Too many masks and mad as h....
Rich Lowry: Social Distancing Hypocrisy:
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had big news last week -- the city is
opening up its iconic Lakefront Trail after months of being closed off
as part of a COVID-19 lockdown.
That Lightfoot kept the trail closed even after Chicago had experienced
large-scale Black Lives Matter marches -- thousands during the "Drag
March for Change" -- is one small instance of the flagrant social
distancing hypocrisy across the country in recent weeks.
If it's OK for throngs of people to pack the streets, and shout and
chant to protest the death of George Floyd, it ought to be permissible
for someone to ride a bike along the lakeside while keeping to him- or
herself.
Yet, Mayor Lightfoot welcomed the protestors -- "We want people to come
and express their passion," she said -- and still kept the trail
shuttered.
Many of the same officials who were most zealous in locking down their
states and cities instantly made an exception for Black Lives Matter
protests. Their rigidity became laxity in a blink of an eye. Their
metric for reopening wasn't the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines or any other public health measure, but the
"wokeness" of the activity in question.
Visiting the deathbed of a loved one with COVID-19? Absolutely not.
Having a proper funeral? No way. Gathering more than about 10 people at a
graveside? No one should be allowed to put the public at risk in such a
way.
Bringing thousands of strangers to march together for hours in spontaneous, disorderly groups? Thank you for your commitment to positive change.
Attending a church service? Well, maybe in a couple of months.
Holding a struggle session with religious trappings where people confess their racism and vow to work to defund the police? Please, let's have more.
To believe the leaders of Blue America, SARS-CoV-2 is the first virus in
human history to have a social conscience -- virulent enough in the
ordinary course of events to justify the most restrictive social
controls; not such a big deal if it might get in the way of marches for
social justice.
The likes of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have justified the
different standards by arguing that fighting racism is important. Well,
so is mourning your dead, keeping your business from being ground to
dust and worshiping your God. It's a sign of a ludicrously blinkered
worldview to believe that a protest march deserves more consideration
than these other elemental human needs.
Another argument is that the protesters are willing to put their health
on the line for their cause. But, until recently, it was said that
anyone going outside wasn't just endangering themselves, but the most
vulnerable people in our communities. Why wouldn't that be true of the
Black Lives Matter marches, too?
Don't expect consistency, or even a serious attempt at it. More than
1,000 public health experts signed a letter calling the protests "vital
to the national public health," thus immolating their credibility on a
pyre of motivated reasoning. It's social distancing for people and
activities they find uncongenial, and different rules for their
ideological allies.
What a contemptible betrayal of the public trust.
Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review.
(c) 2020 by King Features Synd., Inc
25 comments:
Lightfoot is a typical politician, do as I say not as I do. While beauty parlors were closed, the beauty challenged mayor, managed to get her hair done. Chicago is fast approaching the point of no return. Sad, as I loved working in downtown Chicago for over 30 years. Now, I simply stay away because I don't believe it is safe, even in formerly safe areas.
There is so much conflicting information on the efficacy of masks. It makes it very difficult to make an informed decision.
"Chicago is as safe or as dangerous as any major American city. It depends upon where you live,what you do and where you go." John Mixon, Chicago resident.
"I live downtown (Chicago). I find your question (Is downtown Chicago safe?) a bit indelicate. Of course downtown Chicago is safe. Very safe. You must not realize how large Chicago is. There area poor/undereducated areas where crime happens but they are outlying neighborhoods with no affect downtown or other safe, nice neighborhoods. The neighborhoods that you note are perfectly safe. Those high rise buildings around you are $300,000.00 to million dollar condos and $3000.00 to $7,000.00 month rental apartments. We walk, take the subway and elevated trains and cabs. I've never needed to use uber since taxis are everywhere downtown. If you go to a neighborhood, uber might work better for you."
