A place for progressive atheists.
Comments
-
And this took place at the same time today. Trump continues to hog these daily conferences where people who know facts, and figures do their best to give us information to rely on while Trump and toadies seem more inclined to say almost anything and then back each other up.
0 -
Wren, hearing Pence’s reply to Peter Alexander’s question makes me wonder if Pence sees the fissures of the dam cracking, breaking apart in Trump and he (Pence) is thinking he could be stepping into the shoes as our nation’s leader. I mean, I know I’m not the only one wondering that. Pence is in the unique position as 2nd in line to see it all both behind the scenes and as its being played out in the public eye. I despise Pence and yet. And yet. When Don could not volley a simple question anddid not take on the role of Comforter in Chief to assure the American public that things will all work out and instead attacked the reporter, I had such a sinking feeling. Even in this crisis the likes we’ve never seen in our lifetime, old F- - - face is protecting his (insert expletive of choice here) image. Completely unbelievable, if the man could suck his own you know what, he would.
0 -
0 -
Donald Trump threw one of his trademark temper tantrums today calling NBC's Peter Alexander a "terrible reporter" and saying that's "a very nasty question". Then he went on a long rant attacking NBC and Comcast.
What was the "very nasty" question that Peter Alexander asked?
"What do you say to Americans who are watching right now who are scared?"
...Watch it for yourself.
See MorePresident Trump called NBC's Peter Alexander a "terrible reporter" for asking questions about the messaging behind a possible coronavirus anti-viral treatmen...
About this website
youtube.comTrump Berates Peter Alexander Over Coronavirus Question: 'You're A Terrible Reporter' | NBC NewsPresident Trump called NBC's Peter Alexander a "terrible reporter" for asking questions about the messaging behind a possible coronavirus anti-viral treatmen...
0 -
Jackie: Not that I think Peter Alexander or really anyone is entitled to this type of behavior, DT did the same thing to a black female reporter recently. He's unhinged and I think his true colors are shining through for all to see. If his supporters think this is justifiable behavior then they also need to be voted out of office.
He is telling the governors to find their own medical supplies and then the governors are reporting that they are being outbid by the federal government and DT thinks this is acceptable. As a nurse (no longer on the frontlines) this is not acceptable. If healthcare workers do not have the PPE (personal protective equipment) available to protect them from the coronavirus there will be no one on the frontlines to take care of those who will be becoming ill due to lack of early containment. No one in government needs to worry because they will have access to healthcare not readily available to the common folk and the uninsured have little to guarantee them access at all. If we want healthcare for all, then the government should offer access to the same level of health insurance coverage that they have and will have for life.
As it is healthcare rationing is already being discussed and if you are over the age of 65 you will not be offered ICU services. I am most annoyed that they keep placing emphasis on the "underlying medical conditions" of those who have died. Yes, they have pre-existing conditions but most might not have died if they had not contracted coronavirus. It is almost like they are justifying or shame blaming why they died. Those people mattered to someone and their deaths matter to all of us. As John Donne said "No man is an island" and their deaths do matter to me when many of them were preventable with earlier interventions. Shame on the Donald. He is no better than the Chinese leader.
0 -
I liked the look on Peter Alexander's face. He looked shocked and was listening in total disbelief to Trump's tantrum.
And Trump needs to stop calling it the Chinese virus. There was a photo in the paper of the engineer and quality control person at the factory in Bothell, WA making ventilators. Both were Asian.
A hospital in Bellingham has volunteers sewing masks for their staff using marine grade plastic.
0 -
Jesus. I know I should be immune to Trump’s stunts by now, but HOW does anyone still believe there is a shred of human decency in him
0 -
This was in March 20 Washington Post. Why christian nationalists think trump is heaven sent:
As Stewart writes: "When God sends a ruler to save the nation, He doesn't mess around; He sends a kingly king. And kings don't have to follow the rules." She clearly demonstrates how Trump's policies on school "choice" and health care, and his support for conservative regimes abroad, continue political battles that were set in motion decades ago, from Paul Weyrich's engineering of the New Right in the 1970s to the dismantling of the establishment clause — the portion of the First Amendment that prevents the government from favoring one religion over another — since the early 1980s. It's a long playbook. The difference now is just how thoroughly this rhetoric of Christian kingship has saturated national discourse, and how technologies like data mining and social media bots have helped it spread.
