FREE WHITEWATER

Daily Bread, Ethics, Liberty, Public Health, Reasoning, Religion, Vaccines

Daily Bread for 9.6.21: Formation, Moral

by  • 

Good morning.

Labor Day in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 78. Sunrise is 6:26 AM and sunset 7:19 PM, for 12h 53m 11s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 0.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 2008, the federal government takes control of the two largest mortgage financing companies in the US, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Conservative evangelical David French writes It’s Time to Stop Rationalizing and Enabling Evangelical Vaccine Rejection (‘There is no religious liberty interest in refusing the COVID vaccine’):

As we approach nine months of vaccine availability and nine months of flood-the-zone coverage of vaccine safety and efficacy, it is clear that much (though certainly not all) of our remaining refusal problem is not one of information but one of moral formation itself. The very moral framework of millions of our fellow citizens—the way in which they understand the balance between liberty and responsibility—is gravely skewed.

To understand the skew, it’s first necessary to understand the proper balance, and while we have vaccine endorsements from Christian leaders from across the Catholic/Protestant spectrum, we also have guidance from church fathers—individuals who no one can claim have caved to some “establishment” or are motivated by supposed invites to mythical beltway “cocktail parties.” For example, read these famous words from Martin Luther, written during a plague in his own time:

Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.

The balance is clear. It is incumbent on the Christian to take care of themselves, including by taking medicine “in order not to become contaminated” (a nice definition of a vaccine before vaccines were invented). To the extent that he or she takes risks, those risks should be on behalf of others. As a person created in the image of God, taking care of yourself is an independent good. Taking care of yourself so that you can care for others is an even nobler good.

Christian vaccine refusal not only rejects self-care, it enhances risks to innocent and vulnerable neighbors. Even vaccinated people can catch relatively rare breakthrough cases. And every person—regardless of vaccination status—is vulnerable to the strains placed on a region’s hospitals when COVID runs rampant.

I also fear that the relentless right-wing political focus on religious liberty has obscured two realities—that our liberties have limits when they collide with the rights of others, and that the exercise of our liberty carries with it profound moral responsibility.

The idea that liberty has limits is inherent in the American social compact. Think of our founding Declaration—“that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Through more than two centuries of controversy and progress, our classical liberal legal system is learning to harmonize these three unalienable rights.

I have liberty, yes, but my liberty does not extend to taking or endangering your life

French continues:

And let’s be honest and clear. The majority of Christians seeking religious exemptions are using religion as a mere pretext for their real concern—be it fear of the shot or the simple desire to do what they want. In speaking to my religious liberty lawyer friends, the vast majority of those requesting a religious exemption to the COVID vaccine don’t come from the tiny religious sects that historically reject conventional medicine. In fact, they don’t even object to all vaccines, just this vaccine. A sincere desire not to take a shot does not equate with a sincere expression of orthodox Christian faith.

David French writes these words — and his whole essay is worth reading — as an evangelical conservative.  This mainline Protestant, libertarian blogger agrees: Christianity imposes obligations on believers, and in any event, libertarianism is not libertinism. 

People of any belief are free to assert as they wish, but vaccine refusal simply doesn’t rest on a traditional Christian foundation.

‘Christian’ assertions of vaccine refusal are an example of inadequate moral formation.

Lion cub celebrates her 2-month birthday in Bioparc Zoo in France:

Boosterism, Daily Bread, Philosophy, Tragic Optimism

Daily Bread for 9.5.21: Tragic Optimism as an Alternative to Toxic Positivity

by  • 

Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 80. Sunrise is 6:25 AM and sunset 7:21 PM, for 12h 56m 02s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 2.8% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1781, after the Battle of the Chesapeake, the British Navy is repelled by the French Navy, contributing to the British surrender at Yorktown.

Scott Barry Kaufman writes of The Opposite of Toxic Positivity (“Tragic optimism” is the search for meaning during the inevitable tragedies of human existence, and is better for us than avoiding darkness and trying to “stay positive”):

Countless books have been written on the “power of gratitude” and the importance of counting your blessings, but that sentiment may feel like cold comfort during the coronavirus pandemic, when blessings have often seemed scant. Refusing to look at life’s darkness and avoiding uncomfortable experiences can be detrimental to mental health. This “toxic positivity” is ultimately a denial of reality. Telling someone to “stay positive” in the middle of a global crisis is missing out on an opportunity for growth, not to mention likely to backfire and only make them feel worse. As the gratitude researcher Robert Emmons of UC Davis writes, “To deny that life has its share of disappointments, frustrations, losses, hurts, setbacks, and sadness would be unrealistic and untenable. Life is suffering. No amount of positive thinking exercises will change this truth.”

