Florida’s new surgeon general skeptical of vaccines, opposes masks

Ladapo signed the Great Barrington Declaration and suggests embracing "the reality of viral spread."

Read the whole story

 

[KGFish]

...the Dems made it nearly impossible to exist without it...

...ultra liberal...

Tell me you're anti-vax without telling me you're anti-vax.

I'm not antivax. I'm vaccinated.

You basically admitted you only got vaccinated because 'the Dems' forced you to.

I also frankly doubt you've witnessed anyone dying as a result of the vaccine.

Nice to call me a liar, but her name was Nanci. Lived in Upland, CA. I have no reason to lie to anyone. Does it matter why I got vacced? I'm not here to be the moral police on reasoning. I got it, it's done.

And strangely I still don't believe you.

To expand on that: the number of deaths reported as a result of the J&J is roughly 88. The population of the US is (rounded down) 350M. So the odds of you knowing one of those 88 is, roughly, 0.000025%

Let's also be very clear that this number of "88 people died of the J&J vaccine" is actually "88 people died up to 23 days after receiving the J&J vaccine."

He may very well know someone who died after receiving the J&J vaccine. I also know someone who died after a COVID vaccine. It was about 3 weeks after receiving his last Moderna dose.

I mean, he died from a big, fat stroke. But he did receive the COVID vaccine some time before, so it's obvious it killed him. I mean, it could have also been the sandwich he was eating, or the shoes he put on earlier that day, or the battery he tried to chew on a few weeks earlier. But it's clearly the COVID vaccine.

GameOver may not be lying about knowing Nanci, but he sure as fuck is lying about why she died. And he even knows why he's lying about it.

 

[daveishereagain]

I won't include Pac4's nonsense here. But, I'll just point out that rubella-a once common disease- has become almost unheard of for 2 generations. Why? Mandatory childhood vaccination. Outbreaks occur (surprise!) among unvaccinated populations.
Why has smallpox, an absolutely horrible disease, been practically been wiped out?
I won't state the obvious.
Why people come on these threads and spew absolute bullshit only shows there really is pure evil in the world. Fuck you all with a fucking sharp stick and a pox on your houses.

 

[ElCid]

Further gish gallop.

It doesn't change your RNA.

What is RNA? Doesn't matter! Barely anyone knows what it is or what it does anyway, but especially the audience for this claim.

Moving on to the next flurry of bullshit...

 

[Chemical Tribe]

My understanding is a Surgeon General is the US equivalent of our Chief Health Officers...

How the fuck does a vaccine-sceptic become Surgeon General? How/Why do vaccine sceptics still even have their licence to practice medicine?

Vaccines are almost certainly the single greatest medical advancement in human history - for a doctor - any doctor, let alone a Surgeon General - to be anti-vaccine is... well, I don't really have the words. Fucked doesn't even begin to describe it.

The US Republican Party is, literally, a death cult. That's the unfortunate but correct explanation for all of this. The leaders of the Republican Cult have decreed that vaccines are bad and impure and the pandemic is fake.

Therefore it's forbidden to think or say otherwise.

Don't forget to mention guns in this regard.

 

[Sir_Win]

Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher known for opposing evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.

Another fucking idiot.

I mean, Europe achieved herd immunity against the plague without the help of vaccine, amiright?

Of course. And it killed 30% of the Europe population.

Probably closer to 60% is accurate. The older estimates that put the number at 30% likely were a heavily underestimated the death toll.

We also don't know for certain if it reached herd immunity or if it burned out for other reasons. We do know it would regularly come back for centuries with new waves that would leave devastation in their wake.

If I remember correctly, plague also killed a large percentage of the (brown?) rat population. Without a carrier species, transmission dropped dramatically. Likewise, subsequent outbreaks tended to occur in concert with increasing populations of plague resistant Norwegian rat populations.

 

[Komarov]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

 

[nunnayobidnis]

Letting the virus run it's course unchecked is what you do when you have no vaccines, and therefore no choice. What Lapado proposes takes Florida and the U.S. one step closer to the Third World.