He goes on to say something like Christian nationalists favor a king and that god often sends an imperfect savior. So, it seems to me that my rational arguments fall on deaf ears because Christian nationalists are not persuaded by facts but by a belief ideology that is immune to facts.
0 -
For residents of Arkansas who feel sick, there is this site for Covid-19 screening. Please share this with your friends and family in Arkansas. https://uamshealth.com/healthnow/
0 -
I have seen Trump more as barely having a soul and what may be there is not recognized by Trump at all. Not only do the Christian Nationals think it likely Trump was sent -- but Trump sees himself so exalted ( long before any possible recognition from CN's ) that he elevates himself. I not only think he believes this, but I think he has felt it his whole adult life or more. He was given special notice and privilege from his parents that I think allowed him to feel, even back then, that he was MORE than others. I also believe that some individuals come into this world with mental issues that are not controlled, perhaps never even noted by those around them much, and I think this can develop off the rails over time.
Some might feel that Trump is not to blame. Well, I would say not entirely. Those who need to share a great deal of blame ( in fact, most of it ) are those who catered to ( starting with his parents ) this human who I see as defective and unable to reason and feel. Many have noted he is fine as long as he pretty much gets his way along with love and adoration, but if their is a deviation than you are due his ire and retribution. Not sure if he could have been contained well, even with strong and consistent treatment, and we will never know. What I do know is there should be great abysmal shame towards anyone, either side, who allowed this man to continue in the role of President because he is wholly incapable of caring about, and dealing with anything that isn't all about him 24 hours a day, 365 days a yr. If a huge and I do mean huge and meaningful lesson is not learned now, then we are incapable of any learning. These are only my opinions and feelings, and not in great logic or order, but how I do feel about this person.
0 -
Mar 21
If there is a story today, it is in how fast our news cycles are changing. Last night I wrote of the news that Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) appear to have capitalized on private information about the dangers of coronavirus they received as senators by selling off stock and, in Loeffler's case, buying stock in a company that makes telecommuting software.
Some of you expressed dismay that I did not include in my list Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), James Inhofe (R-OK), or Ron Johnson (R-WI). But the stories that they had sold stock in the crucial period broke after I wrote last night, posting at 3:00 a.m., so I did not see them until after I had posted (and couldn't bear to go back in and revise at that hour). And then the story changed again: it appears that the transactions of the last three were legitimate: Feinstein did not attend the briefing where the senators heard of the dangers of the coronavirus, her holdings are in a blind trust and her sales were in unrelated stocks, and she lost money; Inhofe had been systematically selling stocks for a while; Johnson, too, had been selling stocks and continued to sell after the market began dropping.
Burr and Loeffler, though, remain on the hook with abrupt transactions that appear connected to the coronavirus briefing. Burr responded to the reports today with a weak defense that said he had relied only on "public news reports" of the seriousness of the issue and that he wants the Senate Ethics Committee to open "a complete review."
This story has been in the news cycle only 24 hours, and it seems already to be behind us. One thing that has stuck, though, is that our Intelligence agencies were warning the president and members of Congress as early as January that the coronavirus would be a deadly pandemic, even as those same lawmakers continued to downplay the danger and claim that concerns about it were a Democratic hoax.
The rest of the day's news is more of the same that we have been getting for the past few weeks, all on steroids:
Our coronavirus numbers are up again, with more than 19,200 diagnosed cases in the United States. At least 258 have died. California and New York have ordered their inhabitants to stay at home except for imperative trips for supplies or medical care; New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, as well as the city of New Orleans, have issued similar restrictions. The administration has closed the borders to Canada and Mexico to all nonessential travelers starting at midnight on Saturday.
