Welcome to September!

So in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to, “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?” -Unknown

Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:

• Political Fundraising
• COVID-19 Deaths
• Larry Bird
• One More Thing

POLITICAL FUNDRAISING:

Yesterday (Monday) was the end of the month, so the fundraising emails were flowing into my inbox fast and furious during the past 24 hours.

I subscribe to get emails from most candidates. I do not donate to candidates. I do like to get press releases and other information – like free bumper stickers!

I don’t think anyone has flooded my inbox more than the Trump/Pence campaign. I’m not talking about just in this campaign season, but all time. I did a fast count and I received 16 fundraising emails from the Trump campaign on Monday. 16!

I think I received three from Biden/Harris.

COVID-19 DEATHS:

Someone posted a meme of Donald Trump the other days with the caption, “I love my supporters. They do zero research.”

Believe me, that statement is very true.

Politifact reported that over the weekend, President Donald Trump shared two posts that falsely claimed COVID-19 deaths are not as high as previously thought. The posts claimed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 death numbers to show that only 9,210 Americans have died from the virus.

People started posting that the deaths from COVID-19 were off 94%. That was a lie.

Here’s what Politifact said:

A National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report found that, for about 6% of Americans who die from the virus, COVID-19 is the only condition listed on their death certificates. But that doesn’t mean the remaining 94% didn’t die due to the coronavirus.

People with preexisting conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, have a higher risk of dying if they contract COVID-19. Complications from those conditions, as well as comorbidities like influenza and pneumonia, can be listed in addition to the coronavirus on death certificates.

Politifact said the posts were inaccurate and make a ridiculous claim. They rate it Pants on Fire.

Read the Politifact findings HERE.

Of course, Trump supporters are saying Politifact is against Trump so if you send the article to your grandpa and grandma or to your crazy uncle they still might not believe it.

I went ahead and reported all my friends’ Facebook posts on the subject as “fake news.” It’s the least I could do…

LARRY BIRD:

Larry Bird is one of my favorite basketball players of all time, so when I saw a quote being posted on social media from Larry, I knew almost immediately that it was fake.

Here is the quote:

“Back in my day, the game had fundamentals and honored the commander in chief. Now it’s a bunch of radical fundamentalists who dishonor the flag and cross. They only care about looking flashy! Shut up and play the damn game.”

Like all great bloggers, I checked the quote for accuracy. It’s fake.

Read the Snopes fact-check HERE.

Maybe some racists who hate the NBA wish Bird would have said it, but he did not.

By the way, I think Bill Russell is the best NBA player. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Larry Bird would round out my top five.

ONE MORE THING:

United States cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed six million on Sunday as many states in the Midwest reported increasing infections, according to a Reuters tally. (Reuters)

Way to go, President Trump!

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