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MDG: I understand your perspective but disagree. I cannot bring myself to show ANY respect for this incumbent, totally separate and apart from the institution of the Presidency.
Read the endorsement of Biden in the Manchester Union Leader and why they won’t support a Republican candidate for president for the first time in over 100 years. This is probably the most solid bedrock Republican newspaper in the U.S. and has taken down many Democratic candidates over the past several decades but couldn’t find any redeeming values in supporting the incumbent for reelection.
TorahValues: I’ll stipulate to not being the smartest person in the CR BUT there still is currently no “miracle cure” , or for that matter, no “cure”…just several very promising therapies that hopefully will be shown to have a high degree of efficacy across a wide range of of patients.
MDG: I’ll immediately begin using his real name the first time he goes an entire day w/o referring to the Democratic nominee as “Crazy Joe” and finding other demeaning names for anyone he disagrees with. He warrants exactly the same level of respect he shows to others.Always Ask: You are correct on each point. Thats why the death rate is down while the number of cases is rising. Even collectively, what you describe is not a “miracle cure” and sadly, there are still too many cases of otherwise healthy individuals with no comorbidities and who are hospitalized immediately upon symptomatic onset who fail to respond to any of these therapeutics. Hopefully, the vaccines nearing approval (and assuming public acceptance) in combination with new drugs will collectively work to further reduce infection and mortality rates and mitigate long-term problems reported by those who recover.
There is no “miracle drug” for Covid 19 yet and may not be for some time. The Trumpkopf mindlessly ranted about a “cure” where he repeatedly used the name of the pharmaceutical company as the name of the drug that he gad been given. I expect the more likely scenario will be some “cocktail” of drugs administered based on the patient’s circumstances and availability at a point in time.
There will always be anecdotal information about a certain drug used off-label having shown benefits to a limited cohort under a defined set of circumstances. That is the case with HCQ and several other drugs used to treat Covid 19 patients, both prohylatically, after exposure and after symptomatic onset. However, the advocates of these drugs have yet to organize and/or present any double blind, peer-reviewed studies affirming in these results more broadly in larger scale tests. Until they do so, doctors are free to use these drugs in individual cases if they believe they will be effective for treating their patients but there is ZERO basis to recommend them to the general population as an “approved” therapy.
There are some incredibly talented federal trial court judges whose efforts have been negated by entrenched circuit court panels on both sides of the partisan split who fail to properly apply or ignore SCOTUS precedent. Also, circuit courts are increasingly allowing their cases to spill over into factfinding, which is not the role of an appellate body. Finally, each circuit has its own ability to set rules within certain parameters of the federal rules of procedure which often sets up artificial “splits” between the circuits. These are all ripe areas for reexamination, totally aside from the issue of “packing” the court with additional justices to compensate for “unpacking” the court by failure to allow the senate to advise/consent on a lawful nomination solely to gain political advantage.
Always Ask: You are 100 percent correct. Tracing and early warning is an essential element of a response. The problem is you have to start early, make contacts quickly and have the support of the local community. Sadly, federal funding to assist the States in setting up their tracing programs came late and many States still have not used the available funds. In a lot of Red states, there was considerable pushback against tracing programs that were deemed ‘intrusive’ and those that were contacted were often reluctant to share accurate information about those they might have been in contact with. Sadly, with the current spike in many red states, the number of new cases has overwhelmed available tracing programs. Just today, South Dakota (the worst state in terms of new cases) acknowledged that it was taking up to a week to contact individuals testing positive for Corona, by which time contact tracing was pointless. The Governor, who has refused to impose any statewide mask rules or limits on public gatherings is considering mobilizing National Guard troops to try and expand contact tracing efforts.
“No, I don’t excuse the president’s foul mouth, rhetoric, even lies. But he has a history of doing things that progressed this country forward….
Well said. I think you have really framed the decision in a way that few others have done. Our decision in 10 days really does come down to whether we feel that the “progress” that has been made in certain policy areas are sufficient to “excuse” the vulgar, demeaning and divisive rhetoric and the seemingly nonstop lying and misstatements that have characterized the past 4 years. The majority of CR posters likely agree with you. Some of us don’t and believe that progress is possible without tearing the country apart and trashing the institution of the Presidency.
