hotair--2020-12-30--Gohmert court filing: We tried to get Pence to join us, but he refused; <span class='red'>Update: Pe

Gohmert court filing: We tried to get Pence to join us, but he refused; Update: Pence trip to Israel canceled

Go figure that Mike Pence declined to join the circus even after Louie Gohmert tried to make him ringmaster .
In a court filing yesterday asking for expedited review , Gohmert and the other plaintiffs seeking to overturn the Electoral Count Act as unconstitutional told the judge that they had asked the Vice President to join their effort to give him the authority to choose which electors get counted .
Pence flat-out refused , which should be a yuuuge hint to Gohmert et al : Lawyers representing Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-Texas ) and Arizona ’ s 11 GOP electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Pence rejected their request to join their attempt to subvert the results of the presidential election… .
In new court filings made public Tuesday , the plaintiffs disclosed that they had reached out to Pence before filing their suit in an attempt to join forces but that their talks did not reach any kind of agreement .
“ In the teleconference , Plaintiffs ’ counsel made a meaningful attempt to resolve the underlying legal issues by agreement , including advising the Vice President ’ s counsel that Plaintiffs intended to seek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties did not agree , ” lawyers for Gohmert and the electors said in the filing .
“ Those discussions were not successful in reaching an agreement and this lawsuit was filed.
” Pence had played his cards close to the vest for the past few weeks on election challenges .
He has made appearances in Georgia and insisted that every “ legal vote ” had to be counted , but Pence hasn ’ t said much if anything about the various legal efforts that would , in effect , give him a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Hill takes this as a sign that Pence has no intention of doing what Gohmert and the other plaintiffs demand , even if a court hands him the power to do so : It ’ s entirely ceremonial , except in the appearance of legitimate competing slates of electors , and even then the VP only gets a tie-breaking vote if necessary .
Be sure to read Allahpundit ’ s post from Monday to get a sense of how ludicrous this lawsuit really is , but I ’ ll recap quickly here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution somehow hands Vice Presidents the power to handpick electors to make sure he or his party wins , it ’ s predicated on a fantasy .
There are no competing slates of electors from any state , let alone enough to reverse the election .
The state legislatures didn ’ t appoint any other electors , and the states certified only the slate of electors based on the popular vote outcomes in their states .
The only slates of “ electors ” apart from those are just the losing set of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their own , none of whom are certified as electors by any competent authority at all .
And even if there were competing slates of electors , the choice between them is made by Congress as a whole , not the VP as presider .
The VP would play the role that office always does in the Senate — on hand to break ties and preside , but nothing else .
Pence certainly knows this , which is why he wisely chose not to serve as ringmaster in Gohmert ’ s fantasy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently so hostile to the idea that his attorneys refused to facilitate serving of the complaint to help speed up Gohmert ’ s judicial review , according to the filing : They also apparently shined Gohmert et al on over discussions of an expedited court schedule as well .
After one meeting , Pence ’ s attorneys told the plaintiffs that they would consult with their client on scheduling , and then never met with them again , at least according to the plaintiffs .
Instead , Gohmert went to court yesterday and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business today to their demands for relief .
Clearly , Pence has no enthusiasm for going down this path .
One has to wonder why Gohmert ’ s bothering at all in light of Pence ’ s opposition , especially given how lunatic his legal theory is .
Even this prominent Republican election lawyer calls it a head-scratcher : “ This Gohmert suit has had me scratching my head , and I don ’ t think the courts will take it seriously , ” said Trevor Potter , a Republican election law expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a member of the nonpartisan National Task Force on Election Crises .
Among other problems , Potter said the remedy Gohmert is seeking “ would stand the Constitution on its head .
It would effectively deliver to the vice president the right to determine who won the presidential election .
If the vice president has authority to pick his favorite electors , then you wouldn ’ t need a Congress or a Constitution.
” Perhaps its only value is in the self-identification of the politically insane .
And Pence obviously doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will courts give him leave to do so .
If Gohmert can ’ t take a hint , the rest of us surely can .
A planned visit to Israel by US Vice President Mike Pence was called off less than two weeks before he was due to arrive , the US Embassy confirmed Wednesday .
No reason was given for the cancellation , which was first reported by the Ynet news site .
Pence was reportedly scheduled to make a number of stops on a final world trip before leaving office on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Politico reported that the vice president planned to take off on January 6 — the same day the US Congress is scheduled to confirm President-elect Joe Biden ’ s electoral victory — visiting a number of countries , including Israel from January 10 to 13 .
Did Donald Trump yank Pence ’ s chain after he opposed Gohmert ’ s move , or did Pence simply reconsider the idea of taking a foreign-policy trip with only a couple of weeks left in office ?
Either explanation would make sense .
( via RedState @ @ @ @

Go figure that Mike Pence declined to join the circus even after Louie Gohmert tried to make him ringmaster. In a court filing yesterday asking for expedited review, Gohmert and the other plaintiffs seeking to overturn the Electoral Count Act as unconstitutional told the judge that they had asked the Vice President to join their effort to give him the authority to choose which electors get counted. Pence flat-out refused, which should be a yuuuge hint to Gohmert et al:
Lawyers representing Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Arizona’s 11 GOP electors disclosed in a court filing Tuesday that Vice President Pence rejected their request to join their attempt to subvert the results of the presidential election…. In new court filings made public Tuesday, the plaintiffs disclosed that they had reached out to Pence before filing their suit in an attempt to join forces but that their talks did not reach any kind of agreement. “In the teleconference, Plaintiffs’ counsel made a meaningful attempt to resolve the underlying legal issues by agreement, including advising the Vice President’s counsel that Plaintiffs intended to seek immediate injunctive relief in the event the parties did not agree,” lawyers for Gohmert and the electors said in the filing. “Those discussions were not successful in reaching an agreement and this lawsuit was filed.”
Pence had played his cards close to the vest for the past few weeks on election challenges. He has made appearances in Georgia and insisted that every “legal vote” had to be counted, but Pence hasn’t said much if anything about the various legal efforts that would, in effect, give him a second term in office as well. The Hill takes this as a sign that Pence has no intention of doing what Gohmert and the other plaintiffs demand, even if a court hands him the power to do so:
The decision by Pence, one of President Trump’s most ardent loyalists, marks one of the most notable breaks with his boss, who has pushed lawmakers to challenge Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results. Pence will oversee the joint session on Jan. 6 during which Biden will be recognized by Congress as the victor in the White House election, though the role is largely ceremonial.
It’s entirely ceremonial, except in the appearance of legitimate competing slates of electors, and even then the VP only gets a tie-breaking vote if necessary. Be sure to read Allahpundit’s post from Monday to get a sense of how ludicrous this lawsuit really is, but I’ll recap quickly here. Even beyond the nonsense notion that the Constitution somehow hands Vice Presidents the power to handpick electors to make sure he or his party wins, it’s predicated on a fantasy. There are no competing slates of electors from any state, let alone enough to reverse the election. The state legislatures didn’t appoint any other electors, and the states certified only the slate of electors based on the popular vote outcomes in their states. The only slates of “electors” apart from those are just the losing set of elector candidates in a few states meeting on their own, none of whom are certified as electors by any competent authority at all. And even if there were competing slates of electors, the choice between them is made by Congress as a whole, not the VP as presider. The VP would play the role that office always does in the Senate — on hand to break ties and preside, but nothing else.
Pence certainly knows this, which is why he wisely chose not to serve as ringmaster in Gohmert’s fantasy circus. In fact, Pence was apparently so hostile to the idea that his attorneys refused to facilitate serving of the complaint to help speed up Gohmert’s judicial review, according to the filing:
In an effort to expedite matters, Plaintiffs’ counsel sought an agreement with Defendant’s counsel to effect service by agreement upon electronic transmission means (e-mail) or a waiver. This effort was unsuccessful and Plaintiffs’ counsel promptly sought issuance of a Summons and initiated efforts to have formal service effected promptly. In the meantime, Plaintiffs’ counsel delivered copies of the Complaint and Plaintiffs Motion to Counsel for the Vice President and the United States District Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas by email.
They also apparently shined Gohmert et al on over discussions of an expedited court schedule as well. After one meeting, Pence’s attorneys told the plaintiffs that they would consult with their client on scheduling, and then never met with them again, at least according to the plaintiffs. Instead, Gohmert went to court yesterday and demanded that Pence respond by close of business today to their demands for relief.
Clearly, Pence has no enthusiasm for going down this path. One has to wonder why Gohmert’s bothering at all in light of Pence’s opposition, especially given how lunatic his legal theory is. Even this prominent Republican election lawyer calls it a head-scratcher:
“This Gohmert suit has had me scratching my head, and I don’t think the courts will take it seriously,” said Trevor Potter, a Republican election law expert who has been reviewing such cases as a member of the nonpartisan National Task Force on Election Crises. Among other problems, Potter said the remedy Gohmert is seeking “would stand the Constitution on its head. It would effectively deliver to the vice president the right to determine who won the presidential election. If the vice president has authority to pick his favorite electors, then you wouldn’t need a Congress or a Constitution.”
Perhaps its only value is in the self-identification of the politically insane. And Pence obviously doesn’t want to join those ranks, nor will courts give him leave to do so. If Gohmert can’t take a hint, the rest of us surely can.
Update: Speaking of hints …
A planned visit to Israel by US Vice President Mike Pence was called off less than two weeks before he was due to arrive, the US Embassy confirmed Wednesday. No reason was given for the cancellation, which was first reported by the Ynet news site. Pence was reportedly scheduled to make a number of stops on a final world trip before leaving office on January 20. Earlier this month, Politico reported that the vice president planned to take off on January 6 — the same day the US Congress is scheduled to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory — visiting a number of countries, including Israel from January 10 to 13.
Did Donald Trump yank Pence’s chain after he opposed Gohmert’s move, or did Pence simply reconsider the idea of taking a foreign-policy trip with only a couple of weeks left in office? Either explanation would make sense. (via RedState contributor Becca Lower)


hotair--2020-12-30--Georgia ballot signature audit: No fraud, only two mismatches out of 15,000 envelopes examined

