TGO David

He's the perpetual salesman. It's fairly annoying but once you learn to process what he says through that filter, it gets easier to filter the outright BS from the hype.

Fair point. Coach was an easy albeit perhaps flawed analogy. CEO would probably have been a better term and equally applicable to the comparison I was drawing. As an aside, I think you simply must have a huge (yuuuuge) ego you be in politics at that level in the modern era anyway. His predecessors just hid it better. Perhaps sociopathically better. Gone are the days of “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country” statesmanship.

https://apnews.com/36bb744ed120b703b4bf13695572cb84 This is how we get curfews.

You know, the coach doesn't win ball games. The coach manages the show and puts the right players in at the right time, and pulls out the players who aren't needed, aren't performing, or aren't right for the scenario. What Trump has been pretty good at so far is assembling good teams of experts to address situations. What people aren't comfortable with, as relates to the government, is seeing a President treat those teams the way smart business leaders treat appointments to teams in companies. Namely, as pieces to be used, moved, removed and replaced as needed to accomplish the goal. We're so used to appointments to public office as being damn near eternal that it freaks us out when Trump fires an appointee and then replaces them with someone else. I love it, to be honest. Imagine how much better life would be in our country if politicians weren't practically elected until death do us part. It would almost be a return to the Founding Fathers' intent of there not being career politicians.

Serendipitous timing that I was typing my last post as you were typing yours!

The only thing more hyperbolic than Cuomo's praise for Trump this past week has been Trump's praise for Cuomo praising Trump. The daily White House briefings have been pretty interesting. If only Trump would stop using Wall Street as his personal report card, stop mentioning the Market, and start holding his press briefings after the Market closes. Every time the guy talks on camera during trading hours, the market reacts. Mostly negatively. I don't see a better alternative to Trump for 2020's elections, so the guy better start figuring out a new sales pitch. Because hitching his PR game to the whims of Wall Street while fair-weather investors are skittish sure doesn't seem like a winning strategy.

Yeah I was just thinking of it being a reward for the folks who help keep TGO going. But I'm cool with it being either way.

I really hope that practice comes to an end. It would be great if this event causes a seismic shift in our policy about sending a lot of different sectors of business overseas.

She's doing great now. Driving us all crazy.

What if I set it up as a Benefactor Only forum?

This is a pretty fascinating read on how DARPA (they created this little thing called the Internet... you may have heard of it) has been driving innovation in developing a vaccine for COVID-10 in a fairly risk-free environment. https://www.biocentury.com/article/304691/darpa-jump-started-technologies-behind-some-of-the-leading-covid-19-vaccine-and-antibody-hopes?fbclid=IwAR3FGXrCfH7nVsoHodUqeybYTXTMOYfFa6FDTQUd5FDqeXtR7sN7RB5sTnQ

Conspiracy Theories, Coronavirus, TGO and YOU For as long as I can remember, TGO has never really provided "safe waters" for people who want to preach conspiracy theories and rile-up the masses. There are plenty of places for that sort of thing on the Internet and yes sometimes the conspiracy enthusiasts (or nuts, if you so prefer) are proven right in the end. But since there are so many other places for it and since we feel that the ravings of fringe believers tends to bring down the property value, we prefer that our members engage in discussions based in reality. Lately the moderators have begun removing posts fanning the flames of conspiracy around the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic. Generally speaking, I am supportive of their actions. Here's why: Priorities First and foremost, we have a present problem to deal with so let's start by putting our focus there. We have members who are and have been personally affected by COVID-19 and chances are this is just the beginning. If we are going to invest our mental and emotional energies into something, let's invest them in encouraging, supporting and helping our own community. Respect Again, we know that we already have members of TGO affected by this pandemic. So far they (and we) have been fortunate and it's turned out well. That could change. We don't want that to happen, but the statistical projections indicate that by the time the dust settles none of us will have many degrees of separation from someone that died as a result of the virus. I just think maybe it's a little disrespectful to the people currently fighting this virus and eventually to those who lose the battle for us to sit around and imagineer boogeymen behind a virus that science currently says evolved naturally. Stay In Your Lane, Bro Following right in behind the matter of respect is the simple fact that unless you're an educated, degreed, certified ass-kicking virologist, geneticist, research scientist, or have data from a respected source that is... you should probably stay in your lane. Remember the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020? That happened because social media said there was a shortage of toilet paper. So the people believed it, reacted like scared sheep, and ran right over the edge of the cliff with arms full of Charmin. There's no reason for us to allow the next big social media fear-fest to start with or take root on TGO. We can control what happens here, so our intent is to manage it so that there's at least one place you can visit online that doesn't feel like the lunatics are running the asylum. You're welcome for that. Even if you don't appreciate it right now. And So What If That Conspiracy Theory Is Accurate? The President, love him or hate him, has already said that there are going to be consequences on the other side of this current situation for the way that China mishandled this. Even if they didn't bio-engineer it, their government hid the outbreak from the world until it was busting out of their borders. So far the Prez has done everything he's said he would do... right or wrong... so we can be pretty confident that the US isn't going to just let this slide. So, even if the latest conspiracy theory is accurate... you and I can't do a thing about it. Establishing and maintaining a military to preserve our sovereignty, the strength of our borders, and the security of our interests is the one thing that the government should be doing. It's maybe the only reason the government should exist if you ask some. But they are equipped to do something about it. Not us. Not even Chuck Norris. Let's let the government handle the boogeyman. And if they need our input on that, there will be an appropriate time to tell our elected representatives what we'd like to see done. And I'm sure that our actual scientists will be following up on all credible leads that help them expedite a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. So if that takes them back to a secret lair somewhere in Communist China where they're having unprotected sex with bats while eating live frogs... so be it. In the meantime, let's stay grounded in reality here. It's scary enough and it requires our full attention.