 

[ZippyPeanut]

My understanding is a Surgeon General is the US equivalent of our Chief Health Officers...

How the fuck does a vaccine-sceptic become Surgeon General? How/Why do vaccine sceptics still even have their licence to practice medicine?

Vaccines are almost certainly the single greatest medical advancement in human history - for a doctor - any doctor, let alone a Surgeon General - to be anti-vaccine is... well, I don't really have the words. Fucked doesn't even begin to describe it.

The US Republican Party is, literally, a death cult. That's the unfortunate but correct explanation for all of this. The leaders of the Republican Cult have decreed that vaccines are bad and impure and the pandemic is fake.

Therefore it's forbidden to think or say otherwise.

Don't forget to mention guns in this regard.

Yeah, but the writers of the Constitution and the second amendment, if alive today, would probably not want to be associated with today's Republicans.

 

[Dragonmaster Lou]

There is a theory here in Ireland that the hot sun in Florida and the southern USA fries their brains.
Cold weather countries like Ireland make cool decisions.

Sam Houston had a similar quote when Texas was trying to determine if it was going to secede and join the Confederacy in the lead up to the US Civil War:

Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, you may win Southern independence if God be not against you, but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of states rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm the South.

 

[Bloater51]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

 

[ranthog]

Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher known for opposing evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.

Another fucking idiot.

I mean, Europe achieved herd immunity against the plague without the help of vaccine, amiright?

Of course. And it killed 30% of the Europe population.

Probably closer to 60% is accurate. The older estimates that put the number at 30% likely were a heavily underestimated the death toll.

We also don't know for certain if it reached herd immunity or if it burned out for other reasons. We do know it would regularly come back for centuries with new waves that would leave devastation in their wake.

If I remember correctly, plague also killed a large percentage of the (brown?) rat population. Without a carrier species, transmission dropped dramatically. Likewise, subsequent outbreaks tended to occur in concert with increasing populations of plague resistant Norwegian rat populations.

The plague did not rely entirely on the on a carrier species to spread, though. People could also spread it via fleas.

There was also a fun airborne version people had to deal with as well.

 

[Mr_Spock]

This article is somewhat misleading. The sad state we are in is one where fear and half truths are portrayed as science. Science, the Vaccines are very effective at preventing hospitalization or death from covid. The data from highly vaccinated nations points to it not preventing the spread of the disease. The CDC has noted this by changing its wording from preventing spread to preventing hospitalization/death. Herd immunity from vaccination does not appear to have occurred anywhere in the world. We have to learn to live with covid.
How do we do that?
Get vaccinated.
Reduce Obesity, this is the single largest commorbity.

It is right for the doctor to stress that vaccination is not a silver bullet solution. That overall health and losing weight are very impactful to reducing your risk of dying from Covid.

This should not be partisan or controversial.

Strange place we are in where sound medical advise from a Surgeon General becomes political.

Question! Choosing between vaccination and losing weight, which one requires less effort, and which one has greater efficacy during this public health crisis?

Sure, there are lots of fat people in the US. We drive everywhere, and many/most communities do not have safe, reliable non-car transit available, unless you like biking down the shoulder of a 55-MPH stroad, having to dodge moving and turning cars, weaving around parked cars, and safely crossing intersections without the risk of getting hit by a vehicle that weighs 100x your bike.

So sure, we're fat. That isnt contagious - COVID is. One heavily outweighs (pun intended) the other. Get vaxxed, then work on your weight problem if you have one.

Railing against the overweight doesn't help here. Sure, obesity is a factor when COVID cases do come in, but if cases can be prevented and/or minimized in effect, that wins all around.

The only conclusion is to get vaccinated. The rest can come later, once it's safe enough to go to the gym and hang out with other sweaty, heavily breathing people.

