The Commentariat -- September 18, 2021

Wow! Michael Shear of the New York Times: "France announced on Friday that it was immediately recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in protest of President Biden's announcement of an agreement to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without consulting French officials. In a statement, the French foreign minister said the decision was made by President Emmanuel Macron. 'At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations,' said Jean-Yves Le Drian, the foreign minister. 'This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.' The decision by Mr. Macron deepened the rift between the two longstanding allies over the submarine deal, which American and Australian officials kept secret from the French until just before the announcement on Wednesday." A BBC News story is here. MB: Freedom fries, anyone? ~~~

~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: "The United States and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling France's largest defense contract.... [French] President Emmanuel Macron's ... decision [to withdraw France's ambassadors to the U.S. & Australia] was a stunning and unexpected escalation of the breach between Washington and Paris, on a day that the two countries had planned to celebrate an alliance that goes back to the defeat of Britain in the Revolutionary War. Yet it was driven by France's realization that two of its closest allies have been negotiating secretly for months. According to interviews with American and British officials, the Australians approached the new administration soon after President Biden's inauguration and said they had concluded that they had to get out of a $60 billion agreement with France to supply them with a dozen attack submarines. The conventionally powered French subs, the Australians feared, would be obsolete by the time they were delivered. '[The Australians] told us they would take care of dealing with the French,' one senior U.S. official said.... The Australians, by all accounts, never made clear to the French that they were preparing to cancel the deal, which had taken years to negotiate. And in meeting after meeting with their French counterparts -- some including Mr. Biden and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken --; the Americans did not give France a heads-up about their plans to step in with their own designs, the officials said.... It was a classic case of diplomatic avoidance."

Robert Burns of the AP: "The Pentagon retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month, announcing Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed. 'The strike was a tragic mistake,' Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told a Pentagon news conference. McKenzie apologized for the error and said the United States is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims. He said the decision to strike a white Toyota Corolla sedan, after having tracked it for about eight hours, was made in an 'earnest belief' -- based on a standard of 'reasonable certainty' -- that it posed an imminent threat to American forces at Kabul airport.... For days after the Aug. 29 strike, Pentagon officials asserted that [the strike] had been conducted correctly, despite 10 civilians being killed, including seven children.... Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a written statement, apologized for what he called 'a horrible mistake.'" The New York Times story is here.

Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post: "The Interior Department will summon the far-flung headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management back to Washington from the mountains of western Colorado, reversing a move by the Trump administration that caused upheaval within the agency and led to nearly 90 percent of the former headquarters staff to retire, quit or leave for other jobs. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland broke the news to BLM staffers on a phone call Friday afternoon, before the announcement was made public in a statement shortly afterward. Haaland said the agency will create a new 'Western headquarters' in Grand Junction, Colo.... Of the 328 positions that ... [Trump] slated to move out of Washington, 287 employees either retired or quit for other jobs, Haaland noted during a visit to Grand Junction in July. Just three people ultimately ended up relocating to Grand Junction, she told reporters at the time, and the headquarters ended up with more than 80 vacancies."

Mike DeBonis & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The state of the [Republican] party was put into focus this week with the sudden retirement announcement of Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), a onetime rising GOP star who became one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump after the riot, which earned him a Trump-backed primary challenger. He cited a 'chaotic political environment' and 'the toxic dynamics inside our own party' for his decision.... 'Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election,' Trump said in a statement Thursday.... On Friday, Trump hailed Gonzalez's retirement, saying 'Good riddance to Anthony' and '1 down, 9 to go!'... Trump's willingness to not only sweep the Jan. 6 riot under the rug, but to embrace its perpetrators as political martyrs, has been met with silence by GOP congressional leaders.... House Republican leaders have yet to fully denounce the 'Justice for J6' rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.... None of the top six Republican congressional leaders offered a fresh rebuke of Trump after he issued his Thursday statement of solidarity with the rioters."