It wasn ’ t just Brad Raffensperger ’ s office that was involved in this audit .
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation participated too .
Which means we can now say with absolute confidence… …that this vote-rigging conspiracy goes even higher than anyone knew .
Or , I suppose , we might conclude that there was never any vote-rigging conspiracy considering that a hand recount and an automated recount and a signature audit of a random sample of mail-in ballots from Cobb County have all failed to produce any evidence of cheating in Georgia .
But since conspiracy theories are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no amount of debunking that can put the theory to rest .
There ’ s always another unturned stone somewhere that ’ s concealing “ the truth.
” In fact , if not for his family being threatened with death , it ’ d be amusing watching Raffensperger doggedly try to get through to doubters knowing that he ’ s doomed to fail at every turn .
There were 10 absentee ballots that had been accepted but voter signatures didn ’ t match or signatures were missing , according to the report .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the secretary of state ’ s office contacted those voters and confirmed they had submitted those ballots .
In one case , a voter ’ s wife signed her husband ’ s ballot envelope .
Another voter signed the front of the envelope instead of the back .
Eight voters had mismatched signatures , but the voters told investigators the signatures were legitimate… The audit reviewed 15,118 absentee ballot envelopes , pulled from 30 randomly selected boxes , out of over 150,431 total absentee ballots returned in Cobb County , a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence level in the results , according to the report… The audit took place in Cobb County based on a complaint that signatures weren ’ t adequately checked there .
Raffensperger also plans a statewide audit of each county ’ s signature match policies and procedures .
Trump had spent weeks publicly pressuring Brian Kemp and Raffensperger to verify the signatures on Georgia ’ s mail-in ballots even though he ’ s been told repeatedly that ( a ) the signatures on the ballots were verified twice upon receipt and ( b ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the envelope there ’ s no way to locate and disqualify that ballot if a case of fraud is found .
( Which is why Georgia takes care to verify the signature before the envelope is opened , of course . )
Raffensperger ordered the audit in Cobb County to appease him .
By examining a large enough sample to produce a statistically significant result , the state would gain some sense of whether there were flaws in the initial verification process .
Mark Meadows even flew down to Georgia while the audit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things were going .
Result : No fraud in 15,000 examples .
But there ’ s always another unturned stone somewhere : Maybe the big steal happened in Fulton County rather than Cobb County ?
If not in either , then surely in some other county .
The president began this process with a conclusion — “ If I lose , it can only have been because of cheating ” — and has spent the last 57 days reasoning backwards from it to try to find malfeasance .
Needless to say , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had 205,000 more ballots than it had voters .
He ’ s getting sloppier with his accusations as we get closer to Inauguration Day and his grasp on power slips .
A perfect example from last night : The bit about “ finding the crime ” is exactly what I mean about reasoning backward from a conclusion , but never mind that .
Focus on the sensational claim about Brad Raffensperger ’ s brother instead .
There *is* a guy named Raffensperger who works for Huawei and evidently that bare fact was enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the past few days that he and Brad Raffensperger are siblings and thus Trump ’ s defeat in Georgia on November 3 can only have been a sinister Chinese communist plot .
But it turns out to be nothing more than a coincidence .
Brad Raffensperger doesn ’ t have a brother .
Yet somehow this very easily checkable claim made it from crank online media to Newsmax and ultimately into the president ’ s Twitter feed , where it ’ s been visible to the entire planet for the past 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propaganda , amplified unthinkingly by the head of state because he can ’ t cope psychologically with having narrowly lost an election and will cling to any reed offered to him that might support a fraud conspiracy , no matter how thin .
The fallout in the upcoming Senate runoffs from this sustained campaign to convince Georgia righties that their elections can ’ t be trusted remains unpredictable .
I don ’ t buy this poll… …but the fact that a righty outlet like Trafalgar is also seeing movement towards the two Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly favors the Dems : “ Huttman said his analysis showed Democrats on pace to bank about 80 percent of the early vote they received in November , while Republicans were only on pace to bank about two-thirds of their early vote.
” The fact that nearly 90,000 people who didn ’ t vote in the general election have already voted in the runoffs , and that they ’ re disproportionately African-American , is another ominous sign .
Read Erick Erickson for a shot of confidence that David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s convinced that the Democratic early vote is just a case of them cannibalizing their Election Day vote .
( Mostly , perhaps , but not entirely per that 90,000 figure . )
The question is whether Republicans will show up on January 5 or whether a meaningful number will have been convinced by the likes of Lin Wood that it ’ s pointless at best and destructive at worst to participate in such a supposedly corrupt electoral system .

It wasn’t just Brad Raffensperger’s office that was involved in this audit. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation participated too. Which means we can now say with absolute confidence…
…that this vote-rigging conspiracy goes even higher than anyone knew.
Or, I suppose, we might conclude that there was never any vote-rigging conspiracy considering that a hand recount and an automated recount and a signature audit of a random sample of mail-in ballots from Cobb County have all failed to produce any evidence of cheating in Georgia. But since conspiracy theories are unfalsifiable by nature, there’s no amount of debunking that can put the theory to rest. There’s always another unturned stone somewhere that’s concealing “the truth.”
In fact, if not for his family being threatened with death, it’d be amusing watching Raffensperger doggedly try to get through to doubters knowing that he’s doomed to fail at every turn.
There were 10 absentee ballots that had been accepted but voter signatures didn’t match or signatures were missing, according to the report. But agents from the GBI and investigators with the secretary of state’s office contacted those voters and confirmed they had submitted those ballots. In one case, a voter’s wife signed her husband’s ballot envelope. Another voter signed the front of the envelope instead of the back. Eight voters had mismatched signatures, but the voters told investigators the signatures were legitimate… The audit reviewed 15,118 absentee ballot envelopes, pulled from 30 randomly selected boxes, out of over 150,431 total absentee ballots returned in Cobb County, a large enough sample to give a 99% confidence level in the results, according to the report… The audit took place in Cobb County based on a complaint that signatures weren’t adequately checked there. Raffensperger also plans a statewide audit of each county’s signature match policies and procedures.
Trump had spent weeks publicly pressuring Brian Kemp and Raffensperger to verify the signatures on Georgia’s mail-in ballots even though he’s been told repeatedly that (a) the signatures on the ballots were verified twice upon receipt and (b) once the ballot inside is separated from the envelope there’s no way to locate and disqualify that ballot if a case of fraud is found. (Which is why Georgia takes care to verify the signature before the envelope is opened, of course.) Raffensperger ordered the audit in Cobb County to appease him. By examining a large enough sample to produce a statistically significant result, the state would gain some sense of whether there were flaws in the initial verification process. Mark Meadows even flew down to Georgia while the audit was happening to check up on how things were going. Result: No fraud in 15,000 examples.
But there’s always another unturned stone somewhere:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1344054358418345985
Maybe the big steal happened in Fulton County rather than Cobb County? If not in either, then surely in some other county. The president began this process with a conclusion — “If I lose, it can only have been because of cheating” — and has spent the last 57 days reasoning backwards from it to try to find malfeasance.
Needless to say, it’s also not true that Pennsylvania had 205,000 more ballots than it had voters. He’s getting sloppier with his accusations as we get closer to Inauguration Day and his grasp on power slips. A perfect example from last night:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1344142388063821825
The bit about “finding the crime” is exactly what I mean about reasoning backward from a conclusion, but never mind that. Focus on the sensational claim about Brad Raffensperger’s brother instead. There *is* a guy named Raffensperger who works for Huawei and evidently that bare fact was enough to jumpstart a rumor in MAGA media over the past few days that he and Brad Raffensperger are siblings and thus Trump’s defeat in Georgia on November 3 can only have been a sinister Chinese communist plot. But it turns out to be nothing more than a coincidence. Brad Raffensperger doesn’t have a brother. Yet somehow this very easily checkable claim made it from crank online media to Newsmax and ultimately into the president’s Twitter feed, where it’s been visible to the entire planet for the past 11 hours:
That bullshit story Trump tweeted about the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's brother working for a Chinese company was spouted by Dick Morris on Newsmax last night (he doesn't have a brother). pic.twitter.com/kjFymyZWaw — Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) December 30, 2020
Just propaganda on top of propaganda, amplified unthinkingly by the head of state because he can’t cope psychologically with having narrowly lost an election and will cling to any reed offered to him that might support a fraud conspiracy, no matter how thin.
The fallout in the upcoming Senate runoffs from this sustained campaign to convince Georgia righties that their elections can’t be trusted remains unpredictable. I don’t buy this poll…
New GEORGIA poll from @WinWithJMC Perdue (R-inc) 43%
Ossoff (D) 50% Loeffler (R-inc) 44%
Warnock (D) 53% Dec. 28-29, 500 LVshttps://t.co/T7hkN7Ik86 — Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) December 30, 2020
…but the fact that a righty outlet like Trafalgar is also seeing movement towards the two Democrats should concern the GOP. Early voting clearly favors the Dems: “Huttman said his analysis showed Democrats on pace to bank about 80 percent of the early vote they received in November, while Republicans were only on pace to bank about two-thirds of their early vote.” The fact that nearly 90,000 people who didn’t vote in the general election have already voted in the runoffs, and that they’re disproportionately African-American, is another ominous sign. Read Erick Erickson for a shot of confidence that David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler will come through in the end, as he’s convinced that the Democratic early vote is just a case of them cannibalizing their Election Day vote. (Mostly, perhaps, but not entirely per that 90,000 figure.) The question is whether Republicans will show up on January 5 or whether a meaningful number will have been convinced by the likes of Lin Wood that it’s pointless at best and destructive at worst to participate in such a supposedly corrupt electoral system.


