Baptisms, Weddings, Extreme Unction: A Canonist Writes

Ed Peters is a reliable canonist and he comments on recent developments.  I'll skip to the good parts.

Concerned about death??

...a new mess has taken its place, one whereby a bishop thinks he can “suspend” the celebration the sacrament of Anointing in times of greatest need!

Keeping this short, I know of no authority whereby an arch/bishop can “suspend” the operation of a sacrament itself so I can only conclude that whenever a proper, willing minister utters the correct form while applying the necessary matter to an eligible, willing, recipient, the sacrament occurs. All of the usual considerations for the administration of sacraments in time of serious danger apply, of course, and those factors lean heavily (not uniformly, but heavily) in favor of administration of the sacraments, especially to the gravely ill....

What about baptism?  These rules apply, even in Chicago!!

...Infants are to be baptized “in the first few weeks” after being born, even sooner, of course, if there is danger of death. I agree with the Exegetical Commentary which states that Canon 867 “protected the fundamental right of the parents to baptize their children within the first few weeks. This right shall not be limited or restricted by a particular law, at least not by a norm of lower rank than the [1983 Code] itself.” Exeg. Comm. III/1: 465. Commentaries on the old law (e.g., 1917 CIC 770) warned against parents trying more than a month to secure the service of a priest before acting on their own. See, e.g., Woywod, Practical Comm. n. 669. Parents, unable to secure the ministrations of a cleric during a pandemic, who baptize their own children, should simply report such baptisms to the pastor of the parish, per c. 878. ...

Have a wedding planned?  Don't have heroic virtue of continuing chastity??

...Canonical form for marriage need not be observed, even by two Roman Catholics, if it is foreseen that an official witness (typically, a priest) cannot be present for at least thirty days. 1983 CIC 1116. We are very near that time already. Such couples still need, of course, to observe state law for the civil effects of their marriage to arise, but canon law provides for lawful celebration of marriage without canonical form in surprisingly short order....

And you'll save a TON of money on that elaborate-but-NOT-necessary reception.

Do-Nothing Evers Playing Politics While People Die

Tokin'Tony Evers, unable to actually lead, resorts to playing politics, hoping that Wisconsin citizens are dumb enough to swallow his crap.  People are dying while Tony fiddles, diddles, and kvetches about "the Republicans."

The CoViD19 became an issue around January 31.  What did Tokin'Tony do then?  Nada.  Did Tokin'Tony's not-yet-confirmed "health" secretary Andrea Palm have any thoughts on the matter?  None that we know of.  She was drawing up marketing plans for some (D) election, I guess.

Tokin'Tony waited around until mid-March--SIX WEEKS--to declare an emergency.  Did Tokin'Tony use his emergency powers to scramble for ventilators and PPE?

Hell, no.  He used them to force closings of churches and golf-courses.

Finally, Maggie Gau told Tony to demand SEVEN HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS to spend, knowing that his demand was ludicrous but could be used to rip the Pubbies when they told him to go fly a kite.

...Evers gave the Republican legislative leaders a bill on March 21 that would spend at least $706 million to help state agencies respond to the outbreak and is drafting a second bill related to economic recovery and less-urgent health care needs.

So far the lawmakers have not told Evers' team which measures they support or provided an alternative proposal, according to the governor's office.   ...

And so Tokin'Tony went on the teevee to cry about having a hard time obtaining ventilators and PPE for hospitals.  This despite the fact that the FedGov will be sending Wisconsin a check for $1.9 BILLION or so......

What a tool he really is.

UPDATE:  Here, the little gamma-bitch complains about Trump's response.  It's hard for Tony to watch what a real leader does.    As to his "leadership," O'Donnell already assessed it.  Hint:  none could be found.

NeverTrump "News" Runs Really Dumb Editorial

In its never-ending quest to rid D.C. of Donald Trump, the Examiner runs a really stupid piece, arguing--badly--that returning to fully-deductible meals & entertainment is not going to help restaurants.

So to make their case, they say this:

...He’s wrong. Fully reinstating the deduction would not help struggling restaurants. 

How are companies going to spend more on meals and entertainment for their employees when so many restaurants are closed, and so many offices have shifted to remote work? Incentivizing people to leave their homes and go to restaurants also certainly seems like a public health risk.

Even in normal times, this deduction is bad policy. Ideally, companies would be able to deduct their expenses as soon as possible, as the corporate income tax is a tax on profits (in other words, revenues minus expenses). Companies can deduct the cost of building a new factory or office, and they can deduct the wages they pay their workers. Meals provided to employees are a form of compensation, so it might sound like they should be deductible for companies, just like wages.

But the difference between a corporate deduction for wage payments and a deduction for sponsored meals is that employees pay income taxes on their wages, but not on the benefits they've received from a sponsored meal. Instead of making individual taxpayers keep track of these meals and report them on their taxes, which could result in a lot of annoying tax compliance costs, the next-best solution is simply to not allow corporations to deduct that spending....

Clearly written by someone who has NO CLUE why meals/entertainment were deductible.

They are NOT a reward for employees, by and large; they are a means of capturing a prospect or customer's attention for more than 10 minutes, or for furthering a customer relationship.  IN the many decades I've been in the biz-world, getting a free meal from my employer has been rare, indeed, aside from the usual Christmas party or summer picnic/gathering.

It would be nice if the Examiner hired someone who actually understands American business to write about business matters, no?  Maybe someone over the age of 24, too!!

Barrett's Homeless-Shelter: Smart or Killer?

Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, will be placing some homeless folks into an old dormitory at the grounds of the St. Francis Seminary.

Meantime, a paper on transmitting CoViD19 (3/18) says that's the best way to infect them.

The paper, by Thomas R. Frieden — a former CDC director — and Christopher T. Lee, notes (footnotes included):

Environmental factors [in transmission] include population density and the availability and use of infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities. SARS and MERS had relatively low rates of person-to-person transmission but caused explosive outbreaks in healthcare settings (28). Rapid person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 appears likely to have occurred in healthcare settings, on a cruise ship, and in a church (3). In a study of 110 case-patients from 11 clusters in Japan, all clusters were associated with closed environments, including fitness centers, shared eating environments, and hospitals, the odds for transmission from a primary case-patient were 18.7 times higher than in open-air environments (H. Nishiura et al., unpub. data, External Link). SARS-CoV-2 is present in stool (33); ensuring cleanliness of toilets and other potentially contaminated surfaces is needed, and measures to prevent aerosolization from plumbing, as might have occurred in the Amoy Garden outbreak of SARS (24), might need to be implemented. Evidence of environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 through respiratory droplets and fecal shedding highlights the need for effective decontamination efforts and strict adherence to environmental hygiene, which are pertinent to prevention and control of transmission, including SSEs (34).

Jus'sayin'...

Why Ending Quarantine at Easter?

ZMan has a number of good observations in today's post, but let's go to the last 2 grafs.

...Anyone who has had to manage a large number of people knows that sentiment can turn quickly against you, unless you stay on top of it. It’s why sportsball coaches have locker room insiders to tell them the mood of the players. It’s why every military has a layer between the officers and the enlisted men. More than a few grand schemes have been undermined by a quiet rebellion in the ranks. This is something we are already seeing that will become more evident next week.

