Michigan

[tower912]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/05/michigan-postal-worker-with-suspected-coronavirus-dies-weeks-before-retirement.html


LCD Dutchman, postal worker dies of suspected coronavirus.     

[ZiggysFryBoy]

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/05/michigan-postal-worker-with-suspected-coronavirus-dies-weeks-before-retirement.html


LCD Dutchman, postal worker dies of suspected coronavirus.   

Heavy handed topper, locking threads again.   

[tower912]

It is even killing nuns in Michigan.   That is cold.

[tower912]

Numbers improving slightly.

[tower912]

Multiple proposals to limit the governor's power.   Apparently, some people want a governor to respond to a pandemic like Snyder responded to the poison water crisis in Flint.

Maybe Flint residents should have stormed the capital carrying AR15s.    File that away for next time.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Multiple proposals to limit the governor's power.   Apparently, some people want a governor to respond to a pandemic like Snyder responded to the poison water crisis in Flint.

Maybe Flint residents should have stormed the capital carrying AR15s.    File that away for next time.

I'm sure black people carrying around AR15s are going to be viewed as freedom fighters as well.

[tower912]

I am thinking the reaction to that would be somewhat different.

[MU82]

I am thinking the reaction to that would be somewhat different.

Yeah, it's kind of like the reaction to the two white terrorists who gunned down Ahmaud Arbery ...

I wonder if it would have taken 2 months for charges to be filed in Georgia if the shooters had been two black guys and the victim had been white.

[tower912]

It is raining like hell in Lansing right now, so social distancing is being practiced due to umbrella spans.   

[Hards Alumni]

It is raining like hell in Lansing right now, so social distancing is being practiced due to umbrella spans.

When I lived in Lansing it seemed like everyone social distanced 24/7.  I lived a few blocks from the capital and it was frequently a ghost town.

[tower912]

The week after Valentine's day, the chief of my department (who went to MU in 83-84 but flunked out after, as he puts it after a couple of drinks 'majoring in the Avalanche') looked at the data coming in and formed a task force.    He told the deputy and the others on the task force that this looks like it is going to be a problem and get your hand on all of the PPE you can.   And start making plans about what we can cancel and what staffing will look like based on % of our members who have the COVID.     Figure out what our policies are going to be.    Start working on where we will house our members in quarantine if they don't want to quarantine at home. 

  Third week in February. 
  Chief in a medium large midwest city.   
   Read the data.   

So they went to work.   One thing about firefighters, when given a task they know how to organize, plan, acquire resources, and measure and be accountable for  their outcomes.   

Policies changed the first week of March, before the shutdowns.    No more installing smoke detectors in people's house for them.   No more multi-company training.    Taking temperature each day when you get to work.    Plenty of PPE.   Never going outside without a mask while on duty.   No more tours of the stations.    No more neighborhood gatherings.    Wearing additional PPE on every medical call.    Embraced by our workforce.    Vacations cancelled.  Traveling for training cancelled.   Sick leave usage dropped through the floor.   City manager actually joining our morning skype meetings to commend us for how much our overtime budget has dropped over the last two months.    Cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces every day.     Actually put together crews to go talk to and work with the homeless about social distancing, masks, and attempting to pay more attention to hygiene.    Brainstormed with local agencies to find places to get the homeless tested and placed in isolation.    Tough to do because some just walk away when they are surrounded by 4 walls for too long.    And when the local health department tried to shut us out of both data and testing, the chief walked in and started pounding the table and we got good data and finally got department wide testing last week. 

We embraced it all.    And kept fighting fires, and taking care of sick people and running on COVID patients and cleaning up car wrecks and running all of the calls we always ran.   

So far, we have not had a single firefighter in my department test positive.    Whole department got tested last week, 200 negatives.     While our community has had a normal amount of infections and deaths, we have not had a single positive test.   

I don't believe that will continue indefinitely.   Eventually, the isolation is going to get to somebody who is going to go to a bar or a party and is going to get infected and bring it back to the station house.     Then we will start implementing the policies and protocols that are a complete pain in the arse, but necessary.   

But my point is this.   I know what leadership looks like.   I know what doing it right every bleeping time looks like and what it can accomplish.  I know what holding myself accountable, holding my peers accountable, and having them hold me accountable.   And I hold in contempt anybody trying to make excuses for lack of leadership or arguing against doing what they know in their hearts to be the right thing.      I am weary of those who are all about 'me' at the expense of 'we'. 

  Grow the F up.   This isn't over.   It isn't going to be for a while.    Wear your damn mask and wash your damn hands and think about the effect your laziness and narcissism can have on others.   

  And think about how the micro lessons of my department could have been macro lessons for society.     If the virus had been taken seriously from the beginning and there had been actual leadership and direction.   

[tower912]

https://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids-muskegon/

Pure class.

[Hards Alumni]

https://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids-muskegon/

Pure class.

