thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-01--The American media is worse than useless: Union locates millions of masks, but media hardly notices.

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No only are American journos complicit in all the crimes of the empire , no matter how heinous .
They are also very poor gatherers and distributors of vital news .
Note this press release by the SEIU union is dated March 26 , exactly 5 days ago .
Yet even in today ’ s most network evening news programs ( 31 March ) , the anchors featured stories highlighting the severe shortage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the reason for this ?
There ’ s no question the capitalist system has been caught with its pants down by this crisis , as shortages in stockpiles have been felt in essential equipment , from ventilators to humble masks .
This has been aggravated by the Trump administration ’ s criminally moronic mismanagement of the situation— always ready ( without real opposition from Democrats ) to put the interest of the ultra wealthy way above that of ordinary citizens .
In this chaos , while healthcare workers , from doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bitterly about the lack of adequate supplies of ventilators , masks , and other personal protective equipment items ( PPEs ) .
These items include face shields , gloves , goggles and glasses , gowns , head covers , masks , respirators , and shoe covers .
Face shields , gloves , goggles and glasses , gowns , head covers , and shoe covers protect against the transmission of germs through contact and droplet routes .
To the public and hospital personnel , the most emblematic and infuriating shortage seems to be that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shocking scarcity underscores the capriciousness of the marketplace and the perverse production priorities of a system completely dominated by the individual search for maximum profits .
The media have characteristically picked up the story and amplified it , filing a multitude of alarmist reports about these shortages , but they have obviously not done their homework , as this press release by the SEIU makes clear .
—P Greanville [ March 26 , 2020 ] The Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West ( SEIU-UHW ) has located 39 million critically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , counties , health systems and individual hospitals to the supplier so they can purchase them in quantity .
The 3M™ N95 masks ( model 1860 ) are cleared for use as surgical masks and are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The union launched an exhaustive search for masks and other personal protective equipment ( PPE ) five days ago in response to pleas from frontline healthcare workers that they need more protection and feel unsafe on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of COVID-19 patients .
SEIU-UHW has 97,000 members who work in hospitals across California .
Within 48 hours of painstakingly calling leads and potential suppliers , the union discovered a distributor who had the 39 million masks , and has since found another supplier who says his company can produce 20 million more masks a week .
The union also has found a supplier who can deliver millions of face shields .
“ SEIU-UHW members and healthcare workers all over California are desperate for more protection , so we are seeking out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Dave Regan , president of SEIU-UHW .
“ We are continuing to turn over every rock to see if we can find more personal protective equipment to make sure that healthcare workers , who are heroically putting their own health on the line to care for patients , can do their jobs as safely as possible.
” SEIU-UHW is working with the states , counties and hospitals to determine realistically the quantities they need , and then connecting their procurement officers directly to the supplier to arrange the purchase .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the union has no financial interest in the transactions .
The masks are being distributed to unionized and non-unionized facilities alike .
“ We want the masks to be distributed as widely as possible .
Unfortunately , we don ’ t have enough to go beyond California and New York , and so far hospitals in Arizona have not responded to an offer of 2 million masks , but as we locate more masks we want to expand the circulation as much as possible , ” Regan said .
“ While we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognize they are stopgap measures in light of the estimated 3.5 billion masks that could be needed during this pandemic .
We urgently need the federal government to step in and drive a coordinated national response to the PPE shortage.
” Thus far , the following entities are purchasing the N95 masks from the 39 million SEIU-UHW located :

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Editor's Commentary
No only are American journos complicit in all the crimes of the empire, no matter how heinous. They are also very poor gatherers and distributors of vital news.
The press release by the SEIU union dated March 26, exactly 5 days ago (see below), should put to shame most of the American media. For while the union says they located 39 million (that's right, million) surgical grade masks, almost all major news programs continue to report as of 31 March dreadful shortages of this item across the medical establishment. What the hell is gong on here? Let's examine the situation in more detail. First, we present a sampler of news clips describing the shortage. Then, the SEIU's press release, which is clear enough. Note that many reports have actually told Americans that the masks are "useless" and should not be worn by the regular public so as to allow frontline medical personnel and EMS to have access to such vital materials. If that is not a contradiction, what is? This advice is being circulated preciely as more authorities across the globe recommend their usage, since, as some epidemiologists point out, the Covid-19 virus appears to behave like a contagion, meaning that even breathing the exhaled air of an unmasked infected person-without coughs or sneezes—can easily pass the disease. This may explain why even the "6-ft social distance" rule is not as effective as we would imagine.
Should healthy people wear masks in public?
The WPIX (NYC station) video caption reads: "If you're not sick with the new coronavirus, should you wear a mask in public? Global health officials say no. And amid a shortage of masks, the U.S. is sticking with that advice. President Donald Trump said Tuesday anyone concerned meanwhile could wear a scarf."
There's no question the capitalist system has been caught with its pants down by this crisis, as shortages in stockpiles have been felt in essential equipment, from ventilators to humble masks. This has been aggravated by the Trump administration's criminally moronic mismanagement of the situation— always ready (without real opposition from Democrats) to put the interest of the ultra wealthy way above that of ordinary citizens. In this chaos, while healthcare workers, from doctors to nurses and EMS responders have complained bitterly about the lack of adequate supplies of ventilators, masks, and other personal protective equipment items (PPEs). These items include face shields, gloves, goggles and glasses, gowns, head covers, masks, respirators, and shoe covers. Face shields, gloves, goggles and glasses, gowns, head covers, and shoe covers protect against the transmission of germs through contact and droplet routes. To the public and hospital personnel, the most emblematic and infuriating shortage seems to be that of masks—relatively easy to produce equipment whose shocking scarcity underscores the capriciousness of the marketplace and the perverse production priorities of a system completely dominated by the individual search for maximum profits. The media have characteristically picked up the story and amplified it, filing a multitude of alarmist reports about these shortages, but they have obviously not done their homework, as this press release by the SEIU makes clear. —P Greanville
PRESS RELEASE BY THE SEIU
Union Locates Massive Supply of N95 Masks
[March 26, 2020]The Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) has located 39 million critically needed N95 masks and is connecting states, counties, health systems and individual hospitals to the supplier so they can purchase them in quantity.
The 3M™ N95 masks (model 1860) are cleared for use as surgical masks and are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The union launched an exhaustive search for masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) five days ago in response to pleas from frontline healthcare workers that they need more protection and feel unsafe on the job as they treat the growing number of COVID-19 patients. SEIU-UHW has 97,000 members who work in hospitals across California.
Within 48 hours of painstakingly calling leads and potential suppliers, the union discovered a distributor who had the 39 million masks, and has since found another supplier who says his company can produce 20 million more masks a week. The union also has found a supplier who can deliver millions of face shields.
“SEIU-UHW members and healthcare workers all over California are desperate for more protection, so we are seeking out supplies wherever we can get them,” said Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW. “We are continuing to turn over every rock to see if we can find more personal protective equipment to make sure that healthcare workers, who are heroically putting their own health on the line to care for patients, can do their jobs as safely as possible.”
SEIU-UHW is working with the states, counties and hospitals to determine realistically the quantities they need, and then connecting their procurement officers directly to the supplier to arrange the purchase. The masks are $5 each, and the union has no financial interest in the transactions. The masks are being distributed to unionized and non-unionized facilities alike.
“We want the masks to be distributed as widely as possible. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough to go beyond California and New York, and so far hospitals in Arizona have not responded to an offer of 2 million masks, but as we locate more masks we want to expand the circulation as much as possible,” Regan said. “While we are pleased with these initial results, we recognize they are stopgap measures in light of the estimated 3.5 billion masks that could be needed during this pandemic. We urgently need the federal government to step in and drive a coordinated national response to the PPE shortage.”
Thus far, the following entities are purchasing the N95 masks from the 39 million SEIU-UHW located:
State of California
Greater New York Hospital Association
Dignity Health
Kaiser Permanente
Stanford Health Care
Sutter Health
Los Angeles County
Riverside County
Santa Clara County


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-31--Is Biden really winning because he visits Malcolm X College?

So it turns out that America isn ’ t “ going progressive ” after all ?
How else can we explain that “ Corporate Joe ” Biden is now being proclaimed as the inevitable winner of the Democratic presidential primary ?
Of course , the Mainstream Media – which is pro- “ Corporate Joe ” and not pro- “ Average Joe ” – incorrectly insisted that Hillary Clinton would be the inevitable winner of the 2016 primary .
It ’ s not that the US MSM is just full of bad journalists ( but it is ) – it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Reflecting the will of the people ?
Merely an objective observer ?
The “ fourth estate ” of government – why , increasing governmental anything sounds positively anti-neoliberal… yer outta the MSM !
!
!
Rather stunningly , for those with faith in the good sense ( i.e.
, anti-neoliberalism , anti-imperialism and pro-socialism ) of Americans , Biden has resurrected himself and quite indisputably given US presstitutes a solid factual basis – he ’ s back to leading the race .
My reaction to US Democrats : “ You want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
!
” Is Sanders a socialist ?
Ha ha , you are funny .
