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Monthly Archives: March 2020

Minnesota Responds to Coronavirus

30 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Citizenship, Coronavirus, Local Reporting, Politics

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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Minnesota, Walz


So Friday, March 19th the Minnesota State Government took time for a press conference to update citizens about what they are doing  I’m gonna give you a summary based on the FB Comments I made during the presentation.  [Not sure the time stamps match his live feed video… technology…] And then at the bottom, is an update from Monday, March 23rd.  The difference in these two press conferences was stark and I wonder what I will think when this blog posts in a week.


Link to the Transcript.

Governor Walz starts off with a note that “this is how it will be” as a daily press conference. [Little did he know he’d be in quarantine by Monday… This thing move quick and this blog is mainly a record of what happening in MN as they began to respond to Coronarivus (COVID-19).] He does stress that this is moving dramatically…

Walz: 26 more positive cases to 115. 2 in ICU. Upside is Mayo Clinic!! Reduced queue for sample testing. Still struggling to get all the reagents needed… [That is not good. Without reagents, no tests.] Defense Production Act – gives government authority to convert factories for fighting COVID-19. Anderson Fabrics stepping up!! Transitioning to make scrubs… Mall of America – open space to convert to whatever we need in an emergency.

2:08  Food will be the MAIN JOB this year  There was a strong focus on food being a primary job for us this year.

2:09 Federal healthcare for Tribes. TOTALLY Unprepared. That is criminal.   Walz noted federal guarantee for education and health care but 571 Tribes with 2.5M members – health 37 ICU beds & 181 ventilators across the country…

2:10 Good financial reliefs.   30-day sales tax, moving income tax filings and payments to 7/15.

2:11 What about rural hospitals who will be understaffed?  Executive Order 2019 stops elective surgeries. PPE limits. Looking at PPE inventories. Strategic National Stockpile wait has been fruitless…

2:12 National Guard being federalized sucks. MN can do better than that clown car crew.  Walz talked about being part of the Govern’s Council and how National Guard is commanded by Governor – Title 10 federalizes them for service and MN is asking for Title 32 authority – Allows State Duty with Feds footing the bill.

2:23 Its trying to balance Overwhelmning our Hospitals with Isolation, with keeping things running economically (at least enough to keep people fed). Isolate too much and economy dies. Produce too much and you increase contagion and soon overwhelm hospitals. Delicate balance. Want to know more? Peak Prosperity on YouTube. Chris Martenson has been laying it out for the last 57 days. https://youtu.be/QVQC1hAYZBs?t=1406   Walz discussing current state – mostly good but not as thoroughly as Martenson does. EO signed to prohibit price gouging. Notes he couldn’t get things through the Senate but is doing EOs to get needed things done. [Are Republicans working for their monied base while Dems are working to save lives of their constituents? Hmmm…]

Chris Harrisman takes over… “Thank you Governor. Let me start by saying globally we are at more than 246,000 cases and 10,000 deaths. The United States has reported more than 14,000 confirmed cases and 205 deaths as of this morning. In Minnesota, as the Governor said, we added 26 new laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, for a total of 115 cases. The age range of our cases remains the same at 17 years to 94 years. We have not yet had any cases in children. New cases are from the following counties; Hennepin, Ramsey, Chisago, Fillmoore, Olmsted, Martin, Scott and Rice counties.” [Thanks for the transcript, Rev Transcripts!!]

2:25 No treatment. You are contagious before you know it. By the time you have symptoms, you likely already have lung damage (that may be long lasting).
You DO NOT want to get this.
STAY HOME!!   2:26 Shelter in place please   Harrisman was clear about no counties being safe in MN. 4000 tests since March 1st. 8 of 15 cases hospitalized; most healing at home. Closings designed to SLOW THE SPREAD. Sick pppl going to work or being in public is exacerbating the problem. Don’t call doc if you wouldn’t have last year for same symptoms. No Treatment. No meds to prescribe. Seek medical care for breathing difficulties. Testing (prioritized) is being completed as we have capacity.

2:27 This is what we have left of a government. Listen close people.   2:28 Lockdown coming – maybe today??? If we’re smart. NOW. The longer we wait, the bigger the possibility to overwhelm hospitals to a point where we are making VERY DIFFICULT decisions. Like who gets a bed and who is sent home to die.   Food will be our focus. That is a good sign.  

Transition to Emergency Manager Joe Kelly. “I’m Joe Kelly. I’m the state Emergency Management Director. I want to talk for just a few minutes about what we do in the State Emergency Operations Center. Most Minnesotans probably aren’t familiar with it. It’s a facility that’s hosted by the Department of Public Safety and it really serves as a single point of coordination for state government, and as the Governor pointed out, our interaction with the Federal government.” Volunteers at food banks are a big need.

Transition to Steve Grove @ Employment & Economic Development. “Hello everybody. I want to give a brief update on how our economy is doing. The most effective way to do that is to talk a little bit about the state’s unemployment insurance program. As you saw earlier this week, the Governor has opened up that program to any worker who was affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, so we’ve seen of course an influx of calls and applications into our state’s unemployment insurance program. So far, as of 8:00 PM last night, we’ve seen 95,352 applicants to unemployment insurance in Minnesota. Just to give you some context, the previous record in a given week was about 18,000, so these are some pretty historic numbers. About a third of the individuals applying thus far have come from the restaurants, bar, and entertainment industry, that’s 36,942, and about 85% of the people applying right now have never been on unemployment insurance before, so they’re learning about this new system, the benefits, how it works, why it matters.”

2:29 ~100K applicants 5X WOW.   2:31 By Monday. Good plan. I think the call center just went down… people gonna be calling now!!!   Put citizens on remote work doing call center work? Steve Grove?  

Transition to Heather Mueller @ Dept of Education. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our state agencies for really lifting up and supporting our students and families and ensuring that throughout our communities that we continue to work toward their safety and their health and wellbeing. As the Governor alluded to, our educators throughout the state have been committed to ensuring that our families have and students have the food that they need as well as the healthcare that we need, the childcare support that we need for our healthcare workers and our first responders. And yesterday, as an example of just a snapshot of one day, we had 118,238 meals served as well as 5,190 students who are school age, who are in our schools getting the support they needed so that our healthcare workers in our first responders could attend to the needs of our community.”

Transition back to Walz. “The thing I would say that we need to guard against: rumors, misinformation. We need to understand that there will be changing data. That’s one of the reasons standing up this event and using the trusted websites where you get information about what’s happening in Minnesota so that we keep people in a place where they understand there are systems, there are protocols, there are people there and Minnesotans take care of one another. So I can tell you that will not change.”

Walz: “So my pledge to you Minnesotans is to understand and I want to make clear to employees, employers, and everyone, this is an unprecedented decision that has not happened in our country, that these either mayors or governors are making. They are doing it with the best information possible to save lives. And you can rest assured here that Minnesota is well-positioned with experts in infectious disease. It’s almost every night, most of the guests are from Minnesota that are on addressing the nation about what needs to be done. Next.” …

Walz: “And I think what you’ve seen out of this team before those decisions are made as many of the contingencies, and I’ll be just candid with you, we can’t think of all of them. We’re doing the best we can. But for example with school closings to make sure there was a place for meals and daycare before we announced it. And as you’re seeing because that decision was made, we are serving those people.
Same thing before we were going to close bars and restaurants, I needed to have the capacity to provide unemployment insurance immediately, and I needed to make sure I could waive that waiting period, so checks start arriving next week for people to continue on. I will tell you that that same decision-making process is in place with this. I understand that just I believe since we came in here that Governor Pritzker of Illinois has made this decision. You’re going to see this start to happen. I think states are at different positions along the spectrum of this. The testing capacity we have and some of the modeling that we are now doing with experts both inside government, with the University of Minnesota, and outside government is giving us a better picture.”

Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, left, discusses how the state is preparing for COVID-19, the coronavirus sweeping the globe, during a news conference with Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Monday, March 2, 2020. (Christopher Magan / Pioneer Press)

2:33 This thing is way more deadly than you can imagine. Look at Italy and tell me why OUR lungs are any different than THEIR lungs…   Walz stressed it is important to NOT overwhelm the health care system, which ALSO has to continue doing all the regular work of broken legs and such.

2:34 D for Diploma!!  Federal waiver possible… Kids may get school cancelled for this year… and seniors might be granted diplomas based on current standings.

2:38 Work on the video for tomorrow. Really need a closer look at speakers when they present. And access to the visuals that are readable. And hopefully all the sound glitches will be easy to fix. But overall? This is a VERY COMFORTING and seemingly PREPARED and HONEST look at what is needed. Finally seeing your value Governor Tim Walz Well done, sir.   Already on Day 11 of self-isolation. But been locked down since 3/3 except for a quick run to the store on 3/9.   Nice job on that school transition.

Q&A Continues…

2:41 10 Governors kick one irresponsible and self-absorbed President’s ass.   Media is essential.   Walz agreed. He’d mentioned his Governor’s council too.

2:43 Shelter in Place ASAP for best results.   Too late to bend the hockey stick… Don’t have SIP yet… but we will.

2:46 This is going to spur innovation… re-tooling for what the people as a whole need. Working together. ❤ Jan Malcolm: “We’re still trying to get more clarity from what we might expect from the federal government, but as the governor said, we’re also looking to make sure that if there’s anything we can do at the regional or state level to increase, diversify the supply chain, we’ll be doing that.”

Walz: “All I can tell Minnesotans is that the reagents and the things necessary to do the test are not available anymore, and so we are out searching. Mayo is doing this. One of the things I’ve asked our team to explore is let’s just make it here. If we need to, let’s just start manufacturing here. I say that not knowing how long it takes to stand up a factory to make reagents. Those are things I’m asking my team to get to us so that we can become self-contained.”