hotair--2020-12-30--UK approves another vaccine, but with a twist

Here in the United States , we ’ re still working almost entirely with two vaccines thus far .
One is from Pfizer and the other from Moderna .
But as of today , the folks in the UK will have a new vaccine option .
This one was developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca and it supposedly has a couple of advantages .
The chief among these is that the vaccine can be stored at more manageable temperatures than the Pfizer product , which basically needs to be kept at sub-zero temperatures .
But as this AP report indicates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administering this new vaccine seems questionable to some in the medical community .
Britain on Wednesday authorized emergency use of a second COVID-19 vaccine , becoming the first country to greenlight an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the “ vaccine for the world.
” The Department of Health said it had accepted a recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to authorize the vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca .
Britain has bought 100 million doses of the vaccine , and plans to begin injections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the U.K. have already received a different vaccine , made by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German firm BioNTech .
Anything is better than nothing at this point , I suppose , but there are a couple of issues with this release , as mentioned above .
The clinical testing of the AstraZeneca vaccine went well enough , being deemed “ safe.
” But there ’ s no indication that it will be any better for people who are prone to severe allergic reactions .
Also , their testing showed that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t that seem a bit on the low side when you consider that both Moderna and Pfizer finished with results above 90 % ?
If the vaccine actually produces a 30 % failure rate , that ’ s going to represent a massive number of people across Great Britain who will think they have immunity but wind up contracting and spreading the virus .
The next administrative decision that is raising some eyebrows is the choice of the British Department of Health to “ prioritize giving as many people as possible a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in circulation , the AstraZeneca vaccine is supposed to be given in two doses , but the DoH is saying that they are confident that a single dose initially “ is believed to give a large measure of protection.
” How much protection is “ a large measure ” when we ’ re already talking about a vaccine that ’ s only showing a 70 % success rate to begin with ?
They ’ re planning to make sure everyone does get a second shot , but they ’ re projecting that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that to happen in most cases .
So for all but a lucky few , the Brits will be walking around for three months or more with only half of the vaccine the manufacturer intended them to get .
It ’ s not difficult to picture a lot of cases where people simply assume that they are protected after one shot and getting back out to the pubs to mix it up like they used to .
This could backfire and produce yet another surge with more lockdowns in the spring .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assume that the health officials in the British government have weighed all of these issues before coming to this decision .
And I certainly do hope that our allies on the other end of the Special Relationship pull through this as well as possible .
But whenever you see the government interjecting itself into the decisions of health professionals , well… let ’ s just say it makes me nervous .

Here in the United States, we’re still working almost entirely with two vaccines thus far. One is from Pfizer and the other from Moderna. But as of today, the folks in the UK will have a new vaccine option. This one was developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca and it supposedly has a couple of advantages. The chief among these is that the vaccine can be stored at more manageable temperatures than the Pfizer product, which basically needs to be kept at sub-zero temperatures. But as this AP report indicates, the way they will be distributing and administering this new vaccine seems questionable to some in the medical community.
Britain on Wednesday authorized emergency use of a second COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first country to greenlight an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the “vaccine for the world.” The Department of Health said it had accepted a recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to authorize the vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca. Britain has bought 100 million doses of the vaccine, and plans to begin injections within days. Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.K. have already received a different vaccine, made by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German firm BioNTech.
Anything is better than nothing at this point, I suppose, but there are a couple of issues with this release, as mentioned above. The clinical testing of the AstraZeneca vaccine went well enough, being deemed “safe.” But there’s no indication that it will be any better for people who are prone to severe allergic reactions. Also, their testing showed that the vaccine was 70% effective. Doesn’t that seem a bit on the low side when you consider that both Moderna and Pfizer finished with results above 90%? If the vaccine actually produces a 30% failure rate, that’s going to represent a massive number of people across Great Britain who will think they have immunity but wind up contracting and spreading the virus.
The next administrative decision that is raising some eyebrows is the choice of the British Department of Health to “prioritize giving as many people as possible a single dose.” Like the others already in circulation, the AstraZeneca vaccine is supposed to be given in two doses, but the DoH is saying that they are confident that a single dose initially “is believed to give a large measure of protection.” How much protection is “a large measure” when we’re already talking about a vaccine that’s only showing a 70% success rate to begin with?
They’re planning to make sure everyone does get a second shot, but they’re projecting that it will take at least twelve weeks for that to happen in most cases. So for all but a lucky few, the Brits will be walking around for three months or more with only half of the vaccine the manufacturer intended them to get. It’s not difficult to picture a lot of cases where people simply assume that they are protected after one shot and getting back out to the pubs to mix it up like they used to. This could backfire and produce yet another surge with more lockdowns in the spring.
I’m not a doctor and I assume that the health officials in the British government have weighed all of these issues before coming to this decision. And I certainly do hope that our allies on the other end of the Special Relationship pull through this as well as possible. But whenever you see the government interjecting itself into the decisions of health professionals, well… let’s just say it makes me nervous.


hotair--2020-12-30--"Not on our radar"? Girlfriend warned police last year Nashville bomber was building explosives in t

"Not on our radar"? Girlfriend warned police last year Nashville bomber was building explosives in the RV

Ever since the RV exploded in Nashville on Christmas morning , law enforcement has insisted that they had no threat indicators and that the apparent bomber was “ not on our radar.
” However , The Tennessean reported late yesterday that police had been warned sixteen months earlier that Anthony Warner had begun building an explosive device in that very RV .
Police responded to the call in August 2019 , but got stymied by the lawyer representing the couple : In the aftermath , The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Warner was “ not on our radar ” prior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nashville Police Department report from August 2019 shows that local and federal authorities were aware of alleged threats he had made .
… On Aug. 21 , 2019 , the girlfriend told Nashville police that Warner “ was building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence , ” the MNPD report states .
Nashville police then forwarded the information to the FBI .
Officers were called to the home of Warner ’ s girlfriend , roughly a mile and a half from Warner , who lived at 115 Bakertown Lane .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney , Raymond Throckmorton III , who was concerned about comments she had made .
When they arrived , they found her sitting on the porch with two unloaded guns nearby .
Here ’ s a copy of the report , although it ’ s not easy to read in this format ( update : Jeff Dunetz has a better version embedded here ) : Police went to Warner ’ s property after talking with the woman and the attorney and found the RV .
As the Tennessean reports , the police observed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security cameras and hung an alarm sign on the vehicle — certainly not illegal , but at least curious under the circumstances .
The attorney and the girlfriend told police that Warner talked repeatedly about his time in the military and his prowess at bombmaking , which Throckmorton said was no idle boast : After not getting any response at the residence , police followed up with the FBI and ATF , but Warner had no record with either agency .
They asked Throckmorton to arrange an interview with Warner , but Throckmorton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warner for permission to allow police to search his property , saying that “ Warner did not care for police.
” Without evidence of a crime and no way to inspect the vehicle , police ended up dropping the matter .
While that seems curious in retrospect , the lack of action might have been unavoidable under the circumstances .
One does have to wonder whether police followed up with the girlfriend for more detailed threat assessments or just let the matter drop altogether .
Their “ not on our radar ” comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that will raise questions now , especially after the lack of initial transparency on this early warning about Warner ’ s potential threat .
That still leaves the question of motive , however , at least from this report .
Could it be as simple that Warner was just some cop-hating “ hippie ” ?
The Daily Beast spoke to Tom Lundborg , a former friend and co-worker who hadn ’ t been in contact with the apparent suicide bomber in more than a decade , but he remembers all too well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ I worked with Tony as his helper .
I kind of looked up to him .
He was kind of a hippie .
Had long hair , a Magnum , P.I .
mustache , ” Lundborg told The Daily Beast .
“ He was a smart cocky kind of guy .
I rode around with him all day every day—during the summers , at least for a couple years.
” Lundborg said Warner disliked authority , loved smoking weed and claimed he ’ d just gotten out of the Navy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was ever in the U.S. Armed Forces , but records show he was arrested for marijuana possession in 1978 . )
They drove around listening to 103 KDF , previously Nashville ’ s main rock station , and if Warner spotted a police officer , he ’ d break his silence to lecture the teenage Lundborg .
“ I hate cops .
They ’ re all corrupt , ” Warner would say .
“ Never trust a cop.
” That may be old information , but Throckmorton ’ s comments to police in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Warner ’ s attitude toward the police .
It also fits the crime itself : someone called in a false report of shots fired in the vicinity before the explosion , which seemed designed to put police into range of the explosion .
However , the RV played a warning that explicitly declared that a bomb would shortly go off — which not only gave police a chance to escape the trap , but would also allow six brave officers to evacuate the area first .
If the idea was to target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although the blast did injure three officers who were still working on evacuations .
Other circumstances make it less likely that we may ever find a rational answer to motive .
It might just have been a suicidal urge married to fame , as one neighbor ’ s testimony hints , but that theory has flaws too : It seemed like a friendly chat between neighbors .
Only after a bomb exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning could Rick Laude grasp the sinister meaning behind his neighbor ’ s smiling remark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world would never forget him .
Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he was speechless when he learned that authorities identified his 63-year-old neighbor , Anthony Quinn Warner , as the man suspected of detonating a bomb that killed himself , injured three other people and damaged dozens of buildings .
Laude said he saw Warner standing at his mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk .
After asking how Warner ’ s elderly mother was doing , Laude said he casually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring you anything good for Christmas ?
” Warner smiled and said , “ Oh , yeah , Nashville and the world is never going to forget me , ” Laude recalled .
So maybe Warner just wanted to get famous as his final act .
But if that were the case , then why didn ’ t Warner do what everyone else does to get famous these days — create social-media accounts ?
It ’ s not as if Warner was a Luddite ; he worked as an IT consultant for several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarm industry .
If Warner wanted a platform for fame , wouldn ’ t he have opened Twitter and/or Facebook accounts and posted an anti-police manifesto before blowing himself up ?
After all , could he have been sure that police would be able to link him to this bombing ?
For that matter , we haven ’ t yet seen confirmation that Warner conducted the bombing himself , or did it alone .
Warner could have been incapacitated in his RV by someone else who conducted the bombing , but that seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony strongly suggests that Warner had something deliberate in mind , and a couple of strange property transfers by Warner also indicate that he planned to do something : That ’ s the house that police used Google Maps and saw the RV parked in Warner ’ s yard .
How did Swing know Warner ?
Her mother had sued Warner over the first house , and got the house in July when she won the case .
For some reason , exactly a month before Christmas , Warner quit-claimed the second house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims .
However , Warner did send her a letter informing her that the basement had some sort of surprise , and that Warner would be traveling on Christmas Eve : Police have already searched through the house , but haven ’ t yet shared any details about it in public .
It sounds as though Warner might have been setting a trap for Swing to settle a score , but the US Sun reports that police didn ’ t appear to find anything amiss at all , and nothing to link him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ titles to his vehicles .
The FBI did find a computer and thumb drive , and perhaps those might contain more of Warner ’ s thoughts leading up to his apparent suicide .
Realistically , though , we may well be left with nothing but a mystery , just as we were with the Las Vegas massacre .
We can at least be thankful that Warner ’ s exit proved much less deadly to everyone but himself .

