Lives vs. The Economy; What are the American People Worth to Trump?

Donald J. Trump, before his impeachment (courtesy of the media)

Trump has been a con man his entire life. He has been sued and fined for defrauding thousands of people with Trump University. That is merely one example. If you review his life and times, you will see the fraud enumerated again and again.

His fraud is criminal now as president if you read the Mueller Report as a probable conspiracy to undermine the election process in the 2016 election and afterward. His behavior was criminal with the quid pro quo of withholding millions of dollars mandated for Ukraine's defense for dirt on Joe Biden, a popular candidate for the presidency, for which he was impeached. During these years, Trump has acted purely in his own interest. He has done everything in his power to avoid indictment and prosecution, obviating the constitution and making it subject to him alone, defying the law of the land and establishing the supreme power of the executive branch. He has bent the constitution to his will accordingly and made it is own law with the fawning help of DOJ William Barr. This is so except with regard to the Defense Production Act where, as a powerful executive, he should be deploying the massive scaling up of production of respirators, PPE supplies, quarantine hotels, Apps to monitor temperature and contact trace and more.

But he has yet to do this. Just today, a respirator company VOLUNTEERED TO MAKE RESPIRATORS, as per Trump's invitation. THEY HAVE YET TO HEAR FROM THE WH. Respirators save lives. Trump is not in the WH to save lives, his mandate and oath of office. He is there to benefit himself and his kids and grandkids, FOREVER. Well, too bad. Not on our watch.

March in NYC 22nd January 2017 (Carole Di Tosti)

It is obvious to the scientists and experts and Governor Cuomo and the governors of the other states that he has not secured the Executive for the good of the nation, as we see with his negligence regarding actively deploying the Defense Production Act's enforcement to massively produce equipment during this war with COVID-19. He has only secured the Executive for his own benefit and to avoid criminal prosecution. Indeed, he has said that "he is the law," and for the evangelicals he has said, "he is the chosen one." Chosen for what? Committing negligent criminal homicides of the American people? Indeed, then, he has chosen himself rightly as a negligent murderer. And in that he is doing a good job delaying doing his real job to help the American people, save their lives and produce the equipment that will keep health care workers and their patients safe.

Trump is up against an entity that will not bow to him, the novel PLAGUE which traveled and morphed from animal to human, for which we have no natural immunity. Now, all of his underlying psychological illnesses compounding his fraud, incompetence and negligence have been exposed. He cannot get out of his own way to stop the deaths that are happening and he refuses to take responsibility for his actions that have caused these deaths. These are global crimes against humanity caused by his egregious, willful negligence.

And of course, Fox News, Murdock, members of the GOP, the WH staff and others, i.e. the Federalist Society support him. They are responsible for the disinformation campaign about the severity of COVID 19 which they feared would derail his presidency so they mischaracterized it as a Democratic hoax or demeaned its severity. These individuals and entities are in a conspiracy to cover up Trump's dilatory action and pretend this PLAGUE is not serious, or demean it or as the shifting winds have blown them about, now deride anyone who would tell the truth about Trump's lack of due diligence as president in a crisis.

The American people are not a part of his limited liability company. The adult children of those who have died in the nursing home in Washington state, those who have prematurely died in other nursing facilities and managed care units and those others with compromised immune systems should sue Trump et. al. in a class action for wrongful death promulgated in the continual disinformation campaign to "pretty up" an ugly, deadly virus.

The Woman's March against Trump's election, NYC, January 2017 (Carole Di Tosti)

Important to note is his counsel advises him toward criminality; the nefarious lawyers and staff, i.e. Jared Kushner, bend to his whims and his fears. They, too, are accountable for killing Americans. We are in a war. Not against Covid 19 but against Trump's hatred of the presidency, the country, his oath of office and finally the American people.

Covid 19 can be easily fought with enough resources if you know math, understand the logic of the disease and follow procedures of testing, contact tracing and quarantine like the City of Vò, Italy has done and as public health officials have stated should be done over and over in articles since epidemics have broken out (SARS, MERS, EBOLA). In the city of Vò  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/eradicated-coronavirus-mass-testing-covid-19-italy-vo  out of three thousand people, only 1 person died. They tested everyone and brilliantly, they tested the asymptomatic and they performed contact tracing and isolated accordingly. That made all the difference. They have eradicated the disease in their city. They test anyone coming in and out.