The antidote to toxic positivity is “tragic optimism,” a phrase coined by the existential-humanistic psychologist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. Tragic optimism involves the search for meaning amid the inevitable tragedies of human existence, something far more practical and realistic during these trying times. Researchers who study “post-traumatic growth” have found that people can grow in many ways from difficult times—including having a greater appreciation of one’s life and relationships, as well as increased compassion, altruism, purpose, utilization of personal strengths, spiritual development, and creativity. Importantly, it’s not the traumatic event itself that leads to growth (no one is thankful for COVID-19), but rather how the event is processed, the changes in worldview that result from the event, and the active search for meaning that people undertake during and after it.

….

The human capacity for resiliency is quite remarkable and underrated. A recent study surveyed more than 500 people from March to May 2020. It found that even during those terrifying early months of the pandemic, more than 56 percent of people reported feeling grateful, which was 17 percent higher than any other positive emotion. Those who reported feeling more grateful also reported being happier. What’s more, even more people—69 percent of respondents—reported expecting to feel grateful two to three months in the future.

I believe that an overlooked route to gratitude is exposure to difficult circumstances. There are many basic advantages of life itself that we too often take for granted. After all, humans have a natural tendency to adapt and become used to situations that are relatively stable. When individuals become aware that their advantages are not guaranteed, many then come to appreciate them more. As the writer G. K. Chesterton put it, “Until we realize that things might not be, we cannot realize that things are.”

Needless to say, there have been many with perspectives of tragic optimism long before Viktor Frankl coined the term, and there are different formulations of the perspective. (It has both religious and secular varieties.)

Indeed, much of FREE WHITEWATER is a critique of the boosterism — the accentuation of the positive without regard to real conditions — of some in Whitewater before, during, and after the Great Recession.

As much as FREE WHITEWATER is a libertarian blog, it’s also the website of a tragic optimist with a mainline Protestant formation.

Kaufman writes of tragic optimism as the opposite of toxic positivity, and he’s correct. It’s also, as he contends, a worthy alternative perspective with philosophical and practical advantages.

How Steinway Grand Pianos Are Made:

Daily Bread, Legislature, Litigation, Public Health, UW Madison, UW System, Vaccines, WISGOP

Daily Bread for 9.4.21: Nass Digs In

by  • 

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will see showers with a high of 73. Sunrise is 6:24 AM and sunset 7:22 PM, for 12h 58m 51s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 7.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1882, the Pearl Street Station in New York City becomes the first power plant to supply electricity to paying customers.

 Devi Shastri reports GOP divided over whether to push UW System on COVID rules, with Nass digging in and others siding with Thompson:

Republicans already appeared divided over how far to go in confronting the University of Wisconsin System — specifically former Governor Tommy Thompson — over setting its COVID-19 policies.

On Thursday, the split widened.

First, UW System interim President Thompson and UW Regent President Edmund Manydeeds III sent a letter to the Republican leaders of the Legislature’s rules committee confirming they would not come to the committee for permission before implementing such steps as mandatory testing and mask rules on UW campuses.

Then state Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, issued a statement saying he supports the UW System’s ability to make its own decisions about how to control the spread of COVID-19 on campuses.

Finally, state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, capped the day by saying he’ll formally ask State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, to take the state university system to court.

 ….

“I do not support a legal challenge by the State Legislature to UW-System’s COVID-19 mitigation measures,” Cowles said. “During this ongoing workforce shortage that’s bound to only maintain or intensify, tying the hands of one of our state’s most powerful workforce development tools and driving decisions that could cancel or limit in-person instruction doesn’t seem to be in the best interests of our local communities or business sector.”

None of this sits well with Nass, a relentless critic of the UW System and opponent of COVID protocols.

His chief of staff, Mike Mikalsen, said Thursday it was “unfortunate” that Cowles did not support suing.

“Last year, the Legislature went to court to end unlawful Covid-19 mandates issued by Governor Evers’ Department of Health Services,” Mikalsen said in an email. “Senator Nass opposes unlawful Covid-19 mandates issued by any state agency regardless of if they are led by a Democrat appointee or a former Republican governor.”

Later, Nass added he thought some of his colleagues had “gone soft” and would only oppose the mandates when they were “issued by the other party.”

