'A slap in the face': Furious Michiganders are planning to protest their governor's travel crackdowns in the state capital

"Flattening doesn't mean it's safe to break social distancing," Sims told Bridge. "Because once you do that the virus is going to surge."

Despite the advice of medical professionals, a group of Michiganders is still against the travel crackdown. Some like Jolene Holtz, who lives in the Lansing area, have said that while the surge in cases has mostly been in the Detroit area, the entire state has been burdened with the stay-at-home policies.

"I have noticed more ads concerning mental health on the radio," Holtz told Insider. "Ironically, [Whitmer] has closed garden centers, home-improvement stores, etc. Those activities could improve people's mental health and also provide an activity which is far healthier than sitting around, which is what she would have us do."

And others like Lee Chatfield, the Republican speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, have pointed out a schism in the stay-at-home order: Activities like buying garden seeds are banned, while marijuana dispensaries have remained open.

I love this Twitter comment:

[quote] @LeeChatfield

[quote] Non-essential in Michigan:

[quote] -Lawn care, construction, fishing if boating with a motor, realtors, buying seeds, home improvement equipment & gardening supplies.

[quote] Essential in Michigan:

[quote] -Marijuana, lottery & alcohol.

[quote] Let’s be safe & reasonable. Right now, we’re not!

It's so true!

People are not stupid. We understand the need for social distancing.

What we DON'T understand, are the inconsistencies in policies.

It's very frustrating.

THE STATE THAT IN 2016 80 thousand didn't vote for president, not trump, not clinton, neither of them! they literally took the time to go vote and vote for all the lower positions, but couldn't make up their mind about voting for president? shame on that state! then and now!..

Clearly, after one month, people are getting sick and tired of staying home.

There's going to be a revolt, if this lasts much longer.

R4 the thing is are people actually staying at home 24/7? no..... are they staying inside their homes 24/7? no.. people are still out and about doing whatever, people are still not wearing masks or gloves and so on...

i would say a majority of them need to get over themselves and worry about others, not just little ole them. i mean it hasn't even been a month in some places, now if it's 3, 6, 9 months a year then yes, THEN flip out...

of course if we had universal testing for everyone we wouldn't be in this same situation.. because of president orange baby pathological lying idiot!..

I'm from Michigan and am very happy with how our governor has been handling this crisis! These protesters are idiots and DeVoss-dupes, who would risk spreading the infection in order to "restart" the economy, while that cunt shelters in her mansion and reaps the rewards. I get that this is a cloisterfuck but people need to suck it up, shut the fuck up, and do what's right but of course, that is antithetical to Trumpsters. Also, ours is a historically blue state, which Trump won by a very narrow margin. I believe that was courtesy of Russian interference, too, so don't hate on us all!

At least this will go down in Lansing.

Ask yourself, which would you prefer - a slap in the face or a tube shoved down your throat so you can breathe???

Ask yourself, which would you prefer - a slap in the face or a tube shoved down your throat so you can breathe???

^Oops. Sorry about the double post guys.

The Mexicans with their leaf blowers have not stopped working here in los Angeles even with the lockdown. I wish they would stop, it's making it difficult to sleep in.

[quote]There's going to be a revolt, if this lasts much longer.

Let em. Let em run outside and join the other gripers ranting in a cloud of Covid.

Good! Let these people go out and catch a deadly virus. The country would be better if they all died anyway. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[quote]People are not stupid. We understand the need for social distancing.

Yep, that's what just what some of these protestors told TV reporters today ... as they stood well within six feet of others, very few of them wearing masks.

Lawncare in Michigan in April? It's 32 degrees and snowing in Detroit right now. The anger about this one seems strange - what lawn care is being done now?

R2 = freeper

Golfing and boating aren't essential, Bubba

They are the dumbest piles of shit who ever lived.

EVER.

Reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, is it moron?

That person was comparing the GOVERNMENT DESIGNATED "non-essential" tasks of construction, lawn care, and recreation, to the "essential" tasks of buying alcohol and lottery tickets.

Because the person in the article made a valid point. You're just too stupid to see it.

r18, these "protesters" are freepers being funded by Betsy DeVos. Their opinions aren't valid. You're stupid for defending them.

I don't understand the no gardening.

You should at least be able to improve the look of your home!

You can buy gardening supplies online, if you think you'll die without pruning your roses

It's spring. People are stuck at home. They want to work in their yards, to give them something to do.

What in the fuck is so hard to understand about that?

And no, not everyone shops online, like Datalounge shut-ins.

1. You don't sell alcohol, you'll have a lot of alcoholics in the hospital, taxing already strained medical resources.

2. Lottery tickets are sold in stores that have to be open anyway, and sales are about the only revenue the state has coming in right now.

3. Construction, lawn care and recreation can theoretically be accomplished in accordance with social distancing guidelines ... but too often they aren't. The state of Michigan as well as individual counties and cities have been closing parks and even fishing spots as throngs of people have descended on them. In my own neighborhood, six people were putting up a new house ... yes, they could probably maintain a distance as they worked on individual tasks but at the end of each shift all six people piled into the same truck. Plus, as the governor pointed out, more travel means more trips to gas stations and convenience stores. Still, I would expect construction and lawn care to be among the first occupations opened back up.

Hating this new practice of cutting and pasting ENTIRE ARTICLES from easily accessible publications.

Don't you have anything better to do? How about sending/taking a case of food to your local food bank? Check on your elderly and disabled neighbors? Walk past your nearest hospital and give them a "thumbs-up."

Is it no gardening or no lawn care services? Big difference. But, besides that, it's snowing in MI right now - rather early to be doing any sort of yard work? The threat of overnight freezing is still around for a couple more weeks.

[quote]And no, not everyone shops online, like Datalounge shut-ins.

But every one can.

As R25 pointed out, it's way too early to plant most things in Michigan ... our last frost in the southern Lower Peninsula is typically around Mother's Day. We could very well see a relaxing of some of these guidelines then. I wouldn't be surprised if garden centers are allowed to deliver seeds, plants, mulch etc. relatively soon.

The only thing you really need to think about now, if you're so inclined, is to put crabgrass preventer on your lawn. And you can easily order that online.

Memo 📝 to All Freepers :

President Donald Trump & the Federal Government have ABSOLUTE POWER in all and every decision regarding your civil liberties!!!

"And no, not everyone shops online, like Datalounge shut-ins."

Some people actually know how to use computers, grandpa, it's not just "shut-ins"

This is the handiwork of Deplorable members of the Auto Workers Union. The ungrateful fuckers voted for Trump in record numbers in 2016 because they were afraid black and brown people would "steal" their cushy, well paying jobs. This despite the fact they wouldn't even have those god damned jobs were it not for Democrats and Obama bailing out GM and Chrysler back in 2009.

Let these dumb fucks run around and get sick and if they get sick, let them be last to get treatment since they wanted to defy orders.

Bow down & knell to TSAR ORANGE

I live in a very Trumpy "My Freedom!" area. They are still very much staying inside so far, but I expect them to start revolting, as soon as Fox News tells them to. It seems the rumblings are starting, so I will be vigilant.

"FOX 2's Charlie Langton was social distancing among the crowd who told them they were not social distancing because it was their right not to do so but they understand the health crisis. They said they wish Gov. Whitmer had more faith in them not to get infected."

... as they engaged in behaviors likely to get them infected.

"cloisterfuck"?

Dear Lord in heaven!

Excellent, R34.

Social Darwinism at work, let 'em die. I just hope the doctors and nurses that will have to care for them don't get it.

Finally Fox News is covering the dumb stuff the Trumpers are doing! For weeks, Fox viewers have not been told about the craziness of the Trump pressers, the South Dakota nutbag governor who refuses to shut down, the GOP reps who are saying batshit crazy stuff.

But they are showing this - which is good for the non-obsessive Trumpers who watch Fox News to see how crazy their fellow Fox-ers actually are - and how the propaganda they are getting from Fox isn’t showing just how crazy their fellow conservatives have gotten.

Lots of MAGA shit and Confederate flags on display

I assure you r2, liquor IS an essential service at this time.

YOU JUST KNOW that 9 out of 10 of those out and about and not wearing masks or gloves are trumpers...insert "childish voice" with childish pout "it's my right, i can do whatever i want, no one is going to tell me what i can or can't do (you know minus their cult leader of course!).... same voice and pout in regards to guns i might add.

The time has come for everyone to come out of the closet, so to speak. I don't mean anything with regard to us homos; I mean you should have to declare your party affiliation and intentions. If you vote Republican and don't observe the basic stay home and socially distance orders, you go to the back of the line for care and financial assistance. It's your right to vote for whomever you want, just as it's your right to freely gather in public places with no PPE; but I have rights, too, and that includes not paying for easily preventable diseases and the care that you receive. That's what they've been saying about gays for, oh, about 35 years.

As is marijuana, R39. It is medicine for many, and it won't incite violence like alcohol.

I see lots of it in rural Vermont, too. Fools, all of them, and especially with out of state second home owners piling in daily. It's only a matter of time....

I've endured outright hostility for wearing a mask, had some asshole coughing on my car, and heard people mocking the very real fears of an elderly woman with COPD while they all gather around in groups guffawing.

My social patience is wearing thin and I'm considering loading the shotgun with buckshot when I next go into town. You come to close and you get a load up your ass. You gather in a group and I'm hitting you with scattershot and to hell with all of them.

that would be 'too' close

Just stay out of range of the shotgun and we'll all be good

R43: "come to close and you get a load up your ass. You gather in a group and I'm hitting you with scattershot" I'm looking forward to the Pornhub video of this!

R33: Dunning Kruger Effect in action. These people are racist, right wing retards.

I'd add, R41, that if they have to know how white you are on the census, you should reveal how stupid you are in public by declaring your Republicunt affinity and libertarian lunacy.

Some of that order is simply too much. She should change the order and apologize in my opinion.

R43, scared myself laughing. A 'load up the ass' and scattershot have different meanings out this way. Forgot where I was.

R46 - I agree. I'm sick of people who vote for Republicans who hide it and don't talk about it.

r43 oldlez, you are my spirit lesbian. If you need GoFundMe to keep you in buckshot, send up a flare!

Michigan is actually a bad hot spot for Corona virus. Today (per CDC) 27,001 cases reported in Michigan. Florida has 20,984 cases reported. California: 23,338.

They started hiding the minute the inauguration was over. You could tell who they were anway. They're the ones whining about how we shouldn't be 'partisan' in our everyday dealings.

