Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19



  • Well… I’m pretty convinced that we are in a cold war with China and have been for quite awhile… It’s escalating now with the rhetoric and the ejection of journalists.

    Covid-19 is a particularly ironic Chinese export given it’s distinction as a ‘novel’ virus and the fact that China was historically known for and benefited from its ability to copy the original work of others.



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    I mean @bskeet as we sent over all our abilities to make medicine to the Chinese because it’s cheaper todo so. Or is it?

    I didn’t ignore this… I just don’t follow it. But given that the conversation was 24 hours ago… maybe we just let pass. There was a bunch of stuff I didn’t grok in the back and forth that followed.

    Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.



  • WE HAVE A DEAL FAM https://twitter.com/chadpergram/status/1242680634071494656?s=21

    P.S. Chad is a must follow for Hill action. Always gives it straight, never his opinion. Has great taste in wine too according to my former boss



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @jayballer73 throwing up some prayers for you and your family

    Thank you I appreciate that



  • Just updating for my friends that gave thoughts for my situation. - - Daughter made it out ok, the cyst had ruptured , but was able to save the ovary. - Seems to be doing ok, just really sore just going to take time down flat for some days - -was a LONG NIGHT didn’t hear anything till late, but Thank God sounds like she will be ok, probably going to send the cyst off for Biopsy fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone. - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • @jayballer73 Whew! Glad to hear it came out ok.



  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @jayballer73 Whew! Glad to hear it came out ok.

    ya that makes tree of us buddy thanks



  • @jayballer73 that’s a tough situation, especially while being quarantined. We are all with you buddy.


  • Banned

    Great news @jayballer73


  • Banned

    Watching Cuomo presser. Wow where has this Cuomo been? Very much in control, strong language, trying to unite, and not blaming Trump for everything. Can he steal them Dem ticket?



  • @DoubleDD He’s been solid, I agree.

    I’m assuming if he were to run for President, the Fox News hit-job would smear him to the point you’d be getting a negative impression. So if you like the guy now, by hearing directly from him, if he does have a future in higher office, don’t forget to hear it straight from his mouth then as well 🙂


  • Banned

    @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD He’s been solid, I agree.

    I’m assuming if he were to run for President, the Fox News hit-job would smear him to the point you’d be getting a negative impression. So if you like the guy now, by hearing directly from him, if he does have a future in higher office, don’t forget to hear it straight from his mouth then as well 🙂

    Hey if you’re going to get in the ring then one must except to be smeared. I’m not sure I could vote him. As I’m pretty sure he’s a big backer of the Paris climate accord. I’ll have todo some homework on that one. Im all for helping the environment but not if we Americans are picking up the bill while China, and India get to continue to pollute.



  • @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @jayballer73 that’s a tough situation, especially while being quarantined. We are all with you buddy.

    Really appreciate the words. Thank God everything turned out all right. – Came through , just really sore was able to remove the cyst. Ya really long hours not being able to be at the hospital and waiting on a phone call.



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Great news @jayballer73

    Thank You really appreciated. Really nervous hours when you dealing with the unkown


  • Banned

    @jayballer73 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Great news @jayballer73

    Thank You really appreciated. Really nervous hours when you dealing with the unkown

    I know the feeling, glad everything turned out great.



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD He’s been solid, I agree.

    I’m assuming if he were to run for President, the Fox News hit-job would smear him to the point you’d be getting a negative impression. So if you like the guy now, by hearing directly from him, if he does have a future in higher office, don’t forget to hear it straight from his mouth then as well 🙂

    Hey if you’re going to get in the ring then one must except to be smeared. I’m not sure I could vote him. As I’m pretty sure he’s a big backer of the Paris climate accord. I’ll have todo some homework on that one. Im all for helping the environment but not if we Americans are picking up the bill while China, and India get to continue to pollute.

    You know what they say, everything said before the but doesn’t really matter. I guess if we can’t get an uncooperative authoritarian government in on a deal, why even bother.


  • Banned

    @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD He’s been solid, I agree.

    I’m assuming if he were to run for President, the Fox News hit-job would smear him to the point you’d be getting a negative impression. So if you like the guy now, by hearing directly from him, if he does have a future in higher office, don’t forget to hear it straight from his mouth then as well 🙂

    Hey if you’re going to get in the ring then one must except to be smeared. I’m not sure I could vote him. As I’m pretty sure he’s a big backer of the Paris climate accord. I’ll have todo some homework on that one. Im all for helping the environment but not if we Americans are picking up the bill while China, and India get to continue to pollute.

