Devin Nunes' Underpants on Twitter Part of AltGov/AltFam Resistance. Anti Nazi, Ukraine supporter and NAFO Fella
Look, I understand that between the wildfires and cyclospora and the heat and rising costs and the war and the Ebola outbreak and the spread of AI and rising fascism and and and that you have more than enough to worry about, but please know Covid cases are rising too.
According to new polling some 40% of Americans have changed their eating/buying habits because of the cyclospora outbreak, and while I understand that the level of risk varies across regions, I still cannot quite decide if 40% is depressingly low, or impressively high.
Please note: when remembering Covid it is essential to remember that Covid is still with us.
A friend asked if the lettuce is okay. A friend asked if the parsley is okay. A friend asked if the eggs are okay. A friend asked if the cilantro is okay. My friends none of this is okay.
My brother-in-law called me to insist that this hearing proves the pandemic was a huge conspiracy, and so I replied by reminding him that he always insists “Covid is just a cold,” and I could tell he didn’t like this reply.
I have heard that the tale of the hiker who hiked 10 miles down a mountain after impaling himself is a case study in bravery and endurance, and I have heard that the tale of this hiker needing to setup a GoFundMe is a case study in how nobody can afford medical care.
Due to today’s hearing many people seem quite interested in Covid again, but don’t try to tell them cases are rising again for that’s something they’ve no interest in hearing.
My aunt, the doctor, told me a new joke. She asked: Why are these Senators so focused on public health’s past? I said I did not know. So she answered: Because these Senators don’t want to talk about public health’s present or future. And then neither of us laughed.
I keep hearing it said that it is important to understand that many people still have not gotten over Covid-era lockdowns, but whenever I say that it is important to understand that Covid is still here many people tell me to just get over it already.
When you hear it said: “Look, I don't want to play down the effects of the virus, but at the end of the day it had a roughly 1 percent mortality rate. We coulda gotten through this.” it is vital to remember the millions of people who did not get through this.
Based on current data the CDC has received reports of over 19,200 cyclospora cases (with most not yet confirmed), which is just further proof that slashing funding at the CDC and FDA, while making monitoring of cyclospora optional, was an explosively shitty idea.
How lucky we would be if we could blame all the suffering and death from this pandemic on just one person. As then we would not need to consider how our leaders and institutions and employers and systems (and even friends) abandoned us. Yes, how lucky we would be.
With a defeated sigh he looked up from reading the news on his phone and grumbled: “I really thought this would be over by now,” and though I was unsure if his “this” referred to the war or Covid or cyclospora or or or or or or or or or or, I replied with a simple: yeah.
I asked my aunt, the doctor, if she is concerned that this week’s hearing will have a chilling effect on public health in this country, and my aunt, the doctor, replied: “wait, we still have public health in this country?” And then neither of us laughed.
At this point in 2026 Bordeaux, France has experienced more days above 40°C (104°F) than it had in the years from 1920 to 2025, and while it would be wrong to say that this is the end of the world, it certainly suggests that the world as we knew it has already ended.
My friend the climatologist worries that the heat is rising. My friend the epidemiologist worries that cases are rising. My friend the historian worries that fascism is rising. My friend the activist worries that we are not rising.
Upon returning from attending his 20 year college reunion over the weekend, my cousin asked me: “do you ever miss the person you were back in college?” and I told him “no,” but if I’m being honest I do frequently miss the person I was before the pandemic.
By now you have probably seen the clip of the appointed official stating that constitutional rights are more important than public health, but by now you probably also know that this administration does not care about protecting either of those things.
Are we ready for the public health challenges of the future? No, we are not ready for the public health challenges of the future. But as you worry for the public health challenges of the future, remember: we are not ready for the public health challenges of today either.
So many people I know are outraged (justifiably outraged) by the article claiming “Scientists say we need to halve Earth’s population,” but when they are asked to wear a mask to protect Earth’s population too many people I know act like this request is outrageous.