By Dan Peak
The Commoner Call (6/15/20)
Dear Fellow Readers,
Let’s start with images of Trump from his graduation speech delivered at West Point Military Academy this weekend. Trump had the graduating class return to campus so he could deliver his commencement speech.
West Point graduating cadets were sent home in March because of the coronavirus. The 1,100 “newly minted Army second lieutenants were ordered back to campus after the president abruptly announced in mid-April that he wanted to go through with his previously planned commencement address.” In advance of Trump’s address the 1,100 cadets had to navigate the logistics of on-campus quarantine for two weeks. They were all tested when returning to campus, with 15 testing positive without demonstrating symptoms but there was no transmission to other cadets. Cadets wore masks and were arranged with social distancing, something Trump rejects for himself because he sees it as a sign of weakness.
Fake Bone Spur Trump bravely spoke without a mask to 1,100 ‘newly minted second lieutenants’ who are the real deal and all unnecessarily put at risk for another Trump photo-op.
Then there was the speech. Let’s just say that both the content and the delivery were even worse than you might imagine. Trump delivered a poorly written speech in a flat, deadpan monotone. But even that was not the most important part — Trump’s behavior fueled more concern over his fitness.
Beyond his inability to pronounce some words and names and other concerns there were two instances of special note:
First up, watch Trump try to drink from a glass of water; his right arm doesn’t ‘work’ and he has to use two hands to get the glass to his lips to drink.
The second example was Trump’s halting exit from the stage down a ramp. This drew so much attention on Twitter that Trump felt compelled to defend himself claiming the ramp was slippery. But you get to compare him directly to the officer next to him who all but grabs Trump’s arm to assist. To Trump’s tweet, lawyer and husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, George Conway replied, “Mr. President, thank you for now ensuring that tens of millions more Americans will see the videos of you unsteadily walking on the ramp and lifting a glass of water with two hands, and will wonder what they don’t know about your physical and mental condition.”
Vox reporter Aaron Rupar tweeted a 2015 comparison to Trump’s 2020 speech as a direct contrast to highlight the change in Trump’s health.
Since we are becoming accustomed to lists of appropriately qualified persons speaking out against the latest Trump crisis du jour, here is one speaking to this point: 350 health professionals sign letter to Congress claiming Trump’s mental health is deteriorating dangerously amid impeachment proceedings
“A group of 350 psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals are set to submit a petition to Congress on Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump’s mental health is rapidly deteriorating amid the impeachment inquiry.”
Trump’s photo-op is done. The 1,100 young Army officers are now dismissed and can return to their lives, hopefully safely.
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Possible help from Vitamin D
A Commoner Call reader sent a link to news about coronavirus and Vitamin D. While I cannot make a recommendation, I will link to three views that can be seen as short-medium-long so you can choose.
- The ‘short’ quotes Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) calling on the Center for Disease Control to “further explore this potential link” to Vitamin D “reducing complications” with coronavirus.
- The ‘medium’ length article from Medscape here.
- But the version I’d highly recommend is another video from English nurse instructor and lecturer Dr. John Campbell. Campbell goes into a great deal more depth of how and why Vitamin D might be a useful supplement while explaining more about how coronavirus attacks the body.
While I am at it, here is a second video from Campbell offering a current perspective on how the coronavirus infection fatality rate is settling out at around 1%. But as usual, there is far more to his message, including contributing factors — like poverty and lack of adequate national health resources in many nations and regions around the globe — and perspective you can use to judge your own and others’ level of risk if you were to contract the virus.
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Pandemic death toll grows
The number of coronavirus deaths in the US is closing in on 120,000, and will likely reach 200,000 by fall. The number of states with increasing numbers of new cases is growing rapidly. Here’s one headline, and this is not unique: New coronavirus cases almost double after reopening, says Alabama expert
Trump will be back on the road with reelection rallies and Tulsa, Oklahoma is first up. If you are one of the 300,000 attendees the Trump campaign claims will be attending in the venue that seats less than 20,000, you will have to agree to waive any problems from possible coronavirus exposure. And why should anyone be concerned even if Whirlpool just closed their Tulsa facility because of a coronavirus outbreak.
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Following up on the debacle that was Georgia primary election, there is more to be concerned about beyond the many opinions that feel Georgia is a Trump-GOP trial run for November election disruption and disenfranchisement. Trump-GOP fear voter turnout, the more people going to the polls the less likely a Trump reelection.
But there are also specific concerns with ES&S voting machines that were unveiled in Georgia. Here is a general description of the problems with the new equipment:
Part of the problem was the use of expensive, new voting machines, which could signal problems for the Presidential election, in November. On Tuesday, Georgians voted using thirty thousand new machines, called Ballot Marking Devices (B.M.D.s), which the state purchased last year for a$107 million dollars, despite public opposition. When voters finally made it to the front of the line, they signed into electronic poll books (many of which malfunctioned) and were given a smart card loaded with the ballot for their district. They then inserted the card into the voting machine, the ballot popped up on a touch screen, they made their selections, and the machine printed out a summary of those choices.
This is not a new problem, a few weeks ago Shelby County, Tennessee reported with ES&S B.M.D. where votes “vanished”. Shelby County is “54% African American… but the election commission is lead by Republicans”. Read on and you’ll have greater concerns over the history of ES&S/Diebold/Dominion and if you’ve tracked these stories over the years the only thing that is new is the company name and the B.M.D. technology, but not the potential voting fraud.
But there is another ES&S concern that needs to be dealt with. Broward County, Florida election officials are being denied access to the election database that includes the county totals. Imagine being those responsible for overseeing the county election and being told ‘you don’t need to know’ the voting results! Here is a twitter thread that includes links to related news articles.
Be fearful – Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and likely other states will be using the ES&S B.M.D. machines.
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Meanwhile for Trump and Billy Barr – still no signs of ANTIFA. Nada, zip, zero – almost as if they were lying again to incite the base.
Stay Safe.