A plague rat I purchased in Siena, Italy in 2003, never thinking I would experience a pandemic (Carole Di Tosti)

We have not done that. Trump could use his vast network of hotels to quarantine individuals, or have NYC and other cities across the nation convert them to hospitals when the tsunami threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system, which if we look at Italy's example, it will and is at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. When I posted that suggestion online, my friends laughed and said, "Yeah, right." In other words, Trump's generosity and care for others stops at himself. Thus, though other countries have eradicated it in smaller cities, though South Korea, China, Singapore and Hong Kong have gotten ahead of COVID-19 with necessary measures, we have not. For example, they have converted hotels for purposes of quarantine; they have created Apps which monitor the temperature of individuals and track them for the virus and its possible return (contact trace) and they quarantine accordingly done any of that. Governor Cuomo did that for New Rochelle, New York and the effectiveness of this action is now manifesting, the geometric spread decreasing to a manageable rate.

Still, (this supposedly reversed yesterday-March 28th after grave criticism) Trump has not employed military grade production ordering companies to produce a massive output of supplies, tests, respirators, hazmat suits, masks, gloves. Every state must have massive testing and contact tracing and then quarantining and then hospitalization if needed. They don't. Only New York's Governor has a handle on this disease and he is helping governors of surrounding states to ramp up testing and isolation. (It has still not occurred on a massive objective level. Is it only Trumpist donors who get the government contracts for quid pro quos? Is there oversight?)

Supplies, PPE are needed in the multimillions weekly to serve the population of the states which have the virus and are spreading it but don't know it yet because they don't test. These supplies must be scaled up, produced like munitions in this war. But Trump is deaf, dumb and blind as he self-congratulates about the great job he is doing and Mike Pence bows and thanks him every time they are near each other to speak on television, a campaign rally for Trump to show how well, how PERFECT things are going.

Trump waxing greatness (courtesy of the media)

Meanwhile, in NYC hospitals because of a lack of supplies/protective equipment (that Trump and his staff have lied, saying it is plentiful) nurses are using garbage bags to cover themselves as they treat patients. They are reusing masks, degrading the masks' power and effectiveness, thereby increasing their vulnerability to the disease. Reports are coming that medical workers are coming down with Covid 19 and now have to be cared for. The medical staff is in extreme jeopardy as a result: the first nurse has died. How many doctors and nurses will follow her? If we lose our medical staff, we will lose the war and millions will die. Experts are warning this constantly. Their deaths are needless.

Recorded are examples of deaths, exploding the myth that youth are invulnerable. Three who have died in NYC of the increasing numbers: one man in his 70s, one 60, another in her thirties. Furthermore, if you are pregnant and ready to have your baby? Do not go to the hospital. Call a midwife. They can't take care of you. The ER is filled with coronavirus cases. One man died in front of others who waited for care; another while he waited on a long line to get in just to be tested. Just another day in the world of this PLAGUE. (The disease has morphed so that 20-50 somethings are coming down with blood clots which cause heart attacks and strokes. In 8 year-olds, toxic shock is being reported and extreme inflammation causing sever breathing problems. No one is safe.)

On a scale of how the US is doing with the disease, we have been rated an "F." This is not overblown, fake news trying to make Trump look bad to destroy his election chances a QAnon canard. If the news can't report the facts, then just go outside if you are in any state "not impacted" as Trump suggests there are such states. Go out, have fun, congregate, listen to Trump at the implication that this is a plot of the media and ignore the news. Don't believe any of it. I would advise you to do the opposite and listen, not to Fox, but to MSNBC. But oh, I forgot. That is liberal media. Yes, and they are concerned with your life and their lives. They want this pandemic over sooner than later. That means listening to the experts and officials like Governor Cuomo. That is what I would advise. But do what you want.

I wish Covid 19 were fake and it was a media hyped disease that is not serious. Then all of this could go away poof, and I would be able to run to the store for anything I like without worrying about giving THE PLAGUE to others. I would be seeing and reviewing Broadway shows and traveling the world to theater and film festivals, instead of hunkering down and not leaving my 650 square foot apartment.

My toolkit to disinfect supplies and keep areas and myself sterilized (Carole Di Tosti)

Nor would I have to wash items I purchased a week ago after they've been disempowering from Covid in my car. Nor would I have to wear a mask and gloves to throw out the trash, then bleach the door knobs going in and out of my apartment. And I would just love it if by Easter, all would be well and this apocalypse would fly away into the sunny White House where everything is beautiful and glorious and the staff can be tested and get the best medical advice and treatment. A perfect call!

