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RontunerR

Rontuner

@Rontuner
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  • Goodbye, mRNA vaccine funding
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Saw this today:

    By Adam B. Kushner

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, isn’t just a vaccine skeptic. He especially dislikes one type of vaccine: those that use mRNA technology, such as the first Covid shots. He has canceled nearly $500 million to make mRNA immunizations and a bird-flu vaccine that Moderna was developing.

    This is a relatively new technology, and it’s worth remembering the moment the shots debuted for widespread use in late 2020. Three hundred thousand Americans had died from Covid. (The number eventually exceeded a million, the most of any country.) Most schools were still closed. White-collar workers were still mostly remote. Americans were in a mental health crisis. When I got my jab, I hadn’t eaten in a restaurant for a year. The vaccines ended all that.

    Kennedy says they’re no good, and he’s halting government support for them. For today’s newsletter, I asked Apoorva Mandavilli, who covers vaccines for The Times, to explain what’s happening.

    What is an mRNA vaccine?

    Some vaccines use a weakened version of a bacterium or virus to provoke an immune response and train your body’s defenses. Others use a piece of the virus that the body can easily recognize as foreign. MRNA has the instructions for making only one small part of a virus. It directs the body’s cells to make that fragment, which then sets off an immune response.

    What is Kennedy’s argument about mRNA?

    Kennedy echoes many people’s discomfort with the speed at which the vaccines were developed. But mRNA vaccines had been studied for more than 20 years before Covid struck. His criticisms also go further than most. He has said the vaccines are ineffective because they don’t prevent infection. He has also said they’re dangerous, at one point referring to them as the “deadliest” vaccines ever made.

    And what does the evidence show?

    Like all vaccines, the Covid mRNA shots have some side effects. Anecdotally, thousands of people reported problems. But extensive studies in the U.S. and elsewhere found only a few serious ones. For example, the vaccines can cause heart problems in a small fraction of young men, and one study said there were seven severe cases of shingles for every million shots administered. This is comparable to the safety record of most other vaccines. It’s not surprising that we’ve heard more about Covid vaccines, because they were given to billions of people worldwide.
    Kennedy prefers “whole-cell” vaccines to mRNA shots. What does that mean?

    Whole-cell vaccines are based on a crude technology developed more than 100 years ago. Those vaccines use the entire pathogen, so they may expose the body to hundreds of antigens — the part of the bacterium or virus that provokes an immune response — at once.

    Not surprisingly, they also cause very strong reactions, including seizures and fevers in young children. Over the decades, we have developed much cleaner, sleeker vaccines that contain only the few antigens they need. There is a trade-off: The newer vaccines sometimes are less protective than the cruder versions.

    If more people getting shots have ugly side effects, as they would from those whole-cell vaccines, it may give even more fuel to the antivax movement.

    It may. In the case of Covid vaccines, it may not even be mRNA tech causing the side effects. The coronavirus is a powerful adversary, and any vaccine designed to counter it may shock the immune system. There is no perfectly safe vaccine or drug.

    One thing I don’t get: President Trump built Operation Warp Speed, the government effort to develop these Covid vaccines. And he spent years urging people to get them. What’s your best understanding of why mRNA is now out of favor with his administration?

    The Covid mandates turned many against the vaccines as employers and schools required people to get inoculated. Kennedy brought his own political constituency, which includes many people opposed to vaccines, and Trump has given him a lot of autonomy to make decisions about public health.

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • CPB shutting down
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Sen. Collins expressed similar concerns: “I share the frustration with the biased reporting by NPR, and I would support defunding it."

    I guess the only media allowed should be way to the right? NPR rates just a little left with a high factual rating...

    https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/npr/

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Smoky skies
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Still bad air quality today (157 on the apple weather app) - entering day 2 of the 4 day Lollapalloza music fest downtown. Gridlock in our neighborhood again certain times of the day and night. At least it's cooler which should help the paramedics!

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • I don't know this country anymore
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Fire em? No. Arrest them all and keep them in one of those tent prisons while each case slowly winds through the system. Or deport them to face crimes against humanity charges? Use the new huge Immigration and Customs enforcement budget to go after the entrenched white supremicist movement working to prevent the lawful acceptance of immigrants to the country. (never gonna happen...)

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • The age old question - how many steps a day?
    RontunerR Rontuner

    I'd seen that number and have found that pretty easy to hit in the city. Not sure when the weather gets more challenging!

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Rachel Hurley post on FB
    RontunerR Rontuner

