(10-19-2021, 01:26 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-13-2021, 04:18 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Editing is not allowed on this forum. That should change. 

I can edit now and always have had that ability.  I don't know what issue you're having, but I dont think it's typical.

(10-22-2021, 01:41 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(10-19-2021, 01:26 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-13-2021, 04:18 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Editing is not allowed on this forum. That should change. 

I can edit now and always have had that ability.  I don't know what issue you're having, but I dont think it's typical.

No we have never had that ability on this forum. No-one has.

(10-22-2021, 08:30 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-22-2021, 01:41 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(10-19-2021, 01:26 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-13-2021, 04:18 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Editing is not allowed on this forum. That should change. 

I can edit now and always have had that ability.  I don't know what issue you're having, but I dont think it's typical.

No we have never had that ability on this forum. No-one has.

You can edit your posts until they are quoted.  Once they are quoted in a response, editing permissions stop.  I doubt your permissions are different than mine were when I was just a poster here.  Now, I can even edit other's posts (but I won't -- it's not ethical).

(01-04-2022, 04:13 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: Biden is behind, but he may have made a small recovery. Zogby favors Biden and Democrats, while Trafalgar and Rasmussen favor Republicans and are almost certainly dishonest. But Biden is still behind by 17-19 points in those Republican polls. Probably his actual average is somewhere like minus 6-8 points. Independents and suburban voters are disapproving right now. Time will tell whether they are still hung up on Reaganomics and don't support the "transformational" legislation that we need, or are just concerned about inflation and the pandemic, which Biden only has marginal control over, but they blame him anyway just because he's the president and they are frustrated.

(10-22-2021, 09:18 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(10-22-2021, 08:30 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-22-2021, 01:41 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(10-19-2021, 01:26 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(10-13-2021, 04:18 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Editing is not allowed on this forum. That should change. 

I can edit now and always have had that ability.  I don't know what issue you're having, but I dont think it's typical.

No we have never had that ability on this forum. No-one has.

You can edit your posts until they are quoted.  Once they are quoted in a response, editing permissions stop.  I doubt your permissions are different than mine were when I was just a poster here.  Now, I can even edit other's posts (but I won't -- it's not ethical).

Doesn't editing ability stop 1 day after posting? I thought that was the rule.

That's what I call "not allowing editing," if so.

(01-05-2022, 01:56 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-04-2022, 04:13 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: Biden is behind, but he may have made a small recovery. Zogby favors Biden and Democrats, while Trafalgar and Rasmussen favor Republicans and are almost certainly dishonest. But Biden is still behind by 17-19 points in those Republican polls. Probably his actual average is somewhere like minus 6-8 points. Independents and suburban voters are disapproving right now. Time will tell whether they are still hung up on Reaganomics and don't support the "transformational" legislation that we need, or are just concerned about inflation and the pandemic, which Biden only has marginal control over, but they blame him anyway just because he's the president and they are frustrated.

He is the one in charge now. It's going to be hard to blame Trump for all his screw ups. I thought Biden getting a handle on COVID was a given coming in. But, to my surprise, Biden managed to screw that up too. Well, you elected him and his ilk and you're going find yourself paying a significant price for your big mistake. America is going to discard you and leave you for the wolves/criminals to prey on/devour so to speak.

(01-05-2022, 02:51 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 01:56 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-04-2022, 04:13 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: Biden is behind, but he may have made a small recovery. Zogby favors Biden and Democrats, while Trafalgar and Rasmussen favor Republicans and are almost certainly dishonest. But Biden is still behind by 17-19 points in those Republican polls. Probably his actual average is somewhere like minus 6-8 points. Independents and suburban voters are disapproving right now. Time will tell whether they are still hung up on Reaganomics and don't support the "transformational" legislation that we need, or are just concerned about inflation and the pandemic, which Biden only has marginal control over, but they blame him anyway just because he's the president and they are frustrated.

He is the one in charge now. It's going to be hard to blame Trump for all his screw ups. I thought Biden getting a handle on COVID was a given coming in. But, to my surprise, Biden managed to screw that up too. Well, you elected him and his ilk and you're going find yourself paying a significant price for your big mistake. America is going to discard you and leave you for the wolves/criminals to prey on/devour so to speak.

Unfortunately Biden was the only candidate willing to run who could have defeated Trump. So we are stuck with him. He doesn't seem to anticipate troubles very well. He does his best once he is onto the problem, but his actions are sometimes too slow; maybe too little and too late. His legislative program is good; far enough to the left to make you guys mad, so that is a good indication of how good it is.

