’s just a big Democratic hoax, anyway – right?) and they will be quarantined under house arrest in the middle of nowhere with others until they either recover or die.
@grabbyhands But their “rights” include the “right” to not be tracked as they go out to the bank to cash their stimulus check that they feel they are due While spreading the virus they undoubtedly picked up while not social distancing while screaming about FREEDOM while arming themselves with their semi-automatic weapons while collecting their disability check …..pick a side, Trumpers. They hate government “interference” until they need it. I am so f*cking mad at this country right now.
I’ve been so frakking mad all weekend over this. And, of course as always, Cheeto dick. The protesting over trying to keep people healthy is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen, or at least since OJ was illustrating how the damn glove didn’t fit. I don’t know what I expected, however, with all the shit coming out of the White House a million times a day, these one-dimensional toxic organisms with AK47s were foaming at the mouth.
This is exactly why insanity can’t preside over a nation. You can’t cry LIBERATE, say they’re responsible people and then back off. He’s doing this because he’s pissed. Put everything on the states and their politicians, stir as many cauldrons as possible, then sit down and eat cheeseburgers until shit hits the fan. He has to take credit for every positive and place blame for every negative so he sets everyone up for failure. I hate him. I don’t understand why he’s still frakking there. Republicans are shrugging shoulders and Democrats are pillow fighting. The President is certifiable and dangerous and nobody gives a shit.
Everybody here gives a shit. If our collective hatred had a physical result, well ….
Exactly, if only. Those who have any kind of platform are failing us monumentally. And the poor journalists who are asking relevant questions get shut down with idiotic replies such as, “You’re a terrible reporter, You’re so disgraceful, Look, you know you’re fake.” It’s completely unacceptable.
My city, Huntington Beach, hosted one of these rallies this weekend. It was sickening seeing my city portrayed as a MAGA hotspot, especially given what we have done as a community to come together to help and protect those in need. Orange County has a large, underground white supremacy movement, and I would not be surprised if there is some overlap between the protestors on Saturday and the people who spray paint swastikas and love to create chaos and dissent.
I read on Reddit yesterday about the “astroturfing” that’s happening online, and how these protests are being coordinated by an organized faction. I’m not a technical whiz by any means and some of the evidence presented was lost on my feeble brain, but basically, the “Liberate (insert state name here)” URLs were all created within a day and certain hours at godaddy.com by one entity. These protests are not some random convergence of citizens; these are planned, organized, protests by an organization who wants to sow seeds of dissent and violence. And it’s sickening.
Girl, I live in Texas. I live with embarrassment every stinking day lol.
I was just unfriended by a fellow NURSE in Dallas who wrote “99% of the healthcare workers in the DFW area are not in any danger, our hospitals are empty”. As she complained about being cut back on hours.
At that point you know there is no reason and my only response was I was happy for her safety, not everyone was that lucky.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine in Massachusetts. We were texting about it last night, wondering why it’s so hard to look at this as temporary and that staying home to minimize transmission is safer and healthier for everyone involved. It’s not rocket science.
Actually a number of these protests were “created” by underground gun rights groups and other right wing extremists. It seems some of these were manufactured protests. Here in MD the idiots protesting wouldn’t get out of their cars. So you know not to get near other people but you just wanted to come honk your Horn?
Noodle I watched the HBO documentary Brexit. It explained exactly how Facebook was used by Cambridge Analytica to sway the Brexit vote. It was so, so, so well done. It explained the astroturfing in such an amazing way. The right is hugely unethical and take their moral ques from all the worst of big business ideology.
@pineapple, I will have to go check that one out. I had not heard of astroturfing until yesterday, and now I can see how it has been used in sinister ways in so many of our political and cultural realms. Thanks for the suggestion!
I will say that the URLS could be a suspicious thing – but working for a competitor of GoDaddy I can assure you that there are people who make a lot of money by bulk registering specific domains (eg the title of a movie, or a new slang thing or whatever) because they know there will be people willing to buy it from them. Some people make a tidy amount of money from that kind of thing.
@erinn, @diegoinsf above posted the links from Reddit (thanks diegoinsf — you saved me from having to go back and find it on Reddit!). It looks pretty compelling that this is an organized attempt to sow discord and bring out the 2A nutters and MAGA folks. I am not one for conspiracy theories, and certainly, buying out domains is nothing new, but this is a concerted, organized effort.