The Wisconsin victory has me as cheerful as I could hope to be in this time. Let's make it a tidal wave!

I love how the "gridlock" was preventing ambulances from getting to hospitals. Also, morons were getting out of their cars with their kids. I just can't deal with this nonsense. I really can't see the stay home directive to end April 30 and an extension through part or all of May is inevitable. These morons are going to multiply and they are getting restless. I'm scared.

[quote]Some of that order is simply too much.

Other states have the same or similar rules, including Maryland, whose Republican governor said leaving the house to buy paint or plants and seeds are non-essential activities, and are not allowed. I don't know if Maryland residents are bitching and moaning about it as much as Michiganders are.

R50, I'm well stocked, but thank you for the support. R53, shotguns typically don't require a license in certain states. Nor do hunting rifles. Perhaps we should start speaking their bullyboy language and getting ugly about their lack of social consideration in a pandemic. I started getting radical after I was expected to sacrifice myself for this bullshit economy. Thing again, bitches.

On the other hand, we still have the law on our side. Some asswipe in town just got fined for not maintaining social distance and being a punk about it. A thousand dollars hurts when you have to count change for the tall ones you need to keep you from the DTs.

It's clear that these bitches don't read or understand basic biology. Survival of the fittest, in this time, translates to having enough sense to heed the warning of legitimate medical advice. I've lost all sympathy and patience and hope they get what they deserve, like the fools at spring break.

Lets hope they all get together at someones house for beer after the big protest!

Leave it to Dick and Betsy DeVos to summon the Moron Militia. Why can’t rich people just enjoy their ill-gotten gains and leave everyone else alone?

So?

They drove their cars.

Big whoop

R47's post is simply too uneducated. He should present peen and apologize in my opinion.

He is inside 24/7 and THATS the sign he came up with?

"closing parts of big-box stores that sell gardening and home-improvement goods"

How long until she does what South Africa is doing and forbids people from buying chips and cookies?

The governor in my state is taking some heat for his orders, but not on this level because he isn't being this fucking ridiculous. We still have grocery stores, big box stores (selling everything they have, none of this limit bullshit), liquor stores, weed stores, and hardware stores open. Restaurants can still sell food for takeout. Letting people occupy their time at home helps take the edge off and gives them a reason to stay indoors.

[quote] it's way too early to plant most things in Michigan ... our last frost in the southern Lower Peninsula is typically around Mother's Day.

I’m on eastern Long Island & I just got a freeze watch warning from the National Weather Service. Not a frost warning, but a freeze watch.

For some reason it’s often colder in April than it is in March.

Fine. Let Darwinism take hold.

I live in Oklahoma and I’m still getting freeze warnings.

Whenever I see protesters with signs, all I can think about is how shitty the signs look. If you want to get a message across, don’t you want large, clearly written letters on a light background that can be easily seen? Obviously, I put way too much thought into this.

Funny that these repug assholes whining about government overreach have no issue overreaching into the reproductive rights of women. Little bitches moaning about staying indoors. Wonder what they would say if the government mandated what they can and cannot do with their tiny dicks.

Fuck these assholes right up their rancid asses.

It's gonna be 70f (21c) in the UK tommorow, only places is the US as far North as us are in Alaska. Definately gardening weather here.

Ohioans protesting social distancing measures by gathering in a crowd.

Oh please let them sicken & die.

Send a bunch of undercover NYers up there to “protest” with them.

The Confederate flags are a nice touch. Did they think they were in Alabama?

Those idiots voted for Trump and will do so again. They’re selfish to the end and they don’t care if they infect others. Fox News tells them they’re immune; only liberal Democrats in those Trump hating cities contract the virus. Since Trump wants to open up the country for business, they’ll gladly drink the Kool-Ade.

The irony is if they were open for business, very few people would patronize them. In addition to the fear of the virus, people are broke and many others are saving every penny they have. Who in the hell wants a lawn service, when you can’t pay the mortgage? Also, will an employer allow you to work through the pandemic? What if an employee infects customers? There would be lawsuits and insurance will never ante up the funds to cover it. It’s absurd.

The daddy bear holding the cardboard sign in pic the OP posted, is begging someone to get up closer than the recommended six feet!

[quote]People are not stupid.

Narrator's voice: "Yes.

"Yes, they are."

Shotgun salute to you, oldlez!

My personal weapon of choice! I don't have to be good, just close! And you can repack your shells if necessary.

Those idiots think they are the only ones who have weapons or hunt.

JFC R67, latitude isn't the only thing that determines climate. Europe has entirely different climatic patterns from North America. Seattle is several degrees farther north than Minneapolis or Boston, but has milder winters than both. The weather in London has nothing to do with whether it's time to plant in Michigan, so why add it to this thread?

The amount of stupidity about basic science one has to put up with in recent weeks is enraging.

[quote] Other states have the same or similar rules, including Maryland, whose Republican governor said leaving the house to buy paint or plants and seeds are non-essential activities, and are not allowed. I don't know if Maryland residents are bitching and moaning about it as much as Michiganders are.

That’s weird I’m in NY with a pretty high death rate & I bought I cu ft miracle gro Potting mix & 1 cu ft garden soil the other day at Home Depot & .got the last two 8 qt potting soil bags at Target. My husband bought stain last week at the hardware store & stained the front porch. I started seeds for my garden in jiffy pots I ordered from Fleet Farms & I needed to transplant them in lil pots. I’d order soil online but no one will ship it. I couldn’t even order soil online & pick it up.

Home Depot & Lowe’s would not let me preorder soil for pickup & Walmart claimed it doesn’t have any soil or potting mix at the closest store to me, though I’m sure they do. They’re not making it any easier for us. I had to go around touching the bags in the outdoor section in fucking hurricane force winds to see it I could physically move them onto my cart. Tried to push a few onto the cart, couldn’t do it. Had to try pushing another few until I finally got some I could grip & push into my pallet.

If theyd let me preorder them, I wouldn’t have had to go around touching those things. Just would’ve driven up to the side walked, they could’ve wheeled them out & I could’ve loaded them in my car with my husband’s help & drove off.

People have a right to grow their own food. Anyway, gardening is good for you. Gets you outside, moving around your property. It’s silly not to let people fix up their garden beds for spring.

[quote] JFC [R67], latitude isn't the only thing that determines climate.

In what part of R67’s post did he claim latitude determines climate, you nasty little bitch, R75?

Nowhere.

He’s just making an observation about the current weather conditions.

You’re the one falling off her rocking chair about the difference in temperatures being solely due to latitude. The rest of us know all about the water patterns as well as the latitude. We’re fine & don’t need your hysteria. You assume we must be schooled about that which we already know. We don’t.

[quote] So? They drove their cars. Big whoop.

And block emergency vehicles from getting to a hospital, A very big whoop to the folks being taking in for an emergency.

And they got out of their cars and congregated.

And they were neo-confederates and neo-Nazis who don't give a shit about gardening or whatever other bullshit reason they gave.

A number of the people attending the rally came from nearby Howell, which is a center for these people.

"Michigan is actually a bad hot spot for Corona virus."

Yes, I was looking at the stats last night and Michigan has had something like 1700 deaths already, one of the highest for a single state, and a huge per-capita death rate. And I presume the spread of infection is at a comparatively early stage and is about to get far worse, since it's not one of the coastal cities that got hit first.

So what's going on here? Why are these people protesting the lockdown orders, as if the disease weren't their problem? Is there some sort of urban/rural divide going on here, or rich/poor, or black/white? Is the disease seen as a Detroit-only problem or something? Anyone from the upper Midwest care to explain?

R76, it's like you've never heard of amazon...

[quote] And they got out of their cars and congregated

That’s fine with me. If there’s a virus among them, it will spread. They will catch it. Maybe they’ll die. I have no problem with them dying.

Jesus you’re a little bitch, running around screaming at people you completely misinterpret.

[quote] That’s fine with me. If there’s a virus among them, it will spread. They will catch it. Maybe they’ll die. I have no problem with them dying.

I have a problem with them passing it on to other people who know better than to gather in groups.

[quote] Jesus you’re a little bitch, running around screaming at people you completely misinterpret.

Yeah. That was me. Screaming. woo

And yet you never actually explained what I misinterpreted.

[quote]Is there some sort of urban/rural divide going on here, or rich/poor, or black/white? Is the disease seen as a Detroit-only problem or something?

All of the above, I think. Much of the top half of the Lower Peninsula and all of the Upper Peninsula are sparsely populated so, as of now, there are relatively few cases there. These residents are apparently also poorly schooled, because they don't seem to understand how a highly contagious virus spreads.

If you scroll down a tad at the link, you can see a map of Michigan cases by county. Some counties don't have a (recorded) case yet.

The reason those northern counties don't have many cases right now is exactly why the state shouldn't open up. The northern counties depend on summer tourism and as soon as the state opens up, the covid-carrying southerners will be there infecting them.

[quote]The reason those northern counties don't have many cases right now is exactly why the state shouldn't open up.

Yep, and it's also why the governor has forbidden lower-state residents to travel back and forth to their vacation homes up north. Lots of middle class Michigan residents have second homes -- and they are made as hell at the government "takin' away mah rights."

this is just a klan rally, nothing more.

R31 oops 😬, KNEEL*

R62, what part of "Stay the fuck at home" don't you understand? Going to stores for non-essential items like stain, etc., puts other people such as store employees and other customers at risk, and puts yourself at risk, too. Honestly...People are so fucking stupid and selfish.

These idiots in Michigan need to watch something other than Fox News and Swamp People marathons.

As much as I don't want anyone to get sick or die, at this point I'm starting to think that maybe we'd all be better off if they spread the virus to one another and die off en masse. Asshole trump could sign their death certificates instead of stimulus checks.

"The reason those northern counties don't have many cases right now is exactly why the state shouldn't open up. "

You'd think that they'd have an easy time grasping the idea that these restrictions are intended to keep all-that-is-Detroit out of their communities, because that's probably what they want out of life at baseline. But no! They're protesting!

When the violence starts, it will spiral.

[quote] When the violence starts, it will spiral.

They are more likely to kill their own families than any librul tyin to take mah freedums.

What R2 said. She went overboard.

I hope Covid finishes them all off, but unfortunately, they are taking more poor black people who have to work and take public transportation so these selfish bastards can get their potting soil. Shame on betsy devos, covid please take her.

There are too many white people in Michigan, so it will work out well for us all.

White trash on display. I'm sure they all drive pickup trucks.

White trash on display. I'm sure they all drive pickup trucks.