But on the American political spectrum he would be an undoubted advance .
Does his “ West European bourgeois liberal reformism ” actually retard the struggle towards socialism , equality and justice – well , yes .
But are you organising armed revolution ?
C ’ mon… not if you have a vote in America .
Trump , who is so hilarious – if you only rarely actually listen to what he says , famously refers to Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also “ Pocahontas Elizabeth Warren ” , “ Crazy Bernie Sanders ” , “ Mini Mike Bloomberg ” , and these are all hilarious , too .
Sure , the Helicopter Moms of the US decry the “ lack of civility ” , but many Average Joes eat this “ real politics ” up with a spoon .
Helicopter Moms have way too much influence – let ’ s keep them out of the political sphere , at least .
But Trump ’ s moniker for the esteemed senator from Delaware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is perhaps the world ’ s biggest tax haven .
Top 5 for sure .
Nobody seems to know that , mainly because of MSM presstitutes , but also because here in America : Delaware is just practicing normal , everyday , perfectly fair , good , old-fashioned capitalism ( with American characteristics ) .
Biden was installed as Obama ’ s VP precisely to send a message to corporate America – amid the start of the Great Recession – which said : “ Don ’ t worry corporate America – this Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s business as usual .
Everything ’ s fine .
Yay capitalism , yay imperialism , yay 1 % class warfare .
There ’ s no real ‘ hope ’ for the bottom 90 % , certainly.
” That historical analysis is undoubtedly certain .
But Trump can ’ t deride him as “ Corporate Joe ” because Trump says “ Yay ” for all those things as well .
He ’ s a fascist , of course ; an ardent and hugely effective ( and hilarious – both on purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with American characteristics ” .
So Trump can ’ t , and will never , criticise Biden for being a shill for the morally and socially disgusting tax haven which is their great state of Delaware .
But American voters – it ’ s pretty depressing that they can ’ t see that Biden says “ Yay ” to all that as well .
If they could then Corporate Joe wouldn ’ t be back from a long nap and leading the race over Sanders .
Is Sanders a socialist ?
Ha ha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American political spectrum he would be an undoubted advance .
Does his “ West European bourgeois liberal reformism ” actually retard the struggle towards socialism , equality and justice – well , yes .
But are you organising armed revolution ?
C ’ mon… not if you have a vote in America .
I assumed that Americans were smart enough – after 12 years of Great Recession and 3 years of Trump – to finally go “ left ” .
Yeah , it ’ s a “ Michigan left ” , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan lefts are actually hugely useful to avoid those traffic slowdowns caused by total jerks who have the nerve to turn left in front of me , slowing me down in my day .
( That state did give us the car first , after all – they know what they are doing when it comes to road organisation .
Road maintenance , that ’ s a different story . )
Well , here in Chicago Sanders hasn ’ t campaigned much .
This month he held a big rally at Grant Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ten thousand people ( of course it was much more than this official MSM figure – I saw it ) , a huge US flag , “ socialism with American jingoist characteristics ” to the non-believers/socialist militants , perhaps .
Biden however , is supposed to hold a rally at Malcom X College .
It may be cancelled due to Coronavirus .
Allah bless Malcolm X College !
It ’ s on Chicago ’ s West Side , which is the worst of the worst .
When those of us outside of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s South Side ” , we were wrong : Chicago ’ s West Side is actually the globally-infamous “ South Side ” .
There are still plenty of bad pockets in the South Side , but also some absolutely top neighborhoods .
The West Side , however , is 100 % modern American slum : total White flight , gangs , guns , drugs , death and absolutely nobody in the US government/culture/society feels compelled to do anything about it .
Truly , I wonder if we can call West Siders “ citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like it .
But pundits insist that it ’ s the Black vote which saved Biden in the South Carolina primary .
His win there led to his shocking wins on Super Tuesday .
“ It ’ s race , stupid ” – the classic view of fake-leftist , pro-tribalist , identity politics-loving , secret reactionary , totally useless American Democrats and their presstitute shills .
It can ’ t be that .
It makes no sense , statistically .
Stop saying stuff like this .
The MSM wont , and neither will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hey – Biden is actually visiting places like Malcom X College , unlike Bernie .
Again : God bless Malcolm X College !
A degree from there seems certain to terrify any White prospective employer , LOL , but to hell with them – boolah boolah !
A degree from there says , “ I ’ m Black and I ’ m proud , ” just like ( James Brown ) Malcolm X did in that hugely shocking , beautiful , uber-socialist , uber-brave way of his .
If only a White person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either be welcomed as comrades ( I have found that , due to identity politics , White Americans are not allowed to call Black Americans “ brother ” .
Certainly no White Woman would dare to call a Black Woman “ sister ” , LOL .
Hey overzealous # MeToo-ers – I thought it was males who are always the most fearful of reactionaries ?
Please do prove me wrong . )
, or perhaps be hugely effective 5th Columnists in the four-century struggle to help keep the Black Community down , LOL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Black vote , stupid ” explanation is somehow truly legit , then it only proves how bad the US system really is : Biden will go there to beg for votes , thus playing the US political game… only to keep enforcing policies which make Chicago ’ s West Side such an incredible hell for those US citizens trapped there amid such shocking daily death and violence .
Of course , “ It ’ s the Black vote , stupid ” is rather totally undermined by Sanders ’ popularity with Latinos .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , and not your reactionary tribalism !
But the MSM presstitutes don ’ t want to focus on what I ’ ve written here .
Trump ’ s moniker merely mocks Biden for his lack of energy – that is to say , in a totally apolitical manner , because they truly are allies .
Trump ’ s attack on Biden ’ s “ energy ” is ultimately tribal – in that physical , bloody , pagan , violent , outdated side of tribes ; in that negative side of the old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t modern politics – it ’ s energy/blood/DNA/eugenics/Hitler ’ s Ubermensch/Jewish “ Chosen People ” ( well , they were chosen to bring forth the religious ideology of monotheism – that ’ s just a historical fact of human history… but don ’ t take this specialness too far ) … which is why socialism has always fought against identity politics from even before 1917 .
The everyday US Democrat ’ s vote can ’ t be discounted – Sanders is likely out .
What a shock !
You mean the average US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalist , pro-tribalist , transgender-obsessed political idiot ?
Who knew ?
Non-Americans like me , for one .
The only good result from March ’ s primaries is that the disgusting candidacy of billionaire Michael Bloomberg bit the dust .
How politically repugnant was that effort , and his ubiquitous ( for a short while ) , fake working-class slogan of “ Mike can get it done ” ?
Now ’ s he “ Mike ” , eh ?
Now he ’ s a “ Democrat ” , eh ?
The thought of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November maybe would have been for the best – how can the world more obviously see the reactionary , plutocratic , pro-imperialist , anti-socialist nature of the US system than to witness a sorry spectacle such as that ?
How could that spectacle not make all those things even more clear to non-New York City , non-upper-class , non-jingoistic Americans ?
I ’ m all for speeding up the downfall of the current US form of government , but still… seeing Bloomberg ’ s “ I can buy anything campaign ” fail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empty calorie ?
Well , I ’ ll move on , since I ’ m not in any militias myself .
The US Democratic Party , apparently , will not move on – it ’ s back to Biden , the most pro-establishment candidate they had .
He is basically Hillary in a pantsuit ( or just a “ suit ” ) .
Me , I ’ m now quite comfortable putting my betting dollars on Trump .
Democrats : Making America Great Again with Corporate Joe Biden !

