How about a poem about Nancy Pelosi? Good old Nancy recently said she would give Trump an "F" for his handling of the Covid-19 virus...Trump closed all flights from China in late January, saving tons of thousands of American lives, only to be labeled a "racist" by Nancy...Nancy walked thru Chinatown on February 24 with her liberal media, taking photos, and was quoted as saying, "Come to Chinatown, it is safe"...

FYI, isn't it a little bit sexist to comment on Dr. Angell looks, that she looks like she belongs on Vanity Fair?? She graduated from UCSF Medical School, is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, and has a Masters Degree in public health from University of Michigan..Why comment on her looks and write a love poem about her?? Although I am sure creepy Joe Biden would love to smell her hair.

Tom, welcome back! Wondered what happened to you. It must have required a solid iron willpower for you to resist commenting on Trump's musing about injecting disinfectants into people as a coronavirus cure. Don't know how you managed to let it go without comment.

@danville wrote "Trump closed all flights from China in late January...."

No, he didn't. He imposed limited "travel restrictions" with a loophole big enough to fly a 747 through it. Flights from China were never halted.

I am not impressed with Dr. Angel. By her own standards we should have already moved to Stage 2:
1) Hospitalizations and ICU trends stable. CHECK
2) Hospital surge capacity to meet demand. CHECK
3) Sufficient PPE to meet demand. CHECK. OUR HOSPITALS ARE PRACTICALLY EMPTY
4) Sufficient testing to meet demand CHECK THERE ARE NO LINES AND LOTS OF LOCATIONS
5) Contact tracing capacity statewide CHECK....READY FROM TB EPIDEMIC
Newsom you are not the King. We follow the Constitution and there is no part of that document giving you this power to “order us to house arrest"! You will be RECALLED for ABUSE OF POWER and probably sued for bankrupting all these businesses and families in this state.

For those who may think that the strict coronavirus strategy being followed in this state and this country is the only rational, proper strategy, here's another point of view:

‘Life Has to Go On': How Sweden Has Faced the Virus Without a Lockdown" - NY Times, 4/28/20

"The country was an outlier in Europe, trusting its people to voluntarily follow the protocols. Many haven't, but it does not seem to have hurt them."

"Sweden's death rate of 22 per 100,000 people is the same as that of Ireland, which has earned accolades for its handling of the pandemic, and far better than in Britain or France."

"They laughed and basked in freedoms considered normal in most parts of the world not long ago, before coronavirus lockdowns, quarantines and mass restrictions upended social norms. As other nations in Europe begin to consider reopening their economies, Sweden's experience would seem to argue for less caution, not more."

"The restaurant consultant praised the freedoms he had in Sweden compared to other countries. “I'm not seeing very different statistics in many other countries," he said. “I'm happy we didn't go into lockdown. Life has to go on.""

"While other countries were slamming on the brakes, Sweden kept its borders open, allowed restaurants and bars to keep serving, left preschools and grade schools in session and placed no limits on public transport or outings in local parks. Hairdressers, yoga studios, gyms and even some cinemas have remained open....Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. Museums have closed and sporting events have been canceled. At the end of March, the authorities banned visits to nursing homes. That's roughly it. There are almost no fines, and police officers can only ask people to oblige. Pedestrians wearing masks are generally stared at as if they have just landed from Mars."

"From the first signs of the pandemic, the Swedish Public Health Authority decided that a lockdown would be pointless. “Once you get into a lockdown, it's difficult to get out of it," the country's state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said. “How do you reopen? When?""
-- NY Times article: Web Link
- - - - - - -

Danvi: You have made an odd interpretation of the term 'sexist.' After complimenting the professional credentials of the entire CA dream team, the blog says that they All look like they have just stepped out of a fashion mag - which would only mean stylish, anyway - both men and women. Sexist?

You might also suggest where in the verse the good doc's appearance is even mentioned - don't bother; it's not there. If I'd have written that the Guvnah looks like he's straight out of Central Casting, would that be sexist, too?

From the other semi-solids in your comment, it may be that you're just interested in slinging indiscriminate mud, but sexism is a pretty serious charge. It ought to be supported with actual evidence.

Sad: I think she indicated, as did the Governor, that we are getting close to Stage 2, with local options available to tailor the programs to circumstances on the ground.

You've also, of course, vastly overstated your argument. Points 1 and 2 are okay, but the remainder are very much works-in-process. Most critical, of course, are Testing capacity, followed by Tracking/Tracing capabilities. The former is Nowhere Near ready (20k/day vs. 80k needed) - no thanks to the feds. And the TB tracking capability is woefully too small.