Organized by pro-Trump Republican groups to confront Gov. Gretchen because she is one of those who are being considered as the VP nominee by Biden.

let them get it then they'll be saying a different tune.

r92, so "overboard" that she didn't even close the churches just to appease right-wing fanatics like yourself...

Let's reopen all the bars and tanning salons. What could go wrong?

I don’t see why people can’t go out in their yards and trim the hydrangeas or rake the leaves and debris and spread mulch or whatever. Luckily we don’t have close neighbors, and they don’t give a shit that we cleaned our porch and worked on the patio. Likewise they walk their dogs and we don’t give a shit. If people are in their own space on their property, what is the damage? Does the virus fly thirty feet on a breeze and into your house?

r101, of people are that into gardening, then they probably already have gardening supplies at home

I'm still gardening. I get plants and seeds online.

If it seems like a ridiculous notion...

My idiot brother drove from Grand Rapids to Lansing to be in this spectacle. What an asshole.

Betsy DeVos is a fucking cunt.

R101, nobody is saying you can't go outside and work in your yard. They're just trying to keep the volume of people down in the big-box stores by blocking off 'non essential' purchases. So, go ahead and trim your hydrangeas and rake your flower beds. Too early to plant anything anyway, so go ahead and prep your yard.

Not advised to plant until after memorial day anyway. Order your supplies online and by the time they arrive it may be warm enough to do your planting.

Gretchen needs either bangs or a center part in her hair, that forehead is not flattering at all.

When you're dealing with stubborn, immature, ignorant people, you need to go a bit overboard. They're proving her right....They want to buy paint and stain, for fuck sake.

They’ll probably get Covid like the rest of us will and probably recover like the majority have and will.

R107 I saw where someone called her "The Face " on some comment section

There are some real nutjobs here, trying to paint everyone with a very broad brush.

Just because you want to go shopping for soil and gardening supplies at a "big box store," doesn't make you a white supremacist, trump loving, confederate flag waving nazi.

The absolutism that is held by some of you, is just as bad as the far right.

It's like all reasoning has abandoned people. The far right wants everything to open up and everyone to go about their business, as if there isn't a global pandemic happening.

However, the far left wants everything shut down, martial law to be declared, and no one to leave their homes or risk being shot by the authorities.

There really is no middle ground for some of you people, which is why no one listens to you.

[quote] They are still very much staying inside so far, but I expect them to start revolting, as soon as Fox News tells them to. It seems the rumblings are starting, so I will be vigilant.

Speak of the devil...

"Thousands converge to protest Michigan governor's stay-home order in 'Operation Gridlock'"

LANSING, Mich. – Demonstrators drove thousands of vehicles – many draped with protest signs – to Michigan's state Capitol on Wednesday, loudly protesting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order intended to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Police watched as horns honked and commercial and private vehicles from around the state jammed Capitol Avenue and other streets surrounding Michigan's seat of government in Lansing.

"Liberty once lost is lost forever," read a sign draped across a commercial van. "Security without liberty is called prison," read another, stretched across the Capitol's front lawn. "Recall Whitmer," a third sign said.

Whitmer said Wednesday she respects the right to protest but believes many of the protesters put themselves and others at risk of contracting COVID-19.

"I was really disappointed to see people congregating and not wearing masks," Whitmer said.

She said she saw one person "handing out candy with bare hands."

“We know that this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health," Whitmer said. "When people gather that way without masks ... that’s how COVID-19 spreads.

"The sad irony here is that ... they don’t like being in this stay-at-home order and they may have just created the need to lengthen it, which is something we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”

Organizers said they expected thousands of vehicles, and those projections appeared accurate.

Lt. Darren Green of the Michigan State Police estimated several thousand cars were part of the demonstration, with 100 to 150 people on the Capitol lawn. Green said traffic was backed up for more than a mile around the Capitol in several directions.

“They’re doing a pretty good job of maintaining social distance," Green said. "They’re being respectful and not causing any issues at all.”

Whitmer said Wednesday she respects the right to protest but believes many of the protesters put themselves and others at risk of contracting COVID-19.

"I was really disappointed to see people congregating and not wearing masks," Whitmer said.

She said she saw one person "handing out candy with bare hands."

“We know that this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health," Whitmer said. "When people gather that way without masks ... that’s how COVID-19 spreads.

"The sad irony here is that ... they don’t like being in this stay-at-home order and they may have just created the need to lengthen it, which is something we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”

Organizers said they expected thousands of vehicles, and those projections appeared accurate.

Lt. Darren Green of the Michigan State Police estimated several thousand cars were part of the demonstration, with 100 to 150 people on the Capitol lawn. Green said traffic was backed up for more than a mile around the Capitol in several directions.

“They’re doing a pretty good job of maintaining social distance," Green said. "They’re being respectful and not causing any issues at all.”

Still, many on the sidewalks were passing close to each other, and most were not wearing masks.

Neither the Michigan State Police nor the Lansing Police Department had reported any arrests by 2 p.m local time.

Justin Heyboer of Alto, Michigan, an owner of Wildwood Family Farms, said his family has been in business for four generations and the order is financially crippling on several fronts. The company does landscaping, has greenhouses, hosts weddings and has a liquor license, he said.

"This is our busiest time of year," said Heyboer, who drove to Lansing for the demonstration dubbed "Operation Gridlock" because organizers said they wanted to gain attention by tying up traffic.

"I'd rather die from the coronavirus than see a generational company be gone."

Meshawn Maddock, a board member of the Michigan Conservative Coalition, the nonprofit group that organized the protest, said the demonstration should send a strong message to the governor that it is time to allow Michiganders to return to work, in cases where they can do so safely.

"All of these people still have to go home to the sober reality that they don't have income coming in," Maddock said. "It's heartbreaking."

Maddock said the rising curve of COVID-19 infections has already been flattened, and it is time to get Michigan back to work and recreation, especially in areas of the state that have been less hard-hit.

State infection numbers appeared to flatten somewhat going into last weekend, but both infection and death numbers were up again on Monday. Health officials have recently expressed cautious optimism but have added that it is too soon to say that the infection has reached its peak in Michigan.

Maddock said the order has wide-ranging effects, including creating difficulties obtaining medical treatment for those with non-coronavirus related medical problems.

"It feels like the governor is doing this more almost like a publicity stunt," Maddock said. "It also feels like she's mocking Michiganders."

Whitmer has been criticized by Republicans for making numerous national TV appearances during the pandemic, which have included criticism of President Donald Trump and his administration's response to the pandemic.

Laura Cox, the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, has accused Whitmer, who is a national co-chair of Joe Biden's Democratic presidential campaign, of auditioning for a spot as his running mate.

Whitmer has rejected those allegations, saying she is driven by scientific data and the advice of health professionals and is focused on saving lives. She has noted that Michigan has the third-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the nation and that in the absence of adequate testing, social distancing is the most effective way of slowing the spread. She also said that each national TV appearance has resulted in more help for Michigan in obtaining needed supplies such as ventilators and surgical masks.

The governor has also said that the demonstration does not violate the stay-at-home order, but she called on Wednesday's protesters to act safely so as not to increase the infection rate or put police or other first responders at risk.

Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Michigan on March 10 and announced a "stay-at-home" order March 23 that directed residents to stay inside, except for essential purposes, and told businesses deemed nonessential to stop calling employees in to work. Last week, she extended that order until May 1, while imposing tougher restrictions on nonessential travel and some retail outlets.

Two Realtors from Jackson, Michigan, Rhonda Miles and DeAnn Gumbert, attended the demonstration and both said they believed they would be able to continue showing houses if Michigan followed federal social distancing guidelines.

"I'm just ready to go back to work," said Gumbert, who said she has sold a few homes, but only with great difficulty, since the executive order forced her to show homes virtually, using photographs and video.

Miles said she is concerned that offers to purchase will be withdrawn because interested buyers are unable to personally visit and inspect the homes.

They keep saying "Thousands converge on Lansing" etc. but in the pictures I saw there was a block or two of cars and trucks lined up (they want to open up the economy but they're afraid to get out of their cars) that couldn't have been more than 200 people, tops. I would like to see evidence of thousands of people.

A few cars shut down the entire city?

[quote] However, the far left wants everything shut down, martial law to be declared, and no one to leave their homes or risk being shot by the authorities.

Yeah...WE are painting with a broad brush. What you typed is literal truth. Them far lefties are calling for martial law and shootings.

Michigan is in a scary spot re COVID. They were relatively late to get their first case, but have quickly surpassed other states who reported cases much earlier.

#TeamGretchen

Haters can fuck off.

Night of the Living Brain Dead

The photo linked at R119 is actually from Ohio: "Protestors stand outside the Statehouse Atrium where reporters listen during the State of Ohio's Coronavirus response update on Monday, April 13, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. About 100 protestors assembled outside the building during Gov Mike DeWine's weekly update on the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, upset that the state remains under a Stay-at-Home order and that non-essential businesses remain closed."

Obviously, stupidity is not bound by state lines.

[quote] it's like you've never heard of amazon...

If you want to wait a month or more for items they deem “non-essential,” then go for it.

[quote] They were relatively late to get their first case, but have quickly surpassed other states who reported cases much earlier.

And I believe their death rate is the highest in the country.

[R121] - what is it that you would need to buy on an emergency basis, immediate delivery, from AMAZON?? Have you been having your psych meds delivered with the Chewy's box for your dog???

Correct

These old farts wear the military fatigues of war yet complain of lack of gardening supplies and hairdressers. These assholes are armchair militia. They are dumb. They are helping Dump overthrow the government.

Detroit was hit the worse.

It was a Trump rally. They all had their fucking MAGA hats on. I hope they all got infected and end up drowning in their own rotting lung juice because there weren't enough ventilators.

When does the announcement come out that foreign troll farms stoked these people up on Facebook? It was so staged.

None of those people work. If they do, it’s a dollar general which is still open.

So we are all supposed to believe that these people were financial stable with great jobs before this dreaded virus hit? And in 4 weeks they fell to these current lows?

It became that way later in some spots, R127.

Are thy still going at it?

This is all be driven directly by Trump's political allies. It's a completely political operation. They're not furious at anything except the fact that Democrats exist.

Exactly

[quote]There are some real nutjobs here, trying to paint everyone with a very broad brush.

Why yes, there are. For example:

[quote]However, the far left wants everything shut down, martial law to be declared, and no one to leave their homes or risk being shot by the authorities.

I rest my case.

[quote] Detroit was hit the worse.

