Georgia’s Experiment in Human Sacrifice

The state is about to find out how many people need to lose their lives to shore up the economy.

Amanda Mull
1:02 PM ET

A sign announces that Maui Beach Tanning Salon is reopened for business on April 24 in Marietta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty)

 

At first, Derek Canavaggio thought he would be able to ride out the coronavirus pandemic at home until things were safe. As a bar manager at the Globe in Athens, Georgia, Canavaggio hasn’t been allowed to work for weeks. Local officials in Athens issued Georgia’s first local shelter-in-place order on March 19, canceling the events that usually make spring a busy time for Athens bars and effectively eliminating the city’s rowdy downtown party district built around the University of Georgia. The state’s governor, Brian Kemp, followed in early April with a statewide shutdown.

But then the governor sent Canavaggio into what he calls “spreadsheet hell.” In an announcement last week, Kemp abruptly reversed course on the shutdown, ending many of his own restrictions on businesses and overruling those put in place by mayors throughout the state. On Friday, gyms, churches, hair and nail salons, and tattoo parlors were allowed to reopen, if the owners were willing. Yesterday, restaurants and movie theaters came back. The U-turn has left Georgians scrambling. Canavaggio has spent days crunching the numbers to figure out whether reopening his bar is worth the safety risk, or even feasible in the first place, given how persistent safety concerns could crater demand for a leisurely indoor happy hour. “We can’t figure out a way to make the numbers work to sustain business and pay rent and pay everybody to go back and risk their lives,” he told me. “If we tried to open on Monday, we’d be closed in two weeks, probably for good and with more debt on our hands.”

Kemp’s order shocked people across the country. For weeks, Americans have watched the coronavirus sweep from city to city, overwhelming hospitals, traumatizing health-care workers, and leaving tens of thousands of bodies in makeshift morgues. Georgia has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and the state’s testing efforts have provided an incomplete look at how far the virus continues to spread. That testing capacity—which public-health leaders consider necessary for safely ending lockdowns—has lagged behind the nation’s for much of the past two months. Kemp’s move to reopen was condemned by scientists, high-ranking Republicans from his own state, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; it even drew a public rebuke from President Donald Trump, who had reportedly approved the measures before distancing himself from the governor amid the backlash.

A bench is taped off to ensure social distancing at a coffee shop in Woodstock, Georgia, on Monday, April 27. (Dustin Chambers / Bloomberg via Getty)

 

Public-health officials broadly agree that reopening businesses—especially those that require close physical contact—in places where the virus has already spread will kill people. Georgia’s brash reopening puts much of the state’s working class in an impossible bind: risk death at work, or risk ruining yourself financially at home. In the grips of a pandemic, the approach is a morbid experiment in just how far states can push their people. Georgians are now the largely unwilling canaries in an invisible coal mine, sent to find out just how many individuals need to lose their job or their life for a state to work through a plague.

Estimates vary as to how many businesses might actually reopen now, but none of the Georgians I talked with knew many people who intended to voluntarily head right back to work. That was true in Athens, which has long been one of the Deep South’s most progressive cities, as well as in Blackshear, a small town in the rural southeastern part of the state that tends toward conservatism. Kelly Girtz, the mayor of Athens, estimated that about 90 percent of the local business owners he had spoken with in the past week had no intention of reopening immediately. “Georgia’s plan simply is not that well designed,” Girtz says. “To call it a ‘plan’ might be overstating the case.”

​(Parris Griffin / Getty)

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/why-georgia-reopening-coronavirus-pandemic/610882/

Stupid Republican Governor Kemp Leads Georgia Into Twilight Zone

Why Georgia Isn’t Ready to Reopen, in Charts

By Nathaniel Lash and Gus Wezerek
April 24, 2020

 

Do you see a trend? Does it appear things in the Great state of Georgia are improving? If you flip the order it may be time to reopen. Obviously things are getting worse rather than improving. Only a stupid idiot would consider reopening the economy under these conditions. Georgia REPUBLICAN Governor Brian Kemp could care less about the number of Georgia citizens who will die because of his stupidity.

One would think that when the imbecile POTUS criticizes the risky, to say the least, move by the governor, Brian Kemp would have had second thoughts about opening for business too soon, but NOooooooo! The REPUBLICAN mantra of “Death for Dollars” is in full bloom in my home state.

Experts and the President criticize Kemp’s move

Health experts have criticized the move to reopen Georgia, saying it’s too soon and risks setting off another wave of infections. President Donald Trump at first applauded Kemp for his aggressive plan to restart the economy, a source told CNN, then publicly bashed him during news briefings.

“I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities,” Trump said. “But, at the same time, he must do what he thinks is right.”

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/us/georgia-coronavirus-reopening-businesses-friday/index.html

Atlanta mayor: It’s like we’re living in ‘Twilight Zone’

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

pleads for residents to stay home, despite Governor Brian Kemp lifting shelter-in-place orders and reopening some nonessential businesses.
Source: CNN https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/04/24/atlanta-mayor-keisha-lance-bottoms-reopening-georgia-newday-vpx.cnn

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp should be removed, by any means necessary, for malfeasance while in office. Georgia desperately needs a sane leader who cares more about We The People than one who obviously desires crap shooting  for dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Republican Governor Brian Kemp Turns Georgia Into The Place To Die

Georgia’s Kemp neglected to warn people about his dangerous gamble

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) decision to re-open businesses is tough to defend, but so too is the way in which the governor made it.

