Louisiana Voice

Concentrations of population continue to be a hot spot for outbreaks of the coronavirus and the St. Tammany Parish Detention Center is the latest such facility to be affected, according to a statement issued by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.

A prisoner has tested positive for COVID-19 after suffering symptoms earlier in the week and four others are now suffering from low-grade fevers, one symptom of the virus. They have been isolated in a quarantined housing unit and are awaiting results from tests, the sheriff’s office said.

A jail medical facility spokesperson refused comment on a report that the outbreak was more widespread than a single inmate. “We can neither confirm nor deny any information,” the spokesperson said. LouisianaVoice was referred to the sheriff’s office but a call to that office got only a recording saying the office was open on weekdays.

The facility houses 57 inmates and the mother of one inmate told LouisianaVoice that she was informed by her son that prisoners have no protective masks or gloves, items that are limited to employees.

But a statement released by the sheriff’s office said all CDC guidelines for sanitation are being followed by inmates and staff and that additional cleaning supplies and clothing and linen exchanges have been provided for all 57 inmates in the affected housing areas.

The inmate who tested positive was placed in isolation after he became symptomatic, officials said, adding that all other inmates in the same housing unit are being monitored and that they were having their temperatures checked twice daily.

Prisons, along with nursing homes, are considered to be ideal breeding grounds for the COVID-19 virus because of the necessarily close proximity to each other in confined areas.

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More evidence [as if additional proof is needed] that Donald Trump is completely out of control, incompetent, imbalanced, and yes, unhinged—but most of all, dangerous:

“The president’s statements this morning encourage illegal and dangerous acts. He is putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19. His unhinged rantings and calls for people to ‘liberate’ states could also lead to violence.”

—Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, in response to Trump’s irresponsible tweets of “LIBERATE MINNESOTA,” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA.”

“I think elements of what they’ve done is too much and it’s just too much.”

—Donald Trump, in justifying the tweets about restrictions imposed by the states in efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19—without expanding on what orders he thinks have gone too far. [The states in question have imposed restrictions that precisely follow the recommendations laid out by Trump’s own White House coronavirus task force last month that go by the name “The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines For America.”

“Every one of us has a role to play in winning this war. Every citizen, family, and business can make the difference in stopping the virus. This is our shared patriotic duty.”

—Trump, on Friday, in a typical [for him] mixed message, adding more confusion to the national dialog.

“As the governor of the commonwealth of Virginia I, along with my staff, are fighting a biological war. I do not have time to involve myself in Twitter wars. I will continue to do everything that I can to keep Virginia safe and to save lives.”

—Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, when asked about Trump’s tweet.

“If he’s sitting home watching TV, maybe he should get up and go to work.”

—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, responding to another Trump tweet which said Cuomo should “spend more time ‘doing’ and less time ‘complaining.’ Get out there and get the job done. Stop talking!”

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“I don’t take responsibility at all.” 

—Donald Trump, March 13, 2020, on the administrations inability to test Americans for coronavirus.

“When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total.”

—Donald Trump, at coronavirus update briefing on Monday of this week.

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At any given time within the D.C. Beltway, there is a plethora of advisers on any given issue,

Washington has more PhDs and lawyers than McDonald’s has Big Macs, more position papers than internet conspiracy theories, gathering more dust than that treadmill my wife bought me

So, why on earth would Donald Trump find it necessary to call upon VINCE McMAHON to provide him economic advice on reopening the country during the coronavirus pandemic?

Other than the fact that such a move somehow makes perfect sense in an otherwise senseless administration gone mad, the inclusion of McMahon in Trump’s advisory group looks like something ripped from the pages of Mad Magazine—except for the fact that Mad Magazine would read like War and Peace when compared to the Trump administration.

In case you don’t know who Vince McMahon is, he is owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) who once had his head shaved by Trump after an infamous hair vs. hair WrestleMania match back in 2007.

Come to think of it, perhaps it is appropriate. WWE, after all, produces wrestling matches that are about as real and to be taken as seriously as Donald Trump himself were Trump not in complete control of a subservient Republican Party and were he not in possession of the nuclear codes.

As further evidence that McMahon was the right choice, it should be pointed out that he was the moving force behind the XFL, created to offer springtime entertainment for pro football junkies as a bridge between NFL seasons.

He had attempted a similar venture back in the early 2000s, but it failed.

So did this year’s version.

That’s two bankruptcies for McMahon. Between him and Trump, that’s eight. So, in reality, they’re soulmates, meant for each other. And together, they’re mapping out an economic recovery for the country. That should fill our hearts brimming with confidence.

But the real backstory here is the WWE. Somehow, as most businesses were being shut down by the coronavirus, WWE was declared an “essential” business by the state of Florida on the same day (April 9) that Trump’s super PAC, America First Action, pledged to spend $18.5 MILLION in Florida.

Of all the “essential” businesses, grocery stores, pharmacies, police and fire departments, sanitation workers, restaurants, doctors’ offices and a few others come immediately to mind. WWE doesn’t enter into the equation—ever.

As a result of that “essential” determination by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who otherwise issued a statewide stay-at-home order, which we’re sure was only coincidental to the Trump pledge, WWE was given the go-ahead to hold live WrestleMania matches absent, of course, the ringside lunatic crowds screaming their approval of hideously bad acting.

McMahon’s wife, LINDA McMAHON, chairs Trump’s America First Action super PAC.

Like those cheesy TV commercials say, but wait. There’s more.

Before she took over America First Action, Linda McMahon served as head of Trump’s SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION from February 2017 until April 2019.

So, there you have it: Trump calling on a circus barker who appeals to our baser instincts with cheap theatrics by having macho types bang chairs over each other’s heads to serve as an economic adviser while his wife serves first on Trump’s cabinet and then as head of his super PAC.

If that doesn’t underscore the absurdity of this administration, nothing ever will.

If that doesn’t illustrate in no uncertain terms that Donald Trump cannot possibly be taken seriously as a leader of, say, Shongaloo, Louisiana, much less the free world, then we are in far deeper trouble than ever imagined.

It’s Larry, Moe and Curly starring in Saving Private Ryan.

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“Without one chamber participating in this improper scheme, this action would be unconstitutional. The president has no general, unilateral power to adjourn Congress.”

—Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), on Donald Trump’s threat Wednesday to try to force Congress to adjourn so he could make appointments without Senate approval, the second time this week that he has claimed “total authority.”

“Dissolving an assembly comes out of a dictator’s handbook. That’s banana republic stuff.”

—Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, on Trump’s threat. 

“The President made an unprecedented power grab by placing political allies at a powerful federal agency while the Senate was meeting regularly and without even bothering to wait for its advice and consent. A unanimous Supreme Court has rejected this brazen power-grab.”

—Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), following the Supreme Court’s rejection of President Obama’s 2012 recess appointment to the National Labor Relations Board. [Now, who’d a-thunk the Orange Cheeto would try to emulate the man he so detests? Can you say irony? Kinda puts Moscow Mitch behind the eight-ball.]

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