Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by James Lacey

From what I can tell, she said, "The CDC did not provide enough paperwork justifying why they skipped the comment period." That's it. That is her whole reasoning for ending the mandate. All the discussion about sanitation was much ado about nothing. She says that when health care companies mandated employee vaccinations, they at least provided a four-page long justification and seemed to approve of that. So, is that all the CDC has to do? Write a four-page long explanation? The problem is that she provided zero guidance on skipping the comment period. This oversight and lack of detail are the main reasons the DoJ challenges the ruling.

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi David:

The major commercial airlines (private companies all)  dropped masks immediately upon this ruling.  Last week I flew through Denver and Indianapolis and voluntary mask wearing was at about 10% based upon my eyeball estimate.  Personally, I am happy to ditch the mask.  If everyone wore a proper mask properly, it would probably make a difference.  But seriously, the implementation of mask mandates was horribly flawed.  I must wear one when walking to my table, but not when I eat?  

I have seen graphs comparing the course of the pandemic in states that had strict and long-lasting mask mandates with those that had no mandates or short-lived ones.  There was not much difference.  A key point of distinction is the effectiveness of masks early in the pandemic, versus the effectiveness of common masking techniques against much more transmissible late arriving variants like Omicron.  As you know, Omicron ripped through the states fairly equally, whether they were strong mask states or no mask states.  Everyone knows lots of people (my wife for example) who were vaccinated, boosted, masked, and caught Omicron anyway.  fortunately it is not that significant a disease for most.  

Personally, I am no longer especially concerned with Covid as a day-to-day worry now that it is in an endemic stage.   One more disease to be vaccinated against and hope to avoid.   I think you will see this as you drive through VA to TX.  Some folks in the US are still wearing masks.  The vast majority are not.  Way less than 10%.  In my experience here in CO, UT, and IN over the past couple of weeks, it is pretty much life as normal, totally a pre-pandemic lifestyle.  CO is a blue state and IN is a red state, but I did not see any differences in masking or other precautions.   

Some folks still choose to wear masks of course, and these people should be respected.  I see that more mask wearers are now choosing what appear to be properly fitted N-95s and the like.  I'd guess they are compromised in some way, particularly fastidious, or simply otherwise more concerned about this disease than the majority.  That is their prerogative of course.  

I am curious what you and others living in Canada or other US states think, but here in my neck of the woods, the pandemic is in the rear view mirror.

Congratulations on the new telescope!

Jim

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Rod:  

Are you still masking?  If yes, are you wearing an N95?  I don't dispute that an N95 provides extremely effective protection.  I am curious however, what protection you think a haphazardly worn surgical mask or a cloth bandana provides against an airborne respiratory virus as transmissive as Omicron has proved to be?  I think the answer is little or none.

Masking is not without cost too.  Headaches, learning issues, decreased productivity, long term psychological effects.  These are all real things.  Lockdowns like China is now enforcing have enormous economy-wrecking consequences of course.  The benefits of a mask mandate must be weighed in the scale of practical (versus theoretical) effectiveness and social/health costs.  Same as the seatbelt mandates discussed above, but seatbelts have no known costs that I can think of, and they are more likely to be effective than most of the non N95 masks I saw worn by real people last year.

China is an interesting case.  They have gone in for a total lockdown.  Eventually, when the people revolt or start to starve, the government will have to let them go.  Then they will all get Covid.  It is inevitable.  Maybe by then China will have a better vaccine.

Consider New Zealand below.  They locked their country up tight, but nature finds the cracks.  I am/was fine with masks, distancing and especially vaccines to "flatten the curve".  But the goal is always to flatten the curve and protect the health care system.  Those in NZ or CN who think they can achieve near zero infection rates with masks and lockdowns are insane.   The virus always wins in the end.  Fortunately, evolution is on our side as we build up limited immunities and the variants typically evolve to be less lethal.  No doubt Covid will spike in the fall.  Sucks to be human I guess, but seasonal spikes are the hallmark of highly contagious endemic respiratory disease.  A relative few will be very sick or die.  For almost all of the rest of us, life must go on.     Jim

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

And since you're doing your regular dodge and hiding under your desk, I'll put it to you again.

She stated this in the video:

"we have seen this rising trend of hatred and targeting of gay kids and trans-kids, and black kids and uh... then they came for me"

So then can YOU back up her lie there?

Yes or No, and if You say 'Yes', then explain how gay kids and trans-kids, and black kids are being targeted and what is occurring that indicates there is a 'rising trend' of hatred of those 3 groups above.

Originally Posted by Mel Maki

The president will be blamed for gas and inflation. He will set records for his poll numbers. Midterm will be brutal.