This is why Trump is getting antsy about getting people back to work. It’s not because of the economy, although that is one reason. It’s because he has managed lots of people and he knows this dynamic. By next week, whatever benefit there was to this lock down will have been achieved. The inevitable wholesale revolt against it will make the whole enterprise pointless. Trump will want to be seen as leading the charge to get the nation back to work, so expect that to be the topic a week from now....

There's little question that this "shelter-in-place" thing is wearisome to anyone afflicted with it.  And of course, the hysteria-tattling going on (see your Next Door neighborhood page) is guaranteed to create a backlash.

The next week or so will be ...........interesting.

More on Tokin'Tony's Ransom Demands

Below we mentioned the local litterbox-liner's story on Tokin'Tony's ransom demands.

That story didn't carry all the juicy details of Gau's demands.  But we found more!!

Gov. Tony Evers is asking for more than $800 million to address the COVID-19 pandemic in a sweeping bill that would also halt enforcement of voter ID, ban evictions, and prevent the layoffs of school employees during a public health emergency.

The proposal, which the Evers administration released late Saturday, also would give the Department of Health Services unlimited spending and position authority during a public health emergency....

First off,  the State is in line for $1.9 BILLION from the Federal Relief bill passed last week.  Tony wants $800 million more?  Really??

Secondly, DHS is run by a Hillary Clinton-hack 'marketing' type, whose appointment by Evers is STILL provisional as the Senate has not confirmed her.  Think she's the kind of SwampCritter that should have "unlimited spending and position[s]" during a crisis?  Me neither.

 Finally:  Evers' real concern here is the teachers' union.  He can't hide that, can he?

...The administration is also seeking a joint resolution that would indefinitely extend the public health emergency Evers issued March 12 in response to the pandemic. Under the proposal, the extension would last until it was revoked by a subsequent executive order or a joint resolution....

Sure.  Right.  Maggie Gau gets to prevent family and church gatherings for as long as she damn well pleases.  NOT OK.

Gau put on her pissy-face in another attempt to blame the Republicans for her delays and incompetence, of course.  It's possible that Tokin'Tony agreed with her, but she wouldn't let him out of his cage to comment.

Evers Gives Up on Political Ransom Demand

While the litterbox-liner tries hard to twist this story into "Pubbies Bad, Evers Good", it failed.

In fact, it's "Evers Quits Being a Political Jerk."

Gov. Tony Evers' administration is buying 10,000 ventilators and 1 million protective masks after waiting a week for action from Republican lawmakers who said Saturday the governor already had the power to make the purchase. 

The dispute comes after the Democratic governor gave legislative leaders a sweeping bill a week ago that called for spending more than $700 million to help care for thousands of sick and jobless people in Wisconsin that also imposes a number of measures Republicans oppose like suspending the photo ID requirement for voters....

Tokin'Tony (or Maggie Gau, take your choice) thought he could force the Republicans to give up election integrity by pretending they had to give him "authority" to purchase critical medical supplies.  The Pubbies pointed to Evers' existing authority.

...But top Republican lawmakers said Saturday[that] Evers was the one holding back the state's response by not using authority he already has to make such purchases citing the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau's conclusion, and that they won't act on the bill as is.

"Again, we implore you. Please do not wait any longer to buy ventilators and masks. Do it now," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester wrote in a letter to Evers. ...

...The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau agreed Saturday with the lawmakers' position.

Evers' authority under the 'emergency powers' law is very clear and extremely broad.  Even if Tony doesn't understand the law, Gau certainly did.  If he has the authority to prevent you from "interacting" with more than 5 people over 30+ days, he has the authority to spend a few bucks on critical medical items.

It's possible that Evers/Gau will not be able to obtain ventilators and masks since every other State in the Union and every country north of the Equator is also trying to get some.

If that happens, you can bet that Gau/Evers will be blaming Republicans.  Only question is whether they'll blame Trump or the Pubbie Legislature or both.

Big Brother Runs L.A. Yes, a Democrat

You DO know that you are being tracked, ain'a?

During an interview with Chris Cuomo [segment @14:19 to 14:28] Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti discussing the ‘stay-at-home’ order says (emphasis mine):

…”but this has been marvelously embraced by 99.9 percent of people; we see it in the traffic data, we see it in the cell phone data; but we’re going to hunt down that last point-one percent and say: ‘you’ve gotta get inside, you gotta cut it out, and you gotta distance”…  --CNN via Last Refuge

Your phone provides the option to turn off location tracking--or so it says.

Why We Despise "the Media"

A short lesson in Why the Media is a bunch of despicable, totally untrustworthy, jackwads.

Kennedy Center Screws Musicians After $25M Gift

After Pelosi jammed a $25 million gift to the Kennedy Center down Trump's throat, Trump came out and defended the gift.

So the Kennedy Center made a fool of Trump AND screwed their musicians, too!!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts informed members of the National Symphony Orchestra that they would no longer be paid just hours after President Trump signed a $25 million taxpayer bailout for the cultural center, according to an email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Nearly 100 musicians will no longer receive paychecks after April 3, according to an email from the orchestra's Covid-19 Advisory Committee....

So my question is this:  who the Hell WILL get that $25 million?

One hopes that Trump learned something here--that is, that Nancy Pelosi is nothing but poison.

Bp. Schneider on "Civil" Servants

The Archbishop of Milwaukee appeared on the Mark Belling show to explain why he closed down the churches.  It was something of a love-fest; Belling did not grill him, and the Abp. used what could only be called "lawyerly" (or at least lawyer-informed) excuses.

Boiled down, it came to 'the Church (i.e., me and the Archdiocese) could be blamed if someone died after going to Mass and that would really look terrible and maybe even cost money.'

That's his story and he's sticking to it.

So when Bp. Schneider spoke about the church-closing wave, he said....

...Bishop Athanasius Schneider has urged priests to imitate Jesus the Good Shepherd and, for the sake of souls, even disobey the unjust orders of bishops whom he says are now behaving more like “civil bureaucrats” than “shepherds.”...

..........almost as if he heard that interview.

Life vs. Liberty. How Trump Figures In

There are some "conservatives" who won't like this excerpt because they sincerely believe that "liberty" is the most important thing in human life.  They bought that line from a Left which knows exactly how to sell poop disguised as ice-cream. 

Further, in a completely unforeseen plot twist, Donald Trump's pro-life and pro-religion actions and statements have placed him in the X-ring for Leftists who really understand the danger he represents.

...when Bellow published his award-winning novel in 1970 cultural and moral norms were still largely intact in the United States (though waning in Europe). But moral relativism and nihilism had always been a uniquely European problem that had yet to invade the shores of the United States.

Only three years after the publication of Bellow’s novel, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the killing of human life was permitted by the U.S. Constitution and this was universally imposed over all the individual states. Roe v. Wade was the erection of the Temple of Baal in the heart of the American nation which, since then, has become the most sacred institution in the United States.

