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Baker got the Krafts involved in getting those masks to try to keep the shipments safe from the feds
By adamg on Thu, 04/02/2020 - 2:01pm
At his daily press conference today, Gov. Baker said he managed to keep all those Chinese N95 masks out of federal hands by calling their shipment a "private humanitarian mission" and enlisting the help of the Kraft family, who sent their football team's jet over to China to pick them up.
Meanwhile, state officials said Massachusetts has yet to receive any of the 1,000 ventilators the feds had earlier promised Baker Massachusetts would get. Despite that the state yesterday upped its request for ventilators it may never get to 1,400. "We've not yet received any ventilators," Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said.
Baker said that after that the state had ordered 3 million masks through BJs, only to have the federal government seize them as they sat in the port of New York awaiting shipment here, he began a desperate search to find more masks. He said he called pretty much everybody he knew to see if they had any connections overseas that might be able to help Massachusetts get more N95 masks - even people at the state's cultural institutions, because many of them have overseas ties.
He said he finally found a company in China that had masks to sell.
But he said he didn't want to risk another federal seizure, so he called Jonathan Kraft to talk about how to arrange a "private humanitarian mission" to pick up the masks - and get them to Massachusetts.
He said Kraft and his father, Robert, "were terrific" and immediately went to work arranging the logistics - which involved sending the Patriots jet to Shenzen, China to pick up the masks.
He also said China's ambassador to the UN played a critical role in getting the permissions needed to arrange the purchase and shipment. Even the governor of Alaska helped out, by arranging for the plane to land there so the crew could rest on the way back with the masks.
Sudders said the bulk of the masks are scheduled to arrive at Logan Airport later today - with part of the shipment going to New York City and Rhode Island. A panel of medical experts will then determine how to dole them out. Institutions with a high need because they are already dealing with large numbers of Covid-19 patients, such as certain hospitals, will get priority, as well as other institutions that have less than a five-day supply of the masks.
The Patriots jet crew had to leave about 500,000 masks behind - they wouldn't fit on the plane - but those are supposed to be shipped here later.
Baker added the state will also get additional help by Monday, when Partners Healthcare plans to start up an N95 disinfecting system, in an abandoned Kmart in Somerville, that can disinfect up to 80,000 masks a day. The masks can be cycled through the system, which uses concentrated hydrogen-peroxide vapors, up to five times, according to its manufacturer.
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Comments
The "United" States
Trump has killed the concept
States united here
I hope that Alaska had its needs met, too. With only a fraction of our population, a few masks from the cargo clearing customs would be a nice tip.
Trump and the federal
Trump and the federal government have blood on their hands. They take supplies from states and give them only to those who kiss Trumps obese ass.
Trump has modified a GOP cry
States' Plights!
In other words,
This is the most dangerous administration America has ever been punished with. At no point in history have states – especially the ones that don't align politically with the President – needed to actively keep the Federal government at arms reach in an effort to protect its people.
Ummmmm....
Have you ever heard of the civil war?
The Confederacy used actual arms to keep the Feds at arm's reach. Not saying it was right, just that we've been there before (with disastrous consequences)
Ummmm.... have you ever heard
Ummmm.... have you ever heard of the Civil War? The leading cause of death was disease.
Stevil, so your best
Stevil, so your best comparison is to something the country went through 160 years ago while at war with itself? There is no parallel to modern times. Not even 9/11, when the country united over a common enemy.
Trump actively bemoans governors from blue states who "complain a lot" and aren't "appreciative enough", simply because they don't do anything for him politically. He's far more willing to help red state governors with constituents who may be more likely to vote for him in November. The guy doesn't lift a finger unless it benefits him or his agenda, and that kind of sh*t simply can't happen from the President during a crisis.
Again, we simply have never seen anything like it in our country's history. He's dangerous, and he's gotta go.
I made no such comparison
Just pointing out the fake history for perspective and reason:
"At no point in history have states – especially the ones that don't align politically with the President – needed to actively keep the Federal government at arms reach in an effort to protect its people."
