Tracker

It means that you can get your pension and vaccination at the same time. Very efficient.

Also displays both ignorance of the volatility of the pandemic and their gamble that their supporters and the public in general are too uninformed to see the holes in his position.

NRA bragged that it blocked Boulder AR-15 ban just days before deadly shooting killed 10 people The National Rifle Association bragged that it helped block a ban on AR-15s and high-capacity magazines in Boulder, Colorado, just days before a gunman reportedly armed with the assault-style rifle killed 10 people at a Boulder grocery store. Boulder police said that 10 people, including of their officers, were killed at a King Soopers grocery store on Monday. A wounded suspect who was taken into custody has not yet been publicly identified. A law enforcement source told CNN that the weapon used in the shooting was an AR-15-style rifle. Hours after the shooting, the NRA tweeted a defense of the Second Amendment. The organization bragged about its role in blocking the city's ban on AR-15s just six days before the shooting. "A Colorado judge gave law-abiding gun owners something to celebrate," the NRA tweeted on March 16. "In an [NRA Institute for Legislative Action]-supported case, he ruled that the city of Boulder's ban on commonly-owned rifles (AR-15s) and 10+ round mags was preempted by state law and STRUCK THEM DOWN."

Since the Americans are so litigious, maybe the best thing that could happen is that the parents of a young person who dies of a COVID infection acquired in a Florida visit would sue the governor personally for contributing to a wrongful death.

Ho hum. Just another day in a broken nation that is slowly imploding.

From the little I have seen and heard about our new kicker, we ought to be OK. There will be a few hiccups if Medlock does the probable and hangs 'em up. Competition is always good, though. Has Hajrullahu matured enough?

The size of the sample population (32,000) would seem to give a great deal of credibility to the study. As an aside, my sister in law (in her 60's) who had a fairly mild case of COVID late last fall has just been hospitalized with multiple blood clots in her lungs. Whether it relates to the infection she had is not certain but appears to be related.

Former Top Capitol Riot Prosecutor: Maybe Trump Is Culpable The federal prosecutor who initially led the Justice Department’s inquiry into the Capitol riot believes there’s enough evidence to charge some suspects with sedition—and that ex-President Donald Trump may be criminally responsible. Michael Sherwin oversaw the investigation as the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. until he stepped down from the role last Friday. In an interview with 60 Minutes broadcast Sunday night, Sherwin said: “It’s unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to DC on the 6th... We have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying, ‘Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house.’ That moves the needle towards that direction. Maybe the President is culpable for those actions.” Sherwin also said that the “evidence is trending toward” sedition charges against some of the rioters—the crime of conspiring to overthrow the government. It would be the first time federal prosecutors have brought a sedition case since 2010, when members of a Michigan militia were charged—but later acquitted—of the crime. -CNN

U.S. AstraZeneca Study Shows Vaccine Gives Total Protection From Severe COVID-19 AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization, according to the results of a long-awaited U.S. trial released early Monday morning. The impressive figures—based on a massive trial which included more than 32,000 participants mostly based in America, but also in Chile and Peru—showed 79 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and total protection from severe disease. Crucially, the trial identified absolutely no safety concerns and, specifically on the issue of blood clots that caused a wave of panic about the vaccine in some European countries, the independent committee found “no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by thrombosis.” The findings will now be sent to the Food and Drug Administration to support an application for emergency authorization of the vaccine. U.S. AstraZeneca Study Shows Vaccine Gives Total Protection From Severe COVID-19 (thedailybeast.com)

This happened yesterday and it is important information for particular age group. A friend had his 1st dose of the vaccine at the vaccination center. Afterwards he began to have blurred vision on the way home. When he got home, he called the vaccination center for advice and to ask if he should go see a doctor or be hospitalized. He was told NOT to go to a doctor or a hospital, but just return to the vaccination center and pick up his glasses. * -Shared from a friend.