- TripAdvisor Forum
"Precautions you would take in any big city apply in Chicago. Mobile phone theft and bag snatching occur. The city has been in the headlines for its relatively high homicide rate although this type of more serious crime happens is concentrated in certain areas and rarely impacts on tourists. There is, however, a reason why Conde Naste Traveler has voted Chicago “Best Big City in the U.S.” two years in a row: it’s cool, it’s fun, and most visits are trouble-free." - The Broke Backpacker
Masks, this guy is GREAT, gives the experts both barrels, enjoy
https://videos.whatfinger.com/2020/06/26/journalist-lays-absolute-waste-to-ca-officials-for-excessive-lockdowns-this-is-a-smack-down-some-humor-thrown-in/?utm_source=whatfinger
must see TV, if your old enough to remember that tag line
Anonymous K,
Nice that you are cherry-picking worthless data from sources who have a vested interest in persuading people to visit. Even on the Magnificent Mile, there are gangs, swarms of "youths" that are ruining the shopping experience. One of my colleagues who lived on wealthy Lake Shore Drive for 38 years, became disgusted with the crime and moved to the suburbs.
Lincoln Park, a wealthy neighborhood, is seeing a huge uptick in crime. My daughter lives there and she will be moving out.
The media in Chicago downplays it considerably.
Chicago was one of the few big cities that seemed to bucking the trend of Democratic run "paradises," but no more.
Cheers!
"I moved here (South Shore, Chicago) in 2007 & I love the area & feel very safe."
- janiceh3, StreetAdvisor
"Is the Chicago Medical District a safe place to live? The medical district is a fine place to live. Exercise common sense and you will never have any problems- don't walk alone at night - don't walk with your iphone out - don't have packages delivered and left on your doorstep."- Reddit
"Is Chicago safe for travel in 2017?
If you are a tourist, going to the places tourists normally go, you should not even be aware of such problems. That said, as in any big city anywhere, you should not flash large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry; you should not walk down dark alleys; you should not allow yourself to get black-out drunk; and generally remain aware of your surroundings."
- TripAdvisor Forum
"I live here in the center and walk around Michigan Ave, the Loop, to the museum campus, north towards Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville and visit Chinatown al the time; never had the slightest issue."
- TripAdvisor Forum
TJM, any neighborhood that has a platinum rap group named after it is in trouble.
I like downtown Chicago. But I'm not likely to get into bad places, and stick the university area, the coast walk, or the restaurants and bars. Easy way to tell if a bar is good or not: the good ones serve local brews and spirits and has a few specialites on the menu that you can't get anywhere else. If all they have is national brands and snacks you could buy is a grocery, call the Uber and pay the driver to take you to the right sort of place. I don't know if the Weber Grill is still there, but it's OK for lunch in nice weather. Only local stuff and cooked on their huge grills.
Bee here:
From March or so I was on the fence about the danger of this virus. Although I thought the danger was being somewhat exaggerated (except for people over 70 with underlying conditions), I didn't want to get it, spread it and cause someone else to get very sick or even die. I also thought giving the government time to prepare was important so that hospitals would not be overwhelmed or unable to handle the numbers needing critical care.
As time went on I was wavering about the level of caution necessary because of reports of Lightfoot getting her hair done, or that Governor Pritzker's family traveling to Florida in spite of the stay-at-home order (you stay put...but my family is none of your business) or that he had workers travel to a Wisconsin property to do remodeling work. Surely they wouldn't do things to risk themselves or their families catching it or spreading it, would they? Their actions telegraphed a message that it was something to be cautious about, but not paranoid about.
By the end of May I thought they were extending the severe restrictions too long. They had their time to prepare. I felt people could decide for themselves the degree of risk they were in and take proper precautions. Hospitals were presumably ready for any influx. But we all were still on lock down.
But it was them allowing of the thousands of protesters and day after day marches that convinced me, without a doubt, there is very little to this illness, and they knew it. Their personal actions were enough to make me doubt them, but seeing thousands of protesters in the streets convinced me, if it was really such a big deal, why would they put tens of thousands of people at risk for catching it and then taking it home to spread it?