The "Great Replacement Theory"Isn't Just About Race. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "More and more Republicans have been signing on to 'great replacement theory.'... Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) ... unleashed ... a particularly vile 'great replacement' rant ... on Fox News.... 'The revolution has begun,' Patrick told host Laura Ingraham. Speaking about the president, Patrick added: 'A silent revolution by the Democrat Party and Joe Biden to take over the country.' Patrick blasted the Biden administration for 'allowing' in one or two million migrants this year. In 18 years, Patrick railed, if 'every one of them has two or three children, you're talking about millions and millions and millions of new voters. Who do you think they are going to vote for?' Patrick seethed. 'So this is trying to take over our country without firing a shot.' Patrick added this flouted the Constitution's guarantee of republican government and protection against 'invasion.' The specific situation triggering Patrick is that thousands of Haitian migrants have crossed the Rio Grande, creating an emergency for federal officials.... As a substantive matter, Patrick's claims are ludicrous." Sargent explains why. ~~~

~~~ Uh, Here's One Reason. Eric Gay & Elliot Spagat of the AP: "The Biden administration plans the widescale expulsion of Haitian migrants from a small Texas border city [-- Del Rio --] by putting them on flights to Haiti starting Sunday, an official said Friday, representing a swift and dramatic response to thousands who suddenly crossed the border from Mexico and gathered under and around a bridge. Details are yet to be finalized but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official with direct knowledge of the plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities. Another administration official speaking on condition of anonymity expected two flights a day at most and said all migrants would be tested for COVID-19." MB: So there's a bit of a flaw in a plot to import supposedly Democratic voters that involves deporting them back to their home country. On the other hand, maybe Biden officials are testing the would-be refugees not only for Covid-19 but also for their political inclinations.

Colleen Long, et al., of the AP: "The Capitol police are taking no chances as they prepare for Saturday's rally at the U.S. Capitol in support of rioters imprisoned after the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.... Persistent attempts to rewrite the narrative of the violence and panic of the day, and the increasing volatility behind the lie that the 2020 election was stolen have made it impossible to predict what may happen this weekend.... Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said at a news conference Friday it was difficult to say whether threats of violence for the Saturday event are credible, but 'chatter' online and elsewhere has been similar to intelligence that was missed in January. A permit for the protest allows 700 people. Manger said he believes the most likely possibility for for violence Saturday will involve clashes between the protesters and counter-protesters who are expected to show up. Police are also preparing for the possibility that some demonstrators may arrive with weapons." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no problem with protests about real issues, even when I vehemently disagree with the protesters' cause: anti-abortion, for instance. However, I do resent having to spend resources & possibly endanger people in a protest where the "cause" is rooted in a Big Lie.

Carol Leonnig & Aaron Davis of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Capitol Police chief formally asked for 100 armed National Guard members to be on standby for a rally this Saturday at the Capitol in case it turns violent, but he withdrew the request at the urging of a top Senate security official who said he had not followed protocol. Days later, Chief J. Thomas Manger instead asked for unarmed Guard members after conferring with the official, Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson and the Pentagon, according to internal correspondence and three people familiar with the discussions. The Guard members would be armed only with batons and would be accompanied by armed police. On Friday morning, the Defense Department approved the request for support, saying unarmed soldiers will be stationed at the D.C. Armory and will deploy only if necessary. It's highly unusual for armed National Guard members to respond to protests, and strict rules must be followed in such cases."

Much Ado About Nothing. Washington Post Editors: "After more than two years and the persistent goading of ... Donald Trump, special counsel John Durham, the lawyer Trump-era attorney general William P. Barr tapped to probe the Justice Department's 2016 Russia investigation, finally did something on Thursday. He indicted attorney Michael Sussmann for lying to the FBI. This, to put it mildly, is not the confirmation of some broad 2016 deep-state conspiracy against Mr. Trump that the former president apparently desired. The danger of special counsel investigations is that, given unlimited time and resources, they often find some bad action tangentially related to their original inquiry that may have had little or no substantial negative impact. Mr. Durham has uncovered alleged wrongdoing that has little to do with whether federal officials tried to sabotage the Trump campaign. The case against Mr. Sussmann is iffy.... Even if true, the Sussmann episode is far less alarming than the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom Mr. Barr moved to protect from punishment and Mr. Trump later pardoned.... If Mr. Durham has nothing more compelling coming, he should bring an end to this long-running exercise." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gosh, John, when Ken Starr went fishing in the White River rapids, at least he found the hapless Monica Lewinsky under the desk. You got a boring lawyer who may have been evasive about his motives in bringing a matter to the attention of the FBI? Whoopty doo.

