Doug's Darkworld

Short answer: No. Long answer: No effing way. Trump has been telling people he expects to be reinstated into the Oval Office in August. There is literally no constitutional way this could happen. Even if it were shown that massive fraud got Biden into office, there’s no mechanism for removing Biden except impeachment. And even if that were the case, the office would go to Kamala Harris, the vice president, not Trump. An ex-president isn’t isn’t anywhere in the line of succession should Biden, Harris, etc be impeached. It’s been suggested that Trump might be reinstated by a military coup, such as happened in Myanmar. I suppose that’s possible, but it would not in any way, shape, or form be legal and constitutional. It would be the end of America’s long experiment in democracy.

Frankly seems unlikely in the extreme. At this point Trump’s star continues to fall. His blog folded after just a month, surprising no one. He says he is going to launch a social media site that will rival twitter, Facebook, etc. I’m not holding my breath. He has amply demonstrated that his management and leadership skills are zero, and as an ex-potus his influence is limited and falling. We’ll see, but at this point Trump’s base is slowly and steadily shrinking, and I’m beginning to think Trump is going to fade into obscurity like Dewey after the 1948 election, image above. No, Dewey didn’t win.

We’ll see. I have been insanely busy the past month, which has interfered with my blogging. Plus, the unreality gripping the right is a challenge to grasp. Read a serious article the other day claiming that increasing wealth inequality doesn’t exist, it’s a liberal plot to justify more government welfare programs. Their reasoning? Well, because microwaves and shit are cheap and easily available now, it means the poor are doing just fine. Right. In 1970 a person with a minimum wage job could support a family and work their way through college. Not even remotely possible now, but because microwaves are cheap it doesn’t matter? Give me a break. Adjusting the facts to fit the narrative is all the rage now on the right, I can’t see that ending well.

And back in the real universe where Biden is actually president, their fake narrative continues apace. China and Russia are the aggressors, the US is just peacefully defending the free world! In this fantasy world, two Iranian warships sailing to possibly Venezuela is somehow a big deal and a “test” for Biden. Give me a freaking break. Two Iranian warships present exactly zero threat to the US, US warships routinely sail all over the planet. Hell, the Coast Guard is sailing a ship into the Black Sea! Right, the US Coast Guard is sailing to the opposite side of the planet, but we aren’t the aggressors?

So it’s hard for me to blog. On the one hand the Trumpers are living in a “stop the steal” fantasy world. On the other hand, people on the left think that what they see on CNN etc. is real. And domestically the GOP has launched a massive attack on democracy and human rights, while the Dems give lip service to progressive values while serving the Pentagon and corporate America in spades. The right is delusional, the left is lying. While the rich get ever richer.

So yeah, maybe I should just stick to blogging about science and UFOs. Fuck that. In High School I decided that trying to understand our world and do my best to make it a better place was my reason for existing. Got a lot of pushback and funny looks then. Still do. I’m not a genius, but I’m smarter than the average bear. I may die poor and unremarked, but at least I’m trying.

And my few fans are appreciated. Comments, suggestions, feedback appreciated. Support is especially appreciated. One time donations are great. Patrons are greater. Even one good patron would let me write endlessly. People are people. Not all rich people are the enemy. Carnegie and others prove that. Stay safe and sane everyone. #getvaccienatedcovid19 #FelesRegula #dearMoonCrew

Copyright © 2021 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

(Image: A historically important image, claimed as air Use under US copyright law.)

Well, turns out wormholes might be possible after all! Woohoo! Last I heard the only way to make a wormhole requires negative energy/mass, about a Jupiter’s worth of it, which we currently can’t produce. And unless a corkscrew shaped superstring was popped right into it, the wormhole would close back up instantly. The chances that a corkscrew shaped superstring exists is also, well, unlikely. So no Deep Space Nine wormholes. Physicists aren’t going to give up on a great idea, and they came up with a new type of wormhole that doesn’t require the negative energy or the superstring! Alas, the wormhole is only traversable by atoms in a quantum state, which means we could send clumps of atoms through it, but not people.

