Romaq @Romaq@qoto.org

@AmandaHilden Getting a screen capture to simply show you. :)

@AmandaHilden Might be a good time to test out the "edit" feature if you wish, but I understood and had no problems. I do try to be mindful because of automatic translation and readers for the impaired. But, obviously, I'm human and I simply don't catch everything. Blessed be!

@AmandaHilden I straddle both. I post more "private" feelings, statements, and initiate posts *here*. If I'm inclined, I link to the post on the Bird Site so people can see it as they are inclined, but I keep my follow list *VERY* low, and I'm inclined to shrink it from time to time looking for people I don't interact with and are unlikely to ever do so.

The Bird Site has official Mojang Status as well as various other feeds I have interest in. If and as they come here, I follow here. The thing about finding your joy is you can always keep looking, and change over time just as venues change. There's no harm in it, and as I've commented elsewhere, I'm not *married* to Mastodon. And you don't have to be either. :)

I was reminded by an anti-vax Twitter post promoting a conspiracy film. "People hospitalized with covid in the US are murdered using the deadly drug Remdesivir and ventilators."

I would have to get actual data on Remdesivir, but a person I knew who had Covid, recovered under the drug, then Covid came back seemingly worse... I'd have questions, but I'd get answers from people I can *sue* if they screw it up. But I'm sure as hell not going to take advice from someone tweeting crap on the toilet.

That said, I *do* know something about ventilators. In 2008, @mikmaqpeek was having "odd symptoms that could be heart related." We went to ER, no enzymes showing heart damage. They kept her overnight, then had her do a treadmill test to see how the heart responded. It did not respond well.

She half-fell, was half-pulled off the machine. They began a panic consult while I was in the waiting room not suspecting anything was wrong. A nurse bursts into the room, "You need to come with me *RIGHT NOW*!"

Moments later, it was all a blur. The doctors consulted with us both while I maintained calm for the terror my wife was in. They begged pardon for invading her privacy, but they needed to shave her groin for an angiogram during the consult while getting permission to *do* the angiogram. They were in a hurry to pinpoint a block they knew had to be there and determine how likely it was to kill her within the next few minutes.

They did pinpoint the block, they determined the extent of it and if a stent would work. In that particular position, it would not. Days later under careful watch, she had the surgery. She was intubated to force her lungs to breathe through the trauma just done to her rib-cage to get access to her heart and the block for a "CABG" bypass.

After the surgery, I was there to see her as she came out of the drugs so she would have people she knew. When I first saw her, that wasn't my wife. It was an animal, terrified, but there was no thinking person, not the woman I loved, and it was hell. But she was alive, and she was in good care I trusted.

That's what I know of intubation... her wrists restrained to keep her from yanking the tube out... a button to press to help her with pain relief so they could gauge her status. While she was coming out of the drugs, I went to phone family with the situation. Her son & daughter were already there to be with her while I was away.

"Hospitals ... murdering people through the ventilator."

Go to hell. Go directly to hell. Yes, I'm aware of doctors and nurses, administrators acting like people do, as they are people.

But when I last visited ER because my wife was sick, they specifically had to ask if either of us had weapons, something they didn't have to do before. We get the reports of medical professionals being murdered for doing their job by these IDIOTS. I have very raw anger at the misinformation and contempt these morons have for the medical profession charged with keeping them alive.

I do not wish them violence or harm. But I do stand against them. There is data, there is cause for concern, and *ANY* procedure has risk, even life-saving ones. But... the lies have to go along with the hate and fearmongering. Let the data show what it shows, let honesty and integrity win, let people make informed decisions based on proven risk data and personal assessment.

@dangillmor https://youtu.be/GLG9g7BcjKs

The Democratic Party refused to listen in 2016. as they refuse to listen today. They can't seriously think @jonathanpienews is "conservative?"

https://mstdn.social/@leahmcelrath/109384255118757294

A thread by Leah McElrath including free links to NYTimes Article concerning "the people who saved lives in Colorado Springs by subduing the gunman."

I read to my wife what I could, as we talk about these things. But I couldn't make it through. Not all heroes wear capes.

@leahmcelrath Thank you, and without seeing the article, my condolences as I see "Colorado Shooting" in the title of the link.

@AmandaHilden Some are moving over. I've been able to bring my wife and a few friends over to qoto.org. I'm happy to follow some of my Twitter feed here now.

I'm more comfortable posting "low key" stuff here, such as with #DogsOfMastodon or #Minecraft. The Bird Site gets too ugly in a hurry with random people. I use Bird Site to see who's moved or may be considering.

I think the important point is to find your "joy" and do *THAT*. If it's Twitter where you find your joy, that's cool! That's ok, that's where you should be. And you can be on both. The important consideration is your joy, and I look forward to you mentioning you are finding it there. Wherever "there" actually is for you. :)

@kjr

I found qoto.org from this list under discussion. I brought in my wife and at least one friend, working on the other.

If the list maintainer refuses to discuss the delisting privately, it will be discussed publicly and @freemo should just as well be leading that discussion since the delisting appears to be the result of MAGA/QAnon-like hate and misinformation by those claiming to hate fascists. Funny how that works. If the list maintainer does not care for the larger, off Mastodon very public discussion, the list maintainer can damn well open up on the original, more private venue @freemo attempted. That's the reality. People may not like it, but sometimes all options suck and reality doesn't much give a damn.

One more thought... If Mastodon as a project is going to operate on the spread of hate and lies, it can damn well die like Truth Social or Twitter. If the people in charge are going to be the monsters they claim to oppose, they can damned well own it. I'm not married to Mastodon. I have my own project I'm participating in. I have options even if all options suck. But I demand honesty and transparency if I'm to trust in the milk of human kindness from so-called anti-fascists, and I'm not seeing that. If I keep my expectations low enough, I'll never be surprised.