Covid-19 miscellany

[Loren Pechtel]

I think the Canadian government should just suspend the Canadian equivalent of a CDL license if a licensed driver stops their truck on a public road.
No force required. No infringement on anybody's liberty. People who infringe on other people's freedom and safety just lose the privilege of operating their weaponized vehicle on publicly funded roads.
Tom

Sounds like a good plan. I like it in general as a penalty for using your vehicle for blocking. (Don't just suspend the CDL, suspend the DL for a couple of weeks.)

It doesn't sound like a plan at all. It sounds like an emotion; To become a plan it would require a definition of 'blocking', that both expands upon the existing prohibitions on illegal parking of vehicles, and is specifically written to avoid penalising drivers for stopping in unusual circumstances for safety reasons, or due to mechanical issues - but still encompasses the behaviour you are seeking to prevent.

Yeah, it would have to be refined. That's the job of the politicians.

If I stop in the middle of a busy freeway during peak hour and say it was because I thought a red light had appeared on my dash indicating a problem with the braking system, are you going to take my licence and livelihood away because you suspect me of having an ulterior motive?

You stopped, didn't you? You could have pulled to the shoulder in the process.

I actually have done a hard stop in a freeway lane once. There was a truck in front of me, the air disturbance it caused picked up a big piece of cardboard from the side of the road and slapped it across my windshield--no forward visibility at all. I looked to the median divider and held a constant distance from it while braking hard. (There wasn't a car beside me and the median was the best object to judge my location.)

If so, what long term impact do you think this 'good plan' will have on road safety?

This 'plan' is to allow a bureaucrat to decide in advance, in his comfortable office, that he is in a better position than the licenced operator of a heavy vehicle to decide whether it's safe and reasonable to proceed; And to impose a very significant penalty on any operator who uses his own discretion to make that call themselves in real time and considering the actual conditions in a specific case.

How are you defining 'blocking' that is different from currently unlawful parking, but doesn't limit a driver's discretion to use his professional judgment to keep himself and other road users safe?

How can any law that prohibits stopping for nefarious reasons, but doesn't limit operator discretion and judgement for safety reasons, ever be enforceable?

It's basically parking in a traffic lane.

Cop: Why are you stopped here?
Trucker: <legitimate reason> Cop verifies the situation and tells them to move it as soon as possible
Protester: <doesn't have legitimate reason> Short license suspension.

There are very few reasons to legitimately leave a vehicle in a high speed traffic lane.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Well, as it's easy, you won't mind setting it out here for me.

If I stop a truck somewhere extremely inconvenient, what exactly do you do to determine that I am lying when I claim that in my professional judgement, it was necessary to do so? Why would a court of law place your unqualified confidence above my hard earned license and experience as a heavy vehicle driver?

I'll wait.

Cops have communication equipment. If they're not qualified to judge if your statement makes sense they certainly can talk to someone who can evaluate it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So, what if we just say they stop the truck in such a position, or sets of positions, over a period of over one week?

Or ask, "To whom did you report the issue, mechanical or whatever?".

Honestly, I could see an honest trucker caught in a traffic jam caused by other ideological truckers. It is a big problem.
Tom

Vehicle in front, of course you can't proceed. That's not blocking.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The mask fetishists will disagree;

Masks are starting to become a thing of the past in the U.S. as the Omicron variant-fueled Covid surge continues to falter and experts are largely standing by the decision to drop mandates and instead allow people to choose for themselves whether they - or their kids - want to use face coverings. Dr Kavita Patel, an MSNBC contributor who works as a primary care physician and director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the Obama administration, told CNBC's Squawk Box that mask mandates in schools should not be around forever, and instead parents should choose whether their child needs to wear one based on a variety of factors. ‘If you told me there’s a future where we’re wearing masks in perpetuity I'd say that’s ridiculous, the science doesn’t support that if we see that cases are coming down,' Patel said. Patel joins an ever-growing group of health officials and experts calling for mask and other mandates to be phased out as cases continue to drop.

Daily Mail

This morning I saw someone out jogging wearing a mask. None of my business of course, each to their own but how mental is that?

Not mental at all. Most people out jogging are going where there are other people. Outdoors is less contagious, that doesn't mean you can't catch it outdoors.

 

[Trausti]

Outdoors is less contagious, that doesn't mean you can't catch it outdoors.

Isn’t the risk of outside transmission nearly zero?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It's largely a political statement,

And it has been for awhile.

I want to be free from the ugly effects of plague rats. I want my freedom back.
Tom

It’s coming soon. Poll numbers are far more effective than masks and mandates at ending Covid.

The ultimate example of believing that reality is what people want it to be.

How about we have a poll as to when people should die of old age. Raise the human lifespan in days!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The SciEnCe has changed.

