Cranky Old Man #77

Hospitalizations for COVID are at all-pandemic highs, and yet, for most of America it's business as usual, maybe with masks on.

I don't know what the solution is, but for starters I'd support ① a lockdown for unvaccinated adults — no admittance to stores, restaurants, or anyplace indoors where the public gathers — and ② tripling all taxes on any adult who's unvaccinated.

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97.3% of this article is over my head, but it's fun watching a smart person try to make sense of cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

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Pres. Biden was coming to Georgia to make a speech about voting rights, but several of the state's civil rights groups — the same groups that helped deliver Georgia for Dems in 2020 and in the two Senate races that soon followed — announced a boycott. They wanted Biden to get off his ass and do something about voting rights, not just make another speech.

Mere hours later, Biden got off his ass and at least announced lip-service support for a limited reworking of the filibuster rules that might allow Americans to have voting rights.

It took a lot of effort to get Biden to even say something. Doing something, especially under the Senate circumstances, might be impossible, but it would be nice to have someone in office who tries.

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Some wingnut named Jesse Watters, who suggested assassinating Dr Anthony Fauci a few weeks ago, has been given a prime time nightly show on Fox News.

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I am a collection of phobias and mental and emotional malfunctions, and I’m not sure whether that makes me more qualified or less, to judge the phobias and mental and emotional malfunctions of others. But damn, there seem to be more and more loonies every time I look around.

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Mayor is surprised that people are annoyed by sweetheart deal for Nazi cop

That says something about the Mayor, I think.

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This is a long article but worth the time, about how for years Amazon considered your privacy and security a low-priority concern, all the while bragging that it was a high-priority concern.

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That article is from Wired, and I half-read it and tossed it into the trash, to finish reading it on-line. Then I had to take the trash out to the dumpster, then had to wash my hands with hot soapy water, because an ad with a splash of cologne or perfume had been inserted between the pages. And I'm not even particularly sensitive to stink.

I'd already decided to let my subscription to Wired lapse for other reasons, but still — wow. Even among stinky-water-wearers, wouldn't you want a choice about what odor gets splashed all over you, instead of letting a magazine's advertising department decide?

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A good idea:

North Carolina voters dispute Cawthorn candidacy under 14th Amendment

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Another good idea:

Iowa City restaurants cooperatively build and own their own delivery app

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Another good idea:

Why the hell not allow non-citizens to vote? I've never thought about it before, but — they live here, they work here, they're our neighbors, and it's better for everyone if they're engaged and involved in the community. New York City will let 'em vote.

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And one more good idea:

Eat shit, 60 Minutes.

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Apropos of nothing particularly in the news, here's my unpolished, unpopular opinion on "the opioid crisis."

First and of course, there's no doubt in my mind that pharmaceutical companies are mostly evil (like all giant corporations), and that they lied and pushed opined pain relievers they knew were highly addictive, which got a lot of people addicted to prescription painkillers, and ruined a lot of lives, and killed about 70,000 people. It's not like I don't give a damn.

We should also give a damn, though, about people in chronic pain. Opioids help those people, and for them the drugs' addictive nature is moot — their pain is chronic, so the medication needs to be perpetual, too. Doctors prescribing opioids for their intended purpose, pain management, and patients using the drugs for that purpose, ought to not be grounds for suspicion by the DEA.

But why stop there? The DEA ought to not exist. Drugs ought to not be prohibited. Drugs should be tested for safety and purity by the FDA, issued with warnings and hotlines and good medical advice, and taken as needed or wanted by people who need or want drugs, with rehab and counseling easily available for those who need it.

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Same old same old, the Republican Party paying for lawyers to defend Trump against his neverending legal problems. Sure seems illegal on its face, though.

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Understanding the Republicans' response to COVID.

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When people ask, I say I don't have a cell phone, because that's quicker and easier than explaining: There is a cell phone, but it's always in the car, only for emergencies, I don't want you to call, and I don't even know the number.

I've had this cell phone for four years, made maybe three calls and received one. That's the way it should be, but now the company says my old phone will "no longer be supported," so an 'upgrade' is required.

100% scam. Forty bucks for a new phone, money wasted because I don't want a new phone, but I'll do it because it beats shopping around for a decent deal from some other rat bastard company. Gotta say, though, rat bastards.

Twigby, if you're wondering.

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Why is San Francisco the headquarters of Star Fleet?

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One-word newscast:

• cops

• cops

• COVID

• COVID

• COVID

• slaves

• strike

• strike

Dead:

• April Ashley

• Dwayne Hickman

• Bob Saget

• Wayne Thiebaud

• Mike Wilmington

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Mystery links — Like life itself, there’s no knowing where you’re going:

—①—

—②—

—③—

Sing along with Doug:
"Johnny Mathis's Feet," by American Music Club
Tip 'o the hat:
All Hat No Cattle • Linden Arden
BoingBoing • Captain Hampockets
Follow Me Here • John the Basket
LiarTownUSA • Messy Nessy Chick
National Zero • Ran Prieur
Vintage Everyday • Voenix Rising
Extra special thanks:
Becky Jo • Name Withheld • Dave S.
1/12/2022
Cranky Old Man