I don't disagree with your opinion and I literally wouldn't vote for the man with a gun to my head. That said - now you are revising your statement. You are being like Trump talking to Jim Acosta saying you didn't say something when we can simply refer to your post above.
And let's be serious - from the day we pushed the Brits out of Boston Harbor to now - we have had several existential threats both internal and external that were as bad or worse than even the Great Orange blow hard. And for now he's a menace - but not sure he rises to the point of existential threat...yet.
Existential threats
I suggest all who are unsure about this POTUS's threat level to call their local hospital (if you're in a Blue sta...Red st...) anywhere save deeply rural locations.
Ask your local medical people how it looks from the hill they are defending.
I believe one call is all that it will take to change your mind.
You are reading too much internets
What is happening is horrible on many levels. And Trump's delays and obfuscations cost many lives. However, it will not cause the Constitution to cease to be the law of the land.
Get a grip.
Misuse of the passive voice
America is not "being punished" with this administration. America willingly chose this administration.
The Electoral College, not America
or rather the United States, chose an evil man for the White House. Although the fact that anyone voted for him proves that there are always fools.
L-A-M-E
America has had ~200 years to change the electoral college. We've chosen not to do so. That inaction means we've chosen to keep the electoral college. And, using the system we've chosen, we chose Donald Trump as our President.
Not my preference, but don't duck our collective responsibility for choosing Trump to be our President using a system we've chosen to keep for centuries.
I didn't misuse anything.
I didn't misuse anything.
Just because he was chosen...
...doesn't mean we're still not punished.
"America Chose"
""... America willingly chose this administration..."
Speak for yourself.
I certainly did not choose this administration.
Trump "won" through voter suppression in many states, Russian agitprop, apathy, and the thought of "he really can't be that vain and stupid - it has to be an act"
And I would wager, even the majority of those who voted for him because he ran with an (R) besides his name never had any conception he would be this petty, vindictive, selfish, and uncaring for the country.
What George Bush Jr did to
What George Bush Jr did to New Orleans Katrina victims , Orange face Trump is doing to the entire country on a massive scale , while the entire country is out of work , Trump’s entire family are continuing to live off the backs of Taxpayers.
Forgive a repost, Adam?
A trolley has lost its brakes and is hurtling out of control. You are right by a track switch. If you turn the switch, the trolley will go down one track and kill one set of people. If you don't, it will go on another track and kill a different set of people. This is the classic framing of the Trolley Problem, which is used in ethics classes, law classes, philosophy classes, et cetera. The variations are endless. The two tracks have varying sizes of crowds doomed before the Trolley. And there is the question of the inherent ethical implication of acting or not acting.
The funny thing, is in engineering school, you almost never discuss the trolley problem. Because from the engineer's viewpoint, the ethical failure happened when the trolley lost its brakes. And what's more, time and attention spent on solving the trolley problem is time and attention better spent on preventing it.
We are in a trolley problem, and we have been selected to be run over by the trolley. Our federal government took physical possession of medical gear purchased and paid for by our Commonwealth, and will be distributing that gear elsewhere. This means some doctors and nurses will be protected by these n95 masks and medical gowns, and will come out of this pandemic unscathed, and other doctors and nurses, OUR doctors and nurses, will catch the novel coronavirus, and some of them will die.
What's more, the people who turned the switch and sent the trolley hurtling to us are the same people who could have prevented the problem and did not. Even now, while factories around the world are scarmbling and running in 3 shifts to increase production of medical gear, some of them flying it to the United States, our Federal government has STILL not made full use of the Defense Production Act to ramp it up further.
I'm not going to step forward and say which community should have received this gear, and which doctors and nurses should be protected and which should not. But I'll say this: our government let this pandemic escalate into a trolley problem, and then decided to deal
with it like a trolley problem, sacrificing us in favor of others. This must never be forgotten. It must never be allowed to be forgotten. A monument to this particular moment in our history, the moment when our lives were deemed lesser by the president of the United States, needs to be erected on the Boston COmmon, so future generations will know about this moment.
