California opens up on June 15.  My only concern is the delta variant that hit India is moving throughout the US and the number of folks that are not yet vaccinated.  It would be disastrous if we see another wave.  It probably will not have much impact on rural areas but metropolitan areas will get hit the worse.

The amount of misinformation about Covid-19 and the vaccines really bothers me.  My wife's hair dresser still believes the death toll from Covid-19 is not true and that it is no worse than a mild flu.  She asked my wife if she knows anyone that died from Covid-19 to prove her point.  My wife responded "Yes, one of our neighbors".  That conversation ended quickly.  Our daughter was working in New York city when the outbreak there was really bad.  No body can convince her that the pandemic was not real.  She saw the refrigerated meat trucks behind hospitals and was even asked by the city corner to help haul bodies because of her background in veterinary medicine.  She declined.  All of the noise on the vaccines has really gotten out of hand.  One of my wife's cousins believes it is being used by Bill Gates and the Government to control us.  This rumor has been going around for months.  Several months back, a friend passed to me a link to an online discussion conducted by Dr Tenpenny.  She has pretty good credentials but most of what she was saying proved to be completely bogus after a little fact checking.  I see she testified recently before the Ohio state legislature claiming that the vaccine has made people magnetic.  Ugh!         

There are a few different ways that one could interpret this...And it has nothing to do with what is injected into the body!

One of my wife's cousins believes it is being used by Bill Gates and the Government to control us. 

I had a Dr. appointment yesterday. They have the vaccine available if you want it. Masking was your choice,, even though I had not gotten it, I asked if they were better with me wearing mine or not. They said it was my choice. The DR said I wear one because people expect me to. I asked if he thought it was a good thing, and he said yes. He said he did not go off of what the government and CDC said so much as he did of of the studies for the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, he said he would stay away from the J&J one but didn't say why. He said he read each study all 56 pages each and felt they went about doing things the right way. He also said while he thinks it is good to get it, that many people have more questions and some really out there thoughts on it. He said I will no pressure you in to getting or not, just tell you we have it if you chose to get one. The have Moderna and give it once a week, the vial once opened has 10 doses and only lasts for 6 hours.

As we talked he mentioned flu, I told him I didn't remember the last time I had a flu shot because they are usually a year behind. He explained the differences in flu and covid like this. The flu this year looks like you (I am about 6' 340# and white.) next year it looks like a 10 year old Asian girl, and the next year it is a 300# black linebacker for the Steelers. So it is hard to guess what is coming. Covid he said looks like you, then the next mutation looks like you with blue eyes the next is you with blond hair. So even the different mutations will be effected by the vaccine. He was not sure on the longevity of it in your system, he figure there will be some booster shots down the road, but even if you do not get them you are still better having the first set.

He does feel it is pretty safe and also says it works. Siting Israel who was first to have the majority of people vaccinated and seeing there numbers just drop to next to nothing, same with here in the US case have drastically dropped off with a lot of people getting it.

I think the death cases are a bit exaggerated in that hearing cause of death was ruled covid if they tested and had it, no matter if they died from a heart attack or car accident. I believe this was a financial thing as the government was handing out money to places for covid related deaths and treatments.

As for controlling us, I doubt Gates really gains much by having any control over me and most people than he already does. I agree with Bentley. The government on the other hand will always seek to have control over the people to a certain extent, sadly it seems to be them wanting more and more control to me. One day there will be an uprising as people will have had enough, not sure I will see that in my lifetime, but I do see it happening. They seem to be trying to dumb down each new generation more and more so they will follow along without much resistance. Both parties want to control more of our lives than they should and if they ever got wise and unified, we would be in deep Doo Doo. 

There are a few different ways that one could interpret this...And it has nothing to do with what is injected into the body!

One of my wife's cousins believes it is being used by Bill Gates and the Government to control us. 