As hard as your grammar teacher would like to hit you?

Oh, dear!

Don't you mean marshall law? What's this martial law you guys are talking about?

I think they meant Marshall Tucker.

To the trolls and bots....these are the kind of people you're defending

A truly awesome headline.

Where do these people work?

I hope they all got right in close for a prayer and a steamy group hug. Trump's SS troops are behind this. White-trash, mouth-breathing morons. Sicken and die.

Whitmer's order about closing off parts of already-open stores WAS petty and crossed the line of what people will tolerate.

The mere fact that most stores are closed sends a clear message that public contact should be minimized. But telling someone that Home Depot can't sell them paint adds little to public safety, while badly pissing off a LOT of people who've taken advantage of this as an opportunity to finally do/finish 10+ years worth of deferred home improvement projects. It might not be politically correct, but it's a fact.

I live in South Florida, and my whole neighborhood looks like a diy construction zone right now. And I'm totally OK with that, because the BIG cost-to-benefit ratio comes from reducing contact from large public gatherings (churches, bars, sporting events, etc), not throwing petty restrictions on people that are mostly virtue-signaling political masturbation for the sake of "making a statement".

[quote] Where do these people work?

Uh, they’re not, mostly because of the shut down.

Yeah, you are an idiot, r141. Going to a store right now to buy paint to spruce up your rec room is not worth the covid you could get in the store or bring into the store. The people at the register are putting their lines on the line because you might need roofing to keep your house dry, not so Kayden can have duckies on her wall.

I just fell head-over-heels in love with r143.

R141 gave himself away with the phrase "virtue signaling"

Just a Trumpster, and approval ratings show that most people support the governor

I went to a Lowes a week ago, in Athens, GA., to buy some good gloves, after someone had stolen my pair off of my porch overnight. I went to the register at the open-air gardening area to pick them up. In line there were 10-15 folks, all of whom had metal carts full of plants that the cashier had to scan. Nobody had on gloves, no sign of any kind of mask, they all looked kind of sheepish, scared, and miserable...It was pretty creepy. I picked up my glove package and took them inside to the self-checkout machine, where there was no wait, and left.

r143 illustrates perfectly why Democrats still struggle to win elections despite Republicans openly shitting on voters... a certain, highly-visible subset of the DP just can't resist smug paternalism & treating voters like naughty children who won't eat broccoli or brush & floss after every meal... and it really, REALLY rubs a large plurality of voters exactly the wrong way.

If anything, it's a good thing Whitmer just showed off her petty authoritarian impulses & disqualified herself as a potential running mate for Biden before it was too late to change his mind. She'd be a TOTAL self-inflicted wound for the Democrats at this point.

So, instead of acknowledging the very real danger in allowing people to pop out to Home Depot for unnecessary supplies, you are going to pretend its all about Democratic "authoritarianism."

[quote] [R143] illustrates perfectly why Democrats still struggle to win elections despite Republicans openly shitting on voters... a certain, highly-visible subset of the DP just can't resist smug paternalism & treating voters like naughty children who won't eat broccoli or brush & floss after every meal... and it really, REALLY rubs a large plurality of voters exactly the wrong way.

Exactly, R147.

Poor R141 just posted an innocent comment - a personal opinion, mind you - and gets attacked, accused, and vilified by creeps like R143, R144, and R145.

It's yet another example of the far left, AOC, "my way or the highway" mentality on this board, which actually chases people away. Nobody wants to be around that kind of fucking witch hunt.

People have opinions. We are a country of 330,000,000. Not everyone is going to agree on everything.

Yet some people insist on trying to FORCE opinions down the throats of others.

R147, her approval ratings are better than Trump's. Stop pretending these idiots represent all voters.

R149, Whitmer and her supporters aren't the "far left" - but you and the people dumping on her certainly represent the far right. Freedom of speech means freedom to criticize others. I'm not taking away your freedom by calling you out, you Republican stooge

[quote]Yet some people insist on trying to FORCE opinions down the throats of others.

Perhaps that's because so many right-wing/libertarian"opinions" fly in the face of logic, reason and medical expertise.

No, my point is that you have to pick your battles wisely.

Closing big public gatherings eliminates a HUGE number of potential infections, and people see that. It's when you pull a "Whitmer" and just keep turning the screws harder & harder, with less and less clear benefit, that people put their foot t down & say, "Fuck you, enough already!"

There's a line, and Whitmer clearly crossed it. Other governors, both Republican and Democrat, have unquestionably taken notice & warning.

[quote] an innocent comment

Get real.

[quote] Yet some people insist on trying to FORCE opinions down the throats of others.

You express yours, we express ours. Suck it up, buttercup.

r152, most people support strict shut down orders. Most voters approve of Whitmer. Try again.

[quote] with less and less clear benefit

The benefit is clear. The sacrifice is extremely minimal.

This was not a protest of Whitmer's policies. This was a Trump/klan rally.

[quote] you and the people dumping on her certainly represent the far right

[quote] I'm not taking away your freedom by calling you out, you Republican stooge

There you go again. Accusing, vilifying witch hunting.

You don't know a fucking thing, CUNT.

I am from a bluest of the blue states, I have NEVER voted Republican. Only Democratic.

I am progressive and more than liberal.

But I still have my own personal opinion, and I'm entitled to it.

So go fuck yourself.

It makes no sense to block people from buying items that they can literally walk into the store and touch. There is zero health benefit from preventing people from picking it up and taking it to the register. Whitmer is deranged.

r155, I think you're being a little too binary. Its ORGANIZERS might be unsavory, but the anger they're tapping is real.

The truth is, there are angry pluralities on both sides who are either morally outraged that people are buying "non-essential" (as they define and judge them) items, or are angry BECAUSE they feel like the authorities are going too far. Like the people HERE posting that apps like Grindr should be forcibly shut down, and guys hooking up for sex should be punished. Even if closing bars eliminated 97% of infections, they're determined to raise the stakes and demand even greater sacrifice to eliminate another 0.2%, not caring that crossing that line might MASSIVELY erode public support even for eliminating the easy, low-hanging fruit.

[quote] But I still have my own personal opinion, and I'm entitled to it.

Stop with this nonsense. No one is challenging your right to have an opinion. They are challenging your opinion. It you don't want to identified as a right-wing nutjob dont argue like one.

[quote] There is zero health benefit from preventing people from picking it up and taking it to the register.

How are you still not getting this? Limiting the time in the store, limiting the amount of things you touch, and limiting the amount of contact you have with store employees limits the chance of getting or spreading the virus. You are just wrong. Stupidly, brazenly, bull-headedly wrong.

[quote]Michigan is in a scary spot re COVID.

You mean Detroit is a scary place for Covid-19, and scary in general. Most of Michigan isn't too bad.

[quote] "non-essential" (as they define and judge them) items

In what world are tulip bulbs "essential"?

You do understand that the reason the southeast of Michigan (not just Detroit) is the primary place where you will find covid in Michigan? Because the state has been shut down. The idiots who just traveled from Grand Rapids and hung out with the klansmen from Howell likely took the virus back with them. And when they are allowed to open up the resorts up north they will take it up there with them.

All because they are pissed the governor wont let them get a new trowel.

The point is, there's low-hanging fruit that pays massive dividends while demanding minimal sacrifice... like eliminating large public gatherings. Then, there's turning the screws & demanding greater & greater sacrifice for diminishing returns. That's what Whitmer did.

[quote] In what world are tulip bulbs "essential"?

In the same world that liquor and marijuana are "essential."

Your needs are different from my needs. I don't need booze, but I need my tulips.

The argument can be made that both relieve stress, but in different ways.

But I forgot, it's ONLY all about YOU.

[quote] It you don't want to identified as a right-wing nutjob dont argue like one.

Since when did personal rights and freedoms become a "right-wing nutjob" thing?

I could have sworn it was an AMERICAN thing.

But then again, these are strange times. Down is up, and up is down.

I never thought I'd see the day when Democrats and Liberals tried to shoot down personal freedom.

Somebody alert the ACLU. They're now right-wing nutjobs.

[quote]

I have all the right wing trolls blocked so all I see are the democratic arguments.

Jealous?

[quote] But I forgot, it's ONLY all about YOU.

No, I care about other people and I don't want them to die. Those who want to "open up the economy right now" only care about themselves.

[quote] In the same world that liquor and marijuana are "essential."

Did I or the governor of Michigan make the argument these are essential?

[quote] Since when did personal rights and freedoms become a "right-wing nutjob" thing?

No, I specifically said what made you look like a right-wing nutob was to pretend your freedom of speech was being violated by people disagreeing with it. And by persisting in pretending that's what's happening you are confirming who you are.

[quote]Most of Michigan isn't too bad.

Yet. "While the end of Michigan’s stay-at-home order is exactly two weeks away, health leaders in Kent County (the biggest county on the west side of the state) said the peak of COVID-19 in West Michigan could likely come a couple weeks after that."

“The curve is likely to increase over the course of the next few weeks,” Kent County Epidemiology Supervisor Brian Hartl said. “Just the modeling has shown to this point that the expected peak for us here in West Michigan is the first or middle part of May.”

r156 is calling other people a "cunt" while accusing others of "vilifying"

And r164 - how fucking delusional do you have to be to think tulips are "essential" and to be too moronic to not understand that you can buy bulbs online?

[quote] I have all the right wing trolls blocked so all I see are the democratic arguments.

How's that echo chamber?

[quote] Did I or the governor of Michigan make the argument these are essential?

Now who's the right wing troll? Trying to wiggle out of your box, using a technicality?

Shopping for gardening supplies in Michigan? Not allowed. Shopping for marijuana and liquor? Allowed.

Are you really that fucking dumb?

[quote] I specifically said what made you look like a right-wing nutob was to pretend your freedom of speech was being violated by people disagreeing with it

Nobody said anything about "people disagreeing with me," violating my freedom of speech. You or these other "people" don't have the authority to control me.

It's the state government, you illiterate asshole.

Christ. There's a foot of snow on the ground. Who the fuck is gardening?

R169, you can still buy gardening stuff online and outside of the big box stores. Many people use marijuana for medical purposes. Are you that stupid?

And your argument makes no sense. All laws involve "control"

[quote] It's the state government, you illiterate asshole.

Explain how the state government has violated your freedom of speech. And the conversation was about this thread and how people responding on this thread were violating freedom of speech...which they weren't.

[quote] Now who's the right wing troll? Trying to wiggle out of your box, using a technicality? Shopping for gardening supplies in Michigan? Not allowed. Shopping for marijuana and liquor? Allowed. Are you really that fucking dumb?

