This is a great resource. Thanks.
Thanks. I signed up!
Not to deviate from the OP too much, but here’s a conference a nearby church in our town is sponsoring. I am dumbfounded. I know some of the leaders.
It’s Time to UNMASK the TRUTH! (americandecency.org)
Well that’s scary as hell! Wish some of these people would grow a few brain cells.
I’m trying to talk to them kindly–knowing that the it’s kind folks who got me to listen to fact with evolution when I was a YEC–but they are quite suspicious. I’m open to suggestions.
It’s funny, because most people involved in these things are really very nice in person, but strident on the Internet and in public. It is amazing how much tribalism can affect us.
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Meanwhile, in the Intelligent Design Movement, Bill Dembski has thoughts about Covid-19. Namely he thinks the virus was designed, but his argument is lacking.
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Well, according to Dembski, if it is of natural origin, then it is designed by the Creator, so for him design wins either way. But somehow he doesn’t seem to realize this.
Good thing you don’t live near me then, that sort of attitude is (as far as I can tell) the norm locally. At least, the norm among people who talk about it, which is likely to be a somewhat biased sample.
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With schools opening with zero mandated precautions, the Delta variant rampant, younger adults not vaccinated and parents not allowing their 12+ age children to get vaccinated either, this is going to be a sorrowful fall, I fear.
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Is that in your state?
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Part of me wants to shrug my shoulders since they know the risk they are taking. Then I picture these same kids visiting their grandparents who may have weak immune systems and/or poor protection from the vaccine and my attitude starts to change a bit. Whether we like it or not, we are all neighbors.
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Yes. 
Because it’s “low-risk” right now. That can change in a hurry, and at what cost.
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And there are the kids who want to get vaccinated because they know better than their parents but can’t because their parents won’t sign off on it. I saw last week were one girl gave herself a present on her 18th birthday by getting a vaccine.
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The PBS Newshour featured a story with this headline:
“Why 41 percent of Republicans don’t plan to get the COVID vaccine”
Mar 19, 2021 6:30 PM EDT
They did not include or mention the largest group refusing to take the vaccine. What they omitted is that more Independents are refusing than Republicans
A week later The New York Times printed this headline:
“Biden Administration Announces Ad Campaign to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy” for 150,000,000,000 dollars.
“But deep skepticism about the vaccine remains a problem, particularly among Black people, Latinos, Republicans and white evangelicals”
Deception rules
More Independents are refusing than Republicans. Unfortunately, that fact is not presented.
Ralph, I think that is one aspect that has been a problem. I am not sure independents are actually larger, but the problem with minority populations is bothersome. It seems multifactorial, with lack of systemic access, lack of trust, inability to take off work to get the shot or stay home if there are side effects.
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I did the math and based on percentages there are more Independents.
My point is the way they word the articles they inaccurately push that Republicans are to blame for an expenditure of 150 billion dollars.
Reviewing very briefly the poll that PBS did, I have questions about its reliability.
There are many more Independents than Republicans numbers wise.
There is a correlation.
The top axis is vaccination rates, and the red/blue denote electoral votes in the last presidential election.
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Get your facts straight.
The Biden administration announced it was allocating nearly $10 billion to increase vaccine access and confidence in minority communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
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There is a dark history of unethical research using minority populations. That’s a large part of it.
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Indeed, there are more Independents.
Biden’s legislation, which carries a $1.9 trillion overall price tag, was passed by the Senate Saturday after clearing the House previously by a mostly party-line 219-212 vote. The House will again vote on the Senate’s amended version of the bill before it can head to Biden’s desk.
What’s one hundred or 200 billion when you can get a trillion? Just have to decide what you want and whom to ask