thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

Well, maybe. For what Arch says to actually be a lie requires a level of cognition that Arch may not posses.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

Said member still will not acknowledge how dangerous his proclamations were.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

Are you claiming that "predator Trump" is inaccurate, or just saying you would like kinder language?

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Neither. I'm saying that foul, abusive language and ad hominem attacks do not foster rational discussion. Presumably you have a point to make, and are hoping that I will see your point and perhaps change my plan or my opinion. I am less likely to give you any credence if you can't make your point without name calling or using demeaning, abusive or foul language. Your point should be strong enough on its own merits without having to resort to that.

Assuming the point of having a discussion group is to discuss, debate, and to consider points thoughtfully in a collegial adult manner.

Carusoswi

When Predator Trump apologizes for his habit of singeing out professional press reporters as fake, and their respective news organizations as fake news, and when he confesses to the truth of his remarks that his fame entitles him to abuse females (a proclamation captured on video) then I will genuflect and confess the errors of my posts here. Until then, anyone attacking me can join the Predator in Chief as a sympathizer to his habits which I abhor.
I could care less what you think of me or my posts. Someone, somewhere needs to step up and state the facts as they are.

Caruso

LoStrunzo

In my humble estimation the use of perjorative language is a technique used to shut off debate, counter views, let the user have the last word, seem like their point of view is right. Who wants to engage in a debate with anyone who will toss out that kind of invective? Not worth the effort because the mind is closed to any other point of view but theirs.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

My rebuke was because of your choice of language - it was not related to the thoughts expressed

I had feared for half a day that it would end up here, but the language was just short of that.
We can express such sentiments in Chit-Chat, but only if we use appropriate language.
Language was why I objected use of "the leftists" by others.

You probably hadn't noticed, but I severely limit my excursions into the Attic because language limits actual {real} communications.

If you don't understand that, don't bother to ask me here, because now I will say 'bye' to yet another thread.

[unwatch]

btbg

There may be another job, I don't know, but the job I chose is gone forever. There is no opportunity to get a comparable job ever. That is not hyperbole. That is a fact. There are four newspapers within driving distance of where I live. That means there are four possible places to get a job. One has not had a sports reporter for several years and isn't going to add one. One is a daily and has a 25 year old sports reporter still on their pay role. He is not going to leave because there are no other jobs available in the field currently.

The other two belong to the corporation I worked for. They have already said that they are only going to higher back one sports reporter to cover both papers circulation area. That is going to be the kid that worked for the other paper. So, I might be able to get another job, but I can never work in my career field again.

Like you pointed out you don't understand why New Jersey has all parks closed. I can answer that question. In Oregon all state parks are closed. The reason used is because prior to closing them there were three state parks in the metropolitan area near Portland that became overcrowded the first weekend that there was good weather. So, in order to prevent that from happening again the governor had all state parks state wide closed regardless of whether they were ever going to be crowded or not.

I'm sure that since New Jersey has much larger crowds than Oregon they are reasoning the same. As far as your statement that I won't be angry if I'm dead, that's why I'm so frustrated. There is little or no risk that I, or anyone else in our community is going to die from the virus as long as people use a modicum of common sense.

There has been one case in our county and she didn't get the virus here. She got sick, and came to town for her parents to take care of her. They called the health authorities and it was confirmed that she had the virus and the entire family has quarantined. If they are telling the truth no one else in the county was exposed. The county south of us has no cases, the same with the county north and east of us.

With the lock down orders that are in place even if the bulk of the eastern Oregon counties were fully opened other than lodging and camp grounds there would be no way for someone else to get here to infect people.

You see my point has always been that sure we need to take precautions, but the governors are overreaching. Harney County Oregon has no cases. They are in the middle of no place, so even if they opened local businesses no one is going to come and visit. Their county court asked the governor for permission to be a pilot program for the entire state and reopen. The request was denied because they can't meet the governors criteria for reopening.

Those criteria include having enough hospital beds for a surge of patients. Harney County can never meet that requirement. They have one very small hospital and send all serious illnesses 150 miles to Bend in Deschutes County. Since the governor is requiring each county to be able to provide their own services then Harney County is screwed. Yet, they have no cases.

Does that make sense to you? It sure doesn't to me. That is why I am angry. Because much of this was avoidable. Doctors from Yale and Stanford are both now on public record that we are approaching this the wrong way. They are both saying that we need to protect the elderly and those with underlying health problems and reopen for everyone else so that people do get infected and we can develop herd immunity.