April 22, 2020, 2:59 PM EDT

By Steve Benen

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced new steps this week to re-open his state’s economy, inviting a series of businesses — including gyms, barber shops, tattoo parlors, movie theaters, and bowling alleys — to open their doors as early as tomorrow.

It was just last week when Donald Trump announced new White House guidelines, including benchmarks states should expect to reach before launching re-opening initiatives. Georgia has not yet cleared those federal benchmarks.

The Republican governor is proceeding anyway. It led Dana Milbank to note, “Whether you’re going to heaven or hell, the old joke goes, you’ll have to change planes in Atlanta. But Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing to offer a new nonstop service to the Great Beyond: He has a bold plan to turn his state into the place to die.”

The decision is tough to defend, but so too is the way in which Kemp made it. We learned this week, for example, that the governor didn’t bother to connect with the mayor of his state’s largest city about his decision.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms said on Tuesday morning that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) hadn’t given her or other state leaders a heads-up when he announced he would let several businesses to resume operations.

Kemp didn’t inform his own coronavirus task force, either.

Key members of the coronavirus task force Gov. Brian Kemp tapped to shape the state’s pandemic strategy said they didn’t know about his decision to reopen some shuttered businesses until he announced it at a press conference. In interviews and public statements, a half-dozen members of the task force said they only learned about Kemp’s move to let barber shops, theaters and dine-in restaurants begin to resume operations after he made it public.

Even Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, from neighboring South Carolina, expressed concern publicly that Georgia is “going too fast too soon.” The senator added, “We respect Georgia’s right to determine its own fate, but we are all in this together. What happens in Georgia will impact us in South Carolina.”

Quite right. The virus is indifferent to state boundaries. If Georgia’s governor places a dangerous bet and loses, Georgians won’t be the only one feeling the adverse effects.

It led ABC News’ Jonathan Karl to ask Donald Trump about this yesterday, noting that there’s routine travel between states like South Carolina and Georgia, and the results of Brian Kemp’s recklessness won’t be limited to his own constituents.

The president replied that Kemp is “a very capable man” who “knows what he’s doing.” Trump added, “We’re going to find out.”

How reassuring.

For her part, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) appeared on MSNBC yesterday and urged city residents to “please stay home,” the governor’s policy notwithstanding. She added, “Follow the data, look at the science, listen to the health care professionals and use your common sense.”

That sounds like excellent advice. Here’s hoping the governor was watching.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/georgia-s-kemp-neglected-warn-people-about-his-dangerous-gamble-n1189826

The Great Beyond lyrics – Sausage Party Cast

Dear Gods you’re so divine in each and every way to you we pray,
Dear Gods we pledge our love to you forevermore,
We always felt we had a special bond,
Take us to the great beyond,
Where we’re sure nothing bad happens to food,
Once we’re out the sliding doors things will all be grand,
We will live our dreams together in the promised land,
The Gods control our fate so we all know we’re in good hands,
We’re super sure there’s nothing sh*tty waiting for us in the great beyond,
And every aisle thinks something different,
(Holy sh*t I’ve been chosen),
And to this we all agree,
(Booyah b**ches I’m outta here),
Everyone else is f**king stupid,
Except for those who think like me,
(And me, and me, and me),
Out there, for all eternity we’ll meditate how f**king great,
Out there, we’ll get to teabag every day at four,
(Pip, pip),
We’ll shove pementos up our ass by Zeus,
Ve’ll exterminate ze juice,
Und subjugate ze whole damned great beyond,
In here we keep our wieners in our packages that’s how it is,
It sucks but that’s the way our buns keep fresh and pure,
But once we’re out the doors it’s not a sin,
For us to let you slip it in,
In other words we finally get to f**k
(And love),
And f**k (And hug),
And f**k (And feel),
And f**k (And share),
The Gods will always care for us,
They won’t squeeze us out their butts,
We cannot overstate how confident we are that our beliefs are accurate,
And nothing awful happens to us in the great beyond

https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/sausageparty/thegreatbeyond.htm

Waffle House Persona Non Grata

I was born in the back seat of a 1949 Ford convertible on the way to Emory Hospital. By the time we arrived my Mother and I were “we”. I am a Southerner from the Great State of Georgia. I am from Georgia in the same way General Robert E. Lee

was from Virginia. When push came to shove, General Lee went with his state because at that time the states may have been “United” but the state was still paramount. This changed after the War of Northern Aggression. The states became “united.” In order for US to become united the northern people came south, devastating the Southern region, laying waste to any and everything in their path, while perpetuating war crimes against Southern civilians.