No, I actually didn't know. I'm not sure how that is wiggling out on a technicality. I'm not defending her allowing for liquor sales.

[quote]Who the fuck is gardening?

My opinion is you can garden in the snow. That's my personal opinion, and my opinion is just as valid as your opinion! Just because my opinion is divorced from reality, science and truth doesn't mean I deserve to be attacked!

AND if you attack me that means you are denying me my freedom of speech.

R173/R174, your attempt at humor is lame, at best.

Oh, and you DO know that it's April, don't you? Idiot.

How come no one challenges the say-at-home orders in court? Get an actual ruling on the constitutionality argument. Might be an interesting legal question - dependent on how the order is worded.

Probably because it's pretty settled case law, so they'd rather go posturing than get shot down.

My expectation is that this is the Republican attempt at Tea Party II: The Return of the Morons. They're trying desperately to shore things up before the election. This has nothing to do with reality and everything to do with politics .

It will be interesting to see if this a) turns into an organized movement, and b) where the funding for that movement comes from.

R175, you do know it's usually cold in April in the Upper Midwest, right?

I wish someone would, R176.

Both the stay-at-home order and the mask wearing order would be shot down, and declared illegal. I have no doubt about it.

[quote]Oh, and you DO know that it's April, don't you?

Yes. I also know that I got 1.5" of snow in Michigan yesterday and another 1-3" are expected tonight into tomorrow.

[quote]How come no one challenges the say-at-home orders in court?

"Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is being sued over the coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home order issued in a state with one of the highest infection rates nationwide.

Four Michigan residents are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, a copy of which was provided to Newsweek, against Whitmer, a Democrat, claiming the restrictions violate their constitutional rights. They are seeking damages, but mostly want the order either lifted or amended."

[quote] Yes. I also know that I got 1.5" of snow in Michigan yesterday and another 1-3" are expected tonight into tomorrow.

[quote]There’s a foot of snow on the ground

Oh fuck that. I’m so glad I don’t live in Michigan.

May is only two weeks away.

It's not unheard of, that people are thinking about planting season.

Now, THAT’s a slap in face!

It's unclear how the recall effort will work if people can't go out and collect signatures. I guess it's a way for a governor like Whitmer to prevent the people from kicking her out of office. Maybe that could be a point for a lawsuit.

Gallup: Americans who want to “open this country” immediately vs. wait to see how #coronavirus progresses:

Cɪᴛʏ Rᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛs • Now: 15% • Wait: 75%

Sᴜʙᴜʀʙᴀɴ • Now: 18% • Wait: 73%

Rᴜʀᴀʟ • Now: 23% • Wait: 66%

👉🏻

People who have a secure income and/or are able to work from home don't get a vote on when to open the country.

I'd bet that the majority of these old, fat white trumptards didn't even HAVE jobs before February.

These are the very same idiots who live on line trolling, posting stupid memes on FB and screaming about the "liberal elites" while rubbing their pitiful nubs on their AR15.

Just a bunch of pathetic, useless cry babies who hate the fact they're stick at home with their brats and can't run away to go fishing.

So pro life that they want to spread an infection because they can't bear to sit at home on their fat asses. Something they did every fucking day without complaint until a woman told them they HAD to.

Every last one of these fat fucks needs to sit down and STFU. Bunch of pathetic snowflakes.

Why not R187, it's everyone's country.

About the same as the number of protesters.

[quote]Another 153 Michigan residents have been reported dead in the past 24 hours of COVID-19 with 1,058 newly confirmed cases. Total deaths now at 1,921, cases at 28,059.

People in Michigan have no problem buying lawn & garden materials. Note the sign.

Waldman, I think, is pretty close here. Some tidbits:

[quote]The social distancing backlash is here.

[quote]Like many such eruptions of anger, it’s partly genuine and partly fed by political actors with their own preexisting agendas — in this case, mostly to rescue President Trump’s imperiled reelection campaign. And it will get ugly.

...

[quote]The unmistakable message being communicated is that stay-at-home orders are a leftist plot, and conservatives should be rejecting them. It’s all over right-wing media:

[quote]Fox News host and occasional Trump adviser Jeanine Pirro praised the Michigan protesters: “God bless them, it’s going to happen all over the country.”

[quote]Pirro’s colleague Laura Ingraham tweeted a video of the protest, adding, “Time to get your freedom back.”

[quote]Rush Limbaugh accused Whitmer of being a pawn of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

[quote]Twitter troll and acting director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell posted a picture of the Constitution with the caption “signed permission slip to leave your house.”

[quote]The natural comparison to make with these efforts is the tea party eruption, and there are some points of similarity, including conservative media fanning the flames of anger and the overblown rhetoric about liberty (though hopefully we can do without the Founding Father cosplay this time).

[quote]But the more useful comparison is to Donald Trump’s election itself.

I'm not sure he's correct to dismiss the tea party comparison. These aren't spontaneous events and, clearly, the Republican Party would very much like to have Tea Party 2: The Return of the Morons.

[quote]But if Republicans can convince people that the only way to understand this crisis is through a partisan lens, they can tamp down difficult questions about Trump’s performance and minimize the political damage he’ll suffer, making it possible for him to win in the fall. That’s the goal, one they’re pursuing with all their usual cynicism — even as they fight against Democratic efforts to provide more support to those being hit hardest by the recession.

Did Rush Limbaugh tell them to protest? Will he never die?

Funny how little grumbling there is here in California, and I suspect it's largely because... IT'S WORKING!!! WE COULD HAVE BEEN NEW YORK BUT WE'RE NOT!!! YAAAAY, NEWSOM!!!

However, I expect the grumbling and violations of shelter-in-place orders to increase over the next few weeks, as people start taking the lack of a worst-case scenario for granted.

"It's working! That means we should stop doing it!"

Man, I feel for you Americans having to deal with desperate and stupid members of your community.

Here in New Zealand we have basically been locked in our houses for 4 weeks. That means warnings and arrests for anyone found outside their neighbourhood. No businesses are open except supermarkets, with security guards on the door to let in a specific number of customers at a time. Only one person per household allowed in.

Our community transmission is currently at 3%.

And no, it's not just because we are an 'island.' We acted quickly, listened to authorities (not always happily but we understood the greater good) and today our new number of cases was 5. In the whole country.

Three weeks ago our curve resembled Italy.

Way to go, New Zealand!

Sadly, Michigan seems absolutely determined to go the way of Italy, which will lose them more money in the long run than if they'd listened to sense at the beginning of the crisis.

New Zealander, you all don't have fucking selfish assholes screaming they got theirs so fuck everyone else.

That disease "I got mine fuck you" is an epidemic among rethug voters and their media of choice continually reinforces that ideal.

These assholes don't believe in a "greater good". They only believe in smashing, grabbing and taking whatever they want. Bunch of thugs is all they are.

Most sane Americans envy your PM's quick action to save lives and wish more people here would think of the greater good instead of being selfish assholes.

"New Zealander, you all don't have fucking selfish assholes screaming they got theirs so fuck everyone else. "

That's not what the NZ-er is saying, the NZ-er is saying "This is how you keep pandemics from killing people". Which is what the world needs to hear right now.

We have advantages - a socialised health system and wage help for businesses. A small population who generally listen (although the 5G 'they are locking us down to control us' crew are getting pretty vocal) and any dissenters are currently contained by public shaming. We also haven't had the Murdoch media muddying waters or wide-spread defunding of education systems. But we aren't that much different to Americans at heart.

I think we have more of an authoritarian bent. We do like to be told what to do, to be honest.

In any case, the natives are getting restless down here - we are on top of the virus but our economy is fucked. If Jacinda has fucked up the public will turn on her, and quickly. Keep in mind her party still isn't popular enough to be able to form a government on its own, 40% down here would still vote for the Republican equivalent.

[quote]Funny how little grumbling there is here in California ... I expect the grumbling and violations of shelter-in-place orders to increase over the next few weeks, as people start taking the lack of a worst-case scenario for granted.

Indeed. Yesterday in LA:

Anybody got any dick pictures to share? The rest of this tread is so boring.

[quote] That disease "I got mine fuck you" is an epidemic among rethug voters and their media of choice continually reinforces that ideal.

It’s not just repugs. Have you seen the “How do I report people for hooking up on Grindr” thread?

R195, are you my company’s CEO?

You sound a lot like him.

I wish some enterprising counter-protester would create an online document for these protesters to sign, to waive priority treatment for Coved-19 infection, if they’re going to break the stay at home order. They’re dumb enough to sign it, too.

Remember that fool with diabetes and some other problems who refused to sign-up for Obamacare, and who was then told he needed emergency treatment or he’d go blind, and who couldn't afford the treatment? He and his wife still blamed Obama for him being to stupid to sign up for a healthcare plan. That’s what these fools remind me of, except these people are worse because they are also putting others at risk.

zombies

I absolutely understand not banning alcohol. It’s embedded in our culture, and removes one potential cause of resistance to the rules.

I also understand the home improvement and gardening ban. I think the purpose for that ban is to keep people out of Home Depot, etc., unless they have a necessity to buy something, not something frivolous. I had gone to Home Depot a while back looking for plants. They didn’t have any but the store was crowded with people and you couldn’t avoid passing within a couple feet of of others, repeatedly.

This protest is just selfishness masking itself as patriotism and freedom-loving.

zombie freaks

R203, I'm pretty sure that was just a dumb troll thread.

Make no mistake Fox is a GOP propaganda machine being used to rile up GOP members to make them break social distancing.

This makes them a threat to your safety.

R201, that's exactly what I've been seeing lately.

Two weeks ago, not a car on the road.

Now? We're back to traffic jams again.

People are definitely over the lockdown.

r211, I think people are ALSO starting to run out of stuff. They aren't necessarily down to their last stale crust of bread, but they're feeling safe enough to risk a trip to the store for things like fresh vegetables.

Incidentally, I stumbled on a very cool product at Amazon a couple of days ago that might help make things like lettuce last a few days longer in the refrigerator. It's basically a small bottle with pressurized Argon. Put the veggies in a Ziploc bag, squeeze out most of the air, then puff it up with Argon before sealing. Argon is heavier than air, so you don't have to literally displace 100% of the air... just enough for the argon to settle to the bottom part of the container and cover the food.

It also works for things like leftover paint... blow some into the can before putting the lid back on. The argon will settle down and form a layer above the paint surface & protect it from drying/skinning/curing/oxidizing.

deplorables have decided that their lives are not worth living.

