I think it's a lot of scared people, scared of the only inevitability in life, death, our culture is so far away from death that we collectively can't handle it. During my duties on a class one I saw suicide by train, crossing accidents, trespasser fatalities and several firearm suicides on the property, much to say I'm rather callous to the face of death, I'm at the level to look at a grizzly scene and not even get me to stop eating my sandwich. I. Feel that people in charge in fear of their own life's have shackled the world with tyrannical draconian measures that do little for ending this pandemic. I moved to pretty much ground zero of europe during the first wave just days before lockdown. I have seen what happens with what other posters rail against Trump. For not enacting and they are in the same situation as the US today if not worse. I rather stop all this theatrics and tyranny and raise my child around rational people who value freedom...

We don't get to go back and do things over. I'm absolutely sure that if given that chance the current administration would choose to follow the highly successful S. Korean model in addressing Covid 19 vs. the highly unsuccessful " play it down", denial model they chose to follow, which in large part cost them the election.

The challenge humanity worldwide now faces on this issue is staying the course with doing what we know works to materially slow the spread ( masks, distancing, hand washing, sanitizing surfaces, no crowds, stay outdoors etc. ) until mid next year when the vaccine will be widely available. Those millions who chose to fly this holiday weekend obviously decided to risk infection. Good luck to them.

I liked a lot what the new incoming president said this week,.... that his administration will announce a nationally led comprehensive program addressing the pandemic which will include invoking the DPA to materially boost production of PPE, testing materials, tracing training and a coordinated 50 state cooperative effort to supplement nurses and other ICU specialists to locations critically short staffed. Finally a federally led central point of attack !!! Jan. 20 can't come too soon.

As to us tourist railroads doing our best to operate within all the rules & regulations in the midst of this pandemic let's hope we all do ok.

Thanks, Ross Rowland

Hopefully government doesn't see fit to keep these infringements, so often rights are taken away, taxes are mandated to "help" the good but never go away...

With the latest Supreme Court Ruling, it appears "Religious Freedom" is the new buzzword to enable superstition to overrule science.

https://www.scotusblog.com/2020/11/just ... ore-297905

I find it frighting that a learned Supreme Court Justice can not see the difference between a quick transaction at a bicycle shop and a church service that lasts an hour with a hundred closely spaced people singing choir songs.

It won't be long that the wisdom of the Founders, who witnessed various sects of the same religion murdering each other, trashed along with the First Amendment.

On the bright side, the stupid people are more likely to ride that final train to glory.

Brian

Huh? Where is there a shortage of PPE? I have family that work in various sectors of the front lines, between health care and emergency services. There are huge stockpiles. Most stores are now able to stay stocked with soap, sanitizer, masks, gloves, etc. Testing kits are readily available and plentiful in the field. You can believe what you want, but the virus will not magically disappear or even improve on January 20th. I wouldn't say that this is a central point of attack. Really? Only the impending vaccine will solve the crisis. Or, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE would have to isolate for 14 days, shuttering all essential services. Everything.

It must be even more frightening that big box stores are jam-packed with hundreds of people, eh? Or does that not fit the narrative? From what I've seen, whether it's within a church, store, or tourist railroad, most folks are following the CDC guidelines, which includes wearing masks and social distancing.

That doesn't ring true with what I am hearing. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2 ... ing-at-ppe

The headline is rather misleading in this op ed. If you read further, there is concern about the stability of the stockpiles and they explain that the supply chains have improved. Perfect? Probably not. It's for the same reason that you can visit your box store one day and find a shortage of toilet paper. There is an agenda to this opinion piece and it's obviously accomplished it's purpose.

"Dr. Shikha Gupta, the executive director of Get Us PPE, a volunteer effort that matches available supplies to health care providers, said 70 percent of those requesting help from the organization last month reported being completely out of some gear, especially masks, gloves and disinfecting wipes." https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/p ... trump.html
If you think that this article (which contains facts) also has an "agenda", well, to paraphrase a famous quote: "He who is incapable of conviction is unworthy of discussion".

There remains today a substantial shortage of N95 masks especially in Tier 2/3/4 size community hospitals nearly all located in rural areas.
There remains a huge under supply of test kits and the chemicals needed to make the kits function. To effectively get in front of the Covid spread we need to be able to do a MINIMUM of 2 million, rapid results tests daily AND have the necessary teams in place to contact trace ALL those who test positive. As of Nov. 1st. we were able to do approx. 900,000 tests per day and due to critical shortages of trained tracers only trace approx. 1/3rd. of those testing positive. These terrible realities are the direct result of the current administrations months of claiming the USA " leads the world in testing" , that " this thing will disappear when the weather turns warm" and " you won't hear anything about Covid after Nov.3" and other nonsense. Thank God the new administration will be guided strictly by science and finally stop the daily lies and other misleading garbage we've been punished with coming from the White House podium.

The real shame is it didn't have to be this way.

Ross Rowland

I'm a little more content that five Justices on the nation's highest court chose to continue to recognize the existence and meaning of the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment. While we can quibble (and many have) with the precise meanings and interpretations of the words in question, the context is still clear: States or governors do not get the right to either ban or specify religious practices. The focus of this case was solely on whether Cuomo had such power; he most assuredly did not.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/2 ... 7_4g15.pdf

There are ways and means to continue religious rituals "safely" if chosen. The onus still remains upon any church/synagogue/mosque/"praise center" to adopt what measures they consider appropriate for their followers, and we have already seen a couple nay-saying religious leaders succumb to the virus.

By the way, no sane person said "the virus" would disappear on Nov. 3rd, or even Jan. 20th.
What was instead said to be likely to disappear, however, is the constant leading daily news stories hyping it relentlessly in sinister tones. Just like "the homeless problem" was packed away in storage during the Clinton and Obama terms.

Gee, thanks! Another story from another unbiased journal, eh? Look at the keywords in the URL "coronavirus-surge-trump."

Politics, gentlemen. You’re gonna get the thread locked....

There's another important distinction: That between respirators and other protection that actually do some good in a medical setting when you're confronting and treating known victims suffering serious symptoms, which have to be changed continuously, versus the "window dressing" and "we have to be seen to be doing something" that far too many masks out there being offered to, and used by, the public actually are. The former are in shortage once again because of the upturn in cases requiring hospitalization. The latter seem to be front and center at every grocery store, "dollar store," Harbor Freight/Home Depot, drug store, convenience store, etc., at least in my area. There are even three liquor stores in my area selling them.

Similarly, there's a massive difference between a mask I might put on to keep some sawdust, stone dust, etc. out of my mouth and lungs for a short job in the shop versus the full body suits and respirators I wore doing heavy equipment painting with catalyst enamel for days at a time.

You're right. I didn't say nor imply that he is sane. Quite the opposite.

IMHO-Ross Rowland