Remember the primary issues regarding COVID-19's existence: lack of vaccination in the overall populace, with a naturally high R factor. Fixing that must come first before anything else.

 

[Tofystedeth]

Just a reminder, GameOvR is the same dipshit who claims to drive by 2 empty ERs in Wichita daily. Still hasn't provided proof.

Wonder what kind of job he has that puts him in both Wichita, Kansas and Jacksonville, Florida as a resident.

Obviously, the answer is “misinformation specialist in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

Unfortunately based on the locations and facilities listed it's entirely possible he works for the same organization as I do. Which makes me extremely concerned especially if he's in a position for which they still allow travel for work because all of his statements are completely contrary to both the medical and philosophical stance of the org.

 

[Chemical Tribe]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

 

[parasyte]

Correct and people contract it from being bitten by fleas that have bitten infected rodents. We didn't be become 'more resistant', we became cleaner and more intolerant to having rodents everywhere. FYI: prairie dogs carry plague.

Also - unless I'm wrong (always possible, I'm no medical person) - you can't actually become immune to a bacterial infection. You can treat it, and you can minimise your chances of contracting it in the first place, but having it won't grant you long term immunity except at the species level - ie, those that survived it naturally tend to breed that trait.

If I'm not mistaken tetanus is a bacterial infection, no? We have vaccine for tetanus, maybe some type of bacterial infection can be prevented by vaccine then?

I'm sure some much more knowledgeable arsian will explain this to us

Tetanus vaccines train your immune system to recognize and bind to the toxin that tetanus produces, rather than the tetanus bacteria. It also seems widely accepted that tetanus infection does not result in immunity; for example the CDC says this. This is due to the tetanotoxin being an extremely potent neurotoxin (the LD50 is about 3 nanograms per kilogram), so the immune system may not have enough material to recognize the real threat. The vaccine trains the immune system on an inactivated toxoid, and since the tetanotoxin doesn't change (and the C. tetani bacteria doesn't cause a serious illness in the absence of the toxin) the vaccines are extremely effective.

There are other bacterial vaccines, e.g. BCG for tuberculosis or the pneumococcal vaccine for bacterial pneumonia. BCG is an attenuated bovine tuberculosis that isn't infectious, while pneumococcal vaccines are conjugate vaccines that pair a surface protein from the bacteria with an antigen known for generating a strong immune response. These are definitely less efficacious than most viral vaccines or tetanus.

 

[Oldnoobguy]

Florida politicians determined to kill as many of their citizens as possible.

Yeah. I really don't get the end-game here. Why do they want so many people die. Is it really to undermine the Biden administration while signaling their loyalty to the fascist death cult? Or are the people dying the people they really want dead?

The effects of the GOP policies are more than just more deaths, primarily among their supporters. The long term economic effects of their policies will likely result in GOP governed states having worse economies than areas that have mask mandates and high vaccination rates. Cities that didn't mask up during the 1918 flu epidemic generally had lower economic development in subsequent years than those that mandated masks.

Already we are seeing that health care professionals are quitting due to the stress of dealing with the pandemic. In addition, a large percentage of COVID-19 survivors will suffer from long COVID symptoms. GOP policies will result in states ruled by them having far lower health.

If I lived in either Texas or Florida, I would be doing everything I could to move out of state. I'm sure there are thousands living in those states who are looking to move. Those who have the option to move are more likely highly educated and possess highly marketable skills.

Clearly the result of GOP policies will be states with a population that is less educated and skilled and in poorer health compared with states not ruled by the GOP. So why would the GOP pursue these policies?

John Milton has the answer.

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven

The GOP is pursuing these destructive policies, not just in health and science, but also in politics. That is why they are passing legislation that makes it harder for the people to vote and for easier for GOP run states to overturn elections. The GOP doesn't give a damn if their policies result in states run by them being turned into shitholes as long as they get to run the shitholes.

