04-12

Sunday, April 12

Apr 11: A New York Times expose reveals that advisors warned President Trump about coronavirus’ high lethality very early in the year but he elected to downplay that knowledge. All 50 states (Wyoming being the last) are under a disaster declaration for the first time in U.S. history. The IRS starts sending out stimulus checks: individuals with adjusted gross incomes under $75,000 receive $1,200, and couples get $2,400 plus $500 per child.

Apr 12: Easter. Dr. Anthony Fauci says there was “a lot of pushback” in February to enacting federal coronavirus social distancing guidelines, and, “You could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives.” Violent storms kill 8 people in the South. A federal judge rules that Alabama can’t use the pandemic to ban abortions. Smithfield Foods in South Dakota announces that it will shut a U.S. pork plant indefinitely because of a coronavirus outbreak among workers. Disney World furloughs 43,000 employees. New York City’s death toll passes 6,000.*

A pretty interesting combo -- pope and presidential candidate

In the spirit of Christ's message on Easter, someone spread nails on the road out in front of Maryville Baptist--perhaps to deter those, like state police, who would come to the church informing them it’s inconsiderate of your family and neighbors to congregate in groups during a pandemic, thus making it more likely you’ll pass illness to them.

Nothing like major tornadoes in the middle of a pandemic.

https://twitter.com/VanDamCNN/status/1249453919970918405?s=20

Recognition that the linguistic make-up of the work force could make pressuring Smithfield for PPE more challenging. (Tweet no longer on twitter).

Recognition that the linguistic make-up of the work force could make pressuring Smithfield for PPE more challenging. (Tweet no longer on Twitter) https://twitter.com/annehelen/status/1249417627702685696?s=20

Fed Up Eagle. Guiliani Slams WHO, China for Coronavirus Response, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVO4Cn3nKog.

CNN. Tapper Asks Fauci: Do You Think Lives Could Have Been Saved?, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k73jqaZ2_w.

Sanchez, Ray. “Coronavirus in Black America: Living in the Eye of a ‘Perfect Storm.’” CNN, April 11, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/11/us/coronavirus-black-americans-deaths/index.html.

Hernandez, Nicole. “U.S. Has Most Coronavirus Deaths In The World.” NPR.org, April 12, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/12/832722919/u-s-has-most-coronavirus-deaths-in-the-world.

Kell, Gretchen. “COVID-19’s Unequal Toll on Black Americans: A Q&A with Tina Sacks.” Berkeley News, April 11, 2020. https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/04/10/qa-with-tina-sacks/.

Lombardo, Keira. “Smithfield Foods To Close Sioux Falls, SD Plant Indefinitely Amid COVID-19 | Smithfield Foods.” Smithfield Foods, Inc. press room, April 12, 2020. https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/press-room/company-news/smithfield-foods-to-close-sioux-falls-sd-plant-indefinitely-amid-covid-19.

Lute, Marissa. “Gov. Noem, Mayor TenHaken Request Smithfield Foods Close Plant for 14 Days with More COVID-19 Cases per Capita in Sioux Falls than Seattle or Chicago.” KELOLAND News, April 11, 2020. https://www.keloland.com/news/healthbeat/coronavirus/south-dakota-gov-noem-sioux-falls-mayor-tenhaken-request-to-close-smithfield-foods-for-14-days/.

Mackay, Ian M. “Kits, Reagents and Viruses.” Virology Down Under (blog), April 12, 2020. https://virologydownunder.com/kits-reagents-and-viruses/.

Maqbool, Aleem. “Why Are African Americans Hit so Hard by Virus?” BBC News, April 11, 2020, sec. US & Canada. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52245690.

UFCW. “UFCW Calls on CDC to Issue Mandatory Guidance for Frontline Workers During Coronavirus Outbreak.” United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, April 8, 2020. http://www.ufcw.org/2020/04/08/cdcguidance/.

Smithfield shutting U.S. pork plant indefinitely, warns of meat shortages during pandemic https://t.co/Jap7pdXF2H pic.twitter.com/DtZsqtssDj
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 12, 2020

Communism dominates today’s Catholic Church leadership. Shockingly inhumane.
— PolDisc (@PolDisc) April 12, 2020

HHS secretary Alex Azar "directly warned Trump of the possibility of a pandemic during a call on Jan. 30, the second warning he delivered to the president about the virus in two weeks. The president…responded that Mr. Azar was being alarmist."https://t.co/kPpynGNNyX
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) April 11, 2020

One of America's largest pork processing plants closes due to coronavirus.

A Smithfield Pork processing plant in South Dakota is closing after 240 of its employees fell ill with COVID-19https://t.co/Fl4jKP9lGl
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 12, 2020

1) this virus has increased risks for any places that have people in close proximity (hint think vegetable production)

2) I have family that work at this plant and your viewpoint is very callus.

3) while it is fine choice for people to go vegan, ENTIRE FARM FORCE NEEDS PPE.
— Londyn Robinson, MD (@londyloo) April 13, 2020

HE CAN’T SEE PAST HIS NOSE. CHINA MAKES 70% OF OUR MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. THEY OWN SMITHFIELD, SUPPLY ALL OF OUR RETAILERS. THEY HAVE VALUABLE LESSONS ABOUT #COVID19 THEY BUY OUR BONDS. WE NEED THEM. He’s pressed on a WH official using the term “Kung flu” pic.twitter.com/UP6gwDnPaz 08
— Tomthunkit™ (@TomthunkitsMind) April 12, 2020

It carries an implicit message that those “on the front lines” signed up for this, and they are bravely offering their lives and services to save us all.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

The only way the American government’s response to coronavirus resembles a war is in the political expedience of poor, working class, and Black communities.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

Yes, many medical professionals are fueled by compassion and a desire to heal the sick. But no one feels like a “hero” being compelled to work without PPE, hazard pay, sick leave, nationalized health insurance or workplace testing while unemployment rates skyrocket.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

Hero is a word we falsely sing to ourselves when people are *being sacrificed* as opposed to voluntarily sacrificing for a cause.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

It is a cruel trick to refuse policies that will keep low-wage workers alive and then praise them for dying first during a pandemic.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

Essential workers deserve more than us calling them our heroes; they deserve to be delivered from man-made horror.
— Hurt Vonnegut (@TrulyTafakari) April 12, 2020

Bacon, David. “Unions Come to Smithfield.” The American Prospect, December 17, 2008. https://prospect.org/api/content/de4ae676-5d2c-50cb-aaba-5ae73c1cd28e/.
Bhattarai, Abha. “‘It Feels like a War Zone’: As More of Them Die, Grocery Workers Increasingly Fear Showing up at Work.” Washington Post, April 12, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/12/grocery-worker-fear-death-coronavirus/.
Utterback, Scott. “Maryville Baptist Church’s Easter Service Gets a Visit from the KSP.” Louisville Courier-Journal, April 12, 2020. https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2020/04/12/maryville-baptist-church-holds-in-person-easter-service/2979048001/.

* Timeline summaries at the top of the page come from a variety of sources:, including The American Journal of Managed Care COVID-19 Timeline (https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-timeline-of-covid19-developments-in-2020), the Just Security Group at the NYU School of Law (https://www.justsecurity.org/69650/timeline-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-and-u-s-response/), the “10 Things,” daily entries from The Week (theweek.com), as well as a variety of newspapers and television programs.

Sunday, April 12

© 2021 Margaret Peacock and Erik L. Peterson