OpEds So it turns out that America isn’t “going progressive” after all? How else can we explain that “Corporate Joe” Biden is now being proclaimed as the inevitable winner of the Democratic presidential primary? Of course, the Mainstream Media - which is pro-“Corporate Joe” and not pro-“Average Joe” - incorrectly insisted that Hillary Clinton would be the inevitable winner of the 2016 primary. It’s not that the US MSM is just full of bad journalists (but it is) - it’s that they are trying to control politics. Reflecting the will of the people? Merely an objective observer? The “fourth estate” of government - why, increasing governmental anything sounds positively anti-neoliberal… yer outta the MSM!!! Rather stunningly, for those with faith in the good sense (i.e., anti-neoliberalism, anti-imperialism and pro-socialism) of Americans, Biden has resurrected himself and quite indisputably given US presstitutes a solid factual basis - he’s back to leading the race. My reaction to US Democrats: “You want Corporate Joe Biden to be your candidate?!” Is Sanders a socialist? Ha ha, you are funny. But on the American political spectrum he would be an undoubted advance. Does his “West European bourgeois liberal reformism” actually retard the struggle towards socialism, equality and justice - well, yes. But are you organising armed revolution? C’mon… not if you have a vote in America. Trump, who is so hilarious - if you only rarely actually listen to what he says, famously refers to Biden as “Sleepy Joe”. There’s also “Pocahontas Elizabeth Warren”, “Crazy Bernie Sanders”, “Mini Mike Bloomberg”, and these are all hilarious, too. Sure, the Helicopter Moms of the US decry the “lack of civility”, but many Average Joes eat this “real politics” up with a spoon. Helicopter Moms have way too much influence - let’s keep them out of the political sphere, at least. But Trump’s moniker for the esteemed senator from Delaware, Biden, is wrong: Delaware is perhaps the world’s biggest tax haven. Top 5 for sure. Nobody seems to know that, mainly because of MSM presstitutes, but also because here in America: Delaware is just practicing normal, everyday, perfectly fair, good, old-fashioned capitalism (with American characteristics). Biden was installed as Obama’s VP precisely to send a message to corporate America - amid the start of the Great Recession - which said: “Don’t worry corporate America - this Obama guy is just a brand change. It’s business as usual. Everything’s fine. Yay capitalism, yay imperialism, yay 1% class warfare. There’s no real ‘hope’ for the bottom 90%, certainly.” That historical analysis is undoubtedly certain. But Trump can’t deride him as “Corporate Joe” because Trump says “Yay” for all those things as well. He’s a fascist, of course; an ardent and hugely effective (and hilarious - both on purpose and unwittingly) proponent of “neo-fascism with American characteristics”. So Trump can’t, and will never, criticise Biden for being a shill for the morally and socially disgusting tax haven which is their great state of Delaware. But American voters - it’s pretty depressing that they can’t see that Biden says “Yay” to all that as well. If they could then Corporate Joe wouldn’t be back from a long nap and leading the race over Sanders. Is Sanders a socialist? Ha ha, you are funny. But on the American political spectrum he would be an undoubted advance. Does his “West European bourgeois liberal reformism” actually retard the struggle towards socialism, equality and justice - well, yes. But are you organising armed revolution? C’mon… not if you have a vote in America. (You may, however, have organised some sort of far-right, libertarian-inspired militia.) I assumed that Americans were smart enough - after 12 years of Great Recession and 3 years of Trump - to finally go “left”. Yeah, it’s a “Michigan left”, if you know what that is, but Michigan lefts are actually hugely useful to avoid those traffic slowdowns caused by total jerks who have the nerve to turn left in front of me, slowing me down in my day. (That state did give us the car first, after all - they know what they are doing when it comes to road organisation. Road maintenance, that’s a different story.) How did Biden win? Well, here in Chicago Sanders hasn’t campaigned much. This month he held a big rally at Grant Park in the centre of the city. Ten thousand people (of course it was much more than this official MSM figure - I saw it), a huge US flag, “socialism with American jingoist characteristics” to the non-believers/socialist militants, perhaps. Biden however, is supposed to hold a rally at Malcom X College. It may be cancelled due to Coronavirus. Allah bless Malcolm X College! It’s on Chicago’s West Side, which is the worst of the worst. When those of us outside of the US talked scarily about “Chicago’s South Side”, we were wrong: Chicago’s West Side is actually the globally-infamous “South Side”. There are still plenty of bad pockets in the South Side, but also some absolutely top neighborhoods. The West Side, however, is 100% modern American slum: total White flight, gangs, guns, drugs, death and absolutely nobody in the US government/culture/society feels compelled to do anything about it. Truly, I wonder if we can call West Siders “citizens”? Americans do not treat them like it. But pundits insist that it’s the Black vote which saved Biden in the South Carolina primary. His win there led to his shocking wins on Super Tuesday. “It’s race, stupid” - the classic view of fake-leftist, pro-tribalist, identity politics-loving, secret reactionary, totally useless American Democrats and their presstitute shills. It can’t be that. It makes no sense, statistically. Stop saying stuff like this. The MSM wont, and neither will fake-leftist, politically-active US Democrats. But hey - Biden is actually visiting places like Malcom X College, unlike Bernie. Again: God bless Malcolm X College! A degree from there seems certain to terrify any White prospective employer, LOL, but to hell with them - boolah boolah! A degree from there says, “I’m Black and I’m proud,” just like (James Brown) Malcolm X did in that hugely shocking, beautiful, uber-socialist, uber-brave way of his. If only a White person would graduate from there… they’d either be welcomed as comrades (I have found that, due to identity politics, White Americans are not allowed to call Black Americans “brother”. Certainly no White Woman would dare to call a Black Woman “sister”, LOL. Hey overzealous #MeToo-ers - I thought it was males who are always the most fearful of reactionaries? Please do prove me wrong.), or perhaps be hugely effective 5th Columnists in the four-century struggle to help keep the Black Community down, LOL. If the “It’s the Black vote, stupid” explanation is somehow truly legit, then it only proves how bad the US system really is: Biden will go there to beg for votes, thus playing the US political game… only to keep enforcing policies which make Chicago’s West Side such an incredible hell for those US citizens trapped there amid such shocking daily death and violence. Of course, “It’s the Black vote, stupid” is rather totally undermined by Sanders’ popularity with Latinos. “It’s class, stupid”, and not your reactionary tribalism! But the MSM presstitutes don’t want to focus on what I’ve written here. Trump’s moniker merely mocks Biden for his lack of energy - that is to say, in a totally apolitical manner, because they truly are allies. Trump’s attack on Biden’s “energy” is ultimately tribal - in that physical, bloody, pagan, violent, outdated side of tribes; in that negative side of the old way of living. Tribalism isn’t modern politics - it’s energy/blood/DNA/eugenics/Hitler’s Ubermensch/Jewish “Chosen People” (well, they were chosen to bring forth the religious ideology of monotheism - that’s just a historical fact of human history… but don’t take this specialness too far)… which is why socialism has always fought against identity politics from even before 1917. The everyday US Democrat’s vote can’t be discounted - Sanders is likely out. What a shock! You mean the average US Democrat is actually a pro-imperialist, rabid capitalist, pro-tribalist, transgender-obsessed political idiot?
Who knew? Non-Americans like me, for one. The only good result from March’s primaries is that the disgusting candidacy of billionaire Michael Bloomberg bit the dust. How politically repugnant was that effort, and his ubiquitous (for a short while), fake working-class slogan of “Mike can get it done”? Now’s he “Mike”, eh? Now he’s a “Democrat”, eh? The thought of two New York City billionaires facing off in November maybe would have been for the best - how can the world more obviously see the reactionary, plutocratic, pro-imperialist, anti-socialist nature of the US system than to witness a sorry spectacle such as that? How could that spectacle not make all those things even more clear to non-New York City, non-upper-class, non-jingoistic Americans? I’m all for speeding up the downfall of the current US form of government, but still… seeing Bloomberg’s “I can buy anything campaign” fail was delicious justice. Is that an empty calorie? Well, I’ll move on, since I’m not in any militias myself. The US Democratic Party, apparently, will not move on - it’s back to Biden, the most pro-establishment candidate they had. He is basically Hillary in a pantsuit (or just a “suit”). Me, I’m now quite comfortable putting my betting dollars on Trump. Democrats: Making America Great Again with Corporate Joe Biden!


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-03-31--The Invisible Bug That Killed an Empire

The Invisible Bug That Killed an Empire

he liberal world order is a shambles .
The coronavirus pandemic will spell the end of full-spectrum dominance by Britain , the United States , and those in the European Union tethered so inextricably to the NATO alliance .
A quote below from a Reuters report citing French President Emmanuel Macron , it sums up the fall of the mediocre empire created after World War 2 .
Editor ’ s Prefatory Note : Cogent as Phil Butler normally is , he may be writing the obit of the US empire and its malignant web of destruction far too prematurely .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact a number of distinguished radical observers , for obvious psychological reasons— seeing clearly the monstrous system much of humanity is still forced to live under , and the sheer evil represented by its main citadel , the United States—have announced the imminent death of capitalism and the downfall of the US empire on various occasions during the past century .
They apparently they underestimated the resilience of the “ American Way of Life ” .
Thus , defying logic , this cesspool of iniquity , irrationality and viciousness lives on , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like an indestructible ghoul , it often bounces back more virulent than ever .
That this excrescence will die some day—all empires fall sooner or later—is a certainty .
But that it will die soon , the mere victim of an incomprehensible microbial agent , and while virtually most Americans remain as politically stupid , disorganised and ignorant as ever , still very much prisoners of their own antisocial habits and the ministrations of the presstituted media , is a bad bet .
That at least is my impression .
I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right in his prognosis .
Only then would humanity actually have a chance of turning our wounded planetary ship around .
—PG It ’ s too bad my country has no statesmen to herald the coming of the end .
I wonder when the first American governor will tell my countrymen what is at stake for them ?
Macron was cited after the Reuters report framed the catastrophe in Italy , and how the European Union left the Italians to fend for themselves like castaways .
To be honest , I never thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s surprised even me .
And when Russia and China came to the rescue , it was NATO and Poland that closed airspace to the Russian aid transports .
Italy will never forget or forgive this .
The story in Spain is a similar one , as is the one here in Greece .
If not for the Greek authorities quick action to close businesses and borders , Europe ’ s summer vacationland would already be overwhelmed .
At a time when Germany and the Netherlands have split the EU into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy , Spain , and France to issue joint debt to help finance a recovery , President Donald Trump and his opposition have splintered America into similar desperate parts .
In the United States , hard-hit places like New York City can not even get the needed equipment to treat the spiraling number of COVID-19 cases .