Letter from a Mar-a-Lardo Suite. Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "Donald Trump on Friday sent a letter to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he asked him to start the process of 'decertifying' the 2020 election.... Trump went on to say that 'people do not understand why you and Governor Brian Kemp adamantly refuse to acknowledge the now proven facts." MB: This is not a parody. Trump actually had the letter typed on very presidenty stationery, and he signed it. His spokeswoman tweeted a copy of the letter, which is embedded in the Raw Story post. It has been more than 10 months since the AP declared the election for Joe Biden and almost 8 months since Biden's inauguration. And an insane man who back then had his finger on the nuclear codes (and the Diet Coke buzzer) still thinks he won the election and that soon, everyone will demand his return to office. ~~~

     ~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post unpacks the charge Trump made in his letter to Raffensperger that "Large scale Voter Fraud continues to be reported in Georgia." Trump doesn't even point to anything that amounts to actual fraud, Bump writes: "It's like showing up on the field the day after the Super Bowl and loudly complaining that your opponent was offsides."

Apple & Google Are Working for Putin's Political Campaign. Craig Timberg, et al., of the Washington Post: "Apple and Google removed an opposition voting app from their online stores Friday just as balloting began in Russia's parliamentary election, bowing to pressure from President Vladimir Putin's censorship office in a move digital rights activists blasted as Silicon Valley's latest act of capitulation to an authoritarian government. The app, built by associates of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was intended to help Russian voters opposed to Putin cast ballots in a way that would prevent splitting opposition support among multiple candidates and handing victory to the Putin candidate. But Roskomnadzor, the Russian censorship agency, accused Apple and Google of meddling in Russia's political affairs by allowing voters to download the app and demanded that it be removed from their online stores. It threatened fines and possible criminal prosecutions while calling Navalny supporters 'extremists.'" The New York Times story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ And This. From the UK Times News (which doesn't seem to be a real thing; however, the linked story is consistent with what Rachel Maddow reported last night): "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has taken his millionaire mistress abroad more than 60 times on 'diplomatic missions' and financed her luxury lifestyle, a new revealed a report by the team of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Actress and restaurateur Svetlana Polyakova, who has held a post at the Russian Foreign Ministry since 2014, has a 'long-standing and very close' relationship with Lavrov. She has traveled with the Lavrov, who is married and has one daughter, to France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Portugal and Greece, and has frequently used the Foreign Ministry plane during of the past seven years. Some of the trips included luxury vacations and visits to opulent homes and yachts -- among them a ship owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska -- with the couple, in some cases joined by Polyakova's mother, daughters and niece. Lavrov's mistress also organized appointments to senior positions for friends and family in the Foreign Ministry, appeared publicly alongside President Vladimir Putin and was appointed from among his elite entourage, according to the Minister." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Deripaska seems to have his finger in every pie, Deripaska apparently was a conduit between the 2016 Trump campaign -- via intermediaries Paul Manafort (who owed Deripaska money) & Russian agent Konstantin Kilimnik -- & Russian intelligence. Trump's Treasury later sanctioned Deripaska, among other Russian oligarchs & entities, and then more-or-less desanctioned him, to the collective consternation of Congress.

Somini Sengupta of the New York Times: "The global average temperature will rise 2.7 degrees Celsius by century's end even if all countries meet their promised emissions cuts, a rise that is likely to worsen extreme wildfires, droughts and floods, the United Nations said in a report on Friday. That level of warming, measured against preindustrial levels, is likely to increase the frequency of deadly heat waves and threaten coastal cities with rising sea levels, the country-by-country analysis concluded. The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said it shows 'the world is on a catastrophic pathway.' Perhaps most starkly, the new report displayed the large gap between what the scientific consensus urges world leaders to do and what those leaders have been willing to do so far."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

** Carolyn Johnson, et al., of the Washington Post: "Expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Friday to recommend that the agency authorize a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine six months after vaccination for people 65 years and older or for those who are at risk for severe illness. The vote is not binding, and Peter Marks, the FDA official overseeing coronavirus vaccines, indicated that the final decision could be slightly different, including people who are at higher risk of infection because of their professions, such as health-care workers and front-line employees, including teachers. The advisory committee members were polled about whether they would agree with making boosters available to people who were at risk of infection because of exposure from their jobs, and they all said yes." ~~~