Ever since the RV exploded in Nashville on Christmas morning, law enforcement has insisted that they had no threat indicators and that the apparent bomber was “not on our radar.” However, The Tennessean reported late yesterday that police had been warned sixteen months earlier that Anthony Warner had begun building an explosive device in that very RV. Police responded to the call in August 2019, but got stymied by the lawyer representing the couple:
In the aftermath, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Warner was “not on our radar” prior to the bombing. But a Metro Nashville Police Department report from August 2019 shows that local and federal authorities were aware of alleged threats he had made. … On Aug. 21, 2019, the girlfriend told Nashville police that Warner “was building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence,” the MNPD report states. Nashville police then forwarded the information to the FBI. Officers were called to the home of Warner’s girlfriend, roughly a mile and a half from Warner, who lived at 115 Bakertown Lane. Police were called by the woman’s attorney, Raymond Throckmorton III, who was concerned about comments she had made. When they arrived, they found her sitting on the porch with two unloaded guns nearby.
Here’s a copy of the report, although it’s not easy to read in this format (update: Jeff Dunetz has a better version embedded here):
BREAKING: we just received this report from @MNPDNashville showing Anthony Warner’s girlfriend reported he was making bombs in an RV one year ago. The FBI said earlier this week Warner was not on law enforcement’s radar prior to this incident. #nashvillebombing @WSMV pic.twitter.com/fYga92BIzP — Brittany Weiner (@brittweinerTV) December 30, 2020
Police went to Warner’s property after talking with the woman and the attorney and found the RV. As the Tennessean reports, the police observed that Warner had installed a number of security cameras and hung an alarm sign on the vehicle — certainly not illegal, but at least curious under the circumstances. The attorney and the girlfriend told police that Warner talked repeatedly about his time in the military and his prowess at bombmaking, which Throckmorton said was no idle boast:
Throckmorton, who said he represented both Warner and the woman, told officers Warner “frequently talks about the military and bomb making,” the document said. Warner “knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb,” the attorney said to the officers, according to the report.
After not getting any response at the residence, police followed up with the FBI and ATF, but Warner had no record with either agency. They asked Throckmorton to arrange an interview with Warner, but Throckmorton declined. He also refused to ask Warner for permission to allow police to search his property, saying that “Warner did not care for police.” Without evidence of a crime and no way to inspect the vehicle, police ended up dropping the matter. While that seems curious in retrospect, the lack of action might have been unavoidable under the circumstances. One does have to wonder whether police followed up with the girlfriend for more detailed threat assessments or just let the matter drop altogether. Their “not on our radar” comment makes it seem like the latter, and that will raise questions now, especially after the lack of initial transparency on this early warning about Warner’s potential threat.
That still leaves the question of motive, however, at least from this report. Could it be as simple that Warner was just some cop-hating “hippie”? The Daily Beast spoke to Tom Lundborg, a former friend and co-worker who hadn’t been in contact with the apparent suicide bomber in more than a decade, but he remembers all too well Warner’s hostility toward law enforcement:
“I worked with Tony as his helper. I kind of looked up to him. He was kind of a hippie. Had long hair, a Magnum, P.I. mustache,” Lundborg told The Daily Beast. “He was a smart cocky kind of guy. I rode around with him all day every day—during the summers, at least for a couple years.” Lundborg said Warner disliked authority, loved smoking weed and claimed he’d just gotten out of the Navy. (It’s unclear whether Warner was ever in the U.S. Armed Forces, but records show he was arrested for marijuana possession in 1978.) They drove around listening to 103 KDF, previously Nashville’s main rock station, and if Warner spotted a police officer, he’d break his silence to lecture the teenage Lundborg. “I hate cops. They’re all corrupt,” Warner would say. “Never trust a cop.”
That may be old information, but Throckmorton’s comments to police in August 2019 suggest that nothing had changed about Warner’s attitude toward the police. It also fits the crime itself: someone called in a false report of shots fired in the vicinity before the explosion, which seemed designed to put police into range of the explosion. However, the RV played a warning that explicitly declared that a bomb would shortly go off — which not only gave police a chance to escape the trap, but would also allow six brave officers to evacuate the area first. If the idea was to target the police, those tactics were self-defeating, although the blast did injure three officers who were still working on evacuations.
Other circumstances make it less likely that we may ever find a rational answer to motive. It might just have been a suicidal urge married to fame, as one neighbor’s testimony hints, but that theory has flaws too:
It seemed like a friendly chat between neighbors. Only after a bomb exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning could Rick Laude grasp the sinister meaning behind his neighbor’s smiling remark that the city and the rest of the world would never forget him. Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he was speechless when he learned that authorities identified his 63-year-old neighbor, Anthony Quinn Warner, as the man suspected of detonating a bomb that killed himself, injured three other people and damaged dozens of buildings. Laude said he saw Warner standing at his mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk. After asking how Warner’s elderly mother was doing, Laude said he casually asked, “Is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas?” Warner smiled and said, “Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me,” Laude recalled.
So maybe Warner just wanted to get famous as his final act. But if that were the case, then why didn’t Warner do what everyone else does to get famous these days — create social-media accounts? It’s not as if Warner was a Luddite; he worked as an IT consultant for several years after his work in the burg-fire alarm industry. If Warner wanted a platform for fame, wouldn’t he have opened Twitter and/or Facebook accounts and posted an anti-police manifesto before blowing himself up? After all, could he have been sure that police would be able to link him to this bombing?
For that matter, we haven’t yet seen confirmation that Warner conducted the bombing himself, or did it alone. Warner could have been incapacitated in his RV by someone else who conducted the bombing, but that seems a bit farfetched. Laude’s testimony strongly suggests that Warner had something deliberate in mind, and a couple of strange property transfers by Warner also indicate that he planned to do something:
A young music industry executive has found herself at the heart of the Nashville Christmas bombing investigation — after mysteriously being gifted two homes by crazed loner Anthony Quinn Warner. Los Angeles-based AEG Presents exec Michelle Swing, 29, was given two properties on the same street in suburban Nashville in the last year, paying nothing despite them being worth more than $400,000 combined, according to property records. They include the house in Antioch that Warner had last lived in — one he gave to her on Nov. 25, a day before Thanksgiving and exactly a month before his devastating suicide attack in his explosives-laden RV.
That’s the house that police used Google Maps and saw the RV parked in Warner’s yard. How did Swing know Warner? Her mother had sued Warner over the first house, and got the house in July when she won the case. For some reason, exactly a month before Christmas, Warner quit-claimed the second house to Swing without her knowledge, Swing claims. However, Warner did send her a letter informing her that the basement had some sort of surprise, and that Warner would be traveling on Christmas Eve:
NASHVILLE suspected suicide bomber Anthony Quinn Warner told the woman he gifted his two homes to that he “intended to travel on Christmas Eve to spend a few weeks in the woods with his dogs,” The US Sun can reveal. In a November letter to Michelle Swing, 29, revealing he had signed a house over to her, Warner said his basement was “not normal” and urged her to “take a look”. … The letter contains detailed information about the home he gifted her last month. It concluded with the bizarre and sinister lines: “The attic has plywood and lighting, take a look. The basement is not normal, take a look. Woof woof Julio”.
Police have already searched through the house, but haven’t yet shared any details about it in public. It sounds as though Warner might have been setting a trap for Swing to settle a score, but the US Sun reports that police didn’t appear to find anything amiss at all, and nothing to link him to the explosion, except perhaps the titles to his vehicles.
The FBI did find a computer and thumb drive, and perhaps those might contain more of Warner’s thoughts leading up to his apparent suicide. Realistically, though, we may well be left with nothing but a mystery, just as we were with the Las Vegas massacre. We can at least be thankful that Warner’s exit proved much less deadly to everyone but himself.