I have written to him and told him to force Pfizer and Moderna to make the covid vaccines available to the world. He has not done this. Therefore variants have appeared and kept the pandemic going, with bad results for the economy and our dependence on China and the trade backups. If your guy Trump had been re-elected, all these things and more would have been much worse, and there would be no turning back from the USA becoming an authoritarian state like Turkey or worse, and no turning back from hothouse Earth and the end of civilization. But that's what you guys want.

(01-05-2022, 04:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: Yep, (President Biden's) policies are far enough to the left to piss most Americans off and loose most of the country. So, who are you going to leach off when the American population aka American economy is no longer available to tax. Hint, you ain't much better at anticipating troubles ahead or recognizing failures than Biden or any of the blue idiots/morons positioned at the top of the blue paradigm these days. As far COVID, the vaccines have already failed to stop COVID. I know more vaccinated people who currently have COVID than unvaccinated people these days. I told you several months ago that it would wise to shift focus from vaccinating everyone to testing and treatments but you didn't listen. Yep. You're stuck with Biden or some other Liberal/Progressive fuck up like Biden. So, you may as well get used to going downward and get used to the idea of living out the rest of your in a Banana Republic and get used to all the lowly (vile language excised) So, how long is going to be before the Democrats (vile language excised) themselves out of a country? A few more years maybe if America continues to go along with tradition like you and the other stooges seem to expect? Haven't you learned not to expect anything relative to the past these days? You should have by now.

(01-05-2022, 04:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 02:51 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 01:56 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-04-2022, 04:13 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: Biden is behind, but he may have made a small recovery. Zogby favors Biden and Democrats, while Trafalgar and Rasmussen favor Republicans and are almost certainly dishonest. But Biden is still behind by 17-19 points in those Republican polls. Probably his actual average is somewhere like minus 6-8 points. Independents and suburban voters are disapproving right now. Time will tell whether they are still hung up on Reaganomics and don't support the "transformational" legislation that we need, or are just concerned about inflation and the pandemic, which Biden only has marginal control over, but they blame him anyway just because he's the president and they are frustrated.

He is the one in charge now. It's going to be hard to blame Trump for all his screw ups. I thought Biden getting a handle on COVID was a given coming in. But, to my surprise, Biden managed to screw that up too. Well, you elected him and his ilk and you're going find yourself paying a significant price for your big mistake. America is going to discard you and leave you for the wolves/criminals to prey on/devour so to speak.

Unfortunately Biden was the only candidate willing to run who could have defeated Trump. So we are stuck with him. He doesn't seem to anticipate troubles very well. He does his best once he is onto the problem, but his actions are sometimes too slow; maybe too little and too late. His legislative program is good; far enough to the left to make you guys mad, so that is a good indication of how good it is.

I have written to him and told him to force Pfizer and Moderna to make the covid vaccines available to the world. He has not done this. Therefore variants have appeared and kept the pandemic going, with bad results for the economy and our dependence on China and the trade backups. If your guy Trump had been re-elected, all these things and more would have been much worse, and there would be no turning back from the USA becoming an authoritarian state like Turkey or worse, and no turning back from hothouse Earth and the end of civilization. But that's what you guys want.

Yep, his policies are far enough to the left to piss most Americans off and loose most of the country. So, who are you going to leach off when the American population aka American economy is no longer available to tax. Hint, you ain't much better at anticipating troubles ahead or recognizing failures than Biden or any of the blue idiots/morons positioned at the top of the blue paradigm these days. As far COVID, the vaccines have already failed to stop COVID. I know more vaccinated people who currently have COVID than unvaccinated people these days. I told you several months ago that it would wise to shift focus from vaccinating everyone to testing and treatments but you didn't listen. Yep. You're stuck with Biden or some other Liberal/Progressive fuck up like Biden. So, you may as well get used to going downward and get used to the idea of living out the rest of your in a Banana Republic and get used to all the lowly shit that goes on in Banana Republics. I say fuck you, fuck Biden, fuck the Democrats and fuck the Progressives too. So, how long is going to be before the Democrats fuck themselves out of a country? A few more years maybe if America continues to go along with tradition like you and the other stooges seem to expect? Haven't you learned not to expect anything relative to the past these days? You should have by now.

(01-05-2022, 08:59 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Sorry, ha ha. I don't go by a report from a rabid right-winger like you about covid and vaccines. We have posted the reliable reports here. Most people who get infected now are unvaccinated. The omicorn variant is more contagious and some vaccinated people get it, but only have mild cases. Those who are dying or going to the hospital now are the unvaccinated, and maybe a few old codgers whose immune system is shot.