The stock market is down again, stumbling lower as investors tried to figure out where the coronavirus would leave the world economy. On February 12, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high of 29,551.42, but on Friday, March 20, it closed at 19,173.98, capping a loss of a third of its value. It is now below where it was when Trump took office, erasing the gains that he has boasted of as a sign of the strength of his administration.
The strain on the president showed today in his press conference when he lashed out at NBC News reporter Peter Alexander. Alexander lobbed a softball question at Trump, giving him an opening to reassure Americans with a positive or uplifting message. Alexander asked him "What do you say to Americans who are scared…? I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions, as you witnessed, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?" Rather than answering with a calming, quotable sentence or two, like FDR's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," Trump attacked Alexander. "I say that you're a terrible reporter. That's what I say. I think that's a very nasty question." Vice President Mike Pence recognized the question for the opportunity it was and later answered the question: "Do not be afraid, be vigilant." He then went on to explain that the risk for most Americans is low.
Trump's petulance has left a leadership vacuum in the country, into which others are stepping, notably New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been carefully explaining to New Yorkers the pandemic and steps he is taking to fight it. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is now hoping to step into the vacuum Trump is leaving. Biden has kept quiet in this pandemic to keep from looking like he was making political attacks during a time of crisis, but as Trump has used his "bully pulpit" to mislead Americans rather than to inform them—saying, for example, that a vaccine is "very close" (it's not), and that everyone can get tests (they can't)-- Biden evidently feels that caution is no longer necessary. He has announced he will start his own briefings as early as Monday, informing Americans of the truth but also likely expecting that he will look more presidential than the actual president as Trump continues to mislead his audience, bully the experts, and lash out at reporters.
The Senate today passed the House coronavirus bill by a vote of 90-8. Voting no on this second coronavirus relief package, which is expected to cost around $104 billion, were Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Inhofe (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul R-(KY), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Tim Scott (R-SC). Trump is expected to sign it. The Senate is working on a third, far more expensive, coronavirus bill, but Republicans, who hold the majority, wrote it without input from Democrats. Now, Democrats believe it is helping business more than regular Americans and want changes, and the two sides cannot find common ground. Still, the Republicans believe the Democrats will accept the $1 trillion dollar bill rather than face popular anger if they block it.
Meanwhile, Trump continues his effort to mold the Intelligence Community to his own ends, purging career officials and replacing them with cronies. Today, nine former intelligence leaders—virtually all of them-- wrote a letter warning Americans that the Trump administration is pursuing a "deeply destructive path" by getting rid of the "nonpartisan experts who serve the president and the American people with no regard to personal politics." The politicization of the intelligence community "is destructive of our nation's ideals, and it puts us all at risk," they wrote.
History has an annoying way of moving glacially, glacially, glacially... until it suddenly turns on a dime. We are in one of those sudden changes. Nothing brought that home to me more than a question from a reader asking where Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani had gone. Just over a month ago he was in the headlines as we learned that the Department of Justice had set up a system to receive information from Giuliani about Hunter Biden and his insistence-- contrary to all our Intelligence agencies-- that it was Ukraine and not Russia that attacked our 2016 election. Today, just over a month later, I had to google him to find out where he'd gone. He has apparently started his own youtube channel to show that the conspiracy he claims to have uncovered in Ukraine reaches all the way through the Democratic party leadership.
Our world is moving fast.
0 -
Only one week into this crisis and the president is talking about letting people die to help the economy. Money is the god of today. Whew!
0 -
Read an article this morning about a preacher in Louisiana who held church Sunday in person for 1000 congregants. No social distancing. Says he is going to lay hands on them and get good old god to heal them if they get coronavirus. Any wonder Louisiana has the fastest growing number of coronavirus cases in the world? It goes beyond mind boggling.
0 -
Perhaps the ultra conservative Christians will fill the pews for Easter. Perhaps then they will start to think science has some merit.
0 -
Miss M.