Sorry Syag, but fear of the virus by some segment of the tzibur is NOT a reason to lessen the focus on what is happening and what could happen if political leaders don’t get out front of what appears to be a second wave (whatever that means) of the virus. Several European countries have either shut down again or are about to do so in an attempt to avoid massive increases in viral infections. Masks and social distancing are the ONLY real options we have now to reduce the rates of infection and are the best way to get back to normal .
As to your stupid comment about myself (or any YWN reader) feeling smug about Chareidim being niftar from covid and thinking “it serves them right”, I’ll assume you had a long day and won’t bother with a response. In reality, most of those who were niftar probably were careful about Coronoa protocols but were infected by others who were less careful so no, “it doesn’t serve the right”The above exchange is the most cogent illustration of WHY we need to have YWN continue to provide the Covid linkage to the announcements of those who were niftar, along with the photos of the overflowing morgues and exhausted members of thechevrah kadishah. Politicians like Trump and Bibi are running arounding flouting the rules and trying to block out Covid from the nightly news. Trump was mocking those who keep focusing on Covid and claiming that people “don’t want to hear Covid” anymore and want to magically “get back to normal” and “be happy”.
Yup Slimshim: Don’t worry, be happy. We have lots of gadolim, so YWN mentioning a few dying from Covid is no big deal. Even less a big deal if the niftar is just a poishete yid.Avram: Your governor leans closer to Candidate B and he himself, felt it necessary to vote for someone who was niftar 30 years ago given the two flawed choices we have in the REAL universe.
Its no longer even worth responding to those who accuse Biden and Harris of slanting their per-election policy statements for political reasons when we have an incumbent who cannot utter a coherent sentence daily without either outright lying or making up some unintelligible allegation that even his own staff are clueless.
What are all the nutcases going to do on November 4th when it becomes clear that Reb Yosef (aka Crazy Joe) will indeed be the new occupant of the Oval Office??? Will they post a fake kol koreh that the Gadolim, shlita, have called for a day of fasting and tehilim on 7 Shevat and that all shuls and batei medrashim should exclude any Biden voters from minyanim
1: Do you really expect anyone to take your meshugaas seriously? If you want to promote conspiracy theories, at least show some respect for the readership and put some thought and effort to come up with something remotely credible but still entertaining.
I suspect there are more Rs that will vote D this time around, than Ds voting R. Just this week, the Republican Chairman of the National Governors Association, Gov. Hogan, announced he was going to write-in the name of someone who was niftar 30 years ago rather than voting for his party’s candidate.
In addition to physical improvements to the school HVAC systems, plexiglass enclosures, etc. there should be some effort made to provide teachers with additional training on remote instruction, whether via Zoom or even over phonelines, depending on the hashkafah of the school. Given how sudden the shutdowns occurred last March it was incredible how well many schools managed. Hopefully, we won’t have to be dealing with remote learning a year from now but ALL schools should provide both teachers, parents and students the needed resources to learn remotely, should th need arise again.
Josh)ua15: Have the Chassunah first, meet and schmooz later??
Most museums, etc. that have reopened require masks . Restaurants serving indoors, still ask that you leave the mask on until you complete ordering and only remove it to eat/drink. If this is someone you know or trust, find a big table at an off-hour when its not crowded and distance as much as you can. Any of the bars in hotel lobbies that are open would be good choice since you can often spread out your chairs away from the bar itself.
You can take a vigorous walk in the parks w/o a mask. Same for other outdoor locations. However, if this is one of your first dates, why in the world would you want to be close to ANYONE without a mask, unless he/she brings the results of one those rapid tests to the meeting.
Aside from the issues of “virtual negiah”, why did anyone expect that a politician would act in a principled manner, showing loyalty to those who showed him loyalty.
Inspections of several schools in the red zones which were operating showed that aside from the obvious lack of mask-wearing, desks were NOT spaced apart even 5 feet and that buildings with gas-fired forced air heating systems were Not using even MERV 13 air filters. If they cannot take even these minimal precautions, how can the be trusted with children. These are simple, low-cost measures that even the most mindless administrator should have required if they wanted to open.