Link to reddit commenter with ALL the receipts: https://www.reddit.com/r/maryland/comments/g3niq3/i_simply_cannot_believe_that_people_are/fnstpyl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
It is planned. The intent is chaos. And if these particular states are embroiled in chaos, Mussolini wins.
Orange County was bad news even before it spawned Nixon.
I’m not at all surprised by this idiocy, they voted in a reality tv star with no experience in government.
Hilarious they don’t like being told what they can and can’t do with their own bodies, NOW it’s a problem?! These people clearly aren’t pro life and they prove that more everyday with this bullshit. They don’t care about saving the elderly or immune compromised, or saving healthcare workers, just like they don’t care about children’s lives as they sit in foster care waiting for adoptions. They only care about themselves and money, and want to force women to give birth so they can snag a fresh newborn baby instead of a jaded older child.
God I wish hospitals could refuse to treat them when they end up sick as shit with covid.
Yeah back in January when I saw what China was doing (mandatory lockdown) I knew when it hit America, there would be rebellion. These people don’t want a vaccine, don’t want a lockdown, don’t want to wear masks. So what the f*ck is their solution ??? Just go back to normal and whoever dies dies ??? Stupid.
“Just go back to normal and whoever dies dies?”
Yep, that’s exactly their solution.
These photos and footage have single-handedly done extensive damage to America’s international reputation – sadly to the detriment of the Americans who ARE doing the right thing. This is the first time in modern history – perhaps even recorded history – that the entire world is working towards one goal, and what will the world remember [parts of] America doing? This.
I’ve always heard that Americans only typically get news about America and not a lot from around the world. I don’t know if that’s true or not. If it is somewhat true I wonder if that compounds everything.
I also realize those who are aware of what’s going on outside the US are also more likely to seek out other news sources.
Can any Americans enlighten me?
We have access to news from all over the globe. Having said that, Americans don’t tend to travel as much as the rest of the world, at least not mid to older generations and so our exposure to other cultures can be pretty limited. So not so much lack of access, but lack of interest maybe? Throw in a healthy dose of old fashioned arrogance and nationalism and you get almost a willful ignorance on events outside of our borders.
Disclaimer: I am not speaking for “all Americans” I am just expressing my opinion on the question asked.
Thanks for answering! I guess I should have rephrased the question – does the typical nightly news highlight world events?
I just find it mind-boggling that people still think that COVID-19 is a hoax or something designed to target Trump when it is something that is affecting the entire world!
@Keroppi, no, it doesn’t. Local news, which is what most people watch, rarely covers anything international unless there has been some major crisis and even then, it will just get a brief mention and then they move onto whatever the governor or mayor or local sports team is doing. Newspapers have scant coverage of international events unless there’s direct impact on the US. Even the bigger papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post have limited international coverage. The network and cable news programs offer extremely limited international coverage so, yes, back in December and January, there was some news coverage about there being lockdowns in China due to a virus but let’s move on to coverage of the presidential primaries and the NFL season. The crisis in Italy has gotten some coverage and Boris Johnson’s hospitalization but few of these imbeciles holding protests are aware of any of that.
US news has very little coverage of International news. It’s shocking when you have lived in other countries. I am American, btw.
A lot of Americans don’t read much. And when they do, it’s the same sources that reinforce what they already feel.
All these idiots are going to do is extend the stay at home orders, and worsen the economic situation. That is best case scenario
Worst case they will kill people, and honestly if this themselves great don’t care they made that choice but if its an innocent person who is following all the rules or a grocery store clerk or health care worker I am going to rage.
Bet they’re pro-life. Unless that life is lost because of the corona virus.
I feel bad for the reporters and photographers that have to cover this. Then again, do they have to cover this?
Their stupidly will be validated because of the people who are intelligent enough to stay home. These idiots are less likely to get it because of those who are doing their part. And that pisses me off.
I love how a vaccine violates their autonomy over their own bodies yet they’ll demand abortions are illegal all over the place and damn the women for wanting to decide over their own bodies.
Her nose ring suits her. Fit for a stubborn bull who’s full of shit.