They are saying that if we continue on the path we are on all we will do is spread out the number of cases over a longer period of time. And they are also saying that as long as we take precautions to protect the vulnerable then we aren't going to see a spike in deaths. Studies by both Stanford and New York City make it clear that way more people have already had the virus than are being reported. That means that the actual mortality rate is much lower than reported. It is even lower still with the young and healthy. So why should we be trampling on people's rights when they are not at risk? It makes no sense.

That's why I'm angry. I'm sorry that you have lost your job. I hope you are safe. I am at very low risk and consequently resent government trying to run my life. They aren't protecting me because there is virtually no risk currently where I live. Instead they are trampling on my civil rights.

That's what people who are in favor of the continued lock down do not understand. There are areas where the lock downs are probably saving lives. However, there are other areas where that is not the case. As long as individuals from the hot spots do not travel to the other regions we are at very low risk. So, a one size fits all solution makes no sense.

Here's an example of how crazy this is becoming. The governor of Alaska relaxed some of their restrictions recently. My daughter lives in Sitka. They have had no cases of the virus, but their economy has been destroyed because they rely on tourism, and this year's tourism is not happening. That in and of itself is a problem, but it makes sense. If tourists are allowed to come then they will indeed bring the virus. So anyway they have been locked down.

Alaska is currently requiring any visitors to the state to quarantine for two weeks as soon as they land at the airports. So anyway, the state has allowed some businesses to reopen. So, last week Sitka reopened those businesses. Then late last week they had a false positive test for the virus. The city immediately overreacted and shut not only the businesses that had just reopened, but everything else as well. Then the individual was retested and it turned out to be negative. They were letting fear make policy decisions for them. That's what I'm angry about is that we are letting fear dictate policy. And we are giving up our personal freedoms, even in situations where it is not warranted.

I'm sad that my job is gone, but I'm not angry that my job is gone. I'm angry that they are taking away my rights and freedoms and are doing it in an irrational and dictatorial manner.

btbg

Totally agree.

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

Has this gone to the {attic}?

I had hoped for facts, people thinking about the issues and what/how they would respond, what they would do.

Still confused by what I'm hearing from within the State of GA. Atlanta is not yet at or over our 'peak'. Albany GA's got one hospital for the entire county. They have 38 beds in the hospital, a limit for Covid-19 cases they reached more than 2 weeks ago. Currently they have 100+ Covid cases and the curve is definitely going straight up, not down. This from an interview with the ER Doctor of the hospital.

Trump had encouraged states to end their shut downs. State Governors responded. The citizens said they thought this was too dangerous. When Trump saw the polling info and listened to his own medical team saying the same thing, he then phoned the Governor of GA and said not to open GA.

We are all headed down the wrong direction to an unnecessary dangerous path of more Americans suffering and dying for no good reason.

If this has gotten sent to the attic, I'm sorry for everyone here who wanted to turn this into a political vent. I hoped for better from each of us, for the better of all of us.

We are all in the same boat. We need to do our best for ourselves and everyone else to follow the advice or recommendations of doctors and professionals to help all of us get through this.

Please be safe. None of us is the "enemy." Covid-19 is the enemy.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

I’m afraid Trump turned it into a political issue.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Perhaps you're right. On the other hand, the media certainly turns any and everything Trumps says or does into a political issue.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I have "underlying conditions" but that is no reason to stay locked down andstay inside. As long as you maintain safe distances (6 FT ) there is no reason not to go outside. Go out. Get some sun take a walk. Youare actually safer outside where there is always a breeze. I don't know if GA is right or wrong. But there is a line that if is not crossed the damage wiil be permenant and catastrophic So the entire country just can't afford to be to cautious.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

The man started campaigning the day he was sworn into office.

Overthehill1

Given the absurdity of so much of what Trump says and does, it would be sheer negligence for the media not to report it. Political issues kind of follow naturally. Some are stoked by the liberal side, some by the conservative. But anyone who hasn't questioned Trump's actions, or more accurately inactions, in the current crisis when something still could have been done needs an immediate intubation of FACTS. Of course, those are most often obtained from the dreaded mainstream media, which most of those defending him avoid like the rest of us are trying to do with Covid-19. Not addressing anyone here specifically, just a general opinion based on nearly 4 decades as a newsman, now retired. Hell, I remember the Fairness Doctrine, the repeal of which has led to many of our current media problems.