He and a bunch of others who conflate volume and hyperbole with influence and rational discourse. Displays of bravado from comic figures rarely provides much positive outcome other than reinforcing sterotypes and hardening of positions.
Why do yidden consistently allow the loudest, media-seeking and least intelligent members of the tzibur to establish themselves as the “voice” of the community. Aside from his lack of midos and consistent disregard for the admonitions of gadolim and askanim on a wide range of issues, he has quickly established himself as a clown and bufoon who has no respect among public officials.
Always ask questions: One surprising takeaway from recent polling and economic forecasts is that the stock market doesn’t seen to care as much who wins. With Trump, more of the same. With the Dems, they will be spending money on infrastructure and social welfare programs which will pump the economy (at least in the short-term). Also, all these cries of gevalt regarding increase nominal tax rates ignore the reality that on one pays the nominal rate. For yidden in the NY metro area, the Dems will restore the SALT deductions so that will be a net positive.
I understand that the support for Trump, even among the more frum/Chareidi voters declines asymptotically as one polls at greater distances from Woodbridge Oaks, NJ, the halfway point between Monsey and Lakewood. (The exact latitude and longitude coordinates are 40° 34′ 45″ N and 74° 19′ 52″ W). Perhaps these yidden have a more expansive view of domestic and global issues that are important to them beyond moving a brass plaque on a building from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim .
What about us “MOs for JOEs”???? We have a “big tent” and would welcome some Chareidi baal tshuvahs (politically speaking).
This election, like 2016, will be decided by several thousand voters in 3 or 4 “swing states” and will go down to the wire. Its going to be a lot closer than 2016and could still go either way. If the Trumpkopf were to simply stop tweeting, focus on the economy, show some leadership on Covid etc. and stop with the stupid conspiracy theories “lock-her=up” meshugaas and trashing everyone who disagrees with him, he actually could come out as a winner. It seems there is no one left in his inner circle to throttle down his rants. If they just let “Trump be Trump”, he is toast and they will be dragging him out of the WH on January 20th as the “Biggest Loser”.
It seems like some of our posters are obsessed with denial of any mainstream medical and public health guidance on what measure have been shown to have material benefits in viral transmission and lowering of infection rates. No one is saying that masks or social distancing eliminate risk or are 100 percent effective but until we have proven vaccines and therapeutics, they are better than injecting chlorine or using any of the other unproven remedies being pushed by right-wing zealots.
Charlie: Don’t waste your time responding to these uninformed and mindless zealots. Anyone can find some anecdotal evidence that “someone”, “somewhere” was miraculously “cured” (as the Trumpkopf likes to say) by some combination and timing of proven and holistic remedies (aka ITZSI ….its the ZINC stupid). Like not wearing masks, the belief in these remedies and cures has become as culturally defining as wearing a MAGA hat among those who desperately want to believe in a deep state conspiracy among left wing Dems, the medical profession, drug companies, etc. all coordinated by George Soros and Bill Gates.
Coffee Addict: NO ONE says that yidden are the only non-compliant segment of the population that are the primary source of viral transmission. However, at least in the short term, they are the most visible non-compliant group in the neighborhoods with infection rates 3x to 4x higher than City averages. The shutdown restrictions apply equally to ALL religious institutions in those neighborhoods, Jewish and otherwise. Tonight, we read on the YWN news page that the City had to preemptively block a planned Satmar wedding in Willy where potentially up to ten thousand chassidim planned to attend. I have no way of knowing whether the story is true but if so, it reinforces the narrative that there is an arrogance that the “rules don’t apply to us” and Yidden are entitled to act like a bunch of college students at Spring Break with no consequences.
Its no longer worthwhile to waste time attempting to respond to those who cling to the most recent nonsense offered by the Trumpkopf and his court jester (“Dr. Atlas”) regarding any aspect of the response and therapeutic treatment of Covid 19. We are fortunate to have several really knowledgeable scientists posting here in the CR that have also made some effort to educate us on mainstream medical research progress but their voices are drowned out with the new conspiracy theories and Trumpkopfian rants against their imagined “deep state” (which now includes all the drug companies, medical schools and research institutions, medical journals etc).