2:49 Good TRANSPARENCY on the Tax info, Governor Tim Walz   2:50 Just found out the IRS changed… we’re already working on it. But will assure that info was accurate…
OMFG. That is hilarious!! Cynthia Bauerly: (39:17)
Governor, we need the notice from the IRS. The IRS has not published anything. Governor Walz: (39:20)
Very good. We need a notice from the IRS officially. I was speaking from the guidance out of the president’s press conference. Probably a good idea we get it verified, so thank you for that.

This was an interesting and revealing question: “The last part of that was just about the supply chain with medical protective equipment. The feds said today that FEMA has helped clear up some confusion by states on where to get things can. Can you tell us, how confident are we that we’ll start seeing some of those federal supplies or some of those supplies coming in, even any kind of timeline?”
Walz: “Yeah, I may defer to Joe on this. I just tell you, with my experience of working with FEMA and the regional directors on flooding, these are career professionals who’ve done this type of stuff before. They’ve got us different types of equipment. I think that should help clear that up.
But to be candid with you on the question, I don’t believe we can… And we haven’t. We’ve simply gone on our own, and you heard this. Governor Baker from Massachusetts, and we’re doing this too, we’re going out and trying to purchase these things where we can. In his state, they had two purchases ready to go. They got outbid. The outbidder was the federal government, and then took that into the national system away from the state. We hope, and Joe, maybe you can speak to this, we hope this eliminates some of those types of things and puts a much more streamlined supply chain in place.”

Question on unemployment insurance… Steve Grove: “Okay. The question on unemployment insurance, we are not worried about the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. We have $1.5 billion in that trust fund, and I said before we have about 95,000 applicants thus far this week. We’ve done some modeling to look at how long that trust fund itself will stand solid. If we had, let’s say, 120,000 applicants to UI over this time, and they took the average amount of payout, which is around $400 a week, we’d only go through a third of that in 12 weeks. Now, those numbers certainly could be higher than 120,000. If we had 300,000 workers on the program, for example, which would be about 10% unemployment, we would go through that trust fund in 12 weeks, but the federal government has always been clear in situations today and in the past that when state trust funds run out, they provide 0% interest loans to back up that fund, and so we aren’t worried about the validity of the fund.” Independent contractors and others will be assisted as well – looking at that…

2:53 Good thinking outside the box on ideas for exercise… What is safe?   2:56 Good question…   We’re all in prison now…   Golf courses open for access – no clubhouse – good idea!

Department of Corrections also a concern… Food and cleaning are main concerns per Walz. As well as justice work…

2:31   Modeling… Good question. Also asked about possible shortages on beds/ventilators.  Malcolm: “Just been working… 3 days or so… model is being built.” Walz: Lack of testing inhibited model. “Getting R under 1″ models estimate – will get to you. . numbers too rough now to have a sense of confidence about them.” Malcolm: Can’t have a MN specific model yet… Community mitigation measures in place… “don’t have numerical precision”… “range estimates not as precise” When do you expect to have it? Walz: U of MN national experts… Going to get it to me over this weekend.
2:59 Yes it does…   They know the numbers. They are too afraid to tell you what they are…   That is NOT a difficult model… Watch Peak Prosperity on Youtube.   3:00 Exponential Growth. He knows about R0 so he KNOWS what the models show. We WILL BE overrun.   3:01 Look At Italy. Two weeks from now, it’s the US.   In MN, TC will be hit first.   3:02 Rural hospitals have about 4-8 weeks.

Question about Alcohol/Food delivery take-out. Walz says a STRONG online presence for this!!

Question on whether this is only in the four counties of concern. Malcolm: 15 now but important to reiterate community transmission is happening across the sate. 3:06 YES. It is everywhere. Maybe those remote farms are safe if they don’t leave. Assume you’re gonna be exposed if you don’t isolate soon.

Partial order from National Stockpile received… not clear on remainder of shipment.

3:08 Probably want to assure these stay open… even if it means National Guard… This medicates us…  On liquor stores. Walz gave some great stories in last 4 minutes of the conference and recognized the needs of some who have few resources. Stay Home MN.

3:09 Be nice to your local Millennial!! You’re gonna need internet connection. Walz notes to thank those serving us.


Posted after the Press Conference:

Governor Time Walz SURPRISES THE FUCK out of Daniel and me. We listened to this entire thing and found the group to be solution focused – all the way up to “can we make reagents here?” YES. SMART people are working on this for Minnesotans. And they were largely transparent… with one critical exception – on when hospitals will overload. (They know what the model says already. We are behind the eight ball and they know it. Perhaps hoping all this other good news will make up for the bad news we will be getting shortly…) Lots of good news in here though!! Especially his focus on FEEDING ALL the people. And re-tooling manufacturing as Healthcare becomes our new economy. … Good news for Minnesota. Looks like OUR government is stepping up and doing all they can to keep us safe.     


3/23/20  Live Update from the Walz Administration [My comments in brackets,,, with Dan’s input.]

Heard before call: Governor is now in self-quarantine – Bodyguard tested positive. Peggy Flanagan’s brother (TN) died from CV.  Governor Walz added: Amy Klobuchar’s husband is hospitalized.  

Here are my notes from the call:

Walz: 40-80% infection expected – vast majority without hospitalization. Cases went from 169 to 235 –>  Better feel.  982 tested yesterday.  Reagent supply chain issues… Exec Order pending – putting off elective veterinary surgery to manage supplies for people. Gov/VP call – request for Title 32 from President – 502 authority to be expanded… Can use the National Guard with federal dollar support.  PPE too. Moving toward feds meeting our needs… (not there yet). Models… getting preliminary data. [I call BS… they just don’t want you to know the numbers…]

Two impacts:
R0 – how many people are affected by exposure Medical care – ramp up ICU/Ventilators/PPE/Tests MN Revenues and expenditures – postponing revenues coming in… less resources to do work. EO 2013 – National Guard – moving PPE from Camp Ripley.  Delivering food and other work pending. #StayHomeMN EO 2014 – Suspends evictions statewide moratorium EO 2015 – Small business relief (unemployment) SB and Independent Loan Program – forgivable? (for next few weeks?) EO 2016 – PPE inventory EO 2017 – adding elective veterinary surgery to EO 2008

Complex, ever-moving.  Trying to clarify and think of all situations. No revenue April, May, June (tax relief)  

Jan Malcolm @ HHS – cases/deaths continue to rise 350K+ globally.  35,241 with 473 deaths in US.  Learning from speed of spread in other states.  Half of cases are in NY (17K) with big #s elsewhere WA (2K) NJ, CA, FL (1K) 21 patients in MN hospital w/ 12 remaining/5 ICU – other recovered.Front Lines are being tested.  Virus is circulating in ALL communities. Ill? Stay home and monitor symptoms. 800 calls had a light day. Open 7A-7P daily 651-201-3920

[Then she fucked up (IMO)… ]

HealthCareWorkers w/ COVID-19 – strictly based on occupation, not signaling exposure at work.  No exposures from patient care. [WTF???  Maybe not YET… WHY ARE YOU SAYING it is NOT – “based on our data”… when we KNOW it IS a risk from around the world???]

Joe Kelly @ Homeland Security: Acquiring and distributing PPE (National Guard helping) Self-service gas is a risk – if you touch a surface, wash hands. Wipe surfaces we share.

Steve Grove @ Employment & Economic Development: Unemployment Insurance & SBA Disaster Loans available – Emergency loans to bridge gaps from Federal funds available $2500-$35K  50% forgivable and 0% APR (will help 1200-5000 businesses statewide) [How many in State total??] Available later this week.

Localities have $58M in city and county loan funds possibly contributing more [To keep groceries running?]

Heather Mueller @ Education: Serving meals and giving school age student care.

Walz: Backlog on unemployment insurance approvals – to assure no fraud. Guard leadership taking care. [Dan: Likely to be deployed Friday… when checks stop coming.] Assisted living cases.  [We SHOULD have started that work when the first case hit Washington.]

Q: Coughing?  Jan: take all symptoms seriously.  Difficulty breathing or Fever over 104degrees? Seek medical care.  Not fine to circulate if you have symptoms.

Q: Inventory reporting by businesses – gonna commandeer?  Walz: State has capacity should we need these supplies.  Businesses are voluntarily doing this already. Will ask but we do have Executive Authority.

Q: How soon until Shelter in Place? Walz: 7-8 states already in place. Spoke with Ebers/Whitmer over weekend.  MI early today, WI tomorrow.  MN???  Decisions to be made with best data we have.  Not total agreement.  Has it worked to shut down restaurants/schools? What does modeling show?  Real time data now. [We don’t have time to wait for the modeling. But you know that…]  Need social compliance to keep people in for a longer time-period.  Won’t just be “Shut down for two weeks and it will pass”. [REALLY glad he is saying this EARLY. First official we’ve heard.] Need people working to keep things running. See where states are moving…  Taking a hard look. People can go to stores, stores will be stocked.  Pick up Rx at curbside stop.  Not announcing today.  Data and science provide no clear-cut answer but will decide in best way for Minnesotans to keep people from the hospital as long as possible.

Q1: What are WI/MI seeing that you are not yet seeing?  Walz (answered after below question): Hard decision.  Agonizing.  Lack of data… Best judgment.  [Dan: Just tell them, Tim, you’re balancing flattening the curve with keeping the economy from crashing.]  Learning to this not being a shelter in place for 1-2 weeks; looks like multiple weeks to months.  Didn’t have testing – but now we do.  [Dan: You know why all our disaster movies are people escaping just in the nick of time?  Because that’s what humans do…]

Q2: Extending school/business closures past end of this week? Walz: YES.  Not wanting to send a mixed message in transition.