hotair--2020-12-31--Los Angeles County prosecutors sue Gascon for not enforcing the law

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon hasn ’ t even been in office for a month yet but he ’ s been making more headlines than the pandemic .
Unfortunately for Gascon ( and the citizens of his county ) , few of those breaking news items have been of the good variety .
The wildly liberal , anti-cop DA has been working overtime to empty the jails and prevent the prosecution of criminals , even as crime rates have been surging in the City of Angels .
The latest news out of his office won ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own prosecutors are going to court to ask a judge to block their new boss ’ s orders and prevent them from having to break the law themselves by carrying out his directives .
And it looks like they have a pretty solid case .
( Fox News ) The union representing Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys is expected to ask a judge to block their new boss George Gascon from easing up on sentences ; William La Jeunesse reports .
Prosecutors in Los Angeles County are asking a judge for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new directives from District Attorney George Gascón that would require them to be lenient in their sentencing recommendations for specified types of offenders .
The Association of Deputy District Attorney ’ s for Los Angeles County ( ADDA ) claimed in a lawsuit filed that the directives would mean violating state laws that require enhanced sentences in certain cases .
While the prosecutors have plenty to complain about regarding their new boss , this specific suit is once again focusing on special circumstances and sentencing enhancements which are mandated by law for particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has tried to forbid the use of enhanced sentences , but that order flies in the face of existing state laws .
The Deputy Prosecutors are left in the position of either defying the DA ’ s instructions or becoming lawbreakers themselves , hence the lawsuit .
This issue has been one that Gascon has attacked since his first day in office and he ’ s really overturned the applecart as a result .
As you may recall , he was recently caught on camera telling the family of a murder victim to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they complained about the lenient sentencing for the killer .
Gascon had already moved to drop the special circumstance sentencing for a man convicted of the execution-style slaying of a police officer .
At the same time , deputy district attorneys have been griping about the new DA actively undermining their efforts .
It ’ s become obvious that Gascon is working with defense attorneys to thwart his own prosecutors .
It ’ s not in the least bit hyperbolic to point out that George Gascon , the man charged with enforcing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead actively working to prevent many of those laws from being enforced .
It ’ s not as if the voters of Los Angeles County and the other elected officials there are without options .
Under California law , the District Attorney can be impeached , recalled , or removed by a grand jury empaneled to investigate allegations of willful misconduct on his part .
Proving such allegations should be a walk in the park , or close to it .
Gascon obviously ran for office on false pretenses , intending all along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
But if the citizens he is supposed to serve can ’ t muster the will to do something about this , then we should collectively wash our hands of them and leave Los Angeles to return to being a crime-infested hellhole that ’ s controlled by the gangs .
After all , they elected this guy , to begin with , so they ’ re pretty much getting what they deserve .

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon hasn’t even been in office for a month yet but he’s been making more headlines than the pandemic. Unfortunately for Gascon (and the citizens of his county), few of those breaking news items have been of the good variety. The wildly liberal, anti-cop DA has been working overtime to empty the jails and prevent the prosecution of criminals, even as crime rates have been surging in the City of Angels. The latest news out of his office won’t be changing that pattern at all. His own prosecutors are going to court to ask a judge to block their new boss’s orders and prevent them from having to break the law themselves by carrying out his directives. And it looks like they have a pretty solid case. (Fox News)
The union representing Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys is expected to ask a judge to block their new boss George Gascon from easing up on sentences; William La Jeunesse reports. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County are asking a judge for an order that would keep them from enforcing new directives from District Attorney George Gascón that would require them to be lenient in their sentencing recommendations for specified types of offenders. The Association of Deputy District Attorney’s for Los Angeles County (ADDA) claimed in a lawsuit filed that the directives would mean violating state laws that require enhanced sentences in certain cases.
While the prosecutors have plenty to complain about regarding their new boss, this specific suit is once again focusing on special circumstances and sentencing enhancements which are mandated by law for particularly heinous crimes and repeat offenders. Gascon has tried to forbid the use of enhanced sentences, but that order flies in the face of existing state laws. The Deputy Prosecutors are left in the position of either defying the DA’s instructions or becoming lawbreakers themselves, hence the lawsuit.
This issue has been one that Gascon has attacked since his first day in office and he’s really overturned the applecart as a result. As you may recall, he was recently caught on camera telling the family of a murder victim to “keep their mouths shut” when they complained about the lenient sentencing for the killer. Gascon had already moved to drop the special circumstance sentencing for a man convicted of the execution-style slaying of a police officer.
At the same time, deputy district attorneys have been griping about the new DA actively undermining their efforts. It’s become obvious that Gascon is working with defense attorneys to thwart his own prosecutors. It’s not in the least bit hyperbolic to point out that George Gascon, the man charged with enforcing the law in Los Angeles County, is instead actively working to prevent many of those laws from being enforced.
It’s not as if the voters of Los Angeles County and the other elected officials there are without options. Under California law, the District Attorney can be impeached, recalled, or removed by a grand jury empaneled to investigate allegations of willful misconduct on his part. Proving such allegations should be a walk in the park, or close to it. Gascon obviously ran for office on false pretenses, intending all along to undermine the law rather than enforce it. But if the citizens he is supposed to serve can’t muster the will to do something about this, then we should collectively wash our hands of them and leave Los Angeles to return to being a crime-infested hellhole that’s controlled by the gangs. After all, they elected this guy, to begin with, so they’re pretty much getting what they deserve.


hotair--2020-12-31--Showdown: Paxton sues Austin mayor and Travis County over lockdown restrictions aimed at New Year's

Showdown: Paxton sues Austin mayor and Travis County over lockdown restrictions aimed at New Year's weekend

Austin Mayor Steve Adler imposed new lockdown restrictions on Austin residents and business owners ahead of the long New Year ’ s holiday weekend .
Mayor Adler took aim at late-night dine-in food and beverage services in his orders in the name of coronavirus mitigation .
Governor Abbott objects to this action and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has now filed a lawsuit against Adler and Travis County .
Adler announced his new restrictions on Tuesday .
They put in place a curfew limiting indoor and outdoor dine-in food and beverage services after 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Jan. 3 .
Takeout and curbside pickup are still allowed .
When Governor Abbott learned of Adler ’ s new orders , he tweeted out his objections that night .
Not so fast , Mayor Adler .
On Tuesday night , Adler said he wasn ’ t overreacting or going against the governor ’ s executive orders on shutdowns .
He was just letting his true authoritarian freak flag fly .
Ok , that last sentence is my interpretation .
Adler , during his “ Got A Minute ” segment Tuesday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in line with Abbott ’ s executive orders .
“ I don ’ t call this a curfew , because in my mind , that gives rise to a lot of things that are much broader than the order we have here , ” Adler said .
“ We are not restricting people ’ s movements , their ability to be able to travel around , their ability to go to the drug store or the grocery store if you ’ re out at night .
So I think what is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modification of operations for restaurants ; I think that ’ s probably the most apt description.
” Wednesday night Paxton issued a statement of his own .
He pointed out that such short notice from the mayor shows real contempt for Austinites and business owners .
Earlier in the day , he warned Mayor Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown in a letter that the state would pursue legal action if they did not rescind or modify the directive to comply with Gov .
Greg Abbott ’ s executive order GA-32 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a judicial position .
It ’ s a county CEO position . )
On Wednesday evening , Paxton said local leaders did not have the necessary authority to impose the restrictions and sought to halt their enforcement by filing a petition for a temporary injunction and temporary restraining order in Travis County District Court .
“ The fact that these two local leaders released their orders at night and on the eve of a major holiday shows how much contempt they have for Texans and local businesses , ” Paxton said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown in a statement .
“ They think breaking the law is a game of running the clock before anyone can do anything about it.
” Let me remind you that Mayor Adler is one of many Democrat public officials who has been caught in sheer hypocrisy over coronavirus restrictions .
Just before Thanksgiving , he lectured Austinites to stay home and avoid holiday gatherings with family and friends so as not to potentially spread the coronavirus .
Then , just like that , Adler was found to be vacationing in Cabo San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he apologized for his shameless arrogance , he had the nerve to say his family has just sacrificed so much , you know .
Yes , he is just that tone-deaf .
The rules are for the little people like you and me .
Adler ’ s order carries consequences for violators .
Violations are criminal offenses , punishable with a fine of up to $ 1,000 .
Austin is experiencing a steep rise in coronavirus cases now .
According to interim Austin-Travis County health authority Dr. Mark Escott , cases have increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a sharp drop in ICU capacity in the county ’ s hospitals .
Wednesday Escott said , “ The City of Austin and Travis County are headed for a dire situation.
” As far as empathy for business owners suffering from Adler ’ s latest restriction , well , it ’ s just too bad .
Adler acknowledged that local restaurants will take an economic hit with the latest orders and asked residents to continue supporting small businesses over the holiday weekend through contactless services .
But with hospitals in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said local leaders are all relying on a sense of urgency to motivate residents to comply with the latest holiday restrictions .
“ When you sit across the table from someone not wearing a mask , it ’ s dangerous , ” Adler said , adding that the order is meant to limit community spread as much as possible .
The mayor ’ s salary isn ’ t interrupted by closing businesses .
The mayor is reaching for excuses to go around the correct process .
Instead of waiting for the last minute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have called Governor Abbott and asked for a change to his executive order .
Adler is instead making up his own laws and operating on his own outside of Texas law .
A court hearing on the lawsuit is expected Thursday , on New Year ’ s Eve .

