Coronavirus Surging in Rural Ohio
Killing and hospitalizing your voters months before Election Day was always a risky gambit.
Well, that famous thing where I got too drunk to type a coherent sentence happened once again last night. I blame it all on Champ, an old friend from my rowdy Montana years that I hadn’t seen in a couple of months.
In my defense I at least took my laptop out of my backpack before I passed out next to KGB Stacey in her elite downtown apartment.
It would appear the most viral moment (I mean that phrase in the internet sense) of last night’s vice presidential debate was when a fly landed on that walking sack of shit Mike Dense.
I’m glad I missed it because Kamala Harris is almost as shitty in my eyes and I’m still not prepared to paint my face like Bozo the Clown before I vote for a woman who loves fracking, imprisoning people for smoking marijuana, and subverting a California Supreme Court order to reduce the population by keeping non-violent offenders in prison because that famously progressive state depended on their slave labor.
She nearly ended the Biden campaign herself during the Democratic Debate before the Centrists collaborated against that cantankerous moderate social Democrat from Vermont who simply wants to give everyone healthcare. When Jake Tapper of CNN confronted her how she reconciled her vicious assault on the doddering old man with joining his ticket, she simply laughed off her debate performance as, “That’s what we call ‘politics,’ baby.”
She has no convictions and like most politicians in this country is willing to say whatever she needs to move up the political ladder. And somehow, out of the only four people who will possibly be in the Oval Office next January, she is head and shoulders above the three other old white losers on the presidential tickets.
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! We’re No. 1!!!!!
(Aliens… I know you’re out there… please put us out of our misery. I would much rather be incinerated by one of your death rays or live in your thrall than watch the ruthless grifters who run our hellhole country fail to do anything to stop the impending climate crisis that’s already underway.)
A QUICK WORD FROM FRIENDS OF THE ROOSTER

Three of my best friends aren’t as dedicated to the overthrow of our capitalist system as I am. They are also super into fitness like it’s still 2013 and there isn’t a worldwide pandemic engulfing the worldwide economy.
No, I’m not sure how they tolerate my existence either but I did say I would highlight their new business venture, the Stay Fit Kit, which is a four-tool whole-body workout kit that you can use literally anywhere on our godforsaken planet. Please go purchase one if you’re one of those freaks trying to preserve your bologna carcass.
They didn’t pay me for this, either. And it’s not because I didn’t ask; I’ve been waiting for somebody wealthy to cut me a check so I can sellout like I’m Shaquille O’Neal.
THE INEVITABLE RESULTS OF A DEALTH CULT COME HOME TO ROOST

Donald Trump could come out tomorrow and single-handily pass universal healthcare. Instead he chooses to use his cult of personality to loot our government and stock markets to enrich himself, his family and his criminal enablers.
Like everything else in his life, Trump tried to bullshit his way out of a pandemic. I honestly can’t blame him for thinking it was possible. The man has been doing crimes in broad daylight for his entire adult life and fell ass-backwards into the presidency thanks to the incompetent and arrogant campaign of Hillary Clinton.
But I always thought it would be a risky gambit telling his cultish followers that coronavirus was a hoax and we needn’t even bother wearing a mask. His voters are elderly and live in rural America, which already at a disadvantage when it comes to healthcare. Killing and hospitalizing your voters months before an election was destined to backfire in horrifying fashion.
From whctv.com:
MEIGS COUNTY, Ohio (WCHS/WVAH) — Rural Ohio is now the dominate problem area for the most serious coronavirus cases requiring hospitalizations, but some Ohio Valley counties are not seeing the spike,
At his most recent press briefing, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled that about 42% of Ohio’s coronavirus hospitalizations now involve people who live in rural areas. Cities account for 24% of cases while suburbs make up 34%.
Older people were the first reported victims of this coronavirus in Ohio, then it shifted to younger Ohioans. Now, the trend is back toward the elderly.
Hmmm. Probably has a lot to do with Biden’s sudden surge among senior voters. If that lead holds for a month then it’s curtains for the bad orange man.
THIS IS WHAT THE REAL LOOTING IN THIS COUNTRY LOOKS LIKE

