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Here's What Happens When You Don't Wear A Mask Print

Print Email Details Written by Michael Z Williamson Created: 23 September 2020 Reports are now that Covid was in the US as early as October, possibly September. So let's start there.



In October, I attended a gun show with 40,000 other people. I drove to New England, and back through Canada. In January, I attended a gun show with 40,000 other people. In February, I attended a conference with several hundred people. In March, I drove to Florida, with stops en route, and visited St Augustine, Cape Canaveral, Miami, the Everglades, Tampa, and back. I held book signings. I traveled on buses with 50 other visitors multiple times. I packed into theaters with hundreds of other people. I went on tour boats. I toured castles and museums and reservations. I was aboard a naval vessel. In March, they prevented us from setting up at the gun show because of Covids, and three people fell over dead in the parking lot. No, wait—that didn't happen. They closed everything down, because people were falling over dead in the grocery stores. No, wait, they closed everything down, but nothing substantial happened outside of nursing homes full of old people with an average of 3.6 diseases each. In April, 45 days after Fifteen Days to Slow the Spread (I guess it didn't work, even though we "followed the science"), I attended a protest. None of us wore masks, and didn't social distance. We paid for it, though. Six people sickened and died later. No, wait—actually, they didn't. A month later, 75 days after FDtStS, and 60 days after a Month to Beat the Virus, I was at another protest. And this time, a dozen people died. No, wait, that didn't happen either. By June, being completely disgusted with ignorance and stupidity, and watching the narrative change from "deaths" to "Cases" and then to "positive tests," I said fuck it, and hosted a small, private SF convention. About 125 people. We gathered in a hall together, shared food, beverages, panels, vending, an outdoor smoking area for some, a well-stocked private bar, a swimming pool. At least three short story and book deals came out of it. It came at a cost. Within three weeks, someone got sick and died. No, wait, that STILL didn't fucking happen. There was yet another protest, while our limpdick "dog dad" (How he describes himself) governor canceled yet more events, and wailed about the lack of sales tax income, and business closures. I wonder if there might be a connection? Anyway, hundreds of us gathered together without face panties, and would you believe it? NO ONE GOT SICK OR DIED! I planned another convention for September, and we had people come in from PA, TX, SD, MI, and SC. No one wore a face panty. It's been two weeks, and so far, the sick and dead count seems to round off to ZERO.



There's another protest this weekend, because we "followed the science" about 4-8 weeks of masks to beat the virus, but somehow that didn't work. Or so they claim. I should point out that every weekend that didn't have a protest or a sci fi convention (14 of them), we were at a nearby cruising strip with a splash park for the kids of at least four different races and a dozen ethnicities, hundreds of cars, thousands of people, food, beverages, interactions. Despite all that there were surprisingly few race riots—I think the total was zero—and vanishingly few COVID deaths—I think it reached a grand total of NONE. Every day for the duration of this entire incompetent, cowardly, retarded fuckup, my family and I go about our business. We go to the stores. We take our daughter to the playground. We go to local outdoor concerts. We do not, and never will, wear a face panty. Nor is anyone else around us, apart from a few virtue-signaling cucks who get roundly mocked for believing propaganda.

Because the ACTUAL science, not the Lysenkoistic bullshit, is that nothing you can buy over the counter will stop a virion. And WHO, the CDC, NIH, the Dutch, the British, the Swedes, and every other legitimate medical establishment in the world says so. (I linked them in a previous blog. Some low-Q liberal accused me of "cherry picking." 45 YEARS of data by literally EVERY MEDICAL AGENCY IN THE WORLD is not "Cherry picking. But "recently discovered science" that just happens to meet the political agenda…just MIGHT be.) This is easy to prove: Look for the NIOSH rating on your face panty. It doesn't have one, because it doesn't filter anything. Nor is there some magic that the virion knows which way is in or out. They don't work, and they carry no rating for medical purposes. This is a fact. Despite never wearing a fag bag on our faces, none of us have gotten sick, nor have our friends, nor our regular business associates. None. Zero. And before you start shrieking like a retard or a liberal, but I repeat myself, there are several categories of exemptions: A: medical. We both have asthma. Inside of a few seconds, we start gasping, wheezing and coughing through a mask, and pussies think we do have Teh Covids. So we don't have to wear masks.