I have to ask this question of my American neighbours: are people desperate to get back to work because their health coverage is tied to employment? Is the American workers’ suffering compounded by the premiums they pay for employer supplied healthcare as well? So even if they stay on a plan while furloughed, do they still owe monthly premiums even if they might not be earning a wage? I can’t imagine unemployment paying for all their living expenses as well as premiums too. And they only got one stimulus payment that must be all but gone by now?
This economic hardship is compelling. It does not justify defying the measures needed to control the spread of the virus, but as a Canadian that does not lose sleep over their healthcare, could this problem be one of the factors contributing to people’s need to get back to work? I truly am wondering…
Teebee, I do think you have a point. Most American’s don’t have enough saved money to
weather a financial storm like this and I’m sure many of them are getting anxious and worrying about losing homes, not being able to pay for education, much less food. It is a luxury to be able to stay home and not have your finances suffer for it. But there are certainly ways they could protest that won’t place others (including themselves for God’s sake!) at risk.
I live in NYC. There are refrigerated trucks parked outside of our hospitals because there’s no more space in the hospital morgues. But sometimes I think about how unreal Covid-19 must still feel to some people who aren’t living in the hot zone, so to speak: like, if you’re not hearing ambulances all day and night and you don’t know a dozen people who’ve had it already and your friend’s dad isn’t about to die alone in the hospital from it, maybe it really does seem overblown?
But that being said, these rallies are equal parts tragic and disgusting. I don’t care if the morons with the signs get sick. I burn with fury at the thought of the healthcare workers who will face an increased risk of death because of them.
I love the way this site goes in on politics.
So basically these are collections of the dumbest people in the country. Funny that those anti-vaxxers are there, considering that a vaccine is our only real way to get back to normal. I’m turning into a horrible human and often catch myself wishing harm onto these fools. Sigh.
I think we can be forgiven for going primitive and wishing harm and death on these wastrels. Good effing riddance. As someone above said, it needs to hit them close to home before they clue in. Incomprehensible idiocy and arrogance.
I’ve seen picture of those cosplaying gun nuts with their semi-automatics, parading around with their anonymity masks and their fingers resting on their triggers…So…Are these goons thinking they can shoot the virus? Ugh.
I feel bad for any innocent person or medical professional who ends up dealing with these meatsacks.
I hope they all get it and it culls them from the gene pool. And as someone who currently has it it’s pretty horrible, even for a mild/moderate case.
I do feel very sorry for the healthcare workers who will have to deal with them.
Hopefully all the protesters choose to die at home
They should be protesting the government that isn’t looking after them. In Canada they are giving people who lose their jobs due to COVID 2000 a month for four months, help for small business, and invested money in cleaning up orphaned wells so oil workers could still work if they were laid off. People also get a monthly benefit for kids here and 300 a month for three months extra was added to that. Gst, another tax refund of sorts for low to middle income was boosted for a month. As well, each province can add stuff. In BC for example there is 500 a month for rent from the government, welfare recipients get 300 extra a month for three months and we get a refund on our carbon tax ( a corrective tax we pay ) in July , a one time 1000 dollar top up to the federal assistance, a clean supply of drugs for addicts in Vancouver BC , and they literally role out new help several times a week as need arises. We have our tin foil hat people and complainers but not outright dissent as of yet. And we are more compliant. And really the majority are happy to be I think. It’s more like a large community effort to get things under control. At least when he get hosed in future taxes we benefited from it and not just corporations. We benefit in every way, from being more financially stable and being able to contribute to flattening the curve.
What is the worst virus, the worst disease? Not Covid_19, but fear. Fear that has captivated almost the whole world, fear that has been cultivated by so many of our political leaders. The world is on lockodown and people are so scared that noone even sees straight. How many people die every day of heart diseases? How many people die every day of hunger? Noone speaks about these numbers in comparison to Covid_19. Nobody asks whether this person died because of Covid_19 or with it. Locking down whole economy does not help us to live with these kind of viruses. There will be many in the future. And, yes, I might save some lives from Covid_19, but we are liberately sacrificing millions of others because we have been manipulated with fear. For once I agree with Trump – open the world and let’s find other ways to deal with this pandemic.