quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
If anyone believes the GOP stands for anything anymore, they are completely deluded. The GOP has attempted to bring nothing but chaos to this country and to our government. They have brought the U.S. House of Representatives to a standstill, and would like to do the same for the Senate. They have tried to throw doubt on our Department of Justice, our military, our allies, and our law enforcement officers. Try to name something the GOP has done that has been constructive. Only the MAGA nuts would even attempt to.

They now find themselves in the position of being unable to get themselves elected without trying to steal an election, or overthrow the elected government when they lose. Their only option is violence, and they are going to turn to that, as Trump constantly blows on his dog whistle trying to rally his cult members, before he goes to prison.

MAGA Republicans are so far down the rabbit hole, there is no way back.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
If anyone believes the GOP stands for anything anymore, they are completely deluded. The GOP has attempted to bring nothing but chaos to this country and to our government. They have brought the U.S. House of Representatives to a standstill, and would like to do the same for the Senate. They have tried to throw doubt on our Department of Justice, our military, our allies, and our law enforcement officers. Try to name something the GOP has done that has been constructive. Only the MAGA nuts would even attempt to.

They now find themselves in the position of being unable to get themselves elected without trying to steal an election, or overthrow the elected government when they lose. Their only option is violence, and they are going to turn to that, as Trump constantly blows on his dog whistle trying to rally his cult members, before he goes to prison.

MAGA Republicans are so far down the rabbit hole, there is no way back.

To understand the GOP you have to realize they are a shrinking minority rapidly losing the ability to even hope for victory at the ballot box nationally. They have trended down for years and years, winning the popular vote once in what, the last 8 Presidential elections? Because of the vanity of their Dear Leader (masks smeared his makeup) they largely rejected mask wearing at the height of COVID; because they harbor so many conspiracy-minded idiots they also rejected vaccines at much higher rates so more Republicans were killed by the Trump Pandemic than Democrats and Independents, further quickening their slide. Their capitulation to the Christo-fascists on abortion won them some electoral victories but the corrupt decision overturning Roe has cost them hugely in support from women and young voters.

The Republican Party is like a dinosaur sinking in mud it cannot free itself from, doomed to continued decline but still able to lash out occasionally, their only remaining hope to cling to power the overthrow of democracy itself. Since the attempted coup on January 6th Democrats have outperformed expectations across the board, reducing the widely-predicted "Red Wave" of 2022 to a mere ripple and winning something like 26 of 30 special elections by 6 to 15 percentage points above pundit predictions.

Aside from turning all social issues over to the Evangelical Taliban all Republicans stand for is reducing taxes for the wealthy, protecting corporations from regulations and trying to consolidate power in the shrinking pockets of America where they still hold it, primarily by destroying education so they can keep the populations of States like Florida and Arkansas ignorant enough to continue voting against their own interests and gerrymandering to rig elections they cannot win fairly.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
And here you are, condemning the guys who actually looked at the scientific evidence, interpreted it correctly, and have subsequently been proven correct based on studies both of masking’s lack of effectiveness and the horrible consequences that it caused in the kids forced into masking in their formative education.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
If anyone believes the GOP stands for anything anymore, they are completely deluded. The GOP has attempted to bring nothing but chaos to this country and to our government. They have brought the U.S. House of Representatives to a standstill, and would like to do the same for the Senate. They have tried to throw doubt on our Department of Justice, our military, our allies, and our law enforcement officers. Try to name something the GOP has done that has been constructive. Only the MAGA nuts would even attempt to.

They now find themselves in the position of being unable to get themselves elected without trying to steal an election, or overthrow the elected government when they lose. Their only option is violence, and they are going to turn to that, as Trump constantly blows on his dog whistle trying to rally his cult members, before he goes to prison.

MAGA Republicans are so far down the rabbit hole, there is no way back.

To understand the GOP you have to realize they are a shrinking minority rapidly losing the ability to even hope for victory at the ballot box nationally. They have trended down for years and years, winning the popular vote once in what, the last 8 Presidential elections? Because of the vanity of their Dear Leader (masks smeared his makeup) they largely rejected mask wearing at the height of COVID; because they harbor so many conspiracy-minded idiots they also rejected vaccines at much higher rates so more Republicans were killed by the Trump Pandemic than Democrats and Independents, further quickening their slide. Their capitulation to the Christo-fascists on abortion won them some electoral victories but the corrupt decision overturning Roe has cost them hugely in support from women and young voters.

The Republican Party is like a dinosaur sinking in mud it cannot free itself from, doomed to continued decline but still able to lash out occasionally, their only remaining hope to cling to power the overthrow of democracy itself. Since the attempted coup on January 6th Democrats have outperformed expectations across the board, reducing the widely-predicted "Red Wave" of 2022 to a mere ripple and winning something like 26 of 30 special elections by 6 to 15 percentage points above pundit predictions.

Aside from turning all social issues over to the Evangelical Taliban all Republicans stand for is reducing taxes for the wealthy, protecting corporations from regulations and trying to consolidate power in the shrinking pockets of America where they still hold it, primarily by destroying education so they can keep the populations of States like Florida and Arkansas ignorant enough to continue voting against their own interests and gerrymandering to rig elections they cannot win fairly.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Look for the Cochrane review article. It’s one of the standard sources for medical review.