ICU units are full , almost everyone has been exposed , and Governor Cuomo is begging for respirators that will never come .
And this is just New York .
In the state of Georgia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ town hall ” meeting with constituents before extending school closings .
However , although Georgia ’ s COVID-19 spread is one of the fastest-growing and deadliest in the nation , Kemp has not expanded the state effort .
This is a mistake on the level of criminal negligence if you factor in mathematical projections of how the disease is gripping the United States .
While Donald Trump panders a “ beautiful Easter ” as his motivation to open back up sections of the U.S. , it seems like the Republican party is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cliff .
A report entitled “ Hell is Coming : Here is the Mathematical Proof ” , from a Wall Street expert , Inan Dogan , Ph.D. , shows us the incontrovertible magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic , both in terms of human suffering , and where the mid-term economy of the world is concerned .
Dogan puts forward the facts of the geometric spread of the disease along with the death spiral that only levels off after countries take drastic measures .
The most telling figures , the fact the infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is a metric that can not be hidden .
Simple math can be applied to any of the COVID-19 pandemic charts online .
Dogan says 2 million Americans are already infected with the virus , and that testing and delay factors obscure the real gravity of the situation .
The United States passed China and Italy with the most number of COVID-19 cases , and the disease spread curve confirms the totals doubling every three days .
Dr. Dogan predicted the U.S. death toll on March 26th would be 900 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trend and did the math too .
Unless President Trump takes more drastic measures , America ’ s government will have fallen behind the rest of the world in the worst possible way , by letting her people down totally .
As for the economic impacts , the situation is already far beyond estimating .
Anyone can follow the Bloomberg predictions or Wall Street ticker to determine the world is in a mess .
Trump and the Congress printing out an extra $ 2 trillion is monumental enough to show this .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the depth or scope of this pandemic .
For instance , at the micro-economic level , farms and other producers around the world will be smashed by the pandemic .
Here on Crete island , small farmers can not ship their produce to places like Italy or the rest of the Balkans , since tight border restrictions prevent the trucks from rolling in .
Many are already selling their products below the cost to produce them , just to keep their businesses alive .
And this situation will only worsen in the months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and imports ?
The only good news Americans can cling to is the fact the United States is not nearly so dependent on exports as most other countries .
Farms in America , for instance , are mostly owned by huge corporations that are far more capable of handling market fluctuations and individual farmers who once fed the country .
Oil and gas are a huge problem , as are the travel , tourism , food , and entertainment sectors .
The biggest problem for Trump and the other politicians is the joblessness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s hopes of reelection .
This is why Trump is so keen to reboot the country before Easter .
He says he thinks it ’ s a “ beautiful time ” and that he thinks it would be a super timeline to try and reopen the U.S. by then , but what he means is that millions of Americans being jobless when the Easter Bunny shows up… Well , this is the level of “ Trump ” disasters the American leadership considers dire .
This Moody ’ s outlook for China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coming weeks : Here ’ s the gist .
President Trump and most of the leadership in the U.S. are dealing with this crisis from a “ fantasy ” perspective , or as if the country was somehow prepared for catastrophes like COVID-19 .
The United States spends untolled trillions on national defense , homeland security , cybersecurity , and an unspeakable list of programs .
Pharmaceutical companies in the country rake in trillions as well , and when the American people call on the industry in a crisis ?
The connective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put under coronavirus stress , whether or not every citizen comes down with the bug , every man , woman , and child will be affected .
A $ 1200 loan from Uncle Sam is not going to help .
And yes , the stimulus checks are a loan from the world central banks .
The stock market rallied on the announcement of the stimulus package by the government , but the U.S. passing China in the number of cases is already pushing the Dow Jones back down as of Friday , March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” numbers start coming in , when Easter rolls over families because of the employment situation , and as more families are touched by the death toll , the situation is NOT going to get better anytime soon .
There is no happy ending to the story of the American hegemony that failed .
Being a ruler can be a great thing when the sun is shining , but when catastrophe dashes hope kings usually head for asylum .
It will be interesting to see where Donald Trump and the EU ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he liberal world order is a shambles. The coronavirus pandemic will spell the end of full-spectrum dominance by Britain, the United States, and those in the European Union tethered so inextricably to the NATO alliance. A quote below from a Reuters report citing French President Emmanuel Macron, it sums up the fall of the mediocre empire created after World War 2.
Editor's Prefatory Note: Cogent as Phil Butler normally is, he may be writing the obit of the US empire and its malignant web of destruction far too prematurely. It's happened before. In fact a number of distinguished radical observers, for obvious psychological reasons— seeing clearly the monstrous system much of humanity is still forced to live under, and the sheer evil represented by its main citadel, the United States—have announced the imminent death of capitalism and the downfall of the US empire on various occasions during the past century. They underestimated the resilience of the "American Way of Life". Thus, defying logic, this cesspool of iniquity, irrationality and viciousness lives on, in fact (like the Republican party), like an indestructible ghoul, it often bounces back more virulent than ever. That this excrescence will die some day—all empires fall sooner or later—is a certainty. But that it will die soon, the mere victim of an incomprehensible microbial agent, and while virtually most Americans remain as politically stupid, disorganised and ignorant as ever, still very much prisoners of their own antisocial habits and the ministrations of the presstituted media, is a bad bet. That at least is my impression. I can only say I wish Phil Butler were right in his prognosis. Only then would humanity actually have a chance of turning our wounded planetary ship around. —PG
“What’s at stake is the survival of the European project.”
It’s too bad my country has no statesmen to herald the coming of the end. I wonder when the first American governor will tell my countrymen what is at stake for them?
Macron was cited after the Reuters report framed the catastrophe in Italy, and how the European Union left the Italians to fend for themselves like castaways. To be honest, I never thought Macron had it in him, but he’s surprised even me. And when Russia and China came to the rescue, it was NATO and Poland that closed airspace to the Russian aid transports. Italy will never forget or forgive this. The story in Spain is a similar one, as is the one here in Greece. If not for the Greek authorities quick action to close businesses and borders, Europe’s summer vacationland would already be overwhelmed.
At a time when Germany and the Netherlands have split the EU into two parts by blocked a call from Italy, Spain, and France to issue joint debt to help finance a recovery, President Donald Trump and his opposition have splintered America into similar desperate parts. In the United States, hard-hit places like New York City cannot even get the needed equipment to treat the spiraling number of COVID-19 cases. ICU units are full, almost everyone has been exposed, and Governor Cuomo is begging for respirators that will never come. And this is just New York.
In the state of Georgia, Republican Governor Brian Kemp just held a “town hall” meeting with constituents before extending school closings. However, although Georgia’s COVID-19 spread is one of the fastest-growing and deadliest in the nation, Kemp has not expanded the state effort. This is a mistake on the level of criminal negligence if you factor in mathematical projections of how the disease is gripping the United States. While Donald Trump panders a “beautiful Easter” as his motivation to open back up sections of the U.S., it seems like the Republican party is willing to follow the unpredictable president over a cliff.
A report entitled “Hell is Coming: Here is the Mathematical Proof”, from a Wall Street expert, Inan Dogan, Ph.D., shows us the incontrovertible magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic, both in terms of human suffering, and where the mid-term economy of the world is concerned. Dogan puts forward the facts of the geometric spread of the disease along with the death spiral that only levels off after countries take drastic measures. The most telling figures, the fact the infection and death rates double every three days, is a metric that cannot be hidden. Simple math can be applied to any of the COVID-19 pandemic charts online. Dogan says 2 million Americans are already infected with the virus, and that testing and delay factors obscure the real gravity of the situation. The United States passed China and Italy with the most number of COVID-19 cases, and the disease spread curve confirms the totals doubling every three days. Dr. Dogan predicted the U.S. death toll on March 26th would be 900, the actual number was 1,201. I followed the trend and did the math too. Unless President Trump takes more drastic measures, America’s government will have fallen behind the rest of the world in the worst possible way, by letting her people down totally. As for the economic impacts, the situation is already far beyond estimating.
Anyone can follow the Bloomberg predictions or Wall Street ticker to determine the world is in a mess. Trump and the Congress printing out an extra $2 trillion is monumental enough to show this. But the macro-level view does not show the depth or scope of this pandemic. For instance, at the micro-economic level, farms and other producers around the world will be smashed by the pandemic. Here on Crete island, small farmers cannot ship their produce to places like Italy or the rest of the Balkans, since tight border restrictions prevent the trucks from rolling in. Many are already selling their products below the cost to produce them, just to keep their businesses alive. And this situation will only worsen in the months to come. What about American exports and imports?
The only good news Americans can cling to is the fact the United States is not nearly so dependent on exports as most other countries. Farms in America, for instance, are mostly owned by huge corporations that are far more capable of handling market fluctuations and individual farmers who once fed the country. Oil and gas are a huge problem, as are the travel, tourism, food, and entertainment sectors. The biggest problem for Trump and the other politicians is the joblessness that is about to shatter the incumbent president’s hopes of reelection. This is why Trump is so keen to reboot the country before Easter. He says he thinks it’s a “beautiful time” and that he thinks it would be a super timeline to try and reopen the U.S. by then, but what he means is that millions of Americans being jobless when the Easter Bunny shows up… Well, this is the level of “Trump” disasters the American leadership considers dire. This Moody’s outlook for China may be a premonition for America in the coming weeks:
“In recently released data from China (A1 stable) offers a glimpse into the impact of the unfolding consumption shock. The official data suggests a sharp contraction relative to last year in retail sales (-20.5%), industrial production (-13.5%), fixed-asset investment (-24.5%), and job losses (5 million) in January and February.”