Summary Walz: Need compliance to stop the spread. [And they’re working to gear up the National Guard for the pending riots.]  Minnesotans seem to be spacing, wearing protective gear.  Even a complete shutdown will allow people to get groceries and required services.

What can people do? 

  • If you are able and financially capable, stay home.
  • Food Shelves are #1. 
  • Blood donations needed. 
  • Don’t panic buy at stores and help a neighbor.

Q – Steve at AP: Virginia cancelled classes for the year. Considering that?  Walz: Considered everything. May be necessary and we’re trying to project for people to give insight.  Meanwhile we’re doing well now to provide kids with education.  Teachers are being appreciated!

This phone system is how this will work.  I am overwhelmed with asks of what people can do. And companies are stepping up here.  And Minnesota is helping other states. 


That’s the update.  Now that we’re here – Monday March 29th – I’m interested to see how different a state we are in one week from the day this writing was done.

Good Luck, Everybody.

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My Birthday!!

23 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Community, Happiness in Life

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Birthday


I am very blessed to have had a LOVELY birthday that included much unexpected joy:

  • A long, hot shower.
  • Chickadees eating from my palm.
  • Simple dinner of veggies.
  • A surprise gift. 🙂
  • Calls with parents and kids.
  • Long calls with good friends.
  • Popcorn!

And LOADS of FB messages and a few texts and… just so much love.

The Universe is constantly conspiring for my good.

Thanks, Everybody!

Image may contain: Jami Gaither, standing and indoor

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A Plea to the DNC

16 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Citizenship, Politics, Saving the Earth

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Bernie, Biden, Dementia, DNC


This blog was originally written prior to the Arizona debate (in D.C.) and perhaps it is irrelevant in these Days of Corona… But, for what it’s worth. [I’ve added a bit of new following the debate.]


Biden has little ability to defeat Trump.  They are both demented old men, which becomes clearer each day as Joe fails again and again – lashing out at voters…. [Joe actually started out better than I expected in the debate. Though he had no ability to understand that even dictators can have improved living conditions for their people. It’s shades of gray, Joe.]

The difference between Biden and the current Republican President?

Everyone has already OK’d Trump’s dementia and insanity – for years now!  But they will play every gaff of Joe’s endlessly. [And every lie, as it becomes clearer each day how much Joe stretches the truth and outright lies. Three times in a row, he LIED at the debate tonight about his statements on the floor discussing cutting Social Security, cutting Medicare and Medicaid, cutting veteran programs. He even ended up, in his explanation, telling on himself!! It was just baffling.]

And those Republicans have LOTS of money for commercials.  Of course, it won’t take many to show Joe’s incompetence.  I’m sorry if you can’t see it. Because if you can’t, Joe will be Hillary 2.0 and we’re all fucked. Even if he pulls it out, we all still lose.

Look at Biden’s cabinet.  Look at all Biden’s Dark Money.  Jamie fucking Dimon FFS!!!! Look at the insanity of those who adamantly and angrily opposed him… now falling in line… for money or power… or maybe a bit of both? 

Why can some see the Dark Money so readily in Republicans but are blind to it in Democratic circles?  How can one see the inhumanity of Republicans and watch cheerily as Dems work as the other wing of the same bird…. shitting all over America as it gathers up all the juicy berries and sticks for itself.

The oligarchy is KILLING US.  The vote in Michigan was split among the young fearing for their very lives voting for Bernie and the older Dems, standing on their necks, wishing they “could get better health care… and thinking it sure would be nice if we all had it” siding with Joe.

These are literally grandparents stealing the rights of their descendants to have a voice… as they line their coffins with gold.

I get that older Dems are afraid too.  But it’s time to pony up for the children – is it THEIR FUTURE we’re fighting for? Or our own?

WE OLDSTERS HAVE HAD OUR SHARE

How about giving the young some time to fix the planet?  Fuck! Maybe they can save it if we get out of the way fast enough.  And if they don’t?  Well, we pretty much assured they couldn’t to start…

Us oldsters had our chance to do something and WE HAVE FAILED.  As the planet spins into human extinction, could we maybe try it the kid’s way?  Just this once?? 

WHAT DO WE REALLY HAVE TO LOSE AT THIS POINT!!!  It’s like, the car is dented, bumper hanging off, almost out of gas – could we let the kids drive for a moment, while they still have a chance?  Or will oldsters hang on bitterly to the Biden steering wheel and doom our children to the future we’ve all earned for them? 

We sacrifice our children to the Gods of money, stuff, and power. It is sad.  But it is a fact.

I spent some time on the phone recently with some Millennials.  It was bittersweet to hear THEIR understanding of why older people are doing what they are doing.  THEIR acceptance of the fact that there is probably little that can be done to stop them, as this has been their lifelong experience… from infancy to present day. {Tommy. I am so sorry for all my failures…}

Their commentary was all so HEARTBREAKING TO HAVE TO HEAR!!! Especially when THEY think they have another election cycle to wait all you Boomers out.  When we now know they don’t have that luxury…

We will distract ourselves with this new thing…. viral infection of the cancer that has taken on the planet.  Kind of like a chemo for Her to quell the thing that has been raping and killing her for centuries.  And, while it may calm the GHG levels to a point that gives us a while longer, watch the reaction of the powers that be… as they prop up the industry!!! And abandon the people…

Fund the Market so it won’t crash!!! Make MORE STUFF!!!!  The addiction is obvious. Inhumane. Insane.  Yet it continues.  And we think our children need rehab?

Meanwhile, I fear the feedback loops will not survive another 4 years before they overlap in a way that we see MASS human effect.  {In case it’s not clear, “effect” means removal from the game.}

Sadly, these Millennials were mostly accepting of their fate. 

They’ve known their whole lives that the chances for their future were slim.  They’re not stupid.  They’ve watched as “adults” have denied and delayed. And they are far more understanding of the indifference to their fate than I will likely ever be. 

I wish you could all hear the children. These are OUR CHILDREN we’re working to save.  Aren’t we?

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised… after my own father so readily disowned me.  Perhaps some care more for saving their bank accounts and retirement funds – though they already have more money than they will EVER need – than they do their own children.

I’m sorry if this alarms you.

Imagine how it feels from the children’s perspective.

Please.

Can you give them just a few moments of consideration?

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Is SARS-CoV-2 Man-Made?

13 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Death, Health, Human Extinction, Politics

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Conspiracy Theory, Coronavirus


5/28/21 update: more confirmations reviewed by Dr. Chtis.

5/5/21 update: looks like we have confirmation of many of my speculations…

5/10/20 Note: Mother’s Day Update on how we likely have a cover-up by the folks who should be telling us this thing is man-made… See update below. Oh, changed the title again… getting pretty irrefutable. Lots of genetics details in this. Lots of photos and links.

5/2/20 Note: In the wake of Mother’s Ridiculous Press Release… and alongside new evidence which seems to reinvigorate the notion that the U.S. may be the creators of the Coronavirus Pandemic, new material has been added at the bottom of this blog. What follows between here and those updates may be dated but is likely to entertain. But scroll to the bottom for the latest additions.


3/13/2020 This is a State of Emergency blog update.

This might be a reach, but with nothing to do but watch the Apocalypse unfold… Oh, and we’re reading “The Freedom Artist” by Ben Okri – which is really interesting and an illuminating read on current state (though fictional, it clearly resonates with current reality).

Ben Okri’s 11th novel, The Freedom Artist, invokes all these preceding stories in a multilayered allegorical narrative that cuts to the heart of our current political and cultural malaise, while maintaining a mythical, mesmeric flavour that makes the reader feel these are stories they have always known.

Guardian Feb 2019 Book Review

OK, we all know that Trump avoids tests like the plague, right? [Oops. Sorry, too soon? Probably. Yeah. Sorry. Kinda. If that’s too much for you, stop reading now. Really. Just go back to safety NOW.]

Those Weak in Spirit… Turn Back!!!

OK. This is for all you conspiracy theorists out there…

So, we know the current Republican President has refused to be tested for Coronavirus.

And… word is that Bolsonaro tested positive after having spent some time at Mar-a-Lago with Trumpy…

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday said he tested negative for the novel coronavirus, after reports suggested that he tested positive.

O Dia, a major Brazilian newspaper, earlier on Friday reported that he’d tested positive. Fox News later confirmed the news.

Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo told Fox News that further testing was being done to confirm the diagnosis and that they expected results later on Friday.

The Brazilian president said on Twitter that he tested negative, adding, “DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE MEDIA FAKE NEWS!”

Oh, the familiar ring of “presidency”...

Is Trump a carrier?

We also know we have had military troops in Wuhan in October for the Military World Games.

17 athletes from the U.S. Armed Forces… About 300 athletes from the United States are expected to arrive in the next 2 days. …

The Military World Games is a multi-sport event that has taken place every four years since 1995. The 7th Games runs from the 18th to 27th of October in Wuhan.

Xinhua 10-15-2019

China dominated the Games. It was reported that the American team did very poorly… not even garnering a mention in local coverage.

After 10-day competitions, host China collected 133 golds and 239 medals in total, the first time for a country to grab 100 plus golds. The traditional powerhouse Russia obtained 51 golds and 161 medals in all as an evident runner-up in medal tally, followed by Brazil, the host for 2011 Games, with 21 golds and 88 medals. France, Poland and Germany lined up from fourth to sixth places, all clinching 10 plus golds.

Xinhua 11-1-2019

And we knew that the U.S. athletes were housed close to the assumed origin of the outbreak…

After the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak, conspiracy theories about COVID-19 being the CIA’s creation to keep China down were all over the Chinese internet,[27] according to The Economist. Some articles on popular sites in Chinese have accused American athletes participating in the Wuhan Military World Games to have deployed the virus. They claim the inattentive attitude and disproportionately below average results of American athletes in the game indicate they might have been in for other purposes and they might actually be bio-warfare operatives, and that their place of residence during their stay in Wuhan was also close to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where the first known cluster of cases occurred.[28][29]

Wikipedia – Controversies – My link for The Economist.

