Well it’s the end of the old style working week and yet another weekend looms large as folks try to think about what they will do with their restricted time off. NO pubs, no clubs, no cinema, no football, no concerts and definitely no fraternizing with others, are we really living the life of Orwell’s prediction? Not quite yet, but it is coming! On that let’s see what else there is to rant about.
So America the cat is out of the bag, Trump has openly stated on Twitter that the governor of Michigan should be thanking him because ‘HIS’ justice department and ‘HIS’ law enforcement agencies foiled a plot to kidnap her, but then instead of condemning white supremacist militia’s, he condemned the Michigan Governor herself for calling him a ‘White Supremacist’. You have to believe there is a severe mentality imbalance going on within Trump’s head by now. The story broke as Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference to explain that the FBI had thwarted a plot to abduct and overthrow her. The Michigan Governor had become a target for coronavirus sceptics after enacting strict measures that were overturned by a judge last week. FBI officials stated the kidnapping plot involved six men who planned to hold a "treason trial" for her. In the press briefing in Michigan, Mrs Whitmer stated that hatred, bigotry and violence have no place describing the accused as "depraved". The plot was discovered by an undercover FBI source who was wearing a recording device. The recording captured several members talking about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor," while in one video, a suspect denounced the state's role in deciding when to reopen gyms during the coronavirus lockdown. To prevent detection the men had met in a basement that was accessed by a trapdoor hidden under a rug, right out of a movie.
This is the type of radicalization Trump as president is condoning when he refuses to speak out against racism and conducts himself as an authoritarian. As president he can denounce, he can deny, he can filibuster his way out of questions about his allegiances to ‘White Supremacy’, but what he cannot do is call militia groups to action which is what his statement, ‘Stand Back and Stand By’ directed at the ‘Proud Boys’ during then last presidential debate which is been seen as an indorsement by Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Survivalists and Militia groups. This is a man who will not go quietly in to the good night come January. This is a man who will destroy democracy between the election and inauguration day when he loses by any means possible. You have seen it in many a movie, many a television show. You have read in many forms of literature, but now it is becoming a reality, at this moment in the history the United States of America you are been led by a narcissistic, mentally imbalanced, delusional and Nazi loving old man looking to leave a corruptible legacy behind him by removing America’s constitutional freedoms in favour of a fascist dictatorship which he and his family will preside over like royalty of the past making up their own rules and laws to suit their warped ideology.
Speaking of warped ideology within the current sitting president, it is stated that he intends to return to public life this weekend with a rally even though around 34 Whitehouse staff and other contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 meaning many positive cases could become evident. Trump has stated he will take another test today, Friday to make sure he is negative for the virus, but questions remain over Trump’s health even though his doctor have stated he now has no symptoms and also about when, the president first became infected or whether he could still be contagious. Other questions been asked and remain unclear are over, just how many people have been exposed at the White House. New COVID safety measures are in place there. Even Mitch McConnell has openly stated he has refused to visit the Whitehouse due to the lack of COVID precautions been used. Also due to Trump’s diagnosis the community that oversees presidential debates has deemed the next presidential debate will be a virtual one which has prompted Trump to pull out of next Thursday's TV debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden stating he was “not going to waste my time on a virtual debate”. This move has now sparked a row about how and when further debates would take place. Trump is clearly not at ease with a virtual format because it would men he could be cut off if he returns to his bully boy tactics of the previous debate and constantly interrupting his opponent. He likes the stage so he can play to his ego with people there to cheer and chant his name which will go down in history as the worst American to ever hold the office of President.
Meanwhile as Trump’s people fight with everyone over the debates, in the background Congressional House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in Washington, has stated she plans to introduce legislation on today to establish a commission to assess Trump's fitness for office. The statement announcing the move stated the commission would be set up under the 25th Amendment rule, which outlines how a sitting president can be stripped of power if they are deemed unable to conduct the duties of the office in which they preside. Ms Pelosi told reporters on yesterday that serious questions concerning Trump's health were still unanswered describing the president as being in an “altered state”, but the Associated Press news agency reported that the legislation wouldn’t get any serious consideration, but it would serve as a political tool to raise questions about Trump's health, prompting a response from Trump who returned to his misogynistic persona calling Pelosi “CRAZY” and that she was “the one who should be under observation”. Wow America the knives are well and truly out as the Democrats seem to be removing the safeguards and no longer pulling punches when it comes to Trump’s health which by the way he personally claims in his own words that "I'm back because I'm a perfect physical specimen”. Pass me the puke bag as I vomit up disgust! Any person who is overly obese who calls themselves ‘A Perfect Physical Specimen’ is clearly delusional and I should know as I am a fifty something obese man who has had a lifetime of fighting the flab and is really struggling to curb the weight gain in this present climate, so I call ‘BS’, Mr president.