The thing is, the GOP is far worse than Satan. In "Paradise Lost", Tartarus, the place where Satan was caste into after losing his battle against the angelic hosts, was already a place of misery and horror. Satan didn't make it that way. The GOP is bound and determined to turn Florida, Texas, and the other states misruled by them into Tarturus. Satan is a rather admirable guy in "Paradise Lost". The same can not be said about the GOP. Any place ruled by the GOP would be far better off if Satan took over.

 

[ranthog]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

Socialism is not authoritarian. We already have a lot of socialism and our biggest socialist programs are highly popular with the public: Medicare, Social Security, Public Schools, Public Libraries, and etc.

There is no faction on the left that has any power that wants an authoritarian regime. There are some nut jobs like tankies, but they have no influence and no power. The only major political faction that wants an authoritarian government would be the far right movement in the Republican party that wants to over throw elections.

 

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

And arguably Bernie and AOC aren't even really advocating for democratic socialism, but social democracy, despite their insistent terminology. The difference:

• Democratic Socialism advocates for elimination of capitalism and replacement with socialism, i.e. no more private ownership of the means of production, albeit within a democratically elected framework.
• Social Democracy is more about using the welfare state to blunt the sharp edges of capitalism.

Pretty much all of Bernie's and AOC's policies that I can think of off-hand squarely fall into the second camp. Frankly, so does most of the Democratic platform in general, but these two take it to a higher level. But hey, "socialism" is a popular term with hipsters these days.

 

[Dormant Cyber Pathogen]

It is ridiculous that Florida's government is run out of southern Alabama. Good 'ol boy country shoeless hick mentality with bos' Hogg in charge.

 

[KGFish]

Just a reminder, GameOvR is the same dipshit who claims to drive by 2 empty ERs in Wichita daily. Still hasn't provided proof.

Wonder what kind of job he has that puts him in both Wichita, Kansas and Jacksonville, Florida as a resident.

Obviously, the answer is “misinformation specialist in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

Well, he clearly travels a lot. And I have to admit, his attitude is one that I'm unfortunately deeply and personally familiar with.

Ultimately though, I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter whether someone is a Real American like GameOver or a disinformation specialist from Russia. They've both serve the same master and will lead the US to the same place.

 

[johnt007871]

Florida rapidly embracing it's newfound role as the receptacle for America's intellectual refuse.

Why do these people have to be the gate keepers to my beach vacation? It used to just be snow birds, but now it's militant antivaxxers/maskers.

 

[samanime]

DeSantis has already killed more people with Covid than his margin of victory in his 2018 election to office. You can bet that 90% of those deaths are people who voted for him.

Looks like Florida will get a Democrat governor next year.

There is already a conspiracy theory doing their rounds on the right wing media that Democrats are goading Republicans into not taking the vaccine so that they die off quicker and win the election.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment ... ters-dead/

The people of Florida not only voted for a GOP governor but also a GOP majority in both houses in their state - it is difficult to feel sorry for a population who have signed their own death warrant (I do however feel for those who get out and vote against the GOP, see sanity of their state slip away but lack the funds/means to be move out of the state).

This makes my head hurt. Can we have reality back please? I don't like this fiction.

So they are trying to reverse psychology their viewers...

Based on the comments under that article many will not be changing their minds.

Reverse psychology their viewers by claiming that "the libs" are trying to use reverse psychology on them so they don't get the vaccine and die.

I mean... clearly you can make this stuff up, but I wouldn't have believed it two years ago.

 

[KGFish]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

And arguably Bernie and AOC aren't even really advocating for democratic socialism, but social democracy, despite their insistent terminology. The difference:

• Democratic Socialism advocates for elimination of capitalism and replacement with socialism, i.e. no more private ownership of the means of production, albeit within a democratically elected framework.
• Social Democracy is more about using the welfare state to blunt the sharp edges of capitalism.

Pretty much all of Bernie's and AOC's policies that I can think of off-hand squarely fall into the second camp. Frankly, so does most of the Democratic platform in general, but these two take it to a higher level. But hey, "socialism" is a popular term with hipsters these days.