OK, no wormholes yet, how about a warp drive, that staple of Star Trek? Yes, another breakthrough: A potential model for a real physical warp drive. Corkscrew shaped superstring? Nope. Could power a real spaceship made of normal matter? Yes. So what’s the catch? Requires the same damn planet sized amount of negative energy fitted into the spaceship. Dammit. No Federation of planets on the horizon yet.

Granted travel to nearby stars using off-the-shelf (or close to it) technology is feasible with flight times of 100 years or less. See Project Daedalus or Project Longshot. Those are both just planning concepts though, and would be mind numbingly expensive to attempt. In a more practical vein, Breakthrough Starshot was launched in 2016, and aims to send probes to nearby stars using solar sails powered by giant lasers. It would have flight times of 20 to 30 years, the pictures and data sent back would take four years to get back to Earth. So quite conceivably people alive today could live to see the first pictures sent back from probes to nearby stars. I’m gonna certainly do my best to live to see that. The 60s are the new 40s, right? A man can dream.

Speaking of travelling between stars, it’s possible that the origin of Oumuamua may have been figured out. In 2017 Oumuamua was the first interstellar visitor ever spotted zipping through the Solar System, and it was quite the mystery. Wasn’t a comet, wasn’t an asteroid, and it had a long skinny shape never before seen in any comet or asteroid. There was and is speculation that Oumuamua was an alien probe or such, but most scientists don’t find the arguments for that very convincing. Well, the mystery may have been solved: Interstellar object Oumuamua was part of a planet, not alien spaceship. The idea is that it was originally part of a planet like Pluto or Triton (a moon of Neptune,) then blasted into interstellar space by some cosmic cataclysm. And originally it was much larger, mostly made of nitrogen ice.  As Oumuamua approached the Sun the ice boiled off, leaving a progressively more flattened core the way a bar of soap turns into a flat sliver as it wears away.

Closer to Earth, the problem of Mars’s missing oceans has been solved. Mars once had a lot of surface water. Oceans’ worth actually. So what happened to it? Well, Mars doesn’t have much of a magnetic field, so while it early on had an atmosphere and oceans, the solar wind stripped it away, including the water. And we are left with the dry desert Mars we so love today. Well, it was never really established just what happened to all that water, and a new study says much or most of it may well still be on Mars, trapped in minerals in its crust. Granted mostly an academic issue, but good to know. And might have implications for ultimately terraforming Mars I suppose.

My original life plan was to become a Mars geology expert and shoot for getting on one of the first Mars missions. I was a silly young man. I also joined the service thinking I would be serving my country. That was even sillier. Now that I am older and wiser I know the answer! Star Trek! Yes, referring to the meme above, I know, that may have been the most tortured segue in history. I am always trying to expand my writing boundaries. As for the meme, it’s kind of apples and oranges. Star Wars is space opera, Star Trek is science fiction. So one can enjoy them both without having to choose.

That would be the cowards way out though, Star Trek rules! Tomorrow if all goes well, my Stonehenge mystery post. Stay safe and warm everyone. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #FelesRegula

Copyright © 2021 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

(Image: Meme found on Facebook. Credit: Looks like Imgflip.com? Used without permission, claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law.)

I am angry. I am sad. I am ashamed. I am afraid. And the first death has been reported. Now I am crying. Random observations/thoughts follow.

After hearing Trump speak, a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington today while Congress was in session certifying Biden’s electoral win. And literally overran much of the building, including offices of Senators etc. Lots of vandalism and looting. One young woman is dead. They’ve been removed from the Capitol building now, the National Guard has been called in. Trump has been blocked on Twitter and Facebook. Congress is apparently planning to finish the certification tonight. That’s what I know as of now, some shocking footage and images on TV.

