Thought for the Day

[Nick Danger]

The anti-mandate people are selling soft serve antivax propaganda. I'm safer than someone who isn't vaccinated but we're both less protected than we'd be if we were both vaccinated. Society functions because people protect themselves and others against communicable diseases.

Republicans are also confused about the role of private businesses. On the one hand they think private businesses should be able to do whatever they want but on the other hand they shouldn't be able to require their employees or customers get vaccinated. The government is engaged in tyranny if they tell businesses what to do but if businesses make a decision they don't like it's also tyranny.

I love the creative writing but this sounds like classic projection. Stormy Daniels described Trump's dick as a tiny mushroom surrounded by yeti hair. His supporters describe him as the epitome of manhood yet he's obese, paints his skin orange, and is hung like a hamster.

Pretty sure this is to scale.

[Nick Danger]

The anti-mandate people are selling soft serve antivax propaganda. I'm safer than someone who isn't vaccinated but we're both less protected than we'd be if we were both vaccinated. Society functions because people protect themselves and others against communicable diseases.

Republicans are also confused about the role of private businesses. On the one hand they think private businesses should be able to do whatever they want but on the other hand they shouldn't be able to require their employees or customers get vaccinated. The government is engaged in tyranny if they tell businesses what to do but if businesses make a decision they don't like it's also tyranny.

The anti-mandate people, which would include me, aren't selling anything. They just want to be left alone to make their own medical decisions. "Slippery Slope" is an argument that's used so often it's lost its teeth but it certainly applies here. If there's one thing you can count on from the U.S. Government, it's that they will 100% abuse any power they are given. Let them have no-knock warrants to fight drug cartels and the mafia, next thing you know they are using no-knock warrants on your neighborhood pot dealer and gunning down his baby sister. Let them have access to cellphone records to enable the fight against terrorism, next thing you know they're reading your texts. Give them control of the internet and they will make every effort to watch you jack off, it's a given. Give them piss and they'll ask for blood.

And on this vaccine, it'd be different if it was a good vaccine. It's not, it sucks. From what I've read recently, the only thing the vaccine is good for when it comes to the Omicron variant is reducing symptoms, it doesn't stop you from catching it and it doesn't stop you from spreading it. So we have truly reached a plateau at which MY vaccination status doesn't affect your chances of catching the virus, and YOUR vaccination status only affects your chances of surviving. Which were already EXTREMELY good anyway, we never talk about that, Omicron is the least deadly mutation so far and none of them have a kill rate of better than .05%, basically half of what we were initially warned which didn't seem so awful in the first place.

Bottom line, the vaccine fascists are starting to sound more and more like the kids who missed the bus. No, we're not coming back for you, go home.

[Laphroaig]

What is Parler? The fact that I've never heard of it and I'm a right wing nutter should tell you that no, that was never going to happen. Then again I'm not really hep to all the latest interweb gadgetry.

Also, you seem to be of the impression that Trump's base are a huge group of anti-vaxxers. There may be some anti-vaxxers among them, but for the most part what Trump's supporters are is merely anti-mandate, like me. Why should I give a shit if you get the vaccine or not, Laphro? I don't, though I would miss your quarterly insult on this forum if you died of the Darwin Flu. But if I did care, I guess I would be an anti-vaxxer, right, that's an anti-vaxxer? Someone who thinks there's something underhanded about the vaccine, some kind of mind-control or sterilization angle, yes? That's not me, or Trump's base. That's a tiny faction of outliers, and they're probably quite vocal - vocal enough for the liberal media to act as if "Republicans-General" are angry at Trump because he's spoken in favor of getting vaccinated.

If you honestly think Trump has alienated half his base, act accordingly, Laphro. That kind of math should put the next two election cycles in the bag for the Democrats, may as well run Hillary again.

So you're "not really hep to all the latest interweb gadgetry" but claim to be sufficiently knowledgeable about trump's yet to be released social media platform to declare it an almost certain success. Which is it?

[Nick Danger]

So you're "not really hep to all the latest interweb gadgetry" but claim to be sufficiently knowledgeable about trump's yet to be released social media platform to declare it an almost certain success. Which is it?

Doesn't take a data scientist to know that a lot of conservatives are fed up with Facebook's blatant censoring of conservative views, but aren't willing to give up the utility of being able to find out instantly whether the children of their 3rd-grade bully were born with birth defects in accordance with the voodoo curse they placed on his locker. Problem is, how to get all those conservatives to migrate to another platform; conservatives are smarter than liberals and aren't going to waste a lot of time setting up a whole new profile on some johnny-come-lately platform. Trump embodies the answer to that problem and the desire to make a profit off that problem all in one man, this is a totally organic progression. A lot of conservatives would follow Trump's razor-sharp buttocks straight through the gates of hell. Not nearly as much for love of Trump though, as for hatred of progressives, and hatred for Big Tech censors.

[broncofan]

Which were already EXTREMELY good anyway, we never talk about that, Omicron is the least deadly mutation so far and none of them have a kill rate of better than .05%, basically half of what we were initially warned which didn't seem so awful in the first place.