(https://www.amazon.com/War-Crimes-Against-Southern-Civilians/dp/158980466X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SSVK3Y3IZ3P6&keywords=war+crimes+against+southern+civilians&qid=1584900345&s=books&sprefix=war+crimes%2Caps%2C162&sr=1-1)

I am proud to hail from the South. An article years ago detailed a survey which found that out of all the regions of the United States, people from the South most identified with their region. The survey made no distinction between the skin color. Some years ago I was waiting for an order at Captain D’s. It was Senior day and the music playing was from the era of my youth. The tunes happened to be  Motown music. Before rock & roll we listened to the sounds emanating from Motown. I noticed an older gentleman with dark skin, also waiting for his order, tapping his feet. Thing is, I, too, was tapping my feet. The song was:

I said something to the man about the song just as this song, which means more than a little to me, because Otis Redding

is from Macon, Georgia, which we discussed. It was also the song playing in the car as I “made out” for the first time,with the daughter of the Band leader at our high school. Since we were about the same age there was much to discuss, so we sat together and ate our lunch while conversing. We talked about the things we had in common, such as listening to the same music and eating the same food, etc. When finished he said, “Sir, you have made my day.” The reply was, “Back at ‘cha!”

Waffle House is one of the restaurants founded in Georgia. The original Waffle House museum is within a short drive from where I sit. Another restaurant originating in Georgia is Chik-Fil-A. I came of age within a short drive from the original Dwarf House,

located in Hapeville, the home of Delta Air Lines. It would be impossible to count the number of times I ate at that particular restaurant. Favorites were the Steak Plate and the Hot Brown.

https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/inside-chick-fil-a/dwarf-house-serving-the-soul-for-70-years

At one time or another I have been seated at each and every one of those seats.

Moe’s Southwest Grill originated here, too. The original location on Peachtree Street in Buckhead

was within a very short walk from an apartment shared with the love of my life. There is a Moe’s within walking distance of the apartment in which I currently reside. At the end of Ken Burns

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ken-burns-on-how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-is-not-history-repeating-itself?ref=home

series, The Civil War, for PBS, the author Shelby Foote

Shelby Foote’s War Story

mentions something a young invading soldier asked a boy far too young to be fighting, holding a piece of wood cut in the shape of a rifle, a question. “Why are you fighting?” The reply was, ’cause ya’ll down he’ar.” I am writing this because I’m “down he’ar.”

The article which follows is being printed in it’s entirety, without comment, so you will understand why I will never, ever, set foot in a Waffle House. The ‘thinking’ demonstrated by Joe Rogers Jr., the 73-year-old sole board member of the nearly 2,000 restaurant chain is the reason our United States will be devastated in the days to come. I am willing to wager my life that this Fool In Power is a Republican.

Waffle House chairman criticizes coronavirus limits on businesses

The chairman of Waffle House, a chain known for getting its restaurants back up and running after natural disasters, is worried that many political leaders are headed down the wrong path as they battle the coronavirus outbreak.

Recent mandates, such as banning in-restaurant dining and closing some businesses, are “totally out of proportion,” said Joe Rogers Jr., the 73-year-old sole board member of the nearly 2,000 restaurant chain based in Norcross.

“American leaders have to lead people through ruinous times, but leaders don’t lead people to ruin,” he said later, warning that many large and small businesses might not survive.

Rogers has urged elected officials in Georgia to not adopt tough restrictions similar to those imposed on businesses in other states. His remarks came before a Thursday announcement by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

 Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

60th Mayor of the City of Atlanta

that she had signed an executive order temporarily barring in-restaurant dining and closing down nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters, live music venues and bowling alleys in the city.

In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rogers also bemoaned “doom and gloom” talk from the White House. “Any leader in the world that was dealt this hand might not have played it any better,” Rogers said of the president, “but we have to play it better going forward.”

Federal, state and local political leaders “are trying to do the right thing,” he said.

The Waffle House chairman said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has shown appropriate restraint.

The governor has asked people to remain home as much as possible and avoid public gatherings. But Kemp hasn’t ordered statewide shutdowns of businesses and events, saying in an interview with radio station Q99.7, “I don’t know that our citizens would buy into that.”

Waffle House, which operates in 25 states, saw sales drop 25% last week, Rogers said. Now, as more states limit restaurants to drive through or to-go business, sales in some areas have fallen 60%. He said the chain will survive, though “we are going to lose money like crazy in this.”

The important thing, he said, is to remain open and keep pay flowing to the chain’s 40,000 workers, most of whom are hourly employees. If Waffle Houses are forced to close across broad areas, the company wouldn’t continue to pay employees who don’t work, Rogers said.

The company has increased sanitization efforts. It also is encouraging social distancing though “we haven’t taken out a tape measure,” he said. “We have let everybody eyeball their own reality.”

Waffle House doesn’t have the flexibility of some other chains, particularly fast food restaurants, such as Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A. Some of those already generate most of their sales via drive throughs. Waffle House has just one drive-through, near Stone Mountain.

https://www.ajc.com/news/national/waffle-house-chairman-criticizes-coronavirus-limits-businesses/Ze5Ee4EZOvoO2OFX8quloJ/

My father worked at the AJC before moving to the much more conservative, ill-fated Atlanta Times. I delivered the AJC before moving to the Times. Delivering the Sunday paper was a bitch.