2) Anxiety, or more accurately, my wife has PTSD, from being raped as a child with a cloth over her face. This, BTW, has been made worse by "tolerant," "liberal" subhuman pieces of shit calling her "princess" and "Snowflake" and demanding to "See some documentation so we can decide if it's valid." The exact same subhuman liberal pieces of shit who "believe all women" like Christine Blowme Ford, who can't even remember what year of school or what party she allegedly met a guy even her friends insist wasn't present. And they want her to "Wear some sort of badge" so they know she's exempt. Well, the gold star and pink triangle are already taken, so go fuck yourselves. She doesn't have to wear a mask. C} Religious beliefs. This is true. My personal philosophy forbids me from engaging in virtue-signaling shitheadedness with zero science behind it to appease a bunch of oozing pussies. I won't be wearing magic crystals or sackcloth and ashes, either. Though I am vaccinated against every legitimate disease and maintain those for areas I travel to, so don't try to burn that straw man. You'll just put more CO2 into the environment. Along with 200 BILLION trashed masks a month worldwide, that are killing penguins and other seabirds who think they're fish. Remember when you wanted to ban straws over a turtle? I don't wear a mask because I care about the environment. IV] This is America. That's not a listed exemption by our governor, but he's a pathetic pussy, RINO piece of shit, so I ignore his illegal and unconstitutional executive orders that every police department in the state has stated they won't enforce anyway. I don't wear a mask. E) When I woke up this morning, I was still a man. I don’t wear a mask. If you actually care about "science," the CDC has a tally of the worst case scenario of Cooties deaths, and they admit only 6% didn't have an average of 2.6 comorbidities (which means, as noted above, the AVERAGE death had 3.6 diseases. Which is significant). And if you do some very basic arithmetic (I realize liberal schools struggle with math, but this is DIVISION, for fuck's sake), you get a grand total percentage of: .061%. That's 61 THOUSANDTHS of a percent. And of course, doesn't account for the rolling rate change due to about 5 million new Americans since then. I won't strain your intellects with that. You have enough trouble counting genders. And if you have no comorbidities, your risk is 6% of that, or .0036%.

If you're under 65, last figures I ran (it hasn't changed much) your risk of death is .0055%. That's 55 TEN THOUSANDTHS of a percent, but, without comorbidities, that drops to .000165%, or 165 MILLIONTHS of a percent. And if you're still shitting your pants over it, you're a pathetic little bitch. YOU should probably stay home while Americans live their lives. Tape your windows shut to keep the Covids out, and sterilize your GI tract with a bottle of Drano. But damn, I'd cheer if it really was lethal and eliminated 10% of humanity. Or more. Because you suck. And I hate you.





Here's the Science On COVID Masks Print

Print Email Details Written by Michael Z Williamson Created: 19 July 2020 Here's some actual science:



https://web.archive.org/web/20200509053953/https:/www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-masks-dont-work-revealing-review/ https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2006372?query=recirc_mostViewed_railB_article&fbclid=IwAR0bV1_DlAiei-elMvcMFIDnW6596Sva2aQJUrgZuN0zaptPQ6CO6ZynR2k We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection... "It is also clear that masks serve symbolic roles. Masks are not only tools, they are also talismans that may help increase health care workers’ perceived sense of safety, well-being, and trust in their hospitals. " And cloth masks are even less effective https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/?fbclid=IwAR1xBSypYCVXHlTXlCLQumiOciiWL6qchK0mK-OXv3AyITOPtFmNtoB9iPo and may in fact INCREASE your odds of infection by slowing air exchange. And yet another: https://aapsonline.org/mask-facts/?fbclid=IwAR0VpDD0wrEL1NDPZ-6GmDmz2jq7YUtEVdLo2cAh2y8WJC1oxcHGX07NqR0 Conclusion: Wearing masks will not reduce SARS-CoV-2. Here's another: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data?fbclid=IwAR1lfzfwrFI-CEiy4WPD7ChiPqfBeXAvsalnD7ggpbE2YxOx-3sRjni3HhY Here's more on slower air exchange, which causes sufficient O2 deprivation to be on par with COPD (90% saturation) Even the CDC only goes as far as "may" help. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html?fbclid=IwAR0yNIMS0IlJPRdLLnQDIdcYQ1T_9G4UAhBdquw52uYfsw9KSr4JMMdg-Nc#recent-studies then you look at their sources and see that one says you need at least two layers, another says you don't, yet another is not peer reviewed and only mentions "droplets," but not PARTICLES. Yet another "simulated" infected people (couldn't they find enough actual COVID patients?). Just like every other pro-mask statement, they all admit, "Well, it couldn't hurt." But no one has ANY evidence that it actually does anything, and again, the complete lack of any standards whatsoever means it's cosplay. One elsewhere used a smoke machine, with azeotropic droplets as simulation. Only about a million times larger than a virus. https://www.sott.net/article/434796-The-Science-is-Conclusive-Masks-and-Respirators-do-NOT-Prevent-Transmission-of-Viruses?fbclid=IwAR3G5ju7VSHrsoBglriSMPD73m1nh-tbvM-Q_5OALGNVd7rAcP8CqKuxsTE The Science is Conclusive: Masks and Respirators do NOT Prevent Transmission of Viruses Abstract



Masks and respirators do not work. There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles.



Furthermore, the relevant known physics and biology, which I review, are such that masks and respirators should not work. It would be a paradox if masks and respirators worked, given what we know about viral respiratory diseases: The main transmission path is long-residence-time aerosol particles (< 2.5 μm), which are too fine to be blocked, and the minimum-infective-dose is smaller than one aerosol particle.



The present paper about masks illustrates the degree to which governments, the mainstream media, and institutional propagandists can decide to operate in a science vacuum, or select only incomplete science that serves their interests. Such recklessness is also certainly the case with the current global lockdown of over 1 billion people, an unprecedented experiment in medical and political history. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/741245_1 If you don't have one particular type of N95, it's a complete waste of time. If you have that one particular type, it's only partially a waste of time. And a Canadian scientist posted this: https://twitter.com/dockaurG/status/1277958552657825792/photo/1 This article claims they help, https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent?fbclid=IwAR2xIurtHhNzopEbTKQqVH_T_vpZ_q4XEq_6jvl-RWzNTpZJg6r4m-6hF-I but let's deconstruct it: Part 1: "compared the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. It found that mask mandates led to a slowdown in daily COVID-19 growth rate, which became more apparent over time."



Please explain how they accounted for population density, movement methods, all the other various mandated lockdowns that varied by state, city, and business. I'll wait.



Part 2: "The first five days after a mandate, the daily growth rate slowed by 0.9 percentage-points compared to the five days prior to the mandate; at three weeks, the daily growth rate had slowed by 2 percentage-points."



But herd immunity REQUIRES transmission. So if you're spreading it slower, and not achieving herd immunity, at what point do the curves cross and you're causing MORE infections than if the disease died out faster? This is YOUR field, doc, so please answer the question. Oh, you don't have an answer?



PART BOTH: Are you seriously claiming that with all variables accounted for you can RELIABLY claim .9% and 2% are outside your margin of error?



BTW, even their .9% claim is destroyed by actual statistical analysis.

https://roadtolarissa.com/regression-discontinuity/?fbclid=IwAR2j5sDoewBaG8sNf0tTGRB0LsBosdOHVFDTUrqndskCfV8tw_MPT7upAN4 ~~ "Another study looked at coronavirus deaths across 198 countries and found that those with cultural norms or government policies favoring mask-wearing had lower death rates."



Once again: Population density, social norms for touching, other health factors affecting general immunity, UV influx and other climate effects. You accounted for all those, yes? Yes?