If banality was the disguise of a powerful will to abolish moral conscience and the sacredness of life, then liberty has been the even more powerful disguise to achieve this project since 1973. Morally empty Christians, Jews, and Muslims who hide behind the idol of liberty will see their moral conscience, and soul, utterly eviscerated by this all-consuming poison that destroys what the best and purest humans from the beginning of time have always known, and that which all three of the Abrahamic religions maintain as a central tenet of their faith. Neither liberty nor choice is the highest good in life....

That's why St John Paul II reminded us that 'Liberty is the freedom to do what is right.'  Which is to say that Liberty is NOT the freedom to do whatever you damn well please (so long as no one else is hurt).

The amoral and banal Left must also eradicate conscience.  Thus....

...privatization has surely become the banality associated with the abolition of moral conscience. How often do we hear that one’s private beliefs are exactly that, private — and therefore the public matter trumps private concerns? The privatization of moral conscience has become the partner in crime alongside liberty in the conspiracy against moral clarity and the sacredness of life....

Therefore, in the Public Square you may NOT have a conscience.  It is not coincidence that the Left has consistently (and obnoxiously) campaigned to remove God from 'public squares,' right down to the absurd case wherein they claimed "God" was hurting them when they attended a public high-school graduation in a non-denominational church in Brookfield, WI.  You can look that up.

Bottom line:

 ...It is not so much the case, despite their hyperbolic language, that the left sees Roe v. Wade at risk of being overturned. What they fear is that their project of abolishing moral conscience from public life is threatened; abortion is simply the most pernicious false sacrament to which they latch their morally vacuous ideology. If the Supreme Court chips away at certain advances made since Roe v. Wade, then the veil is torn asunder and the nation as a whole will see the great diabolical evil that has enslaved it for nearly half a century....

The fear is justified, as large sectors of the US' population do not and WILL not accept the abolition of moral conscience.  With Trump (unexpectedly) joining the fray, we are certainly approaching the final battle here.

WaPo's BS on Drive-Through Testing

Four stenographers from the WaPo took down dis-information from Democrat sources and came up with this:

Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump promised a network of drive-through covid-19 testing sites across the country where people could be tested "very safely, quickly and conveniently." In a Rose Garden news conference, chief executives of Target, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS said they would work with the government to provide space in store parking lots. 

While the four retailers have a combined 26,400 U.S. stores, this vision of a proliferation of coronavirus testing sites has yet to materialize....

Carefully chosen phrasing there, as it allows the stenographers to vilify Trump et.al. while ignoring on-the-ground reality.

Since YOU are not allowed to drive "non-essentially", but I drive "essentially," I noticed that every Aurora hospital within 30 miles of me has a newly-constructed DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING TENT, complete with standby generator and a large portable refrigerated chamber.

It is true that Aurora is not Target, CVS, Walgreen, or WallyWorld.

But these stations are, in fact, "proliferating" and if I drove past more Aurora hospitals, I'd find more proliferation of these stations.

Screw the WaPo.

Barrett Evades the Obvious Problem

It is sad that all of Milwaukee's CoVid19 deaths are concentrated in a small area surrounding St Joseph's Hospital and all the victims are blacks.

One of the victims was a Vietnam vet who was undergoing treatment at the Zablocki VA.

...Lonnie Loving, a Vietnam veteran died at the VA Medical center one day after being admitted to the hospital.

But his nephew told 12 News Loving, who had a weakened immune system from radiation for prostate cancer, saw a doctor two weeks ago. At that time, Christopher Loving said, doctor's diagnosed his uncle with pneumonia but did not perform a Coronavirus test.

It was only after the symptoms got worse did Loving go to the hospital, but it was too late....

Naturally, questions were raised about why no testing.  There are probably a few good reasons; who knows?

So the Mayor of Milwaukee steps into it........and manages to evade a BIG Democrat problem.

...12 News asked Barrett how he would respond to Loving's family's questions.

"The first thing I say to the family is I'm very sorry that happened," he said, "I believe it's this pandemic that is bringing home the reality that our healthcare system is not there the same way for everyone."...

What Tommy 'Milk-Carton Barrett' managed to avoid:  the V.A. IS Government HealthCare,  the dream of Democrats such as Barrett, Obama, Pelosi, AOC, and Schumer.

In a perverse way, Barrett is correct.  Most of us are NOT subject to Government HealthCare.  That's a very good thing.  You can thank God for that.

*Shock*! AP Virus News Is Largely Fake

Not only is it 'fake'--that is, not entirely true--it also betrays the sad truth that AP and its "reporter" have NEVER read and understood the Constitution of the United States.  Further, it validates Aesop's "Ants and Grasshopper" morality play.

Here's a snipped that would never get past "Politifact"--were "Politifact" honest:

...“I want them to be appreciative,” President Trump said Friday after the White House announced that he would be using the powers granted to him...

The WHOLE truth?  Trump said he wanted them to be appreciative of the efforts made BY THE WHOLE TEAM, INCLUDING the MILITARY.  I watched the damn presser and I know what he said.

Following ~10 grafs of estrogen-laden whining about the 'pooor, poooor, governors' (who piss and moan as a matter of professional pride), and who 'fear' Trump, who is "notoriously thin-skinned", we encounter this:

...The administration’s mantra, frequently articulated by Mike Pence, has long been that the fight against the virus must be “locally executed, state-managed, and federally supported.”

But President Trump has shown little public empathy for the states’ predicament, with his emphasis skewed toward the “locally executed” portion of that trifecta....

Under the Constitution, the State governors are responsible for their States, not Donald Trump.  If States are caught with their pants on the floor, that's not Trump's fault (see Cuomo's choice NOT to buy respirators a couple of years ago, e.g.)

The whining, bitching, pissing, and moaning is coming from States who are the Grasshoppers.  They didn't prepare, whether by choice or through benign neglect.  So to cover up their problem, they (and the AP) screech about "Trump."

Fed Judge to Green Bay Mayor: You're Stupid

The (D) regime in Green Bay managed to waste a bunch of City money on a stupid lawsuit.

...U.S. District Judge William Griesbach ruled that Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and the city didn't have the legal grounds to sue. ...

"Didn't have the legal grounds...." is in law-school 101.  But the Mayor got what HE wanted:  a bunch of press coverage.  For being stupid.

Should be fun to see the next mayoralty campaign up there, no?

Barra and GM Foul Their Nest

The expression 'foul their nest' is the polite equivalent of what Barra (and GM) actually did.

Barra committed to 40,000 ventilators, then "revised" that down to 6,000.  They promised "quick" and then decided "late April."

So Trump dropped the hammer and invoked Defense Production Act.

It's about time for Mary Barra and her Not Really Playing for Keeps act to disappear.  Who knows?  Maybe GM would produce vehicles that people want to drive--besides the Corvette.

What's the Matter With Rochester Hills, MI??

We've been through that town a few times in the last year or so.

Looked normal from our perch in the Interstate.

But apparently, underneath that mild, quiet exterior......

...Wearing pink latex gloves, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, was ruled out of order during a Friday speech on the House floor about the $2.2 trillion relief package to help workers and businesses in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Stevens’ speech started out normally. Then, as she ran out of her allotted time of one minute, she began shouting her remarks, requested 30 more seconds and mentioned the gloves she was wearing....