Funny, ain't it? America is so hard right that even the few poor saps who label themselves to be the milquetoast version of Socialists are, in fact, advocating for barely center-left policies in the rest of the world.

 

[ranthog]

Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher known for opposing evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.

Another fucking idiot.

Haha, you are calling a Harvard Med school graduate, with a PhD in public health policy, and trained at a top tier center an idiot. Your Kool Aid must be tasty.

Given the fact his entire field disagrees with him tells you something about how good he is at it. Likely he is a political hack who is knowingly lying to people about public health for political gain.

Sadly, it is likely he isn't stupid and is knowingly and intentionally getting people killed.

 

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Haha, you are calling a Harvard Med school graduate, with a PhD in public health policy, and trained at a top tier center an idiot. Your Kool Aid must be tasty.

Given the fact his entire field disagrees with him tells you something about how good he is at it. Likely he is a political hack who is knowingly lying to people about public health for political gain.

Sadly, it is likely he isn't stupid and is knowingly and intentionally getting people killed.

Hanlon's Razor would dictate, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." However, given this guy's credentials, yeah, I think it's safe to say it's pretty much all malice.

Edit: Don't know why the quote formatting is all weird. Trying to fix it.

 

[samanime]

And arguably Bernie and AOC aren't even really advocating for democratic socialism, but social democracy, despite their insistent terminology. The difference:

• Democratic Socialism advocates for elimination of capitalism and replacement with socialism, i.e. no more private ownership of the means of production, albeit within a democratically elected framework.
• Social Democracy is more about using the welfare state to blunt the sharp edges of capitalism.

Pretty much all of Bernie's and AOC's policies that I can think of off-hand squarely fall into the second camp. Frankly, so does most of the Democratic platform in general, but these two take it to a higher level. But hey, "socialism" is a popular term with hipsters these days.

Funny, ain't it? America is so hard right that even the few poor saps who label themselves to be the milquetoast version of Socialists are, in fact, advocating for barely center-left policies in the rest of the world.

Exactly. I consider myself a left-leaning moderate, but the right has skewed the scale so insanely that I'm practically a socialist radical leftist communist hippie anarchist or something...

 

[Dragonmaster Lou]

And arguably Bernie and AOC aren't even really advocating for democratic socialism, but social democracy, despite their insistent terminology. The difference:

• Democratic Socialism advocates for elimination of capitalism and replacement with socialism, i.e. no more private ownership of the means of production, albeit within a democratically elected framework.
• Social Democracy is more about using the welfare state to blunt the sharp edges of capitalism.

Pretty much all of Bernie's and AOC's policies that I can think of off-hand squarely fall into the second camp. Frankly, so does most of the Democratic platform in general, but these two take it to a higher level. But hey, "socialism" is a popular term with hipsters these days.

Funny, ain't it? America is so hard right that even the few poor saps who label themselves to be the milquetoast version of Socialists are, in fact, advocating for barely center-left policies in the rest of the world.

Exactly. I consider myself a left-leaning moderate, but the right has skewed the scale so insanely that I'm practically a socialist radical leftist communist hippie anarchist or something...

Then again, they say the same thing about self-professed right-leaning moderates too. It seems like to them, if you're left of Atilla the Hun, you're best bros with Marx and Lenin.

 

[daveishereagain]

Florida rapidly embracing it's newfound role as the receptacle for America's intellectual refuse.

Why do these people have to be the gate keepers to my beach vacation? It used to just be snow birds, but now it's militant antivaxxers/maskers.

I wouldn't advise a beach vacation-or any other destination that involves crowds- in Florida for quite a while.

 

[KGFish]

Florida politicians determined to kill as many of their citizens as possible.

Yeah. I really don't get the end-game here. Why do they want so many people die. Is it really to undermine the Biden administration while signaling their loyalty to the fascist death cult? Or are the people dying the people they really want dead?