Austin Mayor Steve Adler imposed new lockdown restrictions on Austin residents and business owners ahead of the long New Year’s holiday weekend. Mayor Adler took aim at late-night dine-in food and beverage services in his orders in the name of coronavirus mitigation. Governor Abbott objects to this action and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has now filed a lawsuit against Adler and Travis County.
Adler announced his new restrictions on Tuesday. They put in place a curfew limiting indoor and outdoor dine-in food and beverage services after 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. These restrictions are in effect from Dec. 31 through Jan. 3. Takeout and curbside pickup are still allowed. When Governor Abbott learned of Adler’s new orders, he tweeted out his objections that night. Not so fast, Mayor Adler.
This shutdown order by Austin isn't allowed. Period. My executive order stops cities like Austin from arbitrarily shutting down businesses. The city has a responsibility to enforce existing orders, not make new ones. https://t.co/rm00K1bQQl — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 30, 2020
On Tuesday night, Adler said he wasn’t overreacting or going against the governor’s executive orders on shutdowns. He was just letting his true authoritarian freak flag fly. Ok, that last sentence is my interpretation.
Adler, during his “Got A Minute” segment Tuesday night, said he felt the new orders were in line with Abbott’s executive orders. “I don’t call this a curfew, because in my mind, that gives rise to a lot of things that are much broader than the order we have here,” Adler said. “We are not restricting people’s movements, their ability to be able to travel around, their ability to go to the drug store or the grocery store if you’re out at night. So I think what is more descriptive is, kind of just the modification of operations for restaurants; I think that’s probably the most apt description.”
Wednesday night Paxton issued a statement of his own. He pointed out that such short notice from the mayor shows real contempt for Austinites and business owners. Earlier in the day, he warned Mayor Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown in a letter that the state would pursue legal action if they did not rescind or modify the directive to comply with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order GA-32. (The office of Texas county judge is not a judicial position. It’s a county CEO position.)
On Wednesday evening, Paxton said local leaders did not have the necessary authority to impose the restrictions and sought to halt their enforcement by filing a petition for a temporary injunction and temporary restraining order in Travis County District Court. “The fact that these two local leaders released their orders at night and on the eve of a major holiday shows how much contempt they have for Texans and local businesses,” Paxton said of Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown in a statement. “They think breaking the law is a game of running the clock before anyone can do anything about it.”
Let me remind you that Mayor Adler is one of many Democrat public officials who has been caught in sheer hypocrisy over coronavirus restrictions. Just before Thanksgiving, he lectured Austinites to stay home and avoid holiday gatherings with family and friends so as not to potentially spread the coronavirus. Then, just like that, Adler was found to be vacationing in Cabo San Lucas with his own family. As he apologized for his shameless arrogance, he had the nerve to say his family has just sacrificed so much, you know. Yes, he is just that tone-deaf. The rules are for the little people like you and me.
Adler’s order carries consequences for violators. Violations are criminal offenses, punishable with a fine of up to $1,000.
Austin is experiencing a steep rise in coronavirus cases now. According to interim Austin-Travis County health authority Dr. Mark Escott, cases have increased by 80% since December 1 and there is a sharp drop in ICU capacity in the county’s hospitals. Wednesday Escott said, “The City of Austin and Travis County are headed for a dire situation.” As far as empathy for business owners suffering from Adler’s latest restriction, well, it’s just too bad.
Adler acknowledged that local restaurants will take an economic hit with the latest orders and asked residents to continue supporting small businesses over the holiday weekend through contactless services. But with hospitals in the county quickly approaching maximum capacity, Adler said local leaders are all relying on a sense of urgency to motivate residents to comply with the latest holiday restrictions. “When you sit across the table from someone not wearing a mask, it’s dangerous,” Adler said, adding that the order is meant to limit community spread as much as possible.
The mayor’s salary isn’t interrupted by closing businesses. The mayor is reaching for excuses to go around the correct process. Instead of waiting for the last minute and issuing his order, Adler should have called Governor Abbott and asked for a change to his executive order. Adler is instead making up his own laws and operating on his own outside of Texas law.
A court hearing on the lawsuit is expected Thursday, on New Year’s Eve.


hotair--2020-12-31--Does the passage of the IAA mean we're about to get a UFO dump from the Pentagon?

A lot of news came out of that massive COVID relief bill with bazillions of dollars in other spending wrapped up in it .
One item that didn ’ t draw nearly as much attention was the fact that the annual Intelligence Authorization Act was rolled in as part of that mess .
The IAA is obviously a necessary bit of housekeeping that Congress has to take care of on a regular basis , but this year ’ s version was of particular interest to people in the ufology community .
I wrote about this when the measure was drafted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the provisions from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that made it so interesting to the saucerheads .
It dealt with internal communications challenges for the UAP Task Force ( Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ) and directed the UAPTF to produce an unclassified report on their progress within 180 days of when the measure was enacted .
Well , now it ’ s enacted .
And as The Debrief pointed out this week , that means that the clock is ticking .
But what should we really expect to receive when that clock strikes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passing of the Omnibus , the clock has officially started ticking , and The Pentagon ’ s UAP Task Force has 180 days to provide the Senate Intelligence Committee with their unclassified report detailing The Pentagon ’ s current investigations into UFOs .
“ The newly enacted Intelligence Authorization Act incorporates the Senate Intelligence Committee ’ s report language calling for an unclassified , all-source report on the UAP phenomenon .
This was accomplished in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the bill , ” says Christopher Mellon , former Deputy Assistant Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee , who played an integral role in the development of the legislation .
“ Consequently , it ’ s now fair to say that the request for an unclassified report on the UAP phenomenon enjoys the support of both parties in both Houses of Congress , ” Mellon told The Debrief in an email .
I would concur with Ryan Sprague and Tim McMillan ( the authors of the linked article ) that there does indeed appear to be bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UAPTF has been up to and what , if any conclusions they have reached .
I will also go so far as to say that there probably will be some sort of report that ’ s released… eventually .
But any expectations of revelations of incidents our military and intelligence agencies have been investigating or specific things they have discovered or concluded are highly unlikely to be in such a report , at least as I read the tea leaves .
First of all , just having Congress tell the Pentagon that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days doesn ’ t mean anything will happen .
The Pentagon can easily respond by basically saying that they ’ re not being given enough time to round up such a thorough examination and they ’ ll need to postpone it .
And they can postpone things for a very long time indeed when their backs are against the wall .
Also , the original Senate request stated that the report was to be unclassified , but there could be an addendum that is classified to protect sensitive information .
Even if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ d really like to hear , I will be completely flabbergasted if it doesn ’ t all wind up in the classified addendum .
Beyond that , the Pentagon has already been telegraphing their punches in terms of what they plan to talk about when it comes to the UAP phenomenon .
I wrote about this back in September when an increasing number of reporters ( including yours truly ) were contacting the Pentagon ’ s one and only spokesperson to handle UAP questions , Susan Gough .
Starting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boilerplate refusal to any and all questions regarding details of UAP incidents under investigation .
Every one of us has gotten this answer and the wording never changes .
( Emphasis added ) “ Thorough examinations of any incursion into our training ranges or designated airspace often involves assessments from across the department , and , as appropriate , consultation with other U.S. government departments and agencies .
To maintain operations security and to avoid disclosing information that may be useful to our adversaries , DOD does not discuss publicly the details of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported incursions into our training ranges or designated airspace , including those incursions initially designated as UAP.
” That ’ s the key phrase right there .
“ DOD does not discuss publicly.
” And you can rest assured that they have zero intention of starting to discuss it publicly now .
Short of the President ordering specific documents from the UAPTF declassified ( and he or she would have to already be aware of the specific documents before such an order could be issued ) , it seems blatantly obvious that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lid on all of this .
I ’ m honestly not sure how much , if anything , they will even tell the Senators .
As I ’ ve said to some ufology pals on Twitter this week , I really hope I ’ m entirely wrong about this .
But I simply can ’ t see those channels in our government sweeping away a more than 70-year history of obfuscation and deception with one sweep of a new broom .
The military and our intelligence community overclassify information all the time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just UFOs .
And once they lock something down it requires a herculean effort to bring it back to light .
I will remain cautiously hopeful about the pending release of this report , but I ’ m definitely not getting my hopes up .

