by William Skink
The partisan argument over mask wearing is one of the stupidest arguments I have ever seen.
At risk of being a crude reductionist, Democrats believe wearing a mask shows how caring and pro-science they are, while Republicans believe wearing a mask is a sign of giving in to tyranny.
The mask argument is especially stupid considering how much we still don’t know about this supposed pandemic. If much of the modeling was demonstrably flawed, and if the CDC itself is revising down the infectiousness of this virus, then how can partisans be so certain of their to mask or not to mask position?
One hint can be found at the Montana Post, where science takes a back seat to the supposed moral failings of the Republican leadership:
Masks save lives, leaders encouraging the use of masks save lives, and the absolute failure of the leadership of the Montana Republican Party to encourage the use of masks and set an example by wearing them will kill Montanans and prolong the spread of COVID-19.
Even a cursory look at conservative social media reveals that the mask divide breaks down on partisan lines. While there are certainly liberals and conservatives who haven’t worn masks as often as they should, most conspiratorial junk science is coming from the same engines of disinformation that spread dishonest science about climate change.
The author of this drivel is saying that if you don’t believe in the life-saving power of placing fabric over your nose and mouth then you are probably a conspiracy theorist peddling Republican who also doesn’t believe in the gospel of climate change.
If we are going to talk about “dishonest science”, then let’s take a closer look at the Imperial College of London’s “buggy mess” of a model that was used to justify the pandemic lockdown:
The Covid-19 modelling that sent Britain into lockdown, shutting the economy and leaving millions unemployed, has been slammed by a series of experts.
Professor Neil Ferguson’s computer coding was derided as “totally unreliable” by leading figures, who warned it was “something you wouldn’t stake your life on”.
The model, credited with forcing the Government to make a U-turn and introduce a nationwide lockdown, is a “buggy mess that looks more like a bowl of angel hair pasta than a finely tuned piece of programming”, says David Richards, co-founder of British data technology company WANdisco.
And let’s also take a look at what the CDC did last month regarding infection rates:
New data from the Centers for Disease Control is raising questions about just how deadly the coronavirus is.
The virus has had a catastrophic impact on the U.S. killing nearly 100,000 Americans. However, a new estimate from the CDC indicates a smaller percentage of people die from the virus than previously reported.
…
From the very beginning, there have been questions about how coronavirus compares to the flu. In March, one of the top U.S. health officials, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said COVID-19 is far deadlier than the flu.“The flu has a mortality of 0.1 percent, this has a mortality of 10-times that,” said Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
However, new data from the CDC suggests a much lower mortality rate for COVID-19 than previously reported.
The problem with trying to actually understand the threat posed by Covid-19 is that you can’t score political points by falsely claiming some moral high ground.
But that won’t stop Democrat partisans from trying to setup Republicans as scapegoats for pandemic deaths, despite the fact their mask orthodoxy is directly undermined by weeks of protests–urged on and celebrated by Democrats–where more than a few protestors weren’t wearing masks or social distancing.
I am so goddamn tired of sanctimonious Democrat partisans who claim THEIR TRUTH is objective, THEIR SCIENCE is infallible, and THEIR MORAL SUPERIORITY unquestionable.
The harsh reality no Democrat partisan will admit to is that both parties have been complicit in perpetrating a morally indefensible empire of death and destruction upon the world, violently attacking any nation or group that resists, and that empire is now in the process of collapsing.
I find it disgusting, morally speaking, that these sanctimonious, mask-wearing partisans were able to spend 8 years cheering on their morally dubious president as he made slave markets great again in Libya and helped facilitate the Saudi-led genocide in Yemen, yet now they think they can declare their political opponents moral failures because they don’t put cloth on their face.
Absurd.
JC
As I told Pogie (who seems to really have a problem with reality lately) the Corona pandemic isn’t in Montana.
20 deaths in what, 6 months?
The hospitals were never stressed. They are in fact cutting hours.
I can’t prove it, but it must be that the low humidity in Montana is not good for the virus.
In perspective – there were 66 highway deaths in Montana over the same time period.
Where’s the outcry?
In 2017 there were 10,000 cases of the flu in Montana and 79 deaths. Do you suppose Pogie was wearing a mask?