And then I began thinking, where are those protesters sleeping? The hotels are closed. If they were sleeping in tents, there must have been an encampment where they left their stuff while they marched. Where are they eating? The restaurants are closed. Who was providing food and drink to them? How did the protesters get here, by bus or train or even plane? Those logistics were never reported. Wouldn't all that contact with others who were providing those services also increase the numbers of people who could potentially get sick, and sicken others? And weren't stay-at-home orders still in place, so that they were not supposed to be out and about except for essential trips to the store or pharmacy or near the home for exercise?
Either it's dangerous for gatherings, or it's not. You can't have it both ways.
So now I am just scornful of their continued alerts and warnings, and big shows of incremental "opening" cities and states, and of "allowing" gatherings, with restrictions in place, mind you. I don't like the politics of the people running my city and state, but I still trusted them in matters such as these. I don't anymore. Not. One. Bit.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
What a betrayal of the public trust. What shameful liars.
God bless.
Bee
Anonymous K at 2:23,
I see you now accept anecdotal evidence in addition to vendors with a vested interest in tourism. And your sources are stale and predate the Lightfoot reign.
I will believe my lying eyes and experience, rather than your nonsense.
Shouldn’t you be busy with converts, vocations, and religious services. You must be bored to be spending time here instead of hour vocation
I have to go to Lacrosse Wisconsin at least once a year, used to fly, damned planes are crowed hot and cramped for a man of my size and the fellow flyers are rude and nasty, plus O'hare is just bad, so I drove it a few times whoever set up the highway system through Chicago was on mushrooms. just nuke the place already, Last time I took Amtrak, love the trains, very comfortable and the conductors are quite helpful, Central station is beautiful, if it was not for the 4 hour layover it is faster than driving and much nicer than flying, but I tried to explore the city surrounding the station and almost got pockets picked, lucky there was a cop near when I caught him, and the panhandlers around the area are really obnoxious. Chicago just makes me uncomfortable, I know I'm a farm boy and big cities are just not for me
Bee:
Isn’t there is a simple solution to the problem of politicians’ inconsistencies regarding the medical aspects of Covid-19 and proper precautions (from President Trump on down, and across political lines)?—Don’t trust the politicians to give the best information on these matters; instead trust the medical experts. Are the medical experts always correct? Of course not, but they typically act in good faith within the limits of their knowledge—limits that are inevitable, especially with a novel virus such as this one.
And if this solution also seems too unreliable, what is a better, more reliable alternative?
Mayor Lightfoot is also an out and proud "Lesbian" whatever that means.
Regarding the letter from the health professionals mentioned at the end pf the National Review article, the following report reproduces the entire letter at the end. Readers can make up their own minds about the merits of the arguments and how the letter is characterized by the National Review writer:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/health/health-care-open-letter-protests-coronavirus-trnd/index.html
I wonder what percentage of health professionals the letter represents. Did Dr. Fauci sign on to it, for example? One suspects not.
One interesting wrinkle, regarding effects as opposed to motivations, is suggested by the study reported on in the following article:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/medical-advances/504043-black-lives-matter-protests-have-not-led-to
The bottom line seems to be that any increase in cases due to the BLM protests was more than offset by a decrease in cases because many other people stayed home and practiced social distancing who would otherwise not have:
“Despite protests compromising the CDC-recommended social distancing protocols, the study proposes that the effect of the protest on social distancing practices was overall positive.”
I suppose this is plausible but, even so, at this point my brain hurts.
Sophia here.
Here's another kick to the solar plexus!
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/us-catholic-charity-ceo-catholic-church-is-racist-because-jesus-was-white?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=10d88b5786-Daily%2520Headlines%2520-%2520U.S._COPY_791&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-10d88b5786-404117813
'The first virus in history to have a social conscience'. Brilliant!
