Comments

1

Gondolas are used for public transportation more than I thought:

https://archive.curbed.com/2017/9/21/16340394/urban-gondolas-cable-cars-cities

But, like ski lifts, they have such inherent problems and seem inefficient, but what a pretty ride!

Also, scare quotes are like cayenne Rich, use carefully.

2

Nearly three hours into a Rich posted AM and only one lousy comment!?! I suspect the slog is doing that glitchy thing where comments don't display. Test.

3

Huh, guess not. His posts are usually red meat for Petey, district refugee guy and other goofballs, especially with an item relating to the CHOP shooting.

4

It amazes me how nonchalantly the COVID deaths are reported. Less than 3000 people died on 9/11 and the entire country chose to accept endless war and violation of all privacy under the guise of safety and security. More than 600,000 (probably far more due to under reporting) have died due to COVID nationwide and people keep denying the reality of it, refusing to get vaccinated, and accepting all of this death as "totally normal, NBD, just like the flu" to such an extreme extent that this pandemic will never truly end. We will subjected to endless mutations of the virus and a continuous stream of COVID deaths for who knows how long.

How does this make sense?

5

@4 makes sense to me. One, it wasn't all at once, like 9/11. Two, COVID hospitalized and killed mainly the sick, elderly and obese, so it didn't impact the population equally. Three, COVID deaths are still less than Cancer and Heart Disease in any given year. Fourth, the population of americans that could die from Covid, i.e. the sick, the elderly, the obese, is smaller now due to vaccinations and the 600,000 dead, so we're likely to see many, many fewer deaths going forward. The COVID pandemic wasn't like other pandemics of the past, but due to our 24 hour news cycle and the overall weakness of the american psyche, one would think this was the black death, spanish flu and all the world wars wrapped into one event.

6

@5:

Well...

Total U.S. Combat Deaths - 1900 - Current = 432,885

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war)

Total U.S. Deaths from Spanish Flu - 1918-1919 = ~675,000

Total U.S. Deaths from COVID-19 - 2020 - Current = 605,140 - 610,715

(https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days)

(https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-deaths-u-s-map-shows-number-fatalities-compared-confirmed-n1166966)

(I'll give you The Black Plague, just because every one knows that was literally the most deadly pandemic in human history, so, yeah, way to set the goal post with your hyperbole, since I've literally never seen any credible source ever compare our current pandemic to that one.)

And of course, people are still dying from COVID-19, particularly from the Delta and Epsilon variants (which are turning out to be even more deadly than the original Wuhan and Alpha variants) - and it's no longer just "the sick, elderly and obese" - although, as you are no doubt well aware deaths were never specifically limited to those demographics in any event. With cases again on the rise, the number one variable determining who is contracting it is whether or not one has been vaccinated. And guess who the overwhelming majority of THOSE people are? (Hint: they're NOT overwhelmingly ill, old or fat, because most of them ARE vaccinated).

8

It concerns me that the question of increasing SPD staffing is even asked. The group and its toxic union are in constant contempt with the city and there has been increasing public interest in redirecting their funding to greater causes.

9

6 Learn what adverbs are.

btw, the link you provided, thanks for that btw, shows WWI deaths at 116,516 and WWII deaths at 405,399, which added together is more than the number you typed. But I didn't specify American world war deaths.

World War I and II deaths combined was something close to 80 million or more. Spanish Flu deaths were like 50 million world wide. And of course the Black Plague killed millions no doubt.

So it puts covid in perspective. It wasn't that big of a deal, people die everyday, humans get sick every day. Most people die from cancer or heart disease. Good thing we have modern medicine and people smart enough to get vaccines, but even then, sometimes it's just your time to die. That's life.

10

@7 Cry me a river.

11

@4: Nonchalance or the way the media works as @5 noted? Long term spanning catastrophes such as COVID and wars simply won't have the crescendo impact you expect as compared with an event such as a flood, earthquake, or 9/11.

12

COVID hospitalized and killed mainly the sick, elderly and obese, so it didn't impact the population equally. >>> this right here is a total fucking lie, but hey, keep at as COVID continues to kill the middle aged. 40% of the children in this country have lost at least one parent to COVID. But hey, it's no fucking big deal am I right?

And 9/11 did not impact the population equally, despite the propaganda. 9/11 impacted those who lived in NYC and those who worked at the Pentagon far more than anyone else in the country - they didn't have to see it, live with the aftermath of it, and they sure as shit haven't had to live with the endless stream of death that still impacts anyone and everyone who cleaned up the fucking mess (especially at Ground Zero) - with first responders and New Yorkers who were fucking flat out lied to by the head of the EPA that the air was safe.

Your dismissal of the death and destruction caused by the COVID pandemic is the perfect example of my comment. You don't give a shit who COVID killed or who it continues to kill.

13

@9:

As I quite clearly stated "Combat Deaths". You have to add "Deaths - Other" (which, according to the note at the very tippy-top of the "Overview" section, includes: "all non-combat deaths including those from bombing, massacres, disease, suicide, and murder") to get your numbers.

So, congratulations for your ability to completely render the deaths of more than 600,000 of your fellow citizens as nothing more than a statistical "blip" on which to double-down on your disgusting whataboutism.

To quote @7: You're a fucking heap of dog shit - and everyone here knows it.

14

One of my brother-in-laws is a big trumpian jerk who wouldn't get a vaccine because it's "just the flu". He now has what is almost certainly Covid, but won't go to the hospital, because he doesn't have insurance.

I honestly don't care what happens to him.

15

@#4/11: The sad fact is, many people in the U.S. didn't really care about the people who were killed on 9/11 either, the feigned concern over 9/11 was simply play acting, while in fact a majority of people in this country were elated to have a casus belli.