Its great for the Mods to tolerate some really bizarre political conspiracy theories on an open forum but at some point. promoting unproven and potentially dangerous “cures” for the Corona Virus is pushing the envelope. While most YWN readers are smart enough to ignore such hype of cures with “100 percent success rates”, there are sadly some with family members who are desperately ill or lack access to medical care who might c’v take some of this garbage seriously.
Azoy. This is the SAME WH doctor who whose nomination for the VA had to be withdrawn when it was revealed he was being investigated, inter alia , for creating abusing his Staff, excessively drinking on the job, and improperly dispensing medication. He was also the SAME WH doctor who described the Trumpkpf in Trump’s own style of hyperbole saying that “if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old”, and that he had “incredibly good genes, and it’s just the way God made him”. He also failed to note that the Trumpkopf was borderline morbidly obese. He also has ZERO credentials in neurological diagnostics nor has he examined Biden. I’d have more confidence in an opinion on Biden’s cognitive skills provided by the guy who cleans up the mikvah than this pathetic excuse for a “former WH physician”
1: That “communist” judge (Merit Garland) is about as consdervative as you are intelligent. He is universally respected across the political spectrum. Even the few Republicans who voted against his nomination to the D.C> Circuit claimed at the time they thought the D.C. Circuit had too many judges relative to its caseload and were not voting against him based on any concern over his qualifications.
Would you occasionally post something substantive rather than relying upon your limited Trumpian thesaurus..If other doctors in similarly situated positions at the hospital are given waivers on the clean-shaven requirement, then 100 percent certain you can keep yours as well unless there is some prior issue or unique fact pattern you didn’t mention. I’d be glad to represent you pro bono, although I suspect your hospital’s legal staff will overrule whoever on the medical staff told you to shave your beard once they hear about it.
Orech Din: Thanks for one of the best summaries of a complex and controversial topic I’ve seen. There have been “irregularities” at elections forever and given that tens of millions are voting at hundreds of thousands sites administered independently by tens of thousands of local and state election boards, the miniscule numbers of such glitches is really amazing. Obviously, the Trumpkopf’s desparate rants about problems with absentee/universal voting are a diversion, just like his rants about everything from busloads of voters being brought into New Hampshire, Antifa thugs threatening voters in Republican precincts etc. are about as phony as his hair and IQ. The real issue we should be focusing on is the rampant voter suppression going on, much of it in coordination with the RNC, now that they are freed from the restrictions previously imposed under the voting rights act.
I am told by a Buddhist friend that Judge Barrett is really David Souter reincarnated, so I will withhold judgement.
“Their indignation is the height of hypocrisy….”
I am constantly amazed at those who express surprise at politicians acting politically versus taking principled, consistent positions rooted in what is best for the public interest. Its just that the spineless Repubicans under Trump who have lost any iota of principle seem to now do it so frequently and flagrantly, it no longer seems to register on the hypocrisy meter. Romney tried today to summon his “inner Republican” voice but couldn’t go that far and seemed to say “a plague on both your houses” (although he seem to wish a bigger magafah on his Republican colleagues who he claimed were the worst offenders on his political toxicity meter.Before you physically strike a child, step back and talk to your rav or a frum professional you trust as to why you feel such a need. There are multiple peer reviewed studies showing that those who “spank” their children were themselves abused as children. דאָס עפּעלע פֿאַלט ניט װײַט פֿון בײמעלע
Sam Klein: Vote republican and remember who really runs the UNITED STATES AND THE ENTIRE WORLD
Sam….do you mean George Soros and his chevrah??
Ask any yid who holds or has sought to obtain a high level security clearance in the federal government about granting a pardon to someone who was paid to violate his oaths of secrecy to his country The fallout from this betrayal has been a continuing source of suspicion about dual loyalties for advancement ins some agencies. He is fortunate to be out of jail.