Go to the bottom of McCain's post for the video.  This woman is in serious need of a shrink.

Not "Big" Pharma. PIG Pharma

Peter Navarro has no nice words for the pharmaceutical industry.

Navarro, the assistant to the president for trade and manufacturing, told The Spectator that Big Pharma’s opposition to the executive order, which would require government agencies to purchase pharmaceutical products made in the US, because it wants to ‘preserve its offshore oligopoly’.--National Sentinel quoting Spectator

Pig Pharma didn't like that, so it lied about the order.

...“At this time, while supply chains for a broad range of US industries are stressed due to the global COVID-19 crisis and a number of factors related to the crisis already raised concerns about shortages, it is important that we do not take any measures that could undermine the complex arrangements between firms that allow for efficient delivery of medicines to patients,” the draft letter states....

Oh, really??

...That’s bogus, Navarro noted, because the president’s EO contains exemptions.

“None of the Buy American provisions in the proposed Executive Order would apply during the current COVID-19 crisis,” he explained. “That’s a Big Pharma red herring designed to preserve its offshore oligopoly at the expense of American citizens.

“If this crisis teaches us anything at all, it is that we cannot rely on Big Pharma, which is renowned already for its price gouging, to provide America during the China virus crisis with the medicines and medical supplies we urgently need from its offshored production,” the trade rep continued....

I would suggest that Pig Pharma retreat.  Trump & Co. rarely lose, and it appears that he'll have another 4 years to beat them into submission if they want to play rough.

The Chamber of Commerce: Capitalist Pigs

There are those who would have you believe that all Capitalists are Pigs.

The US Chamber of Commerce is their proof.  And they really don't need more.

White House plans to expand “Buy America” mandates to the medical equipment and pharmaceutical sectors could worsen shortages of urgently needed medicines and delay discovery of a vaccine for the new coronavirus, over 80 business groups warned.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens of other business and trade groups urged U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and other top U.S. officials to drop plans for the order, arguing it would also damage U.S. trading relationship for years to come....  Reuters quoted at Treehouse

It is necessary to know that not ALL businessmen in the US support this treasonous claptrap.

Mr. Donahue and his Board may take all the Chinese pharmaceuticals they want, including the fentanyl that is Red China's specialty.  To make it easier for them, the President should have them flown over to Beijing.  One-way.  

Maduro of Venezuela Indicted Narco-Terrorism

This is good news, but not quite what Venezuelans would like to see.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has been charged with federal drug trafficking crimes in Washington, New York, and Florida. The U.S. has also announced a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

The New York Times reports that charges against almost a dozen others will also be announced soon, including Venezuelan government and intelligence officials and members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Colombia’s biggest rebel group, which has long been funded by the cocaine industry. While not all details were made available, known charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S...

Venezuelans would like to see Maduro in a Federal prison NOW, not later.

CoVid19 Model Is VERY Wrong

Hand it to the guy, he admits a horrible error in his projections.  We essayed a bit about this earlier--and now our suspicions are confirmed.

...The Imperial College predicted that over 500,000 people could die in the U.K., and over two million could die in the U.S., but Ferguson said he now expects the death toll in Britain to be under 20,000...

Well, that's one-twenty-fifth.  Bloody significant, eh wot?  And MORE THAN HALF of those deaths would have occurred before year-end no matter what; the people are infirm and old.

Using 1/25th, the death toll in the USA is reduced to 80,000.  That's a lot of people, yes.  But it's NOT 2 million. 

Now, then........THREE million unemployment claims were filed last week alone.  Think that's enough to bring the US into recession?  How about depression?


Trump was right.  Easter will be glorious.  We fully expect our Archbishop to tell Tony Evers to sit down and shut up.  (I'm kidding.  He won't.)

Cheesecake Factory Will Skip April Rents, NATIONALLY

Interesting little bombshell.

The Cheesecake Factory, one of the most popular sit-down restaurant chains in the country, says it will not be able to make upcoming rent payments for any of its storefronts on April 1 because of significant loss of income due to the coronavirus crisis.  --quoted at Last Refuge

Margins are slim in the restaurant biz, of course, but this is not Bill and Sally's home-style eats on the corner.

There will be more.

Of course, SOME argue that stiffing landlords, suppliers, and perhaps employees is no big deal compared to a few thousand deaths.  But that landlord and supplier--and ex-employees--will be stiffing THEIR banks, suppliers, and employees, too.

Missing Info From Virus Reports

The State is maintaining a daily update for CoVid19 cases.

It would be far more useful if the State included more information--such as how many cases require hospitalization, and how many deaths are from "related problems" vs. just the virus.

Inquiring minds, and all that.

Desperate Lefty Counties Want To Fix the Election

News item:

Milwaukee and Dane County clerks issued guidance Wednesday that gives voters who request absentee ballots the option to declare themselves "indefinitely confined" if necessary, allowing them to vote without showing a photo ID....

Gee.  Waukesha and Ozaukee counties didn't do that.  So far, Brown and Winnebago counties haven't done that.  

So do you wonder why only the two MOST Lefty-laden counties did that?

Desperation.  The presidential primaries are over with and the Party will run Biden.  The Extreme-Left (D) Supreme Court nominee--Karofsky--repels most voters, including traditionally (D) voters.  So they have to find a way to stuff the ballot box--and this is it.

Pubbies will sue, of course.  Stay tuned.

Did Evers Use "CoVid Act Now" Numbers?

Well, the pieces are beginning to fall into place.  A few days ago, I saw a story on this damned virus which pointed to "an Imperial College of London study."  That study recommended a heavy-handed early intervention to effect 'flattening the curve.'

The study was picked up by "CoVid Act Now" a bunch which is tight with Democrats--and SURPRISE!!  Democrats are using it to justify heavy-handed early interventions.  The study has come under severe criticism from other researchers and has predicted 2.2 MILLION deaths in the USA.  Oddly enough, the author of the study will NOT reveal his formulas.  Huh!

The "CoVid Act Now" website has made predictions of Doom And Gloom which have been wildly inaccurate, by the way.  But no matter.  I suspected that Tony (or whoever) used that study and said so on another blog run by a pleasant but mis-informed RINO.  (He lives in Madistan, so he gets a lot of slack.)

Since Tony Evers has not revealed the source of his stats, and his "health commissioner" (whatever) has made rather wild predictions about DEATH!!  DEATH!!! unless you interact with damn near nobody over the next 30 days.....yah, that sounds like CoVid Act Now.

Jus'sayin.....

Is the Crime Uptick Coming?

The RenMan has thoughts on the near future.  If you haven't kept up with his posts, there IS a shortage of drugs which require 'parts' such as fentanyl--not to mention heroin and marijuana.  That's because the supply comes largely from Red China and, well, ships aren't sailing because ports aren't open....

Anyhow.