Their calculation is that COVID won't kill enough people to offset how many people they can get to absolutely, 100% vote for them, no matter who they're facing.

And I think they're right. Enough people will make the right decisions for them to blunt the force of the pandemic, so that they can trumpet their "accomplishments" to their base.

If Trump doesn't run, DeSantis and Abbott are the absolute 100% front runners for the presidency - across the political spectrum. Once the primaries have been weeded out, it becomes trickier, as neither is as batshit crazy and as pure a grifter as Trump - which means that "Any sane adult" won't make for as easy a decision as last time around. That in turn means that they're the likely front runners then too.

I gotta hand it to the Republicans. They're running a textbook campaign to create a theocracy - or at least a fascist dictatorship with heavy Baptist drapings.

The midterms are gonna be fucking nail-biters.

 

[Chemical Tribe]

Troll? No. This is actually what I think. I'm an individualist. Not a socialist which it appears the US is headed that way cause the left has made it seem so nice and good to take care of everyone. It's not reality that everyone can be a billionaire. People have to want it for themselves.

Still need that plate of bangers, beans and mash?

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

Socialism is not authoritarian. We already have a lot of socialism and our biggest socialist programs are highly popular with the public: Medicare, Social Security, Public Schools, Public Libraries, and etc.

There is no faction on the left that has any power that wants an authoritarian regime. There are some nut jobs like tankies, but they have no influence and no power. The only major political faction that wants an authoritarian government would be the far right movement in the Republican party that wants to over throw elections.

I'm not going to claim I know better here, but sure, we already have socialized stuff in America. I would say that I wouldn't want to live in Communist Russia back in the day, but I feel like either I'm doing a no true scotssman argument here or something. Like, Russia wasn't really socialist to begin with, yadda yadda.

Then they'll bring up Venezuela, and that while is an example, don't really believe the issue was socialism itself.

 

[Celery Man]

Further gish gallop.

It doesn't change your RNA.

What is RNA? Doesn't matter! Barely anyone knows what it is or what it does anyway, but especially the audience for this claim.

Moving on to the next flurry of bullshit...

DNA is what the Democrats have, RNA is what the Republicans have.

 

[froggz]

If this the hill Florida wants to die on then let them, but the federal government absolutely should stop all movement in and out of that state. Lock it down.

 

[daveishereagain]

Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher known for opposing evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.

Another fucking idiot.

Haha, you are calling a Harvard Med school graduate, with a PhD in public health policy, and trained at a top tier center an idiot. Your Kool Aid must be tasty.

Given the fact his entire field disagrees with him tells you something about how good he is at it. Likely he is a political hack who is knowingly lying to people about public health for political gain.

Sadly, it is likely he isn't stupid and is knowingly and intentionally getting people killed.

It's obvious what he opposes is for political reasons and not medical ones. It's why he got the post he did in Florida. The evidence for the efficacy of vaccinations is overwhelming, and masks and lockdowns *could* have helped more than they did if instituted early and correctly. Since he opposes *mandatory* measures, it's obviously from a political position and not a health/medical one.

 

[Dark Jaguar]

Nurgle demands unwilling sacrifices.

So Father Nurgle will be upset with Florida for offering up willing sacrifices?

Nurgle? Neeeerguuuul! Sorry, that name sounds like, some kinda geek name best said in long nasally form. Is that also a god of some kind? Perhaps the god of geekdom?

Warhammer 4k chaos god of disease and famine, his followers "generously" spread his "gifts" across the galaxy.

Does Nurgle wear a pocket protector in his button-up shirt? Poor sick Nurgle...

Sorry, I'll stop. It's that name, it drags up unwanted images of every 80's and 90's era nerd stereotype and I just have to laugh. I'm sure he's a very big and scary god, in real life I mean. Well, um, not real life but you know.

In any case, this new "surgeon general" is definitly a Nurgle.

He looks like a healthier, less orange version of Donnie:

Oh haha very funny with the misdirection there, now could you post a picture of Nurgle already? I hate looking at number 45th's dumb face.