~~~ Matthew Perrone & Lauren Neergaard of the AP: "Dealing the White House a stinging setback, a government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to give Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots across the board, and instead endorsed the extra vaccine dose only for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease. The twin votes represented a heavy blow to the Biden administration's sweeping effort, announced a month ago, to shore up nearly all Americans' protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant."

Another Stupid Vaccine Know-It-All Gets a Covid Surprise. Rachel Scully of the Hill: "Far-right political activist Laura Loomer announced Thursday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus.... Loomer, a strong Trump supporter, also said in the post that she has not received the coronavirus vaccine and will not do so, falsely claiming 'it is unsafe and ineffective.'... Last year, Loomer ... said she wished she could get the coronavirus to show everyone that it is not a dire matter.... However, her latest messages indicated that she was suffering from severe symptoms of the virus. 'Just pray for me please,' Loomer wrote on Telegram..., according to The Daily Beast. 'Can't even begin to explain how brutal the body aches and nausea that come with COVID are. I am in so much pain.' However, she continued to promote vaccine conspiracy theories, according to the outlet, saying the government 'doesn't want you to know what it really does.'"

Alabama. Tandra Smith of al.com: "A married Alabama couple known for their reselling videos on YouTube under the name 'Alabama Pickers' have both died of COVID. Dusty and Tristan Graham lived in Huntsville, where they would often post videos about various tips and tricks to reselling vintage items like clothes and home decor.... One of the last videos the married couple posted on their now deleted YouTube channel was about how they wouldn't get the vaccine.... 'I've got my own passport. It's called the "Bill of Rights,"' Dusty said in the video." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I am surprised that the Covid "hoax" has not morphed into a "Democrat virus war" to kill off innocent Trump voters.

New York. Ashley Wong, et al., of the New York Times: "A hostess at a popular Italian restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side asked three would-be customers for proof that they had been vaccinated as required for those seeking to dine indoors. But the encounter quickly escalated, as the customers, women from Texas, became irate and refused to provide the proof needed to enter the restaurant, Carmine's, the police and a restaurant spokesman said. The hostess offered to seat them outdoors, where such proof is not required.... The tourists began to punch the hostess, who is 24, leaving her bruised and scratched and breaking her necklace. She was evaluated at a hospital and is now resting at home[, according to the CEO of the restaurant chain].... The tourists ... were arrested and charged with assault and criminal mischief.... Restaurant workers said in interviews that they felt they had been unfairly saddled with the burden of enforcement and that they, rather than the city, had been forced to become the first line of defense."

Oregon. Sky Palma of the Raw Story: "An Oregon doctor who continuously defied COVID-19 guidelines and spread false information about face masks has had his license revoked, Newsweek reports. Steven Arthur LaTulippe was issued an order from the Oregon Medical Board earlier this month for 'dishonorable or unprofessional conduct; repeated negligence in the practice of medicine; and gross negligence in the practice of medicine.' He was also fined $10,000. This is LaTulippe's second suspension. The first one, which occurred this past December, came after the board found that his family practice, Southview Medical Arts in Dallas, operated in such a way that it constituted an 'immediate danger' to the public and presented a 'serious danger' to public health and safety. He also told his patients that masks are a source of carbon dioxide." The Newsweek story is firewalled.