And this is what the locals are speculating in China now…

The medical magazine The Lancet analyzes that in addition to infected animals and single animals entering the market, there is also a possibility that someone is infected outside the market and then brought to the market.

This can’t help but think of the TOMs at the military games. Is there another mystery in the bottles of the soy sauce soldiers?

Let’s revisit the information of the military games:

First: The first batch of patients were concentrated in South China Seafood City, which is near the guesthouse of the Rice Soy Sauce;

Second: The first infection of the virus in humans occurred in November, just after the military games ended;

Third: South China Seafood City is not the first stop of the virus, it may be brought to the market by people;

Fourth: The American soldiers who have always been powerful, have not performed as well as the security of a community at the military games.

Something weird must have a demon.

In addition, after the military meeting, the United States suddenly tightened the Chinese visa to the United States. If these soy sauce soldiers are biochemical soldiers, all problems can be solved easily.

Let us speculate boldly that the United States upgraded the SARS virus during the SARS period, taking advantage of the time when China hosted the military games, 369 biochemical soldiers were brought to China and targeted placement in the South China seafood market, which caused a plague epidemic.

Local Coverage of the possible conspiracy… 1-30-2020 Quite the interesting read… with bold justifications My emphasis…

Did our government plant this virus?

Has 45 already been inoculated – is that why he is so unworried? Do they already have a cure? There must be some reason he refuses to get tested… Would we see the antibodies in his blood????

Now! While I have your attention…

  • It is very likely you have already been exposed, or, if you are not now quarantined, you are going to be soon exposed. We must act as if this virus is everywhere. Because it likely is. [Yes, remote rural folks, I know you may say different. But my bet is most will overestimate their isolation effect.]
  • Fever is the alarm. If you get a fever, quarantine yourself. Buckle up for symptoms. Lock yourself down. Most will hopefully see 5-10 days of symptoms, some VERY MINIMAL, but until you are SYMPTOM FREE for 10 days, stay home. Let me repeat that. Stay The Fuck Home. That means 10 days AFTER YOU ARE WELL, THEN and only then, can you go back in contact with people. THIS IS NOT THE FLU! If you fail to wait, you may very well find yourself responsible for the death of another. Perhaps someone you love dearly. This Virus Is Deadly. Please do not play with it. [Other symptoms are dry cough and shortness of breath. This attacks your lungs. You have no antibodies to fight this. The strength and spread rate indicate military grade quality… (gotta keep you conspiracy theorists engaged)
  • That said. What if you aren’t symptomatic? Lock yourself down ANYWAY!!! See above. If you are home quarantined for 10 days without symptoms, count yourself lucky. [Unless we’re still not fully informed on incubation periods… they are currently shifting… looks like patients could remain infectious for many weeks... up to 37 days.] You’ve survived this wave!! And you can continue surviving by staying locked down AND isolated. [Please, Gods, let this be a wave… and not endemic and deadly until herd immunity is achieved… and let’s hope for no mutation that makes that impossible.]
  • Drink Water. Wash with soap, often. #STFH. Survive.

Maybe the U.S. didn’t do this… But could another country have done it?

Trump has definitely dropped Pandora’s box – perhaps it was too big for his tiny hands. Did Hope escape this time?

“Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind;
the others have left and gone to Olympus.
Trust, a mighty god has gone, Restraint has gone from men,
and the Graces, my friend, have abandoned the earth.
Men’s judicial oaths are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone
revere the immortal gods; the race of pious men has perished and
men no longer recognize the rules of conduct or acts of piety.”

~ Theognis of Megara

I hope (see what I did there?) I’m wrong and this was just a fascinating way to spend an afternoon… At the very least, I got some credible Coronavirus info into you in an age of Criminal Misinformation. And I gave you something to ponder – or Google, or extrapolate into your own stories – as we all – hopefully? – Lock Down.

Good Luck, Everybody.


If you want more info, we like Chris at Peak Prosperity. [Note, this is his latest update – he has many daily updates and we recommend that you watch several of his prior pieces to get details on various aspects of the progression.]

Announcement: The HARN Collective is considering beginning a Virtual Salon. If you’re interested in participating, contact us. (Likely a later night online Discord session.)


Update 3-15-2020: Russian Biowarfare?

Note the strangely quiet Russia on Coronavirus… And their very few cases – currently 63 with 8 recovered and 55 active cases.

Did Vlad set the viral bomb in Wuhan at the Military Games in October? How can they be so close to the outbreak origin and remain so unscathed? Meanwhile, all the other countries, overwhelmed with their own issues, remain oblivious.

Did you know that Russian jets continue to “check the fences”? Last week, Canadian and U.S. planes intercepted near our airspace.

US F-22 stealth jets and Canadian CF-18 fighters intercepted two Russian reconnaissance aircraft while they were flying off the Alaskan coast on Monday, according to North America Aerospace Defense Command.

The intercept comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Russian militaries as US officials have expressed concerns about increased Russian military activity in the Arctic.The two Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday but did not enter US or Canadian airspace, remaining “in international airspace over the Beaufort Sea, and came as close as 50 nautical miles to the Alaskan coast,” according to North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD.

CNN March 11, 2020

These missions have been ongoing, as reported in August of last year.

American and Canadian fighter jets intercepted a pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Thursday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Two U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighters on Thursday morning intercepted the long-range, nuclear-capable Russian bombers north of Alaska over the Beaufort Sea, NORAD said in a statement. …

This marked the second time this month that Russian aircraft were observed in the area. NORAD said two Tu-142 Russian maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft entered the zone west of Alaska on Aug. 1, but they were not intercepted at that time.

COREY DICKSTEIN | STARS AND STRIPES August 8, 2019

And now Trump tests negative for Coronavirus. He blithely shakes hands with everyone around him IN SPITE of the directives from his own government to avoid this practice. The President of Brazil is infected, as are members of the U.S. government like Collins and Gaetz. We’re seeing the virus explode in the U.S.

But Trumpy? He’s cool as a cucumber. Did Vlad give him the antivirus? Is he immune? If so, we should take his blood and try to catch up to save our citizens.

Are the Russians waiting until we’re too distracted (or sick… or just fucking disheartened) enough to not give a response to these fence checks? Will that non-response be followed by an attack, when we’re most vulnerable? I hope to fuck this conspiracy theory is not true.

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This was sent by a friend: An interesting interview with Dr Francis Boyle, the creator of Bio Weapons Act (now removed…) that includes the claim that a vaccine EXISTS for this Coronavirus. He also claims 83% infection rate and 15% death rate. So there’s that…

Biowarfare? (at start) Vaccine already available? (halfway through)

Update 5/2/20 – video no longer available but here are a couple links on the above guy:

In an exclusive interview given to Geopolitics and Empire, Dr. Boyle discusses the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China and the Biosafety Level 4 laboratory (BSL-4) from which he believes the infectious disease escaped. He believes the virus is potentially lethal and an offensive biological warfare weapon or dual-use biowarfare weapons agent genetically modified with gain of function properties, which is why the Chinese government originally tried to cover it up and is now taking drastic measures to contain it. The Wuhan BSL-4 lab is also a specially designated World Health Organization (WHO) research lab and Dr. Boyle contends that the WHO knows full well what is occurring.

…Nyquist gave three different data points for making his case in analyzing Coronavirus. He writes:

The third data point worth considering: the journal GreatGameIndia has published a piece titled “Coronavirus Bioweapon – How China Stole Coronavirus From Canada And Weaponized It.”

The authors were clever enough to put Khan’s Virology Journal article together with news of a security breach by Chinese nationals at the Canadian (P4) National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, where the novel coronavirus was allegedly stored with other lethal organisms. Last May, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in to investigate; by late July the Chinese were kicked out of the facility.The chief Chinese scientist (Dr. Xiangguo Qiu) was allegedly making trips between Winnipeg and Wuhan.

Here we have a plausible theory of the NCoV organism’s travels: first discovered in Saudi Arabia, then studied in Canada from whence it was stolen by a Chinese scientist and brought to Wuhan. Like the statement of Taiwan’s intelligence chief in 2008, the GreatGameIndia story has come under intensive attack. Whatever the truth, the fact of proximity and the unlikelihood of mutation must figure into our calculations.

It’s highly probable that the 2019-nCoV organism is a weaponized version of the NCoV discovered by Saudi doctors in 2012.

Dr. Francis Boyle Creator Of BioWeapons Act Says Coronavirus Is Biological Warfare Weapon 3/10/2020

Audio for the above interview. [January 30, 2020]

More to come as things come my way.


Update 3/17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Some updates…. From India Today. [Canada? Really? Yeah, I didn’t think so… But it looks like they don’t rule out China… and don’t even mention Russia.] From Russia – not sure why I hadn’t noticed their very low infection rate earlier…

And from Academia:

Looking at the number of COVID-19 cases in the context of the ranked order of flow of people and goods between China other countries, we see the following (as of March 15):

Just seems weird… but could be attributed to testing. Right? [None of these numbers are real, especially where there is a lack of test kits, like the U.S.]


March 20 Update: Sorry for the delay but this is a good link to Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist [from MN! on 3/10/20], on the possibility of this being biowarfare. [This will lose him credibility later… see the 5/10/20 update.]

His conclusion: No evidence whatsoever that this is a man-made virus. [5/10/20 NOW DEBUNKED??? See more below..]

Good news? Or bad? We were holding hope that, IF it was man-made, at least we’d probably have a cure.


Update 4/20/20: Here’s another interesting piece… Manmade After All?