...many of those who are accustomed to buying drugs with the proceeds of panhandling, begging and minor crime are finding their usual fields of endeavor have become barren.  With most people staying at home, there aren't nearly as many drivers, pedestrians, shoppers, etc. to approach for money;  and many stores are also closed, making shoplifting of higher-value items almost impossible.  Supermarkets are overcrowded and under-stocked, and besides, stealing a jar of mayonnaise or a tin of peas isn't exactly going to bring in a lot of money.  Therefore, many of the aforementioned drug buyers are turning to residential and property crimes to fund their habit.  They're snatching anything left out in gardens;  ringing doorbells and aggressively begging for - or, rather, demanding - money;  stealing parcels that are delivered on doorsteps and left unattended;  and breaking into cars parked on the street, looking for valuables left inside them.  There are also reports of threats of violence to homeowners and others who try to stop them.
The gangs who have, until now, made a living from selling drugs in the "hood" are also hurting, because (as noted yesterday) there aren't as many drugs available to sell.  They're trying to compensate by increasing their prices - but, as noted above, many of their regular clients can't afford even their regular prices any longer.  Other buyers are taking the quarantine seriously, and no longer venturing into the shadier parts of town to buy drugs.  Therefore, the gangs are also turning to other forms of crime to make up the shortfall in their income.  Many of those newly released from prison, most of whom have no other way to make a living, are said to be doing the same.
Finally, with the closure of schools, large numbers of urban youth are wandering the streets.  They don't have a stable nuclear family to keep them at home, and the one parent they have (if they're lucky) doesn't have enough money to buy them what they want in the way of entertainment....

That's MORE than 'fair use,' but Peter's a good guy.

Below we mentioned that 'low-level' crooks were being released from jails to "prevent CoVID-19."  Isn't that nice of Sheriff Smiley??

You Already Broke Tony's Law in Wisconsin

Odds are VERY heavy that you already broke the law of Tony Evers.

The restrictions on individuals are much more draconian.

“All public and private gatherings of any number of people that are not part of a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for the limited purposes expressly permitted in this Order,” the order states.

Secretary-Designee Palm said people should only interact with five people – not five people at a time; five people total....

That's in the 30-day period during which Tony's Law is in effect.  You broke it, didn't ya?  HA!!  Turn yourself in!!  Some county and city jails are letting 'low-level' inmates free, so there's room for you.  Do the Time!

I have no idea on what planet Tony and his advisers live, so don't ask me.

Bernie and AOC Partner to Stop the Bill

The MaligNancy (a/k/a The Bitch) cannot get AOC to understand how things work.

Bernie is AOC's new BFF.....so both of them will team up to stop the bailout bill again.

Can't wait for November!!

Trump vs. Archbishop Listecki

The President, a Prot of some sort or other, wants Easter to be the glorious day that it SHOULD be.

So Archbishop Listecki of Milwaukee cancelled Holy Week and Easter.

Just sayin'...........

Why yes, the Archbishop can say that Wisconsin's governor, Tony Evers (D-Abortion & WEAC) ordered it so.\

Nero issued orders, too, Excellency.

Get This: Nancy Wants to READ THE BILL!!

The bitch has the backups.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) ended the House's session Wednesday within two minutes and did not indicate when there will be a vote on the coronavirus stimulus bill.

The House was set to approve the $2 trillion package and unanimous consent was expected after Senate leaders and the White House struck a deal Tuesday night.

Pelosi released a statement on Wednesday saying the bill had moved closer to helping the American worker but added that it is in the process of review.

"House Democrats will now review the final provisions and legislative text of the agreement to determine a course of action," Pelosi said....

She's working on reducing (D) House seats to 26 in '21.  And she could succeed.

MMAC Gets What It Asked For. Too Bad, Eh??

Nice to know that Timmy Sheehy get to Tony Evers.

MMAC President Tim Sheehy said his organization urged Gov. Tony Evers in a Sunday night call to issue a stay-at-home order after a briefing members received from medical professionals that morning.

He said the experience of MMAC members in overseas markets also played a role in the group’s pivot to believing such a step was necessary....

Well, then, you ought to be happy, Timmy!!

Whoops.....as you know, Evers issued a THIRTY DAY order.  Too bad, Timmy!

...Sheehy said while the group supported the move, members would’ve appreciated more details on Monday as the guv announced plans to take the step because “anything that knocks us off the center point of certainty causes confusion.”

He also said MMAC would’ve preferred a shorter order than one that runs through April 24 with adjustments made as needed.

“Businesses want more than anything certainty and clarity,” Sheehy said. “How long is this tunnel? I can do this for two or three weeks and get through it OK. The longer this tunnel is, the worse the economic damage is going to be.”...

Well, gee, golly, Timmy!!  You asked Tony to shut down the State, and you got it.  Tough.  

Milwaukee "Leaders"?? Nope. Leftists.

Just what you expected when you read the first graf here:

A group of Milwaukee leaders on Monday joined the list of officials and organizers calling for the postponement of spring elections...

So who are these "leaders"?

Glad  you asked!!

Sandy Pasch, a nurse and former Assembly Dem lawmaker....



Souls to the Polls organizer Reverend Gregory Lewis...

 ...Milwaukee Area Technical College Professor Dr. Thomas Kalluvila; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Milwaukee Branch Legal Redress Chair William Sulton; League of Women Voters of Wisconsin President Debra Cronmiller; and Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz....

Not one is elected, either in the County or the City.  Combined, they form the "Lefty League of Nattering Nabobs."  The "news" stenographers love to re-post their yappaflappa and call it "news."

The reliable-Lefty Fox Valley mayors and a squirmy clerk in Oconomowoc are also exuding estrogen-fired silliness.

Postponing the election raises all sorts of issues with overseas military voters, not to mention getting the results nailed down before the WI Supreme Court turns over on July 1.  But the Left doesn't care about actual, verifiable election results--because they might lose.

In fact, the louder the Left-O-Wackies scream about this, the more it's clear that they KNOW they're going to lose the SCOWI election--and perhaps a lot of others.

Cuomo: There Are OTHER States Besides New York?

Now he starts crying.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that an approximately $2 trillion assistance package the Senate hopes to quickly approve doesn’t come close to meeting his hard-hit state’s needs.

“It would really be terrible for the state of New York,” Cuomo said at a news conference held as lawmakers were trying to put into legislative language the deal announced in the early morning hours by Senate leaders. “This doesn’t do it.”

Cuomo said New York would get $3.8 billion when they’re looking at a revenue shortfall of as much as $15 billion and the cost of combating the coronavirus will be several billion dollars....

Well, Andy, raise your taxes!!  

Or you could cut your spending, but that's not an option to a (D), is it?

Pelosi Poops Into New Bill, Too

Stuff that the Senate should take out, courtesy of The Bitch.

On Tuesday, Pelosi released another revised version of House Democrats’ plan in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, which includes:

• A nationwide mandate for ballot harvesting
• $300 million for foreign refugees abroad
• An automatic visa extension for all foreign workers
• An expansion of foreign-language ballots
• Same-day voter registration for the 2020 presidential election

Slipped into the plan is an amnesty for the nearly 700,000 to 800,000 DACA illegal aliens who currently reside in the United States...

Maybe someone out there needs a really serious kick in the ass.....or someplace.

Shalala, Morality Cop?

While the President is concerned about sustaining the American economy, Donna Shalala (D-FL) is not.