~~



"Stops particles as small as" FOUR ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE BIGGER THAN A VIRUS.

So, it's as effective as a chain link fence is against black flies. ~~ "Even now, some Americans are choosing to ignore CDC guidance and local mandates on masks, a hesitation that Chin-Hong says is “foolhardy.”"



"Some"? At least 70% around here. And at no point does he mention herd immunity. So, either eventually everyone gets it anyway, in which case you're possibly slowing WHEN you get it, but not changing the fact that you will, OR, he's expecting the virus to magically go away. He offers no mechanism for this (though there are some). He just leaves the question complete unasked and unanswered. ~~ Two compelling case reports also suggest that masks can prevent transmission in high-risk scenarios, said Chin-Hong and Rutherford. In one case, a man flew from China to Toronto and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. He had a dry cough and wore a mask on the flight, and all 25 people closest to him on the flight tested negative for COVID-19. In another case, in late May, two hair stylists in Missouri had close contact with 140 clients while sick with COVID-19. Everyone wore a mask and none of the clients tested positive.



So, two anecdotes. Do you have even 50 more?



Especially since the tests are massively prone to false positives and negatives, and they're now finding both T cell and antibody factors in resistance, and that about 40-80% of cases are asymptomatic. So it's entirely possible people were "infected" but not affected in any fashion. Or maybe they weren't infected. But you have two cherry-picked examples that tell us nothing.

~~ "“I think there’s enough evidence to say that the best benefit is for people who have COVID-19 to protect them from giving COVID-19 (sic) to other people, but you’re still going to get a benefit from wearing a mask if you don’t have COVID-19,” said Chin-Hong."



"Evidence"? You keep using that word... ~~ "Masks may be more effective as a “source control” because they can prevent larger expelled droplets from evaporating into smaller droplets that can travel farther."



"May be." So, you have some evidence to support that possibility? This is science.



~~ "Another factor to remember, noted Rutherford, is that you could still catch the virus through the membranes in your eyes, a risk that masking does not eliminate."



HAH! That's why I always wear a pair of the shooter glasses I got issued when I deployed! We should require everyone wear at minimum a face mask AND glasses, or better yet, a military respirator!



~~



"The latest forecast from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests that 33,000 deaths could be avoided by October 1 if 95 percent of people wore masks in public."



Okay...but...when do we get herd immunity, so those deaths don't just occur in Nov-March? You know, the worst time of year for respiratory viruses?



Also, at 30% mask wearing, that means you're getting fuck all.



But we might actually achieve herd immunity and deaths will drop to near zero.



Assuming the masks were actually stopping the virus, which nothing indicates is happening.

~~ "Studies have compared various mask materials, but for the general public, the most important consideration may be comfort. The best mask is one you can wear comfortably and consistently, said Chin-Hong. N95 respirators are only necessary in medical situations such as intubation. Surgical masks are generally more protective than cloth masks, and some people find them lighter and more comfortable to wear."



TRANSLATION: "As long as it's comfortable, it doesn't matter if it works. They'll feel like they're doing something."



And N95 respirators DO NOT stop exhalation, they only filter INHALATION. So those won't do anything. The Mayo Clinic references that in THEIR pro-mask propaganda. So you're not even being consistent.



Especially masks made here: https://www.facebook.com/blueactionfigure/videos/10219286417965098/ By the way, the CDC "approved" masks keep failing FDA certifications. And if your mask isn't even CDC approved, then even by those lax standards it's worthless. So it's a worthless copy of something worthless.

~~ They don't do anything.