The Louisiana preacher puts me in mind of Jim Jones. Some people are able to convince others there is no common sense. Many of them are the same ones that have little sense, common and otherwise over Trump. Unfortunately those who think they can cure you and those who think you can cure them are all saddled with the same mental deficiency in cases like the above.
0 -
I got this from a friend.
0 -
I really wish that the media outlets would stop airing the Orange Buffoon's Coronavirus Briefings when they turn into a ego inflated political rally.
0 -
One radio station here won't broadcast his speech because it's so full of lies. And I think the TV networks are cutting off after he's said a little bit. I guess if people want to hear the whole thing, they can watch FOX.
0 -
I have begun to turn the tv off when Trump comes on. Not sure why I bothered as long as I did because he only lies endlessly and any praise is for himself and NEVER anyone else. Also, he is never wrong. That isn't real ( there is no perfect person on this earth ) and if he was as smart as he thinks -- he'd say he was wrong every once in awhile just for the points -- but he can't even do that.
Usually, most stations play excerpts and that is more than enough for me to keep abreast of what he is up to and what I might expect later on. Elsewise I have no wish to look at him, or have to hear him.
0 -
illinoisLady, I’m with you. I cannot bear to see him, hear his disgraceful lies and his shameful behavior towards any journalist that is not associated with FOX. He is an extremely dangerous man....megalomaniac who will never take responsibility for this mess (or any of the others he has created). An interesting read is The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump. A book written early in his Presidency by the leading mental health professionals in the nation. I love Barack Obama and frequently wonder how he would have managed this. I will never understand how FOX watchers can believe that all the other media, who pretty much report the same news, believe it’s fake news and that FOX tells the truth. Sorry, I think they are ignorant morons.
0 -
No need to be sorry, Yoga - they *are* ignorant morons who have been caught up in a cult. Thousands of deaths will be on his head and he is incapable of caring. I think he enjoys the life and death power to be honest.
His mob tendencies are showing too with these governor standoffs. Better prostrate yourself at his feet if you want a few ventilators and a box of masks. If you don't grovel to his liking you're not getting help.
Speaking of life and death, with the lack of respirators, as a terminal patient, I might as well not even bother going to the hospital. Just croak at home with family. Send my ashes and my middle finger to the White House.
It’s terrifying, maddening, exhausting...what a crazy year this month has been.
Take good care, ladies
0 -
Our governor feels that people can handle tough times and scary stuff so he has his staff update a map of all the counties with the number or tests done in the county and the number of positive cases. It's updated several times a day. It also lists the deaths and just as importantly the number of people who have recovered. We are still in the early stages of testing but more testing is being done every day. Does anyone else live in a state with the testing, cases, etc mapped out by county? We can't be the only one.
0 -
I'm in Texas and not aware of such reporting. Where are you?
ETA: I found cases and deaths for my county but no recovered.
0 -
Lauren, I suspect there isn't reporting of recoveries yet because the confirmed cases are so new and we know there has been a lag in testing.
Lyn
0 -
Governor Hutchinson gives talks like this every day / 7 days a week. He hasn't missed one since our 1st case. Scroll a bit until see it start.
This is what a competent republican looks like.
0 -
Here is the link to our map. I hope the link fits.
https://adem.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/ind.../f533ac8a8b6040e5896b05b47b17a647
If it doesn't work, copy and past this into your browser.
https://adem.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/f533ac8a8b6040e5896b05b47b17a647
0 -
Here in NC, we get updates of confirmed cases and deaths by county. No place Tom find out how many have been tested and whether it was negative or positive. At least not that I can find. Our Governor is a Dem but most local/county governments lean conservative
0 -
Just saw Frank Graham shilling for the lord on CNN asking people to call his prayer line. Wonder if they ask for a donation after they pray with you
0 -
This guy gives Alec Baldwin a run for his money as a Trump impersonator:
0 -
DogMom, I am so grateful for Roy Cooper. I am surprised he hasn’t put us on shelter in place, but I expect it’s coming. Richard Burr on the other hand should be warming Martha Stewart’s cell for insider trading. I think he and Trump have some related DNA.
0
