In our house, the quarantine began on the Ides of March. Since then we've been feeling our way along, and writing a lot. I hope you won't mind me using BlueNC to track my thoughts. Feel free to do the same.
This was written to on a Dan Forest Facebook thread, to one of his supporters.
Day 9
I'm afraid we're on different sides of the same coin. We both think the other side is ruining the country. Neither of us likes what we see happening, but we're powerless to do much about it.
North Carolina has built a medical response capability through our state’s Health Care Coalitions (HCCs) that can augment all levels of care to citizens affected by a disaster event. The capability includes medical supplies and equipment, as well as volunteer health care and medical professionals who are willing to deploy to affected areas or facilities to provide patient care. This response is provided through the State Medical Response System (SMRS), which recruits and manages volunteers in the following areas:
•Clinical (physicians, advanced care providers, nurses, EMS)
•Clinical Support (pharmacy, imaging and respiratory care)
•Non-clinical support (facility maintenance, safety, and administrative)
Here is the portal for you to register as a responder, or get additional training to be able to do so. North Carolina has an incredibly strong and diverse population of medical caregivers, including many who are currently retired. We need all of you right now.
NC'S NATIONAL FORESTS ARE CLOSING CAMPGROUNDS, TRAILS STILL OPEN: The national forests in North Carolina will close all campgrounds starting Monday until at least May 15, the U.S. Forest Service announced Sunday. That includes dozens of campsites in the Pisgah National Forest, Nantahala National Forest and others. The roads and trails will remain open, but some trailhead facilities, like restrooms, may be closed. North Carolina has at least 307 reported cases of coronavirus as of Monday morning. Mecklenburg County has 80 reported cases, the most in the state. Wake County has 52, and Durham County has 41. Wake County declared a heightened state of emergency on Sunday, putting in place additional measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. The county is closing some public spaces and urging businesses to screen workers for high temperatures. Public gatherings are limited to 50 people. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241415766.html
Richard Burr's latest transgression has me thinking about the two ways to remove a senator: (1) resignation, and (2) expulsion by the Senate. Either or neither could happen.
Is it a good thing to try to oust Burr now? From a political perspective, I'm not sure. The replacement process would be wicked, with the deck stacked in favor of Republicans.
From a moral perspective? Absolutely.
This is about America, not just North Carolina. As a country and as a state, we cannot tolerate this kind of craven behavior.
BURR'S CONTRAST--PRIVATE ACTIONS VS. PUBLIC PASSIVITY IN ADDRESSING CORONAVIRUS: To private donors: "There's one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," he said. "It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic." In public op-ed: “The United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus, in large part due to the work of the Senate Health Committee, Congress, and the Trump Administration,” they reassured readers. We have since discovered things aren’t quite that way. If he had such confidence as a Senator, why did he on Feb. 13, unload dozens of stocks – personal investments worth up to $1.5 million – that would lose much of their value in the next few weeks? Burr was elected by the citizens of N.C. Seems like it would be his job to call home, sound the alarm to his constituents and help us get ready and push the federal government to get its act together. https://www.wral.com/editorial-burr-s-contrast-private-actions-vs-public-passivity-in-addressing-cor...
SHORTAGE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PLAGUES U.S. HOSPITALS: With coronavirus cases soaring, doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers across the United States are confronting a dire shortage of masks, surgical gowns and eye gear to protect them from the virus. In interviews, doctors said they were increasingly anxious, fearing they could expose not only themselves to the virus but also their families and others. Both WakeMed in Raleigh and the Durham-based Duke University Health System have sufficient personal protective equipment, or PPE, for now, officials of the two hospital systems said. "The big concern that all of us have is this issue of the [potential patient] surge," said Dr. Joseph Rogers, chief medical officer for Duke Health. "This anticipation that there may be a large influx of patients who need to be isolated, and the consumption of PPE will then go up significantly." https://www.wral.com/at-war-with-no-ammo-doctors-call-shortage-of-protective-gear-dire/19020731/
Lots of people are calling for Burr to resign, and god knows we'd all be better off if he did. But there's danger. Specifically this: If he were to resign, the executive committee of the NCGOP gets to nominate his replacement ... with Cooper having to choose among their three submissions.
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