Any requirement for a mask in a work environment specifies the type of mask, sometimes the tested brands, the requirements to be met. No clinic, contractor, or company anywhere says, "Just wear anything over your face, it's all good." Really, are you gullible enough to think that there's no difference between coverings? That something that filters down to 100 microns (which is still hundreds of times larger than the COVID virus) is the same as something that filters 0.1 mm? When I go shooting, I recommend people wear 28dB or better reduction earmuffs. I don't say, "Oh, a scarf is fine. It all helps, because science." Because a scarf over the ears won't do anything. Nor does cotton stuffed in the ears, or any other improvisation. Around jet aircraft, there's a specified combination of plugs and muffs. No airline or military says, "Just fold your hat flap down. It will offer some protection against 170dB noise." Military commanders don't say, "If you don't have body armor, just wear your poncho. It'll help a little against bullets." Because this meets the legal standard everywhere a "face covering" is required: Go ahead. I want someone to defend Hanes underwear over the head as worthwhile against The Covids. (The Cooties?) And just as an add-on: https://thl.fi/en/web/thlfi-en/-/closures-of-schools-and-day-care-centres-have-little-effect-on-coronavirus-cases-diagnosed-among-children-and-young-people?fbclid=IwAR0ngRuIlmEIoTzsI6dkheYQnJA7-QaG3WmRyZpkDVT0JKu8X3REkpJAGRw Closures of schools and day-care centres have little effect on coronavirus cases diagnosed among children and young people ~~ Coronavirii were first identified in the early 1960s. In 60 years, we've not developed a vaccine. There's no reason to expect one in the next few months. And of course, Fauci was predicting an AIDS vaccine in a "few months" in 1984. How's that working out? He also claimed it was spread via casual contact, and 10% of heterosexuals would get it, which should make it clear he's an ignoranus (sic) and should be ignored. ~~ They're racist and classist. Here's yet another scientific paper:



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277485/?fbclid=IwAR2rTT8kUlkSv_bvQjbFsJoHj8vuMsjm21vd8SeqpCAuy0fsz_IJyKKv8rs



"No direct evidence indicates that public mask wearing protects either the wearer or others. Given the severity of this pandemic and the difficulty of control, we suggest that the possible benefit of a modest reduction in transmission likely outweighs the possibility of harm. Reduced outward transmission and reduced contamination of the environment are the major proposed mechanisms, and we suggest appealing to altruism and the need to protect others. We recognize the potential for unintended consequences, such as use of formal personal protective equipment by the general public, incorrect use of cloth masks, or reduced hand hygiene because of a false sense of security; these can be mitigated by controlling the distribution of personal protective equipment, clear messaging, public education, and social pressure. Advocating that the public make and wear cloth masks shifts the cost of a public health intervention from society to the individual. In low-resource areas and for persons living in poverty, this is unacceptable." So the virtue signal summary is: "It doesn't do anything, but do it anyway just in case. Oh, and buy them for poor people." If they did anything, they'd hinder herd immunity, which, barring a magic vaccine, is the only immunity we're going to get. And because we haven't developed a coronavirus vaccine since we discovered coronavirii in the early 1960s, there's no reason to expect one in the next few months. Yes, yes, "Dr" Fauci said so. He also said AIDS could be transmitted by shaking hands (which took an entire ad campaign to stop the resultant homophobia), that 10% of heterosexuals would get it, and we'd have a vaccine in 18 months...from 1984. Do we want to keep listening to a charlatan? Either way, if you believe a mask makes any difference, for the fastest herd immunity and GREATER GOOD, you should not wear one. See all those people wearing the mask under their nose, under their chin? Of course you do, because that's you. Useless. And mask used more than two hours, or washed more than 20 times is useless (that's from the first round of studies linked above. Even the mask proponents admit they're nonfunctional. Which is why I refer to it as a fetish). https://news.yahoo.com/turn-off-air-conditioning-experts-095902933.html And if you believe the "Science" of masks being effective, you must also turn off your AC to reduce the spread. Go ahead. I'll wait. (BTW, the article, and apparently the research, are ludicrously technically incorrect and decades out of date. Almost all extant commercial AC has both outside air intake/exhaust, good filtering, even HEPA filters that CA stop some virii, and frequently UV sterilization as well, that kill virii dead.) If masks work, then used ones are all potentially HAZMAT. Where are the biohazard disposal bags? We're just tossing virus-contaminated masks and gloves in the trash or on the ground? If they're not HAZMAT, then you're admitting they don't work. Over 200 BILLION masks are being trashed every month. The ecosystem is being destroyed by garbage that didn't do anything when in use anyway. This alone is sufficient reason to make wearing masks illegal. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/face-masks-gloves-litter-coronavirus Remember when you complained about plastic straws? Apparently it's A-OK to contaminate the environment now that YOU want an item, rather than children wanting an item. As far as wearing a mask for other people, there are more reasons not to do that. There are people who are hard of hearing or who have auditory processing disorders. They have to be able to see your lips to understand you. You're engaging in ableism. Interestingly, "tolerant" "liberals" will suddenly snicker that it isn't really ableism when they do it, because such things are a myth, even though I frequently have people at panels ask the presenters to move hands away from their faces for this exact reason. Once again, the "liberals" pick and choose which criteria fit their narrative. In addition, non-verbal cues and expressions aid communication. In this case, a mask can be ableism against autism spectrum people especially, who mentally process differently from neurotypical people. Children rarely contract the disease and are not generally spreaders. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200710100934.htm?fbclid=IwAR2IINWUMnHOqCCSL4Ts1OyGW_WY92GOM7SSmHvncf-XubB_eTTiS8ZNfWQ "A commentary published in the journal Pediatrics concludes that children infrequently transmit COVID-19 to each other or to adults." Masks enable increase in contact crime. "What did he look like?" "Well, his mask was black." So were his hoodie and shades. They dehumanize you, too. You'll find people being less sympathetic, angry people being less likely to back down. If they can't see your face and expression, they can't gauge your reaction. Violence has already increased. On the counter side, there's been multiple attacks including a shooting death of people not wearing masks. This is what we've come to.



