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Trump, Melbourne, and COVID

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Personally, I don't like the linked article. The author is trying to be too clever, or something. In any case, personal choice, I guess.
What I am interested in is the positioning in the US, and the comparatives to Australia...and even more specifically Melbourne, where I am from.

For anyone unaware, Victoria (capital city of Melbourne) has moved to Stage 4 lockdown after a spike in COVID cases. The premier has declared a state of disaster, and there is a curfew running from 8pm to 5am (with some exclusions). The requirement is to stay within 5km of your house within these hours, and wear a mask (with some exclusions).

Trump used this as a vehicle to score (in my opinion) cheap political points, but is COMPLETELY misrepresenting where we are at, how we got here, or how it compares to the US position.

Victoria, Australia, In ‘State Of Disaster,’ Melbourne Lockdown From Covid-19 Coronavirus

In the interests of pushing back against FAKE NEWS no matter the source...including from Trump himself...I'm happy to take any questions about how Melbourne got into this mess, how bad it actually is, and what's going on if anyone is seeking to actually understand it.

But for those not interested in investing time in understanding it (something I COMPLETELY understand) the short takeaway is that Trump is talking crap in that tweet, and it's implications. And yeah, it kinda pisses me off.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Personally, I don't like the linked article. The author is trying to be too clever, or something. In any case, personal choice, I guess.
What I am interested in is the positioning in the US, and the comparatives to Australia...and even more specifically Melbourne, where I am from.

For anyone unaware, Victoria (capital city of Melbourne) has moved to Stage 4 lockdown after a spike in COVID cases. The premier has declared a state of disaster, and there is a curfew running from 8pm to 5am (with some exclusions). The requirement is to stay within 5km of your house within these hours, and wear a mask (with some exclusions).

Trump used this as a vehicle to score (in my opinion) cheap political points, but is COMPLETELY misrepresenting where we are at, how we got here, or how it compares to the US position.

Victoria, Australia, In ‘State Of Disaster,’ Melbourne Lockdown From Covid-19 Coronavirus

In the interests of pushing back against FAKE NEWS no matter the source...including from Trump himself...I'm happy to take any questions about how Melbourne got into this mess, how bad it actually is, and what's going on if anyone is seeking to actually understand it.

But for those not interested in investing time in understanding it (something I COMPLETELY understand) the short takeaway is that Trump is talking crap in that tweet, and it's implications. And yeah, it kinda pisses me off.
Don't be too upset by the lies and misrepresentations. We all know Trump is full of sh#t.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
He and his minions of course ignore totally the disaster in the US but point the finger at others who are doing much better. It's his "MO".
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
Don't be too upset by the lies and misrepresentations. We all know Trump is full of sh#t.

I pretty much assume that anything Trump says, tweets, or utters is crap.

He and his minions of course ignore totally the disaster in the US but point the finger at others who are doing much better. It's his "MO".
I mean really ... how much sadder can this get? When are Americans going to see this man for who he really is? Or are 40% of them going to stick their fingers in their ears, make nya-nya noises, and insist they could not possibly have been wrong?
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
Personally, I don't like the linked article. The author is trying to be too clever, or something. In any case, personal choice, I guess.
I guess the fact that the reporter is of Chinese heritage might have added some bias to his writing....:D

I often listen to Mr Trump's tweets and wonder how his words are even possible coming from the leader of one of the world's most powerful nations......:oops: Scary.....
 

Daemon Sophic

Avatar in flux
I mean really ... how much sadder can this get? When are Americans going to see this man for who he really is? Or are 40% of them going to stick their fingers in their ears, make nya-nya noises, and insist they could not possibly have been wrong?
Much.
Most of us did 4 years ago.
Yes. :(
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
I mean really ... how much sadder can this get? When are Americans going to see this man for who he really is? Or are 40% of them going to stick their fingers in their ears, make nya-nya noises, and insist they could not possibly have been wrong?