Lauren Boebert's latest bonkers conspiracy theory has Twitter users convinced she is losing it Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has a new deranged conspiracy theory about the upcoming 2022 primary election and Twitter users are convinced the newly-elected lawmaker has lost her mind. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, Boebert participated in a recent town hall in Montrose, Colo. where she was asked about Democratic figures at the center of the "Deep State" myth—including a number of former directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Hillary Clinton—and whether or not they would be held accountable for their unspecified crimes connected to the QAnon conspiracy. Before hearing the rest of the question, Boebert spiraled into a frenzy with a bizarre theory about the upcoming primary. "I'm going to answer part of this," she said, interrupting the man as he demanded Democratic leaders be held accountable for their so-called crimes. "Yes…I sure hope so." "So we are seeing a lot of ugliness uncovered, a lot of corruption exposed," Boebert then said as she expounded on the man's frivolous claims. "But I believe that we are going to start seeing gifts and callings of righteous men and women exposed to counter all of this. Gifts that have remained dormant on the inside of people are going to start rising up. People are going to start filling these positions that they never saw themselves in, doing their part to serve their country." Boebert went on to insist that she has "good sources" who are allegedly "in very close contact with President [Donald] Trump" confirmed that what she is saying is "really good information." She added, "So, anyone who tries to tell you that this is a fringe newspaper/media don't listen to them. I have very good sources to say this is really good information. Is it a hundred percent? I don't know. But it's really good information." Lauren Boebert's latest bonkers conspiracy theory has Twitter users convinced she is losing it - Alternet.org

Well, obviously, they didn't mean it that way. You have misunderstood their noble intentions.

His name is Ezra Miller

FYI: The actor who portrayed the Flash (and did a crappy job of it) has been filmed attacking fans while drunk/stoned. Presumably, charges are pending as is a rapid end to his career.

Editorial offers biblical argument explaining how evangelical Christians teach false doctrine I was raised by a pair of wild hippies, so my heart has always been committed to liberal ideology. As a Bible-believing Christian, however, I was surrounded by evangelical theology throughout my youth, in various churches, Bible camps and so on. When I decided to enter the ministry to attempt to change that conservative theology, I attended an evangelical seminary. It was clear on my first day on campus that no reform was going to occur. If I happened to mention voting for Al Gore, I was told by my classmates that God keeps a record of my voting history and that I had voted for a man who endorses baby-killing and tearing down the American family. Honestly, I was just hoping that President Gore might help save the planet and not make up a reason to go to war in Iraq. Anyway, in my 10 years in ministry, I had even less luck making any changes, which is why I left the formal ministry a couple of years ago. The truth then, and even more so now, is that we cannot separate Republicans, and now the Trumpists, from the evangelicals. I have seen my fellow "Christian left" types attempting to reform the God vote — in fact, I've done it myself — but I feel we have been too timid in our approach. Stronger language and a pure rejection of evangelical theology is needed. From a purely Christian point of view, the evangelical leadership are false teachers teaching a false doctrine. Trumpism cannot be defeated without first facing down evangelicalism. Jesus Christ, who these people claim as their savior, himself provided a warning against these religious hypocrites in Matthew 23: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. The only real threat to Christianity is Christianity itself. Leading evangelical pastors like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress made a passionate plea for Christian voters to ignore Trump's shortcomings as a man because he stands with the Christian church on all things that are right and true. Apparently, that means Christians must shut the door to all LGBTQ people, abortion providers, liberals, immigrants, Muslims and anyone who happens to mention taxing the wealthy. Editorial offers biblical argument explaining how evangelical Christians teach false doctrine - Alternet.org

The Christian churches opposed vaccination when it first appeared, and even advised against lightning rods for the same reason- if God wants to kill you, you shouldn't interfere with that. This thinking is so wrong for so many reasons. As a contrast, the Dalai Lama has said that if religion conflicts with science, we ought to go with science.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Partially Shut Due To COVID-19 Outbreak and some workers have been quarantined. That’s according to several people familiar with the situation, including a club member who received a phone call about the closure Friday. A receptionist at the Mar-a-Lago club confirmed the news, saying it was closed until further notice, but declined to comment further. A person familiar with club operations said that, out of an abundance of caution, the club had partially closed a section “for a short period of time” and quarantined some of its workers. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation by name. The extent of the outbreak, what portions of the club were closed or how it was affecting the former first family weren’t immediately clear. Trump's Mar-a-Lago Partially Shut Due To COVID-19 Outbreak | HuffPost

My lady and I are booked for our shot on April 2nd. Yaaaay!! (My wife says I should have been shot long ago)

There is so much bullshit being disseminated out there, and not just about COVID and variants, that it is increasingly difficult to tell what is true.

After a while, repeated events become part of the culture- like going to McDonalds, corrupt governments or killing people in large numbers. America is there and I pray we will never be.