Some initial observations and thoughts. If this had been any group but Trump supporters, Trump and the GOP would have been enraged beyond all reason, and accused them of every crime under the sun and demanded harsh justice. At the very least. But I see so many Trump supporters falling all over themselves to justify it. This is white privilege illustrated folks. When whites do it, acceptable protest. Black man takes a peaceful knee in protest, OMG he’s spitting on America!

Speaking of spitting on America, the people parading Confederate Flags around inside the Capitol building, you just spat and pissed in the face of every American who ever served this country. If you hate America that much, get the hell out of it. I digress.

A case can be made that Trump crossed the Rubicon today. For my readers unfamiliar with the term, That was when Caesar marched his army into Italy with the intent of dissolving the Roman Republic and installing himself as Emperor. Trump was basically doing the same thing, he rejected the results of the election and essentially urged his supporters to do what they did. He’s claiming he won the election, it was stolen from him. His claims are unsupported by any evidence (or logic,) but that’s kind of irrelevant.

What happens now? No one knows. This is a new one for the US. An incumbent president who won’t accept an election loss and encourages mob rule to retain his office. Still, rumors are already flying that the 25th amendment has already been invoked. That means that key people in Congress decided Trump is unfit to hold office and stripped him of the presidency, and Pence is now in fact the POTUS. Wouldn’t surprise me, the powers that be, IE the ultra rich, whom both parties serve, may have decided that Trump has gone too far.

And just for foreigners and future readers, yes, it’s freaking weird, that these protesters are protesting something that didn’t happen! Trump lost the election, his fantasy that a landslide victory was stolen from him is just that, a fantasy.

Watching reconvened Congress now, Rand Paul just denounced Trump. Others are doing the same. Is Trump the new Beria? Beria thought he was Stalin’s chosen successor. He overestimated his position, went to a meeting of the assembly running Russia … and member after member rose and denounced him. Like Beria, Trump didn’t get it, he needed the support of the established government to stay in power, he doesn’t have it.

The rioters today claim they are coming back tomorrow in greater numbers and with weapons. Maybe they will. God only knows what will happen. Watching Senator after Senator, including Republican Senators, praise Pence and denounce Trump and his attempt to subvert the election by mob rule, I don’t think trump’s mob has much chance.

Trump ducking stepped in it. He’s history. He’s ducking history. He’s been tossed to the wolves by the very people he’s spent his whole trying to be accepted by. He’s being called on his lies. In some ways this is brilliant, it gives Trump supporters an out. The ones who didn’t storm the Capitol today. That’s most of them.

No no no no no no. Watching history live. OMFG. Looks like Trump is toast, Senate is certifying Biden’s win, like 97 to 3 or similar. I am assuming the House will do the same. I’m gonna crash. Looks like the Trump train has derailed. Stay safe everyone. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #FelesRegula

Please be OK E.

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

(Image: Found on Facebook, attribution in image. Claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law.)

Wow. Tons of stuff is happening,Tuesday, January 5, 2020. The Georgia runoff election that will determine control of the Senate is underway, no results till 1am at least. Tomorrow the biggest street confrontation since the 68 DNC riots in Chicago. Tomorrow Congress is to certify Biden’s win. A huge Republican revolt to overturn Biden’s election is underway, but unlikely to succeed since the Dems control the House and both halves of Congress need to agree to change an election result. And Trump has called out his supporters to take to the streets. More details below, but could be a hell of a day.

I got a new patron the other day. Woohoo. So much appreciated. I realize I’ve not made it easy for people to sign on. And changes are already helping. It’s hard to break out of patterns of behavior. I spent decades looking for arrowheads, I found two. One day at a friend’s cabin in the mountains, a place I had looked for arrowheads for years, I thought, maybe I’m doing this wrong? I changed my search algorithm, went out to areas I had searched for years, and found more arrowheads in two hours than I had found in my previous life. Perspective is everything.