No surprises here: Nass will fight until the last dog dies, but the WISGOP (hardly a ‘soft’ bunch) has both the disruption of litigation and a possible —if not probable —legal loss to consider.  See Steve Nass: Troll-King in Autumn, Nass, Again, and Thompson Dares Nass in Front of 5.8 Million People.

 Ida from space, SpaceX landing & Mars sampling in Video From Space Weekly highlights:

Daily Bread, Public Health, UW Madison, UW System, Vaccines

Daily Bread for 9.3.21: UW-Madison Reports 90% Vaccinated

by  • 

Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with a high of 71. Sunrise is 6:22 AM and sunset 7:24 PM, for 13h 01m 40s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 13.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1777, during the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge, the Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time.

 Kelly Meyerhofer reports UW-Madison reports 90% of campus fully vaccinated even without vaccine mandate:

Nine out of every 10 members of the UW-Madison campus community are fully vaccinated — even without mandating students and employees to get the shot, the university reported Thursday.

“I’m proud of our students and employees for taking this important step to protect themselves and others,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in announcing the figures. “And I’m grateful to our staff, who worked tirelessly to achieve these results.”

The data as of Wednesday show:

  • 88% of students are fully vaccinated, and 91% have received at least one dose.
  • 92% of employees working on the main Madison campus are fully vaccinated, including 99% percent of faculty.
  • 92% of students living in dorms are fully vaccinated, and 94% have received at least one dose.

UW-Madison officials verified the rates through on-campus vaccination records and submitted documentation of off-campus vaccinations.

….

Vaccination rates at UW-Madison far outpace the statewide average. Only 62% of Wisconsin adults were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to the state health department. That same day, the state recorded 2,370 new cases, 106 hospitalizations and 11 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

….

Just two other University of Wisconsin System campuses have reported vaccination rates to date.

UW-La Crosse on Wednesday became the first to meet a 70% student vaccination goal set by interim System President Tommy Thompson as part of his “70 for 70” campaign. The achievement unlocks at least seven $7,000 scholarships from the System.

If other UW campuses don’t meet the 70% goal by mid-October, more La Crosse students could receive scholarships. Altogether, the System is distributing 70 scholarships raffle-style.

UW-Eau Claire reported on Monday that 52% of students were vaccinated, according to its COVID-19 dashboard.

Other UW campuses declined to share their data when asked by the State Journal last week, saying students were just returning and reporting it to their schools. Spokespeople said they expect to announce their campus vaccination rates by mid-September.

An institution can achieve high, voluntary vaccination rates if its members are properly acculturated to the benefits of vaccination.

Queensland Catcher Helps Rescue Beached Sea Snakes:

Cats

Friday Catblogging: Cat Rescues Octogenarian Who Fell into Ravine

by  • 

Mira Pitofsky reports An elderly woman went missing after falling down a ravine. Her cat led rescuers to her:

A cat in the United Kingdom rescued his 83-year-old owner after she fell into a ravine by attracting the attention of bystanders with his meowing.

Police in Bodmin, located in Cornwall, England, shared on Facebook last week that officers were searching for the missing woman on Saturday. But she was located by a “member of the public” who spotted the woman’s cat “meowing in the corner of a large maize field near to her home address.”

“The elderly female had fallen approximately 70 ft down a very steep embankment, with incredibly difficult access and uneven terrain,” police shared on Facebook.

After the black cat, named Piran, drew attention to his lost owner, emergency officials pulled her up to a field before taking her to a hospital via air ambulance.

“Piran the cat saved the day!” police in Bodmin shared.

Conservation, Daily Bread, Nature, State Government

Daily Bread for 9.2.21: Wolf Quotas by ‘Amateur Auction’

by  • 

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 79. Sunrise is 6:21 AM and sunset 7:26 PM, for 13h 04m 28s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 21.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets at 6 PM.

 On this day in 1945, the Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japan and the major warring powers aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

 Paul Smith writes Natural Resources Board set itself up for a lawsuit by failing to take more measured approach to wolf kill quota:

When wildlife protection groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in an effort to stop the fall Wisconsin wolf hunting and trapping season, it was as much of a surprise as the sun rising over Lake Michigan.

It was going to happen. The only question was when.

The Natural Resources Board seemed to beg to be taken to court over wolf management when at its Aug. 11 meeting it voted 5-2 to set a kill quota of 300 wolves for the November season.

The decision overruled biologists and wildlife managers with the Department of Natural Resources, who had recommended a quota of 130.

And the board’s number was seemingly plucked from the air.

Wolf issues are more contentious even than those surrounding white-tailed deer.