But why now?

It's a coordinated political action targeting states where Trump is vulnerable in the upcoming election.

And Trump is encouraging it.

Trump Tweets Calls to ‘LIBERATE’ States with Democratic Governors Targeted by Anti-Lockdown Protesters

[quote]deplorables have decided that their lives are not worth living.

More like deplorables are in denial, believing they won't get infected and if they do, they're strong enough to survive just fine. It's the same reason they want to have the "freedom"to purchase cheap, crappy health insurance -- because they think they'll never get sick. It's magical thinking.

Here in houston all home improvements are open and landscaping crews are busy. Spring been here for awhile.

[quote]Both the stay-at-home order and the mask wearing order would be shot down, and declared illegal. I have no doubt about it.

Illegal on what grounds? And don't start talking about your "personal liberties."

I would be very curious to see what happened if we went to war against somebody and the government re-instituted the draft. Would we get a bunch of conservative/libertarian types saying "the government can't force me to join the army!"?

Yes, they're legal. Once you declare a state of emergency, whether at the state or federal level, you unlock an extraordinary set of powers. That's why Trump declared a state of emergency at our southern border when there clearly was no emergency.

Yes, every legal expert I've seen interviewed in Michigan media has said lawsuits against Whitmer have a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding.

I really don't get the outrage over home improvement stores being closed. Home Depot and Lowe's and all the other stores have online ordering!

Are they taking this as an attack on white culture or something?

I live in Georgia and holy shit, Home Depot, Target, Lowes all of those places are packed more than Christmas every day for months. Occasionally it slips out that a worker has tested positive, but christ in heaven, these people leave the house all day every day.

R221, it's because Trump is in trouble. They're not even hiding that they're trying to create a Tea Party 2 movement.

Home Depot, Lowe's and other home improvement/hardware stores are open, they just can't sell any gardening supplies in store as of last week. But yes, you can order seeds, lawn fertilizer and gardening tools online for home delivery.

[quote] I would be very curious to see what happened if we went to war against somebody and the government re-instituted the draft. Would we get a bunch of conservative/libertarian types saying "the government can't force me to join the army!"?

Have you never heard of a conscientious objector?

That's too many syllables for the mouth breathers, r225. To difficult a concept as well.

They'd all claim bone spurs. Just like their dear leader.

Why don't Betsy and Dick DeVos just give every resident of Michigan $25,000 to tied them over for the next 3 months?

If someone dies because of Trump's LIBERATE tweets, will there be consequences to Cheeto?

trumpers in Ohio are similar to trumpers in Michigan, but in Michigan they're a few steps beyond in how crazy they are. When I lived there, I couldn't understand why their thought process was so fucked up. I suppose it's equal parts ignorance, racism, and a sense of entitlement that stems from believing that they are "the true America" because the American auto market was based there. The herd mentality is very strong there, as they keep proving.

Gov Whitmer spoke well on Rachel Maddow last night. She gets it.

She's in a tough position because she knows that she's dealing with idiots outside of her window who are protesting the stay-at-home order and yet she's concerned for their health as well as everyone else's. Some of these small-dicked mouth-breathers even carried automatic assault rifles at that protest, for Christ sake.

[quote]He and his wife still blamed Obama for him being to stupid

Oh, dear!

[quote] To difficult a concept as well.

As difficult as basic grammar?

The push to use masks have given people a false sense of security and undermined compliance with social distancing. It’s a net negative

Start the virus countdown. The Trumptards in Militiagan get what they deserve. Let's just hope they don't get any health workers sick.

Trump hasn't Tweeted about liberating my state (AZ)? Maybe because we have a Repuglican governor? He also hasn't Tweeted about liberating OH and MD, maybe for the same reason? I hope the Dumpsters all fucking die from it, so please gather and hug, kiss, cough, sneeze...

Trump hasn't Tweeted about liberating my state (AZ)? Maybe because we have a Repuglican governor? He also hasn't Tweeted about liberating OH and MD, maybe for the same reason? I hope the Dumpsters all fucking die from it, so please gather and hug, kiss, cough, sneeze...

The courage of his convictions.

R228, we have no remedy while he's in office. Our only option in that situation is impeachment, and the Republicans already blocked that once.

R235, We have a GOP governor in Ohio, and we've been targeted. I think he's going after swing states where he's vulnerable in the upcoming election.

So if these idiots or their frail old mothers get sick or die... WILL there be a backlash against the Republican politicians who encouraged this foolishiness?

Because there would be with any intelligent population, but with the Deplorable/Tea Party morons, they seem absolutely hard-wired to blame absolutely anything, no matter how obvious, on some "outsider". Anyone accepted as group leader is forgiven everything, I mean if Trump sacrificed a kindergartener to Satan on national TV and tweeted proudly about his allegiance to Dark Forces, they'd still find a way to blame Obama.

Stick a fork in Governor Whitmer, she's done as a VP short list candidate and in her current job. In her mind she thinks she is doing right but the overreach will cost her. I wonder how she will handle the report of new testing proving that sunlight quickly kills the COVID-19 virus?

So, IF we finally get a vaccine, what do you think will change or stay the same?

I was talking to a friend, and we realized that face masks, social distancing, and Trumpian politics are probably going to be our world for the foreseeable future. Does it scare the shit out of you or are you maintaining?

I think movie theatres and a lot of brick and mortars won't survive. People should probably get accustomed to ordering online.

A fine group of Americans presenting themselves as progressive and science minded in their desire to exploit capitalism... When America opens back up, let’s spend all our energy on education so Gen Z doesn’t do shit like this and embarrass us on the world stage.

[quote] So, IF we finally get a vaccine, what do you think will change or stay the same? I was talking to a friend, and we realized that face masks, social distancing, and Trumpian politics are probably going to be our world for the foreseeable future. Does it scare the shit out of you or are you maintaining?

If you’re vaccinated against it, you won’t get it so, in theory anyway, there’s no reason to continue social distancing, etc. Of course nothing is foolproof and a vaccine—IF they can come up with one—is at least 18 months away.

Silly R228

He will blame it on the governors. Or the Chinese. Or Hillary. (You can pretty much blame anything on Hillary for Deplorables)

As I've said, they're like battered women and will keep on coming up with excuses for why it's not really his fault.

R240

He will blame it on Hillary's emails

I'm wondering how long it'll take to determine if all this new crowd behavior is going to result in lots of new covid cases. A week? Fourteen days?

We'll never know. The red states are doing a massive cover-up of infections and deaths to make their Führer look good

A "grass roots" protest organized by "Michigan Freedom Network."

[quote]Stick a fork in Governor Whitmer, she's done as a VP short list candidate and in her current job. In her mind she thinks she is doing right but the overreach will cost her.

Not according to her poll numbers. The acts of a few genuinely ignorant people aren't going to bother her.

[quote]I wonder how she will handle the report of new testing proving that sunlight quickly kills the COVID-19 virus?

You do understand that the study you are referring to in no way implies that COVID-19 will not continue into the summer months, right?

Cruella DeVos wants her puppy skins.

Sunlight may kill the virus once it lands on surfaces, that needs more testing, but it won't do shit to keep the virus from spreading person to person.

Whitmer looks like she can fight. Please pick her Uncle Joe.

Oh man, R253, I've never said "You're a fucking idiot," so many times in such a short time.

That fat lady with gray roots has more issues than gray roots.

[quote] R241: People should probably get accustomed to ordering online.

Amazon hit an all-time high last week, bucking the trend.

Pretty much any virus is killed by UV within a short period of time, or especially if it's on a dry surface. Which is why I'm not yelling at all the people who are trying to keep their screaming hellspawn entertained with sidewalk chalk, who knows who's trodden our coughed what onto the pavement, because it's likely that the sunlight and dry air around here have killed the virus. (Well, that and the fact that I won't miss the screaming hellspawn.)

However, since nobody knows exactly how long it takes for UV or hot sunlight to kill this particular virus, everyone ought to be wearing gloves any time they leave their house, and for the forseeable future.

Judging by the comments, I suspect that 90% of you will be shocked when this becomes violent...and none of you have any means of protection except 911

So sad.

I have bear spray. But I don’t expect anybody will be assaulting me.

R258, I don't think you're sad at the prospect of your fellow gays being mascaraed at all.

Judging by your comments, R258, you have no idea what you're talking about. Per a recent Gallup poll:

15% of city residents want to open up now.

18% of suburban residents want to open up now.

23% of rural residents want to open up now.

You're basically by yourself, R258. There isn't anything "spiraling" because, so far, it's a tiny bunch of losers and idiots whining because they're inconvenienced.

The "open it up" protests are 100% a coordinated political action to support Trump. Is there anyone who doesn't realize that at this point?

My mom works at Sparrow in Lansing and it’s empty af. It was hilarious to see liberals across the land suddenly SO CONCERNED that people COULDNT GET TO THE HOSPITAL!!! in Lansing. It did not happen.

She HATES the protestors and republicans. My dad and I supported them and thought it was a good idea (being in cars so they couldn’t scream at them for not “social distancing”). Naturally I don’t talk about this political issue with her because I don’t want her to have a stroke and then the hospital won’t take her because they are forced to wait for a COVID Apocalypse that will never come.

Lots of Michiganders are FURIOUS with Gretch. And I was on this site singing her praises when all you DL were in about Gillum (lol) and Abrams. Never expected her to go full Nazi but hey.

Fuck you, R263. They were blocking fucking ambulances trying to get to the hospital, double fuck you!

I was born and raised in Lansing R264.

Both Sparrow AND the Lansing police said that’s not true. And again, my mom WORKS there and she begrudgingly acknowledged that that was not the case.

And the ED there (like many across the country now) is way below census and they are sending docs home.

[quote]Lots of Michiganders are FURIOUS with Gretch.

A small minority of people. A sizable majority are fine with what she has done. I think she'll ride this out comfortably.

[quote]Never expected her to go full Nazi but hey.

Godwin's Law. And also incredibly stupid.

I think most people get that, R262, even a few people in the media. The groups aren't even trying to hide who's backing this and funding it. Or trying to pretend that it's a "grass roots" campaign. These are political rallies.

Protestors blocking the ambulance entrance to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

Whatever you guys say. I’ve seen the brain drain in Michigan over the years and it’s become a lot more country and the Dems have lost the blue collars. Dems throw their lot in with Detroit, Ann Arbor, and East Lansing - not a winning strategy. I correctly predicted Trump would win Michigan in 2016.