Gross.  Pure Mittenchigan.

You guys should just cede the UP to WI.  Seems like you have enough on your hands!

[Warriors4ever]

tower, I salute your boss, good work.
That protest picture is horrifying.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The week after Valentine's day, the chief of my department (who went to MU in 83-84 but flunked out after, as he puts it after a couple of drinks 'majoring in the Avalanche') looked at the data coming in and formed a task force.    He told the deputy and the others on the task force that this looks like it is going to be a problem and get your hand on all of the PPE you can.   And start making plans about what we can cancel and what staffing will look like based on % of our members who have the COVID.     Figure out what our policies are going to be.    Start working on where we will house our members in quarantine if they don't want to quarantine at home. 

  Third week in February. 
  Chief in a medium large midwest city.   
   Read the data.   

So they went to work.   One thing about firefighters, when given a task they know how to organize, plan, acquire resources, and measure and be accountable for  their outcomes.   

Policies changed the first week of March, before the shutdowns.    No more installing smoke detectors in people's house for them.   No more multi-company training.    Taking temperature each day when you get to work.    Plenty of PPE.   Never going outside without a mask while on duty.   No more tours of the stations.    No more neighborhood gatherings.    Wearing additional PPE on every medical call.    Embraced by our workforce.    Vacations cancelled.  Traveling for training cancelled.   Sick leave usage dropped through the floor.   City manager actually joining our morning skype meetings to commend us for how much our overtime budget has dropped over the last two months.    Cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces every day.     Actually put together crews to go talk to and work with the homeless about social distancing, masks, and attempting to pay more attention to hygiene.    Brainstormed with local agencies to find places to get the homeless tested and placed in isolation.    Tough to do because some just walk away when they are surrounded by 4 walls for too long.    And when the local health department tried to shut us out of both data and testing, the chief walked in and started pounding the table and we got good data and finally got department wide testing last week. 

We embraced it all.    And kept fighting fires, and taking care of sick people and running on COVID patients and cleaning up car wrecks and running all of the calls we always ran.   

So far, we have not had a single firefighter in my department test positive.    Whole department got tested last week, 200 negatives.     While our community has had a normal amount of infections and deaths, we have not had a single positive test.   

I don't believe that will continue indefinitely.   Eventually, the isolation is going to get to somebody who is going to go to a bar or a party and is going to get infected and bring it back to the station house.     Then we will start implementing the policies and protocols that are a complete pain in the arse, but necessary.   

But my point is this.   I know what leadership looks like.   I know what doing it right every bleeping time looks like and what it can accomplish.  I know what holding myself accountable, holding my peers accountable, and having them hold me accountable.   And I hold in contempt anybody trying to make excuses for lack of leadership or arguing against doing what they know in their hearts to be the right thing.      I am weary of those who are all about 'me' at the expense of 'we'. 

  Grow the F up.   This isn't over.   It isn't going to be for a while.    Wear your damn mask and wash your damn hands and think about the effect your laziness and narcissism can have on others.   

  And think about how the micro lessons of my department could have been macro lessons for society.     If the virus had been taken seriously from the beginning and there had been actual leadership and direction.

Crash would be proud.   

[Jockey]

Gross.  Pure Mittenchigan.

You guys should just cede the UP to WI.  Seems like you have enough on your hands!

Sorry, Hards. We don't want 'em.

[tower912]

You can have the UP.   The big problem then will be the maintenance of the bridge.   

[tower912]

Crash would be proud.   

Funny story.   My driver has two degrees from U of M.   Engineering.    Brain works too slow to be an officer.    Currently has turned against AOC and Bernie, who he had been crushing on for the last 18 months, because they sold out and supported Biden.    Every time Crash starts with his superiority complex, I get the giggles thinking about his brother Wolverine.   

[jesmu84]

Crash would be proud.   

Wasn't crash the scooper who insulted and demeaned firefighters?

[tower912]

It is his right to do so.   

[jesmu84]

It is his right to do so.

Sure sure. Just confirming.

[Jockey]

You can have the UP.   The big problem then will be the maintenance of the bridge.   

Chris Christie isn't busy these days. He could manage the bridge.

[tower912]

Nice!


Jesmu84, West Michigan is the home of the Devos/Van Andel/Prince/ Secchia movement.   The spiritual home of the neo conservative movement.   Compared to a pervasive attitude of 'some' powerful influencers in this area, Crash's criticisms were the tiniest of mouse nuts. 

But that is just my underachieving opinion.

[jesmu84]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-14/michigan-cancels-legislative-session-to-avoid-armed-protesters

Uh..what? Isn't this the DEFINITION of terrorism?

[Jockey]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-14/michigan-cancels-legislative-session-to-avoid-armed-protesters

Uh..what? Isn't this the DEFINITION of terrorism?

Um.... these are white people that you are talking about.