It will make child molesters' jobs easy. Swap out the kid's mask, say they're throwing a tantrum, walk out the door.

"She's wearing a yellow mask with blue butterflies."

"No, there was a kid throwing a tantrum in a black mask."

"What did she look like?"

"Well, she had a black mask..." Locally, doctors are reporting cooks and other workers having disorientation and consciousness difficulty and getting burned, because they can't breathe. (I hope you understand that slowing down air exchange can cause difficulty breathing while not actually doing anything to stop virii. But that's probably beyond most people's intellect.) Masks cause serious health issues for asthmatics. After a few seconds, some of us are coughing and gasping for air, and bystanders will think we're actually dying of the Covids. Given that there have been multiple reports of physical attacks and even some murders over masks and symptoms, your demand that everyone wear a face panty is endangering people's lives. And in Texas, construction workers are ordered to wear them at 110 degrees, and athletes to wear them while competing. I'm betting $1000 no one wearing a mask sets a record or beats someone who isn't. Even money that several of them black out. You're causing psychological damage to children who'll be afraid of the very air they breathe. I've seen kids in a panic because their mask got dislodged. ZOMG! Natural air! There are zero reasons to wear a mask. But of course, your opinion provider of choice has told you to follow the "Science" that creates a mental struggle for you against the facts posted above. Because you want to "believe" the "Science," rather than the actual facts of actual science. Wearing a mask is selfish, ableist, anti-environmental, anti-science, and harmful. Evolution developed the human brain to analyze and solve problems. It's time you started using yours.