Both are lynchpins of expansion - they are being developed on expedited bases, and need to be in-place lest we squander the investment in real progress that's been made at considerable sacrifice. The viral genie will not go quietly back into the bottle.

As a left-leaning independent, I usually find myself on the same side of the fence as most Democrats on most issues. But on this one I surprisingly find myself aligned with more Republicans than Democrats. I think that with the draconian anti-coronavirus measures that we introduced that have virtually shut down much of the US economy we way overreacted. Is coronavirus a serious health threat? For older people and/or people with significant pre-existing health problems, yes. For younger people with no significant health problems, catching coronavirus seems to be pretty much of a non-event for over 80% of them with little or no symptoms being shown. The cost of what we are now doing is over $2 trillion in stimulus funds alone, in addition to over 30 million lost jobs, many evictions, and countless businesses destroyed. As for the cost in human lives, remember to balance the number of lives directly lost to coronavirus infection with the number of lives which are shattered by unemployment and lost due to suicide. The Economist had a recent article stating that the suicide rate tends to increase by about 3% for every 3% rise in unemployment. Anyone want to do the math with the spiking unemployment rates we're seeing now?

Also, see The NY Times article I posted above on how Sweden is handling this coronavirus crisis. They seem to have calibrated their response at about the proper level, while we are way overreacting.

Tom, Dr. Angel purposely uses very vague language ( meet demand) without siting actual numbers needed or exceeded, so they can move the bar to fit their political wim. This is an ABUSE OF POWER. Also, the virus will never go back in the bottle...viruses mutate. And we still have a polio problem, I didn't hear a peep from any bureaucrats when America's children were paralyzed the last 8 years due to new polio like virus. We certainly didn't shut down our economy or even one playground, even though it is devastating to those families.

Couple things: your comment is categorically untrue. Newsom has been exhaustively quantitative on a daily basis, and he leads the Team. You could not have been watching or listening regularly, and then make that claim in good faith.

If you want a lesson in mealy-mouthed, grade school-level verbiage and obfuscation - to say nothing of damnable lies - you need look no further than the daily musings out of DC.

Overall, your comment reflects the kind of psychological Projection that has become a staple of right-wing commentary: take whatever you're guilty of, and claim the other side is doing it. Sad, indeed.

Newsom said today it may be "months before he allows movie theatres and churches to open". Of course, he compares the rights of parishioners to attend church to being similar to the rights of those being able to go see movies produced by his Hollywood liberal friends. He slept with his best friend's wife and committed adultery, so we know going to church is not a priority for the Governor.

Liberals love to regulate everything, and put their own agendas over the constitutional rights to practice religion. Why not allow churches to come up with social distancing plans, sit 6 feet apart, hand sanitizers where holy water once was, no shaking of hands, etc. How is this any more of a threat to spreading the virus than people standing next to each other at Whole Foods in Berkeley while buying their vegan products? Sad fact is liberals are using this terrible pandemic to further their own social ideologies and penalize those who do not share their views.

I fully supported the shelter in place thru the end of April, and maybe first two week in May, but not being able to attend church in person till August is unacceptable.

Don't worry Danville, the lawsuits by churches and those who want to peaceful (and social distance) protest as our Constitution allows in the capital but are being denied by Dictator Newsom, are piling up fast. He's gone too far and is being driven by his agenda. He said today it would be months not weeks before a person can get their nails done! And most nail technicians already wear masks! He is not helping people, but harming them with this extension.

I will continue to wear mask and gloves until after a Vaccine is developed and for weeks following my vaccination against COVID-19. No matter how far in the future that may be.

My business is considered essential along with my spouse whose work is essential. We both are in agreement of the necessity for PPE over the long term.

Uh, Danville? Bless your heart, and I don't favor marital extra-curriculars, but I'm guessing you might want to leave our leaders' peccadillos out of this discussion. You know, what with that sniggering, serial adulterer in the White House?

You also fail to see that movie theaters and church services are pretty similar gatherings in terms of their potential to spread contagion. Indeed, movie audiences are much more passive with an occasional chuckle or gasp, whereas church has congregants singing, reciting, kneeling, standing and communioning, etc. - all that time possibly spreading germs.

Not sure who has so jaundiced you, but they've done it well.

@Danville

Danville, Big Debating Tip: As a Trump supporter, you definitely do NOT want to bring up the issue of adultery in a debate forum.

Dream team? You mean the one where Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the process of commuting the sentences of 21 violent offenders incarcerated in California prisons, including four men who have convictions related to homicides in Sacramento County?

