The Frankish Reich

So even if true (and yeah, right) I guess it would be something like this: - Trump to Nancy, pre-Mall rally: “I gotta tell you, Nancy, my people are pretty fired up and I can’t control what they might try to do” - Trump at the rally: “we’re (sic; he meant “you’re”) going to go to THE CAPITOL …” (he went to the WH and watched it on TV) - Trump extended family (Don Jr having made himself a witness, Ivanka having been disappeared, Eric being not trusted to sound like anything other than a moron, and that other one having wasted a perfectly good Georgetown Law slot that some deserving kid could’ve had while she now “wonders” if taking the bar exam is worthy of her talents) now trotted out to say, “See we warned you! I can’t control what my “low class” followers might do when I egg them on” And this form of idiotic PR actually works on his followers … or maybe they just pretend it works because they won’t admit that they actually wanted to mob to “get” Nancy and their own Mikey.

That’s why god created Peloton. And nice weather to actually bike outside.

OK, to better understand these responses I will categorize them, ranging from completely unhinged, to almost reasonable in theory but ridiculous in application, to utterly ignorant and willfully stupid. Category A - The Qovid Brigade. Characterized by extreme paranoia and sometimes oblique references to sinister forces that “created” the virus, that are using it for world domination, that they are using vaccines to implant chips in you (the old version) or to permanently rearrange your DNA (the nouveau edition), etc. Generally harmless, often amusing, that is until stirred up by certain Trumps or Flynns, spun around a few times, and pointed in the general direction of the Capitol with pointy flagpoles and (Trump’s term) trashy appearances. Category B - The Un-Self-Aware Marxist. You may recognize this type in the wild by frequent references to “Big Pharma” and a bizarre fixation with how many shots you may need to maintain a reasonable level of immunity. They do not realize they are often parroting standard Marxist critiques of capitalism; this lack of self-awareness is apparent as soon as you read their anti-wokeness/anti-CRT posts. Like all true conspiracists, every data point just proves their theory. We learn that immunity begins to fade after 4 months and a booster may be needed? The ordinary observer says, “well, yes, I guess that’s to be expected with a novel virus and a new vaccine - we will continue to learn with experience.” The Cat B conspiracist will instead say, “Hah! They suckered you in with that first shot or two, told you you’d be good, and now they spring a third shot on you; funny how it’s all good for Big Pharma’s business plan.” Likewise mutations in the virus are immediately suspect: even if they didn’t create them, they are exploiting them to make you continue to buy their products. This group is therefore susceptible to bad or quack remedies (“you know why they’re hiding that horse dewormer from us; it’s because they can’t make enough money off selling that”) even though they will likely support quack remedy peddler Dr. Oz in his run for the Senate. Category C - The Poor Man’s Chomskyite. Harder to recognize, but not so hard when you know what to look for. It is straight out of the Manufacturing Consent playbook. Unlike Cat A or Cat B specialists, this type doesn’t focus on individual villains like Bill Gates or even on specific corporate entities like Big Pharma. It is somewhat more sophisticated, suggesting there’s a deep state infecting all our institutions in which compliance with silly little annoyances (hey, get yer COVID vaccine along with your flu shot and your viagra or birth control prescriptions!; hey, put on a mask when you leave that restaurant table to go to the restroom!) are only there to lower your resistance to state power and to create a compliant society. First they came for the mask wearers, but I didn’t really mind wearing a mask so I didn’t protest. Then they came for the unvaccinated, but I get all my vaccines anyway so I didn’t protest. Now they’re coming to try to make me watch MSNBC and like it, and it’s too late to stop them!! Category D - The COVID Luddites. These folks often blend seamlessly into the other categories. But here’s what separates them: an intense fear of progress and an even more intense distrust of science and technology. They could not continue on this path if they had sufficient training in the scientific method and statistical inference. They say things like, “50 percent of people hospitalized with COVID were vaccinated, so obviously the vaccine is utterly useless” and when you explain their error there is not even the faintest glimmer of recognition. All Categories are impervious to logic, although in different ways. A and B share the true conspiracy nut’s zeal; just try convincing a 9/11 truther that some sinister force other than Islamic militant wasn’t behind it. C is a little more open to reason, but is kind of the opposite side of the critical race theory adherent - he just can’t see beyond his pat explanation for what makes the world go around. D Is truly a hopeless cause. He knows not and knows not that he knows not. He lacks the patience or ability (or both) to learn.

You are ignoring my point. Bad policies are everywhere. Bad policy is not “evil.” Mask mandates in many (I’d say most) situations are bad policy because the evidence that they substantially reduce transmission is weak. Wearing a mask is not so onerous that it somehow vaults into the category of “evil” or “a horrific intrusion on my civil liberties.” As i said, it’s akin to making a chef wear a chef’s hat. Or depending on the establishment, a trucker cap. The state has always in America had the power to create rules governing the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. And if the voters don’t like those rules they can vote their politicians out, or as Reaganites used to say, vote with their feet. I hear some people here have found El Dorado in DeSantisland. Hop on the train.