Let's Talk About a Happier Disaster Print

Print Email Details Written by Michael Z Williamson Created: 09 July 2020 Because it's 27 years in the past. The Mississippi Flood of 1993. You're all familiar with it, of course, since it was a 500 year level flood and utterly devastated the entire middle of the country. Oh, you haven't heard of it, or only vaguely remember it? Ah, that tells you what disasters are like in retrospect, doesn't it? So let me tell you about six weeks of my life. I'll stick to the Good Parts Version. We heard there was some flooding on the Mississip. And they asked for volunteers from the Guard. And lied to us about how many they needed. That's a story for elsewhere. They flew us down in a Chinook, at about 1500 feet, as they do. Out the side of the aircraft, I can see fenceposts, trees, and the occasional inundated low-lying house. Oh, well that doesn't look too bad. "Oh, no," the flight engineer says. "The river is 30 miles that way." "Oh, ^@#$ me," I comment. We land in East St Louis, and the Army screws up as it always does, but that's a story for elsewhere, too. They deployed us from there to fill sandbags. See, it had rained. A lot. And the Mississippi was full. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers had built a bunch of diversion reservoirs to take the excess flood water. But those were mostly kept full, because reservoirs are a great way to generate hydroelectoral power. Tell people they can put boats on them, and they'll vote for them. There was no need to drain them. It was just some rain. It kept raining. So the correct thing would have been to drain some reservoirs and refill with flood water. There's slack in the system, so a bit extra rain wasn't a problem. Also, if you drain the reservoir, they won't vote for you. It kept raining. It started flooding around Quad Cities. A lot of those houses are on stilts anyway. It floods all the time. So no big deal. It kept raining. Now, with nowhere for the water to go, it rose against the levees. The smart thing would have been to let it go, flood some fields, and write some disaster checks afterward. But then they won't vote for you. So the sandbagging started. The water would rise to the top of the levee, overwhelm the sandbags by sheer mass (water is 60 lbs per cubic foot), and flood the area behind them. Or, it would undermine the levees, creating what is technically known as "mud," and then create a "boil," which if you're silly, you cofferdam around while the rest of the mud washes away. They did this thing. The point here, though, is that the crest of the flood exerted maximum pressure, and would move ahead of the subsiding levees. So the areas in question still flooded. People just wasted a lot of effort delaying the inevitable a few hours. It was a complete waste of time and effort. But if you don't do it, they won't vote for you. And it was still raining. So the local emergency services, and the Guard, and volunteers, worked their way down the river, reinforcing levees that were guaranteed to fail, in order to be seen to be "doing something." SIDENOTE: At one point they sent us to sandbag around a body shop. They wanted a 7 layer stack all the way around this shop. They were painting cars and rolling them out fast, and I figured they were trying to save customer cars quickly. Except they then rolled new cars IN. And it turned out they were 20 feet above flood level, but wanted to "just make sure," and the owner was the mayor's brother. We put a stop to that. But it indicates the point. Votes were at stake. So we kept "doing something." And levees kept failing, land kept flooding, and that crest kept building higher. ANOTHER SIDENOTE: There was actually a shooting war going on between Missouri and Illinois. They'd motor over on skiffs and try to knock down levees on the far side to relieve pressure on theirs. The myth that people cooperate in disasters? Only when they can spare resources. As soon as they THINK they can't, it's war. But, had any of them succeeded, it would have reduced the crest and lessened the effect lower down. Their solution was correct. It was just far too late to avoid massive repercussions. They moved us to a water distribution point, because a local water system was "possibly contaminated." First day, it was Keystone Kops parking, with everyone panicking in to get their 1 gal per person per day. We had extra as a precaution and were told to just hand it out to avoid a panic. Keep in mind the city water was "possibly contaminated" and all they had to do was boil it. But we had families come up with grandparents on walkers ("please, ma'am, we'll be happy to bring water out to you. Private, take some water over there"), families with six kids of three races, and two grandparents who looked nothing like anyone, and then another family with four kids of three races, some of whom looked familiar. Because they had to get all the water right now. Sound familiar? We got it organized (BTW, Anheuser Busch and Miller both run a bottled/canned water line nonstop as a charitable emergency measure. When this hit, they switched several other lines over to water, and added the water cans/bottles into the feed. So the first few pallets were actually water in cans marked BUDWEISER. We think. It was hard to tell the difference.) and switched to tanked water we had processed and hauled in. Restaurants got first dibs, because how else were they supposed to operate? Then it was all you could package in your own containers. People complained about the taste vs bottled water. Which they could still legally buy, mind you. But they wanted it free, because they'd voted! It was still raining. Every bridge across the Mississippi except one was under water. So if you had to cross the river for work, plan on leaving five hours early. Lots of people tried to find temporary lodging. Then it turned out that one of the flood doors in East St Louis, that can be closed against rising water across roadways, had been stolen at some point for scrap metal. A several ton steel door on rollers with a locking seal had gone missing. So that was a frantic scramble, but not mine. I wound up in the mobile command post of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency as the nighttime duty NCO. And what were my duties? "Nothing, you guys have done plenty the last six weeks. You just sit there in the AC and if I need anything I'll let you know. The bunk's comfortable." That was nice of the state guy. The mobile command post was a motorhome, with two bunks, a fridge, microwave, radios for CB, shortwave, aircraft band, marine band, emergency band, and several others. Three computers. Six monitors screens (CRTs, this was 1993), three regular TVs, an erected antenna mast that could receive Chicago from where we were, and bunches of other gear. It was still raining. We went in every night, occasionally ran out for food for one element or another, got counts on the water levels at the distribution points, reported back. We were there about a week. It was a lot better than sandbagging, and a lot less frustrating than dealing with panicky idiots. I came in August 1st, and asked, "Are they still expecting a 48' crest?" He said, "Fifty three feet." (over 20 feet above flood stage and a peak flow rate of 1.08 Million cubic feet per second. At this rate, a bowl the size of Busch Stadium would be filled to the brim in 69 seconds.) https://www.weather.gov/lsx/1993_flood The Flood Wall was 52' high. I cursed, and asked, "Are they going to be stupid and try to sandbag" (knowing that literal megatons of water would wash sandbags away in seconds) "or are they evacuating?" He said, "Neither. There's 100 tons of dynamite on the Jefferson County levee, and the MPs have orders to shoot to kill. At 50' they blow. But I didn't tell you that." This was before cell phones, so I couldn't have told anyone anyway, but I understood how utterly critical this was. Flooding STL would kill thousands and cost billions and take years to attempt to rebuild. I have to wonder if they told all those farmers in Jefferson County as they evacuated them, "We're all in this together, and you have to lose your farm, your house, all your worldly goods, and everything you've ever worked for. But we'll make it up to you. Honest. Because we're all in this together." They had totally failed to flatten this curve. So I sat there with my 3-soldier element, sipped soda, and remained riveted on the white board. The phone would ring. The state guy would answer. "Hello?" And then he'd write a number on the board. 47'9" A half hour later. Ring ring. "Hello?" 48'1" Ring ring. "Hello?" 48'8" Ring Ring. "Hello?" 49'3" Ring Ring. "Hello?" 49' 6" Ring ring. "Hello?"