Here’s the gist. President Trump and most of the leadership in the U.S. are dealing with this crisis from a “fantasy” perspective, or as if the country was somehow prepared for catastrophes like COVID-19. The United States spends untolled trillions on national defense, homeland security, cybersecurity, and an unspeakable list of programs. Pharmaceutical companies in the country rake in trillions as well, and when the American people call on the industry in a crisis?
“Easter would be a beautiful timeline. It’s a beautiful time of year.”
The connective tissue of America is about to be put under coronavirus stress, whether or not every citizen comes down with the bug, every man, woman, and child will be affected. A $1200 loan from Uncle Sam is not going to help. And yes, the stimulus checks are a loan from the world central banks. The stock market rallied on the announcement of the stimulus package by the government, but the U.S. passing China in the number of cases is already pushing the Dow Jones back down as of Friday, March 27. And once the “lag” numbers start coming in, when Easter rolls over families because of the employment situation, and as more families are touched by the death toll, the situation is NOT going to get better anytime soon.
There is no happy ending to the story of the American hegemony that failed. Being a ruler can be a great thing when the sun is shining, but when catastrophe dashes hope kings usually head for asylum. It will be interesting to see where Donald Trump and the EU’s mediocre heads of state end up.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-01--What the coronavirus calamity means for intellectual and cultural life

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Wherein Walsh provides one of the best analyses of the contemporary “ trahison des clercs ” in the Western world , broadly understood to comprise not just “ intellectuals ” , but also social influencers in media and the leaders of the political system .
The present global health and economic calamity is without precedent .
Whatever the outcome in the short term , social life and consciousness will never return to their previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The existing order , in the eyes of tens of millions , will be seen from now on as illegitimate and an immediate threat to their continued existence .
There are many political problems and much confusion to work through , but the consciousness of broad layers of the population is shifting rapidly , to the left .
What preoccupied official “ radical , ” academic and even artistic circles , however , in the months and years preceding the present crisis was the increasingly unhinged and selfish politics of race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ books and pronouncements of various kinds informed the public that the “ defining issue of our time ” was , for example , “ white privilege , ” reparations for slavery , the # MeToo campaign or sexual harassment—or , for that matter , baleful “ Russian interference ” in the great American democratic project .
The most pressing questions , one might almost say the only pressing questions , in recent months for such circles have revolved around libeling the American Revolution as a “ slaveholders revolt , ” slandering Abraham Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roman Polanski , Woody Allen and Plácido Domingo ( now afflicted with coronavirus ) and making certain film producer Harvey Weinstein was jailed for life .
Without “ privileged ” white males , sexual harassers and Putin ’ s agents , we were given to understand , America could easily have been mistaken for another Garden of Eden .
The international pseudoleft enthusiastically joined in this rotten “ moral ” crusade .
An article posted on the International Viewpoint website by Manon Boltansky , a representative of the New Anti-Capitalist Party ( NPA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and uncritically with the attempted suppression of Polanski ’ s J ’ accuse ( An Officer and A Spy ) , a film treating the Dreyfus affair , one of the defining moments in modern French history .
Sounding every bit like a high state official or some right-wing , provincial legislator , Boltansky indignantly denounced “ the impunity with which Polanski was able to finance , direct , broadcast his latest film , J ’ accuse.
” With considerable sophistry , she argued that the attempt to block or disrupt screenings of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouragement and support of the French government , “ is not an attack on freedom of expression.
” These are people , in reality , who accept anything , including openly authoritarian measures , as long as it is draped in the banner of opposition to the supposed “ rape culture.
” The new conditions created by the pandemic throw such views and the forces that advocated them—and still advocate them—into sharp relief .
What possible relevance do the trivial concerns of these social elements have to the present comprehensive , life-and-death crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ male and female , white , black , Latino and immigrant ?
Millions now must determine whether it is “ preferable ” to stay home and run the risk of having no money to pay for rent and food for their families or return to work and face the potential of contracting or spreading a deadly disease .
None of the petty-bourgeois proponents of the sexual harassment witchhunt , the New York Times ’ 1619 Project of historical falsification , the nonsense about Russian intervention in the 2016 and every other election , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the slightest bit prepared for the present crisis .
Neither did this process simply begin in 2017 , or 2012 .
For decades , in fact , increasingly selfish and complacent moods have flourished in the upper echelons of the media and the entertainment industry and the academic universe .
Based on the ever-rising stock market and the superrich spreading a bit of the wealth around to their hirelings , all of that in turn rooted in the increased exploitation and impoverishment of the working class , those newly prosperous layers have come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pledge their allegiance to it .
Mesmerized by money and status , thrilled to be on the apparently winning side of history , the various shortsighted pundits , third- and fourth-rate artists and well-paid , corrupted professors long ago in many cases “ hung up their brains with their hats in the cloakroom ” ( in Bertolt Brecht ’ s phrase ) and joined the financial orgy .
Without “ privileged ” white males , sexual harassers and Putin ’ s agents , we were given to understand , America could easily have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The international pseudoleft enthusiastically joined in this rotten “ moral ” crusade .
Out of self-interest , which has appreciably narrowed their outlook , and in their self-deluded state , none of them could remotely imagine a cataclysm of the dimensions of the coronavirus crisis developing in a system they regarded as free of acute contradictions and , for all intents and purposes , everlasting .
It is not a matter , of course , of being able to predict a pandemic , but Marxists are always cognizant of the disasters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chain of political and social catastrophes and convulsions ” into which imperialism inevitably plunges the population , raised to a universal level by the development of a globally integrated economy .
For their efforts to warn the working class and prepare it for great shocks and challenges , Marxists are regularly accused by opportunists and assorted renegades of “ catastrophitis ” and “ crisis-mongering.
” Luxemburg once explained that the point of departure in socialist theory for the transition to socialism had always been “ a general and catastrophic crisis.
” The central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , consisted “ of the affirmation that capitalism , as a result of its own inner contradictions , moves toward a point when it will be unbalanced , when it will simply become impossible .
There were good reasons for conceiving that juncture in the form of a catastrophic general commercial crisis .
But that is of secondary importance when the fundamental idea is considered.
” In a matter of weeks , capitalism has become “ unbalanced ” and “ impossible ” for masses of humanity .
In this new situation who can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white privilege ” or “ male privilege ” ?
While age and complicating health conditions are factors , there is no indication whatsoever that the coronavirus punishes one race or ethnicity over another .
Chinese , French and Spanish men and women , along with Italians , Iranians , Americans , Germans , Koreans and Swedes have all succumbed .
What the virus might do were it to vigorously invade teeming , healthcare-starved cities in India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Nigeria , Senegal , Kenya , Mexico and elsewhere is nearly unimaginable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it appears to , more men than women , this is hardly an argument for “ female privilege.
” It is undoubtedly so , as it is always the case in class society , that the poor , the overworked , the oppressed of every ethnicity and gender will undergo the worst .
Of course , the voices promoting racialism and gender politics have not been silenced .
A March 24 USA Today article , “ Coronavirus layoffs disproportionately hurt black and Latino workers : ‘ It ’ s almost like doomsday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at creating divisions in the working class and encouraging communal selfishness .
The piece points to the case of a black single mother laid off from a small printing company in Maryland and argues she “ is among thousands of employees at small businesses , restaurants , hotels , bars and manufacturing companies who lost their jobs in recent days because of the pandemic .
Civil rights groups worry those workers , many of whom are people of color , will be sent in a downward spiral , scraping to pay bills and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the population ?
Should they all go to hell ?
USA Today cites the comment of a National Urban League official , “ We know that when the economy goes into decline , people of color always bear the brunt.
” Every section of the working class will suffer , and every section will be propelled into struggle .
In recent years , in fact , the portion of the population that has suffered the sharpest decline on a number of fronts has been the white male working class .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association ( JAMA ) study , detailing the unprecedented fall in life expectancy in the United States from 2015 to 2017 , found that the rise in mortality had impacted workers across every racial and et*hnic group , with the largest number of excess deaths occurring among white workers .
The incidence of opioid overdose and suicide among white males is especially horrendous .
A stupid , backward column by Solomon Jones in the Philadelphia Inquirer asserted in its headline , “ The rush to close businesses amid coronavirus reeks of white privilege.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ African-American entrepreneurs , Jones argues that “ every business owned by a person of color is essential.
” He goes on , “ While white business owners and workers will also be hit by economic losses , our leaders acting like everyone can simply weather the storm and come out whole reflects the very white assumption of a safety net—something black communities don ’ t have.