Bee,
This article provides context and comfort our evil, corrupt national left-wing media refuses to provide:
From the Pennsylvania Real Time News:
A UPMC [University of Pennsylvania Medical Center] doctor on Wednesday said the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 within UPMC is the lowest in many weeks, and people who test positive aren’t getting as sick.
Dr. Donald Yealy pointed out that is occurring even in the midst of Pennsylvania’s reopening and the ongoing social justice protests.
He suggested the country is focusing too much on rising COVID-19 case counts.
“We need to change our mindset and focus not exclusively on the number of cases, but on the severity of illness. We shouldn’t just be counting those who have a diagnosed infection,” Yealy said. “For the vast majority of people testing positive, their illness is mild, or they don’t even know they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.”
Please read the article for the full flavor.
Anon 2, I am with you! My brain is beyond the hurting stage—heading into freeze without the pleasure of the more usual ice cream causative.
I really do think it is a time to stop overthinking/overreacting to the news of the day. Many here will not agree, probably including our host, but most of us (fingers crossed) have enough residual common sense left to do what is right for ourselves while watching out for our neighbor. God willing.
Yes, Anonymous—Stop overthinking AND over-politicizing, attend to the most reliable medical information available, and proceed accordingly. I guess that’s just too reasonable a suggestion for today’s climate. How on earth did we reach such a point of absurdity that even a virus becomes political?
To clarify—the question of the appropriate governmental public health response to the pandemic is necessarily political, in part because many different considerations have to be taken into account in addition to health considerations, but the health aspects themselves and the appropriate medical response are surely not. For example, either a mask helps prevent transmission when used properly or it doesn’t and, if the evidence is mixed, the prudent response is to err on the side of caution and wear one in the proper manner, and yet even this has been politicized. It is beyond ridiculous.
How on earth did we reach such a point of absurdity that even a virus becomes political?
The question answers itself. The Russia collusion gambit didn't work, the faux impeachment didn't work, and so now the Democrats are using the pandemic as a political weapon to remove President Trump from power. A party that wants power this badly should never hold it. (Hat tip to Senator Lindsey Graham when commenting on the shameful Justice Kavanaugh hearings, another example of Democrat "fairness and civility"). I also recall Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden asserting President Trump's travel ban was racist and xenophobic, but that wouldn't be "political" would it?
TJM:
The pandemic is politicized by the Trump cult as well. The deeper flaw in your argument as far as politicizing just the scientific, medical aspects is concerned is the rest of the world. When other countries are mandating mask wearing, for example, are they doing it based on the best science available, or are they doing it to make President Trump look bad? To use your phraseology, doesn’t the question answer itself?
To listen to some people over here, one would think that the United States was the only country in the world having to deal with the virus, or perhaps we don’t even need the latter clause.
You really do need to stop projecting. No-one wants power more than Trump and the craven Republicans who will not stand up to him, although if his star continues to fall, I expect they will scuttle away from him faster than rats leaving a sinking ship.
The Trump Flu was politicized from the day Trump said, "It's just one person from China."
Bee: Some people call this "The great scamdemic of 2020".
Anonymous 2,
Why not answer what Schumer and Biden said? They started politicizing the China Flu while they were pursuing a faux impeachment. You're just another cowardly faculty club member who hopes he will be eaten last by the crocodile. Abortion Uber Alles. Given your intellectual "depth" you would not last 5 minutes at my international law firm. Those that can do, do, those that can't do, teach. Thanks for the laughs.
Anonymous K,
No the flu was politicized the day fake Catholic Nancy Pelosi said come down to Chinatown, it's safe. I imagine she said that to the unborn approaching the Abortion-toriums.
TJM:
I feel genuinely sorry for you. You seem to be getting increasingly desperate as Trump’s woes accumulate.
I trust that readers here understand that your uncivil conduct on this Blog is not representative of most lawyers. It is certainly not representative of the lawyers in whose professional formation I am privileged to have a small part.
Anon 2 - The desperation grows as the "You're Fired" moment draws nigh......
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