by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Once you have spent an entire lifetime on the grift, it's hard to just stop - cold turkey - even if you have suddenly been elevated to a position of public trust and responsibility that is far beyond anything you or your grifting family had ever hoped for. But that's exactly what happened to Donald John Trump when he was lifted out a life of con-artist and money-launderer and suddenly found himself occupying the White House.
As Donnie and America quickly learned, you can take the man out of the rackets, but it's much harder to take the rackets out of the man.
Donald Trump has been in crisis mode for several months now, and it appears to be wearing on him. First he had to deal with deal with the impeachment mess, something related directly to his tendency to coerce and bully when dealing with others - individuals or countries - and then along comes this pesky world-wide pandemic.
Trump originally addressed the pending disaster by minimizing it, telling Americans that it was overblown, a "hoax" engineered by his Democratic enemies to further embarrass him and that it would quickly blow over. As the situation deteriorated, he changed course and began trying to control the public relations of the situation by appearing at the daily pandemic briefings and trying to manage the slant of the news. It would soon be over, it was important for America to get back to work, and lately, a cure may already be available - might as well try it - what have you got to lose?
Trump's friends at Fox News quickly stepped in as a chorus to back up his fantastical musings.
That possible cure that Trump has been touting is a drug called hydroxychloroquine that is already on the market and has been approved as treatment for other maladies. Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent and treat malaria, as well as treatment for systemic lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. It has a whole list of side effects including headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting stomach pain, loss of appetite and weight loss, mood changes, irritability, skin rashes, itching, and hair loss.
But Dr. Trump says "What do you have to lose?'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the other hand, the government's point man of science in the war on COVID-19, stresses - when Trump will let him be heard - that the drug has not been tested and properly vetted as a treatment for the killer virus. Fauci also cites a lack of anecdotal evidence supporting efficacy of the drug. Taking it poses unknown risks.
(Researchers are now suggesting that hydroxychloroquine taken with the common diabetes drug Metformin may be toxic.)
But what do you have to lose - other than your life?
(Dr. Jeremy Faust, an MD with Harvard's School of Medicine, posted a tweet two days ago which pointed out that lupus patients and others who were already on hydroxychloroquine are still developing cases of COVID-19 despite having Trump's supposed cure in their bloodstream. Think about that. The "cure" is already in their bodies, but they develop the disease anyway!)
Trump's shameless and insistent promotion of hydroxychloroquine has resulted in an increase in sales of the product, an increase which has resulted in shortages for people who have prescriptions and genuine needs for the drug - malaria and lupus patients, for instance.
So who's buying? Recent government procurement records indicate that two federal agencies (agencies answerable to Trump) have placed orders for hundreds of thousands of dollars of the drug that Trump is suddenly promoting. The Department of Veteran's Affairs, an agency responsible for meeting the health needs of many of our nation's veterans, appears to be suddenly increasing it's interest and need for the controversial drug. Procurement records list the purchases as of an "emergency" nature to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
And, perhaps even more interestingly, the Justice Department's Bureau of Prisons has recently made a large initial purchase of the drug. Both federal agencies have ordered thousands of dollars worth of the sulfate tablets from at least three major drug distributors.
So with this sudden surge in interest in what was once a relatively unknown drug, someone must be making money, right?
Yesterday evening the New York Times reported that Trump's family trusts all have investments in a mutual fund whose largest holding is Sanofi, the manufacturer of Plaquenil, the brand name version of hydroxchloroquine. The Times further reported that associates of Trump including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, have also run funds that hold investments in that particular pharmaceutical firm.
The Trump family is benefiting financially from the increased interest in - and purchases of - hydroxychloroquine! Who didn't see that one coming!
Citizen Journalist
Once you have spent an entire lifetime on the grift, it's hard to just stop - cold turkey - even if you have suddenly been elevated to a position of public trust and responsibility that is far beyond anything you or your grifting family had ever hoped for. But that's exactly what happened to Donald John Trump when he was lifted out a life of con-artist and money-launderer and suddenly found himself occupying the White House.
As Donnie and America quickly learned, you can take the man out of the rackets, but it's much harder to take the rackets out of the man.
Donald Trump has been in crisis mode for several months now, and it appears to be wearing on him. First he had to deal with deal with the impeachment mess, something related directly to his tendency to coerce and bully when dealing with others - individuals or countries - and then along comes this pesky world-wide pandemic.
Trump originally addressed the pending disaster by minimizing it, telling Americans that it was overblown, a "hoax" engineered by his Democratic enemies to further embarrass him and that it would quickly blow over. As the situation deteriorated, he changed course and began trying to control the public relations of the situation by appearing at the daily pandemic briefings and trying to manage the slant of the news. It would soon be over, it was important for America to get back to work, and lately, a cure may already be available - might as well try it - what have you got to lose?