Florida's beauty colors the invisible Covid 19 which lurks everywhere (Carole Di Tosti)

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County Trump's hometown, no one has seen a test for a few days now, maybe a few weeks. You can't get tested. This is multiplied in areas throughout the US. You need to fly to Washington D.C. to the White House, or be a celebrity who lives in Palm Beach County or a friend of the president or a friend of a friend who can call up one of the senators to arrange for your test. You might also visit a friend in The Villages in Orlando. They have their own testing set up. But for the unsuspecting, the avid fans of Dear Leader in Palm Beach County, you can't get tested. For them, the virus doesn't exist.

Florida's canals, Sarasota (Carole Di Tosti)

I fantasize. What if I, just like the folks in Florida, shut it out of my mind and say Trump is perfect; this is a hoax, the hell with it? What if I cavorted on the beach? Or what if I were like the governor of Mississippi? He reversed the orders of some mayors, like the Mayor of Tupelo, who ordered his folks to shelter in? The Mississippi governor rescinded the mayor's order and forbade any mayor from ordering any sheltering in place in Mississippi. Obviously, Covid 19 isn't serious to them. They enjoy living in an alternate world which have COVID. They are fantasists and we are paying for it. Singapore has noted and jailed those who advocate and act as if the virus is a "nothingburger." We should too, if we were moral and Christian, loving our brother and sister as ourselves. No. Instead, the evangelical community is opening up churches and Liberty University opened its welcoming doors, contravening the sheltering orders. Such is the love. One student comes up to New York with Covid 19 and spreads it here, and the hotspot continues. All it takes is one. All it took was one individual, a lawyer in New Rochelle, New York spreading it to his family and community.

I could be like them, the hoaxists, my mind free and clear, nonplussed by what is happening to those Jews, "niggers" and brownies and the damn "chinks" who brought it into the country* into Jew York SIN City. These racial epithets represent the southern-northern-midwestern Red Neck, fascist, neo Nazi, white supremacist view. I am one of those Jews; I live here. Sucks for me.

 On the other hand, thank God I live here. As Governor Cuomo says, we are the testing ground. I liken it to being a crucible. What happens here does not stay here, it travels and because of the nature of this virus, this pandemic, it is probably in your backyard, too. Since it's invisible unless you re tested, you won't know. New York has so many cases because we have done so many tests. We know where it is and we are fighting it. So, we will dispense with it first. And then we will help anyone who admits that Covid 19 is not a hoax and seeks help.

Expert immunologist with the NIAID, Dr. Anthony Fauci says, "The disease sets the timeline." Saaaay what? If the disease sets the timeline, that means that I will be in my apartment, perhaps for months. Yes! Well, OK. I trust him and Governor Cuomo and his team. They understand math, the geometric spread of Covid 19, the necessity for contact tracing and isolation. Cuomo and his team are making the acquisitions of supplies. They know what to do. Governor Cuomo has said repeatedly, I am responsible. He does not want anyone to die on his watch and they are and you can see he feels the tragedy of this, an unnecessary tragedy. I will do what the governor and his team say. My life is in his hands and in Dr. Fauci's hands. (Unless Fauci resigns, this is no longer the case. His expertise is not wanted in the WH as of 5/5/2020)

Does Trump deserve to be reelected with his failed response?

My life is not in Trump's hands. He says he is not accountable for his actions, but he wants to be praised. He is not responsible for the three month delay, for shutting down the office that dealt with pandemics. He is not responsible for ignoring President Obama's team who briefed him on pandemics and the necessity of that office. He is not accountable that he ignored our Intel this year about the outbreak. If Trump is not responsible, then he must NOT be obeyed. Why? He is rogue. He does not follow the law. He does what he wants. He does not follow the constitution and has made the Executive the only branch that matters. And what if he declares he is not accountable?

Well, we are not accountable to him. He must be not be obeyed. His orders are in direct violation of the constitution, the national defense and the safety of Americans who are dying because he didn't act when he should have. Since he is not responsible for their deaths which is in the oath he swore to the constitution and Americans, than neither should American citizens listen to or adhere to anything he says. He has blown out the walls of the presidency, tantamount to a war lord defending only his own regime, not the United States.

Putin and Trump in agreement, what? (courtesy of the media)

He should have been removed for his past acts: not adhering to the constitution; not being subject to oversight; bullying the GOP and Senate not to indict-convict and remove him after his impeachment. They should have removed him for his fraud during the Mueller Investigation, his obstruction of justice during his impeachment hearings; his lying to congress and the American people; his defying subpoenas; his acting above congressional law and oversight. By doing these acts, he has already put himself out of the office of the presidency which he has disdained from the beginning. With those behaviors he has nullified his own role as president and obviated the roles of the judiciary and the senate and house. Either there is oversight, there are checks and balances and the executive answers subpoenas, or there is no American government, no constitutional democracy. There hasn't been a functioning democracy in months.

GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell (courtesy the media)

The GOP is in lock step with Trump. He and they and the judiciary have destroyed this nation, its laws and the governing balance set up by the founders in theory. And now they are materializing their goals following the shadow government behind them of global fascists. Is it any wonder that the coronavirus was allowed by him to come into the country as he labeled its reality a hoax, a plot to destroy his reelection chances? That label of hoax was a GROSS AND NEGLIGENT LIE he has since had to reverse.

Is it any wonder that the power of the virus was pooh poohed by Rand Paul who acted irresponsibly to spread the virus to members of the senate when he swam in the pool, ate in the lunchroom knowing full well he tested positive? Is it any wonder that people in Suffolk County when I post that Trump is guilty of crimes against humanity mock me and post memes insisting Trump will win in 2020?  Is it any wonder that people think he is right? This obtains, despite the fact that Trump ignored Intel reports about the coronavirus, despite the fact that he boasts in his lies about a democratic plot against him, despite the fact that he boasts and bullies that the media doesn't want to see him reelected and is giving him "BAD PRESS ABOUT THE VIRUS"

Make no mistake. Trump is forced to deal with this pandemic; it has stripped him naked. However, if he takes no responsibility for his behavior during this season of THE PLAGUE it will blow its hurricane force against him in the number of deaths he is responsible for. Of course he will do everything in his power to be reelected. If this pandemic and the disastrous economic fallout as a result of it makes him "look bad" in his perception, he will lie, he will cover up, he will spread disinformation and jeopardize the lives of the American people continually as he began to do in early 2017. He will continue to commit egregious, willful acts of negligence as he has done during his presidency. This is criminally negligent homicide. If seniors die if he opens up the markets and the country, he will ignore that fact and do it with Fox News at his back denying the true numbers. He is a presumptive criminal warlord genocidist. He is not the president of the United States and all that represents and has represented. He must not be listened to unless he acts for the good of the nation. He must be removed or the fate of this country is in the hands of the devil, not God. It is no longer one nation under God, but it is a nation under Moloch. Jesus Wept! Everyone who is a spiritual Christian stands against this spiritual onslaught.

Trump is a genocidal, psychotic. He must with his contingent of lawyers and staff be dragged before The Hague for committing global crimes against humanity for their willful, criminally negligent death-dealing. The wave of cases and impending deaths will hit various states at different times. As in Italy, the most vulnerable will die. (as of 5/5 this is becoming more than imagined as the young and youthful fall to the disease with strokes and embolisms) 

The problem is, we will learn who is the most vulnerable during the course of the disease as COVID-19 plays genetic roulette with Americans' immune systems. It is not a hoax. But some will die with Trump's name on their lips praising his behavior. The cult continues, and many of his supporters number as the most vulnerable. And in an unwitting pact they have made to support the fascist who is unfit, a suicidist and sadomasochist, they will die because that's what happens to cultists who become blind, deaf and dumb to the insanity of their leaders.

Governor Cuomo says that New York is the canary in the coal mine. I agree and appreciate his honesty and his values in lifting up human life. He is doing all he can to save our lives as best he can under an imperfect, implausible situation he has been forced to deal with as governor. I thank him, his team, his staff, his brother and family and his father's spiritual influence over him in this crisis. And my prayers are to all those on the front lines of this war, the doctors, nurses, medical staff, the service workers in the supermarkets, the garbage pickup, the superintendents in condos and apartment buildings, the police and fire department, those who stock the shelves of supermarkets, all who are allowing us to get to the next day. Thanks to all of you.

When Trump was elected, I widely told friends, "I am not ready for a Trump presidency." And I realized what I was saying because coming from New York, I was familiar with what and who the man is. But now, I am ready for him to be presidential. Our lives depend upon it. God help us. (It is 5/5. He still is not leading the country. (Cuomo has become the de facto president millions listen to each day as he forges NY, representatively the US forward.)

