OBAMA PANDEMIC PLAYBOOK REJECTED BY TRUMP WHITE HOUSE--DASTARDLY

Andrea Mitchell interviewed Christina Mulligan former Director for Preparedness and response from the Department of Justice now Managing Director for National Security and International policy of the American Enterprise Institute. She said the Trump Administration opted NOT to use a pandemic playbook created by the National Security staff which was written to help officials confront a range of biological threats.

Mitchell asked how could this have helped an early pandemic response? Mulligan said the Trump administration was given a gift by the previous administration which would have allowed them not to start from ground zero. They would have been given a head start in figuring out what the decision points were and what actions needed to be taken to get ahead of this pandemic. It is hard to tell, Mulligan said, whether they just did not realize what they had or choose to ignore it because there was a bias against everything to do with the prior administration and they would not leverage any information or expertise from it. Mulligan said she worked with Admiral Ziemer from the Global Health Initiative and said he was like a quarterback with respect to a response to Ebola and global health issues like pandemics. 

 Mulligan said there was a groundswell within the career civil servant community in 2017 and 2018 to create a national level exercise conducted every two years to build muscle memory across departments and agencies on how to respond to various types of threats and incidents including pandemics. There was a lot of arguing that the US was under prepared for a pandemic but those ideas were overruled by the White House and the global exercise never took place. -- Dastardly

The President is Trapped

An excellent article in The Atlantic: "The President is Trapped" 

"Trump is utterly unsuited to deal with this crisis, either intellectually or temperamentally." ... 

I suggest you read this wonderful article from a variety of academically excellent contributors at the link below!

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/presidents-character-unequal-task/608743/?fbclid=IwAR0gmvcBJ_b8p8k7zZBYez-pjll7Okf-JzsWW5U8PcuTXHFSDFx9JvRszn0

Science Rules

"Falwell partially reopened the school, and now nearly a dozen students reportedly have symptoms."

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jerry-falwell-jr-slammed-coronavirus_n_5e8177d2c5b6cb9dc1a2caad

My Comment: Science Rules: What a great Dickensian name in our era--Fallwell.  The name rather should be Fallsick.
Science rules and it always has despite the religious fanatics throughout history who have tried to impede its march. Science saves lives and religious fanaticism which is anti science destroys them. Millions historically have suffered and died at the alter of one religion or another that claims to know truth but only knows made up fabrications, myths, stories, and lies.

Now in our time science is bringing that true truth home to all who will listen; whether it's through the Carona virus or through climate change science shows the way. It is up to our big brained species to finally realize that and ditch fantasy religious or otherwise that steals man's brain and/or his wallet from him.  How much money did Jerry Falwell, his heirs and his cohorts rake in from their suffering faithful including from Liberty University? Probably the take is millions upon millions. Do not send your hard earned cash to them. They probably laugh all the way to the bank rejoicing because it is so easy to rope the sick, the tired of life's travails, and the frightened into believing myths that make them feel better and endure a life that is as Hobbs said nasty, brutish and short.