” Not to be outdone , the Atlantic ’ s Helen Lewis informs her readers , “ The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism ” and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a silent victim of the pandemic.
” Some 25,000 people are dead and more than half a million infected , but Lewis seems primarily worried her middle class lifestyle might be adversely affected .
Rejecting a “ gender-neutral approach ” to such disasters and accepting fully the inability of society to prevent the deaths of vast numbers of people , Lewis goes on , “ Grim as it is to imagine now , further epidemics are inevitable , and the temptation to argue that gender is a side issue , a distraction from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Madeleine Simon on The Hill website ( “ Women and the hidden burden of the coronavirus ” ) claims that “ women shoulder the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
” Simon writes that evidence suggests “ more men than women are dying of the coronavirus , but COVID-19 is also having specific ramifications on women.
” After pointing to the burdens of looking after children , some 850 million of whom are out of school around the world , and providing healthcare , which unquestionably fall disproportionately on the female population , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cat out of the bag .
Women , she writes , “ are also largely left out of global health conversations ” and “ underrepresented in decision-making spheres .
… Seema Verma and Deborah Brix have prominent roles in the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force , but only 10 percent of the representatives in the group are women.
” The fine words about working women weighed down by domestic and other responsibilities give way to the actual concerns , more positions , more income , more power for already affluent female professionals .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more self-centered than ever , but that will not be the only reaction .
The coronavirus crisis will unleash other forces , including intellectual and artistic ones .
The economic effect of the current shutdown will also be devastating for many artists , the vast majority of whom lead precarious lives at the best of times—but the most enduring result will be ideological and intellectual rather than monetary .
The ongoing and irreversible discrediting of capitalism will profoundly influence the further development of contemporary film , music , painting , literature and theater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit at any cost will provoke disgust and horror among artists , its underlying barbarism exposed for all those with eyes to see .
It seems safe to predict that the attention of the best artists will swing in the direction of more critically examining the social and economic contradictions of the system in which they live , and which now endangers them and everyone else .
The artists , along with the rest of the population , will want to know : How was this possible ?
Who is responsible ?
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in realism as an aesthetic approach , a more serious , committed engagement with life and with the life and fate of masses of people in particular , linked to more and more open political opposition to the status quo , must be an outcome .
There is a vast , pent-up pressure mounting in society , including pent-up creative pressure .
Many have been confused , isolated , unable to find their voice or their footing or not allowed—or not confident enough—to make themselves and their deepest thoughts and feelings known .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the destruction of existing prejudices , including anticommunism and illusions in the Democratic Party , will take place nonetheless .
Artists and others will find their way through orienting themselves to the complete and radical reconstruction of society .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
By David Walsh
Wherein Walsh provides one of the best analyses of the contemporary "trahison des clercs" in the Western world, broadly understood to comprise not just "intellectuals", but also social influencers in media and the leaders of the political system.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he present global health and economic calamity is without precedent.
Whatever the outcome in the short term, social life and consciousness will never return to their previous states. A Rubicon has been crossed. The existing order, in the eyes of tens of millions, will be seen from now on as illegitimate and an immediate threat to their continued existence.
There are many political problems and much confusion to work through, but the consciousness of broad layers of the population is shifting rapidly, to the left.
What preoccupied official “radical,” academic and even artistic circles, however, in the months and years preceding the present crisis was the increasingly unhinged and selfish politics of race, gender and sexuality. Countless articles, books and pronouncements of various kinds informed the public that the “defining issue of our time” was, for example, “white privilege,” reparations for slavery, the #MeToo campaign or sexual harassment—or, for that matter, baleful “Russian interference” in the great American democratic project.
The most pressing questions, one might almost say the only pressing questions, in recent months for such circles have revolved around libeling the American Revolution as a “slaveholders revolt,” slandering Abraham Lincoln as a “racist,” blacklisting Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Plácido Domingo (now afflicted with coronavirus) and making certain film producer Harvey Weinstein was jailed for life.
Without “privileged” white males, sexual harassers and Putin’s agents, we were given to understand, America could easily have been mistaken for another Garden of Eden.
The international pseudoleft enthusiastically joined in this rotten “moral” crusade. An article posted on the International Viewpoint website by Manon Boltansky, a representative of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) in France, solidarized itself fully and uncritically with the attempted suppression of Polanski’s J’accuse (An Officer and A Spy), a film treating the Dreyfus affair, one of the defining moments in modern French history. Sounding every bit like a high state official or some right-wing, provincial legislator, Boltansky indignantly denounced “the impunity with which Polanski was able to finance, direct, broadcast his latest film, J’accuse.” With considerable sophistry, she argued that the attempt to block or disrupt screenings of Polanski’s work, with the encouragement and support of the French government, “is not an attack on freedom of expression.” These are people, in reality, who accept anything, including openly authoritarian measures, as long as it is draped in the banner of opposition to the supposed “rape culture.”
The new conditions created by the pandemic throw such views and the forces that advocated them—and still advocate them—into sharp relief.
What possible relevance do the trivial concerns of these social elements have to the present comprehensive, life-and-death crisis affecting every section of the population, male and female, white, black, Latino and immigrant? Millions now must determine whether it is “preferable” to stay home and run the risk of having no money to pay for rent and food for their families or return to work and face the potential of contracting or spreading a deadly disease.
None of the petty-bourgeois proponents of the sexual harassment witchhunt, the New York Times’ 1619 Project of historical falsification, the nonsense about Russian intervention in the 2016 and every other election, the generally self-obsessed and self-pitying, were the slightest bit prepared for the present crisis.
Neither did this process simply begin in 2017, or 2012. For decades, in fact, increasingly selfish and complacent moods have flourished in the upper echelons of the media and the entertainment industry and the academic universe.
Based on the ever-rising stock market and the superrich spreading a bit of the wealth around to their hirelings, all of that in turn rooted in the increased exploitation and impoverishment of the working class, those newly prosperous layers have come to believe sincerely in the system and pledge their allegiance to it.
Mesmerized by money and status, thrilled to be on the apparently winning side of history, the various shortsighted pundits, third- and fourth-rate artists and well-paid, corrupted professors long ago in many cases “hung up their brains with their hats in the cloakroom” (in Bertolt Brecht’s phrase) and joined the financial orgy.
Without “privileged” white males, sexual harassers and Putin’s agents, we were given to understand, America could easily have been mistaken for another Garden of Eden. The international pseudoleft enthusiastically joined in this rotten “moral” crusade.
Out of self-interest, which has appreciably narrowed their outlook, and in their self-deluded state, none of them could remotely imagine a cataclysm of the dimensions of the coronavirus crisis developing in a system they regarded as free of acute contradictions and, for all intents and purposes, everlasting.
It is not a matter, of course, of being able to predict a pandemic, but Marxists are always cognizant of the disasters, what Rosa Luxemburg called the “endless chain of political and social catastrophes and convulsions” into which imperialism inevitably plunges the population, raised to a universal level by the development of a globally integrated economy.
For their efforts to warn the working class and prepare it for great shocks and challenges, Marxists are regularly accused by opportunists and assorted renegades of “catastrophitis” and “crisis-mongering.”
Rosa Luxemburg
Luxemburg once explained that the point of departure in socialist theory for the transition to socialism had always been “a general and catastrophic crisis.” The central tenet of this outlook, she wrote, consisted “of the affirmation that capitalism, as a result of its own inner contradictions, moves toward a point when it will be unbalanced, when it will simply become impossible. There were good reasons for conceiving that juncture in the form of a catastrophic general commercial crisis. But that is of secondary importance when the fundamental idea is considered.”
In a matter of weeks, capitalism has become “unbalanced” and “impossible” for masses of humanity.
In this new situation who can speak with the slightest credibility of “white privilege” or “male privilege”? While age and complicating health conditions are factors, there is no indication whatsoever that the coronavirus punishes one race or ethnicity over another. Chinese, French and Spanish men and women, along with Italians, Iranians, Americans, Germans, Koreans and Swedes have all succumbed. What the virus might do were it to vigorously invade teeming, healthcare-starved cities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Mexico and elsewhere is nearly unimaginable.
If the disease strikes down, as it appears to, more men than women, this is hardly an argument for “female privilege.” It is undoubtedly so, as it is always the case in class society, that the poor, the overworked, the oppressed of every ethnicity and gender will undergo the worst.
Of course, the voices promoting racialism and gender politics have not been silenced.
A March 24 USA Today article, “Coronavirus layoffs disproportionately hurt black and Latino workers: ‘It’s almost like doomsday is coming,’” is aimed at creating divisions in the working class and encouraging communal selfishness. The piece points to the case of a black single mother laid off from a small printing company in Maryland and argues she “is among thousands of employees at small businesses, restaurants, hotels, bars and manufacturing companies who lost their jobs in recent days because of the pandemic. Civil rights groups worry those workers, many of whom are people of color, will be sent in a downward spiral, scraping to pay bills and feed their families.”
And what about the rest of the population? Should they all go to hell? USA Today cites the comment of a National Urban League official, “We know that when the economy goes into decline, people of color always bear the brunt.” Every section of the working class will suffer, and every section will be propelled into struggle.