 

[s73v3r]

Specifically hired just to fuck with Democrats, implication being that is far more important than the lives of Floridians.

Now that even senior Republicans like McConnell are advocating for vaccines, it's as much for splitting their own party, gathering the nutter vote.

As much as I dislike Senator Turtle, he was pretty pro-vaccine from the start.

 

[tonylurker]

Sure. Everytime I get in my car I start shrieking "I'm gonna crash, Oh my God, I'm gonna crash" and rush to put on my seatbelt.

My kids used to enjoy doing that when they were 3 and 5. Almost every day for a few weeks when we would bring them to pre-school. They found it the height of comedy.

 

[ranthog]

Be honest. You have no idea what socialism actually is, do you?

Pop quiz - name just one country that's actually majority socialist. I'll wait.

Sweden. And, after the recent election, Norway. Germany will probably be next.

It's funny how perceptions differ, US Democrats are firmly right of centre (a bit like Merkel) but are viewed as left-leaning in the US.

By a certain definition of socialist, comrade.

Key here is people like bernie and aoc want *democratic* socialism, not the socialism that's the left's version of authoritarianism.

But they know that. And they love socialism, but only when it benefits the rich, not the people who actually need it.

Socialism is not authoritarian. We already have a lot of socialism and our biggest socialist programs are highly popular with the public: Medicare, Social Security, Public Schools, Public Libraries, and etc.

There is no faction on the left that has any power that wants an authoritarian regime. There are some nut jobs like tankies, but they have no influence and no power. The only major political faction that wants an authoritarian government would be the far right movement in the Republican party that wants to over throw elections.

I'm not going to claim I know better here, but sure, we already have socialized stuff in America. I would say that I wouldn't want to live in Communist Russia back in the day, but I feel like either I'm doing a no true scotssman argument here or something. Like, Russia wasn't really socialist to begin with, yadda yadda.

Then they'll bring up Venezuela, and that while is an example, don't really believe the issue was socialism itself.

Mainly socialism as a concept and philosophy encompasses a very broad set of policies and systems.

I do think it is dishonest to say the USSR or China were not communist or socialist. They were certainly a deeply authoritarian and deeply flawed off shoots of the philosophy. Denying that they were communist is a mistake if you support communism, since one very much needs to understand the mistakes that were made that led to great tragedies.

I would not consider left wing authoritarianism any less dangerous than right wing authoritarianism in principle. In the US there is no meaningful left wing authoritarian movement. On the right, there is one that tried to overthrow the US government this year and is actively tearing down democracy.

If you're not familiar with the term, tankies refer to people on the far left who believe that the post war communist countries were a good thing and don't see any problems with the regimes that Stalin or Mao led. It is extraordinarily derisive term.

 

[s73v3r]

Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher known for opposing evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.

Another fucking idiot.

Haha, you are calling a Harvard Med school graduate, with a PhD in public health policy, and trained at a top tier center an idiot. Your Kool Aid must be tasty.

Yeah, we are. Because this idiot is clearly not going with science, and clearly doesn't give a shit for the lives of people in the state he's going to serve. He was clearly just hired to regurgitate DeSantis' talking points.

 

[tonylurker]

Wow. Woooooooooow. And this, ladies and gentlemen, proves anti-vaxxers will never be convinced.

THEIR OWN FUCKING FAMILY MEMBERS DIE AND THEY STILL DON'T GET IT.

So I have some relatives in Florida. Two of them are/were siblings (older than 65) and they and several of their kids and grandkids live across the state. Sibling 1 died of COVID pre-vaccine. Less than a week later, several of sibling 1's OWN KIDS were posting pictures of themselves on Facebook hanging out at bars with their friends mask-less. Despite the death of sibling 1, sibling 2 never got the vaccine and spent several months this summer clinging to life in the hospital (only a short bout in ICU) before finally getting out.

So yeah, a rock to the head won't get the attention of some people.