Coronavirus news

[James_Gale]

Pastor Bohler, you have no idea how accustomed New Yorkers and New Jerseyans are to receiving silly shots from folks in flyover country. They bother us about as much as the sight of a rat on the subway tracks or a dead bunny on the New Jersey Turnpike. Look up the tracks; where’s that damned F train? Pedal to the metal; pass that semi!
Save your cyber breath. Go pet a buffalo. Listen to a loon.

My take after living about 15 years in NYC is a bit different from yours.  I'm not sure that New Yorkers even notice the silly shots from flyover country, let alone grew accustomed to them.  And except for perhaps Hoboken and a couple other spots accorded provisional acceptability by the Big Apple's young professionals, New Yorkers tend to think that flyover country starts on the New York side of the Hudson.  As some of my native-New Yorker friends have often pointed out, there's a reason that entering New Jersey across the Hudson from New York is free but escaping New Jersey for New York requires paying a hefty toll.


*Full disclosure:  I lived in Hoboken for about three years and loved it.  New Jersey isn't ALL bad, no matter what New Yorkers  and midwesterners might think. 

[James J Eivan]

OK, everyone take a breath, relax and don't pet buffaloes.
My wry poke at Pastor Bohler was not a sociological treatise, a political analysis, or commentary on the personality traits of different states. (Well, maybe it was that last, a little bit.) But it ain't worth a big hooh-hah in this modest forum.
Carry on. Everyone stay well, stay physically distant and pray that Falwell's stupidity has not put too many people in mortal danger. Kudos to the Concordias that closed.

Perhaps you ought to heed your own advice.  Or at least understand that when you take a "wry poke" at someone, it is to be expected that they might poke back.

Rev Bohler: You completely missed the partisan correspondent's intent and point.
Criticism and screeds against conservative organizations are permissible ... any thing that distracts from his excoriation of his desired target (s) is discounted with a rhetorical 'carry on'.
This in NO way condones the actions of the Lynchburg educational institution  ... simply marveling how pointing out how similar situations are shrugged off by the partisan correspondent's "carry on" comment.

[Dave Benke]

"Coronavirus live updates: Pastor arrested for holding church services
The pastor acted in violation of Florida's stay-at-home order, officials said."

Pentecostal pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of a megachurch in Tampa has had his fair share of controversies already.  He is also known for that interesting phenomenon called "holy laughter."  He's probably not laughing right now....

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-live-updates-fda-anti-malaria-drugs-emergency/story?id=69867398&fbclid=IwAR1EOZ1TuFz7XoZOcg6ow3myJHHgLUvJLOGMtOxd_D9R36lTEP7pnpv_kPs

Florida is really irritating New Yorkers right now.   Not so much Florida, but their governor.  The governor blames their corona virus acceleration on New Yorkers coming down even as he's OK with spring break partying on the beaches and was the prince of delay strategies in implementing appropriate measures.  So how many years have New Yorkers been coming down and moving to Florida?  100?  And how many billions or trillions have New Yorkers pumped into Florida?  The whole east coast of Florida is us - now we're the bad guys because our relatives are there?  It's not primarily the governor's bad behavior?  As Andew Cuomo might say, "Come on, man - get your act together!"  Prayers for Florida specifically are in order because of the magnitude of the senior population there.  I'm starting with the prayer posture, but feel depotentiated.

Dave Benke

I have to disagree here.  New York is the epicenter of this virus and those with means are getting out of Dodge.  They're going upstate where there are a lot of summer rentals and they're headed out to the Hamptons.  A friend who lives year round in Hampton Bays gives an account of what this looks like.  But first it should be noted that many of these areas that live on summer money are depressed communities the remaining nine months of the year.  There is a lot of poverty and most year round residents are in lower paying jobs.  My friend who gives the account is in her early 70's and still has to work as she cannot afford to retire.  City folks with means have flocked in.   Obviously this is not like the summer flocking where jobs are a result of the NYC exodus.  They are purchasing already scarce commodities.  There were no cases in Nassau and Suffolk initially and they started having cases in areas served by the Long Island Rail Road coming out from the city.  But that's the least of it.  They are coming in from the epicenter of the virus and, as we've seen, without testing one has no idea of who actually has the disease.  Cuomo should get his own house in order before he looks to criticize others.     

I will admit that Cuomo has done a very admirable job in NY.  But, as may be evident, I am growing weary of his New York schtick.  The tough guy act is growing old as is his constantly speaking in first person pronouns.  "I need," "I want."  New Yorkers need, the sick need, etc.  A minor thing but it says a lot.   The accolades that are coming in seem to have gone to his head and I wonder does he see himself as governor to the governors.