In recent years, in fact, the portion of the population that has suffered the sharpest decline on a number of fronts has been the white male working class. A recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study, detailing the unprecedented fall in life expectancy in the United States from 2015 to 2017, found that the rise in mortality had impacted workers across every racial and et*hnic group, with the largest number of excess deaths occurring among white workers. The incidence of opioid overdose and suicide among white males is especially horrendous.
A stupid, backward column by Solomon Jones in the Philadelphia Inquirer asserted in its headline, “The rush to close businesses amid coronavirus reeks of white privilege.” Speaking for both successful and aspiring African-American entrepreneurs, Jones argues that “every business owned by a person of color is essential.” He goes on, “While white business owners and workers will also be hit by economic losses, our leaders acting like everyone can simply weather the storm and come out whole reflects the very white assumption of a safety net—something black communities don’t have.”
Not to be outdone, the Atlantic’s Helen Lewis informs her readers, “The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism” and that “women’s independence will be a silent victim of the pandemic.” Some 25,000 people are dead and more than half a million infected, but Lewis seems primarily worried her middle class lifestyle might be adversely affected. Rejecting a “gender-neutral approach” to such disasters and accepting fully the inability of society to prevent the deaths of vast numbers of people, Lewis goes on, “Grim as it is to imagine now, further epidemics are inevitable, and the temptation to argue that gender is a side issue, a distraction from the real crisis, must be resisted.”
Madeleine Simon on The Hill website (“Women and the hidden burden of the coronavirus”) claims that “women shoulder the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Simon writes that evidence suggests “more men than women are dying of the coronavirus, but COVID-19 is also having specific ramifications on women.” After pointing to the burdens of looking after children, some 850 million of whom are out of school around the world, and providing healthcare, which unquestionably fall disproportionately on the female population, the journalist cannot help but let the cat out of the bag.
Women, she writes, “are also largely left out of global health conversations” and “underrepresented in decision-making spheres. … Seema Verma and Deborah Brix have prominent roles in the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force, but only 10 percent of the representatives in the group are women.” The fine words about working women weighed down by domestic and other responsibilities give way to the actual concerns, more positions, more income, more power for already affluent female professionals.
The reaction of certain groupings may be more self-centered than ever, but that will not be the only reaction.
The coronavirus crisis will unleash other forces, including intellectual and artistic ones.
The disease is having a physical impact on the artistic world, as it is in other fields. The sad deaths of playwright Terrence McNally, actor Mark Blum, musicians Manu Dibango, Mike Longo, Freddy Rodriguez Sr. and Marcelo Peralta, and the contracting of the virus by performers and musicians such as Plácido Domingo himself, Jackson Browne, Idris Elba, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, David Bryan, Ed O’Brien, Debi Mazar, Rachel Matthews, Olga Kurylenko, Kristofer Hivju, Daniel Dae Kim and others indicate its broad reach and potentially fatal power.
The economic effect of the current shutdown will also be devastating for many artists, the vast majority of whom lead precarious lives at the best of times—but the most enduring result will be ideological and intellectual rather than monetary.
The ongoing and irreversible discrediting of capitalism will profoundly influence the further development of contemporary film, music, painting, literature and theater. Once again the naked drive for profit at any cost will provoke disgust and horror among artists, its underlying barbarism exposed for all those with eyes to see.
It seems safe to predict that the attention of the best artists will swing in the direction of more critically examining the social and economic contradictions of the system in which they live, and which now endangers them and everyone else. The artists, along with the rest of the population, will want to know: How was this possible? Who is responsible? What can be done?
A renewed interest in realism as an aesthetic approach, a more serious, committed engagement with life and with the life and fate of masses of people in particular, linked to more and more open political opposition to the status quo, must be an outcome.
There is a vast, pent-up pressure mounting in society, including pent-up creative pressure. Many have been confused, isolated, unable to find their voice or their footing or not allowed—or not confident enough—to make themselves and their deepest thoughts and feelings known. Everything will not change overnight, but the destruction of existing prejudices, including anticommunism and illusions in the Democratic Party, will take place nonetheless. Artists and others will find their way through orienting themselves to the complete and radical reconstruction of society.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Walsh serves as senior cultural and cinema critic for serves as senior cultural and cinema critic for wsws.org , a Marxian publication.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-01--U.S. Virus Cases Are Off The Scale – But Its People Can Build A Movement From This

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA , BY “ B ” This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama The latest Financial Times graphic for covid-19 cases per country shows that the U.S. case numbers are now literally off the scales .
hen John Burn-Murdoch created that daily updated chart he did not anticipate that any country would have more than a 100,000 total cases .
That was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion inhabitants , stopped the epidemic with less than 85.000 total cases even when it was surprised by the outbreak .
As of now the U.S. has 164.435 known cases .
It will reach a total number of several dozens of millions and will have several hundreds of thousands of dead caused by the covid-19 disease .
Most but not all of those who will die from it will have one or more co-morbid diseases .
The number of death in the U.S. will likely be higher than elsewhere because obesity , diabetes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. than in most other countries .
Another reason why the U.S. will have a larger than necessary outbreak is wide mistrust into the authority of the state .
A significant number of people will reject stay at home orders or other measures the authorities will have to take .
Then there is this : The U.S. also has many people without health insurance .
The many newly laid off people will additionally lose theirs .
These people will avoid to see a doctor or to go to a hospital as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for-profit health system will reject sick persons who are unlikely to be able to pay their bills .
The cases of people who die from such circumstance should be put into the death by lack of money category instead of being blamed on something else .
Congress has failed to take the necessary measures and to give everyone access to free tests and free care .
This will come back to bite everyone as it makes sure that the disease will circulate longer and stronger than in other rich countries .
Even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the money Congress passed out , will be affected by this .
The reasons that the U.S. will have very high numbers are obvious and they have nothing to do with China .
When the SARS virus broke out the world united in defeating it .
It did that by isolating all cases and by aggressively tracing anyone who had come into contact with them .
The fight was successful .
The SARS virus no longer exists outside of high security laboratories .
But when the SARS-CoV-2 evolved there was no united response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defeat the virus .
It won the fight against the virus within its country but other states did not join in the effort to eradicate it .
SARS-CoV-2 is more infective than SARS and we will never know if an eradication attempt could have been successful .
There is no glory in prevention .
But it is sad that we did not even try .
The Center of Disease Control botched its creation of a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease .
The German designed test model the World Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It wanted to do its own test and failed .
U.S. testing started too late and it then tested too few to get a grip on the size of the emerging epidemic .
U.S. President Donald Trump did not believe that the virus would be a problem .
U.S. media likewise played down the danger .
Most of its reporting from China had a racist undertone .
The nativist freakout only helps to hide the real origin of the crisis .
Other conservative leaders in other countries , Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus and others , similarly ignored the predictable consequences of outbreaks in their countries .
It is now guaranteed that the virus will stay with humanity until someone finds a vaccine that is effective , safe to use and cheap .
The task now is to reduce the speed of new infections so we do not overwhelm our healthcare systems .
A lot has been learned about the virus and how it behaves .
SARS-CoV-2 is three to four times more infectious than the flu .
The virus is transmitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other people .
It then attacks cells in the upper throat and starts to replicate there .
Two days later the infected person itself becomes infectious .
Each time it speaks , coughs or sneezes it will release fine droplets which carry a high load of viruses .
Symptoms , which only 75 % of all infected persons will feel , usually start on day 5 or 6 after the infection .
The main symptoms are a dry cough and general weakness .
In some patients the symptoms may look like a heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day 8 to 10 .
The virus can be detected after it started to replicate .
A swab test is taken ( it feels like it looks ) and processed .
If the result is positive the person must be quarantined to protect others .
The way the disease develops is the reason for my repeated urging to wear a masks .
You have no real way to know if you already carry and spread the disease .
The mask may not help to prevent you from getting infected but it can definitely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wear a mask out of courtesy towards the people around you .
In many Asian countries wearing a mask is a social rule that everyone follows .
These countries , light blue in the above chart , had way less ravaging covid-19 epidemics than ‘ western ’ societies where wearing a mask is seen as suspicious or as a sign of weakness .
This attitude will now surely have to change .
After replicating in the throat for a few days the virus migrates from the throat into the lower lungs where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create real havoc .
The immune system of most healthy people will defeat the virus after some 10 to 18 days .
But the fight is often difficult .
Some of the symptoms during that phase are not from the virus but from the way our immune system reacts to it .
It destroys the many cells that are infected by the virus and thereby rips holes into the lung tissue .
The body then starts an inflammatory response to repair the destroyed cells .
The whole process can cause pneumonia .
Artificial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who have already other conditions that cause breathing or circulation problems .
Some patients may also develop heart problems .
If their lungs become unable to provide enough oxygen to the circulating blood the person will die .
Survivors of covid-19 will have developed immunity for at least a year .
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus has developed into several strains it has not mutated into a different form as some common flu viruses often do .
That increases the likelihood that a once acquired immunity will continue to protect against a reinfection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Congress has used it to again loot the people and to push more money to the rich .