A lot of news came out of that massive COVID relief bill with bazillions of dollars in other spending wrapped up in it. One item that didn’t draw nearly as much attention was the fact that the annual Intelligence Authorization Act was rolled in as part of that mess. The IAA is obviously a necessary bit of housekeeping that Congress has to take care of on a regular basis, but this year’s version was of particular interest to people in the ufology community. I wrote about this when the measure was drafted back in June, specifically focusing on the provisions from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that made it so interesting to the saucerheads. It dealt with internal communications challenges for the UAP Task Force (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) and directed the UAPTF to produce an unclassified report on their progress within 180 days of when the measure was enacted. Well, now it’s enacted. And as The Debrief pointed out this week, that means that the clock is ticking. But what should we really expect to receive when that clock strikes midnight?
Now, with the recent passing of the Omnibus, the clock has officially started ticking, and The Pentagon’s UAP Task Force has 180 days to provide the Senate Intelligence Committee with their unclassified report detailing The Pentagon’s current investigations into UFOs. “The newly enacted Intelligence Authorization Act incorporates the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report language calling for an unclassified, all-source report on the UAP phenomenon. This was accomplished in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the bill,” says Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and former staff Director of the United States Senate Intelligence Committee, who played an integral role in the development of the legislation. “Consequently, it’s now fair to say that the request for an unclassified report on the UAP phenomenon enjoys the support of both parties in both Houses of Congress,” Mellon told The Debrief in an email.
I would concur with Ryan Sprague and Tim McMillan (the authors of the linked article) that there does indeed appear to be bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress for an unclassified report on what the UAPTF has been up to and what, if any conclusions they have reached. I will also go so far as to say that there probably will be some sort of report that’s released… eventually. But any expectations of revelations of incidents our military and intelligence agencies have been investigating or specific things they have discovered or concluded are highly unlikely to be in such a report, at least as I read the tea leaves.
First of all, just having Congress tell the Pentagon that they’d like a report in 180 days doesn’t mean anything will happen. The Pentagon can easily respond by basically saying that they’re not being given enough time to round up such a thorough examination and they’ll need to postpone it. And they can postpone things for a very long time indeed when their backs are against the wall.
Also, the original Senate request stated that the report was to be unclassified, but there could be an addendum that is classified to protect sensitive information. Even if the UAPTF is considering putting out any details that we’d really like to hear, I will be completely flabbergasted if it doesn’t all wind up in the classified addendum. Beyond that, the Pentagon has already been telegraphing their punches in terms of what they plan to talk about when it comes to the UAP phenomenon. I wrote about this back in September when an increasing number of reporters (including yours truly) were contacting the Pentagon’s one and only spokesperson to handle UAP questions, Susan Gough. Starting in late summer, Gough began issuing a boilerplate refusal to any and all questions regarding details of UAP incidents under investigation. Every one of us has gotten this answer and the wording never changes. (Emphasis added)
“Thorough examinations of any incursion into our training ranges or designated airspace often involves assessments from across the department, and, as appropriate, consultation with other U.S. government departments and agencies. To maintain operations security and to avoid disclosing information that may be useful to our adversaries, DOD does not discuss publicly the details of either the observations or the examination of reported incursions into our training ranges or designated airspace, including those incursions initially designated as UAP.”
That’s the key phrase right there. “DOD does not discuss publicly.” And you can rest assured that they have zero intention of starting to discuss it publicly now. Short of the President ordering specific documents from the UAPTF declassified (and he or she would have to already be aware of the specific documents before such an order could be issued), it seems blatantly obvious that the Pentagon is going to be keeping a lid on all of this. I’m honestly not sure how much, if anything, they will even tell the Senators.
As I’ve said to some ufology pals on Twitter this week, I really hope I’m entirely wrong about this. But I simply can’t see those channels in our government sweeping away a more than 70-year history of obfuscation and deception with one sweep of a new broom. The military and our intelligence community overclassify information all the time, covering virtually every area of interest, not just UFOs. And once they lock something down it requires a herculean effort to bring it back to light. I will remain cautiously hopeful about the pending release of this report, but I’m definitely not getting my hopes up.


hotair--2020-12-31--Wisconsin hospital accuses worker of intentionally spoiling 500 doses of COVID vaccine

A disturbing story , but it ’ s not like we ’ re actually using most of the doses that have been distributed so far , right ?
Whether the doses were going to go to waste sitting in a hospital freezer or were going to go to waste because some nut deliberately spoiled them , they were likely going to go to waste either way .
In fact , with the new year just hours away , I wonder how soon it ’ ll be before it feels quaint that we were worried at one point this month about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this spring .
That was a 2020 problem ; the 2021 problem may be “ Do Pfizer and Moderna have enough capacity to store the giant backlog of doses they ’ ve made as the vaccination process proceeds at a snail ’ s pace ?
” I haven ’ t seen any reports of a motive in this case yet , but I sure am curious .
An employee at a Wisconsin hospital intentionally removed more than 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration last week , rendering them useless , the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom it did not name , is no longer an employee , the hospital system said in its statement .
It was not clear whether any charges had been brought .
The police department said it could not comment further on an active investigation… Aurora said it learned of the incident earlier this week and was originally led to believe that the spoilage was accidental .
But on Wednesday , it said , the employee acknowledged intentionally removing the vials of vaccine from refrigeration .
The FBI , FDA , and local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel , the now-fired worker removed 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine from a refrigerator , each vial containing 10 doses .
The contents of the vials are stable at room temperature for up to 12 hours , which allowed the hospital to successfully harvest and administer some doses from the vials before they spoiled .
Unfortunately , most were lost .
Presumably the culprit was an anti-vaxxer of some stripe but whether his skepticism had to do with the COVID vaccine specifically or vaccines generally remains unknown for now .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media for the first time about dispensing with the priority system for different demographics and just dosing out the vaccine to everyone who wants it .
In one sense , that proposal is outrageous : How dare anyone suggest that seniors shouldn ’ t go to the front of the line knowing what we know about the special risk of death they face from COVID ?
But the slower the vaccination process is , the further away herd immunity gets , and that ’ s a dangerous development given the state of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the more transmissible British variant of the virus is already here and spreading makes rapid vaccination of the population that much more pressing : The news [ of the variant in California and Colorado ] ramps up the urgency to get Americans vaccinated because it raises the threshold for so-called herd immunity — the percentage of people who must be inoculated to contain the threat .
That threshold may be 90 percent now , versus the 70 percent experts previously estimated .
At least two million Americans must be vaccinated each week to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even under the current surge , experts estimate , let alone an increase brought on by the new variant… [ W ] ith every new person it infects , the coronavirus also has more chances to mutate , and therefore more chances to happen upon mutations that give it an advantage — by making it more transmissible , for example , or less susceptible to the immune system .
The more Americans are vaccinated , regardless of age , the more protected seniors as a group will be by the incremental onset of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true that ending prioritization among different groups will lead to much faster herd immunity than maybe it ’ s in seniors ’ aggregate interest to shift to a first-come-first-served system for everyone .
Or to some sort of hybrid system : Presumably Wood ’ s imagining that all of the gray-haired people in line go first and then , if there ’ s anything left over , the younger people start getting dosed .
A younger person who waited in line all day for a chance at a dose and didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willing to risk that again , but that ’ d be a nice problem to have as it would mean demand among seniors was clearing the shelves .
At a minimum , all states should allow seniors to start getting vaccinated right now instead of waiting for medical personnel and nursing-home residents to get both of their shots .
It ’ s insanity to have doses sitting in freezers at a moment when public demand is strong and the need for rapid herd immunity is urgent .
The existing supply is on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from location to location , vaccines are only cleared for 30 days of storage in the most common units ( including those in which they have been shipped ) , ” notes New York magazine .
“ States have been rushing to build out their storage capacity , but have been warned of monthslong waits for ultracold freezers that could extend shelf life to about six months .
That means that , in many places , this first batch of vaccine is set to expire in late January , around the time Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rollout and promising to accelerate it , is set to take office.
” Spare a moment amid the outrage about the case of vaccine sabotage in Wisconsin to ponder the prospect of hospitals having to throw out vials a month from now because the doses expired before they could all be given out .
Why are things taking so long ?
One problem that ’ ll be solved shortly is that it ’ s the holiday season and there are fewer staff on duty to administer shots .
That changes Monday .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supply and demand in some places : Another is the foolish decision to reserve half the doses already distributed so that people who ’ ve gotten their first shot can get their second within three or four weeks .
“ A group modeling the Canadian rollout suggested that rushing to get as many first doses as possible out , and waiting for new supply to deliver second doses , could avert as many as 34 to 42 percent of new infections , which is why Canada has now embraced that approach — as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazine reports .
Some of the people in Georgia ’ s cities who are eager to get the shot could presumably be vaccinated right now if the policy of holding doses back was lifted .
The deeper problem , though , is that the federal government and state governments are dysfunctional and each left it to the other to take charge of the vaccination process .
It wasn ’ t until the COVID relief package was signed a few days ago that states got the money they were seeking to build out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried building that infrastructure themselves as part of Operation Warp Speed or they could have cut a check to the states several months ago to make sure they hit the ground running when the vaccine finally arrived .
Or , of course , the states themselves could have tightened their belts the tiniest little bit to free up funds for the upcoming vaccination effort .
Instead each side assumed the other would act .
In the end the vaccine dropped in states ’ laps in mid-December with no delivery mechanism awaiting it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if we tossed out the prioritization scheme and told every American to go get the shot if they want it , many of us would have no idea where to go .
There ’ s no information clearinghouse on the vaccination process .
E.g .
: If I were told today that I ’ m eligible to get the shot , my first thought would be to check the CVS and Walgreens websites for information and , if that produced no info , to just start googling randomly about vaccinations in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place giving out shots , I ’ d have no idea what sort of wait time there ’ d be and therefore whether it ’ s even worth the trouble to make the trip .
Imagine confronting that same problem if you ’ re a senior citizen or frontline worker who ’ s not particularly Internet savvy .
“ How will these people be scheduled for their vaccination appointments ?
How will they provide documentation that they have a medical condition or a job that makes them eligible to get vaccinated ?
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , and that they can do so safely ?
” asked the Times about the process .
Good questions all , as is this : Even if we opened up the vaccination process to everyone in the interest of speeding this up , do we have the manpower to meet demand ?
Who ’ s going to administer the shots to keep those long lines moving when doctors and nurses are momentarily consumed with treating sick COVID patients and will be for several more months ?
I ’ ll leave you with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation well enough .
CVS and Walgreens are probably our only hope here .