Mazel tov. So now the public face of covid denial in the United States has morphed to include armed white supremacist militias dressed in camouflage vests claiming that mask and distancing laws violate their right to get infected and infect others along along with the Tischler wing of the Chareidi tzibur in the NYC metro area dressed in yeshivish lvush who burn masks and dumpsters and scream Naziiiis at local police and first responders.
Shaking the lulav in COMBINATION with getting a good education and job skills has repeatedly been shown to increase the likelihood of earning a good parnassah. Shaking the lulav alone may not yield such outcomes (sort of like taking hydroxychloroquine without the zinc).
“The crown heights website(as well as others) won’t quit publishing cute photos of jews preparing for yom tov while not wearing masks and gathering in masses…”
Did they also publish “cute photos” of the overwhelmed members of the Crown Heights and Willy chevrah kadishahs or feature headlines like that currently running on the YWN news site regarding the morgue in EY where there are so many bodies piled up, they can no longer “close the doors”
Ben Levi: Have you ever been to the WH press room downstairs where this incident occurred?? Its part of the standard tour in case you ever get to D.C. It is literally an oversized closet with terrible ventilation. Even with the new social distancing rules and empty seats imposed by the WHCA, reporters are literally on top of one another. The WH almost always has “guests” standing around the periphery of the room (aka OAN “reporter” etc> Plus, the WH press secretary, 3 of her staff and several other Trumpkins have tested positive which shows how carefully they have been taking the mask and distancing guidelines.. The reporters take the rapid tests with high false negative rates (up to 30 percent). I you were a reporter, even before the Trumpkopf got himself sick, you would be crazy not to wear a mask in that venue, even if the Trumpkopf wanted to display his macho by telling you to take it off. Anyone who thinks he takes masks seriously is halucinating.
zip codes such as 10023 and 10471 with high percentages of frum yidden in Manhattan and the Bronx are actually testing below city average positivity rates and are not subject to any special restrictions. Clearly they are doing something right in terms of complying with public health guidelines versus the Brooklyn and Queens zip codes with much higher positivity rates and much lower compliance with mask and social distancing rules. Not too late to begin making a real effort to comply before the flu season begins and potentially serious hospitalization issues emerge. Yes, both Cuomo and deBlasio are inept in terms of how they have communicated with the frum tzibur but for now, their guidance is the same as our own rabbonin and askanim have been providing for months, apparently to no avail.
Avneck: Do you really believe that closing/relocating a few polling locations in frum neighborhoods will affect the election outcome in NYS. In any event, the Board of elections has already indicated it will provide alternative polling locations for those who want to vote in person while strongly suggesting absentee ballots for those who prefer to avoid the risk of crowds on election day.
“Do we really think Hashem won’t help us and only Tiachler et al will?
Apparently so, since so many ehrliche yidden in these neighborhoods prefer to ignore the pleas of local rabbonim and askanim and prefer to stand out on the streets at midnight with this obnoxious “activist” and yell gevalt and naziiiii and start dumpster fires. So much more effective….“Trump Says…blah, blah, blah”
Any correlation between what the Trumpkopf says (aka tweets) at one moment with what he DOES is as close to zero as statistically insignificant can be. He blindsided Munchkin who was about to get on a call with Pelosi to negotiate, than no negotiations on ANY stimulus, than several hours later he might accept “targeted” stimulus. His normal veracity seems to be further impaired by the drugs he is taken for the virus that was supposed to have magically disappeared several months ago.Rava: Brilliant idea. Only those who know they are covid-free should be allowed to take the test so yidden can “flatten the curve” and all the others who might have been exposed or show symptoms should follow the President’s advice and just “get on with their lives” and not be afraid to be infected. All those news photos of refrigerated trucks with body bags outside hospitals from several months ago were fake news. If you do get sick, the President has promised to send helicopters to Willy, BP etc and fly you to his hospital suite in Maryland where you will be treated by his personal physicians. If by some chance you are not the only one needing medical attention, you will get an overnight mail package including hydroxychloroquine (with azithromycin and zinc) and a hand written note wishing you a refuah shelamah.
Perhaps it would be easier for yidden to wear a mask and stand vuv amos apart per the guidance of public health experts, rabbonim and askanim.