Louisiana congressman-elect dies from COVID-19 at age 41

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/30/louisiana-congressman-elect-dies-from-covid-19-at-age-41.html

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I wish I could say that this tragedy would convince his constituents of the gravity of the situation, and that they should focus on the effectiveness of masks rather than the “power of prayer”. But I can’t.

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The commentary on his passing at Breitbart is deeply depressing. We’re a year into this pandemic, approaching 340,000 dead, many more saddled with long term illness and disability, and the alt-right is whining about their constitutional right to go shopping without a mask.

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I have given up on anything getting through to these people how serious Covid can be, and how a very minor inconvenience to protect others is a tiny tiny sacrifice. The level of self-involvement they evince is stunning. “Fuck your right to life, I have a right to get drunk in public with my bros!” (Irony there intentional)

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Death from covid for someone his age nearly statistically impossible

He died from a heart attack related to a heart procedure.

I don’t believe this was a Covid death. I think he was taken out.

Covid-19 - A weaponized ChiCom virus.

He died, but not from covid. It doesn’t kill people. It was something else. What did he know…?

Sigh.

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This is one of those cases where more thoughts and fewer prayers may have been helpful.

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13 posts were split to a new topic: Compassion for families in the COVID-19 era

Before I read that, my first thought was, “Yeah, they’re going to bear down hard on that ‘cardiac event’ and forget the COVID part.”

Turns out that, like the rest of 2020, it’s even worse.

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This guy was an “R” from Lousiana, a fairly [R] state. Without being deathly ill from Covid, would he have been in lock-step with the other Rs regarding Covid? If he had recovered, would he have mimicked Trump’s post-covid bluster and bought into Navarro’s demonic plan? (“It’s no big deal. I’m immune now. Let’s all get immune by getting infected!”)

(I’m guessing he was very conservative: the district he ran in was so conservative, his opponent in the general election was also a republican. Also, he’s a huge anti-abortion proponent, helping LA pass a Roe v Wade “trigger” law: as soon as it is ruled unconstitutional, abortion will immediately be illegal in LA statewide. LINK)

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“…aligned with businesses, gun rights groups and President Donald Trump.” -WWNO

A greedy racist gun toting COVID denying asshole then?

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Hopefully, the two young kids he left behind will learn something from this and not turn out to be a jack-hole like their dad. I have half a collapsed lung which makes regular breathing difficult in the best of situations, and wearing a mask is borderline painful. But I suck it up and do it. Because I don’t want anyone else to have to leave behind two young kids.

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President Trump and Vice President Pence have shown tremendous leadership and a remarkable ability to get things done quickly during this national emergency. America is defeating COVID-19, and our nation will come out stronger because of it.

pic.twitter.com/NtE3Jcmmcw— Luke Letlow (@LukeLetlow) April 7, 2020

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Please note that they’re objecting to a private entity requiring masks on private property, too – not government coercion. Ultimate “you’re not the boss of me!”

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What I find amazing is that the cult thinking and peer pressure is so strong that it overrides the biological drive of self-preservation.

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With results like this, it’s not hyperbole to call the GOP a death cult.

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Most alt-right complaints about their freedoms conflate the private with the public. In that case, the Breitbart commenter apparently believes that their right to free assembly is infringed by mask mandates and shelter-in-place orders. It’s a contorted position, ridiculous on its face, and even if it weren’t, the right to freedom of assembly isn’t absolute- it can be abridged in the public interest (note the prominence of the word “peaceably” in the 1st amendment and the way that has been interpreted over the years.) This xkcd, frequently quoted here, sums it up nicely:

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Yup, I rest my case. Fucking asshole.

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What a typical liberal response, fitting this event into your preferred narrative. Representative-Elect Letlow was, in fact, completely correct to put his faith in the power of prayer. Unfortunately for him, I was praying the fucker would die.

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It also seems he wore a mask at other events, including a debate before his infection. So it seems more that he was sloppy and pandering rather than a member of the frothing anti-mask, covid is a hoax crowd.

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