If the majority of people in the U.S. really cared about their fellow citizens dying, that is if they were really "pro-life" we wouldn't spend almost 14 billion+ on a single aircraft carrier, we would have national health care, housing first would be our go to policy

16

@13 boo hoo

17

So how many children have to die before Americans give a shit? I mean they don't care about all of the children murdered in mass shootings, so I suppose it will take a lot. Half a million? One million? Will little kids dying make the assholes in this country care, or do they not care about the children dying as much as they don't care about all of the adults who have died?

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated and right now all children under the age of 12 can't be vaccinated.

People who are unvaccinated by choice are engaged in biological warfare against their own nation. Because of that action, children will die.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/7/13/2039646/-People-who-are-unvaccinated-by-choice-are-engaged-in-biological-warfare-against-their-own-nation

18

@12: Xina, you can't expect the people to react in despair about the death and destruction over COVID 24/7 365 with the drama and optics to your satisfaction.

After all, centerpieces need arranging.

20

But also xina, you're assuming Americans don't care because you don't hear about it. You can't hear about the suffering and despair going on individually and in families.

21

@15 On top of that, 9/11 was an act done to Us by Them. COVID is a disease caused by a microscopic virus, so it's a lot harder to demonize others over it (though plenty have tried!). As others have mentioned, it's also easy to handwave the risk away (I'm not fat or old or sick), though COVID definitely kills otherwise healthy people too.

23

Cuba is a real conundrum for the progressives. On one hand the embargo is chastised as the cause of untold suffering and an example of the US interfering in the business of another country yet from the other side of their mouth they think we should do the exact same thing to Israel. Closer to home I guess SCC resolution 31984 encouraging the US to follow Cuba's lead in the fight against Covid didn't age as well.

I'm very happy to see ranked choice voting put on pause in King County. I have no doubt it will be back next year but hopefully further analysis will demonstrate it does not improve elections and in most cases lead to less votes being counted.

24

@14: Yes, but you do care about your sister so you're essentially stuck in caring about her husband.

25

Let's just ignore the discovery of more unmarked First Nations children's graves at a "residential school" in the Gulf islands (aka NW Washington), shall we?

26

@16:

Your lack of empathy for the dead is disturbing - have you ever been tested for latent Anti-Social Personality Disorder?

28

@22 Various BLM groups are addressing overall violence within many communities (and Black communities). Many chapters work with a variety of local non-profits and groups to aid communities of color. However, BLM's explicit mission/focus is on combating State sanctioned violence against Black communities (i.e. police). That is the specific issue they are tackling.

BLM chapters seem to feel strongly that moving police funds to other community groups/organizations, limiting access to guns, and eliminating laws/policies that target Black people (systemic racism) will help alleviate larger violence issues.

Tons of work is being done all the time to limit violence in communities of color. That work has been going on for q long, long time. It's all out there online if you're actually interested.

29

@22:

Dude, did you even READ that USA Today article? 13 is the number of unarmed Black males SHOT DEAD by police in 2019, as reported by the Washington Post. Apparently you didn't read past the search results summary, because if you actually clicked through to the article and read down a couple of paragraphs you would have seen where it mentioned: 1) the additional number of unarmed Black males killed by other means (choking, beating, tasering); 2) the number of unarmed Black women killed by police; 3) that the original WaPo article notes this data is incomplete, and that the numbers are likely to be much HIGHER than reported, due to "a lack of comprehensive police records", and; 4) that police are MORE THAN TWICE AS LIKELY to kill a Black person as they are a white person, even though they make up only 13% of the population - something the original WaPo article DID note.

(https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/23/fact-check-how-many-unarmed-black-men-did-police-kill-2019/5322455002/)

Seriously, if you're going to do a two-second Google search for something to back up your bullshit spurious whataboutthis? argument, maybe don't grab the first link that shows up, especially when it actually disproves your bullshit spurious whataboutthis? argument, m'kay?

But, since you bring it up: roughly 83% of white people are killed by - wait for it - other whites.

So, how come you-all never want to discuss the scourge of white-on-white murder in this country, hm?

31

@26 and @27 rubbing my index finger and thumb together, it's the world smallest violin playing sad music for you.

32

@31: you should play that violin for yourself, cuz nobody’s going to play a sad song for you on any size instrument. I mean seriously, you are appalling.

34

Rest in peace, Lorenzo Anderson.

JUST when I thought Texas could not possibly get any more fucked up----once again, I'm proven wrong. I swear, it must be the extreme heat and humidity that makes oil soaked, blood red legislators snd those who vote RepubliKKKan so consistently stupid.
Go, Lone Star State Democrats----stir it up in D.C., and rock ON! I sure hope y'all flew First Class. Send the bill to Greg Abbott.

@5, @9, @16, and @31: Get vaccinated pronto. Your poisonous mind is beyond toxic.
I won't play any sad music on your behalf, but I will join in with the band when you're finally gone.

@6, @13, @26 & @29 COMTE, @7, @27, @29b and @30 Professor-Hiztory, and @32 Lissa; Agreed and seconded, thirded, fourthed, and fifthed. That asshole should be locked up and have his account deleted.

35

@33: Honestly I don’t understand why he’s being this way. Some people don’t seem to be able to care unless it happens to them and I can’t wrap my head around that kind of pinched venality. :(

36

@33: I think you nailed it, Prof. He must be suffering from severe brain damage.

@35: I have a hard time understanding people like that, too, Lissa.

38

Far more people die in car crashes than plane crashes but people are more afraid to fly than to drive.

Same thing with COVID and Sep 11.

People are irrational and easily manipulated.


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