Rep. and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala (D-FL) stated that what President Trump “has been saying about getting back at Easter time is both dangerous and immoral.”..

Shalala has NEVER been on a private-sector payroll.  Why should SHE worry?

The Bitch Caves

Now the Bitch is backing down, fast.

You can tell when Speaker Pelosi recognizes a political backlash for her manipulative schemes because it’s the only time she blitzes the media. After suffering a very large political hit, beyond the capability of the media to defend, Pelosi said today the House will take up the Senate coronavirus bill....

It's likely that the (D) Party will lose a lot of seats based on her bullheaded asinine moves--the "investigation," the impeachment, and this horrible blocking of the Relief Package.

Trump jumped all over her, and one suspects that the phone calls, messages, and emails were frightening to the idiots in the Senate who voted her way.

Let's hope they were frightened.  A good ass-whupping now and then.......is almost as good as watering the Tree of Liberty with a few gallons of blood.

Democrat Voters Try "Cure"

A pair of Democrat voters attempted to cure themselves from self-diagnosed Kung Flu.

Here's what they used.  Apparently the "not for human consumption" sign was unclear to them.

But they vote!!

Killing the Economy Behind the Scenes

The Federalist ran an essay which provokes some thoughts.  It describes the knock-on issues which arise due to shutdowns (forced or otherwise) and the consequent curtailment of payments.

...This is the solvency crisis. It starts with the break of trust and rise of skepticism toward the profitability of each business as long as the coronavirus crisis continues. This skepticism makes financial conditions for every one of these companies worse, and accelerates businesses’ declines into insolvency....

Discussed this sort of thing yesterday with specific reference to home purchases/sales and mortgage financing.  Someone makes an offer on your house, you accept it, and they proceed to find financing.

But what if they are suddenly and unexpectedly laid off?  You think Bank Friendly is going to grant a mortgage then? 

And........what if you've already purchased your NEXT house?   Hmmmmmmmmmm??

These are not issues for the Government Class, of course.  They get paid no matter what the Democrat Party does to demolish the economy and the citizens of this country.

Isn't that good to know?

Even Romney Gets It

Little Mittens is catching on.

Keep this up a little longer and we will go from social distancing to social destruction.

Maybe some of that "destruction" will happen to Democrat politicians.  There are some things which can NOT be forgotten and can NOT be forgiven.

Too Bad You're Starving, But Dems Want "Diversity"

Nancy and her bitch Schumer are demanding 'corporate board diversity' and 'carbon footprint improvements' as part of the economic rescue package.  Here's Tom Cotton on Nancy's HissyFit.

 Corporate Board Diversity
-College Debt "relief" [$10K minimum debt wipeout]
-Election Auditing
-Canceling the debt of the Postal Service
-Same-day voter registration
-Requiring airlines to offset their emissions
-Pay Equity
-Funding for community newspapers
-Free internet
-$100,000,000 for NASA's environmental restoration group?
-Mandatory paid sick leave for every single business
-hiding the citizenship status of College Students from the Census Bureau

So if you go bankrupt, get evicted, starve, have your car repossessed.....tough.

Nancy and her bitch Chuckiepoo have Important Things to do.

Evers Goes Hysterical

While issuing a "shelter in place" order is not utterly ridiculous on its face, Tony Evers is doing his damndest to make life extremely difficult for Wisconsin citizens who think.

Read this article and note that Evers doesn't know WHO will be affected; for how LONG they will be affected; and he has not stood in front of "reporters" (yes, I know, most of them are actually stenographers) and answered questions about this.

Can he explain WHY he reversed field over this weekend?  Can he come up with numbers that justify his action?  Has he ANY idea how much this will cost businesses, individuals, and the State's tax-coffers??

Yah--I doubt it, too.  So this was........really........a decision from hysteria.  Doesn't surprise me.

L.A. Archbishop Doesn't "Get" Subsidiarity?

One of the hallmarks of Catholic social teaching is its emphasis on 'subsidiarity'.  This teaches that social problems are BEST resolved by the lowest level of governance, beginning with the family, moving upward to the neighborhood, the city, the county, the State, and--LAST--the national government.

That teaching has been around for hundreds of years, and in fact, the US Constitution enshrines it in "Federalism" (although largely in the breach since 1900 or so.)

Now comes Abp. Gomez of Los Angeles, who apparently never read Catholic social doctrine NOR the US Constitution.

As thousands of people find themselves out of work due to coronavirus (COVID-19) related business and school closures, Archbishop José H. Gomez asked California Catholics to support extending unemployment benefits to Church workers. ...

...“Please join me in asking Congress to extend unemployment benefits to Church workers who might need this relief. Let us stand together in solidarity for our brothers and sisters in this time of trial and need.”
 
He urged Californians to contact Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, as well as local representatives, today, to ask them to support an effective solution....

UC insurance has ALWAYS been a State-legislated matter.  Asking the FedGov to override State law flies in the face of both subsidiarity and the Constitution--and of course, it's inviting trouble from the Feds forever.

Perhaps the Archbishop should find a solid Catholic adviser someplace in California.  That person will NOT have been educated by the Jesuits, of course.

Pubbies to Push New Healthcare Plan

Yes, the last Pubbie healthcare plan was nuked by John McCain and the Democrats.

McCain has left the building (thank God!) and the Democrats..........well........they're attempting to defend ObozoCare.  Good luck with that.

So there's a new Pubbie Plan which will emerge soon.

According to Scalise, key elements of the plan will include:

• Protecting patients with pre-existing conditions.
• Allowing Americans to shop across state lines for cheaper insurance.
• Ending the practice of drug companies paying generic manufacturers to make cheaper versions of popular but expensive medicines
• Ending hidden/surprise hospital, testing and doctor charges that arrive later in the mail.
• Getting rid of middlemen in the medical supply chain who drive up the costs of drugs, procedures and equipment or interfere in treatment decisions.
• Scalise said Republicans are also ready to battle over the issue of pre-existing conditions, which Democrats used effectively in their 2018 election efforts by touting
• Obamacare’s protections.

Republicans plan to show – and hammer home -- that Obamacare’s tradeoff for protecting pre-existing conditions was higher insurance premiums and deductibles that rendered many treatments unaffordable.
“You know, with Obamacare, they say they protect people with pre-existing conditions. But part of what they do is you're seeing deductibles skyrocket. So you might have a $5,000 to $10,000 deductible in your plan. That's not really health care if you can't afford it,” Scalise said. “Sure, they say you're protected, but if you can't afford it, it's like giving you the keys to a car that's got no engine.”

 "No engine" indeed.  I've made it clear to some Democrat friends that what Pelosi, Schumer, and Obama did to some of my children is unforgivable.

Nick Searcy Is a Gas!

This popped up and it's really very good.  While Searcy's singing is about the same as Eastwood's, his lyrics are a scream, especially after the first verse, as he warms up to the topic.  By the way, he's a trained pianist, too.

Makes me want to replay all of "Justified" again!

Budweiser Sanitizer!

News item:

The Anheuser-Busch beer company is on a mission to provide hand sanitizer to citizens across the nation during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Will there be a light version for those who don't want complete sanitation?  A Michelob version for the bigger spenders?