A little context here.  This woman grew up and was educated under a strict communist government.  She hated the US until a family member felt she was old enough to handle the truth about close MIA family members.  She held her tongue and eventually immigrated to the US.  She has experienced a controlling government first hand and is a bit paranoid about the motives behind any government.  I traveled through central Europe in late 2019.  This distrust of government in general is still prevalent in former communist controlled places like Slovakia.   

I first heard about the vaccines in April 2020.  Stan Bunger had an "Ask an Expert" news show on CBS news radio.  He brought on a medical professor from USC that was involved with the reviewing the test results for the various Covid-19 vaccines.  The guy was ecstatic about the results he was seeing thus far.  He commented that the US government was doing risk buys on six of the most promising candidates in order to jump start supply following approval.  The expectation was that only two would make it.  He projected that the first vaccines would be submitted for approval in the late fall.  His projection was spot on even though it was for emergency approval only.

I felt like the government that the only way we would dig our way out of the Covid quagmire is with an effective vaccine.  My family signed up for a shot as early as we could.  My oldest daughter got her first shot in early January.  I got mine in early February.  By the end of April, my family was all completely vaccinated. 

I don't think it helps the Gov push to get the country vaccinated when a large portion of Medical/Healthcare workers won't even take it. I do not happen to be in the camp of mis doubt, I do not think that the vaccine it is unsafe, just unnecessary for me personally.  If that, along without wearing a mask and not social distancing, makes me selfish and (the generic you) think I am disrespectful, so be it, I can live with that.

Sadly one doesn't have to look very hard or have a wild imagination to have at least a little distrust of government. Or maybe it is just me.

KY is having three $1,000,000 sweepstakes drawings; if I win, I'm buying a PG500! 

Some info from a local TV station:

The delta variant is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant strain of coronavirus in the U.S., raising concerns that outbreaks could hit vulnerable communities come fall.

Currently, 10% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. can be attributed to the variant, but that proportion is doubling every two weeks, said Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said in a CBS interview Sunday.

He added that it probably will become the dominant strain in the U.S.

That may not mean a sharp uptick in infections across the country, which has administered more than 309 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but specific regions are at risk, he said.

“I think in parts of the country where you have less vaccination — particularly in parts of the South, where you have some cities where vaccination rates are low — there’s a risk that you could see outbreaks with this new variant,” Gottlieb said.

Nationally, 64.4% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but some states are seeing significantly lower rates. Less than half of adults living in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wyoming have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For states lagging in vaccinations, the delta variant could pose a serious risk since experts believe the delta variant is significantly more transmissible than its predecessors, Gottlieb said. The good news is that evidence shows vaccines are still effective against it.

Sadly one doesn't have to look very hard or have a wild imagination to have at least a little distrust of government. Or maybe it is just me.

Spot on!

Sadly one doesn't have to look very hard or have a wild imagination to have at least a little distrust of government. Or maybe it is just me.

It is not just you.  No one should ever trust any government.  Power corrupts. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and history is littered with examples of why not to trust government.  That does not mean everything is a conspiracy, but always research and verify.

Sadly one doesn't have to look very hard or have a wild imagination to have at least a little distrust of government. Or maybe it is just me.

It is not just you.  No one should ever trust any government.  Power corrupts. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and history is littered with examples of why not to trust government.  That does not mean everything is a conspiracy, but always research and verify.

Again, spot on.

Sorry I opened up this can of worms by starting this thread.

Sorry I opened up this can of worms by starting this thread.

I don't believe you need to be sorry, there is just some differences in opinions. Heck there is differences in opinions on wrapping or not wrapping ribs, fat up fat down on brisket. In the end everyone here seems to get along and not get offended, if someone else thinks differently. I think it would be a sad world if every one thought exactly the same way on everything. Different opinions are a big part of what creates conversation.

Sorry I opened up this can of worms by starting this thread.

I second what “big dave” said.
Absolutely no reason for you to apologize, none.
He said it better than I ever could and I 100% agree with what he said.
Nothing but friends here.