    "Last night I watched an interview with Beto O’Rourke and he said something that really hit home for me:
    “Democrats are more interested in being right than being in power.”
    Every word of that statement cuts to the heart of what’s wrong with the party right now.
    I see this obsession with moral purity every single day in my comment sections. I post a funny meme or something meant to be polarizing, or even a deep dive into some political grift or Trump’s policies, and inevitably, some Democrat shows up to nitpick a statistic or correct a minor detail - as if being technically correct on every single point is more important than the overall message. They act like we’re in a college debate class where points are awarded for perfect citations rather than a bare-knuckle political fight where the stakes are democracy itself.
    Little do they realize - my goal is not to win a Pulitzer - it’s to piss people off. If one more person tells me how Heather Cox Richardson does it - I’m gonna lose it. Richardson is great - but I am not her and our tactics are not the same.
    The liberal mindset is political suicide dressed up as virtue. “I think that Democrats have been so scared of being branded as hypocrites or coloring outside of the lines that it has absolutely paralyzed them in this struggle for power in America,” O’Rourke told CNN, and he’s absolutely right.
    While Democrats worry about maintaining some imaginary moral high ground, Republicans are systematically dismantling voting rights, gerrymandering districts, and rigging the game.
    The current Texas redistricting fight perfectly illustrates this problem. Trump is pressuring Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps to pick up five more GOP seats ahead of the 2026 midterms, and Abbott has dutifully added it to the special legislative session agenda. Republicans don’t care that this is naked partisan gerrymandering - they care about winning. Meanwhile, Democrats are hand-wringing about whether fighting back with the same tactics makes them “just as bad.”
    Here’s what those well-intentioned Democrats don’t understand: there is no morality in allowing bad people to consolidate power through your own weakness. When your political opponents winning means that marginalized communities will suffer, that voting rights will be stripped away, that people will be kidnapped out of their homes or taken right off the street, that the LGBTQ community will be forced back into hiding, that women will die from lack of reproductive healthcare - then winning becomes the ultimate moral imperative. Period.
    O’Rourke gets this when he says Democrats need to “match fire with fire” and be “absolutely ruthless about getting back in power.” He’s not advocating for Democrats to become Republicans. He’s advocating for Democrats to stop unilaterally disarming in a political war.
    Think of it like a ship that’s one degree off course. At first, the deviation seems negligible - barely noticeable. But the further that ship travels, the more dramatically off-course it becomes. Eventually, you’re so far from your destination that course correction requires a complete about-face. That’s exactly where we are as a country right now.
    Every election cycle that Democrats lose because they’re too pure to fight dirty is another degree off course. Every gerrymandered district that goes unchallenged, every voting restriction that gets implemented while Democrats debate the finer points of procedure - it all adds up. We’re not just slightly off course anymore. We’re heading toward an iceberg, and the Democratic establishment is still arguing about proper maritime etiquette.
    The fact that Abbott was initially resistant to Trump’s redistricting plan but caved after a phone call with the president shows you everything you need to know about how power actually works. Republicans understand that politics is about wielding power to achieve outcomes, not about maintaining some pristine reputation for fairness.
    This doesn’t mean that I am advocating lying - I fact check every single one of my essays before posting. I am just not going to research every meme or news article I post to satirize the ridiculous times we live in. Does it show Republicans or Trump in a bad light? Fantastic - IDGAF if it’s true - Republicans certainly don’t care if what they post is true.
    Liberals need to get smarter about the way they perceive things. If something can be reframed in a way that gives an advantage - I say “TAKE IT.” Take the advantage. Stop worrying about being right and start worrrying about winning.
    It’s long past time to smarten up and recognize that your highest value should be preventing an authoritarian from destroying the system altogether. Sometimes that requires getting your hands dirty. Sometimes that means using every tool available, even the ones that feel distasteful.
    The people who will suffer most from Republican power grabs aren’t going to thank Democrats for taking the high road while their rights get trampled. They need Democrats who understand that in politics, being right and being powerless is just another way of being wrong.
    So, if you’re anti-Trump, stop putting in so much effort to help him by arguing with people who are on your side - just to stroke your ego.
    Oh, and one more thing - if you want a fact check, then learn how to do a damn fact check."

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • The dictator protection program
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Looking forward to justice for all of the enablers, no matter how harsh...

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • AI coding tools - time savers?
    RontunerR Rontuner

    A 'solution' in search of a problem?

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • What are you doing?
    RontunerR Rontuner

    MrsTuner had a shoulder replacement surgery last year and then experienced a couple of dislocations this year. Had another surgery a few days ago to tighten up the joint so I've been home managing ice rotations and trying to be helpful...

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Texas Floods
    RontunerR Rontuner

    "Kerr County did not opt for ARPA to fund flood warning systems despite commissioners discussing such projects nearly two dozen times since 2016. In fact, a survey sent to residents about ARPA spending showed that 42% of the 180 responses wanted to reject the $10 million bonus altogether, largely on political grounds."

    https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/texas-kerr-county-commissioners-flooding-warning/

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • When a REAL ID isn't real enough
    RontunerR Rontuner

    I wonder if they can expand to a class-action suit including all wrongfully kidnapped people? Naming those responsible (in front and behind the scenes) for suffering?

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Rain event in Chicago last night
    RontunerR Rontuner

    I think the worst was a little East of Kluurs. It poured pretty heavy downtown! We did get the flash flood warning emergency notice on our phones.

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Texas Floods
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Responsible business should probably have weather radios which would serve the same purpose as sirens. Requiring such things and/or sirens in Republican strongholds has proven difficult to pass through government.

    https://www.nbc4i.com/weather/noaa-weather-radios-an-essential-way-to-get-every-type-of-weather-alert/

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Texas Floods
    RontunerR Rontuner

    After media reports & experts warned for months that drastic & sudden cuts at the Nat Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability & endanger lives during the storm season, TX officials blame an inaccurate forecast by NWS for the deadly results of the flood.

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Texas Floods
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Let's see which typical Republican response fits best for this situation:
    Thoughts and prayers
    People die
    They'll get over it

    Any others come to mind?

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Evolution and guinea pig toes
    RontunerR Rontuner

    That was an interesting read - thanks!

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Chicago's public schools
    RontunerR Rontuner

    I retired from CPS in 2013, and I haven't kept up much. The political punishment is harsh and swift for those wanting to address these sorts of issues with simmering racial overtones involved. Layer on top of that the lack of national, state and city funding over the years for updating or replacing aging buildings has led to the current situation. The addition of charter schools with performance about the same as public schools has caused its share of student losses as well.

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • It passed in the Senate
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Signaling we've seen the last election for a while...

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Can't wait
    RontunerR Rontuner

    2 peas in a pod...

    Off Key - General Discussion

  • Say it isn't so, Kristi
    RontunerR Rontuner

    Isn't that considered a positive for government workers in the new Republican party?

    Off Key - General Discussion
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