In any case, I am fine with splitting off from you red staters and red countiers, if we can swing a good deal. We are the wealthy states, with the brains and the world connections. You guys are just hillbillies. There's no wealth there in your territory to tax. You guys are all just deluded goof balls. Without you retrogrades, we will be free to tax the rich to pay their fair share, which you guys refuse to do because you already ARE a banana republic, which by definition is one that is ruled by the wealthy, which you guys have forced upon us. So, if you want to leave America, don't let the door hitcha on the way out.

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

(01-07-2022, 06:33 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

Where do you come up with this XXXX? I've already had COVID a few times. Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about a rattlesnake bite than COVID.

Quote:Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach.[76] Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%[77]) are males, often young and intoxicated. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.[34]


Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger.[78] Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite. Dogs can be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites.[79]

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.[80][81]

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths.[82] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.[83]

(01-07-2022, 11:27 PM)mpbrower2a Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 06:33 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

Where do you come up with this XXXX? I've already had COVID a few times. Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about a rattlesnake bite than COVID.

Wikipedia: 

Quote:Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach.[76] Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%[77]) are males, often young and intoxicated. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.[34]


Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger.[78] Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite. Dogs can be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites.[79]

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.[80][81]

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths.[82] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.[83]

[/url]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#Venom[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#cite_note-83]

Yes, one has a better chance of surviving a rattler bite.  For now, if I were unvaccinated (and still alive) I can contrast a carrier of COVID-19 to a rattler  in that a rattler usually gives a reliable warning to back off. I have lived in rattler country, and if I heard a rattler I would turn back and take any dog with me. People with COVID-19 don't look truly dangerous, but the death rate for uninoculated people has been about 1.5% 

A hint: rattler bite isn't considered much of an occupational risk for utility workers, police,  farmers, ranchers, soldiers, or construction workers. Hikers, campers, golfers, fishermen? Likewise. Rattlers don't want to face our lethal hooves or the similarly-deadly bites of dogs or cats. They attack almost entirely when provoked. Anyone not inoculated for COVID-19 is at risk of something more dangerous than a rattler bite.

I'm not the sort who provokes rattlers. It's just too stupid. I'd call 911 if I saw someone provoking a rattler. 

I'm still using masks; "Rona" is still stalking us.

(01-08-2022, 03:22 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote: I wish there was a way to prove you wrong without killing you in the process. So, what's the average time it takes for COVID to kill a person without respirators? Does it usually take more or less than 6-48 hours to kill a person? You're college educated and you're supposed to smarter than me according to the stereotype most blue idiots still tend to go by these days even though it's been proven to be false many times. So, how long do think you last if it was you arguing against four of us. In other words, do you think you'd be able to do what I do here against all of you guys. I must admit, doing what I do here is much easier today than when I started out almost 20 years ago.

(01-08-2022, 03:22 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 11:27 PM)mpbrower2a Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 06:33 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

Where do you come up with this XXXX? I've already had COVID a few times. Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about a rattlesnake bite than COVID.

Wikipedia: 

Quote:Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach.[76] Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%[77]) are males, often young and intoxicated. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.[34]


Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger.[78] Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite. Dogs can be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites.[79]

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.[80][81]

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths.[82] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.[83]

[/url]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#Venom[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#cite_note-83]

Yes, one has a better chance of surviving a rattler bite.  For now, if I were unvaccinated (and still alive) I can contrast a carrier of COVID-19 to a rattler  in that a rattler usually gives a reliable warning to back off. I have lived in rattler country, and if I heard a rattler I would turn back and take any dog with me. People with COVID-19 don't look truly dangerous, but the death rate for uninoculated people has been about 1.5% 

A hint: rattler bite isn't considered much of an occupational risk for utility workers, police,  farmers, ranchers, soldiers, or construction workers. Hikers, campers, golfers, fishermen? Likewise. Rattlers don't want to face our lethal hooves or the similarly-deadly bites of dogs or cats. They attack almost entirely when provoked. Anyone not inoculated for COVID-19 is at risk of something more dangerous than a rattler bite.

I'm not the sort who provokes rattlers. It's just too stupid. I'd call 911 if I saw someone provoking a rattler. 

I'm still using masks; "Rona" is still stalking us.