Beyond the Beltway

Alabama. Howard Koplowitz of al.com: "MyPillow founder and Donald Trump adviser Mike Lindell plans to conduct 'tests' on Alabama's voter rolls after purchasing the list, said Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who along with Gov. Kay Ivey met with Lindell on Friday. Lindell, the founder and CEO of MyPillow who is Trump's main attack dog in the former president's battle contending the 2020 presidential election was stolen, is going to comb through the list of Alabama voters to determine whether the state has any ineligible people on it, including deceased residents. Merrill said he doesn't expect Lindell to find evidence that Alabama's voter list, which is available for purchase by anyone, is tainted.... But Lindell 'still believes there's a potential to hack some equipment, even though we assured him none of our equipment is connected to the Internet,' the secretary of state said."

California. Charles Bagli of the New York Times: "Robert A. Durst, the enigmatic real estate scion who evaded criminal suspicion for half his life only to become a national sensation after damaging admissions were aired in a 2015 documentary on HBO, was convicted on Friday in the execution-style murder of a close confidante more than 20 years ago. The verdict, which came after about seven and a half hours of deliberations, was the latest act in a case that spanned almost four decades. It began in the wealthy precincts of New York with the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Durst's first wife, Kathie, in 1982 and concluded with his conviction for the 2000 killing of Susan Berman, a friend who prosecutors said helped him cover up his wife's disappearance and death. Mr. Durst, a frail 78-year-old millionaire who sat through the trial in a wheelchair, was convicted of first-degree murder. A judge is scheduled to sentence him at later date."

Why Louisiana's Power Grid Failed. Peter Eavis & Ivan Penn of the New York Times: "On the last Sunday in August, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and dealt a catastrophic blow to Entergy's power lines, towers and poles, many of which were built decades ago to withstand much weaker hurricanes. The company had not upgraded or replaced a lot of that equipment with more modern gear designed to survive the 150 mile-an-hour wind gusts that Ida brought to bear on the state.... Some energy experts said Entergy was clearly unprepared for the Category 4 storm despite what executives have said about efforts to strengthen its network.... Lawmakers and regulators require utilities to ensure safe, reliable service at an affordable cost. The grid failure after Ida is the latest display of how power companies are struggling to fulfill those obligations as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather.... Had Entergy invested more in its transmission and distribution lines and solar panels and battery systems, some green energy activists argued, the city and state would not have suffered as widespread and as long a power outage as it did after Ida."

North Carolina. Michael Wines of the New York Times: "A North Carolina court struck down the state's voter identification law on Friday, citing 'persuasive evidence' that a Republican-dominated state legislature had rushed it to passage at least in part to make it harder for Black voters to cast ballots. It was the second time in five years that a court had invalidated a North Carolina voter identification law as racially discriminatory. In 2016, a federal appeals court ruled against a different version of the law, saying it had targeted Black voters 'with almost surgical precision.' The ruling on Friday, by a three-judge panel of the state Superior Court in Raleigh, effectively makes permanent a temporary ban on the law that a court had imposed after its passage in 2018." The AP's story is here.

