It has been said that the measure of a person’s intelligence is how much they agree with you. This may not be right, but it’ll make you feel good!
The first post of From the Dumbass Files appeared on May 20th. The very next day the Nation published a great article by Elie Mystal entitled You Can’t Mask Stupid.
The state of Texas, which has implemented some of the most aggressive “reopening” strategies so far, experienced its largest single-day jump in reported coronavirus cases over the weekend. The state of Georgia, which was one of the first states to reopen, is such a mess that the state government was caught trying to mislead people about the direction cases are trending. The thing that experts predicted would happen as states reopen appears to be happening: People are getting sick.
That’s a terrifying problem, now that, as of yesterday, all 50 states have begun to lift their lockdowns. The pandemic isn’t “over,” but the country’s patience has apparently run out. People are willing to risk their lives to get their hair cut, and state governments have decided to let them. When reached for comment, Covid-19 took the form of Al Pacino and said: “Vanity, definitely my favorite sin.”
Mystal nails it in one paragraph:
Quite simply: It’s the people who are most vocal about wanting the country to reopen who are making it too dangerous to reopen the country. It’s the people who are least concerned about their own health who are putting everybody else’s health at risk.
In fact, some folks perversely consider going without a mask as a badge of honor. Check out this story from the Washington Post via SFGate! If you’re in a rush today, the title of the article says it all: Some businesses pledge to keep out customers who cover their faces.
Thanks, I’ll take my business down the street.
The coronavirus pandemic also has the Republican Party in a tizzy when it comes to the really important things. Like the RNC 2020 convention.
From the Charlotteville Observer:
For now, the convention is still scheduled to begin Aug. 24 at uptown’s Spectrum Center. But President Donald Trump scrambled those plans this week in tweets and then at a Tuesday news conference.
On Monday he first tweeted threats to move it, saying N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper was in a “Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena.” On Tuesday, Trump said he wants Cooper to guarantee that attendance “within a week.”
Cooper, a Democrat, has been gradually easing restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday he said state health officials have asked convention organizers to provide written plans about how they would ensure the health of delegates and other guests.
“But we’re not going to sacrifice the health and safety of North Carolinians,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”
If North Carolina decides that they really don’t want that kind of crowd, Texas, Florida, and Georgia have all announced that they would be more than happy to host a Covid-19 hotspot.
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Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said his state would "welcome President Trump" and the RNC for an in-person convention later this year.
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President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to move the RNC from North Carolina if the state's governor refused to allow "full attendance" at the event, blaming the Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's "Shutdown mood."
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Vice President Mike Pence suggested Texas, Georgia, or Florida could house the 2020 convention if it is moved from North Carolina.
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Texas has so far seen at least 56,409 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,533 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
In the meantime, New Jersey’s and Delaware’s beaches are closed this weekend!
Out here in California, well, we’ll let the New York Times tell the tale.
MORAGA, Calif. — It was a high-stakes gamble: a chance to win big at the slot machines but risk getting infected with the coronavirus. Braving a cold drizzle last week, hundreds placed their bet, lining up for hours in front of the Viejas Casino and Resort, a glass-and-stone Indian casino east of San Diego that was reopening despite pleas from California’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
Churches and beaches have become bitter battlegrounds, pitting conservatives in California against the Democratic governor, but the issue of the state’s more than 70 Indian casinos, an $8 billion industry that has been shut down for the past two months, has been a separate contest of wills, both legally and politically.
More than a dozen Indian casinos across California reopened last week, with Viejas vowing “a hospital-clean environment” and strict limits on the number of people gambling at one time. A majority of Indian casinos in the state have chosen to stay closed and are coordinating their reopening with the governor’s office, which has proposed an opening date in early June.
Two of our three local casinos have reopened. The Table Mountain Casino in Friant, California is operating at 25% capacity and limited hours, has banned indoor smoking, and requires masks and temperature checks upon entry. The Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California has opened its restaurants and slot machines on a limited basis with table games opening soon. Again masks and temperature checks are required upon entrance.
If you don’t care for the casino, the LA Times says that:
•In the city of Los Angeles, park officials on Tuesday reopened Runyon Canyon, a location so prone to crowding that it was shut for the first few weeks after the city's other parkland was reopened.
•In the Eastern Sierra's Alpine, Inyo and Mono counties, the belated trout season opener is Sunday, having been postponed from April 25.
•In L.A. County, officials have opened beach bike paths and some beach parking lots, including those at Dockweiler State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach and Zuma Beach (which opened over the Memorial Day weekend). But others remain closed, as do piers.
•Throughout L.A., Orange and Ventura counties, beaches are open for active recreation (swimming, surfing, running, walking) but closed to sunbathing, napping and other passive activities. This list covers California's beaches in detail.
This pandemic will end. Dumbassery will not. It’s gonna be a long summer.
Ed. Note: That’s it for this week. Thank you all again for reading!
What’s opening in your state?
Have a great weekend, please stay safe, and beware of the dumbass. He’s everywhere.