I’m not sure what the political advantage is though – it exposes Gov Bullock as an idiot though.
if you’re not sure the political advantage, read this description of Two Minutes Hate from Orwell’s 1984 (wikipedia):
Do you work at a hospital there, partner? They may not have been stressed with patients, but why don’t you spend some time looking for PPE in the middle of a global pandemic when everything comes from China.
Talks cheap, captain.
if you are really out in the woods my suggestion to you is that you stay there.
I’m out of the woods and you’re out of your mind
Not talk – facts – the number is 20.
I seem to be the one who has to tell the emperor that he isn’t wearing any clothes.
We had a wedding on our ranch east of Billings last Saturday which was attended by many in the health care professions. Over 200 guests with not one mask in sight. We hugged, kissed, shook hands, and danced to a live band well after the sunset.
You could say we took the words of Robert Gore seriously.
“Ninety per cent of masks are ineffective, a hundred percent adversely affect wearers, who are rebreathing their own respiratory waste and affirming mindless group-think.”
He certainly has the credentials. Who better to evaluate the efficacy of masks than a retired financier?
Should we hang Robert Gore with his own rope?
Here’s some credentials.
“Americans should pause and reflect on the lies they are being sold. Masks are a form of psychological manipulation. Many reputable physicians and scientists have said they are worthless and potentially harmful. Lockdowns are meant to condition people to obey without question. A nation of people who do just what they are told by the ‘experts’ without question is a nation ripe for a descent into total tyranny”- Dr. Ron Paul
This thread is off the rails. I will listen to an expert in the field of infectious disease and let these weak arguments not deserve an answer.
William, you were a little light on the attribution. I got Pogie all right but missed the other italicized portions. 1984 is a masterpiece but I liked “Animal Farm” better.
You don’t need an expert. We have hard facts. 20 deaths in 6 months.
Are we not talking about Montana on a Montana blog?
A lot of people here have been hurt by the overreaction of Gov Bullock.
Ever think about how much more death we’d have but for the restrictions?
ever think about how a significant percentage of deaths happened in nursing homes?
https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/06/24/covid-behind-the-global-nursing-home-disaster-and-the-case-number-scam/
Thanks for reading!
As for me, I’ll listen to the public health experts who say wearing masks helps prevent the spread of this disease. On the other side, you’ve got Eric Coobs, so I’d say the experts are pretty evenly divided here.
Please tell us who this expert is that claims Montana is in a crisis.
Every time you are on the losing end of a issue you cite straw men.
20 is the number – fact.
Why do we need the CDC when we have Eric’s rigorously tested hypothesis that it’s the low humidity that’s keeping the disease from spreading in Montana after all?
Let’s party!
Yeah let’s trust the CDC.
https://nypost.com/2020/05/22/the-cdcs-continued-screwups-make-it-very-hard-to-trust/
Not sure what motivated me to respond, but I think we all know that nothing productive tends to come of it, so I’ll leave to you all to continue questioning my sanity and morality.
Hope you all stay healthy out there!
your motivation, I suspect, is a side effect of narrative insecurity syndrome. it’s a new thing I just made up to describe people like you who cling to the two party paradigm. I wish there were specialized counselors available for you to process the underlying reasons for your attachment problems.
William, we have a two party system. Both are culpable. When the choice to respond, to an entirely new ,very infectious disease of non-uniform fatality, is between : “We are all in this together” AND “Exercise personal responsibility” I think the policy choice is very clear, Damn the politics, Damn the naysayers. Crawl out of your silos listen to your legitimate expert of choice. We must begin to think of the next very uniformly fatal virus to arrive. We must for the good of the ones we love . The next virus is only an evolutionary cycle distant . Believe me . A virus does not know politics.
Excellent piece. I wear a mask while grocery shopping [indoor/crowds] but, because of the D’s sanctimonious bullshit on masks it’s quite socially uncomfortable to do so. The idea that me wearing a mask [indoor/crowds] is some kind of a party endorsement is a grotesque political use of a disease that has killed tens of thousands, something that only the warped minds of DNCers could dream-up. In this manner, the DNCers are quite literally killing people..for political gain. For this; and so many other treasonous actions; I can not consider DNCers just a political group, they something far worse, far more satanic.