Much of it has to do with voter apathy. Too many people think of the millions of votes cast 'my' vote doesn't make a difference so why bother. But elections are won precinct by precinct and looking at it that way one can see their vote does make a difference. I think Trump is down in the polls because people are realizing the present consequences of their vote. But his core base is more than able to stand the stench as long as he supports their agenda which is to stack the courts and bring America back to the '50's. And so far they have been quite successful, it will take decades to undo some of the damage to the 'rule of law'.
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Much of it has to do with voter apathy. Too many people think of the millions of votes cast 'my' vote doesn't make a difference so why bother. But elections are won precinct by precinct and looking at it that way one can see their vote does make a difference. I think Trump is down in the polls because people are realizing the present consequences of their vote. But his core base is more than able to stand the stench as long as he supports their agenda which is to stack the courts and bring America back to the '50's. And so far they have been quite successful, it will take decades to undo some of the damage to the 'rule of law'.

You might like this:

116683677_995964794166448_4359979819902207394_n.jpg
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I think you're being rather optimistic. I think an implosion is eminent. And what results from that devastation is anyone's guess.

Of course, I didn't write that. If I had, it would have been a lot darker. My prognosis for America is ongoing and worsening chaos, fear, insecurity, economic ruin, emotional paralysis, intellectual decline, and cultural degeneration.

This has been my position for over fifteen years, but it's my experience that people really don't want to think about the topic. Such posts typically get crickets in response, which I interpret as the matter being to painful to contemplate, and so I don't leave them any more.

In fact, this is why we expatriated in 2009 from America, where I lived all of the first 55 years of my life, and which I once loved and respected, to Mexico. Back in the Bush years, we could see the writing on the wall, realized that America was already too close to martial law and the collapse of the dollar and the banks, was starting useless wars for profit based on lies, shifting the middle class's wealth to the wealthy, incessantly assaulting the social safety net, increasing division, the erosion of once sacred American principles, incessant and wildly successful conservative indoctrination media, and a worsening gun and hatred culture.

We saw the Republican party as a crime family and an enemy of America and the American people, and the American electorate too uninformed to stop electing Republicans. And they did as predicted with the expected result.

I have referred to the metaphor of the demented brother to illustrate sharing a country and living beside people who vote for Republicans. The left being yoked to the right is like two brothers, one demented, inheriting a business, with both partners having equal access to bank accounts, setting policy, and signing contracts.

The demented brother hires George Bush to manage the business for years, leading to tremendous damage to the enterprise. Then after a great scare, the intelligent brother has him replaced with a competent business manager or accountant or whatever, who restores financial solvency somewhat, only to find the the demented brother has fired him a few years later and hired another incompetent, this time also a sociopathic, malevolent crook, with a four year contract, who destroys the business further.

You don't want to be partnered with such a person (I sure didn't), and as long as the demented brother is empowered, there's no fixing this problem except to walk away from it and seek greener pastures. This dumpster fire of a country can't be fixed for a variety of reasons apart from its imbecilic electorate, not the least of which being that those who actually own and run America don't see these as problems, but as goals. Their goal - the return of America to a state of concentrated wealth, power, and privilege, and the concomitant decimation of the middle class and transforming them to serfdom.

Such people have no interest in your rights, your freedoms, or even your life. You're not going to be able to stop them as they continue to retool America's government to serve them and exploit its citizens as capital, however many solution you come up with to reversing these trends.

It's too late for that. It's too late for democracy. In my opinion, the America we loved and respected is dead and gone for good, and is morphing into a failed state.

So actually, I am about as pessimistic about America and its future as I can be. Sorry to share such a gloomy outlook, but it's what I see, and I'd rather be right than optimistic for the sake of feeling more comfortable.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Of course, I didn't write that. If I had, it would have been a lot darker. My prognosis for America is ongoing and worsening chaos, fear, insecurity, economic ruin, emotional paralysis, intellectual decline, and cultural degeneration.