Wolves have been see-sawing between federal protections of the Endangered Species Act and state management for more than a decade. Litigation on wolves is nothing new.

So if some board members were going to disregard a plan presented by DNR professionals, you’d think they would have offered strong, science-based reasoning.

But the meeting proceeded like some sort of amateur auction, starting with a motion to set the quota at 504 and dropping to 350 before a majority agreed to 300.

The world was watching, of course.

In less than three weeks, groups including Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife and Project Coyote organized to file Tuesday’s lawsuit in Dane County.

Wisconsin’s wolf-quota process has become a national topic. Accompanying the mere power to set a quota should have been a reasoned approach, lacking here.

 Triceratops Fossils Expected to Sell for $1.7M:

Daily Bread, Elections, Presidential race 2020

Daily Bread for 9.1.21: Not Skewed

by  • 

Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 78. Sunrise is 6:20 AM and sunset 7:28 PM, for 13h 07m 16s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 29.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets at 5 PM.

 On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany and Slovakia invade Poland, beginning the European phase of World War II.

Patrick Marley reports Ron Johnson says the Wisconsin presidential results were ‘not skewed’ in a conversation with a woman posing as a conservative:

As Wisconsin Republicans in recent days widened a review of the presidential election, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson told a woman the only reason Donald Trump lost the state was because he didn’t perform as well as other GOP candidates on the ballot.

The Oshkosh Republican made the comment to a liberal activist who posed as a conservative at a Republican event held Sunday. She posted a video of their exchange on Twitter on Tuesday.

“There’s nothing obviously skewed about the results,” Johnson said.

He noted Republicans collectively received more votes in races for other offices.

“If all the Republicans voted for Trump the way they voted for the Assembly candidates, he would have won,” Johnson said. “He didn’t get 51,000 votes that other Republicans got, and that’s why he lost.”

Johnson’s right about this, of course. Why he’s departing from the GOP and WISGOP conspiracy theories on the election — when he has endorsed and pushed other party-line consipracy theories — one cannot say.

 Tonight’s Sky for September:

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 8.31.21: Waukesha Schools Reverse Course on Meals Program

by  • 

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 80. Sunrise is 6:19 AM and sunset 7:29 PM, for 13h 10m 04s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 38.6% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe.

Rory Linnane reports Waukesha school board reverses decision to cut universal free meals: 

Waukesha school board members reversed their controversial decision to leave a federal free meals program with a split vote Monday, following national uproar andlocal protests.

In an incendiary meeting with two lively overflow rooms, debate ranged from the finer points of feeding students to ideological arguments linking free meals to mask mandates and critical race theory.

Board members voted 5-4 to rescind their previous decision, and opt to participate this school year in the federally funded program that has already been providing free breakfast and lunch to all students in response to the pandemic.

The district had been the only eligible district in the state to opt out of the program, according to the state Department of Public Instruction.

Superintendent James Sebert asked board members to reconsider their previous decision, noting the program would help families “experiencing situational poverty due to the pandemic” who might not qualify for free meals under the district’s traditional program.

….

Some said if the board reversed course, it would be giving in to a “hateful mob” and giving over power to the federal government.

“It’s time for parents and community members to start paying attention to the forces at work here,” board member Kelly Piacsek said. “When the federal government is responsible for feeding all students at all times regardless of need, they have ultimate authority and we don’t need local school boards anymore.”

Piacsek, who was interrupted by applause as she spoke, said it wasn’t “about food anymore,” but about national influences on local school boards. She likened the debate to those about structural racism and COVID precautions.

(See generally Krista Ruffini, Schoolwide free-meal programs fuel better classroom outcomes for students. The program Waukesha initially rejected, but has now adopted, has lower barriers of entry for hungry students. See Daily Bread for 8.26.21: Waukesha School District Fails Even Before the Day Begins.)

Slippery slope arguments are typically unpersuasive. Piacsek’s is notable, however, as a conservative populist concern with imagined consequences that have nothing to do with providing the most efficient means for offering meals. She’s concerned about what could come next, and for her, what could come next is a list of curricular or cultural changes to which she’s opposed.

Picasek didn’t complain about “human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria,” but perhaps the Waukesha School Board meeting last long enough.

Sometimes a discussion about a meal program is — and should be —simply a discussion of a meal program.

Why Uber And Lyft Rides Got So Expensive: 

Coronavirus, Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 8.30.21: Ivermectin

by  • 

Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 83. Sunrise is 6:18 AM and sunset 7:31 PM, for 13h 12m 50s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 48.1% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1945, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur, lands at Japan’s  Atsugi Air Force Base.