Trump's friends at Fox News quickly stepped in as a chorus to back up his fantastical musings.
That possible cure that Trump has been touting is a drug called hydroxychloroquine that is already on the market and has been approved as treatment for other maladies. Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent and treat malaria, as well as treatment for systemic lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. It has a whole list of side effects including headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting stomach pain, loss of appetite and weight loss, mood changes, irritability, skin rashes, itching, and hair loss.
But Dr. Trump says "What do you have to lose?'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the other hand, the government's point man of science in the war on COVID-19, stresses - when Trump will let him be heard - that the drug has not been tested and properly vetted as a treatment for the killer virus. Fauci also cites a lack of anecdotal evidence supporting efficacy of the drug. Taking it poses unknown risks.
(Researchers are now suggesting that hydroxychloroquine taken with the common diabetes drug Metformin may be toxic.)
But what do you have to lose - other than your life?
(Dr. Jeremy Faust, an MD with Harvard's School of Medicine, posted a tweet two days ago which pointed out that lupus patients and others who were already on hydroxychloroquine are still developing cases of COVID-19 despite having Trump's supposed cure in their bloodstream. Think about that. The "cure" is already in their bodies, but they develop the disease anyway!)
Trump's shameless and insistent promotion of hydroxychloroquine has resulted in an increase in sales of the product, an increase which has resulted in shortages for people who have prescriptions and genuine needs for the drug - malaria and lupus patients, for instance.
So who's buying? Recent government procurement records indicate that two federal agencies (agencies answerable to Trump) have placed orders for hundreds of thousands of dollars of the drug that Trump is suddenly promoting. The Department of Veteran's Affairs, an agency responsible for meeting the health needs of many of our nation's veterans, appears to be suddenly increasing it's interest and need for the controversial drug. Procurement records list the purchases as of an "emergency" nature to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
And, perhaps even more interestingly, the Justice Department's Bureau of Prisons has recently made a large initial purchase of the drug. Both federal agencies have ordered thousands of dollars worth of the sulfate tablets from at least three major drug distributors.
So with this sudden surge in interest in what was once a relatively unknown drug, someone must be making money, right?
Yesterday evening the New York Times reported that Trump's family trusts all have investments in a mutual fund whose largest holding is Sanofi, the manufacturer of Plaquenil, the brand name version of hydroxchloroquine. The Times further reported that associates of Trump including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, have also run funds that hold investments in that particular pharmaceutical firm.
The Trump family is benefiting financially from the increased interest in - and purchases of - hydroxychloroquine! Who didn't see that one coming!
1 comment:
I am sure the MAGAts (Morons Adoring Grifter's Ass) will want to buy in mass quantities. In the interest of fairness to them here is a list of the more severe, but rare, side effects:
RARE side effects
If experienced, these tend to have a Severe expression
A Disease With Shrinking And Weaker Muscles Called Myopathy
A Disorder Of The Peripheral Nerves That Enable Movement Called Peripheral Motor Neuropathy
A Skin Disorder With Blistering And Peeling Skin Called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
A Skin Disorder With Blistering And Peeling Skin Called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
A Type Of Abnormal Movement Disorder Called Dyskinesia
A Type Of Allergic Reaction Called Angioedema
A Type Of Significant Allergic Skin Reaction Called DRESS Syndrome
A Type Of Skin Disorder Called Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis
Abnormal Liver Function Tests
Abnormal Muscle Movements
Acute Liver Failure
Anemia
Bronchospasm
Cardiomyopathy, A Disease Of The Heart Muscle
Changes In The Visual Field
Decreased Blood Platelets
Deposits On The Eye
Erythema Multiforme, A Type Of Allergic Skin Reaction
Fluid Accumulation In Cornea Of The Eye Causing Swelling
Hearing Loss
Heart Failure
Hives
Increased Sensitivity Of The Skin To The Sun
Low Blood Counts Due To Bone Marrow Failure
Low Blood Sugar
Low Levels Of A Type Of White Blood Cell Called Neutrophils
Low Levels Of White Blood Cells
Maculopathy
Mental Problems From Taking The Drug
Muscle Wasting
Pigmentary Retinopathy
Porphyria
Prolonged QT Interval On EKG
Seizures
Skin Rash With Sloughing
Suicidal Behavior
Torsades De Pointes, A Type Of Abnormal Heart Rhythm
Ventricular Arrhythmias, A Type Of Abnormal Heart Rhythm
Very Low Levels Of Granulocytes, A Type Of White Blood Cell.
Post a Comment