I wish there was a way to prove you wrong without killing you in the process. So, what's the average time it takes for COVID to kill a person without respirators? Does it usually take more or less than 6-48 hours to kill a person? You're college educated and you're supposed to smarter than me according to the stereotype most blue idiots still tend to go by these days even though it's been proven to be false many times. So, how long do think you last if it was you arguing against four of us. In other words, do you think you'd be able to do what I do here against all of you guys. I must admit, doing what I do here is much easier today than when I started out almost 20 years ago.

(01-08-2022, 03:22 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 11:27 PM)mpbrower2a Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 06:33 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

Where do you come up with this XXXX? I've already had COVID a few times. Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about a rattlesnake bite than COVID.

Wikipedia: 

Quote:Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach.[76] Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%[77]) are males, often young and intoxicated. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.[34]


Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger.[78] Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite. Dogs can be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites.[79]

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.[80][81]

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths.[82] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.[83]

[/url]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#Venom[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#cite_note-83]

Yes, one has a better chance of surviving a rattler bite.  For now, if I were unvaccinated (and still alive) I can contrast a carrier of COVID-19 to a rattler  in that a rattler usually gives a reliable warning to back off. I have lived in rattler country, and if I heard a rattler I would turn back and take any dog with me. People with COVID-19 don't look truly dangerous, but the death rate for uninoculated people has been about 1.5% 

A hint: rattler bite isn't considered much of an occupational risk for utility workers, police,  farmers, ranchers, soldiers, or construction workers. Hikers, campers, golfers, fishermen? Likewise. Rattlers don't want to face our lethal hooves or the similarly-deadly bites of dogs or cats. They attack almost entirely when provoked. Anyone not inoculated for COVID-19 is at risk of something more dangerous than a rattler bite.

I'm not the sort who provokes rattlers. It's just too stupid. I'd call 911 if I saw someone provoking a rattler. 

I'm still using masks; "Rona" is still stalking us.

I wish there was a way to prove you wrong without killing you in the process. So, what's the average time it takes for COVID to kill a person without respirators? Does it usually take more or less than 6-48 hours to kill a person? You're college educated and you're supposed to smarter than me according to the stereotype most blue idiots still tend to go by these days even though it's been proven to be false many times. So, how long do think you last if it was you arguing against four of us. In other words, do you think you'd be able to do what I do here against all of you guys. I must admit, doing what I do here is much easier today than when I started out almost 20 years ago.

(01-08-2022, 02:04 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(01-08-2022, 03:22 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 11:27 PM)mpbrower2a Wrote:

(01-07-2022, 06:33 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(01-05-2022, 07:48 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: What can I say?  COVID-19 has been more likely to kill than a rattlesnake bite. I avoid rattlers, and if I hear a rattle I back off. I don't use street drugs or drive drunk. I heed warning siogns and warning labels.

Where do you come up with this XXXX? I've already had COVID a few times. Have you ever been bit by a rattlesnake? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about a rattlesnake bite than COVID.

Wikipedia: 

Quote:Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach.[76] Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%[77]) are males, often young and intoxicated. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.[34]


Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger.[78] Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite. Dogs can be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites.[79]

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.[80][81]

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths.[82] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.[83]

[/url]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#Venom[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake#cite_note-83]

Yes, one has a better chance of surviving a rattler bite.  For now, if I were unvaccinated (and still alive) I can contrast a carrier of COVID-19 to a rattler  in that a rattler usually gives a reliable warning to back off. I have lived in rattler country, and if I heard a rattler I would turn back and take any dog with me. People with COVID-19 don't look truly dangerous, but the death rate for uninoculated people has been about 1.5% 

A hint: rattler bite isn't considered much of an occupational risk for utility workers, police,  farmers, ranchers, soldiers, or construction workers. Hikers, campers, golfers, fishermen? Likewise. Rattlers don't want to face our lethal hooves or the similarly-deadly bites of dogs or cats. They attack almost entirely when provoked. Anyone not inoculated for COVID-19 is at risk of something more dangerous than a rattler bite.

I'm not the sort who provokes rattlers. It's just too stupid. I'd call 911 if I saw someone provoking a rattler. 

I'm still using masks; "Rona" is still stalking us.

I wish there was a way to prove you wrong without killing you in the process. So, what's the average time it takes for COVID to kill a person without respirators? Does it usually take more or less than 6-48 hours to kill a person? You're college educated and you're supposed to smarter than me according to the stereotype most blue idiots still tend to go by these days even though it's been proven to be false many times. So, how long do think you last if it was you arguing against four of us. In other words, do you think you'd be able to do what I do here against all of you guys. I must admit, doing what I do here is much easier today than when I started out almost 20 years ago.