Here are some of the people Newsom is planning to free: Jacoby Felix, Crystal Jones, Andrew Crater and Luis Alberto Velez were convicted of separate murders in the 1990s. All four, now granted commutations by Newsom, were convicted in Sacramento County and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

1. Velez has served more than 28 years of his sentence for killing an armed guard during a robbery in 1991. Velez was 26 at the time.

2. Felix, 18 at the time of his crime, fatally shot a man in 1993 during a carjacking, and has served 26 years.

3. Jones has served nearly 20 years for a 1999 drug-related murder.

4. Crater was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of musician Jim Pantages. Evidence shown at separate trials indicated that while it was Crater's partner Thomas Robinson who pulled the trigger, Crater had supplied the gun, the car and the plan used in a June 1995 crime spree that included a string of armed robberies. Crater has served more than 24 years of his sentence.

Just out of curiosity Cushing, you think theses fine young men should go free? After all, your governor thinks so.

Oh, and I just love the comment your governor made just before the virus took hold here in California. Your so-called leader said in March that more than half of California's population could contract coronavirus in the next eight weeks if the state isn't effective in curbing its spread, Gov. Gavin Newsom predicted in a letter to President Donald Trump.

That 56 percent rate of infection means that roughly 22.4 million Californians would come down with the virus. But a spokesperson for Newsom clarified that dramatic figure does not account for the types of aggressive "mitigation efforts" that jurisdictions around California have adopted.

The fact is, Newsom had no idea what he was talking about.

@Tom

I see you are very enamored with her, but you forgot to listen to what she said. She scares me more than the virus. Educated stupid comes to mind.

Perhaps if you where in the same boat with the small businesses you might comprehend what they are asking them to do: physical,, procedural, and policy changes that these small owners will not be able to process or afford. Certain businesses as barbershop, hair salons, nail salons, and more may open in stage 3 more than 3 months from now, and they will be required to make these changes. Nothing like more business codes to close you down. Good for bigger government though with the increase in personnel, power, and revenue. I also got chills when they slipped in the ‘snitch on your fellow citizen' program. Nice touch.

No fearless leadership for us, just leadership with fear. We didn't behave this way when H3N2 came along in the flu season of 2017-2018 where more than 80,000 people died in this country. I don't know, was Dr. Angle around then?

Cute song though Tom, I can almost hear Rome burning in the background.

@Malcolm Hex wrote “..... you think theses fine young men should go free? After all, your governor thinks so."

Doesn't look like the men in the four cases you pointed out are “young" any more, are they? The first guy is now 54 and has spent about half his life in prison. The second guy is now 44 and has spent 60% of his life in prison. Don't know whether they deserve to be released or not, but they're definitely not the same people they were when they went into prison over 25 years ago.

As for your attempt to bash Gavin Newsom, don't see you think is so bad about his behavior, or maybe you just didn't present your case against him very well. In any case, I don't think that anything that Newsom did could beat Trump and his wacky idea of injecting people with disinfectants when it comes to having “no idea what one is talking about". Let's be honest: Your guy is as loony as they come. He's made himself the laughing stock of the nation and the world.

Lets see if there is something we can agree on:

(1) If Government is going to prohibit an activity, the standard that is applied differs if the activity is constitutionally protected. Agree?

(2)The free practice of religion is one of the most, if not most, protected rights in the constitution. Agree?

(3) There is no constitutional right to go see a movie at a movie theatre. Agree?

(4) Hence, the standard applied to review the government prohibiting parishioners from going to church to practice their religion is much different than the standard applied to review the government closing movie theatres. Agree?

(5) Does this mean the government did not have the right to close churches in March, even on Easter, the most holiest of days for many, and in April, due to the pandemic virus threat? No, as I said, I believe they did. Agree?

(6) However, when the governor, says he will allow churches and movie theatres to open months later, at the same time, that is a violation, as a different standard of review applies to these two activities. With churches, and the practice of religion, if reasonable steps to mitigate the spread of the virus can be installed at churches, such as limiting how many people can sit in a pew, no hand shaking, priests wear gloves giving out communion, etc., than they should be allowed to open before movie theatres where there is no constitutional right to attend. Agree?

(7) Your response to my prior comment made zero reference to the different standards that apply to governments prohibiting activity, but rather you simply looked at your opinions on which place, movie theatres, or churches, were more likely to spread the virus. Agree?

