Tom Toles for April 30, 2020

Something like 4% of the workers (likely somewhat fewer because they’re all working age) will die, if nothing else changes. One in 25. Great idea!

Meat is murder.

I think that Trump just enjoys looking at the pictures on the obituary pages.

It appears we’re back in Upton Sinclair’s, “The Jungle”.

And the difference between this and a Nazi labor camp is what?

When Soylent Green becomes the future way of life, we won’t have to worry!!

More blood on Trump’s hands.

And on those of His Disciples.

Soylent green-20.

To the super rich, that all workers are, meat to be abused.

oh yeah….just GOTTA have our f…ing MEAT—at ALL costs

Yeah, but THAT SENILE IDIOT cannot ORDER people to go to work, no matter HOW MUCH he blusters, bullies, or blathers!

How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?!

(Travesty of “Charge of the Light Brigade,” by Tennyson)

“Charge of the Meat Brigade”

I. Sides of pigs, sides of cows,

Chicken bodies gutted,

Into the factories of Death

Strode the Meat Cutters.

“Forward, the Meat Brigade!

Grab up your knives!” Trump said.

Thus amid the Covid of Death

Strode the Meat Cutters.

.

II. “Forward, the Meat Brigade!”

Was there a one afraid?

Sure, ‘cause the workers knew

Donald had blundered.

Theirs not to make back talk,

Theirs not to stop and balk,

Theirs but to work, not sulk.

Amid the Virus of Death

Strode the Meat Cutters.

.

II. Bosses to right of them,

Bosses to left of them,

Owners in front of them

Rumbled and muttered.

Wearing aprons and masks,

Boldly they did their tasks,

Amid the odor of Death,

Disassembly lines of hell,

Worked the Meat Cutters.

Etc.

There’s definitely an irony here. Most pandemics have zoonotic origins – beginning in non-human animals and then crossing over to people. It has always been a risk, but as our relationship with nature and animals has become increasingly caustic, the risk has increased greatly. We likely would not have COVID-19 if not for habitat degradation and wild animal markets; we would not have had the Swine Flu if not for industrialized meat production. Instead of learning from the current situation, “we” are choosing to make things even worse by cutting funding to WHO and other organizations that investigate pandemics, and by insisting that the meat processing plants re-open and ignore health risks.

Meat plants are worthy of the defense procurement act, but PPE not so much. Interesting set of priorities……

Well, we cannot have the White House cheese-burger supply diminished, now can we?

Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job. (Depending, of course, on Trump’s goals.)

I don’t know if the US has something like Workers Compensation.. where if you get hurt or die on the job, the insurance (Workers Compensation) pays. So.. if you get COVID-19 on the job.. can you claim WC?? or die.. your estate gets mega money?

…….he threw all his responsibility as president under the bus….the lies, deceit, never stop. And it doesn’t faze him in the least…..

If you enjoy the law and sausages …

Are you gonna eat that?

Ever hear the Bill Cosby routine about “hoof’n’mouth”? Hilarious, told from the cows’ point of view as they were being led down the chute to have it “taken care of”.

“Hoof’n’mouth? What’s that?”

“You see that white foam around your mouth?”

“Yeah …”

“That’s hoof’n’mouth!”

Presidents who racked up 58,000 American corpses thru inattention, incompetence, insensitivity, and relentless lying:

1955-1975: combination of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford (over 20 years)

2020: Trump (in 16 weeks)

Tom Toles: That’s an exceptionally clever comment in the corner.

Chomsky: COVID-19 Has Exposed the US Under Trump as a “Failed State”

Noam Chomsky: Fifteen years ago, I wrote a book called Failed States, a common locution in the day, referring to states that are incapable of meeting the needs of citizens, in the most important case because of deep policy choices, and are a danger not only to their own citizens but the world. The prime example was the United States.

Gallup/WIN international poll found that the U.S. is regarded as the greatest threat to world peace, no one else even close.

Trump malignancy — which may, quite literally, doom human society on Earth.

Just keeping to the current COVID-19 crisis, it is remarkable to see how little attention has been given to his sadistic assault against poor and suffering people around the world in pursuit of his goal of enhancing his electoral prospects.

It is by now common understanding that the U.S. under Trump is a failed state that is a serious danger to the world. Diplomats speak in muted tones, not wanting to offend the raging beast in Washington who has unlimited power to destroy.

Across the board, Trump and his acolytes are echoing the words of Francisco Franco’s fascist Gen. Millán Astray: “Down with intelligence! Long live death!”

I think “incompetent” is not the right word for Trump’s malevolence, which turned serious problems in the U.S. into a devastating crisis.

As Reagan declaimed in his inauguration speech, government is the problem, not the solution. Translation: Take decision-making away from government, which is at least partially responsive to public influence, and hand it over to private tyrannies that are unaccountable to the public.

Furthermore, as Milton Friedman counselled in the Reagan years, the unaccountable tyrannies who control decision-making must be guided by sheer greed.

https://truthout.org/articles/chomsky-covid-19-has-exposed-the-us-under-trump-as-a-failed-state/?

Nice Walt Kelly “Pogo” reference!

Yet another reason I’m happy to be vegetarian…

The “Moscow Mitch” song has morphed (for me at least) into a “Soylent Green” parody. But don’t worry. Not only will I promise not to post it, I promise not even to WRITE the dang thing!

I assume the DPA means the Feds are responsible for providing safety and PPE items in support, right? RIGHT?!?

“When the poor have nothing left to eat, they will eat the rich.” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Most of the meat plant employees are immigrants. Expendable.

WTH! Those workers are not in the military.

Are we sure that COVID-19 can’t be spread to the populace through the resultant meat products? Surely, there is a law to protect the country from THE ORANGE SWAMP SLIZARD despite the protections from MOSCOW Citizen Mitch McCONnell and THE SUPREME KANGAROO COURT? V O T E B L U E!

So now you should be “really confident” of meat products coming out of plants with known Covid-19 infections…

Moo!

competent knowledgeable health officials say, " the USA needs to be doing 2,000,000-5,000,000 A DAY, the USA has only tested 5,000,000 since the beginning. The Congressional Doctor, " doesn’t have enough tests to test all 100 senators." ‘Contact tracing’ is, sparse and sporadic. another troubling quote, " the USA lockdown is like a garden party compared to Italy and China." This all adds up to a repeat of the 1918, ‘2nd wave’, where 10x’s as many people died during the 2nd wave than the 1st wave…. proximate cause, the trump administration incompetence, arrogance and ignoring the experts and deaf ears towards the science behind their recommendations/guidance.