Emma Goldberg reports Demand Surges for Deworming Drug for Covid, Despite No Evidence It Works (‘Prescriptions for ivermectin have jumped to more than 88,000 per week, some pharmacists are reporting shortages and people are overdosing on forms of the drug meant for horses’):

For the past week, Dr. Gregory Yu, an emergency physician in San Antonio, has received the same daily requests from his patients, some vaccinated for Covid-19 and others unvaccinated: They ask him for ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasitic worms that has repeatedly failed in clinical trials to help people infected with the coronavirus.

Dr. Yu has refused the ivermectin requests, he said, but he knows some of his colleagues have not. Prescriptions for ivermectin have seen a sharp rise in recent weeks, jumping to more than 88,000 per week in mid-August from a prepandemic baseline average of 3,600 per week, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some pharmacists are even reporting shortages of the drug. Travis Walthall, a pharmacist in Kuna, Idaho, a town of about 20,000 people, said that this summer alone he had filled more than 20 ivermectin prescriptions, up from two or three in a typical year. For the past week he has not been able to obtain the drug from his suppliers; they were all out.

Mr. Walthall was astonished, he said, at how many people were willing to take an unapproved drug for Covid. “I’m like, gosh, this is horrible,” he said.

….

Though it has not been shown to be effective in treating Covid, people are now clamoring to get the drug, trading tips in Facebook groups and on Reddit. Some physicians have compared the phenomenon to last year’s surge of interest in hydroxychloroquine, though there are more clinical trials evaluating ivermectin.

The Food and Drug Administration weighed in last week. “You are not a horse,” the agency tweeted, with a warning explaining that ivermectin is not F.D.A.-approved for treating or preventing Covid-19 and that taking large doses can cause serious harm.

A recent review of 14 ivermectin studies, with more than 1,600 participants, concluded that none provided evidence of the drug’s ability to prevent Covid, improve patient conditions or reduce mortality. Another 31 studies are still underway to test the drug.

See also Daily Bread for 8.24.21: Ron Johnson’s Push for Ivermectin.

What The Next Space Station May Look Like:

City, Film

Film: Tuesday, August 31th, 1 PM @ Seniors in the Park, The Phantom

by  • 

This Tuesday, August 31st at 1 PM, there will be a showing of The Phantom @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:

Action/Adventure/Fantasy

1 hour, 40 minutes

Rated PG-13 (1996)

It’s “Saturday afternoon” at the Seniors in the Park Bijou! 400 years ago a young boy survives a pirate attack off the African coast that takes his father’s life. Washed ashore near The Deep Woods, he swears to devote his life to bringing down piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, as The Phantom. His role is passed down from father to son, leading people to believe he is an immortal, “The Ghost Who Walks.”

In present-day New York City, The Phantom must thwart an evil criminal businessman from obtaining four magic skulls that would give him the secret to ultimate power.

Based on the daily/Sunday comic strip still running today. Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Zane, Treat Williams, and Patrick McGoohan.

If vaccinated, no mask is required. Reservations are no longer required. Free popcorn and a beverage re-instituted!

One can find more information about The Phantom at the Internet Movie Database.

City, Daily Bread, Far-Right Populism, School District, Trumpism

Daily Bread for 8.29.21: Trumpism’s Final Form

by  • 

Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 87. Sunrise is 6:17 AM and sunset 7:33 PM, for 13h 15m 37s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 57.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1997, Netflix is launched as an internet DVD rental service.

 Peter Wehner writes Trumpism Has Entered Its Final Form (‘In today’s Republican Party, Trump is becoming what was once unthinkable—conventional, unexceptional, even something of an establishment figure’):

The GOP base may be identifying less and less with Trump personally—that was inevitable after he left the presidency—but it is not identifying any less with the conspiracist and antidemocratic impulses that defined him over the past five years.

In fact, the opposite is happening.

Not long ago, Trump was viewed as avant-garde, outrageous, and scandalous, America’s enfant terrible. His actions were viewed as so shocking and norm-shattering that he couldn’t be ignored. In today’s Republican Party, however, Trump is becoming what was once unthinkable—conventional, unexceptional, even something of an establishment figure.

In a right-wing movement that is home to a growing assortment of cranks and kooks—Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks and Madison Cawthorn, Ron Johnson and Marsha Blackburn, Mike Lindell and Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, Cyber Ninjas and QAnon, anti-vaxxers and insurrectionists—Trump looks rather ordinary. He wants credit for the vaccines that were developed during his administration, which mark a genuine medical milestone, but in some quarters of today’s Republican Party, that makes Trump suspect, too closely aligned with the hated Anthony Fauci, a dumbass.