*(actually Trump brought it in with the delay and his mishandling of the cruise ship allowed to molder with evolving cases of the people who were then transported in a bus without protective gear to infect the West Coast, sourced from a whistleblower who blew the whistle on the covert mishandling of these people) 

 

UPDATE:  It is September 17, 2020. COVID-19 has killed 201,403 individuals in the US which has the largest number of deaths on the globe. The Woodward tapes of Trump admitting that in January he knew that COVID-19 WAS A VERY DANGEROUS DISEASE have been publicized on the "brave" news stations. I do think there is a blackout on other news stations. Woodward's book with the 18 interviews of Trump going on the record came out yesterday. Woodward was sworn to a secret project, a longitudinal study with Trump on tape, live and as truthful as it gets that began 10 months ago. Trump's own knowledge of the deadliness of this disease is heard in his own words. Why he continues to hold rallies and perpetrate the lie that only his which supremacists believe against all science, that COVID-19 IS  a hoax (Trump himself says it is fatal and deadly) and then the flu (Trump says it is fatal and deadly) is anyone's guess. Trump wants the stock market to remain high. He is banking, yes banking on HERD IMMUNITY. In other articles on this blog, I've discussed the problem with HERD IMMUNITY. Actually, it doesn't exist. Science has not proven it doesn't or does exist because the virus is novel. If everyone gets it, that is tragic because it compromises the immune system FOREVER. So, don't breathe the air. White supremacists will commit suicide rather than to go against Trump. Nothing can be said to them. 

 

Shakespeare's Cassius in the play Julius Caesar says, "The fault Dear Brutus is not in our starts, but that we are underlings." White supremacists' adherence to being Trump's underlings along with officials in the WH like DOJ William Barr is beyond reason. They believe lies and follow lies-the reason is immaterial. Trump's fraud can only be held to their account. At this stage arguments are useless. "It is what it is. Trump is what he is." God help us.

COVID 19 An Uncertain Certainty: TRUMP INACTIONS

The Plague Doctor circa Edinburgh 1650 (Carole Di Tosti)

We are in the Dark Ages of enlightened science. The novel corona virus has turned the world upside down. Over 150 countries are experiencing its oppression. See the World Map Here of affected nations. The only area exempted is Antarctica.

The death toll is rising and the positive cases are multiplying. Never before in our history have so many countries been impacted by such a plague whose replication of contagion is exponential. One infected index case multiplies to infect 3 people. By the time those three people have socialized with others, each has infected 3 people each. So in two steps 9 people are going to test positive. By the time there are 15 transmissions, the numbers are in the millions.

The math is easy to understand. The enormity of its human impact is mind boggling because of its ability to replicate and fell its hosts with a variety of symptoms which intensify and strike the lungs. If you have conditions which reveal a compromised immune system (diabetes, cancers, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, etc.) then account for age and number of underlying conditions, a person's chances of dying increases.

Molecular biology at its best. (photo courtesy of the CDC)

 The disease has 10X the mortality rate of the flu because it is so severe as to choke its victims to death. To prevent their strangulation, they need to be on respirators. Hospitals just aren't equipped to handle thousands of patients on respirators because they simply do not have the beds for ICUs. So hence there is a race against time so that doctors are not, like in Italy, so inundated with severe cases of coronavirus and a lack of personnel, supplies and beds to care for them, they are forced to make choices about who lives or who dies. That fascism is reminiscent of Joseph Mengele, Hitler's monstrous doctor who conducted SELECTION in the death camps judging who should live to work and be exploited and who should die, not worth the bit of effort, gruel and space to keep them alive.

Such decisions do not happen in democracies easily. In Italy they have been driven by the moral conundrum of who will be able to recover via the respirator and who will not? Youth may win out against old age. Whether the person is loved or hated, has done wonderful things or not, is never a consideration. Such guesses involve complex decisions predicated on personal experiences by the doctors that are never random but highly subjective. Thank goodness, in Modena, Italy a ninety-five year old nonna made it and recovered from the virus. Why? Well, no one pulled the plug. Why? It's a subjective decision. But she made it through and appeared on FB. I took the pictures of this momentous victory from my Italian cousin's page and made sure to post it a few times. Brava nonna.

I bought these months ago and found them after searching high and low. (Carole Di Tosti)

In Italy, the Nonna is a vital treasure. In the US, grandma is not necessarily venerated if she is in a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Center, especially if she has outlived her children. So life and death in the hands of doctors? Subjective. Now, that is scary. Imagine! What if you get Covid 19 and you look like the X-wife of one of the doctors who cares for you, the X who sued him for thousands? I shudder to think of the subjectivity.

That is why the PPE must be in place in every hospital in this nation, as well as the hospital beds and the respirators to deal with, what Governor Andrew Cuomo calls the Tsunami, the tidal wave that will sweep away the hospital staff, patients and wreck the healthcare system if so many people come into the hospitals, that there are simply not enough personnel, supplies, beds and respirators to offer the best care possible. Multiply the contagion rates with the incapacity to deal with the numbers? People will die needlessly.