Bottom line, the vaccine fascists are starting to sound more and more like the kids who missed the bus. No, we're not coming back for you, go home.

Nearly everything you said here is wrong. Let's start with the case fatality rate. In the U.S., there have been 56 million diagnosed cases and 846,000 deaths. That's a case fatality rate of 1.5%, blended for all variants, and including some deaths in people who had some immunity, either through vaccination or infection. You also have to consider the fact that anyone who has been diagnosed in the last two weeks has not had a chance to die yet since that trails at least three weeks.

Given the fact that not every case is diagnosed some people like to point to the infection fatality rate (ifr). The ifr is estimated either from groups that have all been tested like on a cruise ship or from serology studies. The original virus out of Wuhan was estimated to have an infection fatality rate of .75%. This was the median estimate and was the most consistent with data from places with lots of infections. Delta was believed to be more virulent than the original virus and omicron is now believed to be less virulent. We still don't have numbers for omicron. Omicron is not the only variant in circulation as there is still plenty of delta out there and one reason the numbers are so much better is that population immunity increases over time, especially in those with three shots. Another reason is that it appears omicron doesn't cause much lung damage, which is a good thing obviously.

If you can tell me how you got to the number .05% I'd appreciate it. I think I have some idea but I don't want to rebut a ridiculous point you haven't made yet. But just to cut it off: would you say ebola has a kill rate of 0% because nobody in the U.S. has died from it? If it were spreading all over the place would you say that?

Second of all, in those who are boosted the pfizer shot has a 75% efficacy in preventing omicron infection. Moderna is likely better and J&J much worse. So you're once again just making shit up. The mrna vaccines were more than 90% effective at preventing infection in every other variant.

If you asked me 5 years ago whether an anti-vaxer was more likely to be Republican or Democrat I would have had difficulty answering. If you ask any honest person today the data unequivocally says very likely to be a Republican and it's almost a mainstream position in the Republican party.

[blackchubby38]

I never thought I would agree with something that Andy Cohen ever said. But as someone who has seen their neighborhood slowly deteriorate over the past 4 years, all I have to say is Good fucking riddance to Mayor De Blasio.

[blackchubby38]

If you asked me 5 years ago whether an anti-vaxer was more likely to be Republican or Democrat I would have had difficulty answering. If you ask any honest person today the data unequivocally says very likely to be a Republican and it's almost a mainstream position in the Republican party.

Before Covid 19, I would say that both parties had voters that would have considered themselves them anti-vaxers. The belief that childhood immunizations cause autism is one that has no political ideology. Then there were the people who would refuse to get a flu shot. I know some conservatives and liberals that fall into that category. Finally, there are people who object to vaccines because of religious beliefs (Orthodox Jews come to mind) and who don't like the idea of putting unnatural things in their body. I think its safe to assume that the former vote Republican, while the latter vote Democrat.

With the Covid vaccines, I think there are 3-4 categories people fall under.

Anti-Covid vaccine.
Anti-Mandate.
Vaccine Hesitant
Vaccine Skeptic.

Now I have said before that the Trump/Republican voter/supporter were the loudest anti-vaccine people in the room. But they weren't the only ones who had issues with taking the Covid vaccine. Hence that's why the term "Vaccine Hesitant" was created when the media and government officials started realizing there were a lot of people who you wouldn't consider to be a Republican coming out and saying that they weren't going to take the vaccine.

As I have also previously stated, there are a good portion of people that are hesitant to get the vaccine for various reasons. Some of them legitimate. Some of them are based in paranoia and misinformation. I also think that vaccine hesitancy isn't strictly isolated to the United States. I have read articles about it being an issue in other countries as well. Especially the poorer ones.

When it comes to vaccine skeptics, I believe those come from all shades of the political spectrum. Would you call either Aaron Rodgers, Kyrie Irving, or Lebron James a Republican voter/supporter. I think the reason for the vaccine skepticism is varied. Once again, some of it is based on mistrust of the government. But I also think there is the person who is mindful of what they put into their bodies and are worried about the long term ramifications of taking a vaccine that was developed in under a year.

Finally, there is the anti-vaccine mandate person. Out of all the reasons for a person not wanting to get the Covid vaccine, this is the one that is the most understandable. I'm fully vaccinated (3 shots because we know sooner or later that's going to be the definition) and even I have an issue with some of the mandates. So depending on how vocal or consistent a person is when it comes to similar other issues I'm willing to give a person the benefit of the doubt when they say they're anti-vaccine mandate.

[Nick Danger]

Nearly everything you said here is wrong. Let's start with the case fatality rate. In the U.S., there have been 56 million diagnosed cases and 846,000 deaths. That's a case fatality rate of 1.5%, blended for all variants, and including some deaths in people who had some immunity, either through vaccination or infection. You also have to consider the fact that anyone who has been diagnosed in the last two weeks has not had a chance to die yet since that trails at least three weeks.