How many idiots will drink it instead of.........Will there be Sanitizer-Shooting events at frat houses?

If nothing else, those will be collectible containers for your great-grandchildren. 

The Bitch is Back!

Pelosi nixed the Kung Flu aid-bill because there's no money for BabyKillers, Inc.--and because she knows her day is over in November....

So Let Them Eat Cake!!

Dr. Fauci, AIDS Expert

Dr. Fauci--who loves him some camera-time--was the FedGov's AIDS point-man back when AIDS was a thing.  (And yes, I know about it--a friend of mine was the first Milwaukeean to die of AIDS; when he contracted it it was still known as GRID:  Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Disease.  Later, a high-school classmate of mine died of AIDS in San Fran.  The stuff is terrible.)

Anyhow, Ticker reminds us of how efficacious Dr. Fauci was then.

...And speaking of these agencies much-vaunted claim to be "oh so wonderful" when it comes to the historical record with HIV/AIDS, may I remind you that the very same California that is now on lockdown, where the very surveillance in test-and-trace that people including Fauci claim is so important -- has in fact just been suspended in LA?

California, of course, is the place where our government including the NIH, NIAID AND CDC sat around with their dicks in their hands in the early 1980s, leaving San Francisco to do whatever the hell they felt like doing when the city refused to close the public bathhouses where gay men were screwing each other in the ass, often anonymously through "glory holes" in what were essentially gang-bang daily events.  These very same government agencies were well-aware that this was the source of the serious spread of HIV throughout America.  It was not until 1984, a full year after the epidemiological links to those locations and what was going on there were proved, that the bathhouses were closed.

Oh, and who was the Mayor then who could have declared a public health emergency and shut that crap down?

Why Ms. Feinstein, of course.  Yes, that Feinstein....

It's worth reading Ticker's entire post, by the way.  He nails Fauci--who loves him some camera-time--to the wall for his current refusal to treat with hydrochloroquine.

 

Barr Goes for Broke

A.G. Barr--who has yet to prosecute Clinton, Comey, Brennan, Rice, Hotpants and Swingin'Dick, Clapper, et.al. for perjury, suborning perjury, criminal malfeasance, sedition, (etc.)........

Yah, that guy.

So instead of concentrating on known criminals, he prefers to concentrate on YOU.

The Justice Department is asking Congress for the power to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely, without trial, in "emergencies."...

Well, there are terrorists out there, right?  When we know about them, we should have some flexibility, especially now, right?

How do you define "flexibility"?

...The proposal would also grant those top judges broad authority to pause court proceedings during emergencies. It would apply to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil process and proceedings,” according to draft legislative language the department shared with Congress.--quoting Politico

Apparently Barr thinks he's a linear successor to Abe Lincoln, too!

...What about habeas corpus?

“Not only would it be a violation of that, but it says ‘affecting pre-arrest,’” said Norman L. Reimer, the executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. “So that means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over....

Gee, Billy.  Why don't you do the job sitting in front of your face:  the one we described above? 

Clinical Advice on WuFlu Avoidance

Vox was kind enough to publish a translation (from Spanish) of some info and tips.  Note well, however, that none of these have the Dr. Fauci double-blind 12 month study seal of approval.

...The Chinese now understand the behaviour of the covid19 virus thanks to autopsies that have carried out. This virus is characterized by obstructing respiratory pathways with thick mucus that solidifies and blocks the airways and lungs. They have discovered that in order to apply a medicine and unblock these airways so that the treatment can be used to take affect. However, all of this takes a number of days....

That's the info part.

Here are the protocols issued to doctors and nurses geared toward prevention.

Drink lots of hot liquids. Coffees, soups, teas, warm water. In addition take a sip of warm water every 20 minutes because this keeps your mouth moist and washes any virus that’s entered your mouth into your stomach where gastric juices will neutralize it before it can get to the lungs.

Gargle with an antiseptic in warm water, like vinegar, or salt, or lemon, every day if possible.
The virus attaches itself to hair and clothes, any detergent or soap kills it, but you must take a bath or shower when you get in from the street. Avoid sitting down anywhere and go straight to the bathroom and shower. If you cannot wash your clothes daily, hang them in direct sunlight which also neutralizes the virus.

Wash metallic surfaces very carefully because the virus can remain viable for up to nine days. Take note and be vigilant about touching handrails and door handles, etc. I guess within your own houses you can keep those clean by wiping them down regularly.

Don’t smoke.

Wash your hands every 20 minutes using any soap that foams, do this for 20 seconds and wash your hands thoroughly.

Eat fruits and vegetables. Try to elevate your zinc level not just vitamin C levels.

Animals do not spread the virus to people. It is person-to-person transmission.

Try to avoid getting the common flu, I guess because this just already weakens your system. And try avoid eating and drinking cold things.

If you feel any discomfort in your throat, or a sore throat coming on, attack it immediately using the above methods. The virus enters the system this way and remains for 3 or 4 days within the throat before it passes into the lungs.

Noting revolutionary, although this list is lots more specific than what is given to ordinary folks.

Lowest Gas Prices in History?

Saw this and was interested.

...One oil analyst said the United States could see its lowest gas prices in history when adjusted for inflation. 

As the coronavirus pandemic worsens and an oil-price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia continues, Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group, told Fox Business on Friday that America might be in store for some historically low gas prices. 

“We're hearing targets of $1.60, $1.50 a gallon national average,” Flynn said....

Skeptical?  So was I.

So I went to the DOL's inflation calculator and entered "May of 1967" with a price of $0.19.

DAMN!!  That's $1.48 in today's prices!!  (And yes, you could buy regular gas for $0.19 then, although you had to travel to Oconomowoc to get it.  Sorry, folks--that station's now a BP and has no charm at all.)

How to Look at Death

We are--perhaps--facing death sooner than (we) planned.

...One of the Church’s youngest saints, Dominic Savio, told Saint John Bosco that if the Holy Angel blew his trumpet for the end of all things while he was on the playground, he would just keep on playing. That is how we should want to play each day of our lives, in a friendship with God that will not find Heaven unfamiliar....

Good advice from Fr. Rutler.

Even Evers Ain't THIS Stupid

Fredo's big brother ordered all "non-essential" businesses in New York State to close, commenting that "....if everything we do saves just one life, I'll be happy."

PowerLine comments:

...This is profoundly stupid. When you are dealing with the lives of millions of people, everything you do–or don’t do–has consequences. When you drive thousands of businesses into bankruptcy, people die. When you unemploy millions of people, some of them die. When tens of millions live in more straitened circumstances, some of them die. There is robust social science research on this point. Shutting down New York’s “nonessential” businesses will kill. How many, we will never know. So Cuomo won’t have to take responsibility for his ill-advised action. And, of course, millions of lives will be blighted even when no one dies....

So write down this date because of what I say next:

Tony Evers has not closed ALL Wisconsin businesses, although he closed a LOT of them, probably without need.

For that I'll give Evers credit.  More credit than I can give Abp. Listecki.

What Do the Numbers Actually MEAN??