    You know what they say, everything said before the but doesn’t really matter. I guess if we can’t get an uncooperative authoritarian government in on a deal, why even bother.

    Well that’s a Tricky question? As a nation do you hand over all your monies resources to try to save the earth. Not an easy question to answer?

    Only to find yourself in service to A socialist and communist government That tells you what todo because you Are afriad of hurting the environment. Which isn’t really true. It’s more about saving humanity. Yet what is humanity if it’s fearful and allows rouge nations to rule over them for fear of hurting the Environment? is that living? Should we give credence and bow to the wishes to every rouge nation that threatens the environment?

    Just to save the environment?


  • Banned

    If we can’t live free ? Then I say blow this big old earth up. I mean I get some of you will do what you are told to do to live. I respect that. It’s just not me.



  • @DoubleDD you don’t have kids I guess. There’s more to life than individual happiness. If we can agree on that, then in all likelihood freedom will return for future generations even if freedoms are compromised in the present. I didnt follow the conversation before the last post. I’m just responding to yours.



  • @DoubleDD To me it’s all down to how you balance the needs of an individual with the needs of the community. Collectivism v individualism. Neither can exist without the other and if you stray to far to either side the whole system collapses. I personally believe American society places too much emphasis on the wants of the individual and has in many cases ignored the needs of the collective.

    At some point for me, if someone is to be a good person, they have to put the needs of others first. But these days if that happens people just seem to argue about if it’s fair or not or why don’t I get that or I never needed that so why should anyone else or my favorite what about when that person in the past did this or that.



  • We aren’t free. We are just house slaves (third world is field slaves).



  • @benshawks08 @wissox is like that too, his Mlb team stinks though



  • Sox will be in the playoffs this year…if they play.



  • I think we’ve gone too far in the direction of collectivism, to be honest. I think the federal government tries to do too much for too many people (like, there’s no reason they should be a venture capital firm or student loan bank). I also detest the rise of identity politics on both the left and right. I’m not a Randian who doesn’t like private charity and things like that, but the decline in civic engagement really worries me. There’s certainly a correlation between the size of government and the decline of civil society. As the size of government increases, so does the incentive for private firms to seek rents (e.g. spend on lobbying).

    I’d like to see the state shrink, and increased freedom of movement for both labor and capital. Far too many things are illegal (drug use, prostitution, gambling, making cheap gas cans, testing for COVID-19.) Like we could eliminate the whole of the Department of Energy and not that many people would notice. Just relocate the maintenance of our nuclear arsenal (of which we have far too much) to DoD. F.A. Hayek is bae. (as an aside, I think every American should read both John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice and Hayek’s Law, Legislation, and Liberty. Both do a very good job of steel manning each argument, and then be free to decide where you land on the topic.

    And to head off any “there are no libertarians in pandemics” stuff, the country’s foremost libertarian politician, Rep. Justin Amash, endorses a massive relief package. After all, there are VERY few Murray Rothbard type anarcho-capitalists. I am not one of them. I’m just very skeptical of central planning.



  • @FarmerJayhawk Well I will agree big government doesn’t work when it’s filled with and led by folks trying to break it as it is now.

    Edit: I was also talking more as a society and less about politics with the individual vs collective stuff.

    Now for some folks who are really making it work here’s an awesome piece for Texas monthly about the best grocery store chain in Texas.

    https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/heb-prepared-coronavirus-pandemic/



  • @benshawks08 a pretty impressive co. Is this just a Texas co? I didn’t see if that was mentioned. Thx for sharing.



  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @FarmerJayhawk Well I will agree big government doesn’t work when it’s filled with and led by folks trying to break it as it is now.

    Edit: I was also talking more as a society and less about politics with the individual vs collective stuff.

    Now for some folks who are really making it work here’s an awesome piece for Texas monthly about the best grocery store chain in Texas.

    https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/heb-prepared-coronavirus-pandemic/

    I definitely agree the lack of social cohesion is a problem. We’ve replaced it with government and wheeeew boy is it a cluster



  • @Crimsonorblue22 Yep. Just Texas I’m pretty sure. Was a solid dillons customer growing up in Wichita but H-E-B quickly won me over here I. Texas. They hire a ton of my students, pay them well, give them opportunities to move up, help them pay for school, take care of their employees with longevity discounts on groceries for life after 5 years, donated tons (literally) of water to austin schools when city had a boil water order, just donated $100,000 dollars to help feed austin isd students during this pandemic, and just always seem to do the right thing. Unfortunately, can’t count on all businesses to be run that way.