Ann Arbor is not Alpena and Lansing is not Luddington. People in Michigan take their rec sports very seriously. You think the blue collar workers who have shifted from the Dems over the years are suddenly MORE for Gretch (or the Dems in general)?

R268 - what? That’s Michigan Avenue and the sky bridge that connects the main campus to the pro building. Westbound traffic is clear (that’s the pro building side) and there’s a CLEAR gap to the ED drive in the line of traffic right there! Plus you could access from Pennsylvania or Jerome but even then they could get in on Michigan Ave.

No Ambulance is being blocked. Again: Sparrow themself said it didn’t happen, LPD said it didn’t happen, this video shows it doesn’t happen.

Your propaganda can fly to the ignorant but this is clear on its face. “Believe facts!”

Sorry - EASTbound traffic is clear. Westbound to the capital is gridlocked but the opening to the main hospital campus is still there.

Rofl.

R264 just got DESTROYED by R270!

[quote] They were blocking fucking ambulances trying to get to the hospital, double fuck you!

Pushing this kind of fake news really just make Dems look bad, and is easily disproven. Enough.

[quote]Whatever you guys say....

Followed by a lot of nothing. In other words, facts and figures won't convince you, logical arguments won't convince you, polls won't convince you, your mind is made up.

So the fact that Whitmer is pretty popular now and a sizable majority of people in Michigan agree with her won't matter to you, just as the polls showing Biden beating Trump in Michigan won't matter to you.

"Pushing this kind of fake news really just make Dems look bad, and is easily disproven. Enough."

A Republican accusing Dems of fake news? LOL. Remember when Trump said there would be zero deaths?

Mrs. Betty Bowers is right

Nope, those polls won’t. Logical arguments? Yes. But there’s nothing logical you’re offering. Do you really think the UP favors lockdown? The vast interior? Only hyper-partisans support Whitmer. It’s become a political zero-sum to them. She cannot be wrong because that would mean my worldview is wrong.

Just like these models about COVID were and are wildly wrong which I’ve also said from the beginning. But again, it’s some weird political issue to people: it NOT being doomsday is somehow bad because it’s an indictment of your personal politics.

But take stock in them all you’d like.

So, no MichFest this year??

Bad news for the freeper trolls - people are more afraid of opening things up too soon than waiting too long, people trust their governors more than Trump, and more people would vote for Biden than Trump

Patton Oswalt hits it right on the head: "Anne Frank spent 2 years hiding in an attic and we’ve been home for just over a month with Netflix, food delivery & video games and there are people risking viral death by storming state capital buildings & screaming, “Open Fuddruckers!”"

These people don't realize how dumb the rest of the country thinks they are.

Reminder to the Whitmer attacker at R277 - there are a lot more people in Greater Detroit than there are in Alpena or Ludington or the UP.

[quote] These people don't realize how dumb the rest of the country thinks they are.

R280, have you read those replies? He's being SAVAGED for that quote.

r282, he received over 400,000 likes for that comment. Looks like you are ignoring all the positive feedback and the MANY people who are praising him.

[quote] So, no MichFest this year

Every time Trump refers to Gov. Whitmer as "that Michigan woman," I laugh and think of Nan Michiganwomyn and MichFest.

MichFest wanted to "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" too, but not in the same way as Trump and the deplorables.

[quote]have you read those replies? He's being SAVAGED for that quote.

By people who inspired this riposte from Mr. Kellyanne Conway.

"We need to ramp up IQ testing."

I see a lot of false dichotomy. It's ENTIRELY possible for someone to simultaneously oppose prematurely "reopening the economy" AND think Whitmer's order to tape off "non-essential" sections of stores that are open anyway is petty and overbearing.

There's a point of diminishing returns. There's also the fact that a homeowner who's able to go out & buy a carload of laminate flooring is at least one fewer person who'd otherwise be chomping at the bit & feeling unfairly confined, because s/he will be too busy house-cleaning, moving furniture, and laying it, and too exhausted afterwards, to do anything ELSE for a few days.

Ditto for paint & storage containers.

Getting people to "stay at home" only works if people cooperate. The best way to GET that cooperation is to compromise a tiny bit about stuff like flooring & paint, and let them launch into multi-day projects that will keep them at home, soak up all their time, AND leave them too tired to do anything else. It's a small bit of risk with huge indirect multi-day payback.

I'll concede the point about ambulances, R270. I found statements where Lansing police said it didn't actually happen despite wide spread reports that it did and the woman in the video complaining about blocked ambulances.

But this "It was hilarious to see liberals across the land suddenly SO CONCERNED that people COULDNT GET TO THE HOSPITAL!!! " is what really pissed me off. What was so funny about liberals being concerned about access to the hospital during a pandemic?

r286 is the weirdo who is obsessed with gardening and home repairs who hasn't grasped the concept of online shopping. This person also keeps going off on Whitmer despite the fact that other governors have issued similar stay-at-home orders. Why are you obsessed with Whitmer? Misogyny? Stupidity?

This thread is about Whitmer.

I’d happily screech about that fat billionaire fuckbag Pritzker or tits out Cuomo. But this isn’t about them.

[quote] I see a lot of false dichotomy. It's ENTIRELY possible for someone to simultaneously oppose prematurely "reopening the economy" AND think Whitmer's order to tape off "non-essential" sections of stores that are open anyway is petty and overbearing. There's a point of diminishing returns. There's also the fact that a homeowner who's able to go out & buy a carload of laminate flooring is at least one fewer person who'd otherwise be chomping at the bit & feeling unfairly confined, because s/he will be too busy house-cleaning, moving furniture, and laying it, and too exhausted afterwards, to do anything ELSE for a few days.

Do you think the deplorable protesters share your nuanced view? Do you really think the idiots who are protesting will be satisfied if Whitmer reopens the home and garden department of Walmart? Do you really think that's what this is all about? That if she just softens some of the harsher restrictions, they'll thank Whitmer, stop their protesting, and go back to staying at home?

Of course not. The deplorables will be bitching about having their "liberties" taken away by the "libruls" unless and until EVERYTHING is reopened IMMEDIATELY. This isn't about laminate flooring and the inability to do home improvement projects. It's about deplorables, egged on by Trump and the conservative media, who will attack anything and everything that a Democrat does.

ALL FUNDED BY BETSY DEVOS

[quote] fellow gays being mascaraed

Uh, excuse me. If anyone is going to be mascaraing people, it’ll be me, bitch.

[quote]who'd otherwise be chomping at the bit

Oh, dear!

These threads are always good for identifying Trumptard trolls and blocking.

[quote] But both the Lansing Fire Department and Sparrow Health Systems said they didn't experience any major delays from the protest.

So there were delays.

[quote] Lansing Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Tobin said while the ambulances were slowed down because of the congestion, crews told him it was no worse than a heavy day in rush hour.

So ambulances were slowed down by protesters.

[quote] When an ambulance sped toward Sparrow with lights and sirens on, traffic got out of the way, Tobin said.

So protesters were in the way.

[quote] John Foren, spokesperson for Sparrow Hospital, said some hospital staff were late to work because of the protest, forcing others to cover for them. He did not have a number of employees who were late, but said he believed they were isolated cases.

So protesters did prevent essential workers from getting to their jobs. And forced other already over-worked essential workers to work longer.

[quote]The best way to GET that cooperation is to compromise a tiny bit about stuff like flooring & paint

Or you could, you know, order online and either have it shipped to you or have it prepared for you at the store and then going to pick it up.

None of that will matter to the morons who protested, of course. Even if you entirely got your way, they will still be protesting. Because it's not about flooring and paint: it's about "Nazis" and "Freedom!!!" and, most of all, it's about politics and Donald Trump.

Michiganites, they are not birds

[quote]Nope, those polls won’t.

Of course they won't, because you would rather have your fantasies.

[quote]Only hyper-partisans support Whitmer.

Case in point... The majority of people in Michigan support Whitmer, and it's not even close. Her policies are popular, as are similar cautious policies in other states. But because that doesn't align with your fantasies, you will engage in wishful thinking, put your hands in your ears, and yell as loudly as you can to avoid facing reality.

[quote]It’s become a political zero-sum to them. She cannot be wrong because that would mean my worldview is wrong.

It's the other way around, moron. To the protesters, and clearly to you, she cannot be right because that would mean your world view is wrong. And, also clearly, that happens to be the case. Your world view is woefully ignorant.

[quote]Just like these models about COVID were and are wildly wrong which I’ve also said from the beginning.

What I said above about fantasies? Another case in point. You have no idea what you're talking about, what models are used for, how they are changed as new information arrives, etc.

[quote[But again, it’s some weird political issue to people

Clearly it is to you, as you have demonstrated repeatedly. It's weird how you fetishize your ignorance, so caught up in it that you cannot bear to let it go and actually learn something. If you weren't so amusing in your dogmatic pursuit of stupidity, I'd pity you.

[quote]He's being SAVAGED for that quote.

Have you seen the ratio? He's being LAUDED for that quote.

Anyone who is still referencing polls is an idiot.

Have we forgotten about all those Hillary polls already?

[quote] Have you seen the ratio? He's being LAUDED for that quote.

The actual comments are what I am shocked about. There are some VERY angry people. I didn't know he was that hated.

Anyone who references "Hillary polls" is an idiot. Have you forgotten that the national polls were correct? And that the state polls were within the margin of error? And that we have three additional years of polling? And that the polling on this topic isn't even close, with something like 2 or 3 to 1 in favor of staying the course.

He's not, R301. People hate being called out as the idiots they are. They're responding to the comment with hate because they know he's right.

"Man, we've gotta open the gates."

"We've been through this, Phil. The Mongols are still outside."

"But I've gotta harvest my turnips"

"MONGOLS"

"Ugh. But we've been in here or WEEKS."

"That's how sieges work, Phil."

"But the Mongols have barely killed anyone in days."

"That's because of the walls, Phil."

"Are you sure? Maybe the Mongols aren't that dangerous."

"..."

"I'm just saying, how bad could it be. They can't kill ALL of us"

"That is literally the thing they do."

"But my turnips..."

Yes, R291. All this--and probably the online trolling happening right now--is being funded by Betsy DeVos. This is an Astroturf movement, totally artificial.

For the annoying person at R293:

[quote]The original phrase is, indeed, champing at the bit, but chomping at the bit emerged in America in the 1930s according to the Oxford English Dictionary and chomp has overtaken champ in common use. A Google web search for chomping at the bit returns about twice as many results as a search for champing at the bit.