So, background. Trump’s refusal to accept the election results. I realized, epiphany time, this isn’t crazy. This is simply a logical extension of what the GOP has been doing for decades: making it difficult for the poor to vote because they might cheat, despite zero evidence that voter fraud is an issue in modern American elections. IE they are cheating to prevent cheating … that doesn’t exist. No different really than claiming they only lost the election because the other side cheated and then trying to overturn the election. Trump’s “Stop the steal” is  just voter suppression one level removed, but the thinking is the same.

Hope some readers can follow that. I don’t think I’m insane. More background. Computers have made modern elections essentially foolproof. To cheat big time in an election, dozens of computer systems on a local, state, and federal level would have to be compromised. Can’t be done. In the pre computer era when it was all on paper, cheating was easy. “Vote early and vote often” was in fact possible in many urban areas. Since computers made it possible to cross check all sorts of records that never could be done in the paper era, cheating is almost impossible. So even Trump’s claim is basically magical thinking, it’s not possible for cheating on his suggested level to have occured. Change my mind.

So tomorrow’s sheet show in Washington:

“The mayor has urged city residents to stay away from the downtown area while Trump supporters and far-right groups voice their displeasure with reality.”

Pretty much. That was from this article: With Pro-Trumpers ‘Intent on Bringing Firearms’ to MAGA March, DC Activates National Guard. So yes, the National Guard is deployed for tomorrow’s protest. The Proud Babies will be there, although their leader has been arrested and forbidden to go to Washington.

Eff if I know what’s going to happen tomorrow in Washington, but it may be in the top ten events in American history. I’ll blog on it no matter what happens. Stay safe everyone. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #FelesRegula

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

Image: Public Domain Snappygoat image.

Woohoo! It’s 2020! The year is starting out with a terrible pandemic raging in the US. And our president has clearly lost touch with reality since he has claimed he is Hercules reborn, and has started renaming things after himself. Washington is now Trump City for example. Oh, wait, I’m thinking Roman Emperor Commodus. Trump just thinks some sort of Chinese/Biden/libtard conspiracy cheated him out of being reelected. Well, now I know how those ancient Romans felt. And I wonder, there must have been some, how many Romans believed their Emperor Commodus was Hercules reborn?

So next Wednesday, the most anticipated riot day since the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968. No aliens yet, but 2021 is just beginning. The riots will be in Washington, where Trump is calling his supporters to protest Congress certifying Biden’s electoral college win. Yes, in fact this is one of the checks built into the crazy rube goldberg construction the American electoral college is, if a majority of both houses agree, the election could be overturned at this point. Ain’t gonna happen, but some in congress are gonna try. Fun times.

Next two posts, Lincoln and the largest mass hanging in US history, and the poison pills that are destroying America. Or something else entirely. In further tonight’s news, a pharmacist sabotaged Covid vaccination efforts. 9/11 Truthers are silly and annoying, anti-vaxxers kill. Britain has now completely left the EU, island mentality illustrated. Meh, whatever, if one believes in self determination, this is what it’s about. I think any group of people should be able to declare independence, anything less isn’t freedom, right?

2021, maybe this should be the year I write about whatever I want, so long as I think it’s helping? Since I was about ten or so, I thought, why wouldn’t someone want to use their life to make the world a better place? Isn’t that what any hypothetical good god would want? I’ve never heard any convincing alternatives to the contrary.

So someone very special to me suggested this as blog content: Kitten Jam – Turn Down For What Video (cute, funny cats/kittens dancing) (ORIGINAL) Have a great weekend everyone. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #FelesRegula

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

(Image: Attribution in image, claimed as fair use under US copyright law.)

As I wrote this blog last night, Trump was on another twitter rampage. It’s not my imagination, his behavior has been increasingly erratic. Trump’s erratic behavior continues as he halts stimulus talks and spreads falsehoods on pandemic. Not just CNN either, Fox and Friends has concerns: Fox & Friends host fumes at Trump for stimulus debacle: ‘It looks like he’s to blame now!’ Hell, even one of his own sons has concerns: Donald Trump Jr. wants ‘intervention’ in father’s COVID-19 behavior. His determination to get a vaccine before the election, overriding the FDA’s concerns, is also extremely troubling: Trump Determined to Get Vaccine Before Election, Reportedly Overrules FDA Guidelines. In conclusion, I don’t usually link to Alternet, but this has a nice overview: Trump is flying off the handle — even more than usual.