Dr Luc Montagnier the man who discovered the HIV virus back in 1983 … is saying that the virus was man made.

Professor Luc Montagnier, 2008 Nobel Prize winner for Medicine, claims that SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Chinese researchers are said to have used coronaviruses in their work to develop an AIDS vaccine. HIV RNA fragments are believed to have been found in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. …

“With my colleague, bio-mathematician Jean-Claude Perez, we carefully analyzed the description of the genome of this RNA virus,” explains Luc Montagnier, interviewed by Dr Jean-François Lemoine for the daily podcast at Pourquoi Docteur, adding that others have already explored this avenue: Indian researchers have already tried to publish the results of the analyses that showed that this coronavirus genome contained sequences of another virus, … the HIV virus (AIDS virus), but they were forced to withdraw their findings as the pressure from the mainstream was too great.

In a challenging question Dr Jean-François Lemoine inferred that the coronavirus under investigation may have come from a patient who is otherwise infected with HIV. No, “says Luc Montagnier,” in order to insert an HIV sequence into this genome, molecular tools are needed, and that can only be done in a laboratory.

Chinese Coronavirus Is a Man Made Virus By Robert Miller | Published on April 16, 2020
Reviewed By Gilmore Health | On: April 20, 2020

Update 5/2/20 – Changed Title to ask about United States Republican Vice-President Mike Pence’s decision to not wear a mask at Mayo Clinic… as it may well be a key question in unraveling the possible conspiracy around the COVID-19 Pandemic’s source. There have been a couple of interesting happenings since our last update to this blog:

  • 4/27/20 Revelation on NPR’s non-disclosure of interviewee’s conflict of interest, which shows media bias, in their 4/23/20 piece reporting scientists (not unbiased ones as it turns out) who “cast doubt” on Coronavirus being a lab-released virus. [Gotta watch everything with a critical eye these days…]
Dr. Chris Martenson on why source vetting matters
  • 4/28/20 Mike Pence refused to wear a mask during a visit to Mayo Clinic to review Minnesota’s COVID-19 Pandemic response.

“The clinic said in a Twitter post that it had informed Pence of its policy mandating mask before he toured the facility. …

A Mayo Clinic spokesman, when asked for comment, said in an email that, “Mayo shared the masking policy with the VP’s office.” The spokesman did not respond to the question of why the Mayo Clinic deleted its tweet about Pence.”

Pence Tours Mayo Clinic Without Mask Even Though He Was Told to Wear One 4/28/20

[More on this below…]

  • This visit and Pence’s serious error has now brought to light more psycho-drama typical of the current Republican administration.

The White House has threatened to retaliate against a reporter who disclosed reporters who traveled with Vice President Mike Pence this week were required to wear face masks – thereby calling attention to Pence’s own awkward flub. 

Pence’s office is demanding an apology from government-funded Voice of America after its reporter, who served in the press pool with Pence tweeted that ‘All of us who traveled with him were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly.’

Mike Pence mask fiasco deepens as reporter reveals every journalist traveling with him to Mayo Clinic was told to wear one despite VP refusing – so Pence’s staff try to ban him from future reporting 5/1/2020
  • Meanwhile, most of us thinking folks are really finding ourselves more and more disillusioned by the inability to stand on science. We are truly in the Dark Ages. Maybe the Darkest Ages? Even Crazy Cramer noted it was RECKLESS behavior. Yet Mayo doubled down…

After the Mayo Clinic deleted its tweet saying it had advised Pence of the mask policy, a new message appeared thanking him for visiting.”We look forward to continued collaboration to develop essential testing and treatment for our patients and communities,” the new tweet read.

Pence flouts Mayo Clinic policy on masks — which is to wear one 4/29/2020

[OMFG! The KID GLOVES HANDLING AND ASS KISSING this REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION REQUIRES!!!! It Is Fucking ASTOUNDING!]

  • 4/29/20 This controversy-flaming fiasco was followed by an interview with “Mother” noting Mike’s ignorance of the rules. [ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? The cognitive dissonance of the day-to-day BS in ‘Merica is AMAZING. I mean, WHO The Fuck doesn’t KNOW that you wear a facemask to prevent SPREAD as an ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIER? EVERYONE knows that, right? {Well, no, Jami, haven’t you been watching all those crazy protestors asking Governor Walz to “Liberate Minnesota”??? And perhaps it’s because THIS mask-avoiding imbecile is their Team Leader – leading the U.S. Pandemic Response Team!} Yeah. I see your point.]

“As our medical experts have told us wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease and knowing that he doesn’t have COVID -19, he didn’t wear one. It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out that they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask.”

Karen Pence defends the Republican Vice President’s decision to not mask up at Mayo

4/30/20 THEN… Pencey wore a mask – in INDIANA – prompting me to ask… “Was that an act of war? His NOT wearing one in Minnesota?”

“At the time, Mr. Pence explained that because he was tested regularly for the coronavirus, he was not at risk of contributing to asymptomatic spread and therefore did not need to wear a mask — an argument that experts immediately dismissed.”

Pence Visits Ventilator Plant in Indiana, This Time Wearing a Mask, 4-30-2020

You may think that an extreme question but, if this Pandemic is originating from U.S. bio-lab work, as new evidence is more and more strongly suggesting, it will color ALL the questions you begin to ask yourself… wait and see.

Does Pence ALREADY have immunity? Has he already “won immunity” as a member of the ruling class and an elite?

Wish THIS GUY had also WON against Pencey. We voted for him! Even sported a yard sign!

And NOW, we have more seemingly damning evidence of a real cover-up conspiracy…

On May Day, Dr. Chris Martenson at Peak Prosperity revealed a potential link to Dr. Fauci and the release of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, giving an enlightening review of a Newsweek article on the same subject. Watch his coverage and tell me what you think…

Dr. Chris Martenson at Peak Prosperity 5-1-2020

Though it may only get as good as better and faster tests to detect COVID infection, I’m banking on the military ALREADY working on a vaccine for this thing the lab seems to have created. Perhaps THAT is why Trumpty Dumpty let it slip about a cure sooner rather than later… If they HAVE been working on this since last summer (or earlier), perhaps a vaccine is already being studied in folks like Trumpence who seem unconcerned about the disease? [Though it seems more likely they’d be testing on our soldiers and/or citizens of other countries first… as the US tends to do.]

If TrumPence DO have immunity, perhaps this virus is actually not the problem, but their solution? Is it possible they are selling immunity to all their rich friends as they plot and scheme making it more and more unlikely that the poorest and most oppressed of Americans are able to survive the Pandemic? [You know, with delayed and tiny checks to the Proletariat (while they sink TRILLIONS into the stock market for their friends – it’s really disturbing when you look at it all.] Is the level of collusion that deep and sinister?

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If so, the Elites ought to be thinking about who among them will be growing their food and cleaning their toilets… once the game runs through. But that’s likely talk for later… in another year or so. This first year of the Virus will surely leave plenty of Plebs to support the ongoing gluttonous consumption of the wealthiest humans on the planet.

#MaskUpMotherfuckers


Ooohhhhh. Apparently NBC released a short clip on May Day of Trump saying he’s seen evidenceof origination from the Wuhan lab. But he can’t tell us about it. [Um. I think he just did?]


5/10/20 HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!! More updates added for those following this blog… WOW is this getting complex. While our scientists deny this is “a laboratory construct”.

Chris at Peak Prosperity gave us MORE info on May 4th – May the FOURTH be with you, Dr. Martenson!! Here’s what he tells us:

LOTS of data here on why SARS-C0V-2 appears to be Man-Made. Not natural mutation. From Peak Prosperity description: Digging into the biochemistry of viruses, we are struck in particular by a genetic string of RNA in covid-19 — specifically the polybasic furin cleavage site PRRA — that has all the appearance of an “insert” (i.e., something that does NOT look like a natural mutation)

Chris explains the 2-step process for infection: 1) Virus Binds to receptor then 2) the S2 spike protein subunit has to be proteolytically snipped (“cleaved”) to engage the cell. Various protein enzymes are good at this task. Plasmin cuts up clot fibrin to clear a clot [thus creating D-Dimers – which is a red-flag that a COVID patient is in bad shape.] Plasmin can SNIP the S2 sub-unit to allow its RNA to fuse with cell membrane to get into the cell.  If SNIP doesn’t happen, the virus can’t get into the cell.  The cleave is REALLY important. 

Plasmin is again one of MANY… like Furin, which cuts in strictly defined places – namely AFTER an RxxR sequence.  Specifically this is: Argenine, x, x, Argenine, where x = any amino acid.  AND… IF you have RRxR or RxRR, cleavage efficiently is significantly increased.  THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN in SARS-CoV-2 story.  [Seriously, if you love this genetic stuff and conspiracy theories – you need to read THAT story. Plus amazing graphics! Thanks, Yuri Deigin!]

First, let discuss what is arguably the most eye-catching aspect of the new virus — a 4-amino acid insertion that turned it into a natural-born killer.

It is impossible to ignore the introduction of a PRRA insert between S1 and S2: it sticks out like a splinter. This insert creates the furin cleavage site …

There are several types of such proteases, as can be deduced from the abundance of colors of those diamonds. But not all proteases are equal, and not all types of cells have proteases needed by the virus. Furin is one of the most effective, and it is found not only on the surface of cells, but also inside. Most clearly, the danger of the new furin site is demonstrated by the difference between CoV2 and its grandpa, SARS-CoV:

Schematic diagram of the process of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infecting host cells. These protease are presented by sector in different colors Furin can cleaveSpike in the process of viral mutation.