  • @FarmerJayhawk I think it’s more the valuing of money and corporations over people than government. Now government has certainly had a something to do with shifting those values. And yes, conservatives and neoliberals are both to blame. But public schools, welfare, and civil rights aren’t the problem.



  • @benshawks08 Dillion’s hires a ton of students but they don’t treat them well. They are desperate for help now, Walmart too. They are putting shields up and marking the floors for spacing at the checkouts. Reduced their hrs.



  • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html

    Article about how Cuomo has a very different understanding of reality than Trump in terms of New Yorks need for ventillators.


  • Banned

    @BShark said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    We aren’t free. We are just house slaves (third world is field slaves).

    Freedom is a matter of perception or definition. Every person has to decide that answer for themselves.


  • Banned

    @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html

    Article about how Cuomo has a very different understanding of reality than Trump in terms of New Yorks need for ventillators.

    I did a little research on Cuomo. Why was NY so unprepared for the spread of the coronavirus?

    1. It is one of the largest cities in the world

    2. Cuomo is Huge on open borders. Come one come all. No need to Look into ones past. Where they come from and so on.

    3. He’s screaming for financial reparations for NY as it has been hit the hardest.

    4. Now he wants to put coronavirus victims in retired or old folks homes.

    5. At one point NY officials were rejecting ventilators from the federal government.

    I don’t know? Thinking some of this is self inflicted. Crazy as it seems the hardest hit states and cities in America are the ones that believe in open borders, and are sanctuary cities.


  • Banned

    It appears the New York Times the beacon of freedom. Wants all your personal info to read their can’t dispute truths. Sorry about that @BShark. Now I know what you were saying.


  • Banned

    Oh Nice job on PBS scoring more money on their current budget on a stimulus package for Americans and Businesses suffering from Coronavirus. Nothing like sticking it to the tax payers.


  • Banned

    @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @FarmerJayhawk I think it’s more the valuing of money and corporations over people than government. Now government has certainly had a something to do with shifting those values. And yes, conservatives and neoliberals are both to blame. But public schools, welfare, and civil rights aren’t the problem.

    Public schools aren’t to blame? A institution that really by all respects teaches socialism. Welfare? Another institution that doesn’t push people to be self-reliant yet demands them to be dependent upon the government. Civil rights? What does that mean anymore? We just had a supreme court justice nominee that had to deal with a woman that couldn’t remember where the so-called attempted rape took place what time the rate to place, yeah because she is a woman and she was a part of the me to movement it didn’t matter. Civil rights today are guilty until proven innocent not what our founding fathers wanted.


  • Banned

    I know you guys hate Fox News, but trust me Juan Williams is more liberal an more a trump hater than all you combined. Wow.





  • @DoubleDD A. No they don’t. B. You ever tried to file for government assistance? C. She had to deal with a lot more than him for even coming forward. Three out of every four sexual assaults go u reported. Wonder why that is if as you say the guy is guilty till proven innocent? Bret wasn’t proven innocent nor was the president, yet they hold two of the highest offices in the country



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html

    Article about how Cuomo has a very different understanding of reality than Trump in terms of New Yorks need for ventillators.

    I did a little research on Cuomo. Why was NY so unprepared for the spread of the coronavirus?

    1. It is one of the largest cities in the world

    2. Cuomo is Huge on open borders. Come one come all. No need to Look into ones past. Where they come from and so on.

    3. He’s screaming for financial reparations for NY as it has been hit the hardest.

    4. Now he wants to put coronavirus victims in retired or old folks homes.

    5. At one point NY officials were rejecting ventilators from the federal government.

    I don’t know? Thinking some of this is self inflicted. Crazy as it seems the hardest hit states and cities in America are the ones that believe in open borders, and are sanctuary cities.

    New York is way ahead in numbers because of population, population density, and testing per capita. They also might be ahead of the curve for the rest of the country because they have more international travel than just about any place in the world. Undocumented people have absolutely nothing to do with the spread of the pandemic in New York.

    “Self inflicted,” please. By that logic the whole country is self inflicted if you were to list out trumps inactions. But should the federal government do as Trump said and just “not call” those governors who “aren’t nice” to him?