Texas. Women Who Don't Want to Get Pregnant Will Quit Having Sex or Go to California. Stephanie Kirchgaessner & Jessica Glenza of the Guardian: "The legal architect of the Texas abortion ban has argued in a supreme court brief that overturning Roe v Wade, the landmark decision which guarantees a right to abortion in the US, could cause women to practice abstinence from sexual intercourse as a way to 'control their reproductive lives'. Former Texas solicitor general Jonathan Mitchell, who played a pivotal role in designing the legal framework of the state's near-total abortion ban, also argued on behalf of anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life that women would still be able to terminate pregnancies if Roe was overturned by traveling to 'wealthy pro-abortion' states like California and New York with the help of 'taxpayer subsidies'. 'Women can 'control their reproductive lives' without access to abortion; they can do so by refraining from sexual intercourse,' Mitchell wrote in the brief." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: IOW, this is not a weird remark Mitchell accidentally let slip during a right-wing radio talk show; he actually wrote it in a publicly-available document. (You may have to go through a second step to get to the brief.) They really don't care -- or don't know -- what stupid things they say.

Virginia Gubernatorial Race. Gregory Schneider, et al., of the Washington Post: "Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are locked in a tight race for Virginia governor, with McAuliffe standing at 50 percent to 47 percent for Youngkin among likely voters in a Washington Post-Schar School poll. Among registered voters, McAuliffe has a 49 percent to 43 percent edge over Youngkin &-- but neither lead is statistically significant. The smaller margin among people likely to vote, combined with a low percentage of voters who say they plan to vote early, suggests that Democrats could face an enthusiasm gap and a challenge boosting turnout to the high levels of the past four years."

Comments

[citizen625]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/france-anger-over-nuclear-powered-submarines-explained/index.html: $65 billion reasons France could be pissed. You haven't lived until you've had a French customer. There are reasons why generalizations often have a basis in fact.

[P.D. Pepe]

Today we have, besides the French response–"we are taking back our buddies cuz you screwed up with our booty"; an apology from us for drone killing the wrong target; Texas ladies* who tried to lunch in N.Y. threw punches at a hostess because of Covid restrictions; and let's throw in Looney Laura Loomer who dissed the vaccines, got the virus, asked for us to pray for her (How does that work, I wonder–-do these people actually think "their god" is gonna grant them anything after what they did?) because now she be in REAL pain and death might be be looming around the corner. Sad––as Fatty would say.

Then I found this in the NYT:

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN (my old stomping ground) SMEARS A ONCE-TREASURED ALUM:

John McWhorton's opinion piece is an illuminating look into over-zealous (and mistaken) racial reckoning. The person who is on the chopping block is Fredric March, the superb actor of yesteryear and one of my favorites. But there are those that are fighting back and urging some reality reckoning––first it was a rock that was removed, now it's Fred who is dead and would rise up, if he could, and in that distinctive voice of his declare he was not a racist and worked toward equality most of his life.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/opinion/wisconsin-Fredric-March.html

RE: those ladies who lunch: good to know they were hit with assault charges but what they did was also considered "criminal mischief"? sounds too "fancy like" to me.

[Forrest Morris]

PD: I think those Texas women were frustrated because of
practicing abstinence. How long do you have to practice until
you get it right?

[Akhilleus]

Forrest,

“Practicing” abstinence. Never thought of it like that.

“C’mon, baby. We gotta do this til we get right. How many is that? 24? Crap. We suck at this abstinence thing. Let’s go again.”

[Ken Winkes]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/health/covid-antibody-regeneron.html#commentsContainer

And my doctor son’s comment:

wartybloggin (long story here but that's not his real name)

Makes me wonder why the right-wing media ecosystem is willing to help monoclonal antibodies grow. In the past, this has usually come down to "follow the money." Though, Eli Lilly stopped donations to 1/6/21 Insurrectionist supporting Republican politicians and Regeneron's CEO donates democrat, so it may take a real investigative journalist to find out...Or maybe it is just the desire to be saved from the consequences of bad decisions about health (made as part of a reflex social-political posture) and pulled back from the brink of death, something we do for our patients all the time. Kind of a monoclonal "Indulgence" for those stuck in the medieval mindset.

Be well and stay safe,

"All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences."- Camus

[Bobby Lee]

The bit on the Louisiana power failures reminded me of an email I got this week. A Texas state flag shaped as the state with the message: "If you live in Texas please get vaccinated. You can't trust the Texas power grid to keep your ventilator on."