As can be seen from the diagram, in the case of CoV2, thanks to the furin site, it is not two, but three classes of proteases (three colored PacMans) that can cut its S protein outside the cell. But perhaps the most important difference is that furin is also present inside the cell, so it can cut the S protein immediately after virion assembly, thereby providing new virions with the ability to merge with new cells right off the bat (no pun intended).

Yuri’s Smoking Gun… 4-22-20 Happy Earth Day!

And, as Dr. Martenson notes, Yuri says:

OK. So that is REALLY complex (watch Chris – he explains it well, including HOW IMPORTANT THE CLEAVING is for INFECTION). And there’s more.

a Furinscore > 0.5 means Furin Cleavable.
b Identities compared with SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

So, NO nearby relative has the Furinscore that shows Furin cleavage sites. Others – NOT SIMILAR TO SARS-CoV-2 – HAVE Furin cleavage sites. To better comprehend this, here’s the Coronavirus evolutionary family tree or genetic wheel. SARS-CoV-2 sits among those with NO Furin cleavage.

And so… If you look at the ACTUAL genetic sequences, you note that Pangolin and RaTG13 BOTH lack the PRRA…

Which means… it looks like an insert (long new string – 12 Nucleatides!), NOT a mutation (single letter in the RNA triad, changing the amino acid).

The Nature paper where they declared this CANNOT be man-made gives the genetic sequences… you can clearly see this sudden appearance seems to indicate a human-inserted sequence.

a, Mutations in contact residues of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 (red bar at top) was aligned against the most closely related SARS-CoV-like coronaviruses and SARS-CoV itself. Key residues in the spike protein that make contact to the ACE2 receptor are marked with blue boxes in both SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses, including SARS-CoV (Urbani strain). b, Acquisition of polybasic cleavage site and O-linked glycans. Both the polybasic cleavage site and the three adjacent predicted O-linked glycans are unique to SARS-CoV-2 and were not previously seen in lineage B betacoronaviruses. Sequences shown are from NCBI GenBank, accession codes MN908947, MN996532, AY278741, KY417146 and MK211376. The pangolin coronavirus sequences are a consensus generated from SRR10168377 and SRR10168378 (NCBI BioProject PRJNA573298)29,30.

Furin is only mentioned 4 times in the article… which concludes:

Chris calls BS…

Actually, the consequence of the polybasic cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 is VERY WELL KNOWN… for decades. [Spoiler alert: We KNOW it allows SARS-CoV-2 to be DEADLIER and gives it EASIER access to the Cells.] And… they note, in Classic SARS, an insertion did nothing BUT, in MERS it allowed bats to infect humans. So… we’ve actually been monkeying around with these things since… well at least 2006 (an American team – in SARS Classic as mentioned above)… and the Japanese and the Dutch did it in 2008 (SARS Classic)… Americans in 2009 worked to “improve” SARS… inserting as many as 4 (RRSRR). [Thanks again to Yuri for all this info!!]

And then, in October 2019… Beijing reported inserting the new furin site RRKR into an ACTUAL LIVE CHICKEN CORONAVIRUS, infectious  bronchitis virus (IBV). What could go wrong?!?! [Yuri adds: “An interesting side note is that, as the authors point out, the addition of a furin site allows the mutant virus to infect nerve cells. Perhaps the CoV2 furin site is the reason why some patients with CoV2 exhibit neurological symptoms, including loss of smell”.]

MEANWHILE… Michael Osterholm wants us to believe this couldn’t be man-made… Yet no May 4th, Tran Thi Nhu Thao, Fabien Labroussaa, Nadine Ebert showed evidence of recreating the virus from scratch…

Thou doth protesteth too much?

And on May 7th, Chris adds that there might be more fishy stuff… Like how did a fishmonger in France get a case so early without going to China? [See what I did there? ;-)]

Perhaps it takes us back to the Military games last October???

Starting to get circular… so perhaps we’re close to finding some real truth.


So, it’s been a while… but some news has arisen and I’ll let Chris tell the story… as he tells it, “this thing broke across public consciousness in late January, my first output on it was January 23rd, by middle of February they already coordinated and wrote and submitted and had approved a letter… in the Lancet… to quickly say that this wasn’t anything but natural origin. Now that’s a little early don’t ya’ think?” Yeah, Chris, before any teams had gotten into Wuhan, before any investigation. “That’s not science”, indeed. Shame on those who signed on to condemn conspiracy theories about Covid NOT having a natural origin.

And, yep, NO EXPLANATION of that polybasic furin cleavage site. As you presented on May 12th, the comparisons of SARS-Cov-2 to other similar strands show NO OTHERS with that polybasic furin cleavage site that does what? MAKES THE VIRUS MORE BONDABLE TO THE HUMAN ACE2 Receptors!?! They cannot explain HOW a bat and pangolin (with such different habitats) get together? And they cannot explain away that polybasic furin cleavage site. Thanks to you for making it clear what that little piece of RNA does.

OK, everyone up to date again now?


5/5/21 update: looks like we have confirmation of many of my speculations…


5/12/21 Even Russell Brand is taking about it… and makes some good points, especially around minutes 8, 10 & 14. As is Saagar Enjeti…and Fauci looks more and more guilty… as MSM fails to investigate… because they hated 45. Here’s the Nicholas Wade paper he referenced.

From early on, public and media perceptions were shaped in favor of the natural emergence scenario by strong statements from two scientific groups. These statements were not at first examined as critically as they should have been.”

Nicholas Wade paper embarrasses journals who failed to investigate… assuming Trump was lying. Just like they discouraged Ivermectin & Hydtoxychloroquine… even though both proved to be effective as prophylactic treatments.

May 28, 2021 Chris reconfirms earlier findings… again pointing to a lab-made viris… ohhh the liabilities. What to do to Tony?

We’ll see what happens as everyday folks get on board with asking, “Where did that polybasic furin cleavage site come from?” Hmmmm….

Also, listened to this on the ask for an investigation into the possibility of a lab-leak…

One major misconception is that this SARs research at the WIV was conducted in such a safe high biosafety level that it could never have leaked. All of this work was done at much less safe levels than people thought.”

Alicia Chan On the Media: The Lab Leak Hypothesis 5-21-21

6/4/21 Russell Brand rings in. Actually pretty good info…



July 2021 Update: Lots happening… mostly around pushing vaccinations… though…

Efficacy for vaccines waning… thanks, Dr. John Campbell!

Meanwhile, nothing on Ivermec… well, you know the Drug That Shall Not Be Named… or BOOSTING your immune system? Not sure how anyone can deny this appears meant to kill millions, and we perhaps have no solution to this virus. Unless there is something that the powerful are using… though denying to everyday citizens?

No denying they don’t need so many of us – as they’ve automated much of the systems. As we watch the world burn, it seems more to me that they just wanted to remove as many poor and disenfranchised as possible to prevent their drain on the planet. Just determining whether this was an accidental or intentional (I lean on the former) release seems to remain. This bunch of rats isn’t working to try to save lives, they are pushing ONLY VACCINES as the solution… so, It’s All About Profits?

Speaking of rats, you might find this explanation from Doc Martenson educational, if you haven’t already figured it out. The powers that be are working hard to NOT ALLOW the information we all need to understand the real truth. Meanwhile, they work on dividing us… so they can continue to conquer.


Update 8/15/21… Russell Brand is always good for some insights. Looks like the Wuhan Lab had some database issues 9/12/19… and got a new “security program” for a cool $1.3M. Hmmm… sounds like maybe they had their own 9/11? Hack into the lab… releasing virus into the air vents… requiring a new $600M air system? Then Wuhan gets big outbreaks…. from the HVAC team… I mean…. Sounds like a great plot for a James Bond movie. Or a Pandemic Thriller? [Too soon?]

Or could just be…

from a FB friend…

9/19/22 Wish i had more time to read this Covid stuff… but here’s something new.

10/10/22 Here’s some related info for you. … more antics to come?


10/29/22 Update

Now we have the fuller truth revealed!!

Not by some lunatic conspiracy theorist (me, as informed by my ilk mid-February 2020 – 2 years, 8 & 1/2 months ago)…

Not by Russell Brand (back a year ago August)…

NO!!

Now by a REAL news source: ProPublica!!

COVID-19 Origins: Investigating a “Complex and Grave Situation” Inside a Wuhan Lab

It’s a real Tell ALL!!

ENJOY?


Happy Halloween update 10/31/22 update:

Dr. John weighs in… Great graphics. Pretty sure humans from the lab brought SARS-CoV-2 to the wet market… Not the other way around.


11/28/22 Day 1001 update on lab origin debate.


11/29/22 Busy week… update from Doc Martenson at Peak Prosperity here’s the definitive proof. Includes a few things I missed earlier this year.


12/2/22

She says it well…

2/18/23

John Campbell gives us another rundown. Check. When all other possibilities are eliminated…


4/19/23

looks like Senate had now confirmed I am not a conspiracy theorist? Dr. John tells all: https://youtu.be/2XccISIi-yo

and he explains the good and bad news on a recent vaccine injury investigation. https://youtu.be/_TaIsCX37vI


More to be revealed in time…


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USACE – 404 Denial for Line 3

09 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Citizenship, Climate Change, Saving the Earth

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Tags

401 Certification, 401/404, 404 Certification, Line 3, USACE


For those new to the blog, or the Line 3 process: Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes a program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands. Section 401 of the CWA requires any applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct an activity that may result in a discharge of a pollutant into waters of the United States to obtain a certification from the State in which the discharge originates that the discharge complies the applicable water quality standards. The 401 certification becomes a condition of Federal permits including Coast Guard Section 10 permits, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Section 404 permits.


A friend emailed Sunday, asking how I’m doing so I sent a response:

I feel like a bit of a slug, though I did manage to get some 404 comments submitted – attached here in case there is anything you can glean for your 401 work.  I barely read much of their technical stuff though, more attacking them on their flawed engineering logic if they approve Line 3 in this climate emergency… you know carbon budgets and all that.  And noting the destruction we’ve had on their watch.

