7 Things: Poll shows Biden would lose to Trump, more masking for schools, hospitals plan a COVID-19 moment of silence and more …

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September 7, 2021

7. State Department wants credit for rescues they didn’t do

There was a family of four, a mother and her three children, rescued from Afghanistan, and now those who privately conducted the mission, Cory Mills and a team of military veterans, have said that the State Department is seeking credit for the success. The mission was privately funded, and Mills’ team worked for weeks to evacuate the family, but the State Department has been accused of taking more credit than they deserve for the mission.
To further show how terrible this issue has been handled by the U.S. government, currently, the Taliban is holding at least six planes, intended to carry at least 100 Americans hostage and hundreds of others, on a tarmac in northern Afghanistan. Most believe the Taliban is trying to “shakedown” the airline and/or the State Department for money to let the planes leave.

6. It would make more sense to align these elections with federal elections

In many cities in North Alabama and the Gulf Coast, there has been a change in the scheduling of municipal elections, and many officials who would’ve had their terms expire in 2024 will now not end until 2025.
This change was made so that municipal elections wouldn’t overlap with national elections. That way prevents some fatigue on poll workers, confusion and equipment issues that some areas have faced in past years. Some of the unaffected areas are Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, Auburn, Bessemer, Mountain Brook and Scottsboro.

5. More people are calling for punishing the unvaccinated

A doctor in Florida is refusing to see unvaccinated patients, a group of doctors in Texas suggested they would not treat the unvaccinated in a triage situation, and now a Washington Post columnist is the latest to suggest that doctors and hospitals should choose to ignore the unvaccinated as they need medical treatment.
The Post’s deputy editorial page editor, Ruth Marcus, penned a piece declaring that medical professionals “should be allowed to give priority to vaccinated patients when resources are scarce.” Her piece is extremely off-base, and even she acknowledges that it “conflicts radically with accepted medical ethics.” She believes these people are “not entitled to the same no-questions-asked, no-holds-barred medical care as others who behaved more responsibly” while specifically stating a “smoker with lung cancer or the drunk driver” are not the equivalent in this situation.

4. Another type of vaccine mandate is happening and could spread

In Florida, there are eight apartment complexes owned by Santiago A. Alvarez in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, where tenants are now required to be vaccinated if they want to live in the complexes.
The policy for all employees and tenants to prove that they had at least received one dose of a vaccine initially started on August 15, but there’s a current ban on businesses requiring vaccine proof from customers in Florida. Alverez defended the decision, saying, “We’re just trying to keep people safe and healthy. It’s going to cost us money, but we’re very firm on that.”

3. Moment of silence planned after 12,000 dead

In Alabama, there have been more than 12,000 deaths from the coronavirus, and the Alabama Hospital Association has planned a moment of silence today at noon in remembrance of those who have passed. The Alabama Department of Public Health said that 12,283 people have died from the coronavirus. Alabama Hospital Association president Donald Williamson said the event could be “helpful and healing for us all to have a few collective minutes of silent reflection and prayer.”
Nurses at the University of Alabama-Birmingham staged a protest of sorts outside the hospital. They complained of low wages, long hours and being overwhelmed before clocking in and going to work. Travel nurses are headed to the state now, which should not make many of those nurses complaining happy.

2. Schools going virtual or adding masks after Labor Day

Some schools in Alabama are changing their mask policy or going virtual when students return after the Labor Day weekend due to the increase in coronavirus cases. According to State Superintendent Eric Mackey, 90% of schools are already masked, so this should make a huge difference.
Dekalb County Schools will be virtual on Tuesday, Macon County will be virtual all week and one virtual day a week following this week, and Cullman County will now require that students who have tested positive quarantine from all school activities for 10 days. There are several schools in Montgomery that will be closed or requiring masks starting this week. In Elmore County and Chambers County, there will be schools returning to in-person learning Tuesday after being virtual for a week.

1. Biden’s poll numbers aren’t getting better — Trump even beats him

The situation in Afghanistan is still a disaster facing America and President Joe Biden’s political agenda and future. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Biden with a 44% approval rating, and FiveThirtyEight’s average of recent polls shows Biden’s favorability underwater at 46%-48%. Another poll even indicates that Donald Trump would beat Biden if the election were held today, with a slight 47-46 lead.
As if that were not bad enough, one in five Democrat voters in 2020 regret their vote for Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. While there are still Americans trapped in Afghanistan, the media and their Democrats are doing all they can to make the number one issue in the country a new abortion law in Texas. That topic is dominating the current media cycle as cameras have left Afghanistan even with Americans still trapped.