I take it you live in New Jersey, Eileen.

In life, at least here in the outer boroughs, it's been desolate since the initial stay home order went into effect.  I heard about congregating going on in the parks where the gentrifying troops gather, and at basketball courts, but other than that nada, and certainly nada on the streets where I live and occasionally go to work. 

As to Cuomo, I think he's working well with Murphy, and when they speak they sound similar, although Murphy has (in my mind, at least) better people skills, always giving a shout out to somebody.  The boat we're all in is Metro NYC. 

Keep us in prayer - we have parishioners and family members with the virus now, and a ton of people struggling to put food on the table.

Dave Benke

[Dave Likeness]

There is one good result of the coronavirus:

The Jehovah Witnesses are no longer making door to door calls
in our subdivision. It is the same story for the Mormons and
the Avon Lady.  One note of good news is that our Avon Lady
was also a Jehovah Witness so we previously only had to
answer the door once.

[James_Gale]

There is one good result of the coronavirus:

The Jehovah Witnesses are no longer making door to door calls
in our subdivision. It is the same story for the Mormons and
the Avon Lady.  One note of good news is that our Avon Lady
was also a Jehovah Witness so we previously only had to
answer the door once.

I don't at all mind a conversation with Mormon missionaries.  They almost always are young, earnest, and polite.  I typically let them tell their story and then try to talk about our theological differences.  They generally don't stick around all that long once it becomes clear that I'm not open to joining their church.  But I almost always find the conversation interesting and hope that what I tell them plants a seed somewhere in their souls.

[John_Hannah]

There is one good result of the coronavirus:

The Jehovah Witnesses are no longer making door to door calls
in our subdivision. It is the same story for the Mormons and
the Avon Lady.  One note of good news is that our Avon Lady
was also a Jehovah Witness so we previously only had to
answer the door once.

I don't at all mind a conversation with Mormon missionaries.  They almost always are young, earnest, and polite.  I typically let them tell their story and then try to talk about our theological differences.  They generally don't stick around all that long once it becomes clear that I'm not open to joining their church.  But I almost always find the conversation interesting and hope that what I tell them plants a seed somewhere in their souls.

I agree, James. I always find Mormons (LDS) reasonable, polite, and amiable.

Peace, JOHN

[Richard Johnson]

In yet another instance of the ripple effect of Covid-19, our local daily newspaper announced today that they will be suspending their Monday print edition. You can understand their dilemma: it's very much a local, which relies heavily on local business advertising. Local businesses closed or crippled, no ad income for the paper. One has to wonder whether the paper can even survive if this goes on much longer. Print journalism is always on the edge anyway. But the death of our paper would be a very big blow to the cohesiveness of our community, where the demographic skews toward the older end, people who still read papers and depend on the local daily for their connection to the community.

[readselerttoo]

There is one good result of the coronavirus:

The Jehovah Witnesses are no longer making door to door calls
in our subdivision. It is the same story for the Mormons and
the Avon Lady.  One note of good news is that our Avon Lady
was also a Jehovah Witness so we previously only had to
answer the door once.

 

[Dave Benke]

The news that the next two weeks will be "really tough" hits us like a hammer in New York City.  This morning the local Fox network featured Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview with Rosanna Scotto.  She's a good Catholic who grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood as Tony Fauci, who is the son of a pharmacist and would deliver medine to homes on his Schwinn bike as a kid.  The first thing he said to New Yorkers was an exculpatory priestly statement - "this is not your fault."  As we scurry around and watch the carnage unfold, with hospitals arriving at the National Tennis Stadium in Queens, at the Aqueduct race track, in Central Park, and on the Hudson River, what Fauci indicated repeatedly was that our density of population has been the conduit to our current situation.  The head of Rutgers University Medical Center (in New Jersey) spoke as well and indicated his astonishment at how this part of the country had "turned on a dime" to social distancing, which was going to acccomplish great mitigation and be exemplary.

Fauci did indicate that the fall would most likely bring a new outbreak globally and nationally, but was both direct and in a way pastoral in his manner of response.  It was a powerful segment in demonstrating appropriate candor and seriousness while being encouraging even with the stark statistics that will dominate our Holy Week here and across the country.