On that note lets belly flop the pond and check out what dear old Blighty is suffering with. As cases of the virus continue to rise the government is poised to implement yet more stricter rules on how and what the populous can do during the present climate. In The UK we are entering the worst weather season of our year when outside events will not be able to be held, where socialising will become more restrictive as hospitality venues who would prosper under normal circumstances struggle to house customers, but this year that is going to be a problem as more and more smaller venues will suffer due to social distancing as customers can no longer eat, drink or socialize outdoors due to the cold and rain Autumn brings and the snow that winter possibly brings forth. The questions that should be asked of the government is, how can small venues like pubs and restaurants be expected to survive if they are limited in how they can serve their clientele efficiently in greater numbers. We are now entering the festive seasons of Halloween, Christmas and New Year where the hospitality industry would usually bask in the rapture of large festive parties as their tills would ring in the season of laughter, indulgence and joy. Can the government find an answer for that? I am asking this as more draconian rules are either been implemented or considered which will kill the season of good will.
New restrictions aimed at halting the rise in COVID infections are to come into force in Scotland which means pubs and restaurants in the central belt are to close at 18:00 BST and will not reopen until at least 25 October while tighter restrictions will also come into force across the rest of the country, with no alcohol to be served indoors and bar opening hours limited. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated the moves were “essential” to get the spread of the virus back under control, however some in the hospitality industry have stated it could have a “massive impact” on businesses and cost thousands of jobs. Also further measures will come into force from midnight to bring back the 2m (6ft 6in) physical distancing rule in shops and tighten the rules around the wearing of face coverings. Along with these guidelines outdoor live events, adult contact sports, group exercise classes, snooker/pool halls, casinos and bingo halls will be required to close in certain health board areas bringing a wide spread lockdown to much of the hospitality industry within Scotland once again. People in Scotland are also being asked to avoid public transport where possible and not to share a vehicle with another household which creates further economic problems for bus and taxi firms already reeling from the spring lockdowns.
In England, Johnson is supposedly considering a three tier scenario to what people can and can’t do in their local areas. As the R-rating rises exponentially five areas within the North of England have been classed among 22 European regions with the highest coronavirus infection rates. Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, West Yorkshire and Lancashire were among the top 5% of areas in Europe with infection rates of more than 350 cases per 100,000 people between 21 September and 4 October. To combat this the government is supposedly implementing their three tier system which is a traffic light style consisting of red equals alert level 3, Amber equals alert level 2 and green equals alert level 1.
The most serious been level 3 or Red will contain tougher measures than any seen so far in local lockdowns since the start of the pandemic which will include closure of hospitality and leisure businesses, no social contact outside your household in any setting, restrictions on overnight stays away from home, no organised non-professional sports permitted or other communal hobby groups and activities, such as social clubs in community centres, while places of worship would remain open.
Level 2 or Amber, will be triggered in geographical areas or nationally when there has been a rise in transmission, which cannot be contained through local responses and will state that people must not meet others outside of their household in private dwellings or gardens, apart from their support bubble, or in pubs, restaurants or other settings while visiting care homes will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances and travel should be limited to essential purposes, though holidays are permitted within households. Also people would be able to continue to play organised team sports while weddings would be limited to 15 attendees and receptions would not be permitted, with funeral numbers also slashed from 30 to 15 attendees.
And level 1 or Green would mean restrictions like those currently in place across England, including the “rule of six” for gatherings indoors and out, the wearing of face-coverings, the 10pm curfew on hospitality businesses and numbers limited to 15 at weddings and 30 at funerals.
Schools are not mentioned because Johnson had previously made it clear that classroom closures would be a last resort and the reopening of schools was considered within Whitehall to have been a relative success [BS]. Yet it is reported that any attempts to impose more stringent measures are expected to provoke renewed anger among Conservative backbenchers, who are likely to demand a vote in parliament should they come into force.
So basically as I said at the beginning of today’s rant the year 2020, so far has been a close symbolic look at how George Orwell’s dystopian piece of fictional literature could actually come to pass in to reality as governments use technology to catalogue and categorise the nation’s population through ‘Track and Trace’, GPS, CCTV, website cookies, fishing computer code, white hat hacking and many, many more options the public would probably be disgusted by if they knew. we find ourselves well and truly under the thumb of ‘BIG BROTHER’ better known as MI6, MI5, GCHQ, DI, CIA, NSA, FBI, DHS and they are only the ones that are known about in two countries, what about the rest of the world or the now synonymous private intelligence communities run by the multi-conglomerates or companies like Twitter, Facebook, etc. where unsuspecting individuals post their everyday movements with pictures which are geotagged. Somehow I think we have actually surpassed Orwell’s idea of what ‘BIG BROTHER’ would be like and is far more dangerous than any of us actually realises. On that scary thought I will call it a day,
Rant you tomorrow!
Back Monday.
