59 Comments - Precinct Captain - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:11 am: Why is the media even covering these cranks? They’re nothing more than a death cult. - Grandson of Man - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:14 am: “Yesterday’s was tiny.” Very thankful for this, and grateful that so many people have sense and compassion. Who suffers the most? Elderly people and those with pre-existing conditions that complicate infection. In other words, the most vulnerable and those we are morally obligated to protect. The “coronavirus liberation” people really turn certain talking points on their heads, about government intrusion and right to life. - PJ - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:16 am: More people live in my apartment complex than were at this entire “protest”. There’s certainly a media asymmetry in how the frine right manages to get widespread coverage of “protests” for something that overwhelming majorities of both parties support. Ignore these astroturfed stooges. - Socially DIstant Watcher - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:16 am: “I know it sounds silly, but I think the rest of the state could function without Cook County.” It doesn’t sound silly. It sounds ignorant. Profoundly ill informed. He’d be in a much bigger world of hurt without Cook County fueling the engine and funding downstate. And yes, that includes Will County. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:16 am: The scientists are saving these “folks” from themselves. They just don’t realize it. The press is covering it because they feel this odd need in a scientific global pandemic because “both sides” The reality is science wins with the rational, as polling seems to say too. - Ducky LaMoore - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:17 am: Precinct Captain, click-bait. Media makes money by getting clicks. Covidiots are profitable. Heck, I clicked. - The monster - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:29 am: “millennials are snowflakes who fold immediately because they’ve never dealt with any adversity” *Runs out and protests during a global pandemic because they haven’t been allowed to get endless bread sticks at Olive garden for a few weeks” - Lester Holt’s Mustache - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:32 am: State and local officials, including JB, should be directing these dopes to complain to the White House. As the other post states, we’re just following the guidelines put out by the trump administration. - TheInvisibleMan - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:33 am: ===Will County is a hot spot=== Yes it is. For the past 4 weeks, I’ve been watching plenty of people here not take this seriously. It’s not just the average joe either. A few weeks ago in their social media posts the plainfield police department was actively encouraging people to gather in parking lots, to beat the boredom. The Joliet/Crest Hill/Plainfield area does have a higher than average infection rate per 1k residents. I’m not surprised this is happening, as much as angry. - Oldtimer - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:38 am: Saw some video footage of the event. The protestors were obnoxious and confrontational with law enforcement. Wish arrests had been made. - Anon221 - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:38 am: To those who believe there is “freedom” from this virus in “liberation”, I hope you do not have to lose a loved one to change your mind. I have friends and family who are at risk from Ms. Van Note and her ilk and none of them are wanting to be “liberated” to a hospital or worse anytime soon. “Science is the father of knowledge, but opinion breeds ignorance.” Hippocrates “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” MLK,Jr. - Annonin - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:39 am: “Protests” ALWAYS gets attention because it is easy “coverage” The polling data is helpful. It was also worrisome to see all the contradictory info on testing, WSJ had a great piece Maybe Capt. Fax can share with us mere mortals. - XonXoff - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:42 am: == Lori “C.J.” Van Note of Heyworth, one of the protesters blocking the intersection with her vehicle, said she was tired of the “tyranny of the Democratic Party” that is causing people to lose their jobs. She also called the numbers of COVID-19 related illnesses and deaths “fake.” == …nothing a giant electromagnetic crane wouldn’t have fixed. /s - Colin O'Scopy - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:42 am: For people who denounce “fake news” on a regular basis sure seem desperate for that same “fake news” to cover and report their antics. - Fayette County - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:43 am: Maybe the Eastern Bloc politicians should have joined the protesters. I have a feeling they realize the true danger and may have avoided the gathering just as recommended by the experts. - Commonsense in Illinois - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:44 am: For me, the interview with the woman who organized the protest started out talking about government limiting her rights and personal freedoms. However, she then turned the conversation to her music business which she says must reopen and make money this week. Personal rights gave way to monetary needs rather quickly. - Ok - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:45 am: Based on the community spread data, it is likely that 1-2 people in that crowd have the virus even without symptoms. If they were overtly trying to flaunt social distancing, it is possible that 4-5 people will emerge with the virus from that population of 50 within 2 weeks. Within about 10 days, that group of 4-5 will be at their most contagious, and likely will infect 2-3 others, at least. - Ok - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:46 am: each - Lester Holt’s Mustache - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:46 am: ==The protestors were obnoxious and confrontational with law enforcement. Wish arrests had been made.== Probably because there were almost no African Americans at these gatherings. Had the protesters all been black there would have been lots of arrests. - Downstate - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:47 am: Rich, Any idea why the governor ordered a closure of lawn and garden centers, and then reversed himself 24 hours later? I was surprised by the first announcement and then shocked by the second. - Rod - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:52 am: No question the majority polled support the limitations placed on all of us in this pandemic. But at least here in Chicago we have low income community members, a good number of whom are active Street gang members who in practice ignor stay at home rules. Shooting are up in the City and tactical units of the CPD are making fewer stops too for gun searches. Road blocks have put up to try and isolate hot spots of Covid 19 in those communities too. Around 16% of the force is out sick every day and the number with Covid 19 is over 200. The fringe motivated by Trump present no problem really, it is the impoverished underbelly of Illinois that could eventually be the real problem. Up to now Mayor Lightfoot has quietly imposed something similar to martial law in specific areas of Chicago and it has worked for containment purposes. It can’t go on indefinitely however. - Lynn S. - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:53 am: Regarding Mr. Tracy: Where would Joliet (population now over 147,000) and the rest of Will County be without Chicago? Has he bothered to think about that? Bonus question: does he even bother to think? - All this - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:53 am: ==[Robert Tracy would] be in a much bigger world of hurt without Cook County fueling the engine and funding downstate.== Not only that but just imagine the cost to the state for the bill for all those eminent domain cases and surveyors’ wages and soil tests even before the wall is built. Plus cost of the wall itself( which wouldn’t be done before there was a vaccine). Plus the guards that man the wall at over 50 major checkpoints 7 days three shifts. Plus there would be more pollution as trucks idle at check points killing people in the outer suburbs including Joliet. Plus goods and services would cost more because of all the down time transporting them. Mr. Tracy must just love paying taxes and breathing diesel fumes. - Stones - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:57 am: Given the mixed messaging out of DC I’m not surprised these protests are popping up. Shameful. - Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 10:59 am: ===and then reversed himself 24 hours later=== I think businesses had misinterpreted the original rule. - Amalia - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:10 am: I appreciate hearing the poll results. recall the poll results on gun restrictions. loud minority gets attention. - 47th Ward - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:14 am: ===The protesters are a super-minority of a super-minority=== So was the Tea Party and yet that freak show dominated the coverage. And it’s mostly the same people too, except fewer tri-corner hats. - Froganon - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:18 am: Wondering if Robert Tracy advertises Covid exposure with his painting services? Asking for a friend. - Rasselas - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:21 am: If you visit Robert Tracy’s Facebook page, you can see that this was neither spontaneous nor out of character for him. But I sure hope any potential customers in nearby Cook County or DuPage county areas saw his quote. - 47th Ward - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:31 am: The protesters are part of a coordinated strategy to keep the country divided. Ignore them or pity them, but don’t try to stop or persuade them they are wrong. That only inflames the division, which is the goal of those who are behind this. We’re all Americans and we’re all in this together, even the stupid and selfish ones. - Joe Bidenopolous - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 11:38 am: The polling data is encouraging. Not to sound like a broken record, but the polling is a reminder that it isn’t governments that will decide when the country “opens,” it’s the people. - Elliott Ness - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:30 pm: People are frustrated for sure and a minority of the minority acting out on their frustration while trying to score political points is a byproduct. Then there are the escapades of Reps Halbrook, Bailey and others attempting to gin up this ignorance. Sad examples they are - Scott Cross for President - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:35 pm: As Rich reminded us here, the overwhelming majority of Americans support the current public health measures. The most recent Pew poll shows twice as many fear the lockdown will be ended too EARLY than those who worry it will be ended too late. Facing this decisive opposition to the president’s wishes, the president’s supporters are borrowing the tactics of the early Tea Party. They are protesting in aggressively obnoxious ways to entice the TV cameras to overlook their tiny numbers and fringe membership: Confederate-flag wavers, militia cosplayers, anti-vaxxers. The Lansing, MI protesters used their cars to impede ambulances. They brandished guns on the steps of the step legislature. Behave obnoxiously enough, and the television cameras will disregard your paltry numbers and sideshow members. - Independent - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:38 pm: Tea Partiers are kind of entertaining to watch with their signs containing a random mix of lower and upper case letters, often misspelled. Remember when they were outraged about the deficits under Obama a decade or so ago when we were digging ourselves out from the financial crisis? You could have heard a pin drop from them when Trump took over and deficits sharply rose, though the economy was growing. It makes me think their vigorous protests against Obama were not fiscally related. - Steve Rogers - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:41 pm: I’ve never understood this “personal freedom” argument. There are all sorts of laws the restrict personal freedoms: I can’t yell fire in a theater; I can’t run red lights; I can’t buy a ground-to-air missile launcher; I can’t open a gentleman’s club next to a school. Seriously, what are these people complaining about? - Grandson of Man - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:43 pm: “And it’s mostly the same people too, except fewer tri-corner hats.“ These days it’s tinfoil hats. - the Patriot - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:46 pm: All we really know is that you can buy enough votes by paying Government employees to do nothing and increasing unemployment benefits. Let people miss one paycheck and the numbers are below 25%. Try being ordered to shut your business a month before there was a positive test in your county. Especially when there are no positive tests because the Governor decided you don’t matter because you are a small rural county. 269 total tests in the Southern 7 counties as of today. Not enough tests for any usable data set, much less actually accomplish any medical purpose. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:49 pm: === All we really know is that you can buy enough votes by paying Government employees to do nothing and increasing unemployment benefits.=== Instead of yelling at clouds from your porch… put on a mask… and safely…with social distancing… take a nice walk. You’ll feel better. Stay well. - Demoralized - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:53 pm: ==All we really know is that you can buy enough votes by paying Government employees to do nothing== *sigh* Another hyperpartisan hack heard from. A good portion of those government employees are still working. =and increasing unemployment benefits.== lol. That’s not even deserving of a response it’s so ignorant. Go back out on your porch and continue yelling at those kids to get off of your lawn. - Demoralized - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:54 pm: ==Try being ordered to shut your business a month before there was a positive test in your county== Hey Mr. Wizard. The point of this is to prevent poeple from getting it. So, I would say that was a success story. You don’t wait for it to happen and then react. Good thing you aren’t setting public policy. - ajjacksson - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 12:56 pm: My family and I are staying at home, with the exception of the grocery store and the pharmacy, and adhering to social distancing. Having said that, I think the idea that we have gone “too far” in our restrictions has some merit. I question, on intellectual grounds, some of the models put forth as far as the virus is concerned. The response “look at the science” is not sufficiently intellectual. Scientific models–which should be more correctly described as statistical models–are only as good as the assumptions put into the models. In statistics, we take points off if students fail to classify a value as an actual value or a predicted value. A predicted value outside the range of known values, extrapolation, is considered to be unreliable. What I’m saying is this–if someone wants to challenge models on an intellectual ground, the response “look at the science” is inadequate. The argument needs to be based on the validity of the model. To classify anyone who wants to object on these grounds as some sort of “Trumpkin” is name calling and as ignorant as you claim them to be. Certainly, there are some ignorant folk out there. Don’t lump all these people together. - RuralKing - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 1:00 pm: ==@Demoralized—”The point of this is to prevent people from getting it” Not true,…the point was to prevent the health care system from being overrun. Quit moving the goal posts. Chances are that a large section of the populace is going to get this thing before it’s over with. - Al - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 1:01 pm: It would appear to this casual observer Trump’s Russian bots have been able to successfully manage telecommuting from home. Good job Putin, the dog whistle is still working.;)/s - Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 1:22 pm: ===the point was to prevent the health care system from being overrun. Quit moving the goal posts=== That was only STEP ONE. - Demoralized - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 1:26 pm: ==the point was to prevent the health care system from being overrun== Umm, yes, by decreasing the number of people who would be infected. I didn’t move any goal post. ==Chances are that a large section of the populace is going to get this thing before it’s over with.== And, your point? That sure seems like the argument the “open everything up” people are making. - R A T - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 1:53 pm: I will pay attention the first tome I do NOT see one of these protests as a white-supremists rally - Not Ohio - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 2:03 pm: Rich - one thing to highlight is how our leaders have responded to these “protests”. As a counter example, consider what’s happening in Ohio, where many in this camp have been given an official voice by the state’s top leaders. This entire thread is worth a read: https://twitter.com/Tylerjoelb/status/1252266336681635846 - Paddyrollingstone - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 2:23 pm: “You know, what I would do with Chicago is just take Cook County and just build a wall right there and leave everybody inside,” said Robert Tracy, a commercial painter from Joliet. “I know it sounds silly, but I think the rest of the state could function without Cook County.” […] Rich Miller: Will County is a hot spot. The guy is kidding himself. Rich - you are awfully nice!I can think of a lot of different ways to describe Mr. Tracy. What a maroon.. - Pundent - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 2:30 pm: =What I’m saying is this–if someone wants to challenge models on an intellectual ground, the response “look at the science” is inadequate.= Perhaps we’re being abundantly cautious. But I think it’s well established what the alternative is. To the extent the science is not as reliable as we’d like it is a direct result of the absence of data that testing would provide. Once we can do testing at scale we’ll be a whole lot confident in predictions and next steps. - OpentoDiscussion - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 3:02 pm: There are nutters on every issue and the ‘opposite side’ loves to point them out as being reflective of others who share similar but more rational views. I have firmly supported the Governors decisions effective through April. However, at that time there needs to be a serious review on a county by county basis. The differences in rates, at least at this time, are overwhelming between Chicago and the suburbs and the rest of downstate. It is wise to be careful but if the rates in more rural areas continue to be a low levels then distinctions among population groupings must be made. Certainly I am no health expert and I must leave it to professionals in the health care industry to set up such guidelines. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 3:13 pm: === However, at that time there needs to be a serious review on a county by county basis. The differences in rates, at least at this time, are overwhelming between Chicago and the suburbs and the rest of downstate.=== Where does testing fit in, in your assessment? === Certainly I am no health expert and I must leave it to professionals in the health care industry to set up such guidelines.=== No further questions. - 17% Solution - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 4:29 pm: “All we really know is that you can buy enough votes by paying Government employees to do nothing and increasing unemployment benefits.” Who is the “we” in this sentence? Who is the “you” in this sentence? Is that you, Michael McClain? - MyTwoCents - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 7:06 pm: I just saw this article, new poll out and only 10% (17% of Trump supporters) support the protest. The poll was taken the 14th through the 17th so it’s a more recent poll and still these people are a super minority. https://www.newsweek.com/only-1-10-americans-back-liberate-protests-poll-shows-1499053 - PrairieStateLove - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 7:56 pm: Has anyone asked the unemployed what they think? I am finding most of the scholarly work on this topic is by people with a paycheck - Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 20 @ 7:57 pm: === Has anyone asked the unemployed what they think?=== Is there something in the polling that confused you? Speak for yourself or find something to show your argument as a measured response. - PrairieStateLove - Tuesday, Apr 21, 20 @ 8:15 am: Thanks Willy. I, like you and Rich, will find data to support my argument. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 21, 20 @ 8:21 am: - PrarieStateLove - You’re welcome. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/more-americans-fear-lifting-coronavirus-restrictions-too-soon-wsj-nbc-poll-says-11587301203 - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 21, 20 @ 8:23 am: A takeaway? === According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, 58 percent of registered voters expressed concern about a loosening of restrictions, compared with 32 percent who worried that the restrictions would stay in place for too long.=== - Demoralized - Tuesday, Apr 21, 20 @ 8:52 am: ==will find data to support my argument== Probably should have done that first before you offered up your opinion as fact. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.