  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD A. No they don’t. B. You ever tried to file for government assistance? C. She had to deal with a lot more than him for even coming forward. Three out of every four sexual assaults go u reported. Wonder why that is if as you say the guy is guilty till proven innocent? Bret wasn’t proven innocent nor was the president, yet they hold two of the highest offices in the country

    We are kind of off the rails here, maybe @approxinfinity wants to split this line of discussion but man, what a horrible view of sexual assault from DD. So many girls and women commit suicide after being raped BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY WON’T BE BELIEVED AND CAN’T LIVE WITH THE INTERNAL SHAME.



  • @BShark Seems like certain people tend to take it off the rails on the regular by bringing up random inflammatory takes because they don’t have a real response or independently thought out opinion. For someone who wants to “be free” @DoubleDD could use a little freeing of the mind from alt right talking points.



  • To go on some more after taking a breather…

    Look at how long Cosby was able to molest and rape women unchecked. Now do we need to actually default to automatically throwing accused men in prison? No. That also isn’t happening. What we do need to do is better foster a society where women aren’t afraid to report sexual crimes. Unless you know and have talked to women that have been raped and/or domestically abused you don’t know how it is. Some men get a woman living in fear, thinking they can never break away. Men are not immune to this either. I’ve seen time and time again men falling into the same type of destructive/toxic relationship (usually emotional or financial abuse) so it can go both ways.


  • Banned

    Wow didn’t know we are taking this to a personal level? I guess it’s par for the course. Sure I think woman should be able to come forth, and demand justice. Just don’t think we should swing the pendulum so far that another person is presumed guilty until proven innocent. The Cavanaugh trials was a big sham of justice there ever was.

    If you took the same parameters and evidence and witnesses that were in the Cavanaugh hearings and apply them to an average person in the streets? That case never sees the light of day in a courthouse.

    That is politics trying to subvert the constitution and the rights of the people.


  • Banned

    @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @BShark Seems like certain people tend to take it off the rails on the regular by bringing up random inflammatory takes because they don’t have a real response or independently thought out opinion. For someone who wants to “be free” @DoubleDD could use a little freeing of the mind from alt right talking points.

    Wow ouch. I don’t know how, but somehow I will pick up the shards of my shattered ego, and carry on. Even though knowing what you really think of me.


  • Banned

    @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @FarmerJayhawk I think it’s more the valuing of money and corporations over people than government. Now government has certainly had a something to do with shifting those values. And yes, conservatives and neoliberals are both to blame. But public schools, welfare, and civil rights aren’t the problem.

    I’m sorry was I not given permission to respond? I do believe it was you and @BShark that have taken this off the rails.



  • @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Wow didn’t know we are taking this to a personal level? I guess it’s par for the course. Sure I think woman should be able to come forth, and demand justice. Just don’t think we should swing the pendulum so far that another person is presumed guilty until proven innocent. The Cavanaugh trials was a big sham of justice there ever was.

    If you took the same parameters and evidence and witnesses that were in the Cavanaugh hearings and apply them to an average person in the streets? That case never sees the light of day in a courthouse.

    That is politics trying to subvert the constitution and the rights of the people.

    Yep. Bringing up sexual assault out of nowhere brought it to the personal level for me. CAVANAUGH IS A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!! If that’s the sham of justice you are talking about than I agree.


  • Banned


  • Banned

    @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @DoubleDD said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Wow didn’t know we are taking this to a personal level? I guess it’s par for the course. Sure I think woman should be able to come forth, and demand justice. Just don’t think we should swing the pendulum so far that another person is presumed guilty until proven innocent. The Cavanaugh trials was a big sham of justice there ever was.

    If you took the same parameters and evidence and witnesses that were in the Cavanaugh hearings and apply them to an average person in the streets? That case never sees the light of day in a courthouse.

    That is politics trying to subvert the constitution and the rights of the people.

    Yep. Bringing up sexual assault out of nowhere brought it to the personal level for me. CAVANAUGH IS A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!! If that’s the sham of justice you are talking about than I agree.

    I do believe you are taking one context of many that were together in a complete sentence. You derailed the topic.

    But to your opinion justice prevailed. Brett Kavanaugh was voted in to the Supreme Court.


  • Banned

    You do know that Brett Kavanaugh is a champion for women’s rights especially in the workplace. He has been one of the leaders for decades and helping women become lawyers and judges. These are facts not opinions


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