The toolkit to combat the infection at home. (Carole Di Tosti)

If only the president had listened to and acted upn the first reports his Intel agencies informed him of that were coming out of China back in December. SAAAAAYYYY What? US Intel informed the White House and staff that there were numbers of Chinese citizens infected and dying from a disease like SARS or MERS or N1H1? Yes. He was informed and he was frightened to death. He was frightened not of the disease, but of his PR, his polls, his financial "success" in the market. He was frightened he would not win reelection. Well, OK. At least that's not some heinous plot to murder the old and the most vulnerable of our population like far-out websites claim is being perpetrated by "them," the Dr. Mengeles of our time interposing SELECTION to "cull" the herd.

Say Trump's fear prompted his delay: his fear that the market would tank on his having to deal with the disease numbers evolving. That might be one explanation why he delayed three months before acting to stem the virus; why he politicized the disease as a hoax; why his lackey news agency Fox politicized it as a democratic plot; why his son Don Jr. said Democrats wanted people to die so his father wouldn't be reelected. But it doesn't explain why he shut down the office Obama set up to deal with pandemics. However, it does explain why he blames the previous administration for leaving "him" with a terrible system to deal with COVID- 19. The lady in the WH protests to much and never, ever takes responsibility.

I guess you could say, this coronavirus is a runaway bullet train aimed for the president, out of his own mouth (a hoax) actions (closing a vital office in 2018) and reactions (delaying 3 months when he could have brought in experts to understand exactly what a pandemic is).

The best choice. Do not use Ibuprofen. (Carole Di Tosti)

However, the disease is deaf, dumb and blind to Trump's election chances, his wants, his dreams of a beautiful Easter. Covid 19 just kept on coming and will continue to do so, most probably helped by the toadies who surround him because they want to stay on the job and be "visible" unlike COVID-19 which is INVISIBLE. Trump said after there were 15 cases, they would go to zero. COVID- 19 knows math. Trump said it would go in 15 days. COVID didn't listen to him; the numbers multiplied and a woman died, then there were more positive cases and the numbers increased. Meanwhile, our Italian friends put up Youtube videos warning us and posted letters on Facebook describing the death and flood of patients in a medical system that was unequipped to handle them. Trump battled recognizing there was a problem, saying the flu killed more people than this, despite Dr. Fauci's truth-telling. As we wrangled on Social Media and battled on news sites, COVID- 19 kept coming. This virus has a wicked mind of its own.

Indeed, it will not be Trump's lackey or toady. Its reality keeps a mathematical certainty. For those who are good in math and understand the numbers like Dr. Fauci, they listened and understood. Governor Cuomo is good in math and he listened to as he calls him, "the superb Dr. Fauci."

If you are helping someone going shopping for them, don't leave without these. (Carole Di Tosti)

Because of one individual who caught the virus and communicated it in New Rochelle, New York, Andrew Cuomo took charge and quarantined an area in New Rochelle and set up testing. His tremendous success, commanding presence and knowledge of COVID- 19 daily explaining the MO of the disease filled in the vacuum that Trump's ignorance, his delay, his denial, his politicization of a molecule could not. Cuomo soothes our souls and provides psychological and emotional relief for anyone who listens to him. His presidential attitude, honesty and authenticity is saving lives every day he speaks. He gets the math, he gets the problems we face scaling up enough supplies, beds, respirators. There is a lack of enough PPE in New York that he is moving heaven and earth to rectify. Right off he knew what Italy was going through and intended to prevent it; the team he works with is brilliant.

 Would that he were the president, we would be in much better shape as a nation. From where I sit and from what Cuomo has said, we are looking at the possibility of many unnecessary deaths which I liken to crimes against humanity, when all is said and we review the White House's dilatory reaction. But that's for another day. Certainly, if Obama or Cuomo were president, where we are now would not be where we are. The disease would never have been allowed to manhandle Americans while Trump stood up at rallies (now closed) and called it a "hoax" confusing words to say the least. Sadly, the hoax is still in the minds of some Trumpers who will follow their "Jim Jones" hero over the cliff and into the grave with COVID, killing others around them in the process.

Gold in the time of corona (Carole Di Tosti)

Anyway, Cuomo stirred Trump and we have moved our of the morass of confusion into a kind of clarity but are no where near where we should be as a nation. And where is that as Trump wants to end the two week halt of business and devotion to combating COVID- 19 as he intends to stop Wall Street's inevitable decline into the abyss?

Right now, the Defense Production Act which has been signed must be used to COMMAND industry to make respirators and PPE protective gear-masks, hazmat suits, gloves, etc. to last us through this pandemic. Next, every state must be shut down and Americans hunker in place, all except essential workers. With that, massive testing must take place and tests be readily available for all especially testing those who are asymptomatic. This requires massive scaling up of labs in each state which President Cuomo has done in New York, making it the largest testing center for COVID- 19 in the world per capita, exceeding Italy, China and South Korea.