Back in April, the Pentagon — that famous heart of the odious military-industrial complex that the last sane Republican president we ever had warned us about — dished out $415 million to Battelle, the Columbus-based company that Senator Meow once succinctly described as “the evil company in every zombie movie.”
The contract was for what seemed like a revolutionary concept: Sterilization machines that could make N-95 masks reusable. This was a big deal considering our oafish president spent the previous three months stuffing his face with McDonald’s and saying coronavirus would disappear when it got warm outside.
Donald Trump lauded the deal, as did that Keebler elf Mike DeWine. What a win for capitalism, baby! Why have effective government when we have the free markets?
Well, it turns out that we blew $415 million on a bunch of useless junk.
From Max Filby of dispatch.com:
The Food and Drug Administration sharply criticized a Columbus-based research institute this week for failing to track issues with its mask decontamination units.
Battelle received a letter from the FDA on Wednesday warning that it did not have proper protocols in place to report adverse events that occur when people use masks cleaned by the nonprofit research institute's Critical Care Decontamination System units. Battelle's decontamination technology, which the company says can sanitize 80,000 N95 masks per day per unit, was approved for use as a shortage of the masks hit the U.S. when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.
Adverse events questioned by the FDA include, but are not limited to, allergic reactions, shrunken or misshapen respirators, a poor fit or seal of N95 masks, shredding, peeling, or discoloration of the respirator, mask straps breaking, odor issues, infection in wearers of decontaminated masks and skin irritation, the letter states.
The executives at Battelle undoubtedly knew this was junk science but hey who gives a fuck about our frontline workers in a pandemic when there is a dollar to be made.
None of this money will be paid back. Nobody will go to jail. Instead we blew $415 million that could have went to laid off workers, our schools, our infrastructure or literally anything else. And a majority of that money went into the pockets of already wealthy executives.
Well, I guess I should look at the bright side. At least that money wasn’t used to drone strike a goat farmer attending his daughter’s wedding on the other side of the world.
IT WOULD BENEFIT OHIO IF WE INVESTED IN RENEWABLE ENERGY? WOW, MY MIND IS BLOWN

I am not a smart man when it comes to science. However, I remember being a child and hearing about this concept of “renewable energy.” Hmm, I thought. It seems like it would be smart to use energy from things like wind, solar and water instead of finite fossil fuels that poison the planet. We should probably go that way.
Unfortunately in my naiveté, I had yet to understand how wealthy fossil fuel executives had come to control our powerful politicians to turn them away from any serious investment in renewable energy.
But it would appear that if these flaks are serious about caring about the lives of their children and grandchildren, then perhaps we should start seriously investing in renewable energy.
By Hardika Singh of techexplore.com:
Installing utility-scale solar energy in Ohio could support more than 54,000 construction jobs, generate up to $67.5 million in local tax revenues annually and power over 1.5 million Ohio homes, according to a new study by Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Dr. Gilbert Michaud, assistant professor of practice at the Voinovich School, led the study for the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition (USSEC) of Ohio. USSEC is a newly-formed coalition representing utility-scale solar developers, manufacturers and industry leaders in Ohio. Voinovich School Economist Dr. Christelle Khalaf, Executive-in-Residence Michael Zimmer and Research Associate David Jenkins helped Michaud with the study.
USSEC commissioned this study to better comprehend the aggregate economic impacts of current and future deployment of utility-scale solar in the state. In the final report, "Measuring the Economic Impacts of Utility-Scale Solar in Ohio," Michaud and the research team provide a detailed analysis of jobs supported, economic impact and tax revenue potential from utility-scale solar investment in Ohio.
This of course will go nowhere with the Republican hobgoblins that run this godforsaken state. The leader of the Ohio House voted for the worst energy policy of the 21st century that gutted renewable energy standards and has yet to repeal what has since been revealed as a billion-dollar fraud perpetrated on his constituents.
When I say this state is trying to kill me, I literally mean it.