At the same time the powers that be have denied universal healthcare and paid sick leave to those who need it .
The covid-19 epidemic is a chance to change that .
There are already a number of strikes at Amazon and similar companies over work safety , health care and pay .
Rent strikes must now follow .
When the bills come in for families with covid-19 cases many more people will get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A movement can be build from these issues .
The Sanders campaign should provide a ( virtual ) platform for it .
The U.S. has enough money to pay for the security of its people .
Security is not a military issue .
A hugely expensive aircraft carrier with sick sailors is worth nothing .
Pandemics are a real security issue and the U.S. has left its people defenseless against them .
Cut the aircraft carriers and other insane military spending and invest it in the health of the people .
That message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can all help to reinforce it .
— Previous Moon of Alabama posts on the issue : • The Coronavirus – No Need To Panic – Jan 25 2020 • Novel Coronavirus Defies Conspiracy Theories As Data Shows Its Coming Decline – Feb 1 2020 • The Epidemic Recedes – Number Of New Coronavirus Cases In Decline – Feb 8 2020 • Coronavirus – Statistical Change Causes Confusion – New Case Count Continues To Decline– Feb 13 2020 • Coronavirus – The Decline Of New Cases Continues – Economic Ripples Begin To Emerge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spreads Over The Planet Governments Are Slow To React – Feb 27 2020 • Coronavirus – Its Time To Press Your Government To React Faster – Feb 29 2020 • Why Is The Coronavirus More Dangerous Than The Flu ?
– Mar 9 2020 • Coronavirus – The Hidden Cases – Why We Must Shut Everything Down And Do It Now – Mar 11 2020 • The Pandemic Will Cause A Global Depression – We Need Demand Side Measures To Counter It – Mar 16 2020 • Coronavirus – A Lockdown Is Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Claims About The Novel Coronavirus And How To Debunk Them – Mar 19 2020 • Coronavirus – On Western Government Failures And Possible Therapies – Mar 21 2020 • Coronavirus – How To Lift Lockdowns And Why We Should All Wear Masks – Mar 23 2020 • More Bits On The Corona Crisis – Mar 26 2020 Posted by b on March 31 , 2020 at 17:48 UTC | Permalink “ b ” is Moon of Alabama ’ s founding ( and chief ) editor .
This site ’ s purpose is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blogger Billmon ’ s Whiskey Bar writings .
Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent , open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community .
Bernhard ) ” b ” ) started and still runs the site .
Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators .
You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA @ aol.com .
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B"
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
The latest Financial Times graphic for covid-19 cases per country shows that the U.S. case numbers are now literally off the scales.
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen John Burn-Murdoch created that daily updated chart he did not anticipate that any country would have more than a 100,000 total cases. That was a reasonable assumption as China, with 1.4 billion inhabitants, stopped the epidemic with less than 85.000 total cases even when it was surprised by the outbreak.
As of now the U.S. has 164.435 known cases. It will reach a total number of several dozens of millions and will have several hundreds of thousands of dead caused by the covid-19 disease.
Most but not all of those who will die from it will have one or more co-morbid diseases. The number of death in the U.S. will likely be higher than elsewhere because obesity, diabetes and heart problems are more prevalent in the U.S. than in most other countries.
Another reason why the U.S. will have a larger than necessary outbreak is wide mistrust into the authority of the state. A significant number of people will reject stay at home orders or other measures the authorities will have to take.
Then there is this:
Pouya Alimagham پويا عالي مقام @iPouya - 0:48 UTC · Mar 31, 2020 The regime doesn’t want to antagonize the religious classes. Thus, it isn’t doing anything about the fact that some religious sites remain open & clerics are encouraging worshippers to come & pray. These gatherings risk exploding #COVID19. I’m talking about the US, not #Iran.
The U.S. also has many people without health insurance. The many newly laid off people will additionally lose theirs. These people will avoid to see a doctor or to go to a hospital as the enormous costs would ruin them. The for-profit health system will reject sick persons who are unlikely to be able to pay their bills. The cases of people who die from such circumstance should be put into the death by lack of money category instead of being blamed on something else.
Congress has failed to take the necessary measures and to give everyone access to free tests and free care. This will come back to bite everyone as it makes sure that the disease will circulate longer and stronger than in other rich countries. Even the rich, who will gain most of the money Congress passed out, will be affected by this.
The reasons that the U.S. will have very high numbers are obvious and they have nothing to do with China.
When the SARS virus broke out the world united in defeating it. It did that by isolating all cases and by aggressively tracing anyone who had come into contact with them. The fight was successful. The SARS virus no longer exists outside of high security laboratories.
But when the SARS-CoV-2 evolved there was no united response. China did its very best to defeat the virus. It won the fight against the virus within its country but other states did not join in the effort to eradicate it. SARS-CoV-2 is more infective than SARS and we will never know if an eradication attempt could have been successful. There is no glory in prevention. But it is sad that we did not even try.
The Center of Disease Control botched its creation of a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease. The German designed test model the World Health Organization recommended was rejected by the CDC. It wanted to do its own test and failed. U.S. testing started too late and it then tested too few to get a grip on the size of the emerging epidemic.
U.S. President Donald Trump did not believe that the virus would be a problem. U.S. media likewise played down the danger. Most of its reporting from China had a racist undertone. The nativist freakout only helps to hide the real origin of the crisis. Other conservative leaders in other countries, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Boris Johnson in the UK, Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus and others, similarly ignored the predictable consequences of outbreaks in their countries.
It is now guaranteed that the virus will stay with humanity until someone finds a vaccine that is effective, safe to use and cheap. The task now is to reduce the speed of new infections so we do not overwhelm our healthcare systems.
A lot has been learned about the virus and how it behaves. SARS-CoV-2 is three to four times more infectious than the flu. The virus is transmitted by droplets which are then inhaled by other people. It then attacks cells in the upper throat and starts to replicate there. Two days later the infected person itself becomes infectious. Each time it speaks, coughs or sneezes it will release fine droplets which carry a high load of viruses. Symptoms, which only 75% of all infected persons will feel, usually start on day 5 or 6 after the infection. The main symptoms are a dry cough and general weakness. In some patients the symptoms may look like a heart attack. A person stays infectious until day 8 to 10.
The virus can be detected after it started to replicate. A swab test is taken (it feels like it looks) and processed. If the result is positive the person must be quarantined to protect others.
The way the disease develops is the reason for my repeated urging to wear a masks. You have no real way to know if you already carry and spread the disease. The mask may not help to prevent you from getting infected but it can definitely help to prevent that you infect others. Wear a mask out of courtesy towards the people around you.
In many Asian countries wearing a mask is a social rule that everyone follows. These countries, light blue in the above chart, had way less ravaging covid-19 epidemics than 'western' societies where wearing a mask is seen as suspicious or as a sign of weakness. This attitude will now surely have to change.
After replicating in the throat for a few days the virus migrates from the throat into the lower lungs where it replicates more rapidly and begins to create real havoc. The immune system of most healthy people will defeat the virus after some 10 to 18 days. But the fight is often difficult. Some of the symptoms during that phase are not from the virus but from the way our immune system reacts to it.
It destroys the many cells that are infected by the virus and thereby rips holes into the lung tissue. The body then starts an inflammatory response to repair the destroyed cells. The whole process can cause pneumonia. Artificial breathing support will then be needed for people who have already other conditions that cause breathing or circulation problems. Some patients may also develop heart problems. If their lungs become unable to provide enough oxygen to the circulating blood the person will die.
Survivors of covid-19 will have developed immunity for at least a year. While the SARS-CoV-2 virus has developed into several strains it has not mutated into a different form as some common flu viruses often do. That increases the likelihood that a once acquired immunity will continue to protect against a reinfection.
Every crisis is also a chance. Congress has used it to again loot the people and to push more money to the rich. At the same time the powers that be have denied universal healthcare and paid sick leave to those who need it. The covid-19 epidemic is a chance to change that.
There are already a number of strikes at Amazon and similar companies over work safety, health care and pay. Rent strikes must now follow. When the bills come in for families with covid-19 cases many more people will get more interested in medicare for all. A movement can be build from these issues. The Sanders campaign should provide a (virtual) platform for it.
The U.S. has enough money to pay for the security of its people. Security is not a military issue. A hugely expensive aircraft carrier with sick sailors is worth nothing. Pandemics are a real security issue and the U.S. has left its people defenseless against them. Cut the aircraft carriers and other insane military spending and invest it in the health of the people.
That message will soon be widely understood. We can all help to reinforce it.
---
Previous Moon of Alabama posts on the issue:
Posted by b on March 31, 2020 at 17:48 UTC | Permalink
Comments Sampler
NOTE ^1000Careerist lackeys serving the elites control the American press. Ever pushing for war and inequality, covering up the oligarchy's crimes... They are in reality shameless disinformers. No wonder the world is in such terrible disarray.
About the author(s) "b" is Moon of Alabama's founding (and chief) editor. This site's purpose is to discuss politics, economics, philosophy and blogger Billmon's Whiskey Bar writings. Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent, open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community. Bernhard )"b") started and still runs the site. Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators. You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA@aol.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
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