Next, air travel between states must be essential and all "fun" travel must be postponed as the nation "hunkers" down. Next, only essential work must be allowed. Businesses must close or conduct their work from home. A broad stimulus must be reached to benefit Americans. Paychecks must be sent for the workers who are not working, checks the government will cover. And checks must be given for each child in the family. Unemployment insurance must be extended until this is over. And the sooner we test and identify asymptomatic carriers and those who have COVID- 19, the sooner we will be able to allow those who are immune to go back to work, a point Governor Cuomo makes every time he discusses this coronavirus (5/23/20 immunity is not a given)

The stimulus must also help businesses that have been negatively impacted. Such businesses must have paid income tax to receive any money. Their CEOs must receive compensation that is not egregiously overweening, for example 250 times workers salaries. Such businesses must share the profits with the US taxpayers who are funding it. There must be oversight and monitoring by congress and fines levied if the law has been broken. The bailout of 2009 benefited not the workers but business whom the workers had to chip in as taxpayers and pay in an act of corporate socialism that screwed the little people. Workers and families must be helped, then businesses if workers are to populate the businesses after COVID-19 has been sent off to oblivion (If ever-5/23/2020).

Many have likened COVID- 19 to the war and Trump has likened himself to a wartime president, a rather overblown hyperbole considering his dilatory behavior for three months refusing to recognize what was going on. As a point of consideration, during WWII countries declared their neutrality, their wish not to be involved. This included Sweden, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Andorra, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, San Marino, Tibet, Vatican City, and Yemen. Well, there is no escaping this war; there is no neutrality declared against COVID-19. Whether we want this or not, the planet is in a battle. The magnitude, scope and severity is unlike anything we've seen not only in our lifetimes, but in history. No wonder China kept it secret. It understood COVID- 19 was some bad sh&t!

If we look to the numbers we will know where we are going and be able to head off COVID- 19 to "level" the tsunami. If we listen to the experts this is doable with fewer deaths. If we ramp up the testing to do 500,000,  tests per day across the nation, 100,000 in New York, we can monitor the disease, quarantine and isolate those who have it and those who spread it and help to create therapies for it. Or, Trump can rest on his laurels that he is doing a great job. He is, considering this is the first time he has had to face a challenge in his life and do ANY work. But compared to other individuals like Governor Cuomo and Mayor Di Blasio, to be kind, well, better not compare. Trump has barely gotten off square one.

In that he has already killed thousands of people for the sake of reelection, an ass-backward thought. First, be a hero, Trump; ramp up supplies, empathize, take your hand out of our taxpayers' money and stop the spread to stop the deaths. Then work with the brilliant Cuomo to bring back the culture to a "new normal." We have lost what was never normal to begin with. 

COVID-19 has become known and we have become wiser for facing this war, all hands on deck: that is a certainty. The uncertainty is in the midst of this. Will we be over this in two months? (As of 5/23/2020, the curve in NY is downward with less than 100 deaths. It is upward nationally, but the numbers are inaccurate intentionally, the cases incorrectly reported, the deaths not reported accurately or not reported in nursing homes in red states). With Governor Cuomo and New York it surely appears we will be making progress to decrease the curve to a drop off. The other states will learn from our example. And we will get through this. It will just be a long waiting game. I toast to all who read this. Stay healthy-safe.

YOUTH! Covid 19 Susceptibility and Social Responsibility

What Covid 19 looks like on the molecular level from CDC electron microscope magnifications

I have refrained from writing about Covid 19 because I have been in shock. I came out of it yesterday after I wrote "The Plague, March 2020," on my blog A Christian Apologist's Sonnets. 

First, are excerpts from a letter signed by MDs in Brookline, Mass to the school community. If you want the names of the doctors, leave a comment I will include them.

"This is a coronavirus that is new to the human population. Although it is related to the viruses that cause colds, and acts a lot like them in many ways, nobody has ever been exposed to this before, which means nobody has any immunity to it."

Wear gloves any time you go outside. Wash them after you return, then dispose. (Carole Di Tosti)

"The virus is now moving explosively through the human population, spreading through respiratory secretions and 10 times more contagious that the flu or cold. Although many people will recover, about 20% will wind up with a serious pneumonia that will require hospitalization. Some will be so ill from the pneumonia that they will die. We estimate this may be 2-3%, but it is higher in Italy’s experience, partially because the healthcare system was overwhelmed so rapidly. In those over age 70, the death rate is 8-20%. So if a child catches it on a playdate, they can easily transmit it to their grandmother as easily as touching the same doorknob or countertop."