So Trump’s not having a good week. Some foolish people suggested Trump’s bout with Covid-19 might trigger a bit of humility or empathy. Yeah, that would require that Trump be a reasonably functional adult, which it seems clear to me he isn’t. I’ve always hesitated to make these sorts of judgements, but I’m thinking Trump is some sort of sociopath. His utter lack of empathy for a country ravaged by Covid-19, or worse. And his apparent inability to learn from experience. “I beat covid-19, therefore Covid-19 is no big deal and I’m the hero I say I am” is not a mature adult response to a life threatening illness. This is the article that got me wondering along these lines, an interesting read in and of itself: How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath.

In my little rural Iowa town I noticed something interesting today. I was driving around and noticed … no Trump signs. Well, one or two, but in 2016 they were everywhere. Even more curious, Biden signs all over the place. There were essentially no Clinton signs in 2016. Granted it’s not a scientific poll or such, but I’m beginning to suspect that Trump is going to get crushed in the election. At this point, suspecting that pretty much only true believers are still Trump loyalists. Most Trump voters aren’t true believers though, and with some Fox News talking heads, the Drudge Report, and numerous Republican leaders refusing to endorse Trump, his support is likely melting away. The polls are certainly looking grim for him.

We’ll see. A wild month in a wild year, but I can’t see Trump pulling off any sort of miracle recovery at this point. Last moment debate thought:

Please please please please, God, last minute debate format changed to “Chainsaws in Thunderdome.” Then it MIGHT be watchable.

Question #1 Started off with Harris not giving a straightforward answer, until the last few rushed sentences. Pence. Simply lied, everything is great! Lie, lie, lie. Insults. OK, so much for point by point response.

Pence is basically making Trump’s claim that his Covid-19 response was fantastic and saved millions of lives, and Harris is all about arguing points about who knew what when. Instead of “When are you going to start fighting Covid-19 instead of making America a Covid-19 sanctuary country? Up to a thousand people a day are dying, one of the top five mass death events in US history, when is Trump going to do something about that?” Bringing up Bob Woodward isn’t helping Harris’s cause.

I’ll try to watch more. It all so far seems like the usual joint press conference, both more or less ignoring the questions and trying to cram in as many talking points in as they can. Pence spinning the Trumptopia fantasy that Trump made everything great, when most of what he did was transfer money upwards by the trillions. Pence is the ultimate yes man, Trump’s Martin Bormann and Josef Goebbels rolled into one. The perfect Trump cheerleader. Gotta give him his props.

Pence: “There’s no excuse for what happened to George Floyd.” No Mr Pence, there’s no excuse for a cop murdering George Floyd. That’s the ultimate expression of male and white superiority, bad things just happen to people. Blacks are being unjustly killed, not cops are murdering blacks. Women are being raped, not rapists are raping women. The passive voice about victims justifies the aggressor, it’s part of the problem. Using it denies the problem, shame on you Mr Pence.

I watched as much as I could. I now loathe Pence, the perfect apologist for a failed administration. I’m underwhelmed by Harris, but I doubt I could do better. The fact checkers are already ripping into Pence, though Harris had a few whoppers. I guess at first pass, a null event. Nobody won, but science and reality lost. Might well be the epitaph for the America we grew up in.

I changed the image at the last second, Pence apparently had a fly land on his head. The perfect image for a seventies horror flick where Pence was secretly demon spawn. Thanks for reading the rambling thoughts of a dying blogger. A blog a day until the election and beyond! Stay frosty people. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #FelesRegula

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved.

(Image: A screen capture from the debate, attribution unknown, claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law.)