They reviewed all the randomized controlled studies. No benefit from masking found, but perhaps if fitted N95 were used there might be a benefit.

quote:

"Many commentators have claimed that a recently updated Cochrane Review shows that 'masks don't work,' which is an inaccurate and misleading interpretation," Soares-Weiser wrote. "It would be accurate to say that the review examined whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses, and that the results were inconclusive."

quote:

"The study was misinterpreted and, when you give it a very quick glance, you see how that would happen," Dr. Jessica Justman, an associate professor of medicine in epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, told ABC News. "It's looking at interventions that tried to promote the use of different kinds of protective equipment, such as masks, and the outcomes are all going to depend on how well people actually adhere to the particular type of protective equipment."

She continued, "So, it's not as much a study of the mask but a study of the intervention to get people to wear a mask."

...

"Masks work if you wear them," Justman said. "But if you wear them very imperfectly, if you wear them in a way where they are only loosely fitting on your face and you take them off, let's say in a crowded restaurant to eat a meal, you can't then conclude when you get COVID that the mask didn't protect you because if you don't wear the mask properly, you're not going to get the full protection."

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Scientifically, they showed that the intervention was ineffective.

If they want to say that they work when used properly, then they need to do a study showing that. There isn’t one.

Note her commentary is opinion, not factual.

There was a study pre Covid about masking and influenza prevention in hospitals. It showed no benefit.

Again, there were all kinds of arguments about why it wasn’t. No one did an actual study to verify why the results came out the way they did.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
The statistics show either the thesis is proven or not, btw. “Inconclusive” means the thesis was not proven.

The study did not say “they don’t work” technically. It said “masking did not prevent transmission of Covid”

Semantics.

The study proved that the intervention did not work.

Coincidentally, while they claim slowing spread of Covid was necessary so they locked the country down, a side effect of that is a drastic reduction in staffed hospital beds.

In MN we have been off and on in a diversion status at most hospitals because of a lack of staffed beds… not a huge influx of ill people. This has been ongoing since 2020. Something we did caused hospital staffing to fall through the floor.

What was it?

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
Gwad Offal Party

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Scientifically, they showed that the intervention was ineffective.

If they want to say that they work when used properly, then they need to do a study showing that. There isn’t one.

Note her commentary is opinion, not factual.

There was a study pre Covid about masking and influenza prevention in hospitals. It showed no benefit.

Again, there were all kinds of arguments about why it wasn’t. No one did an actual study to verify why the results came out the way they did.

We're just lucky we have you to fact-check the Editor-in-Chief of the Cochran Library, who published the study you cited, and the associate professor of medicine in epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, while you are furiously crawfishing...

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Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
Gwad Offal Party

Did you post a typo ME?

Since you always police mine…thought I would point it out.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Scientifically, they showed that the intervention was ineffective.

If they want to say that they work when used properly, then they need to do a study showing that. There isn’t one.

Note her commentary is opinion, not factual.

There was a study pre Covid about masking and influenza prevention in hospitals. It showed no benefit.

Again, there were all kinds of arguments about why it wasn’t. No one did an actual study to verify why the results came out the way they did.

We're just lucky we have you to fact-check the Editor-in-Chief of the Cochran Library, who published the study you cited, and the associate professor of medicine in epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, while you are furiously crawfishing...

Crawfishing???

Dr. B was 100% accurate in his interpretation of the study results…the intervention was not efficacious.

quote:

No benefit from masking found

quote:

"Masks work if you wear them," Justman said.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
The statistics show either the thesis is proven or not, btw. “Inconclusive” means the thesis was not proven.

The study did not say “they don’t work” technically. It said “masking did not prevent transmission of Covid”

Semantics.

The study proved that the intervention did not work.

Coincidentally, while they claim slowing spread of Covid was necessary so they locked the country down, a side effect of that is a drastic reduction in staffed hospital beds.

In MN we have been off and on in a diversion status at most hospitals because of a lack of staffed beds… not a huge influx of ill people. This has been ongoing since 2020. Something we did caused hospital staffing to fall through the floor.

What was it?

Substituted your politics for medicine, perhaps?

If I was a medical professional that would make me head for the door.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Scientifically, they showed that the intervention was ineffective.

If they want to say that they work when used properly, then they need to do a study showing that. There isn’t one.

Note her commentary is opinion, not factual.

There was a study pre Covid about masking and influenza prevention in hospitals. It showed no benefit.

Again, there were all kinds of arguments about why it wasn’t. No one did an actual study to verify why the results came out the way they did.

We're just lucky we have you to fact-check the Editor-in-Chief of the Cochran Library, who published the study you cited, and the associate professor of medicine in epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, while you are furiously crawfishing...

Crawfishing???

Dr. B was 100% accurate in his interpretation of the study results…the intervention was not efficacious.

quote:

No benefit from masking found

quote:

"Masks work if you wear them," Justman said.

Except there is no data that backs that^^^up.

In regards to aerosolized viral particles.