In essence, my "beef" is that the Governor, and apparently you, are looking at the government prohibitions solely on your opinions, on where the virus is most easily spread, rather than whether the activity is constitutionally protected. The government must allow the activity if reasonable steps can be implemented by the churches to attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus, and do not lump the right to attend a movie at a theatre to the right to attend church and practice your religion.

FYI, I still disagree with you on your opinion that the virus can be spread more easily at church than at a movie theatre. In fairness, I have not been to a movie in probably two years, and I am guessing you have not been to church in two years. So, we will have to agree to disagree on that issue.

@JAKE: Per CDC stats, you have hyperbolized the prior flu death toll by a factor approaching 2. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fflu%2Fabout%2Fdisease%2Fus_flu-related_deaths.htm Now, 61,000 deaths is tragic, but it is also the death toll this virus will reach Tomorrow - EVEN with all the serious sacrifices we've made, and we are nowhere near done with this plague! It's a ridiculous comparison.

And what we're doing in our fair California is WORKING. Despite the high densities around the Bay and all over SoCal, CA ranks in the bottom half of states in deaths per capita, just above several empty plains states where 'social distancing' is a way-of-life. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/ Now, 5 deaths/100k is too many, but it's 23 TIMES better than NY's 117. You can thank the good Doc for that - which is what the song parody does - you can maybe even appreciate the fact that your name's not on the fatalities list. I do. Instead, you want to squander that hard-won progress?? Not me.

Finally son, I take deep personal offense at your sneering Nero reference. My business is flat-on-its-ass, and it will remain so long after we eventually proceed through the four stages of reopening. No pity sought - I chose it. But to suggest that I am insulated - fiddling - is an insult worthy of an invitation to go perform an anatomically impossible act.

Tom wrote "Now, 5 deaths/100k is too many, but it's 23 TIMES better than NY's 117."

When discussing coronavirus deaths, I think that we should be comparing the rate of deaths to rate of deaths due to the common flu in order to gauge how significant the coronavirus death rate is from the overall perspective of society. In our nation of over 300 million, roughly 10,000 to 60,000 people due of the common flu each year. That translates into a rate of 3 to 20 deaths per 100K people per year due to the common flu.

@Tom

Son? I'm not your son. I'm over 69 years of age, a Vietnam vet, college educated, an illustrious career, and more. I've read the reports, we differ on the information. That cool-aide you drank is caught in the back of your throat.

Hey, it's your administration, I have no say and won't for decades. You wanted a click-bate article and you got it. Mindless, insulting song written on a napkin as you watch CNN stuck on your coach. You must have expected pushback. This probably won't make it on your board, because it will be removed. I've learned that.

Hell, Jake - I've never removed your compost before now - why would I start? Let it molder.

@ Wombat

I love debating people who make claims they can't prove. How's that, you say? read on brother...

Wombat said the following: "Don't know whether they deserve to be released or not, but they're definitely not the same people they were when they went into prison over 25 years ago."

The men that were convicted of murder are not the same people they were when they went to prison over 25 years ago? And you know this how? Do you know them on a personal level? Better yet, you said you don't know if the murderers should be released or not. You sound confused. Moreover, thank you for helping me make my case. If you are not sure about the release of four murderers back into society, then why attempt to debate the issue? Heck, at least I know where your buddy up there in Sacramento stands. BTW, I would take Governor Cuomo over Newsom.

From NBC News:

While law enforcement officials around the country were cutting jail populations to blunt the spread of the coronavirus, New York lawmakers did something that could lead to more people getting locked up. The state Legislature changed course on a 2019 law that restricted the use of cash bail, tucking new caveats into a last-minute budget bill signed Friday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

But here is what Cuomo did that your governor did not: In New York, authorities moved on several fronts to lower the number of people in jails, releasing people nearing the end of sentences for NONVIOLENT offenses and people facing minor parole violations.

Cuomo makes Newsom look like a little boy.

@Malcolm Hex wrote "The men that were convicted of murder are not the same people they were when they went to prison over 25 years ago? And you know this how? Do you know them on a personal level?"

I know this because none of us are the same people that we were 25 years ago. Well, none of us except maybe for Donald Trump, who seems to have been in a state of arrested development since he was about 6 years old.

But it seems like you're just looking for a fight. I'm not arguing that these men should be released, and my stating the obvious fact that none of us are the same people that we were 25 years ago shouldn't be taken as meaning that. I haven't looked at the details of their cases. Personally, I like Andrew Cuomo's approach more. Also, I'm not a big fan of Newsom for reasons I won't get into here, and if he were to ever run for President I would vote against him - unless the Republican Party were to run another Clown like Trump as their nominee, in which case I would instead be forced to vote against the Republican nominee for President again.