Given the fact that not every case is diagnosed some people like to point to the infection fatality rate (ifr). The ifr is estimated either from groups that have all been tested like on a cruise ship or from serology studies. The original virus out of Wuhan was estimated to have an infection fatality rate of .75%. This was the median estimate and was the most consistent with data from places with lots of infections. Delta was believed to be more virulent than the original virus and omicron is now believed to be less virulent. We still don't have numbers for omicron. Omicron is not the only variant in circulation as there is still plenty of delta out there and one reason the numbers are so much better is that population immunity increases over time, especially in those with three shots. Another reason is that it appears omicron doesn't cause much lung damage, which is a good thing obviously.

If you can tell me how you got to the number .05% I'd appreciate it. I think I have some idea but I don't want to rebut a ridiculous point you haven't made yet. But just to cut it off: would you say ebola has a kill rate of 0% because nobody in the U.S. has died from it? If it were spreading all over the place would you say that?

Second of all, in those who are boosted the pfizer shot has a 75% efficacy in preventing omicron infection. Moderna is likely better and J&J much worse. So you're once again just making shit up. The mrna vaccines were more than 90% effective at preventing infection in every other variant.

If you asked me 5 years ago whether an anti-vaxer was more likely to be Republican or Democrat I would have had difficulty answering. If you ask any honest person today the data unequivocally says very likely to be a Republican and it's almost a mainstream position in the Republican party.

Okay, first of all, I meant to say ".5%" not ".05%," I told you I hate math; but that should clear that up.

Otherwise, again, I don't understand why you're preaching at me over this, Bronco, I told you I'm getting the vaccine, I'm going to set up an appointment this week in fact. I have to or I can't go to Germany in February. And as I've said many, many times in this forum, I am not scared of your vaccine, I simply don't need it.

You should consider looking at the virus from my perspective, Bronco. It's not a problem for me in any way whatsoever, I'm completely immune to it, and even though I haven't been exposed to this Omicron variant yet, I'd bet big money that I'm immune to that too. I've just got this fucking sick immune system man, I can't explain it to you but it's true. When friends or family of mine get sick, they call me, because they know I'll bring them whatever they need and won't catch whatever they've got. I spent 44 hours in a Covid ward doing janitorial work, no Covid. So good for me right?

No, not good for me. Nothing can be good for anyone in Liberal America, everyone has to be dragged kicking and screaming into everyone else's problems, like crabs trying to escape a trap and constantly getting dragged back down by the weaker crabs.

So again though, looking at the virus from my perspective, Bronco, what the fuck? It's barely killing people anymore and it was never that dangerous to begin with. Get over it, it's been YEARS! People are ready to get on with life but the rest of you keep pulling us back into the trap. I'm ALMOST prepared to be defiant about it publicly. People are already getting into fistfights, stewardesses are getting knocked the fuck out, people are fed up with the non-stop fearmongering. It's over. Time to move on, and if we have to curb-stomp a few weak crabs to get there then so be it.

[Nick Danger]

With the Covid vaccines, I think there are 3-4 categories people fall under.

Anti-Covid vaccine.
Anti-Mandate.
Vaccine Hesitant
Vaccine Skeptic.

That's a very thoughtful and bi-partisan post, Chubster. But I have a 5th category for you - Vaccine Fatigue.

I wouldn't say I strictly fall into this category but it's certainly where my heart is. A lot of people are just tired of all the lockdowns and travel restrictions and prepping for surgery every time they go to the grocery store. It's too much and it's been going on for too long. I don't know many people who've had Covid and the ones I have known are just fine now. I am genuinely curious why I should get a vaccination against something, when you already have the exact vaccination you're inflicting on me but don't feel protected enough to shut the fuck up about vaccinations (not directed at you, Chubster).

People are starting to feel manipulated and lied to and abused, and a lot of them are ready to fight over it. You see all this shit happening on airplanes now, passengers going ballistic on in-flight mask nazis, formerly known as stewardesses. That's case in point right there, a lot of people are at critical mass, you add that tiny little extra bit of stress that comes from someone who's maybe a little scared of flying, and you've got violence.

And for what? It's the goddamn flu.

Anyway yeah, a lot of people will never get that vaccine for no better reason than that they're angry as hell. I can tell you right now that everyone who is going to get it has gotten it. If Biden's large employer mandate holds up in court, more will, yes, but only because they can't afford to lose their jobs. Others will take the job loss and live in poverty, further damaging a society that's already reeling from the fact that politicians and the media simply CANNOT LET THIS THING GO.

It's over as far as I'm concerned. I signed up for "Two weeks to flatten the curve." One day soon I'm gonna be that guy in the news who punched out someone getting a little too familiar with me over their mask problem. I am REALLY tired of hearing about it.

[Nick Danger]

My kind of guy here: https://nypost.com/2022/01/02/austra...pasteboard_app

There’s only one truly honorable way to end it all and that’s self-immolation. There’s no arguing with a guy who’s just set himself on fire.

Get ready for more of this. So worth it though, doesn’t matter if we drive a large percentage of the population to mental illness and the world economy into the basement, it’s totally worth it to save a handful of lungers from dying 6 months earlier than they would have. To me anyway.