As you pointed out. MA paid
As you pointed out. MA paid for them. I wonder if the state will be reimbursed?
Got a cite?
I'm not doubting you but I haven't been able to track down a specific reference. What Baker said (that I've read) was a bit ambiguous.
In other words...
Trump is playing the game of politics with lives and deaths. The more deaths on his opponents side of the game the happier he is.
Trolley problem illustrated
Classic trolley problem:
Late stage capitalism trolley problem:
Actually, it's more like he diverted toward the 5
ProPublica explained the "chaotic distribution plan." The article also said that Florida got all 180,000 masks it requested (100%). New York got 78,000 (less than half of what Florida received) out of the 2.2 million it requested (3.5%).
https://www.propublica.org/article/heres-why-florida-got-all-the-emergen...
According to the modeling, Florida is expected to peak at 175 deaths per day on May 4. New York is on track to peak at 855 deaths per day on April 10. (Ratio of 4.9 to 1, so not quite 5...)
https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections
Fallacy of analogy
Analogies are fine for description. They make for lousy premises and argumentation.
Did you read it?
The comment specifically points to where the "trolley problem" analogy works and doesn't work. Did you read it?
This should be classified info
If Dear Leader hears about it we may never get fed help.
I hope Baker has armed
I hope Baker has armed National Guard troops meet the plane at Logan, oversee the unloading, and escort the MA-bound masks to the MA stockpile.
Note the flight track
That plane is not going to enter US Airspace until it is midway into Upstate NY.
Fuck, maybe I should have
Fuck, maybe I should have waited before saying anything.
Maybe the plane will stay in Canada
and approach Logan from the ocean side.
We shall see.
I guess not.
It's about to cross the border into New York.
That's...maybe not that unusual?
Google "great circle route".
See Adam's latest story.
The Guard is there.
Peroxide
Even regular 3% hydrogen peroxide kills the corona virus within a minute*. You can use it to disinfect counters or whatever, and let it dry, or wipe it up when it's done disinfecting. When exposed to air for a while, it turns to plain water.
* According to WebMD.
Has to be fresh, though
H2O2 breaks down over time, especially after you've opened the bottle. And I don't know if there's a good way to check (at home) if a bottle is still effective.
It would be great if they actually had a citation on H2O2 being effective in those concentrations.
ONLY after you open the bottle
And only if you leave the bottle open. According to the CDC:
The link also offers your desired citation:
Thanks!
And I guess that makes sense—the oxygen that builds up in the headspace of the bottle probably helps keep the breakdown from proceeding in the liquid. So it probably loses potency more quickly if you're opening it frequently, too.
If you just need 0.5%, though, a solution starting at 3% will probably last a good while.
I believe you could check
I believe you could check that it's still good by pouring some into the sink. It always activates (fizzes) where the sink meets the metal rim of the drain.
Solid blue right down to the bone Democrat here
but Baker has impressed me with his handling of this crisis.
I'm not surprised
I've seen how he has been systematically tackling the climate change crisis for years now. He doesn't seem inclined to buy into the fantasy worlds that the GOP is vending.
Yeah
Same. Really not much of a fan of baker politically, but man.. lately.. he really is a breath of fresh air. He was slightly slow to respond, but I think this happened:
- He realized he wasn't going to get help from the fed
- His party is useless
And the two big ones:
Healthcare folks called and warned him, and he listened. This is where Charlie's healthcare past at Harvard Vanguard, being on the board of Beth Israel, and even being Weld's Undersecretary of Health and Human Services in the early 90s really has defined his leadership here.
Business leaders also called, both GOP and Democrat.. and were like "We're about to be sent into a Tsunami of economic and healthcare despair.. HELP". Even if it was "save state business" call, he listened.
And he continues to listen. He acted quick. mobilized, and apparently was doing far more behind the scenes than we expected.
Seriously good leadership, and I agree if he keeps this momentum (and it works), he will guarantee himself a third term and a possible run in 2024.