This has been my position for over fifteen years, but it's my experience that people really don't want to think about the topic. Such posts typically get crickets in response, which I interpret as the matter being to painful to contemplate, and so I don't leave them any more.

In fact, this is why we expatriated in 2009 from America, where I lived all of the first 55 years of my life, and which I once loved and respected, to Mexico. Back in the Bush years, we could see the writing on the wall, realized that America was already too close to martial law and the collapse of the dollar and the banks, was starting useless wars for profit based on lies, shifting the middle class's wealth to the wealthy, incessantly assaulting the social safety net, increasing division, the erosion of once sacred American principles, incessant and wildly successful conservative indoctrination media, and a worsening gun and hatred culture.

We saw the Republican party as a crime family and an enemy of America and the American people, and the American electorate too uninformed to stop electing Republicans. And they did as predicted with the expected result.

I have referred to the metaphor of the demented brother to illustrate sharing a country and living beside people who vote for Republicans. The left being yoked to the right is like two brothers, one demented, inheriting a business, with both partners having equal access to bank accounts, setting policy, and signing contracts.

The demented brother hires George Bush to manage the business for years, leading to tremendous damage to the enterprise. Then after a great scare, the intelligent brother has him replaced with a competent business manager or accountant or whatever, who restores financial solvency somewhat, only to find the the demented brother has fired him a few years later and hired another incompetent, this time also a sociopathic, malevolent crook, with a four year contract, who destroys the business further.

You don't want to be partnered with such a person (I sure didn't), and as long as the demented brother is empowered, there's no fixing this problem except to walk away from it and seek greener pastures. This dumpster fire of a country can't be fixed for a variety of reasons apart from its imbecilic electorate, not the least of which being that those who actually own and run America don't see these as problems, but as goals. Their goal - the return of America to a state of concentrated wealth, power, and privilege, and the concomitant decimation of the middle class and transforming them to serfdom.

Such people have no interest in your rights, your freedoms, or even your life. You're not going to be able to stop them as they continue to retool America's government to serve them and exploit its citizens as capital, however many solution you come up with to reversing these trends.

It's too late for that. It's too late for democracy. In my opinion, the America we loved and respected is dead and gone for good, and is morphing into a failed state.

So actually, I am about as pessimistic about America and its future as I can be. Sorry to share such a gloomy outlook, but it's what I see, and I'd rather be right than optimistic for the sake of feeling more comfortable.
We have been here, before, and managed to turn things around. But it took a great depression and a world war to make us do it. And the turn-around only held for a generation. So it's true that things don't look good for us.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Personally, I don't like the linked article. The author is trying to be too clever, or something. In any case, personal choice, I guess.
What I am interested in is the positioning in the US, and the comparatives to Australia...and even more specifically Melbourne, where I am from.

For anyone unaware, Victoria (capital city of Melbourne) has moved to Stage 4 lockdown after a spike in COVID cases. The premier has declared a state of disaster, and there is a curfew running from 8pm to 5am (with some exclusions). The requirement is to stay within 5km of your house within these hours, and wear a mask (with some exclusions).

Trump used this as a vehicle to score (in my opinion) cheap political points, but is COMPLETELY misrepresenting where we are at, how we got here, or how it compares to the US position.

Victoria, Australia, In ‘State Of Disaster,’ Melbourne Lockdown From Covid-19 Coronavirus

In the interests of pushing back against FAKE NEWS no matter the source...including from Trump himself...I'm happy to take any questions about how Melbourne got into this mess, how bad it actually is, and what's going on if anyone is seeking to actually understand it.

But for those not interested in investing time in understanding it (something I COMPLETELY understand) the short takeaway is that Trump is talking crap in that tweet, and it's implications. And yeah, it kinda pisses me off.

A final and perhaps petty epitaph to this thread. After instituting strict lockdown and mask rules, Victoria has now had 0 Covid cases and 0 deaths for 25 straight days. We have 1 active case, leftover from pre-November.

His 'points' appear as increasingly irrelevant as Trump himself.
 
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