On the whole issue of D’s politicizing Covid-19, let me quote myself from a comment I left at Ian Welsh’s blog yesterday:
“And while it’s popular and…misleading to blame Trump, the truth is:
Covid-19/[SARS II], like SARS I and MERS are a byproducts of globalism or, if you prefer neoliberalism/neocolonialism, the difference in these other outbreaks is the scale of globalism has increased many fold and the number of contacts using air travel is many factors higher. As somebody noted above “it’s the rich and professional class who will pose a greater danger with their frequent traveling”. Blaming it on the victims of the “rich and professional class[es]” predation is the height of misdirection.
And speaking of misinformation, did anybody catch Mr. @$$hole himself laughingly* tell an interviewer that he purposely lied about face masks not being useful?
That’s right, Fauci said the American public would have started using face-masks if he had told the truth and that he needed to prevent Americans from taking steps to halt the spread of Covid-19 until he was sure that medical staff and VIPs had enough stockpiles. And yet, the only thing I hear on masks is that Trump voters refuse to wear them, I don’t know people have arrived at this conclusion but, in my town that certainly isn’t true.”
*should have been [haughtily]
I wear a mask when shopping in stores because my personal opinions don’t translate to asshole behavior in real life. the proprietor of one of my favorite small businesses has MS, so I wear a mask, get a spurt of hand sanitizer, put on latex gloves, and walk around the shop in one direction.
right on William…
S Brennan, I am a little confused. The Democrats are evil (satanic I believe was the word you used). The Republicans are not evil ? Is this the basis of your argument ? Fauci is a worldwide consensus expert. I thought he indicated that social distancing was more effective than a mask and his choice was to encourage staying home rather than depend on a mask. Which hypotheses of viral evolution do you think is most likely ? I like virus- first. If you are curious , you can Wikipedia viral evolution for a concise primer
The Dems who flew down to Epstein’s island were in fact, evil.
https://bustednuckles.com/2020/06/23/over-the-fence/
Trump said something like this. Jeffery likes beautiful women to ,a little on the young side. This guy would not be too convincing in court. Facts and evidence , it is all we have to go on. It does appear a coverup might be going on. From my experience, impersonal sex is not very rewarding. All pedophiles if found guilty should be incarcerated
John, As for you being confused, [and I say this with all the respect you have shown me], I doubt it. Furthermore John, you appear to be an ideologue who is steeped in doctrine and completely unaware of any possible alternative, you are as certain as any Dominican monk who engaged in the Spanish inquisition. Now John, based on your previous remarks directed at me, you are not somebody whose questions are worthy of a response, please make a note of it.
S Brennan If you do not respond that is fine. Dominican monk?, Spanish inquisition?, 15 th century?
Torquemada and all that ( I had to look that up)?. I am not certain about anything having to do with modern life. I am not angry. I do try to keep an open mind (is that is possible). I am CERTAIN I will not vote for President Trump or anyone who supports him.
I think you misrepresented Anthony Fauci. I think there might be some truth to what you say but it is not very clear. Maybe some accurate attribution would help.
“The coronavirus outbreak in New York City became the primary source of infections around the United States, researchers have found.” – NYTimes May 7, 2020 Updated June 16, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/new-york-city-coronavirus-outbreak.html
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Yes, that’s right, the folks that brought & spread the disease into this country are now sanctimoniously scolding the rest of the country. Remarkable, here’s some more of the details:
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“New York City’s coronavirus outbreak grew so large by early March that the city became the primary source of new infections in the United States, new research reveals, as thousands of infected people traveled from the city and seeded outbreaks around the country.
The research indicates that a wave of infections swept from New York City through much of the country before the city began setting social distancing limits to stop the growth. That helped to fuel outbreaks in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and as far away as the West Coast.
The findings are drawn from geneticists’ tracking signature mutations of the virus, travel histories of infected people and models of the outbreak by infectious disease experts.
“We now have enough data to feel pretty confident that New York was the primary gateway for the rest of the country,” said Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health.”
Math is hard, especially fro politicians.