Georgia official who said Asian spa shooter was having a 'bad day' posted racist COVID photos: report Captain Jay Baker, a spokesperson for the Cherokee County, Georgia sheriff's office, sparked outrage when he characterized Robert Aaron Long, the spree killer behind the shootings at a series of Asian spas on Tuesday, as having had a "very bad day." But according to The Daily Beast on Wednesday, the controversy surrounding Baker may be just beginning — because he also has a history of racist anti-Asian content on social media. "In a Facebook page associated with Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, several photos show the law enforcer was promoting T-shirts with the slogan 'COVID-19 imported virus from CHY-NA,'" reported Pilar Melendez and William Bredderman. "'Place your order while they last,' Baker wrote with a smiley face on another photo that included the racist T-shirts. The photos on Baker's account were first spotted by a Twitter user." Georgia official who said Asian spa shooter was having a 'bad day' posted racist COVID photos: report - Alternet.org

Memo reveals the Army initially tried to deny request for National Guard on Jan. 6: report The Army reportedly pushed back on the D.C. government's request for the National Guard to fortify the Capitol building during the lead-up to Jan. 6, indicating that top officials at the Pentagon had downplayed the potential threats of far-right extremism. According to a memo obtained by The Washington Post, Army officials were primarily motivated out of fear of public perception when they told city officials that they would only deploy the National Guard if more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected to attend the rally. The memo detailed that the Army rejected the city's request for backup because the city had not exhausted the help of other agencies, a move that was out of the ordinary: District officials routinely ask for help from the D.C. Guard for major events, mostly to help with traffic control to free up police officers for other duties. The D.C. Guard, for example, helped with last year's July 4 event and aided the city in handling a march on Washington led by the Rev. Al Sharpton last August. The Guard even deployed to prevent large crowds from gathering and spreading the coronavirus during the 2020 cherry blossom festivities. Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy was eventually pressured by defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, to grant the request on the condition that one federal agency was charged to lead the security and other agencies "exhausted their assets to support these events." Memo reveals the Army initially tried to deny request for National Guard on Jan. 6: report - Alternet.org

There's a growing body of evidence showing the Republican Party has a paramilitary wing United States Senator Ron Johnson said recently that he wasn't scared when, on January 6, armed insurgents sacked and looted the United States Capitol. They "love this country," the Wisconsin Republican said. But "had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa [stormed the seat of government], I might have been a little concerned." That statement was disturbing not only for the implicit racism it carried, but for the stunning confirmation of what's becoming clear to those of us who are paying attention. The Republican Party has a paramilitary problem, and it isn't new. During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump alleged, without proof, that the electoral system was fraudulent, raising concerns about the impact that his false accusations would have in the event of his defeat. His unexpected victory opened the door to the far-right fringe and legitimized efforts that contributed to strengthening the ties between them. Many feared that this close relationship would be critical in the 2020 presidential election cycle, with rising domestic tensions and the role that paramilitaries would play in addition to Trump's false claims about the election. It has been clear for some time now that the Republican Party had a more-than-welcoming attitude toward certain paramilitary groups. The deadly events in Charlottesville in 2017, although fundamentally led by white supremacists called by the former president "very fine people," also had protection services provided by paramilitaries. The following year, more signs of backing for their man in the White House came from Trump-supporting paramilitary groups targeting Muslims. In Oregon, a walkout staged by Republican state senators, in 2019, gained support from paramilitary groups that made credible threats against a planned rally. For almost three decades, these paramilitaries (thought to be in the hundreds across the country) have viewed the government as the adversary. With a friend residing in the White House, however, these groups experienced an identity crisis. This need for an enemy explains the shift into targeting immigrants and religious minorities. It wasn't just to please their man. It was to embrace a cause allowing them to grow. After Trump won, there was an increase in the number of paramilitary groups, but the GOP has been no stranger to them. In 2017, a local chapter of the Republican Party in Oregon passed a resolution allowing paramilitaries (the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, for instance) to provide security at the local party events. These groups are part of the Patriot Movement, a loose far-right network affiliated with the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and armed confrontations in Nevada and Oregon in 2016. The Republican Party seems to be very comfortable with these groups around, as we have seen in Nevada, Oregon, Michigan, and other states. However, this is not a recent venture, since the accounts of strengthening ties can be traced back even before Trump won the election in 2016. The openness about their common interests is perhaps new, but it's not surprising. Alarms were sounded when state Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mike Shirkey of Michigan, participated in a rally organized by paramilitaries that stormed the Michigan Capitol back in April 2020 alongside a member of a group involved in the planned kidnapping of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Though Michigan has a history of paramilitaries, the state GOP had tied itself to them, especially since the election as party co-chair of Meshawn Maddock. She organized a protest to interrupt ballot counting in Detroit, where paramilitaries were present. There's a growing body of evidence showing the Republican Party has a paramilitary wing - Alternet.org

They don't need a special occasion.