The science hasn't changed. Politicians are bowing to the plague rats.

 

[Trausti]

The SciEnCe has changed.

The science hasn't changed. Politicians are bowing to the plague rats.

Or maybe there was little justification for the policies in the first place. There are no solutions, just trade offs. And politicians rarely ever admit they got it wrong. It needs to appear that they are doing something even when what they’re doing does nothing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It's really strange how quickly these mandates are being binned;

Nevada became the latest blue state to drop indoor mask mandates on Thursday, leaving President Joe Biden increasingly isolated in insisting that tough COVID-19 restrictions stay in place. The White House says it is following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with cases falling 43 percent across the nation in the past week as the Omicron surge fades, it puts Biden out of step with Americans who say they are ready to try to live with the virus and with allies, such as the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnston on Wednesday announced plans to lift all restrictions.

Daily Mail


There must be a reason for this other than "the science". What could it possibly be I wonder.

And the CDC can’t revise its mask guidance because nothing has changed. It was always political.

Nothing has changed? We were over 1 million cases daily in Omicron. Ohio was pegged, incapable of actually figuring out how many there were positive. The cases in the US have plummeted.

Of course states like Ohio has no requirements, but stores request masking still. Some indoor facilities require masking.

The science isn't different, the case number has plunged, but this isn't over. And states are indeed caving to the radical demands of the far-right and the fatigue from many others.

 

[Trausti]

It's really strange how quickly these mandates are being binned;

Nevada became the latest blue state to drop indoor mask mandates on Thursday, leaving President Joe Biden increasingly isolated in insisting that tough COVID-19 restrictions stay in place. The White House says it is following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with cases falling 43 percent across the nation in the past week as the Omicron surge fades, it puts Biden out of step with Americans who say they are ready to try to live with the virus and with allies, such as the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnston on Wednesday announced plans to lift all restrictions.

Daily Mail


There must be a reason for this other than "the science". What could it possibly be I wonder.

And the CDC can’t revise its mask guidance because nothing has changed. It was always political.

Nothing has changed? We were over 1 million cases daily in Omicron. Ohio was pegged, incapable of actually figuring out how many there were positive. The cases in the US have plummeted.

Of course states like Ohio has no requirements, but stores request masking still. Some indoor facilities require masking.

The science isn't different, the case number has plunged, but this isn't over. And states are indeed caving to the radical demands of the far-right and the fatigue from many others.

‘We Are Not There Yet’: As States Drop Mask Rules, the C.D.C. Stands Firm (Published 2022)

The Biden administration said federal masking guidance would not change for now, but was seeking advice from public health experts on the way forward.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Trausti]

 

[Loren Pechtel]

No wonder so many people opt for private or homeschooling;

The Los Angeles Unified School District voted to revamp their online schools for 20,000 unvaccinated students who will not be allowed to attend in-person classes in the fall. “We know additionally that when the vaccine mandate kicks in for age-eligible students 12 and up, we will have a new pool of students that we will need to be prepared to serve,” said Chief of Schools David Baca. Currently, there are 18,000 students in the district’s online program, 10 times the yearly average of 1,800. The district could create up to six new online schools to accommodate the unvaccinated students who will not be allowed to attend in-person classes once the new school year begins. The district approved a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for those 12 and older which over 90% of students have complied to. The original deadline to comply with the mandate was set for January but was pushed back to the fall of 2022.

CBS

This is child abuse.

Yup, parents abusing their children. Hardly new.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I am not anti vax, but the vax me harder daddy people are ridiculous. Get me an omicron booster and I will take it. Two year old vaccine, fuck off.

I've been getting my annual flu shots since I hit 50 and intend to do so for the foreseeable future, not merely two years. Long ago when I was in some third world areas I had my cholera shots every 6 months. If Covid needs periodic boosters, so be it. A Covid shot is defintely preferable to a visit to the dental hygenist, but that doesn't mean I neglect my teeth, either.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

As to ogling, opinions are like assholes. No one knows what yours is like unless you air it.

I'm swiping this one!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

How is this remotely justifiable?;

Video shows the moment a security guard forcibly dragged a New York father out of an upstate school board Tuesday night because he was not wearing a face mask. The footage shows unmasked Dave Calus sitting in a chair as he watches a presentation at the Webster School Board meeting when the security guard approaches him. The security guard reportedly tells Calus: 'Sir, you need to put a mask on.' Calus said he replied with 'thank you,' but the security guard persisted: 'No, you need to put your mask on right now.' The father said he thanked the guard again but was met with another demand to put on a mask. The guard is then seen grabbing the back of Calus' chair, dragging him backward across the floor and yanking him out of his jacket, forcing him to stand. Calus turns to face the guard, who is pointing to the door, before sitting back down in his chair. The guard - seemingly angry - grabs the chair, placing one hand under the seat and the other on the back as he tips the chair over. The guard then pushes the father-of-two out of the room as bystanders yell: 'What are you doing?! What are you doing?! That's assault!' Another questioned: 'Do you put your hands on our children, too?'
The alleged assault at the Webster School Board meeting occurred just one day before Governor Kathy Hochul announced she was letting the statewide indoor mask mandate - which was slated to expire Wednesday - lapse.

