I’m not denying that people haven’t been beaten over this, but that is not a widespread issue. It really really isn’t. And I think most, maybe almost all people would agree, that actually beating people for not wearing a mask is not acceptable. And if being beaten is a byproduct of being arrested for breaking gov ordinance, than maybe these BLM folks are onto to something...
Are you suggesting that people shouldn’t be arrested for breaking the rules?

@famousone Just wondering, what are the stats on illness/infection caused by wearing a mask?

Likewise.
Sharing my experience of reality, is not the same as saying it is everyone’s reality. And if that’s not what you were implying when you said, “therefore that’s the reality for everyone” I can’t imagine what you were implying.
Aside from that, alright you got me. It sounds a lot like you think people shouldn’t have to wear a mask during an actual pandemic and I responded as if that was what you were saying. Sorry, to put words in your mouth. Incidentally, it still sounds like you don’t think people (who are able) should have to wear a mask... because other health issues exist?

*wear a mask when they must go out.
Because yeah, most people really do have to go out.
But you’re over here trying say you can’t wear a mask so people shouldn’t have to, because that is your personal experience. So your experience is valid and mine clearly isn’t. That’s a hot take too.
It’s not my intention to suggest that people who aren’t aware of your medical condition don’t give you a hard time.
Though it surprises me that someone with such precarious health wouldn’t want everyone else, who is able to wear a mask, to do so if for no other reason than to protect themselves.

It’s funny because all of the people I know with actual respiratory issues stay isolated, and when they must go out, wear a mask. So I think it’s really funny when people talk about not wearing a mask for “respiratory issues.”
My dad, for example, has had lung surgery 3 times in the last 2 years. And has lymphoma affecting his lungs. He has trouble breathing. Funny enough, he can wear a mask in public.
My spouse does manual labor in 90+ degree temperatures. Wearing a mask all day is miserable. Funny enough, the day is survived and it and is just fine.
It sucks. No one wants to do it. But it’s a small thing we can do to help those in our communities. It’s not about rights. It’s about supporting one another. And, for those who cannot wear a mask, they are safer when everyone else does.

And her sister is named Robin.

Agreed

I’ll bet it smells really delicious.

Omg. Favorite series.

I wonder if you would feel differently if one of these meaningless lives that were taken, was someone close to you? If the police burst into your house because they got the wrong address and shot/killed your spouse or loved one? Police are people just like the rest of us. They make mistakes and those mistakes can cost lives. We just need to reduce that cost.

I’m not sticking up for rioters.
There are likely plenty of times where police were in a situation that justified, warranted and even required killing.
That’s not the issue. The issue is, no one should ever be murdered in their bed because the police got the wrong house. No one should ever be murdered in the street after submitting to officer subduing/beating them. No one should be murdered for calmly informing the officer they have a gun in the vehicle (isn’t that standard protocol when you have a concealed carry?).
I’m not in the defund-the-police crowd. If anything, I think they need more funding. But people who aren’t committing crimes shouldn’t have to fear officers. And for many, that fear is real and justified.

We aren’t talking about isolation forever. Kids can still stay connected, and they will be okay when it is safer to return. (They will be a lot more socially retarded if their brain function is damaged)
In the US, in all of 2019, the flu killed fewer people than COVID has in the first half of 2020 (and these numbers are reported in the same fashion, so the relationship matters).
The flu has a vaccine. COVID does not.
The flu doesn’t have the same level of long term side effects (organ dysfunction and failure, lung disability, other neurological defects). And it is important to note that these side effects are also being reported regarding individuals that were asymptomatic during the infection. So, that’s your healthy individuals that are not being impacted by the disease (that are being impacted by the disease, long term).
As for hungry kids, how is going to be better if their parents can’t work because they are sick?

No @famousone. We are listing to the CDC, the WHO and medical professionals who are actively fighting this. My brother-in-law is on a COVID team in Boston. My mother is a nurse in S Florida, my neighbor is a nurse (here in the middle of no where). These professionals have actual on the ground experience with the disease.
This isn’t political. You say we are giving into the fearmongering, but I’m not consuming news media (I actively avoid it because it’s full of the kind of sludge you’re pushing right now). I’m listening to first hand experience from friends and relatives. You’re giving into the media that is making this about politics, rights and economy. It is not. It is about public safety.
My kid doesn’t live in a bubble. Hell, he’s on a first name basis with the ER staff... you’re right, safety has a trade off. He’s a healthy, active kid—he is unlikely to die from this. But, DEATH IS NOT THE ONLY OUTCOME. Keep your politics off my kid.

Let me start by saying that I sent my kid to school (rather than homeschooling) BECAUSE of the need for adequate and diverse socialization.
That said, I would so much rather he miss out on the socialization and the education than, die or spend his life coping with dialysis or neurological damage or breathing difficulties. Especially when those things could have been prevented.

Also, according to the European Commission “ there are almost 60 GM crops approved for use which are freely bought and sold across the EU.”

There are some crops that are modified with a terminator gene. The story is that they don’t want the crop to be able to spread and naturalize or become a harmful invasive. But mostly it’s so you have to buy new seed stock every year.
That can be really problematic, but you can also avoid those specific crops. Not all GMOs have terminator genes and as I mentioned above, there are important reasons (other than pesticide use) that make GMO crops vital.

Well. I live on a farm. I’m maybe not an expert, but I know a couple things. And there are a lot of reasons to use gmo crops other than to use pesticides (we do not use pesticides).
Blight and drought tolerance are really important modifications. Some modifications increase protein and nutrient content. Some modifications allow the organism to more readily use nutrients in the soil so that extra fertilizers are not needed (fertilizers, even organic fertilizers, can be just as harmful to the environment as pesticides).
So yeah, you basically just proved the point in the post. Just like most things that humans do, it can be done to the benefit of our planet and society or to the detriment. There are millions of people who have food to eat only because of GMOs.

I think the point it is making is that Democrats don’t want Trump, so it’s silly when they say return to normal, because that’s like saying they want Trump.

You mean the whole world?

“It’s basically harmless to anyone under 60”
Nevermind the thousands of deaths (of people under 60—granted they aren’t under 24), but
DEATH ISN’T THE ONLY OUTCOME.
There are new studies showing that even people that were asymptotic are showing long term neurological effects. CHILDREN are developing chronic inflammatory disease (that leads to organ dysfunction and failure).
Also, these meaningless people that are suffering and dying are important to someone.

Apparently this is good for farming in poor/rocky soil where irrigation is an issue and also in colder climates where the increased airflow warms the soil more quickly.