I’d discourage you from reading much further unless you’re feeling like you are in a good solid place today…. Dan and I are pretty much Gloom and Doom of late. (I’m Doom)  (He’s Gloom) 

This is really discouraging work and these are discouraging times.  I am wondering if this round of SARS-CoV-2 will be a big killer or a sleepy one that takes its massive toll in the fall once it mutates, like the 1918 round did.  It seems all the US is doing is pushing for the latter… The disinformation, WRONG information, lies about rates, but mostly our lack of medical supplies and an inability to get more… as every other country also needs them.  I wondered last night if this virus will bring on WWIII…

Wondering also how that will affect the election.  We may find all this fighting about candidates to be wasted time…

And I wonder how much my statements really matter in the Line 3 process.  I feel like we’re largely alternately pacified and ignored by the agencies.  But I DO BELIEVE in the power of people and, if we can organize enough of them, maybe we will find a presence that gives MPCA pause in their approval plans.  Though now I’m wondering if we’ll see a cancellation of the 17th and 18th as CoV-2 spreads.  We’re up (in the US) to 464 (from 429 when I last updated last night).  Recovered cases remains at 8 (likely due to a lack of tests to provide confirmation of recovery).  I don’t really trust these numbers as we are doing SO LITTLE testing.

I am somewhat bouyed by the collapse of the supply chains – and feel like a monster because of it.  Yes, many will suffer and die.  But it will be a result of hubris.  And it will largely be a boon to Mother Earth to have so much less CO2 burned.  All the reductions in consumption will give her a breather.  I just can’t help but imagine that she has orchestrated this giant production to eliminate the scourge of human cancer with which she’s found herself contaminated.

So I feed the birds, engineer plans to keep the squirrels off the feeder, and enjoy the outdoor springlike weather…  I try to remember that all the “bad” happening now is like the bad that has happened before and there will at least be some good and love that comes from it as we work for survival and, at best, it may yet bring a new world.  But my hopes are pretty dim to non-existant that we’ll actually save ourselves.  

Mostly I spend each day these days enjoying conversations with fun people (call me any time – if you dare!), writing as much as I can on these things (maybe someday an archaeologist from the future will find this crazy laptop full of my musings and ramblings and see how some of the BS went down…), reading (when I can handle it – which seems to be good most moments this week), and crying, medicating, and laughing at the dark humor (those three usually in that order).

I also find myself being quite grateful for all that we DO HAVE.  I am grateful for people like you who DO so much, SHARE so many ideas, and SUPPORT the process.  Because it may well be the stuff that Stops Line 3.  And I glory with the trees – on their beauty, their stoicism, and their coming reign. 

Have a good week.  And Good Luck.

Email to friends working in the Line 3 movement 3-8-2020

Here’s my letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers:

Dear USACE,

I am embarrassed that you all call yourselves “Engineers” while you FAIL to recognize the dangers of Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 project.  What are you thinking, considering addition of YET ANOTHER fossil fuel pipeline – Tar Sands, no less! – to our ever more fragile atmosphere?  Are you not listening to the scientists around the globe insisting that we MUST reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) ASAP?  We MUST transition AWAY from fossil fuels and move to safer energy streams… as fast as we possibly can.

Five-hundred fifteen (515) days ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued their 1.5 Report, which noted that “Limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels would require transformative systemic change, integrated with sustainable development, … implementation of far- reaching, multilevel and cross-sectoral climate mitigation, … linked to complementary adaptation actions.”   The IPCC basically gave humanity a decade to take strong action in order to meet goals, goals which we now know are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target.

I’ve watched for decades as the Deal-with-Climate-Change can has been kicked down the road.  And we’ve seen what our current implementation of environmental policies on water quality and environmental review have given us here in Minnesota. 

  • We have a half million citizens drinking tainted water. 
  • We see the southern half of the state with substandard lakes. 
  • We have decimated our biodiversity as reported by the MN DNR.

Engineers are supposed to be the smart humans!  But perhaps you are guided more by political pressures or stymied by regulatory capture?  Come on, guys!  Use your engineer brains to determine that this Enbridge Proposed Line 3 Tar Sands Pipeline is NOT IN ALIGNMENT with protecting our environment for human habitation.

Or… You can spin your numbers all you’d like to check the boxes and say you’ve done your duty.  But I’d encourage you to look at the woods and waters around you.  We can see the local impacts already, especially here in northern MN.  Our wildlife is almost non-existent when compared with previous years.  Our forest is rapidly converting to prairie.  Our pollinators are nearly silent now compared to decades past.  But hey, we no longer need radiator insect shields on our vehicles!

Listen to the daily headlines.  Watch as the devastating stories come in from around the world.  And the WORLD matters in this decision because building Line 3 will unleash up to 193MT CO2 EVERY YEAR.  Scientists have made it clear that global greenhouse gas emissions need to trend to zero.  Why?  To maintain a planet hospitable to human life!  What a concept!

This is the question you need to answer.  Do you want to save Minnesota – and our nation – for our children and their children?  Or do you want to risk some of the cleanest waters in America by permitting a tar sands pipeline to be built across our Anishinaabe Treaty-protected lands?

It seems the Agencies Poorly Performing Environmental Analysis/Review Still want to permit Enbridge to push a tar sands pipeline through Northern Minnesota waters and wetlands while allowing “compensatory mitigation” to make up for any damages. What does this mean?  Well, it APPEARS to mean that the agencies want to allow Enbridge to cross some of the cleanest waters of our state, including across the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, as long as they PAY to purchase their access by helping make water quality improvements elsewhere to amend for the damages Line 3 will bring. 

So, let’s lay that out:

  • Enbridge can trudge under the Mississippi River – one of the highest valued water bodies in the state  (designated “Outstanding”) with a Tar Sands pipeline…
  • right through the Lake LaSalle Valley – which, per a retired DNR friend with years of experience on pipeline projects, is the “worst site” he’s ever seen for a Tar Sands pipeline route.
  • But then Enbridge can… what? Restore a stream that a farmer modified out-of-existence when he designed his field for growing crops, to make up for this destruction? 

If the 404 Certification is approved, the USACE is saying it is A-OK that we trade an Outstanding water body that fulfills untold biological responsibilities, many of which we barely or do not yet understand – AND provides drinking water for millions of Minnesotans and others along the Mississippi River route… for a substandard body of water.  All while we have no idea whether the new body restores real ecological value to the environment being “restored”! 

Enbridge gets their pipeline route, while Minnesotans get degraded water at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River and, as consolation, a restored stream somewhere near Brooks?  Wow.  Is this how the Army Corps of Engineers protects the drinking water for Americans?  By giving us a system with a continued downward spiral of poor water quality until we no longer have any valuable natural assets remaining?

WHY would we make that losing bargain??!?

No engineer – charged with protecting the environment and hoping to do so – ever would.  But it seems many engineers HAVE made poor decisions with regard to protecting our environment over the years.  We know now that those old decision-making systems have failed us.

It’s time for that bad decision-making to stop.  Before we’re out of time here on Mother Earth.

We KNOW that new pipelines are not proving any safer than old.  Data from 2015 shows us this, and if we added the data from the other spills on New Pipelines since 2013, we’d see further problems, especially with Tar Sands Pipelines.

As an example, look at the spills on the Keystone pipeline… now just 10 years old:

  • October 31, 2019 – 383,000 gallons (9000 barrels) in northeastern North Dakota – no cause yet determined.
  • February 6, 2019 – 1800 gallons in St. Charles County, Missouri – metallurgical failure.
  • February 20, 2018 – 15 gallons in Steele City, Nebraska – leaky float control valve.
  • November 16, 2017 – 407,000 gallons near Amherst, South Dakota – originally reported as 210,000 gallons – weight, meant to keep the pipeline in place, damaged corrosion-resistant coating leading to rupture.
  • December 27, 2018 – 10 gallons at a pump station near Tina, Missouri – no reported cause.
  • April 2, 2016 – 16,800 gallons in Hutchinson County, South Dakota – faulty girth weld.
  • July 24, 2014 – 30 gallons in Nederland, Texas – no reported cause.
  • March 7, 2013 – 15 gallons near Potwin, Kansas – no reported cause.
  • May 29, 2011 – 14,000 gallons in southeastern North Dakota – metallurgical failure.  
  • May 25, 2011 – “unknown volume” at Roswell Pump Station – metallurgical failure.
  • May 7, 2011 – 16,800 gallons (400 barrels) at Ludden Pump Station in North Dakota – metallurgical failure (reported as likely caused by over-torque at installation).
  • March 16, 2011 – 126 gallons at Seneca Pump Station in Nemaha County, Kansas – seal failure.
  • March 8, 2011 – 5 gallons at Ludden Pump Station near Brampton, North Dakota – seal failure.
  • February 23, 2011 – 10 gallons at Rock Pump Station near Udall, Kansas – possible leaky fitting.
  • February 2, 2011 – 15 gallons at a pump station in Cushing, Oklahoma – failed vapor separator.
  • January 31, 2011 – 10 gallons at a pump station near Turney, Missouri – seal failure.
  • January 5, 2011 – 10 gallons at a pump station near Andover, South Dakota – faulty seal.
  • August 19, 2010 – 20 gallons near Hartington, Nebraska – check valve failure.
  • August 10, 2010 – 5 gallons near Freeman, South Dakota – cause unknown.
  • June 23, 2010 – 20 gallons at Roswell Pump Station in North Dakota – equipment failure.
  • May 21, 2010 – 2 gallons at Carpenter Pump Station in Clark County, South Dakota – leaking valve body.

