23 Comments

Being a "maverick" who goes against the grain isn't a virtue when a deadly virus is surging. Let's hope a national audience sees DeSantis for what he is: a fraud.

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Got to love that line in the fundraising email. The only thing republican's know how to do is project. The power hungry governor, who is getting off on his power and flouting science, accuses others of having too much power and overreach. DeSantis is a sad, pathetic man.

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I would like every person in Florida who is ill, dying or dead from COVID to write DeSantis a thank you letter for all he has done (and continues to do) to further the spread of COVID in his state. Of course, those who died will need to have a family member write the letter unless they are dead too. I wonder how many doctors, nurses or other healthcare workers in Florida will be voting for DeSantis again? Obviously he feels being the GOP candidate for President is more important than people’s lives. He learned a great deal from trump.

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I'm looking forward to the class action lawsuit against him for- negligence? malfeasance? Dereliction of duty to protect?

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See my comment on Cary Parks reply to my earlier comment. I am not sure with emergency approval from the FDA on the Covid vaccines there is a way to hold anyone culpable. Thus he can just say, vaccinations were not fully approved so how would he enforce them.

I smell a rat. A great big one.

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What's worse is that we KNOW Florida has cooked the COVID numbers right from the start. My faith in the accuracy of the current reports is quite low, most likely the situation is and has been even more dismal than the official numbers would indicate.

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Who's calling the kettle black? When it comes to apportioning out who wants to control people, DeSantis is right at the top. All for the sake of his own power grab.

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Terrific column, Judd. DeSantis v. Science.....putting school kids at risk. Horrifying!

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He is going to pay for this when the sickness and death tolls of children start to rise. It is so sad this is what it will take for everyone to see the logical conclusion of his policies. Really heartbreaking.

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Sadly they will continue to blame everyone but themselves. I had my shots in Feb. Pfizer seems to be the vaccine here with most breakthrough infections.

I had Pfizer. Now what? I am ready for my Booster shot

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Me too. I'm going to start calling about that today.

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When the 9/11 style commission on Covid takes place (oh there isn’t one? For shame!), there really needs to be consideration of a regulation mandating standardized federal assessment and reporting of health stats such as Covid.

Desantis is well known for “cooking the books” and fired the state health statistician for refusing to assist in the cooking.

I have no doubt that republicans will not go along with this because well Science but it still should be put forward to let republicans show their ignorance.

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Re: Desantis banning vaccination validation at government entities.

President Biden’s recent order to vaccinate all federal employees should set up an interesting scenario. By law, federal reservations (originally the VA but now all federal agencies) are not required to follow state or local laws. Keeping the peace, federal reservations generally “comply” with state and local law but there are instances were they don’t (concealed or own carry of firearms would be an example; doesn’t matter what the state law is).

In addition to federal employees all federal contractors must be vaccinated. This will be huge. Not only in numbers but also in spread. Many federal contractors may not work at a normal federal reservation but still be required to vaccinate. Some contractors may have enough staff and jobs to shift non-vaxxers around but most contractors can’t do that or won’t want to be bothered with playing games.

As the federal mandate makes its way into DOD (a problem now as legally vaccine must not be experimental), the number of federal reservations expands tremendously as will the number of active duty DOD as well as civilian employees and contractors.

I’m quite sure that desantis will bitch and moan about this and probably even file suit but this is one battle he can’t win.

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A friend in southeast Florida planned a big party to celebrate her 80th birthday. It was cancelled when 14 relatives - all fully vaccinated - from three other states refused to stay in hotels or eat at restaurants in Florida for fear of the escalating Covid. That's a lot of tourist bucks not going to the Florida economy. BTW, I'll party with her, but only because I'm already a Florida resident, fully vaccinated, and a fellow octogenarian.

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Good article about Florida. Note this in the NYT today regarding anomalies in covid data: June 4, 2021: Florida stopped providing daily updates and removed many nonresident cases.

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At every turn, GOP leaders are betting against science, and either lucking out (temporarily) or lying about their success (Hi, South Dakota!). The Delta variant seems to be the wall that none can scale, and the worst part is that it's not these soulless ghouls who will pay the price - it's regular people trying to live their lives who have to try to get by in an environment where the government has made it illegal for local leadership to protect its people.

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Three people died of Covid here over the weekend. None vaccinated. 12 breakthrough cases in vaccinated people. Dozens of these folks visited southern beaches. An entire family sick from their Florida vacation.

The school division here made masks optional on July 27.

DeSantis led the charge in Florida, but plenty of others are culpable. The Trump admin set the stage of politicizing this disease and made Fauci the fall guy. Truth is vaccinated are getting it as it mutates. There are multiple variants now. I am hoping vaccine tweaking is going on, but honestly who knows. Congress recessed for seven weeks right when this hits. Cowardly lot in mho after all the concessions in the infrastructure bill. But worse yet, there are going to be alot of folks evicted to the curbside and you will see more suffering at th

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(Cont.) at the hands of the Covid Pandemic.

GOP protects the wealthy. The rest of us don't matter. The CDC needs to step up and require masks indoors again. Much as we are tired of Covid, it isn't tired of us...

PS. Sorry, the cat stepped on the phone and published my tome.

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I too wonder about the vaccine tweaking. So far Pfizer is pushing a 3rd booster but you would hope they are reformulating the vaccine as it mutates.

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Not much being said media wise. But yes, let's hope. With just an Emergency Approval on the vaccines from the FDA rather than full approval after all these months, it gives my wondering mind asking why? It's been almost six months since I received my second shot. Pfizer was approved conditionally what two to three months before then?

It makes no sense to me unless they knew something we have not been privy to about the vaccines and that is why the have never been fully approved.

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founding

Since this Virus mutates every third person and develops a new Variant, what, every three months, how long before it turns into a child killer, since they will be the only vectors left! I which Fauci or anyone from the CDC would talk about this as the problem it's going to become.

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Why the mainstream media can’t be trusted. And trusting them can be literally deadly.

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DeSantis is another Nero, fiddle farting around while his state burns with Delta. I’m thankful that I no longer have to go to Florida any more or Georgia either, for that matter. I’m just sorry a couple of our grandchildren are in Florida and I’ve friends in Georgia. I think of all of them daily and just hope we don’t get a bad news phone call.

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