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There's an abundance of stupid this Friday the 13th, so it's hard to know what to take aim at.
First: a takedown of @ABDanielleSmith obsequious op-ed (a thread): https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/smith-kenney-should-stay-the-course-on-focused-protection-not-lockdowns
First: a takedown of @ABDanielleSmith obsequious op-ed (a thread): https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/smith-kenney-should-stay-the-course-on-focused-protection-not-lockdowns
Smith invokes parallels with WWII and her veteran relatives. She is correct in noting the grand difference between the burdens asked to bear.
Canada's veterans volunteered to sacrifice their comfort, liberty and life for the safety and future of their fellow Canadians...
Canada's veterans volunteered to sacrifice their comfort, liberty and life for the safety and future of their fellow Canadians...
..but how much common ground could they find for Canadians unwilling to muster the same courage to, in Smith's words, "Binge-watch Netflix while eating chips and dip"?
Both then and now, the clear and present threat to the lives, safety and future of fellow Canadians exists..
Both then and now, the clear and present threat to the lives, safety and future of fellow Canadians exists..
...but alas, Smith conveniently omits the fact that the "small" group of doctors is 430 in number. Tell me, if the Premier routinely implores us to listen to "medical experts" - precisely what magic number of experts is required to reach his ear?
Presumably, listen to medical experts, until Smith tells you not to.
But Smith never had any intention of listening to experts. If she truly was interested in answering the questions she poses, she may have reached out to the likes of @drdagly (or even read his threads) ...
But Smith never had any intention of listening to experts. If she truly was interested in answering the questions she poses, she may have reached out to the likes of @drdagly (or even read his threads) ...
to gain an appreciation as to why the strain on the system is what it is... and why, despite yet another round of "it's just the flu" dogwhistle comparisons, even the conservative National Review disagrees. https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2020/05/18/covid-19-is-not-the-flu/
... and with an economics background Smith often likes to tout, she appears willfully ignorant to concepts such as lagging indicators and compounding growth.
217 in hospital? That's 217 in addition to flu (the viruses didn't take a mid-game substitution).
217 in hospital? That's 217 in addition to flu (the viruses didn't take a mid-game substitution).
And of course, the capacity for COVID's growth is much, much higher. Unlike the flu, healthcare staff aren't vaccinated. Unlike the flu, the hospital duration is on average 3 times longer. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6942e3.htm
...but perhaps Smith wasn't genuinely interested in seeking answers to her questions.
If she was, she wouldn't throw out numbers without context and scale, and perhaps would note that Alberta's number of beds per capita is among the lowest in the OECD.
If she was, she wouldn't throw out numbers without context and scale, and perhaps would note that Alberta's number of beds per capita is among the lowest in the OECD.
Perhaps the topping on the cake is her reference to @nntaleb, the same academic who also points out: "many young people have severe cases of the disease, overloading healthcare systems, and a not-so-small number of them die. It is not a free ride." ...
Indeed if Smith had done even cursory research into @nntaleb 's writing on the pandemic, she would have also found: "Worse, it did not take into account that the duration of hospitalisation can be lengthier than they think, or that one can incur a shortage of hospital beds."...
but perhaps @nntaleb 's most relevant point for Smith:
"letting a segment of the population die for the sake of the economy is a false dichotomy – aside from the moral repugnance of the idea." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-policy-scientific-dominic-cummings?CMP=share_btn_tw
"letting a segment of the population die for the sake of the economy is a false dichotomy – aside from the moral repugnance of the idea." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-policy-scientific-dominic-cummings?CMP=share_btn_tw
Smith does little to hide her sycophany:
"Kenney — to his everlasting credit — remains one of the few politicians on the planet able to see the issue clearly and take a measured response"
"Kenney — to his everlasting credit — remains one of the few politicians on the planet able to see the issue clearly and take a measured response"
Wow, on the whole planet! Everlasting credit!
The lowest Covid response approval in Canada, but Kenney is the one who sees it clearly.
The lowest Covid response approval in Canada, but Kenney is the one who sees it clearly.