Hexie could've stopped after "debate."

Hmmm... Wombat and I may have some common ground here; except for the part where he still can't decide if these fine men - all murderers - should be released, or not.

My question to Wombat: Do you believe these inmates should be released? Your thoughts?

BTW, it appears that even though you and I are on opposite sides of the aisle, we can have a reasonable debate about this (unlike the last comment made by the law professor).

Hexie: Over several years and many posts, you've earned more snark than you could absorb in a lifetime. You are the Mayor of New Snark City.

Wear it.

Maybe you should look in the mirror Mr. Cushing. Look at one of your posts you left above to one of the commenters. You said:

"If you want a lesson in mealy-mouthed, grade school-level verbiage and obfuscation - to say nothing of damnable lies - you need look no further than the daily musings out of DC."

"Mealy mouthed?" "Grade school-level?" Wow. Heck, I'm not sure that you ever left a snarky comment like that for me.

BTW, if you want to keep insulting me and deleting my posts - which you do on a regular basis when you don't agree with me, maybe Jeremy Walsh, editor of this newspaper should know about it.

We have disagreed with each other on just about everything; however, I have never threatened you, or anyone else who posts here. If you don't like what I say, fine. but please keep your childish comments to yourself.

"In essence, my "beef" is that the Governor, and apparently you, are looking at the government prohibitions solely on your opinions, on where the virus is most easily spread, rather than whether the activity is constitutionally protected."


In essence, so called "progressives" like Newsom ignore the Constitution because they think they (and the government) know better. They don't. Government does few things well - but they want it meddling in just about everything (and buying votes) to supposedly make things "fair" and "free".

In this the case, the virus "cure" (shutdowns, loss of employment, threats of arrests, etc.)is worse than the actual disease - which primarily affects those who are elderly and/or have preexisting medical conditions.

Tom - WOW! What a return to your blog. Really got people's juices flowing - welcome back!

Hey MichaelB,

For the record, my opinion is based on fact. Your governor has decided to release felons convicted of murder. And that, my friend, is that. Now, if you have an opinion as to why these upstanding citizens should, or should not be released, then by all means, speak your piece.

As LBJ once said: "Come, let us reason together."

@Malcolm Hex wrote "Your governor has decided to release felons convicted of murder."

Isn't Redemption an important part of Christianity and, in fact, a belief that distinguishes Christianity from many other religions? I take it that you're not a Christian and think that the idea of Redemption is all a bunch of nonsense and baloney, then?

Some strangely bitter emanations from the Hexie household. Not sure when you think all these deletions have been occurring, but we have had next-to-no contact for more than a year (because there have been next-to-no RC blogs in a year - you could look it up). Pretty prickly, dontcha think? Cabin fever?

Please correspond with any Jeremy, and anyone else, to your heart's content.

Hey Liar, I mean Cushing. You never deleted any of my comments? Liar. Here is my response back to you after you deleted my post on April 11, 2018:

Posted by Malcolm Hex, a resident of another community,
on Apr 11, 2018 at 9:57 am
Hey folks, the thought police is alive and well on this blog.

Last night I posted something that was true and funny. It was not threatening, crude, nor did it contain foul language. In fact, the posting was no different than the kinds of attempt at humor so very much in line with Cushing's past writings. To put it simply, the posting was NOTHING MORE THAN POLITICAL HUMOR.

Beware, the thought police is out there. I wonder if Cushing knows Zuckerberg?

Here is your response after I posted about you deleting my comment, Cushing:

Posted by Tom Cushing, a DanvilleSanRamon.com blogger,
on Apr 11, 2018 at 10:22 am
Tom Cushing is a registered user.

"Malc: you were off-topic and I've lost patience with it. "But ... but ... what about x, y or z. Or Clinton???!!!" Deal with it."

Yeah, you "lost patience" alright. You just got caught lying.

@Malcolm Hex

Hey, buddy, what's going on? Look what you're doing. You're dragging up something that happened between you and Tom on an internet discussion forum FROM OVER TWO YEARS AGO??? Let it go! Take a step back from the keyboard, breathe deeply, and calmly and slowly tell yourself "Malcolm, this is not healthy" - because it's not.

How can we have any fun bashing each other's opinions on current events if you won't let go of the past?

Dear Commenters:

After reading the 'overnights' on this thread, I have concluded that it has become unhealthy; it would be a mistake to continue it. Your mileage may vary on the decision, but there's unanticipated personal pain evident that I do not want to see extended.

So, I am shutting it down. Please note that there have been no deletions. Town Square's open.