 
"Scientists measure the spread of an epidemic by a number called R0, or “R naught.” That number is calculated this way. For every person who develops the illness, how many other people do they give it to before they are cured (or dead) and no longer infectious? The R0 for coronavirus appears to be a number close to 3 – an extremely frightening number for such a deadly disease."

Self-monitor (Carole Di Tosti)

If you catch the virus, this is what happens. 

1)You will give it to three other people.

2)Those people will EACH give Covid 19 to three others.

3)Those three people will give Covid 19 to three other people. The spread becomes exponential.

Here is the math, where you, the “index case,” are the first line:

1  (index case)

3

9

27

81

243

729

2,187

6,561

19,683

59,046

177,147

531,441

1,594,323

4,782,969

14,348,907  (exponential increase)

"In just 15 steps of transmission, the virus has gone from just one index case to 14.3 million other people. Those 15 steps might take only a few weeks. With school out and lots of playdates, maybe less. The first person may be young and healthy Brookline child, but many of those 14 million people will be old and sick, and they will likely die because they got a virus that started in a child's throat and then was shed to others."

"R0 is not fixed – it can be lowered by control measures. If we can get the number below 1, the epidemic will die out. This is the point of the quarantines and social distancing, but we are not doing it fast enough."

According to global expert Dr. Fauci, after studying data from CDC in the US, more than 4000 cases showed about 40% of those who were hospitalized for the virus as of March 16, were among YOUNG PEOPLE. The ones hospitalized were in the ages from 20-54. Among the most critical cases of these ON THEIR WAY OUT OF LIFE, 12% were among ages 20-44. And 36% for those in intensive care on ICUs were those 45-64.

Follow CDC guidelines. Tylenol not Ibuprofen if you have a headache (Carole Di Tosti)

The FALLACY is that the disease fells only those 70-year-olds and up. FALSE! It was found in a six year old in Florida who was loved and hugged and kissed and spread it to all she/he was in contact with. EVEN A BABY tested positive for Covid 19.

If you are under 70 years old, you are accountable for spreading the disease if you do not practice social distancing, do not monitor yourself, do not wash your hands. You may have no symptoms and may pass the disease to your family and end up in the ICU on a respirator. 

For a twenty-year old this is unthinkable. THINK AGAIN. Do you have any underlying disease that Covid 19 may expose? You may discover you do because Covid 19 is a crucible that challenges your immune system. If you do have a congenital defect, once exposed to coronavirus it may click in and send you spiraling down the rabbit hole. If you pick it up, though you may be asymptomatic, you most probably are a super carrier and can spread it to everyone in your household. For older adults this may be a devastation. For younger siblings this may be a trip to intensive care. Their chances are better because their immune systems may be more resilient. 

Use wipes to disinfect, especially if you have been outside keeping a socially responsible 6' distance (Carole Di Tosti)

 

However, a grandma in Modena, Italy who is 95-years-old recovered from Covid 19, where decades younger individuals died. Why? Well, being 95-years-old is not a death sentence. Many additional variables obtain. Each individual though is affected with some similarities, also responds uniquely.

If we only knew what this NOVEL disease was. But we are in the DARK AGES of "enlightened science." IT'S LIKE THE PLAGUES OF OLD WHERE NO ONE KNEW WHAT CAUSED IT AND HOW TO STOP IT. 

The only weapon we have is to do what they did during THE PLAGUE. 

The Plague Doctor's hazmat outfit circa 1650 Edinburgh, Scotland (Carole Di Tosti)*

QUARANTINE: SHELTER IN PLACE, PAUSE, HUNKER DOWN.

Whether you are young or old, this is about social responsibility. Social distancing. It is about avoiding mingling with 2 people or more of individuals not family members. It is about keeping six feet distance between people. Yes. We are all responsible. Yes, we are our brothers' keepers because we look to our brothers to keep us as well.

Stay safe=healthy and maintain social distancing.

*The photo of The Plague Doctor was taken from a tile I purchased 7 months ago in Edinburgh, UK after I took a tour of the underground streets and living quarters of the Old, Old Town that have been made into a museum of the life and times of citizens who lived there in the 1700s. The city suffered through the Bubonic Plague. The outfit protected the wearer from contagion. Inside the bird's beak were herbs like lavender and rosemary that prevented inhalation of the droplets spread by the disease victim. It was an effective garment that covered the wearer from head to foot with gloved hands. Things don't change much, it would seem regarding today's protective gear,   hazmat suits are white, the masks quite unbirdlike, without herbs but with respirators.