NB:  The linked essay has been "withdrawn" from Medium, the original source.

A clear-eyed look at the HAIR ON FIRE manipulation of the numbers.  Sophisticated Bloggeurs and Anthony Fauci, pay attention.  (Excerpts; the entire essay is here.)  N.B.:  Much of this essay is based on WHO research and some people suspect that WHO is on the payroll of Red China.

Ready??

....The United States is tracking with other European nations at doubling every three days or so. As we measure and test more Americans, this will continue to grow. Our time-lapse growth is lower than China, but not as good as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, or Taiwan. All are considered models of how to beat COVID-19. The United States is performing average, not great, compared to the other modern countries by this metric.

Still, there is a massive blindspot with this type of graph. None of these charts are weighted on a per-capita basis....

...Rank ordering based on the total number of cases shows that the US on a per-capita basis is significantly lower than the top six nations by case volume. On a 1 million citizen per-capita basis, the US moves to above mid-pack of all countries and rising...

[As of 3/20, the USA's total cases/1 million is 59.  Italy is 778, S. Korea is 172.  Chart at the link above]

Daily growth rates declined over time across all countries regardless of particular policy solutions, such as shutting the borders or social distancing.

Oh.  You mean that California may remain a State, instead of becoming a territory again, as its Governor thinks??  Damn.

...Bell curves is the dominant trait of outbreaks. A virus doesn’t grow linearly forever. It accelerates, plateaus, and then declines. Whether it is environmental or our own efforts, viruses accelerate and quickly decline. This fact of nature is represented in Farr’s law. CDC’s of “bend the curve” or “flatten the curve” reflects this natural reality....

The Bell curve in Italy is already on the downward slope as it is in China and S. Korea.  And there's this, which will force me to change my position (Mark Belling, pay attention!!)

EARLY countermeasures are important!!

Is it really as aggressive as the MSM wants it to be??

...The results of [WHO] research show that COVID-19 doesn’t spread as easily as we first thought or the media had us believe...

...According to their report if you come in contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 you have a 1–5% chance of catching it as well. The variability is large because the infection is based on the type of contact and how long.The majority of viral infections come from prolonged exposures in confined spaces with other infected individuals. Person-to-person and surface contact is by far the most common cause....

Even in prolonged exposure-confined spaces contacts, the infection rate is not large.  Recall the VirusPrincess cruise ship:  only 20% of the passengers tested positive.

"Community Spread"?  Not likely--but if it DOES happen, "social distancing" isn't worth crap.

...True community spread involves transmission where people get infected in public spaces and there is no way to trace back the source of infection. WHO believes that is not what the Chinese data shows. If community spread was super common, it wouldn’t be possible to reduce the new cases through “social distancing”....

How about that "IT LIVES IN THE AIR FOREVER!!!" story?

...The media was put into a frenzy when the above authors released their study on COVID-19’s ability to survive in the air. The study did find the virus could survive in the air for a couple of hours; however, this study was designed as academic exercise rather than a real-world test. This study put COVID-19 into a spray bottle to “mist” it into the air. I don’t know anyone who coughs in mist form and it is unclear if the viral load was large enough to infect another individual...

OK, then, how about "IT LIVES FOREVER ON SURFACES!!!"??

...COVID-19’s ability to live for a long period of time is limited on most surfaces and it is quite easy to kill with typical household cleaners, just like the normal flu.

• COVID-19 be detected on copper after 4 hours and 24 hours on cardboard.
• COVID-19 survived best on plastic and stainless steel, remaining viable for up to 72 hours
• COVID-19 is very vulnerable to UV light and heat.

Presence doesn’t mean infectious. The viral concentration falls significantly over time. The virus showed a half-life of about 0.8 hours on copper, 3.46 hours on cardboard, 5.6 hours on steel and 6.8 hours on plastic.

According to Dylan Morris, one of the authors, “We do not know how much virus is actually needed to infect a human being with high probability, nor how easily the virus is transferred from the cardboard to one’s hand when touching a package”...

Well, then.  How about "THEY DON'T KNOW THEY HAVE IT AND SPREAD IT TO ALL!!!"??

...On true asymptomatic spread, the data is still unclear but increasingly unlikely. Two studies point to a low infection rate from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. One study said 10% of infections come from people who don’t show symptoms, yet. Another WHO study reported 1.2% of confirmed cases were truly asymptomatic. Several studies confirming asymptotic spread have ended up disproven. It is important to note there is a difference between “never showing symptoms” and “pre-symptomatic” and the media is promoting an unproven narrative. Almost all people end up in the latter camp within five days, almost never the former....

 You've not read much about airline people coming down with this, have you?  Hmmmmm.

ARE YOU GOING TO DIE IF YOU GET IT??

You have a 99% chance of survival in the US, unless you're part of the OLD FOLKS or pre-existing conditions group.

What NOT to do:

...The data shows that the overwhelming majority of the working population will not be personally impacted, both individually or their children. This is an unnecessary burden that is distracting resources and energy away from those who need it the most. By preventing Americans from being productive and specializing at what they do best (their vocation), we are pulling resources towards unproductive tasks and damaging the economy. We will need money for this fight....

But but but but Dr. Fauci is an EXPERT!!!!

...In CDC’s worst-case scenario, CDC expects more than 150–200 million infections within the US. This estimate is hundreds of times bigger than China’s infection rate (30% of our population compared to 0.006% in China). Does that really sound plausible to you? China has a sub-par healthcare system, attempted to suppress the news about COVID-19 early on, a lack of transparency, an authoritarian government, and millions of Chinese traveling for the Lunar Festival at the height of the outbreak. In the US, we have a significant lead time, several therapies proving successful, transparency, a top tier healthcare system, a democratic government, and media providing ample accountability....

One more thing--which is EXACTLY what I expect, too:

...When this is all over, look for massive confirmation bias and pyrrhic celebration by elites. There will be vain cheering in the halls of power as Main Street sits in pieces. Expect no apology, that would be political suicide. Rather, expect to be given a Jedi mind trick of “I’m the government and I helped.”...

Yes, Donald Trump will be leading that parade, right, wrong, or otherwise.  Yes, he's full of it.  But then, so are all the rest of the jackwads, dipsos, get-rich-quick "servants" and blown-hair "news" types.

Still, we persist.

Habib Will Fit Right In.....

News item celebrated by the Jesuits:

Cyrus Habib, the lieutenant governor of Washington, announced yesterday that he will “not be running for re-election this year, and instead will pursue a different calling by joining the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church.”...

... In 2013 and 2014, Habib voted for bills requiring health plans that provide coverage for maternity care to provide coverage for abortion.

In 2016, Habib voted against a bill to reverse a public accommodations law that allows transgender people to use opposite-sex bathrooms and locker rooms, arguing that the law protects "a civil right to be included.”

Habib was also an active part of Pete Buttigieg’s campaign to win the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this month, he tweeted that he was “honored to have been a part of #TeamPete and proud of @PeteButtigieg for running an inspiring campaign,”...

The Jesuits have never publicly stated that they favor abortion, or Queer "Marriage."  They haven't publicly endorsed Tranny-ism, which is a mental disease.

Never publicly.