Things are pretty tough these days in Alberta. Dave Climenhaga writes:
Brace yourselves, Alberta, for a hard circuit-breaker lockdown to rein in the province’s surging, out-of-control COVID-19 infection rate.
We can be reasonably certain this is coming soon, because Premier Jason Kenney informed us Sunday that there’s no way it’s going to happen.
Alberta's doctors have been pleading for a lockdown:
Kenney took to the airwaves to respond to calls for a “firebreak” lockdown to counter the collapse of the province’s health-care system, including a weekend open letter from the province’s former chief medical officer of health and a critical care physician.
In the letter, James Talbot and Noel Gibney urged newly appointed Health Minister Jason Copping to close bars, gyms, casinos, indoor dining and sports facilities for at least four weeks.
University of Alberta economist Andrew Leach tweeted that Kenney had “rejected the possibility of a fourth wave, and previously rejected calls for more stringent measures during the second and third waves. He rejected calls for a vaccine passport. He rejected calls to replace Shandro” — that is, his former Health Minister Tyler Shandro, who is now the labour minister.
So, Leach concluded, “Kenney rejecting something is a sure sign that it’s coming.”
As they say in the American South, "This boy's cheese slid off his cracker."
Image: You Tube
11 comments:
Kenney said that more COVID measures would end up punishing the vaccinated. You know what else punishes the vaccinated? Cancelling their surgeries and hospital tests to deal with the surge in Covid cases among the unvaccinated.
This is morally and ethically wrong. It's wrong to delay hospital treatment to adults who got vaccinated and to children who can't to prioritize caring for people who willfully refused to take safe and effective vaccines. If you got Covid because you didn't get vaccinated, you should go to the bottom of the triage. If you distrust science and medicine so much, treat yourself at home with horse paste and zinc supplements, and leave the hospital to the rest of us.
Cap
These cretins are already responding to global warming in the same way. Even when crops are being wiped out by droughts and heatwaves, along with animals and anyone unable to escape the heat, or the rising sea levels, or whatever other nightmares are in store for us, ... right-wing morons will be talking about "libtard plots" to take away their "freedom."
And you can sort of understand Kenney's thought process: "My most loyal supporters believe COVID-19 is a hoax. And a 'liberal' hoax at that. I'll pander to them."
Except that the virus is real. And if you take THAT as your starting point, pretending that there isn't a highly contagious respiratory virus floating around is going to lead to mass infections, mass hospitalizations, subsequent collapsing of that hospital system, and lots and lots of unnecessary deaths.
Kenney understands this in the abstract. Hence his repeated (too late) re-adjustments in policy. He's just too insane and stupid to put it all together and grow the "F" up.
Stupidity is its own curse, Cap. Unfortunately, it's a curse with huge social consequences.
Kenney bases his policy on the world he prefers, thwap -- not the world as it is.
Well, at least Kenny is present. IIRC he was totally absent for two months before the election and then popped out of his hole a couple of days before it, a bit like Wiarton Willy.
I just ran into a book review about the psych & behavioural aspects of a pandemic. Apparently a lot of the irrational behaviours we are seeing are to be expected. The author says he did not expect the politicians to be so irrational. Well, maybe in older pandemics the politicians were not as incompetent and/or stupid as some of our Con premiers and Trump.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/wondering-why-society-went-off-kilter-during-the-pandemic-it-was-all-predicted-in-this-book/
@ twap
I wonder if the climate deniers would fit into this framework?
I'll let thwap respond, jrk. I suspect he would.
jrkrideau,
From what I get from the Seattle Times piece, the global-warming deniers do fit into the psychology of the pandemic deniers. A selfish obsession with their personal freedom, conspiracy theories, clinging to their delusions in the face of overwhelming evidence.
With the pandemic, it's the "you're not the boss of me" response to masking and social distancing. With global warming it's the continued desire to consume as much of whatever they want/can vs. "busy-bodies" telling them to cut down. Etc., etc.,
From Ian Welsh.net there's this from Money about how wealthier people tend to be the "plandemic" anti-vaxxers. Like that obnoxious "Chris Sky" fellow.
In addition to this blog, Owen, I have a couple of others that I read as well. One that I'd like to pass on is on Sept 28 named "McSweeney's" and the item is entitled "WHY I'M DOING MY OWN RESEARCH BEFORE USING A SEAT BELT" and it takes a perfect shot at all the excuses the anti-vaxxers use to justify their position as to why NOT to get the vax.
I don't know if you want web name of other sites so didn't include it. Anyhow, its worth a read, a chuckle, and perhaps a valid way to counteract anyone you know who is still using all this anti-vax rhetoric.
I'm not an anti-faxer but have had an abject fear of "the needle" since Grade 1. My husband has a compromised immune system and I knew that somehow I had to overcome my fears. He engineered a what I call a "coup" when he was getting his 2nd shot (I had my back turned to avoid even seeing HIM get it) so he talked to a doctor there and she and he took me by the hand to a quiet spot, calmed my nerves (sorta) and I got the 1st one without any issue. Proud to say that I walked in there (just like a regular adult) for the 2nd one and now feel a great relief at NOT being a danger to my spouse. Unfortunately, we all need to do our part to beat this thing and its disappointing to hear of some many people buy into all this nonsense spouted on the internet and by other sources.
Seemingly small things take a great deal of courage, Lulymay. Thanks for the tip.
Courage ..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjrdzAbuImg
TB
I'm sure Lulymay will enjoy that clip immensely, TB.
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