I’ve come to a few conclusions about the whole QAnon phenomena. And phenomena it is, QAnon is a conspiracy theory that emerged in 2017, and has spread like wildfire since: QAnon spreads across globe, shadowing COVID-19.  Both here in America and internationally. What is the QAnon theory? Basically that a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles running a global child sex-trafficking ring is plotting against President Donald Trump, who is battling them, leading to a “day of reckoning” (the storm) involving the mass arrest of journalists and politicians. Soros and the Clintons are supposedly deeply involved. And not just pedophilia, the cabal is sacrificing children for their nefarious purposes, some suggesting they are harvesting something from them to rejuvenate the leaders of the cabal. World domination of course is the cabal’s goal.

Whew, breathtaking, isn’t it? What do I think? I remained unconvinced. Proponents of QAnon have yet to produce any actual evidence, until they do I will remain skeptical. That being said, one of the things that was just brought to my attention is that the QAnon theory is nothing new. For all practical purposes this theory emerged in Russia in 1903 called “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” That was a text purporting to be a factual account of a secret Jewish plot to rule the world. Including, get this, sacrificing non-Jewish children to use their blood in Jewish rituals. The protocols were certainly instrumental in inspiring/justifying a number of anti Jewish pogroms in Russia before World War Two. After the war it gained global currency, and was popularized by such people as Henry Ford and one Adolf Hitler. Basically QAnon is pretty much Hitler’s theory that a secret Jewish cabal was running the world, and all Jews were in on it: QAnon is a Nazi Cult, Rebranded.

Is Trump Hitler? No. Hitler would have despised Trump, Trump would have envied Hitler and vied for his approval. I digress. What scares me, is that unlike most conspiracy theories, QAnon has teeth and legs. And it’s arising at a very scary time in America. By legs, I mean there are already QAnon supporting GOP politicians, and more all the time. It’s going mainstream, at least in GOP circles. And by teeth I mean QAnon actually identifies enemies to be eliminated. 

And I’m not just talking about Jews. Unfortunately for the past few decades at least, many on the right have been preaching that liberals are the enemy. Little better than, if not in league with, Godless commies who want to destroy America. And they’re stupid! Rush Limbaugh, a wondrous font of hating all things liberal, once said that two liberals should be kept on display in every town so people can see what they were like. And QAnon brings it one step deeper, liberals are actually a Satanic cult out to destroy true humanity. Which would be Trump supporters of course, defenders of a “great” America..

There’s no mystery why Trump’s base stays with him no matter what. He’s on their side, and QAnon reinforces that in spades. So I’m scared what will happen if push comes to shove. Trump is already talking about a third term, as if the second was a guarantee. And the election is already showing plenty of signs of being fubarded. I’ve gotten four forms in the mail to send in to request an absentee ballot. I mean, wtf? The crash and burn of the Iowa caucuses this spring was an ill omen. Election from hell coming up.

So, a second civil war in the offing in America? Trump’s base is definitely outnumbered, but nothing a handful of nukes in CA and NY wouldn’t fix. Crazy talk I know. If in 1939 one suggested Hitler was going to gas millions and start wars that would kill tens of millions, most would have called that crazy talk too. I dunno, I wonder if we’re heading down a path we’ve been before. That’s why I reference Sauron. He was the protagonist in The Lord of the Rings, an evil being who was reborn periodically and wreaked havoc and death on the world. I’m not saying Trump is Sauron or Hitler, I’m saying the times periodically create Saurons and Hitlers 

And QAnon sure makes me wonder if those times are back.  I hope people keep their cool and we muddle through Covid-19, the election, the fires, and everything else. I fear though we’ve already reached a tipping point and things will get vastly worse before they get better. Reality bats last, and most Americans seem to have lost sight of that. Stay safe everyone. Share, likes, comments appreciated. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #InsanusTempora

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved. 

(Image: Aftermath of the Armenian genocide during World War One. Credit: Unknown, Public Domain under US copyright law.)