A disturbing story, but it’s not like we’re actually using most of the doses that have been distributed so far, right?
Whether the doses were going to go to waste sitting in a hospital freezer or were going to go to waste because some nut deliberately spoiled them, they were likely going to go to waste either way.
In fact, with the new year just hours away, I wonder how soon it’ll be before it feels quaint that we were worried at one point this month about facing a potential shortage of the vaccine this spring. That was a 2020 problem; the 2021 problem may be “Do Pfizer and Moderna have enough capacity to store the giant backlog of doses they’ve made as the vaccination process proceeds at a snail’s pace?”
I haven’t seen any reports of a motive in this case yet, but I sure am curious.
An employee at a Wisconsin hospital intentionally removed more than 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration last week, rendering them useless, the hospital system said Wednesday night… The person responsible, whom it did not name, is no longer an employee, the hospital system said in its statement. It was not clear whether any charges had been brought. The police department said it could not comment further on an active investigation… Aurora said it learned of the incident earlier this week and was originally led to believe that the spoilage was accidental. But on Wednesday, it said, the employee acknowledged intentionally removing the vials of vaccine from refrigeration.
The FBI, FDA, and local cops are investigating. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the now-fired worker removed 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine from a refrigerator, each vial containing 10 doses. The contents of the vials are stable at room temperature for up to 12 hours, which allowed the hospital to successfully harvest and administer some doses from the vials before they spoiled. Unfortunately, most were lost. Presumably the culprit was an anti-vaxxer of some stripe but whether his skepticism had to do with the COVID vaccine specifically or vaccines generally remains unknown for now.
Last night I saw some chatter on social media for the first time about dispensing with the priority system for different demographics and just dosing out the vaccine to everyone who wants it. In one sense, that proposal is outrageous: How dare anyone suggest that seniors shouldn’t go to the front of the line knowing what we know about the special risk of death they face from COVID? But the slower the vaccination process is, the further away herd immunity gets, and that’s a dangerous development given the state of the pandemic right now:
Our daily update is published. States reported 1.6 million tests, 226k cases, a record 125,220 hospitalizations, and a record 3,903 COVID-19 deaths. Holiday reporting delays are still markedly affecting testing, case, and deaths figures. pic.twitter.com/HPV1cBbzLE — The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) December 31, 2020
The fact that the more transmissible British variant of the virus is already here and spreading makes rapid vaccination of the population that much more pressing:
The news [of the variant in California and Colorado] ramps up the urgency to get Americans vaccinated because it raises the threshold for so-called herd immunity — the percentage of people who must be inoculated to contain the threat. That threshold may be 90 percent now, versus the 70 percent experts previously estimated. At least two million Americans must be vaccinated each week to prevent the health care system from buckling even under the current surge, experts estimate, let alone an increase brought on by the new variant… [W]ith every new person it infects, the coronavirus also has more chances to mutate, and therefore more chances to happen upon mutations that give it an advantage — by making it more transmissible, for example, or less susceptible to the immune system.
The more Americans are vaccinated, regardless of age, the more protected seniors as a group will be by the incremental onset of herd immunity. *If* it’s true that ending prioritization among different groups will lead to much faster herd immunity than maybe it’s in seniors’ aggregate interest to shift to a first-come-first-served system for everyone. Or to some sort of hybrid system:
https://twitter.com/gcaw/status/1344679407915585537
Presumably Wood’s imagining that all of the gray-haired people in line go first and then, if there’s anything left over, the younger people start getting dosed. A younger person who waited in line all day for a chance at a dose and didn’t get one probably wouldn’t be willing to risk that again, but that’d be a nice problem to have as it would mean demand among seniors was clearing the shelves.
At a minimum, all states should allow seniors to start getting vaccinated right now instead of waiting for medical personnel and nursing-home residents to get both of their shots. It’s insanity to have doses sitting in freezers at a moment when public demand is strong and the need for rapid herd immunity is urgent.
Just talked to a pharmacist in the panhandle who’s currently watching 30 doses of the vaccine go bad because they can’t find enough “eligible” recipients. We had a year to figure this out — Christopher Hooks (@cd_hooks) December 31, 2020
While that would be significant progress, it's worth noting that the current vaccines require two doses and we'd actually need a faster pace than that (~1.5m/month) to keep up with all the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine that is scheduled to be delivered by July. https://t.co/ZEQyEBPFT1 — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) December 31, 2020
The existing supply is on the clock. “Though refrigeration capacity varies from location to location, vaccines are only cleared for 30 days of storage in the most common units (including those in which they have been shipped),” notes New York magazine. “States have been rushing to build out their storage capacity, but have been warned of monthslong waits for ultracold freezers that could extend shelf life to about six months. That means that, in many places, this first batch of vaccine is set to expire in late January, around the time Joe Biden, who has been criticizing the rollout and promising to accelerate it, is set to take office.” Spare a moment amid the outrage about the case of vaccine sabotage in Wisconsin to ponder the prospect of hospitals having to throw out vials a month from now because the doses expired before they could all be given out.
Why are things taking so long? One problem that’ll be solved shortly is that it’s the holiday season and there are fewer staff on duty to administer shots. That changes Monday. A more challenging problem is a mismatch between supply and demand in some places:
https://twitter.com/maggie_a_lee/status/1344648607673311233
Roughly 20% to 40% of the L.A. County’s front-line workers who were offered the vaccine declined to get the shot. So many in Riverside County refused the vaccine — an estimated 50% — that officials met to strategize how best to distribute the unused doses https://t.co/yDtTh6ccq2 — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 31, 2020
Another is the foolish decision to reserve half the doses already distributed so that people who’ve gotten their first shot can get their second within three or four weeks. “A group modeling the Canadian rollout suggested that rushing to get as many first doses as possible out, and waiting for new supply to deliver second doses, could avert as many as 34 to 42 percent of new infections, which is why Canada has now embraced that approach — as has the U.K.,” New York magazine reports. Some of the people in Georgia’s cities who are eager to get the shot could presumably be vaccinated right now if the policy of holding doses back was lifted.
The deeper problem, though, is that the federal government and state governments are dysfunctional and each left it to the other to take charge of the vaccination process. It wasn’t until the COVID relief package was signed a few days ago that states got the money they were seeking to build out a vaccination infrastructure. The feds could have tried building that infrastructure themselves as part of Operation Warp Speed or they could have cut a check to the states several months ago to make sure they hit the ground running when the vaccine finally arrived. Or, of course, the states themselves could have tightened their belts the tiniest little bit to free up funds for the upcoming vaccination effort. Instead each side assumed the other would act. In the end the vaccine dropped in states’ laps in mid-December with no delivery mechanism awaiting it. The effort is momentarily so chaotic that even if we tossed out the prioritization scheme and told every American to go get the shot if they want it, many of us would have no idea where to go. There’s no information clearinghouse on the vaccination process. E.g.:
Locals searching for reliable vaccine rollout info online, thru trusted sources like local health department sites, are struggling to find anything.
Here are screenshots for Lee/Collier County.
Here are links: https://t.co/fRZ83mIJ8dhttps://t.co/bikAUescca pic.twitter.com/QtU6QUrIwz — Rebecca Jarvis (@RebeccaJarvis) December 30, 2020
UPDATE: Hundreds of seniors camped out overnight again, in the cold, crowded together, in Lee County last night, waiting for vaccinations. As of 6:30 a.m. today (Wednesday) all three vaccination sites in Lee County, Florida have hit capacity, according to DOH-Lee. — Rebecca Jarvis (@RebeccaJarvis) December 30, 2020
If I were told today that I’m eligible to get the shot, my first thought would be to check the CVS and Walgreens websites for information and, if that produced no info, to just start googling randomly about vaccinations in my community. Even if I found a place giving out shots, I’d have no idea what sort of wait time there’d be and therefore whether it’s even worth the trouble to make the trip. Imagine confronting that same problem if you’re a senior citizen or frontline worker who’s not particularly Internet savvy. “How will these people be scheduled for their vaccination appointments? How will they provide documentation that they have a medical condition or a job that makes them eligible to get vaccinated? And how will pharmacies ensure that people show up, and that they can do so safely?” asked the Times about the process. Good questions all, as is this: Even if we opened up the vaccination process to everyone in the interest of speeding this up, do we have the manpower to meet demand? Who’s going to administer the shots to keep those long lines moving when doctors and nurses are momentarily consumed with treating sick COVID patients and will be for several more months?
I’ll leave you with this libertarian take, which sums up the situation well enough. CVS and Walgreens are probably our only hope here.