Dave Benke

[Steven W Bohler]

https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/01/were-following-a-one-size-fits-all-coronavirus-strategy-right-into-a-great-depression/

[Donald_Kirchner]

Steve,

The author must be in a place where the nearest positive case is 250 miles away. Or, he's related to this guy:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/pennsylvania-pastor-slams-coronavirus-precautions-plans-woodstock-like-easter-gathering?fbclid=IwAR2MsiGY9qQRG6oNJO5k8YrP4d3mMAtlxnpEW5oqm3IMyu69ViPRGyyQ-_4

[Dave Benke]

This disconnect amazes and perplexes me.  I can't "feel" it because we're here dead smack in the middle of this pandemic.  So if folks in other areas feel cooped up for no good reason and are also feeling the economic pinch, then
a) they can "blame" in some way the highly affected areas for affecting them
b) describe an alternate reality in which they could stop being cooped up

What this does in effect is to undermine the health, medical, and epidemiology communities' efforts to stem the tide from the tip of the spear all the way to the end.  My personal assessment is that the total number of deaths in this first wave of the virus could be held below 100,000 if there was a true national effort to do all the mitigation tasks.  Even though that would extend the economic impact.  And even though what would most likely result is something that ends up looking like the WPA from the days of FDR in the Infrastructure Rebuilding bill(s) that will be coming forth.  All of this is bigger government, way bigger government, than the ideologues want. 

But most of it is exactly what is needed to stem the spread and then to rebuild after the cooped-up time and the economic distress that is directly ahead of us.  This is how we survive.
Watching the old-timey stuff on the history channel now it's intriguing to see the force of the isolationist position that existed during the Great Depression, and the animosity that was felt toward FDR, the WPA, and entrance into WWII.  I feel as though we're reliving some of that, although the enemy is no larger than an efficient microbe.  But it's a microbe army.  And to survive it must be held off until it can be eradicated.

Dave Benke

[mariemeyer]

https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/01/were-following-a-one-size-fits-all-coronavirus-strategy-right-into-a-great-depression/

The writer wants to make America "great" again by putting money before the lives of people. I'm for listening to doctors and scientists rather than The Federalist.

Banging on how poorly President Trump handled the Corona virus when the pandemic first surfaced is now pointless.   The time to judge how he led the nation in March of 2020 comes in November.

Marie Meyer

[James_Gale]

Steve,

The author must be in a place where the nearest positive case is 250 miles away. Or, he's related to this guy:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/pennsylvania-pastor-slams-coronavirus-precautions-plans-woodstock-like-easter-gathering?fbclid=IwAR2MsiGY9qQRG6oNJO5k8YrP4d3mMAtlxnpEW5oqm3IMyu69ViPRGyyQ-_4

I don't think that you're being fair to the argument made in the article linked by Pr. Bohler.  The article holds out as one example the phased approach put forward by the American Enterprise Institute.  You can find it here.  It proposes a phased return toward normal activity based on achieving certain goals (testing, etc.), not a contrived timetable. AEI most assuredly doesn't support ending now our short-term mitigation practices.  The author's principal argument is that the government should "be working right now to set clear benchmarks and milestones for reopening the American economy" in phases.


That is not even close to the same position taken by the nutty pastor described in the article that you cited.

[James_Gale]

This disconnect amazes and perplexes me.  I can't "feel" it because we're here dead smack in the middle of this pandemic.  So if folks in other areas feel cooped up for no good reason and are also feeling the economic pinch, then
a) they can "blame" in some way the highly affected areas for affecting them
b) describe an alternate reality in which they could stop being cooped up

What this does in effect is to undermine the health, medical, and epidemiology communities' efforts to stem the tide from the tip of the spear all the way to the end.  My personal assessment is that the total number of deaths in this first wave of the virus could be held below 100,000 if there was a true national effort to do all the mitigation tasks.  Even though that would extend the economic impact.  And even though what would most likely result is something that ends up looking like the WPA from the days of FDR in the Infrastructure Rebuilding bill(s) that will be coming forth.  All of this is bigger government, way bigger government, than the ideologues want. 

But most of it is exactly what is needed to stem the spread and then to rebuild after the cooped-up time and the economic distress that is directly ahead of us.  This is how we survive.
Watching the old-timey stuff on the history channel now it's intriguing to see the force of the isolationist position that existed during the Great Depression, and the animosity that was felt toward FDR, the WPA, and entrance into WWII.  I feel as though we're reliving some of that, although the enemy is no larger than an efficient microbe.  But it's a microbe army.  And to survive it must be held off until it can be eradicated.

Dave Benke

There certainly is a disconnect, but it strikes me as not nearly as great as you are sensing it now in New York.  I have rural relatives in the midwest.  One of my nieces there is recovering from COVID-19.  They and others across that region aren't blaming anyone (except perhaps China) and are taking self-isolation every bit as seriously as we city dwellers are.


For good and ill, the media will highlight the irresponsible nut jobs holding crowded worship services or partying at the beach.  I believe that the vast majority are together in this fight and are taking it seriously.