That’s 21 leaks adding up to over 800,000 gallons of spilled crude!

Meanwhile, Line 3 has spilled only 66 gallons in the last dozen years!  That’s well under 2 barrels!!  Are we really willing to risk destruction of so much valuable natural infrastructure to get better than that – less than 2 barrels in over a decade???

{Thanks, Paul for this chart… and the next!!}
{So, Old Line 3 is trending well… And is Enbridge’s responsibility for safety…}

In fact, the current Line 3 may very well be out-performing new pipelines because it is operating under a Consent Decree from the United States government, which requires Enbridge to fully inspect every inch of their Original Line 3 each year – inspection only required every five years for new pipelines. Original Line 3 is the devil we KNOW.  Intimately.  Enbridge knows every inch of that pipeline and gets to know it better – as well as how it is changing over time – as they perform the thorough annual inspections mandated under the Federal Consent Decree.  

This Consent Decree would not apply to a New Line 3.

With a new pipeline installation comes unfamiliarity.  And a possibility for massive failure if Keystone is any indication. 

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made to PHMSA in 2013 returns documents uncovering an alarming rate of corrosion on TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline: “a section of the pipeline’s wall had corroded 95%, leaving it paper-thin in one area (one-third the thickness of a dime) and dangerously thin in three other places.” PHMSA did not disclose a cause for the corrosion at the time, saying it “might impact an ongoing compliance review the agency is conducting of TransCanada.”

This excessive metal loss anomaly was detected on September 28, 2012.  When the vendor reported the anomaly on October 17th, and the Keystone pipeline was shut down for safety concerns, the pipeline had only been in operation for two (2) years.  New pipelines DO NOT assure safety or environmental protection for Minnesotans.

A NEW Line 3 would be the devil we DO NOT KNOW.

And a New Line 3 is incompatible with a plan for continued human habitation of Planet Earth.

Enbridge testified during PUC Hearings that they can and will continue to operate Original Line 3 safely if a New Line 3 is not approved.   Let’s let them!

But if you DO want to continue with approvals on this pipe dream of a project, you must FULLY consider the environmental effects.  As such, you must consider your own Environmental Impact Statement for the places where the Minnesota Department of Commerce EIS on the proposed Line 3 project has failed.  You must do all you can to protect what remains of our fragile home planet.

You have enough understanding of our current global climate catastrophe to know the fossil fuel era is ending.  Divestment shows the end of this industry is near.  So it’s a good thing you have all the understanding you need to DENY the 404 Certification and all other permits for this deadly pipeline proposal. 

Please do. 

It’s your duty to your fellow humans.

Sincerely,

Jami Gaither

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Stop Line 3 and Go EV!

02 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by JamiG4 in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments


Seventy years ago, Minnesotans were begging for rural electrification throughout the state.

For fifty years I’ve watched as the evidence has grown on the impact humans are having on the planet. And I’ve been disappointed as lawmakers, corporations, and everyday people have ignored the science, kicking the climate change can down the road, never fully reacting to its urgency.

Until now.

In the 500 days since the IPCC 1.5° report, we’ve seen an awakening as many begin to comprehend the speed at which our impacts on the planet are developing into real weather emergencies and climate changes that are changing lives on a massive scale.

I feel like apologizing to every young person I meet.

We’re realizing the fragility of our food systems as we find farmers around the state unable to access their wet fields until much later in the spring, pushing out plantings and preventing the possibility of a second crop. Then we see dry spells in the summer when we need that moisture to provide for robust outputs. And further exacerbating the problem, a cold and wet fall prevent these same farmers from harvesting their feeble crops, again with fields too muddy to access with heavy farm equipment. This pushes into the next year of growing where farmers will again see delays as they clear the old crops before they can make way for the new plantings.

And the problem isn’t just rural Minnesota. Seed sales nationwide were down 37% in 2019. Around the globe, crop outputs in places were down up to 40%. Some are expecting multi-bread basket failures in the coming years as our weather gets more unpredictable. And now locust swarms in Africa look to devastate their food economy,

I volunteer at an organic farm and we’re seeing not only new and unexpected pests like root maggot that decimate early plantings but reductions in pollinators, reducing fertilization rates. We feel strong winds near Rice Lake drying out the moisture we do get in summer. And we too rush to bring in the harvest as snow starts to fall or cold wet weather freezes crops into place. In 2017, we harvested potatoes and pole beans as the snow fell on October 26th. In 2018, snow came a month earlier, September 26th, leaving much of the produce in the field. At least we can rely on these plants for nourishment to the soil when they are tilled.

These climate changes are a result of our reliance and continued dependence on the fossil fuel economy which we have all been too slow to abandon. However, abandon it we must, if we hope to maintain human habitation on planet Earth.

Our children recognize the problems. Last year, Minnesota Youth gathered at the Capitol for a School Strike For Climate begging lawmakers to stop all fossil fuel infrastructure development. They were asking for a realization that Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 must be stopped to avoid the almost 200 MT of CO2 that pipeline expansion would promise, the equivalent of 50 coal-fired power plants.

A big way we can proactively reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) is to mitigate our effects of day-to-day transportation.  I hope we are all driving less by consolidating our errands or carpooling to work. And, where we can, let’s reduce the carbon footprint by using hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). I love riding to The Cities for an MPCA meeting with three others from Northern Minnesota in Willis’ hybrid! 

But did you know that Minnesotans are often left with little choice on EVs? Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington D.C. have all adopted California’s emissions standards and dealers prioritize hybrid/EV inventory to these states. 

At the recent Senate hearing on Clean Car Standards, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Laura Bishop shared her story of searching to find the model she wanted in Minnesota, and how she eventually found it… in California.  As Senator Dibble made clear in his testimony that, while Minnesotans want access to the latest models, “fully half of the models” are unavailable and some manufacturer’s models are “oversubscribed and they’re only going to be bringing those models to the LEV and ZEV states.”  Senator Dibble also clarified the authority of the MPCA as given by the legislative branch in MN Statute 116.07, to “adopt standards of air quality, including maximum allowable standards of emission of air contaminants from motor vehicles, and adopt rules for the prevention and abatement or control of air pollution without limitation.”

Commissioner Bishop explained that Minnesota is falling short to meet the Next Generation Energy Act goals, requiring additional action to meet our 80% reduction by 2050.  She described the process of getting public input from around the state on this issue and explained the health impacts on Minnesotans reporting 2000-4000 deaths in 2013 attributable to air pollution. 

Sadly, many Senators seemed more interested pushing for mining in Minnesota to support EV battery manufacture or voicing concern about the extra costs that might come with manufacturers bringing LEV/ZEV vehicles to our Minnesota showrooms.

Senator Eichorn asked about the effects on the farmers and Commissioner Bishop expressed surprise by his concerns, and explained, as she had done in discussion with Farm Bureau presidents the day before, that the MPCA rule-making for Clean Cars has no effect on heavy equipment.  In fact, Commissioner Bishop made clear that the rule-making, in addition to having no requirements for emission testing, has no requirement for people to give up the vehicles they currently own or to purchase an LEV/ZEV vehicle.  Everyone will still be able to purchase conventional trucks and SUVs.  But those seeking LEV/ZEV will have more selection, including F150 EV trucks!

I know we can do this.

Five years ago I moved from Indiana to Minnesota.   And thanks to the rural Broadband projects in Minnesota, I have faster internet in the woods of Alida than I ever did in the suburbs of Indianapolis!  When we focus our efforts on finding ways to help all Minnesotans, we find success. 

But I worry now that rural Minnesota will again be left behind as we move to the new energy economy.  We’re being offered last century jobs in the dying fossil fuel sector when we should be seeing investment and development of Minnesota’s future through solar farms, wind turbines, and EV charging stations!

As manufacturers make bolder and bolder claims, not acting quickly means Minnesota will miss opportunities to lead.  Toyota announced last year that half their sales will be EV by 2025, a full five years earlier than anticipated.  Honda noted that every model in Europe will be partially electrified by 2022 (three years earlier than previously projected).  And with the growing understanding of our climate crisis, and global divestment from fossil fuels, these timetables are all likely to collapse, quickening our transition.  Minnesota’s proposed standards would not go into effect until 2024.

It’s time to recognize our future and work to bring it to a reality. 

Yet some Senators continue to claim that the MPCA doesn’t have the authority to make these rule changes.  In fact, it appears this idea may get more attention in coming weeks as some legislators stress that these efforts should not be demanded with rulemaking but enacted through a bill.  Commissioner Bishop didn’t miss a beat noting that this administration “would welcome the Legislature taking action on this”, but until that time, the MPCA will use their authority, granted by the bipartisan legislature in 1967, to protect Minnesotans and their environment by making rules to reduce air pollution and mitigate climate change.

Let’s stop line 3 and move to EV!

Of course, the future we need will also require a lot more Non-Car solutions…

Transportation is the largest source of climate warming emissions in the United States because we put so much effort into making the automobile the sole solution for our transportation needs. We ask it to crawl along narrow city streets, race across the country on highways, carry a single passenger with a laptop and lunch, haul a soccer team, pull a boat to the cabin, advertise our social status and take us to the gym because we’ve been sitting in traffic too many hours per day. As a result, cars are overbuilt, overhyped and inefficient.

They have also wreaked havoc on the infrastructure of our communities. Our roads are too wide. Our houses, with prominent two-car garages, are more inviting to automobiles than people and our casual interactions are limited to the half a dozen families in our cul-de-sacs. None of these problems will be solved by electric cars or more efficient internal combustion engines. Changing the engine isn’t the solution.

We have to change the way we get around.

Doug Shidell, of Minneapolis is publisher of Bikeverywhere – Strib LTE 2-29-20

I’d argue that we will soon need to plan to “get around” a lot less.

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