Daily Mail

An asshole discovered there were consequences for being an asshole.

Now we have a bunch of governors surrendering to the plague rats and running up the death toll.

Relaxing the mandate in high vaccination areas makes sense. Copying that in areas that don't have such high rates does not make sense.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

It's really strange how quickly these mandates are being binned;

Nevada became the latest blue state to drop indoor mask mandates on Thursday, leaving President Joe Biden increasingly isolated in insisting that tough COVID-19 restrictions stay in place. The White House says it is following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with cases falling 43 percent across the nation in the past week as the Omicron surge fades, it puts Biden out of step with Americans who say they are ready to try to live with the virus and with allies, such as the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnston on Wednesday announced plans to lift all restrictions.

Daily Mail


There must be a reason for this other than "the science". What could it possibly be I wonder.

And the CDC can’t revise its mask guidance because nothing has changed. It was always political.

The CDC was muzzled by His Flatulence. Their message has been subverted by politics, they no longer have a meaningful voice.

And it's not about the science--the hospitals are swamped but the governors are caving to plague rat pressure to kill even more.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Outdoors is less contagious, that doesn't mean you can't catch it outdoors.

Isn’t the risk of outside transmission nearly zero?

No. That guidance was from the old days--the original version required substantial exposure to infect and thus brief interactions were basically zero risk. As of Delta that changed--indoors is about 20x the risk that outdoors is but that doesn't make the outdoor risk near zero.

 

[crazyfingers]

How is this remotely justifiable?;

Video shows the moment a security guard forcibly dragged a New York father out of an upstate school board Tuesday night because he was not wearing a face mask. The footage shows unmasked Dave Calus sitting in a chair as he watches a presentation at the Webster School Board meeting when the security guard approaches him. The security guard reportedly tells Calus: 'Sir, you need to put a mask on.' Calus said he replied with 'thank you,' but the security guard persisted: 'No, you need to put your mask on right now.' The father said he thanked the guard again but was met with another demand to put on a mask. The guard is then seen grabbing the back of Calus' chair, dragging him backward across the floor and yanking him out of his jacket, forcing him to stand. Calus turns to face the guard, who is pointing to the door, before sitting back down in his chair. The guard - seemingly angry - grabs the chair, placing one hand under the seat and the other on the back as he tips the chair over. The guard then pushes the father-of-two out of the room as bystanders yell: 'What are you doing?! What are you doing?! That's assault!' Another questioned: 'Do you put your hands on our children, too?'
The alleged assault at the Webster School Board meeting occurred just one day before Governor Kathy Hochul announced she was letting the statewide indoor mask mandate - which was slated to expire Wednesday - lapse.

Daily Mail

An asshole discovered there were consequences for being an asshole.

Now we have a bunch of governors surrendering to the plague rats and running up the death toll.

Relaxing the mandate in high vaccination areas makes sense. Copying that in areas that don't have such high rates does not make sense.

Gov Baker of Massachusetts announced today that state k-12 mask mandate ends Feb 28. Feb 28 is the monday that all school kids come back from February vacation week. Back from Disney land or who knows where. He's just asking for trouble. Give it one more week!

A leas individual school districts are free to set their own mandates and Boston has already said they are at least going to wait to see what happens when vacation is over.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It's really strange how quickly these mandates are being binned;

Nevada became the latest blue state to drop indoor mask mandates on Thursday, leaving President Joe Biden increasingly isolated in insisting that tough COVID-19 restrictions stay in place. The White House says it is following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with cases falling 43 percent across the nation in the past week as the Omicron surge fades, it puts Biden out of step with Americans who say they are ready to try to live with the virus and with allies, such as the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnston on Wednesday announced plans to lift all restrictions.

Daily Mail


There must be a reason for this other than "the science". What could it possibly be I wonder.

And the CDC can’t revise its mask guidance because nothing has changed. It was always political.

The CDC was muzzled by His Flatulence. Their message has been subverted by politics, they no longer have a meaningful voice.

And it's not about the science--the hospitals are swamped but the governors are caving to plague rat pressure to kill even more.

125,000 Americans died of Covid in the Omicron wave, and hopeless people are still saying "but what about the science?"

 

[Elixir]

Nope.
Sorry, qunt.