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Ivan G Thompson
a book bubble about
The Making of A Great America Made in the Image of TRUMP
Religion & Spirituality
Author Insight
The Sad Politics of Covid Spread
A second explanation for the new divergence between more and less vaccinated places is the Delta variant. It appears to be making vaccination even more valuable. The vaccines are effective against Delta, sharply reducing the chances of infection and nearly eliminating any chance of serious illness. For unvaccinated people, however, Delta is significantly more contagious than earlier variants. Missouri offers the clearest example. Over the past week, it has reported more new Covid cases per capita than any other state, and they are concentrated in rural areas that have low vaccination rates, as Charles Gaba, a health care analyst, has noted. In the parts of the state with high vaccination rates — like the metro areas of Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia — the number of new cases remains very low. Red America’s problem There is a political angle to these trends, of course. The places with the lowest vaccination rates tend to be heavily Republican. In an average U.S. county that voted for Donald Trump, only 34 percent of people are fully vaccinated, according to New York Times data. In an average country that voted for Joe Biden, the share is 45 percent (and the share that has received at least one shot is higher). David Leonhardt-New-York-Times-06/28/2021
Book Excerpt
The Making of A Great America Made in the Image of TRUMP
This is an excerpt from the chapter titled "Trumps Vision of America":
There were a few incidents with COVID-19 cases in our church that I felt were treated too casually. One incident involved a person that I worked in close proximity with. I was notified two weeks after I had served with him that he had contracted the virus. I felt my church was taking the treatment of the virus nonchalantly. Within a few months of the COVID-19 incidents at my church, a very, very dear friend of mine died of COVID-19. My friend went to a church that didn’t believe in social distancing or masks. His church suggested that he “just sit in the back.” As best we can tell, he caught the virus at church.
A short time later, my church resumed service without masks and limited social distancing. I couldn’t believe it. I decided not to go back. I shared my concerns with one of the leaders when asked why I wasn’t coming back to services in person. You can only imagine my reaction when that leader said I could just sit in the back. I had just told this leader about my dear friend’s death when we met the week before.
Why weren’t my church leaders more concerned about the virus? Because their leader, President Trump, wasn’t concerned. They were reflecting his values. I have come to call it drinking the “Trump Kool-Aid.” I wish I could say that the decision to go maskless and not be as concerned about social distancing was done under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I can’t say that it was. The influence of the Republican Party and its leader had permeated the sermons and now even the conduct of the service. I couldn’t take it.
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