Baker's choice of running mate gave me slight pause
with her former anti-LGBTQ positions. But I voted for him anyway, hoping for a competent, fiscally moderate, center-right technocrat. Our too-blue legislature generally needs a red counterweight in the governor's seat.
I think I got my wish. He is one of a handful of GOP governors who has prioritized the welfare of the citizenry over coddling the Lethal Incompetent's science idiocy, sociopathically political short-sightedness, and gargantuan yet fragile ego.
Trump ought to go down in history as a mass murderer, or at least a mass manslaughterer.
yup
Yeah Polito actually has been strange.. we expected the worst because of her background. And yeah she's had a few slight questionable moments but overall she really hasn't been that bad** . And she's a leader to like Baker thru all of this, she's taken on some leadership too in her own right. (I think she is managing some aspects of this on her own)
Thank God for competent leadership.. really. I feel sorry for friends in states where they don't have leadership who will think about overall constituent welfare over politics.
** I say this as my bar for "bad republicans" has changed in recent days/weeks/months.... I'll take Karyn any day over some others I see.
Rational Republicans use to be
very common in New England. Charlie is a rare bird these days.
This reads like a horror
This reads like a horror novel plot, like a poor execution of some power grab by a corrupt government in a 3rd-world country. I can't believe this is reality. All the national news networks should be blaring about this for days.
Final straw.
I expect Baker to leave the Republican Party within days now.
same
Same. Been waiting for him to do so.
I think he's wising up (hopefully) to see how awful his party is.
Oh, I'm sure he's wised up.
And I also suspect he hasn't left yet because he thought formally remaining a Republican might give him some influence with the feds.
That's gone now.
I don't see him abandoning the GOP. The Commonwealth
likes or at least tolerates its old-school Republicans: fiscally responsible, essentially moral in their own universe (even when you don't agree with them on issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights), basically ethical, not blatantly self-dealing, not overweeningly self-aggrandizing, respectful of law enforcement and the Constitution and the rule of law, generally smart and competent, not overt in any bigotries they might privately hold against various oppressed segments of our society (and don't have much chance of enacting as policy here anyway).
Baker is cut from the Weld cloth: I'd vote for either as governor again, never mind the (R). I haven't agreed with most Republican policies for much of my life, but neither did I view most GOP politicians as either societally-destructive, monstrously self-absorbed human shit-stains with a sociopathic lack of a shred of human empathy, or enablers thereof.
It's a weird, awful place to be in 2020: looking back with some nostalgia at the relatively modest disaster that was W. The dude was not too bright, and was surrounded and steered by greedy, morally-compromised neo-con creeps who were effective policy-makers.
Weirdly, for a kid from circumstances, I felt sympathy for him, in the same way I did for several of my college classmates, W-ish spoiled rich kids saddled with the knowledge that they would never live up to the legacy of their storied, accomplished Greatest Generation fathers, so just said, "Fuck it, let's do another bump." But at least he wasn't a fundamentally broken human being: I believe he actually gives a shit about his wife and kids and friends.
Too bad it's a fallen world.
That might be true in Massachusetts
but for the rest of the country, that kind of Republican is an anachronism.
Dubya sowed the seeds
Without Dubya, you wouldn't have Trump.
Without Reagan, you wouldn't have Dubya.
All shoved the country down the slippery slope, just from different starting points.
Meanwhile
Move over Bailey ... Baker has Liz the Pitt Bull handling the corruption on the Senate side: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6821745-2020-03-30-Letter-to-FEM...
i was just at that k-mart in
i was just at that k-mart in september.
USA out of MA!!!
It’s time!
Oh, Canada?
Slightly used state available. Good lease terms. We make great pets.
We even have one pet
who is willing to lick the face of your hockey players at no additional charge...
No Charge
Because he's already a Canadian.
So does that make him a...
Newfie or a Labrador?
I was thinking dartmouth
I was thinking dartmouth terrier
Wow
I will say, I'm seeing Charlie in a bit of a different light these days. Do your thing, Gov.