The dark, destructive place the GOP has found itself in isn’t shocking. For more than half a decade, the Republican base—MAGA world—has been fed a constant diet of outrageous lies and conspiracy theories, not just by Trump but also by his allies in the party and the right-wing media ecosystem. Negative emotions such as fear, rage, and resentment have been constantly stirred up. Over time, transgressive behaviors became chic; “owning the libs” became the name of the game. What mattered was hating the right people.

Indeed.  See Man and Movement. 

In Whitewater, Trumpism will try but likely fail in the city, but try and succeed in control of the school district. The loss for the district will be considerable: right-wing populist control in the schools will bring speech restrictions on topics of race and health education, and afterward a push for an end to safe spaces for minority students. What seems impossible today will become the populist agenda tomorrow.  Populism is an insatiable movement —one successful encroachment against others will only lead to more.

How India’s Perfumers Recreate the Smell of Rain on Earth:

Coronavirus, Daily Bread, Medicine, Vaccines

Daily Bread for 8.28.21: Vaccine Testing Falsely Equated with Thalidomide Development

by  • 

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 94. Sunrise is 6:16 AM and sunset 7:34 PM, for 13h 18m 24s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 66.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

 On this day in 1845, the first issue of Scientific American magazine is published.

 Beatrice Dupuy reports Vaccine testing falsely equated with thalidomide development decades ago:

CLAIM: “Rapid 8 month tested vaccine? Thalidomide was a RAPID APPROVED drug introduced in 1957, to address nausea and insomnia in pregnant women. It was marketed in 50 countries before being withdrawn in 1962 due to malformations in newborns. Be careful with what is coming.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. There are different approval processes for the coronavirus vaccines and the drug thalidomide. Thalidomide was not approved for sale in the U.S. when first introduced in the 1950s. The drug did not undergo extensive trials as is being done with COVID-19 vaccines currently being developed.

….

Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who has studied thalidomide and use of the drug to treat myeloma, said you cannot compare the coronavirus vaccine and thalidomide.

“One was trying to solve the problem of sleeplessness and was marketed with zero data, no efficacy or safety or randomized trials,” he said of thalidomide. “The other is trying to solve the problem of a life-threatening pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and there are two randomized trials showing the vaccines are highly effective.”

“The fact that people were efficient and fast does not mean that any of the safety steps were skipped,” Rajkumar said.

Unlike the early trials of thalidomide in the 1960s, the coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have undergone several trial phases including animal and human tests. The vaccines have been tested in more than 60,000 humans and both companies showed more than 90 percent effectiveness. Trial patients reported mild side effects like muscle aches and sore arms.

Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey, an FDA officer in the early 1960s, found that there was not enough safety data on thalidomide as U.S. clinical trials were still being conducted and helped prevent it from being approved for use in the U.S. During the 1950s, clinical trials could be conducted without FDA approval.

These fundamental differences in testing have not stopped a GOP candidate from linking the histories of COVID-19 vaccines and thalidomide. Brad Reed reports GOP candidate caught in a ‘blatant lie’ while attacking FDA’s approval of COVID-19 vaccine:

A Republican congressional candidate on Tuesday was called out for being completely wrong about the Food and Drug Administration’s past approval of the drug thalidomide.

Posting on Twitter, New Jersey Republican Billy Prempeh attacked the FDA’s full approval of the novel coronavirus vaccine by falsely claiming that the agency had caused several women to suffer from severe birth defects after approving thalidomide for pregnant women in the 1950s.

“Thalidomide was given to pregnant mothers in the 50s and 60s to treat nausea,” he wrote. “The result? Severe birth defects. The FDA approves lots of unsafe things. This is about profit not health. Do your due diligence. But hey, what do I know? I’m just some guy named Billy.”

….

While some American women did suffer birth defects after taking the drug, they took the drug despite the fact that it had not been approved by the FDA, as outlined by an article by the University of Chicago Medical Center.

“The FDA subsequently identified 17 cases — 10 linked to Kevadon that Merrell had distributed to 1,267 doctors under the auspices of its ‘investigational’ trial,” writes the University of Chicago Medical Center. “But the country was spared the broad-based catastrophe visited upon Europe.”

But hey, what do they know? They’re just some institution called the University of Chicago Medical Center.

SpaceX’s new drone ship will secure rockets robotically: