85 Comments - Hick County Judge - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:03 pm: I wouldn’t have laughed. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:05 pm: I would have sat there and listed off all of the counties in the state that had cases - reminding people that 96 of 102 counties have the virus located in them. I would have done what he did recently in telling us the infection rates in some downstate counties. As an aside, does anyone find it interesting that the same people filing suit that their constitutional rights are being violated are the same people saying we should quarantine off Chicago? - Perrid - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:07 pm: How would I have reacted to somebody wanting to, in effect, build a wall around Chicago? I would have laughed and asked if they were serious. Now, maybe they meant that they want Chicago to quarantine/isolate, instead of saying that want to quarantine Chicago. Those are very different things, wanting Chicgoans to self isolate while the rest of the state does nothing but whistle past the graveyard is different than building a (metaphorical) wall around Chicago. But as asked it’s a silly question. - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:09 pm: “Many people in rural parts of the state want to quarantine Chicago and the suburbs and reopen parts of Downstate Illinois that aren’t seeing infection rates like the urban areas. Why has the state not done that?” “Because it’s idiotic. Next question?” – MrJM - JoanP - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:10 pm: “Asked and answered. Move on.” - Lester Holt’s Mustache - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:11 pm: Oh I would have been much more insulting. Would have went on at length, deriding the questioner and those like him while utilizing numerous profanities than cannot be stated here. Probably would have also thrown in a couple of shots regarding their parentage and education for good measure. This is also one of the many reason that I am not governor - Chambanalyst - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:11 pm: McHaney is really loving politicizing this and creating this stir. Unfortunate to say the least. Great judgement from a “judge”. EO will inevitably be upheld and be nothing but a waste of taxpayer resources and time that could be spent doing ACTUALLY productive things. Hard to blame the chuckle. Governor gets asked the same questions every day and he is doing the best he can to keep people safe. I give him credit for often replying to these questions with actual data driven metrics like ICU availability or per capita death or infection rates. At some point I guess you resort to using humor to deflect the sheer craziness of this all. - Socially DIstant Watcher - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:11 pm: Rep. Bailey was asking for his own ability to go outside; Rep. Caballo is asking for everyone’s right to go outside. As a result, Rep. Caballo cannot argue for treating Cook County any differently than his own district without admitting that he’s not actually suffering any injury. - Shytown - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:13 pm: How can one not laugh at such a ridiculous suggestion. His answer what matters. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:14 pm: === This is also one of the many reason that I am not governor === Same. lol - Donnie Elgin - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:15 pm: I would not have used a scoffing laugh. But no one should be surprised by this- JB knows his political support “south of I-80″ is minimal - so he is using his political capital ( the briefing ) to reinforcing his base and to diminish the opposition. Of course, a scoffing laugh is not very polite - Montrose - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:16 pm: Will sheriffs or ISP enforce quarantine boundaries? Where will we source the barricades needed at check points? How do we ensure people can’t forge their essential worker papers to cross quarantine lines? Who will monitor the essential workers to ensure they go back to the quarantine zones? - PJ - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:16 pm: The virus was only in China, so America stayed open. Now it’s in 96 counties in Illinois. Do these people truly not understand how this works? - Huh? - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:17 pm: Given the stressful situation we are under, a bit of laughter was just the ticket. Considering the dumb question. - Rabid - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:17 pm: Was the laughter in your courtroom funny - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:17 pm: === JB knows his political support “south of I-80″ is minimal=== Cite please. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:17 pm: ===knows his political support “south of I-80″ is minimal=== 60.5% of Downstaters support his handling of the virus, so I wouldn’t make too many assumptions about what someone else knows or not. - Pundent - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:18 pm: What? I thought answering sarcastically in the midst of a pandemic was a-okay? Perhaps he should have avoided the question all together by simply insulting the reporter and whatever news organization she represented. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:18 pm: ==so he is using his political capital ( the briefing ) to reinforcing his base and to diminish the opposition== You think the way this virus is being handled is political? Man you have an extremely jaded view of things. - Norseman - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:19 pm: I really think it would be disingenuous to say how I’d react during that specific moment. With the luxury of time, you would want to avoid a chuckle over the question. Although, the nature of the question was silly, we’ve seen the GOP are going to use anything out of context. His substantive response was spot on - “this virus knows no boundaries ….” McHaney’s focus on this was another clear indication of a political action, not a legal one. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:19 pm: ===whatever news organization she represented=== The question was read by his press secretary. The question was submitted online by Daily Herald reporter Jake Griffin. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:22 pm: === Many people in rural parts of the state want to quarantine Chicago and the suburbs and reopen parts of Downstate Illinois that aren’t seeing infection rates like the urban areas. Why has the state not done that?=== This is why - Norseman - would’ve been my CoS… “With all 50 states, DC, the American territories and possessions all declared disaster areas for the first time ever and over 160 countries around the globe fighting this crisis too, I dunno how downstate Illinois thinks they’re immune to what this entire country and the whole world is facing.” - Pundent - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:22 pm: =The question was submitted online by Daily Herald reporter Jake Griffin.= Oh he knows the people over there. Very unfair. Now their going to say Pritzker laughed. That’s not what he did. Not a laugh, no laughing, fake news. - DownSouth - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:28 pm: I am now forced to admit - even as a southern Illinoisan - I laughed, perhaps more of a snort at the silliness of the question overall. Eye rolls and face palming may have also occurred. Followed by my own outburst of language that well common courtesy and Rich’s guidelines won’t allow me to share. - Jocko - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:30 pm: I would ask the reporter to define the word ‘pandemic’ and ask, “Did you notice the words rural or urban didn’t come up?” - Transplant - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:31 pm: While I know Judge McHaney personally and have generally agreed with his rulings, this ruling is mortifying. It should be noted that McHaney is a Democrat and his wife is the former chair of the Marion County Democratic Committee. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:32 pm: ==But no one should be surprised by this- JB knows his political support “south of I-80″ is minimal - so he is using his political capital ( the briefing ) to reinforcing his base and to diminish the opposition.== Really? What does that say about Reps. Bailey and Caballo? And, comparing the Gov. to the Reps, whose actions (in court and in the public will keep the residents of the state safe? The Gov’s briefings have been informative, based on the facts, and generally respectful of even the dumbest questions. The base that is being “reinforced” are the folks who prefer to follow the science, while the “opposition” appear to be the folks who don’t. ==Of course, a scoffing laugh is not very polite == The person who asked the question deserves to be laughed at. Let’s look at the premise of the question: “quarantine Chicago and the suburbs and reopen parts of Downstate Illinois that aren’t seeing infection rates like the urban areas” Which “parts of the state” are we talking about? Is there a threshold infection rate? How do you know the rate if you aren’t testing? Based on what we do know, should there be quarantine barricades set up around Randolph and Jasper and Jefferson counties? What about the people that commute into or out of those counties to work or shop? - GregN - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:33 pm: Anybody else listening to WMAY right now? 4 or 5 Repub reps having a presser. - Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:37 pm: Let em open up… under the condition that downstate counties and munis get ZERO state resources once COVID undoubtedly flares up again there. - Don't Bloc Me In - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:37 pm: Living in the Eastern Bloc, I can confirm the “quarantine Chicago” sentiment exists. I’ve heard demands, such as closing the interstates and building a wall…as if we aren’t connected to St. Louis and other urban areas. In hindsight, this was a chance for the governor to address the rural-urban divide, specifically the “us vs. Chicago” thinking that is so common here. Bailey and others are exploiting the pandemic crisis in part to promote their anti Chicago agenda. Expose him for what he is. - Peoples Republic of Oak Park - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:40 pm: That was a limousine liberal laughing at the rubes downstate. - Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:45 pm: I’m sure the Governor was being sarcastic, just like the President. - the Patriot - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:45 pm: Try to consider some context. If you live in a County with 0 cases for the first 30 days of the shut down you lost your livlihood for a Chicago problem. Now think about living in a county with 0 COVID deaths, but some suicides and substance related deaths…Not laughing. The answer should have been we are reviewing the data from all parts of the state to determine appropriate measures moving forward. The fact is he has no clue what is going on in most of these counties because he made the decision not to test. Southern 7 health department is a good example where they had almost no cases, but are also doing almost no testing. This has become like a war in the Mideast where everyone wants to know the exist strategy. Well there ain’t a good one. The longer you pretend you are waiting for the right strategy, the worse the fallout from never finding it. We are at a tipping point so he has to get a way to respond to down state as if they matter to him, when we know they really don’t. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:48 pm: === We are at a tipping point so he has to get a way to respond to down state as if they matter to him, when we know they really don’t.=== Polling on how the governor is handling the situation, and in context to “downstate” disagrees with your anecdotal thoughts. It’s apparently the noisy and unhelpful minority of folks looking to be angry at Chicago. - Sayitaintso - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:52 pm: You think the laughter was inappropriate? You should have heard the first response that went through his head before he began to laugh… - Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:52 pm: “How would you have reacted?” With repeated use of George Carlin’s 7 words … - AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:53 pm: This judge is only proving himself a disgrace. - Rachel - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:54 pm: I think the governor has been extremely restrained in attempting to handle a relatively small group that are literally too dumb to live. I have no problem with the laugh. It should have been followed by misterjayem’s response. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 12:56 pm: It’s not just COVID-19. Parts of downstate wanted to kick Chicago out of Illinois before this crisis. It’s pure hatred that’s coming from the Eastern Bloc types. It’s ridiculous and has become exasperating. What can one do but laugh? - Ano - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:02 pm: Grandson beat me to it. Many I know would like to quarantine Chicago forever and always. Never mind the economic engine of the state……… Having relatives in one of the lesser affected counties, there is a feeling that they “live right” and don’t get these problems. I’ve watched the state map which originally had Chicago and immediate counties fill with cases. Now, Im watching just about every county with cases and their in particular really gain in numbers. What happened? In counties with few cases/deaths, the only way they’d be able to maintain that is to never allow anyone inside their boundaries and never leave either. That, is quarantine. - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:02 pm: As a downstate hick who can’t wait for restrictions to be lifted, I laughed at the question too. We will get out of this when there is a proven effective treatment that prevents all or almost all from dying. That’s the ballgame. We don’t need to open up just to become a hot spot for the virus. I feel safe now. But if I see packed churches and restaurants before that effective treatment, then I may never leave home. People seem to forget that our economy is made up of all of our personal choices. There will be no recovery when half of all people won’t leave their homes even if their favorite restaurant is open. - Lester Holt’s Mustache - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:03 pm: == We are at a tipping point so he has to get a way to respond to down state as if they matter to him, when we know they really don’t== That’s a pretty elitist attitude to have. You feel fine just assuming no one in your area has it, no one is going to have it, and no one is going to spread it to anyone or anywhere else. “We know better than than the doctors and our county health departments” is what everyone hears when you say stuff like that, oh and “by the way, we’re also going to just project our own assumptions onto what everyone else is thinking before we even ask”. Maybe come down from your ivory tower and look around for a bit, see what the other 82% of Illinoisans are dealing with before you go shouting your high-falutin, holier-than-thou views at the internet - Say What? - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:04 pm: =That was a limousine liberal laughing at the rubes downstate= Yes, it was. Do outrageously poor ideas make it easy for the Eastern Bloc types to be laughed at? Yes. Should he do it . . . .no. It comes off as arrogance. Even Governors have a responsibility to communicate, build coalitions, et. al. The high marks for acting like an adult and making correct decisions have been earned by the Governor. Toss in a little humble pie now and then as well (as Governor Cuomo does this expertly and repeatedly), and you have a healthy balance. - Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:05 pm: Did the snowflakes down in Clay Co. get their fee fees hurt? - A Jack - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:09 pm: I would continue to use the term population density or perhaps crowd density which may be more applicable in a sparsely populated county. Let’s say we open up Clay County, all the way, no restrictions. And they celebrate with a big party with 50 - 100 people. One of those persons is asymptomatic Covid-19. That person infects 50 and those 50 infect another 100, so that you now have 150 cases where before you only had 2. Your little country hospital gets overwhelmed and the National Guard has to set up a giant field hospital. - Generic Drone - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:10 pm: I would have said nothing. Just looked at the camera with one of those, see what I gotta deal with, eye rolls. - Big Jer - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:14 pm: Rich as you mentioned many times, too many people in the media are looking for “gotcha” moments where they can take some small morsel of a comment and turn it into click bait. I would have clarified what I was laughing at and then stopped without further questions on the subject. Michael McHaney — Your 15 minutes of fame are up. I have commented before on my perceived view of the right ward political slant of Jake Griffin and the Daily Herald editorial board, and it seems to be getting worse. I used to think the Daily Herald was a neutral/slightly progressive newspaper but maybe that was a mirage. - olddog - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:17 pm: === We are at a tipping point so he has to get a way to respond to down state as if they matter to him, when we know they really don’t.=== When the governor says the COVID-19 virus doesn’t recognize county boundaries and he wants to save lives downstate as it continues to spread throughout Illinois, does that count? Or do not downstate lives matter? To the question: It’s a hypothetical. I hope I wouldn’t have laughed, but as a downstater I’m happy that Gov. Pritzker is listening to the doctors and scientists and doing what he can to tamp down the epidemic so it doesn’t cost more lives (including maybe my own) than it has already. - olddog - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:19 pm: Edited version: When the governor says the COVID-19 virus doesn’t recognize county boundaries and he wants to save lives downstate as it continues to spread throughout Illinois, does that count? Or do downstate lives not matter? I need to edit my copy before I click on “Say It.” - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:20 pm: == And they celebrate with a big party with 50 - 100 people.== They did that in the courtroom earlier this week. Time will tell if the rest of your scenario comes true. - Jibba - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:24 pm: ===Toss in a little humble pie now and then as well=== JB apologized for the confusion regarding dentists. Nice to see someone in politics admit when they are wrong, unlike in DC. BTW, downstate is just a little later to the Covid party. The cases are already here, but not growing as quickly due to the shutdown. Shouldn’t you be thanking JB for closing things down enough to reduce the numbers? - Southern Skeptic - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:28 pm: He’s been at the podium for 52 days straight. Maybe cut the guy a little slack after an endless array of often ridiculous questions. - Ted - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:28 pm: If I had asked a question, any question, and the answer started with a laugh, the rest of the answer would fall on deaf ears. I don’t care on either side, Republican (which is me for another 15 hours or so) or Democrat. The laughter in his own courtroom was just as bad as the Gov. - Tynie - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:30 pm: == We are at a tipping point== According to this news article, my mayor and the mayor of East Peoria, essentially agree with that. They put it differently, but how my mayor phrased it, made me curious. How long will it be, before violent civil disobedience starts erupting? Frankly, I’d rather keep an eye out for that, and ways to do my essentials shopping without being caught up in it, than get into debates with anyone. Btw.. Here’s the article: https://week.com/2020/04/28/mayors-working-on-plan-to-re-open-economy-disagree-on-governors-authority/ - Saul Goodman - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:31 pm: I would have cautioned against a headlong rush to reopen, and noted that there are some hot spots downstate, but would have added that we are consulting with local officials, and will keep local conditions in mind going forward. - Sideline Watcher - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:33 pm: I just think the man is human. Something ultra partisans forget about whoever is on the other side. The fact that questions are posed as if he’s not confronted with deaths literally hourly; the fact that we have 102 counties and it’s known that its present in 96 of them and 160 countries around the world (and by all public health accounts is vastly under-counted) and the US now has more deaths in 6 weeks than in the 19 years of Vietnam and these folks still want to play politics is infuriating. They know exactly what they are doing and Pritzker is HUMAN. The Governor’s chuckle and the manufactured outrage about what was still a substantive answer, cannot be compared to our President firing off unsubstantiated, untested, unproven and fatally dangerous “cures” and then walking that back to say he was being sarcastic. And whoever said “because he decided not to test” isn’t being fair or accurate either. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:35 pm: === How long will it be, before violent civil disobedience starts erupting?=== Concerned trolling is best on Facebook. A vast… vast majority, nationally, favor stay at home and these parameters for our safety, people believe Dr. Fauci, the governors… the minority, the small few who you are concerned trolling about… they are making more noise to the politics than the economics. - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:45 pm: “How long will it be, before violent civil disobedience starts erupting?” Against who, exactly? – MrJM - Tynie - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:50 pm: OW- What you call concerned trolling, I call blatant honesty in light of news I’ve gotten from a couple local civic officials. You don’t know how petty some of the motives for violent crimes in my town are, or how far they get taken. I do and most of those specifics are unfit for a family blog. Ultimately, that’s why my decision to move away from debating beyond this response, is a survival one. Consider it selfish, if you want, but there’s no way I’ll change my mind on it. - Tomacci - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:54 pm: I would have answered the same way as our Gov did, without the laugh: laughter and sarcasm are not appropriate at all. - Tynie - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:55 pm: MrMJM- I’m afraid it’ll escalate to riots, because of how petty many motives for violent crimes in my town are reputed for being. You’ll probably consider it paranoid, but again, I’m just being blatantly honest. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:57 pm: === I call blatant honesty in light of news I’ve gotten from a couple local civic officials.=== Your ridiculousness; start here… === the minority, the small few who you are concerned trolling about… they are making more noise to the politics than the economics.=== … and the chaser… === Against who, exactly?=== Your click bait… is the local click bait, you’re passing on. === You don’t know how petty some of the motives for violent crimes in my town are, or how far they get taken. I do and most of those specifics are unfit for a family blog. Ultimately, that’s why my decision to move away from debating beyond this response, is a survival one.=== Welp, if I was you, and if that’s how you feel… I’d probably consider refraining from typing *anything* on *any* blog again. === Consider it selfish, if you want, but there’s no way I’ll change my mind on it.=== I’ll leave you to it… and your tin foil hat too (Sigh) To the post, There is some fatigue, I’m sure, it only from the Governor, his crew, Dr. Ezike, it’s been “all hands on deck for nearly 50 days straight… they are all doing yeomen’s work. Those infected and fighting this virus can case less who laughed at what… when. - Lester Holt’s Mustache - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 1:58 pm: == “How long will it be, before violent civil disobedience starts erupting?” Against who, exactly?== Does it matter? OW can call this concern trolling, but guy has a point. Some of these folks are straight up kooks, and a lot of them are armed. Would it be all that surprising to hear of some plot to attack elected officials, government buildings, minority groups, or some combination thereof? Heck, we had that happening frequently before all this started. Domestic terrorism had been on an upswing over the last several years, and they didn’t even have a pandemic as cover for it. You might dismiss the possibility, but I sure hope law enforcement agencies aren’t - if they aren’t already too overwhelmed to do so. - Saul Goodman - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:00 pm: Oswego Willy Right now there is a solid majority in support of maintaining the Governor’s order. I would not assume that support is permanent or unconditional. Talk of civil disobedience or violence is WAY premature right now, but if I were the Governor I would be thinking carefully about next steps, knowing that patience with the lockdown is liable to wear out sooner or later. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:04 pm: Many of the downstate people have pre-existing grievances and would merely have a pretext to erupt. To wit: There are thousands if not millions of others very upset over economic devastation and life diminishment who do not hate their neighbors or would have a violent insurrection. Many are channeling their energy toward helping others. - ajjacksson - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:04 pm: I would consider “opening” the state regionally. But since the death rate in some of these counties equal to or worse than urban or suburban counties, it is not appropriate to open at this time. - ajjacksson - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:08 pm: Big Jer—yes it was a mirage - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:11 pm: === Right now there is a solid majority in support of maintaining the Governor’s order. I would not assume that support is permanent or unconditional.=== Polls are snapshots, capturing moments, gauging a time and a thought. Again, it’s like those who say this is a “infinite”… nothing is “infinite”, nothing is forever, not one belief is long lasting. If I knew what tomorrow was going to bring I woulda already known how this all was going to end too. The poll, or national polling in the case I’m making is showing this realistic idea that people understand what’s at stake. Now… … … to all the chit chat of civil disobedience and “other words“… there is seemingly an existing element of people looking to cause damage or worse especially pertaining to their interpretation to “government” Here how I’ve always, me, thought about it. I trust law enforcement and trust the federal law enforcement monitoring, as best as they humanly can, and curtailing the real threats. They only need to be right once, even if others are beaten every day… isn’t that what law enforcement preaches about these folks? If I cater to concerned trolling for every veiled or less veiled public threat, then who’s liberties am *I* limiting… mine. To bring this back to the post, if i can? People are always going to be offended if they’re looking to be offended by those they feel disregard them. Benefit of doubts are lacking in a lot of sides for a long time. I was fine with the answer, i was fine with the chuckle. These are trying times, we need to remember the human element. - Tynie - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:12 pm: Grandson of Man, Saul, and Lester Holt’s Mustache: thank you. - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:15 pm: ….Ha ha…. I agree with Tynie, how long before we see the test of a “stand your ground” with someone using the defense, “I thought they had the virus, they came too close, and I felt as if my life were in danger”? - A Jack - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:15 pm: “attack elected officials, government buildings…” Thank goodness we are all working from home. - dbk - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:17 pm: Read the comments, thought about how I would have responded, and finally, listened to the clip. I think he was responding with what is called “hapless laughter,” which is how I probably would have responded too. Pritzker is civilized and has amply demonstrated that his chief concern is saving lives - rescuing livelihoods will come once the virus is under control, and I think he’s up to guiding Illinoisans through that process as well. But honestly, how many times does it have to be stated that viruses don’t recognize county borders? All it takes is an outbreak at a nursing home (Peoria/East Peoria are filled with these), or a prison (cf. Pekin), or at some seemingly innocent group get-together with an asymptomatic carrier or two or three. Then you have an outbreak and it’s not only your own county that’s in trouble, it’s the bordering counties as well, many of whose residents cross county borders daily. - Tynie - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:22 pm: Ducky, I didn’t even consider that prospect until now. Thank you, for helping me with that. - Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:26 pm: Watching the Gov’s press conferences is required viewing for me, so I saw this question asked, and I laughed too. Seems like an appropriate response to a ridiculous question. - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:26 pm: “Would it be all that surprising to hear of some plot to attack elected officials, government buildings, minority groups, or some combination thereof? Heck, we had that happening frequently before all this started.” Exactly. Trying to appease the violent kooks does very little to appease the violent kooks. Little reason to have them determine our response to this public health crisis. – MrJM - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:27 pm: ====“stand your ground” That would be a very poor defense in Illinois given Illinois has no such law. - ArchPundit - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:34 pm: To the question: The Governor had a nervous laugh that was clearly from being tired of these kind of questions which have been asked multiple ways for multiple days. Probably better if he didn’t laugh, but he didn’t laugh during most of the answers. People picked it out because everyone is a victim. ===rying to appease the violent kooks does very little to appease the violent kooks. Exactly. Not to mention it was already attempted and the FBI stopped at least one plot. The choice is that some kooks will try to kill people or the virus will kill more people. Given we are socially distancing, I’ll take my chances with the kooks. - Saul Goodman - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:49 pm: To Oswego Willy re 2:11 PM comment — fair enough. I’m okay with what the Governor has done so far. I’m more concerned about what he will do a couple weeks from now than with what he might chuckle at today. - Springfield Westsider - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 2:52 pm: I’ll admit I’d have had a semi-petty response to the question… Q:“Why has the state not quarantined the Chicago metro ONLY versus the entire state?” Me :“Well, scientifically and statistically it is not feasible to do so, nor is it wise. But I’ll tell you what: if you or anyone can show me ocular and physical proof that you all conversed with a legion of COVID germ cells and have come to a legally binding agreement that they will cease their terror worldwide to allow us to return to normalcy, I will call off the shelter-in-place order. Until that happens, stay home. Sounds impossible, right? Because it is. So stay home. Asked and answered, moving on…” /s - Pundent - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 3:00 pm: I think that the dilemma is due in part to the fact that 70% of the people agree with Pritzker’s course of action. And the 30% that don’t are either irrational or ill informed. But it would be pretty boring for the press to ask Pritzker “what do you have to say to the majority of Illinoisans who support your actions. So instead they focus on the tin foil hat minority to create interest. - Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 3:02 pm: ==I’ll take my chances with the kooks== Same. I highly doubt they want to come into the cesspool of Chicago anyway. Don’t kowtow to them - Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 3:19 pm: “It seems like there’s some confusion between what the term quarantine means vs. staying at home, and I can understand that. Self isolation — voluntary self isolation and closing down major businesses are ways we reduce community spread. A quarantine is what occurs after a positive test or an indication that someone more than likely has been infected — and then that person is ordered to stay at home by medical professionals. Suggesting that communities that already have significant community spread by “quarantining” Chicago shows a significant misunderstanding of the biology of how this virus, or any virus works. Folks aren’t catching this from people in Chicago, they’re catching it from their neighbors and co-workers. I understand that the numbers are lower downstate, but that’s because we took action to prevent thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. The idea that everything would have been fine without our actions as a state to protect each other is a silly notion with a selfish intent and we shouldn’t give that notion any credence.” But it’s okay to laugh at a ridiculous question. - dbk - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 3:27 pm: –Self isolation — voluntary self isolation and closing down major businesses are ways we reduce community spread.– Also: when extensive testing/tracing can be conducted, ’self-isolation’ is also used to describe what those who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive are asked to do. It’s more binding in some places/countries than others, of course. - MyTwoCents - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 4:00 pm: I’m too sarcastic to run for public office, so my response would not have been handled as well as what the Governor did. Combining that exchange and what Mark Maxwell reported yesterday, apparently the judge is irony impaired, or just blatantly hypocritically and asking for the Supreme Court to put him in his place. So it’s inappropriate for the Governor to have that response to the question, but the courtroom can erupt in laughter when discussing COVID deaths. Got it. - Tim - Wednesday, Apr 29, 20 @ 4:25 pm: === All it takes is an outbreak at a nursing home (Peoria/East Peoria are filled with these), or a prison (cf. Pekin), === …or a certain Hormel plant. Ogle County saw a spike in cases after the Rochelle plant outbreak, and the numbers in surrounding counties appear to have increased as well. Whether they are connected, I don’t know, but again, it’s not like the virus respects borders or legislation. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.