Well, you guys are the ones all worked up about masks. So if they're not a horrific intrusion on your freedoms, I'm not sure why you incessantly post about masks. I didn't say I believed "masking up children is necessary." In fact, I think in most places and times it isn't. It's probably overall a bad idea. But a "bad idea" or "bad policy" isn't exactly a new thing. Again, on the grand scale of things, it's just not that big a deal. Elected governments and their appointed officers decide that public health is best served by requiring masks. So what? Vote for someone else to be on your school board. Where I live that's exactly what happened - a Colorado school board was basically tossed out because (wait for it ....) the parents were all worked up about a mask requirement. Chef Jim, I imagine at one point or another you were required to wear a chef hat in your commercial kitchens. So ... why wasn't that the WORST THING EVER? The level of paranoia about this is just idiotic. It's a policy decision, one that is made as part of a public healthy cost/benefit calculation, that you may think is warranted or unwarranted. Just like hundreds of other policy decisions. Yet this one is part of some diabolical scheme to ... to what? Same with vaccine mandates. A public choice. I needed vaccines to go to school. My kids needed vaccines to go to school. Now all of a sudden it's akin to a satanic plot to require a vaccine. People need to grow up.

Well if you think something relatively innocuous like being required to wear a mask is a horrific intrusion on your freedoms, yes.

I assume you are a hard libertarian then. Take the test, tell me your score. http://www.bcaplan.com/cgi-bin/purity.cgi

Why? I had older kids in school with masks. I knew families with younger kids in schools with masks. There was certainly some grumbling from parents of the younger kids (the older kids didn’t seem bothered at all; some actually seemed to like it for whatever teenager reason), but no one told me it was some awful thing that destroyed life as we used to know it. So I’m not all bent out of shape by certain schools requiring masks. And that makes me evil? I personally think a lot of mask requirements are stupid. The restaurant thing is absurd. But it’s an annoyance of life that I have no huge issue dealing with. It isn’t like wearing a burkha or even (as was common in bygone days) needing to wear a hat to be considered properly attired. It’s kind of like the 55 mph speed limit that I remember from the 1980s. The one that caused Sammy Hagar to write the stupidest protest song in history.

I didn’t say masks for school kids were necessary in all cases. I don’t think they are. What I did say is that this is hardly the biggest civil liberties issue ever. I just can’t understand the level of vitriol.

Then why are people grumbling nonstop about masks in schools like it’s akin to girls under the Taliban wearing a burkha? And yes, there always is a genetic component.

Why are we not “built for cold weather?” 1. Because most Bills games are NOT played in cold or inclement weather. 2. Because a team “built for cold weather” would necessarily sacrifice some of its warm/fair weather capabilities (think “we’ll sign that pricey fullback instead of that speedy wide receiver”) 3. Because if we ever do make the Super Bowl again, it will almost certainly be played in a warm weather location or a dome (the one Meadowlands game being the sole exception).

If your kids are unable to learn with a mask, that would seem to be a you problem.

I thought we wanted the Browns to lose. 2 cheers for the NFL COVID protocols! Next thing you know they’ll be complaining that I am being “forced” to work at home.

Since when does claiming a vaccine is 90 or 95% effective against contracting a severe disease = a claim that one is “curing” a disease? You people are so eager to play this game of gotcha that you’ve left any semblance of logic far behind.

Where’s Ivanka? Wasn’t she the smart one?

I dunno, but maybe in first place?

I like limiting PI penalties to 25 yards, but doesn’t there also need to be something like the NBA “clear path” foul or the hockey penalty shot? You can’t incentivize a DB to tackle a WR who’s got him beat 40 yards downfield. And doing that just injects more uncertainty/judgement into the process.

??? Per target?

I used to be of the "miscast as a MLB, should be moved outside" school. But like you I'm just not seeing any playmaking ability, and I don't think that will be coming. He plays a fairly passive LB, effective in containing the outside run/screen game, but that's not a big money guy in today's NFL. So am I wrong in wishing we had a Preston Brown on this team now? 😁

I don't know about everybody else, but I am thrilled to see the return of the "we need a tall physical WR" thread. Next up: the Play Jake Kumerow thread, previously known as the Play Duke Williams thread. Serious comment: yeah, we kind of need that guy, unless Gabe is that guy. I would love a 2nd TE right about now even more since I kinda sorta think blocking is an area of need too. Wow, that's ... really bad. Particularly Sanders.

Thanks. I do see more than a little of rookie year Josh in him. If I'm a Bears fan (now that's a horrible thought) I want them to give him well into his 3rd season before even thinking about moving on.

How were they 5-1 in one-score games last year? Did they get dumber? I will say it's luck until someone proves otherwise.

Tell me what I should be thinking about Justin Fields. The next Josh Allen? Or the next big bust? I really can't make up my mind.

And we finally get the 1st punt return TD this year, in Week 14.

He's a mystery to me. You look at that athleticism and it screams "playmaker." But the way he plays tends to be the opposite. I really don't know what to make of him. Example: I think he had 12 tackles today? That's a lot. Were all of them downfield? Seems like it.