Look, dammit, the whole world isn't about Donald fucking Trump. Nor is everyone who thinks Whitmer went overboard a fucking misogynist, deplorable, or neo-nazi supporter.

This goddamn black-and-white with-us-100%-or-evil thinking perfectly illustrates how Trump is as much a symptom as a disease. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the days when Democrats & Republicans could actually be friends, or even frenemies, instead of feeling honor-bound to demonize each other & act like adversaries are instead the evil spawn of Satan.

The protests were organized by deplorable & shady individuals with unsavory agendas That's freely conceded. But I have NO doubt that at least 10-20% of the people in those cars were there because they were PERSONALLY pissed off about closed-off aisles, and would have been too busy painting or redecorating to bother GOING to a protest had they been able to buy what they wanted from Home Depot.

Other governors issued stay-at-home orders, but they didn't go to the mean, petty extremes that Whitmer did. Kennedy observed that "politics is the art of getting people to do the right thing for the wrong reasons". If letting people pick paint colors for an hour keeps them peacefully busy at home for 3 days instead of agitating, SO BE IT.

It's like when I was on a school trip in high school, and the teachers MADE SURE there was a softcore porn movie that ran on the hotel channel from 9-10:30 so the teachers could go to dinner without having to police us. They knew we'd all stay in our rooms, glued to the TV. The Morality squad would have shat a brick... but it worked.

And incidentally... anyone who thinks you can pick paint colors online is either clueless or colorblind. ESPECIALLY if any color that can be described as "white", "beige", or "greige" is involved.

"But I have NO doubt that at least 10-20% of the people in those cars were there because they were PERSONALLY pissed off about closed-off aisles, and would have been too busy painting or redecorating to bother GOING to a protest had they been able to buy what they wanted from Home Depot."

What is with your obsession with decorating and gardening? Get. a. life.

"It's like when I was on a school trip in high school, and the teachers MADE SURE there was a softcore porn movie that ran on the hotel channel from 9-10:30 so the teachers could go to dinner without having to police us."

This. Never. Happened.

[quote]r308 And incidentally... anyone who thinks you can pick paint colors online is either clueless or colorblind. ESPECIALLY if any color that can be described as "white", "beige", or "greige" is involved.

DL has stated its boundaries.

r309, I swear to god it did. Late 1980s. It was a different era.

[quote] And incidentally... anyone who thinks you can pick paint colors online is either clueless or colorblind. ESPECIALLY if any color that can be described as "white", "beige", or "greige" is involved.

Of all the sad stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is indeed one of the saddest and most heart-breaking: Thousands of ugly bedroom and living room walls, painted in poorly chosen shades of white and gray, all because of being forced to purchase paint online. The impact of delayed or botched home improvement projects will be felt for decades to come! Fuck you, Gov. Whitmer!

Let them gather. Nature will take it's course.

"I swear to god it did. Late 1980s. It was a different era."

I stayed at hotels in the 80s and I don't remember any hotels having regularly scheduled porn movies at 9

[quote]R312 Thousands of ugly bedroom and living room walls, painted in poorly chosen shades of white and gray, all because of being forced to purchase paint online.

It will tear marriages and whole families APART!

I think your hotel/motel room had HBO or Cinemax and you just took that as being that they played naughty stuff on the tv at that time all the time as a kid.

r314, it wasn't "scheduled". The hotel literally had a VCRs in the office feeding one of the channels. They put in a tape provided by the teachers, probably recorded from Cinemax or Showtime. Nowadays, hotels would refuse, if only out of copyright concerns. In 1987, nobody gave a fuck about things like copyright clearance. Or showing softcore porn to teenagers.

I shit you not, my senior year, we watched Full Metal Jacket in an extended 2-hour "homeroom" on the last day before Christmas Vacation. Even now, I have no fucking idea how that ever got approved. But it was cool :-)

[quote] I stayed at hotels in the 80s and I don't remember any hotels having regularly scheduled porn movies at 9

You probably never saw them because they were a special feature only for children or high school students while their parents or teachers ate dinner.

Yeah, because most people are eating dinner until 10:30 at night

[quote] Yeah, because most people are eating dinner until 10:30 at night

It was a different era!

I lived in that era. No one ever showed us porn on school trips or ate dinner at 10:30 on school trips.

Optics are important.

Those photos of "roped off" seeds and garden supplies were devastating.

She needs to stop the ridiculous mandates. Not sure who is advising her, but it's time to start firing some people.

Vermont has also directed big-box retailers to stop in-store sales of non-essential items. "Those items include arts and crafts, beauty, clothing, consumer electronics, entertainment (books, music, movies), carpet and flooring, furniture, home and garden, jewelry, paint, photo services, sports equipment, and toys. To enforce the order, stores must restrict access to nonessentials by closing aisles or removing the items from the floor."

Howard County, Indiana, Summit County, Colorado and Springfield, Montana have also restricted retailers from selling "nonessentials."

Contra the poster above, neither these governmental entities nor Michigan Gov. Whitmer are being "mean" and "petty" with these directives. Their actions are about decreasing the volume of people in stores and the amount of time spent in stores, because more people spending more time in an enclosed space significantly increases the risk of further spread of the virus. This is science, not some imagined vendetta.

Nurses blocking protestors. Good for them.

[quote] Let them gather. Nature will take it's course.

Oh, dear!

all i ever see with these "protesters" is ME, ME, ME and more ME...

let's face it, they would bitch about anything and will bitch 10 years from now, recalling how back in 2020 they were REFUSED AND ORDERED not to go anywhere and everywhere they wanted and for "no good reason"!... "we are thinking about others and their rights! i mean look at the 10 other people with me!" (uh, never mind the hundreds and hundreds of thousands who are NOT with you!")

"THREAD - History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes: a thread about the **Anti-Mask League** of 1919."

Sound familiar?

I see those nurses are overwhelmed working on those COVID patients R324.

Of all the ignorant, inane comments that one could possibly make, R328 picked that one. Says a lot about him, doesn't it?

Good reporting on those supposed grass-roots protests.

[quote]1. Who could have imagined that they [included] neo-Confederates, NRA extremists, anti-vaxxer lunatics, and other fringe types [and that their organizers included groups that have been] funded in part by the Koch brothers and a Trump cabinet member, Betsy DeVos? Why does it take a British newspaper to make that clear?

[quote]2. The all-too-convenient disturbances overwhelmingly resemble the totally-not-connected-to-the-GOP Tea Party demonstrations that “spontaneously” irrupted in 2009 to stymie Obamacare, with the death panels and so forth. That particular street theater was ignited by CNBC ranter Rick Santelli and largely financed by the Koch brothers. [JF note: more background on Rick Santelli’s role in the Tea Party era available here.]

[quote]3. Street theater was pioneered by of the New Left in the 1960s, but since the Brooks Brothers riot of November 2000 it has become a mainstay of Astroturfed movements inspired by the GOP and funded by corporate moguls.

[quote]4. Trump’s encouragement of the demonstrators is even more bizarre than commonly depicted. Past examples (Lincoln, Ike in Little Rock, Kennedy in Mississippi, etc.) represented the national head of government reining in states seeking to illegally secede or deny U.S. constitutional rights to citizens. This is a unique case: the head of the national government egging on residents of the states to illegally impede their state governors from carrying out their lawful, necessary, and proper functions to maintain public safety in a health emergency. So much for “federalism” under the GOP.

[quote]...

[quote]5. Republican street theater, maybe even (or perhaps especially) when it threatens public safety or human decency, seems always to act like catnip to the mainstream media, who invariably trot out the well-worn tropes of “economic anxiety.” The U.S. media have done an execrable job on this one.

The Guardian has done a good job tracking down who's behind this shit.

And another.

WHEN WE say they are being "backed" and supported by right wingers, does this mean these people are LITERALLY being paid by them and/or in right wing groups already and rounded up to "protest" paid or not? and how do we know these people are actually from this area, from michigan in the first place?

None of these stories indicate that any protesters are being paid, R333. These are existing right-wing groups and funding organizations going all out to launch and promote these protests.

As for whether any of the protesters are from outside Michigan, nobody knows, but it does seem doubtful to me. These are still pretty small protests and you can always find a few hundred convenient idiots to protest just about any damn thing you want.

Kentucky sees highest spike in coronavirus cases after lockdown protest

Do you think Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has done a good job navigating the state through the COVID-19 outbreak?

83% vote NO.

20,000 votes.

[quote] Do you think Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has done a good job navigating the state through the COVID-19 outbreak? 83% vote NO.

A Twitter poll? Really? Online polls are worthless. Of course the Whitmer haters are the ones who will reply to an online poll.

[quote]Kentucky sees highest spike in coronavirus cases after lockdown protest

So the lockdown didn't prevent a spike from occurring?

It's Kentucky.

The lowlife Tim McVeigh grew up in Michigan...something wrong with those people.

R340... AH, YES, Michigan... the state where 80 thousand didn't vote for president in 2016.. didn't vote for clinton OR trump! they went to vote, took the time to go to a voting station, voted for every other position on the ballot, but yet couldn't or wouldn't cast a vote for thee most important job in the world! brilliant, just brilliant! shame on that state or at least 80 thousand of them! 80 thousand!..

I think those people did vote but their votes were deleted because they were for Hillary.

Anyone remember this cunt?

Sherikia L. Hawkins was charged Monday with six felony counts over "unauthorized and inaccurate" changes to absentee ballots in the November 2018 election.

Hawkins, a Democrat who just a few months ago was honored by the state party with the Dingell/Levin Award at its Legacy Dinner in Detroit, could not be reached Monday.

[quote]AH, YES, Michigan... the state where 80 thousand didn't vote for president in 2016.. didn't vote for clinton OR trump!

Sometimes the best moral choice between two evils is not to choose at all.

Putting Clinton and Trump on the same moral level is incredibly stupid.

I live in Southwest Michigan and we have had snow in the morning so all their concern about seeds and planting is bullshit

Well, now that OP has been red-tagged, he has more time to plant his "essential" tulip bulbs. In the name of freedom, of course. 😅

His latest is that he's whining because he's been ordered back to work. After literally dozens of posts insisting that everything should go back to normal and that this is all no big deal, suddenly it's a big deal. Funny how that works.

R348... the moron actually stated out loud at a recent briefing he hadn't left the white house in months! in months! when it's been documented in january, february and march he went golfing and had rallies at various places! DOES HE NOT KNOW the phrase "in months" means??

In months? I'd like to see him 'isolated' for years in a nice little jail cell.

..................