49' 2". "It's going down." That. Close. That. @#$ing close. To either inundating an entire county, or potentially flooding billions upon billions of dollars and thousands of lives and businesses in St Louis. By failing to make the correct decision at every single point. Again: all the government had to do at any point was NOT DO THE WRONG THING and everything would have sorted itself out in a manageable fashion. But of course, that would have meant upsetting some voters. Who wouldn't vote for them. So they doubled down, tripled down, quadrupled down. Like a gambling addict in Vegas blowing his children's college fund and then inheritance against the surety that the odds would change any time. At every single decision point, without fail (in other words, 100% fail), the government did EXACTLY THE WRONG THING. And luckily, at literally the last possible second, it worked. This is exactly what is happening with the Covids and our "Fifteen days to slow the spread" that didn't, 115 days ago. Followed by stuffing sick people into nursing homes, destroying entire industries by being "All in this together, as long as some small business gets screwed, not the corporate donors," and now, "Wear a mask and stand behind plastic. There's literally zero evidence that it works, but we need Karen to vote for us, and we have to Do Something." And you will continue to demand the government Do Something, complain when they do, and vote for them to do it again. Because, as Loki observed in The Avengers, "Kneel before me. I said kneel! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."



And not only are there always men like him, but you will always vote for them.



As for me: World Security Council: Director Fury, the council has made a decision.

Nick Fury: I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid-ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it.



There is no universe in which I wear a fetish mask that accomplishes nothing. I will not let my daughter be encased in plastic screens at school. I refuse to lock myself in my house. COVID peaked in late April, per every document available. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm I will not assist in continuing to do the wrong thing, doubling down on stupidity.