Doesn't mean it's not happening.

It only took eight days.

My 6-year old daughter announced this morning that her head hurts and her voice (throat) hurts. Granted, we go through this every Spring due to changing weather and seasonal allergies... but damned if it doesn't make my blood run a little colder just thinking about what else it could be. We're going to be monitoring her closely.

Folks, I think that it's pretty obvious that more strict measures of "social separation" are coming and we can largely thank the people who have thumbed their noses at the government's request that we self-isolate. The writing was on the wall when you saw national news reports of idiots partying on the beach for Spring Break, or the local news where other idiots were specifically partying on Lower Broadway in Nashville despite the repeated statements by epidemiologists that such behavior would hasten the transmission of COVID-19 and contribute to the overwhelming of our hospitals. Just yesterday it made the news in western Kentucky that a church in Murray, KY had foolishly ignored federal recommendations against gatherings of 10 or more people. https://www.wkms.org/post/murray-church-says-visitor-tested-positive-coronavirus#stream/0 Now all of the people in that building who shook hands with, touched the same things as, and yes even breathed the same air as the infected person have gone into the surrounding community and touched and coughed-upon a countless number of other people and things. They've gone grocery shopping, hugged and kissed their families, stopped for gasoline at the convenience store, visited elderly friends, etc. Every contact and subsequent contact just adds to an exponentially growing web. One person touches another who each then go touch two more, and then those six go touch two more... I think this virus is a curse on people who just suck at math and who are too belligerent for anyone's good. And since we're incapable of self-quarantine, we can logically assume that the government will do it for us. If you don't understand the concept of flattening the curve, how many ICU beds would you say are in Nashville? Vanderbilt University Medical Center (not the Monroe Carroll Children's Hospital) has 481 "specialty care" beds according to this report. https://www.ahd.com/free_profile/440039/Vanderbilt_University_Hospital/Nashville/Tennessee/ You can research other hospitals here as well, but bear in mind that those specialty care beds are not necessarily all ICU. Specialty care is any ward that is custom-designed and staffed for patients with unique care requirements. The actual number of ICU beds is going to be less. If you look at the ever-changing data from the CDC, even the low-ball estimates of patients who will require ICU attention for 14+ days over the next 6-8 weeks would easily overrun the capacity of hospitals in the US. That's why federal and state governments are scrambling to purchase specific ventilators ahead of what they fear will be crushing wave of patients that require them, and an insufficient current supply to care for them. But... this is all probably overblown. Folks should just go lick doorknobs and french-kiss each other because the government told them not to. Don't tread on me, and all that. I'd expect to see some sort of curfews and further restrictions on local transit soon. How they'd enforce it is pretty easy, in my opinion: Roadblocks and patrol cars pulling you over to determine why you're on the streets. Valid excuses would likely only be that you're getting groceries, medicines or other essentials, or that you have a medical/familial reason. That's just my guess. I hope I'm wrong, but everything so far suggests that flattening the curve and spreading out the impact of the virus on hospital capacity is what will do the most good in lieu of a viable vaccine. And like I said at the top, we clearly can't count on people to do these things by their own volition.

I hope all of Dicks stores shut down for longer than that. This isn't what you meant though, is it?

It's probably reasonable to assume that plans are being made to make the shutdown less of an option and more of a mandatory thing. I have no intel on this but common sense essentially dictates it.

Well, this report is public now so we can all do some reading and catch up I guess... https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196234/covid19-imperial-researchers-model-likely-impact The article itself is worth skimming. The link to the report is in the last paragraph. As you'll read in the opening statements of the report itself: "Here we present the results of epidemiological modelling which has informed policymaking in the UK and other countries in recent weeks." I wonder if there are companies in certain relevant industries that were briefed on this recently before it was published publicly. I can only imagine that folks who work at those companies probably said things to their friends like, "I really wish I could talk about what I do at work" and then tried to suggest preventative actions that we all can read about now.

I hope this wakes them up an they vote some long-term parasites out of office and take back their state.

I've got more ammo than I'll discuss openly, so none of this caught me off guard. I picked up some more before the prices really went through the roof, just because I'd like to attend a class next month. I say this to qualify the statement that my anger toward CTD doesn't come from me needing something they are gouging for now. No, my anger for them comes from the fact that they are rapists taking advantage of the naive folks who didn't know this sort of thing happens and didn't know to prepare. Not every shooter today was even a gun owner in 2012. Bear that in mind.

Here's their current list from this URL. CTD are a bunch of profiteering assholes. It burns me up that they are still in business. https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ammunition/rifle-ammo/.223-remington-and-5.56-nato/

Ouch. We need to take note of the retailers who are gouging. I saw that Cheaper than Dirt was up to their old bull#### again with a ~$900 case of Winchester 5.56. Seriously, #### these guys. #### them right out of business.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I seriously question how likely gold or silver will be as a currency if things collapse. I honestly think a "Walking Dead" style economy based on bartering supplies and the ability to provide useful services will be more likely. Gold and silver only have monetary value because we've assigned it to them over the centuries. You can't eat gold or silver.

S&W isn't the same company as it was years ago. Literally. They became an employee-owned entity then became part of a conglomerate and now are semi-sorta spun off from that. Any sins of their past are now firmly rooted in the past, committed by people who have zero to do with the modern incarnation. Bill Ruger proposed magazine capacity bans in 1989 and became known as the Benedict Arnold of gun control. Glock's problems are mostly in the past (unless you have a G44 that has fallen apart) and centered upon the company's previous hesitance to acknowledge reliability problems with the G22 and G23 that they ultimately acknowledge after coming up with corrective actions. That and Gaston Glock's family problems are a bit of a train-wreck, but that never really bothered me too much.