Early voting is underway in Ohio and it would appear we will have 2008-level turnout only instead of America being hoodwinked by the notion of hope and change, we are instead getting back to our American roots of voting out of pure hatred for The Man in Charge.
Whether that will mean anything in the eyes of the Republican judicial system when Trump inevitably challenges the results remains to be seen.
From Thomas Barrbl of foxnews.com:
Ohio residents faced long lines at election centers as the state held its first day of early voting on Tuesday ahead of the 2020 presidential election, according to multiple reports.
Hundreds of voters lined up to submit their ballots in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo and other communities around the state. Election officials were bracing for an increased early voting turnout and higher volume of mail-in ballot submissions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re seeing more than normal. Exponentially more,” Julie Stahl, elections board director in Wayne County, Ohio, told the Wooster Daily Record.
I keep seeing Democrats on Twitter sharing videos of long lines to early vote as a good thing. It should be infuriating. It’s fucking 2020, nobody should have to stand in a line for blocks to simply punch a couple buttons on the ballot.
Our system was designed to repress the will of the people. I know that’s hardly on the fault of the Democrats considering we have no clout in state politics but My God. Long lines to vote in urban centers are not the feel-good moment they seem to think it is.
DIPSHIT RETIRED PIG APPARENTLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE STREISAND EFFECT

The Columbus Division of Police is so racist they don’t even respect black cops. That much is a matter of public record, which is why I tell any cop within shouting distance that the only way to prove you’re a good cop is by quitting and doing literally any other job on the planet.
Of course they don’t hear the wisdom in my words and instead fantasize about breaking every bone in my body. Unfortunately for them I’m living at the foot of The Cross and the only thing they can jam me up on is littering and jaywalking cases and they can’t even make half those charges stick.
But I will tip my cap to retired Sgt. Trent Taylor, the racist moronic cop who alerted me to the existence of a book about the institutional racism within the organization with the words “respect” and “integrity” and “accountability” in its logo.
From Bethany Bruner of dispatch.com:
A retired Columbus police sergeant has filed a complaint against a Black lieutenant who recently published a book regarding what she said was racism she observed and experienced within the division.
The complaint was filed with the Columbus Division of Police against Lt. Melissa McFadden following the publication of her book, "Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police," in late September.
Sgt. Trent Taylor, who retired earlier this year, said in his complaint that McFadden wrote in her book that he retired because of Black Lives Matter protests. Taylor said in his complaint that he did not retire for that reason.
Taylor, who is white, said he was in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) and was eligible to retire at any point of his choosing. He said watching what he felt was the lack of response from the city and the division to the riots Downtown and businesses being destroyed was merely the last straw.
So, yes, he did indeed retire to due to the Black Lives Matter protests. The dumb motherfucker admitted it on the record, which is why he’s talking about suing instead of doing it in the most litigious country in the world.
But let’s examine his statement. The city’s “lack of response,” included letting the police and National Guard unleash chemical weapons upon its populace. The city’s “lack of response” allowed the pigs to wantonly beat people in the streets and shoot innocent bystanders with rubber bullets. None of them were held accountable because the city said it’s impossible to tell officers apart when they’re all wearing $60,000 riot gear and blacking out their badges.
The cops unleashed hell on unarmed, peaceful protests and then posed for a psychotic class photo in the middle of the streets like a triumphant Goliath over the corpse of David. The feckless Democrat machine that runs this city hasn’t done a single iota of reform. Somehow that wasn’t good enough for Sgt. Taylor who apparently wants the mayor to suck his dick in the middle of High Street.
Coronavirus — unleashed on us by the incompetence of the hog president I have no doubt Sgt. Taylor gleefully supports — has done more to “destroy” businesses in downtown than any “riot” ever did. The only business that got looted on the first night of the protests was the Black-owned Sole Classics. They stood in solidarity with the protestors and are already back in business selling sneakers.
The downtown businesses that depend on events at Nationwide Arena and a healthy flow of tourists staying in nearby hotels? They aren’t so lucky.

THOSE WMDs. How the $36 billion vitamin industry tricked a generation of adults into thinking sugary gummies were the ticket to good health… The unique science of left-handedness… The economics of vending machines… The American GI in World War II, uncensored… Nick Brown smelled bull.