Seems to me that what I recommended some time ago and to which a great objection was made by some that it would be wise to wear masks to minimize the transmission of Convid-19 has now become the official position of the U.S. government. I also notice that many are making homemade masks which I also urged people to do. I don’t expect the naysayers to reconsider their objections but in reading a book by Bruce Catton about the Civil War called A Stillness at Appomattox I figured out why. He tells the story of a Vermont politician Colonel Stephen Thomas who was opposed to using force against the South. He joined the Union army and became a colonel and fought in many battles. When he was home on furlough his was chided by his former associates for changing his position. “”Thomas, you’ve changed,” they complained. “We haven’t.” A true Vermonter Thomas replied: “Fools never do.
The book tells about the extraordinary courage of General Philip H. Sheridan and how he single -handedly was responsible for some of the Union’s great victories because he was always out front in battle showing through his example the courage against enemy fire. One thinks how true it is that one leads by example. Then we have Trump. The CDC recommends we wear masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. Trump for once having the chance to show leadership flubs it by saying he is not going to wear a mask. So now many rubes will want to be like Trump and the virus will continue to spread. Wearing masks will be the opposite of the MAGA hats – going about increasing the chances you infect other people will be the hallmark of the Trump Team.
Did a little looking at figures. Compared US with Italy and Spain in deaths starting about the time each country hit near 4,000. Here it is:
US Italy Spain
3873 4032 4154
4757 4825 4934
5850 5475 5812
7087 6077 6606
We were a hundred or so less than the others at the start of this four-day period. We are now a few hundred ahead. Italy’s rate of increase was about 10 to 11%; Spain’s was about 12 to 15%; the United States is 17 to 19%. It does not bode well.
These stark figures call for forceful action. Trump and his team are offering luke warm responses that lack teeth. If an enemy was invading our country and we needed more soldiers to join our armed forces would we be “recommending” that they join or would we be forcing them to join as we’ve done in the past with a draft.
We do need leadership. We aren’t getting it. No once can say Trump is doing or has done a good job looking at the number of deaths now occurring in our country.
Citizens rally around a president in times of crisis, but it now appears Trump’s bump lasted all of one week. He just can’t get much beyond narrow appeals to his conservative base. The country needs a unifier. But after more than three years in office, Trump still loves to reminisce about his victory in 2016, and to blame Obama for this, that and the other thing. I don’t see this guy getting reelected. We’ll see …
Dan:
Trump’s so bad that when a bipartisan bill is passed in the Senate for two trillion dollars he only invites Republicans to the signing. That’s just plain dumb. What would it cost him to give credit where credit was due to both parties? He’ll never change.
Matt, the science doesn’t change. But new facts, alter decisions. On March 11 you recommended all wear masks. Today the CDC recommends folks in HOT Spots wear masks, and folks going into congested areas, Groceries, Pharmacies wear ask. The Surgeon General explained new data showing incubators were a major source of transmission.
I’d also caution you not to declare victory in the middle of a war.
The facts remain, that masks worn poorly, put on improperly, taken off improperly, masks which are moist, masks, the front of which are touched, or the inside of which are touched, etc, offer little or no protection and may increase the risk of contracting germs, microbial disease.
The fact also remains that mask wearers who think they now can go out when sick or symptomatic, or who cluster and stand closer together, behind their masks, or who decrease washing of their hands, will only increase the spread of infection, and increase the risk to themselves.
What I’ll do is wear a winter muffler over my mouth and nose when I’m at the grocery store or pharmacy, as the Surgeon General advised, and stringently continue to maintain the six foot separation.
2. You called for masks on March 11, after the WHO declared a world pandemic.
I hope you’re not alleging the WHO and CDC and other scientists who continued to dispute the necessity of wearing masks were fools.
3. I won’t bore you with the vast statistics I have at hand, but I ask you to look at South Korea’s number of cases per million (196) and compare it with the scores of non-mask waving countries in Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and with Mexico that have similar or far less numbers.
4. I will bore you with the numbers:DO MASKS WORK? CONFIRMED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS PER MILLION POPULATION as of APRIL 2, 2020: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data
MASK-WEARING COUNTRIES:
SOUTH KOREA 191 confirmed cases per million
SINGAPORE 150
MALAYSIA 81
CHINA 57
LAOS 124
JAPAN 15
TAIWAN 13.5
Thailand 24
NON-MASK WEARING COUNTRIES
RUSSIA 16
KAZAHKSTAN 18
UKRAINE 12.5
BELARUS 16
ALGERIA 13.3
MOROCCO 18
EGYPT 6.4
MEXICO 9.4
SAUDI ARABIA 45
HUNGARY 51
POLAND 61
BULGARIA 57
GREECE 126
AZERBAJAN 27
GEORGIA 28
THE HIGHEST, WE ALL KNOW ARE IN EUROPE AND AMERICA; SPAIN, ITALY, SCANDINAVIA, FRANCE, BRITAIN (THOUSANDS AND HUNDREDS OF CONFIRMED CASES PER MILLION)/
But you cannot just dismiss Eastern Europe, North Africa, Mexico, etcetera with fewer confirmed cases than East Asia, fewer than North Korea and as few or fewer than China and in many cases (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Mexico) the same or fewer than Japan.
All these numbers are changing, and the scientific fact is wearing masks entail its own risks to the wearer and the wearer’s neighbors.
Last week polls showed up to 60% approval of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. Today, Friday, an ABC News/Ipsos poll reports that 52 percent of respondents disapprove of his management of the deadly outbreak, while 47 percent approve.
Actually, Trump’s numbers are pretty good considering the constant brutal hammering he gets from the MSM:
1. Coverage of the White House on the “Big Three” broadcast networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — remains 91 percent negative, according to a new study by Medi Research Council. (April 3, 2020)
2. PEW RESEACH: Fully two-thirds of news stories about Trump from his first 60 days in office were negative — more than twice the negativity seen in stories from the first 60 days of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or Barack Obama’s presidencies.
3. Media Research Council (10/10/18) found “Over the summer (June 1 -September 30), the broadcast networks have continued to pound Donald Trump and his team with the most hostile coverage of a president in TV news history — 92% negative, vs. just 8% positive.”
4, And a Harvard study of Trump’s first 100 days by all major news organization (print NYT,WSJ, and television/cable) found an overall 80% negative, but for CNN, NBC, Trump coverage was 93 percent negative.
And remember, almost every poll four years ago had Trump losing to Hillary.
So, I wouldn’t begin to gloat, boys, or draw concrete conclusions until all the data is in.
There’s two sides to every story. These days, the MSM generally presents just one very slanted side.
William:
Why do you think Trump gets negative coverage? Can you guess? He’s doing a lousy job, well even that is a complement.
William:
Even when you are wrong you won’t give up. You spent tons of writing to tell us masks are worthless. Now you find yourself alone and come up with silly statistics from places like Russia.which is supposedly virus free but Putin is hiding out in his dacha in the mountains and Moscow has shut down because of all the cases. As for the other countries just wait.
What is going on with Kushner’s masks? Why the torture? Kraft should call all his buddies and leave a message: “Any of guys want try a beat a million plus in a few days. Lets show these assholes what we can do.”