Statistical evidence has become the measure of decision-making on medicine and public policy. Of course many people beat the odds. Some people get away with all sorts of statistically-dangerous behavior; some people are very good at it, like professional auto racers and daredevil pilots. They know what they are doing. Typically they calculate the risks. I think of the late Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" who provoked Australian crocodiles to demonstrate how dangerous they could be to someone unwary in the land of crocodiles. He made sure to barely get away with his life, but he knew that once he was on dry land he could run faster, and he knew how much leeway he needed to get away with it. As he got into his thirties he recognized that his reflexes and running speed were already in decline (which explains why most pro athletes' careers are over by 35), so he could no longer bait crocodiles and get away from them. The margin might not be that one would catch and eat him but that on one bad day he would be crippled, ending his career. 

Steve Irwin would have never done to any creature of the mammalian order Carnivora, all of which are swift, powerful, strong, agile, cunning, voracious creatures with sharp teeth and claws. I have referred to some dogs as "tigers" for showing an aggressive side that makes them tiger-like except for size. It's up to dog owners to tolerate no aggressive behavior by dogs without due provocation (burglars, muggers, and rapists should consider themselves dog food) and for us to not provoke the dog. He once did to alligators what he did to crocodiles for a filmed trip to America, but he knew well what he was doing.  I remember him saying of a rattlesnake.. "Do you know what is even more dangerous? An abandoned mine", which Arizona has in abundance. Australia has arguably the most dangerous wildlife except perhaps for Africa. It has no Big Cats, but the dingo, essentially a feral dog, takes the ecological role of a Big Cat and does that role well. Well enough that they have taken children away as prey (Azalea Chamberlain).

Eventually he went on tour with members of the Cousteau organization, which is expert at dealing with calculated risks. An uncalculated risk eventually killed Steve Irwin, a sting ray striking himn with its spiked tail and penetrating his heart. Any other place of attack would have been short of lethal, but everything that could go wrong went wrong. 

Some people do dangerous jobs, as in police work, fire-fighting, mining, oil-getting, and construction work. They have rigid procedures to reduce risks, like respirators for fire fighters and bullet-proof vests for cops. Miners have long had detectors for chokedamp (carbon monoxide), firedamp (methane), and stinkdamp (hydrogen sulfide), all three of which gases are potentially lethal. Miners use higher-tech devices than the literal canaries in the coal mine that succumbed faster than miners.  They do what they can to minimize risks of sudden, pointless death. 

With medicine and public policy, the experts use statistical measures. They do not rely upon personal testimonies or other unreliable explanations. I have seen the statistical evidence, and it clearly states on COVID-19 that some vaccines are highly reliable in reducing the chance of contracting the Plague of Donald Trump and of death or serious and lasting impairment if one gets it. Yes, people with compromised immune systems such as the late General Colin Powell can die of it -- but he had Parkinsonism and multiple myeloma, either of which would have killed him anyway. With drunk driving, some people who have done it have said that they drive even better after "a cuppla beersh", but try telling that to a cop. As a rule, police typically expect someone to have consumed twice as much alcohol as they claim to have said. (That is even true with people who haven't been drinking... you know, twice zero is still zero. I have been stopped for DUI without having had any alcohol, having been awake since 5AM and driving at 8PM. I should have been stopped). Statistical connections between alcohol in the system (blood alcohol content, or BAC)  are well established in theory and they are the basis of the laws that we have.   

As for a college education, it is overrated as an assurance of competence. College-educated people can still be cranks or get enraptured in pseudoscience. I've met people with college degrees who can't hold a credible conversation. I have known some who have done stupid things like use street drugs, sleep with anything that moves in the time of AIDS, drive drunk, join cults, and fall for extremist causes. One is more likely to do those things if one is a half-wit. The connection between IQ and formal learning is generally well established, as the high-school dropouts are largely dummies. Such is also true of the connection between intelligence and crime. Crime is stupid. Some burglars (nasty people, as many are also rapists) who feel assurance that the little yapping dog is only a Jack Russell terrier. My observation with dogs is that the smaller the dog, the more tiger-like its behavior is. Hospitalization rates by breed are twice as high for bites by kitten-sized Yorkshire terriers than for dogs in general. Little ankle-biters? I'd rather be bitten on my thigh, thank you, because that will not cripple me. 

I am at most an amateur at assessing risks. All that I can rely upon is the statistical evidence.