9/9/2020. I made this illustration for yesterday’s post, and then the first bad news about the Sturgis superspreader event came out, and I just had to write about that. Hopefully no horrible news will supersede today’s post. Though getting used to it, so maybe I’ll just shoehorn it in as it happens. Fun times.

So yes, the illustration at the right is just one of the many metrics one can find that shows that 1980 is when the USA started going down the tubes. Before then rising tides did raise all ships, after that the gains in the economy pretty much were all siphoned upwards. And here we are today with wealth inequality in the US at mind numbing levels, and no end in sight. Until Americans understand just how thorough economic injustice is in the USA, I don’t see it changing. 

And not only is economic injustice the way of America, the left side of the illustration shows just how sketchy the current economy is for many Americans. And yet nothing is going to be done. The GOP ruled Senate has declined any further stimulus. You’re on your own Americans, Washington is going to protect the rich, everyone else is disposable apparently. Trump has apparently decided even our lives are disposable, bear with me, I’ll get back to that.

In some breaking “news” Trump was accused of deliberately playing down the threat of Covid-19 earlier this year: Trump deliberately played down virus, Woodward book says. I say “news” because it’s not exactly a surprise. I was there, Trump repeatedly claimed Covid-19 was no big deal and it would all go away soon. I especially liked “It will all be gone by Easter!” So there’s zero question Trump played down the severity of Covid-19, hell, he still is for all practical purposes. So did he do it deliberately or out of ignorance? Either is an utter fail for the POTUS. Giving the public clear accurate information is the most important thing a government can do to fight a public health crisis. It was Trump’s one job when Covid-19 arrived, he failed.

And then this news … Trump has apparently ordered an end to Covid-19 screening at international airports: White House orders end to COVID-19 airport screenings for international travelers. Right, at a time when the US desperately needs to launch a coordinated national testing/tracking/quarantine system to fight an out of control pandemic … Trump is halting one of the few feeble efforts he made to fight Covid-19. He’s basically admitting Covid-19 is so out of control in the US that letting more infected people in makes no difference? WTF?

I’m going with Trump has decided to just let Covid-19 run its course in America, hoping that that and a vaccine will get us to herd immunity; then Trump can claim victory, problem solved. What’s a few hundred thousand dead Americans, and millions more with permanent Covid-19 health issues? And a cost to the economy in the tens, or hundreds, of billions? We’re gonna find out apparently. My guess, Trump’s magical plan to end Covid-19 will end as well as Hitler’s magical plan to save the German Sixth Army surrounded in Stalingrad. 

A reader asked what I think of the Abraham Accord. I haven’t looked into it much, though from what I’ve seen I take a dim view. Still, I’ll try to keep an open mind and look into it. It got Trump nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, so it must mean something, right? (That was a joke, anyone can be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Obama got one just for being elected, so the bar is pretty low.) 

So no time traveller emails yet. Here’s a weird theory, hey, it’s the End Times, might as well share. So if star travelling aliens exist, IE long term technological civilization is possible and more or less inevitable, then … they’re already here. Aliens from galactic scale distances could have spotted life on Earth a billion years ago, our own technology is rapidly approaching that level of remote scanning technology. They’d have spotted us, and assuming they are interested in living planets, their probes and AIs have been here all along. And are here now. 

And what better way to study a culture than from the inside? Presumably they can access all of our online presence, they’d have computer technology millions of years in advance of ours. So why wouldn’t they have Facebook accounts and web sites? Human anthropologists exist, why not alien ones? Not sure how to go about detecting same, but like my invitation to future time travellers reading this, any alien AI wants to drop me an email, I’d love to correspond. 

World news post coming up. Stay safe everyone, don’t catch Covid-19, bad idea. Comments, shares, likes appreciated. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask #InsanusTempora

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved. 

(Image: Self explanatory. Credit: Robert Reich and what the url on the right image says. Used without permission, but I think legally under US Copyright law. Facebook grabs.)