Annual Sturgis motorcycle rally expecting 250K, stirring virus coincerns

Mongidig said:

The bikers saw the millions of people in large gatherings protesting and no one said anything and figured they can do it too.

Are you folks starting to see how disastrous the BLM movement has become for this country?

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We all saw 500,000 protesters in every location in dozens of cities.

Mongidig said:

They would have gained a heck of a lot more support if they did this any other time than during a pandemic. Also the tearing down statues and rioting is not a good look.

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Well you could also blame the cop who kneeled on Mr. Floyd for bad timing.

I have been part of a number of groups/causes/demonstrations. But, e.g., in anti-war demonstrations attended, from Vietnam to Iraq, there was always a group of crazies, some Trotskyites, thugs or thieves who appeared, often at the end of the demo to cause trouble, perhaps assuming that the “hour of the revolution was at hand,” and began to break windows, throw stones at cops, and of course, help themselves to liquor, clothing and other goods. Cops often seemed to understand and distinguish between the “friendlies” and the “hostiles” in the crowd. It’s on the particular leaders of BLM, which I understand is not centralized, if they don’t make clear what is unacceptable.

Metric Mouse said:

I never said I support her. I said her state is objectively doing better than many other states in regard to covid 19 infections and deaths per capita. We'll know in a few weeks, but I would guess this will be no worse than the Michigan protests for spreading. Some cases, but lost in the noise from every other activity that Americans are engaging in.

And yeah, don't go to the rally. Be safe. Ride the area any of the other 20 weeks a year that are nice there. But I don't think this will be the nail in the coffin for the United States

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I'll give you credit for responding in a calm way.
We won't know for at least a month how bad this $turgis $uper $preader is.

As for your your diversion to Michigan, I didn't notice you discussing the 'Liberate Michigan' crowd spitting in the faces of LEOs.
The false-equivalence between a protest rally and up to a half million bikers in a small town is palpable.

Citizens of Rapid City, Rapid to locals, are terrified.
Citizens of Sturgis are hunkered down.

Rexedgar said:

:funny:

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the dude is a propaganda machine and he speaks of his expert knowledge.


:lamo

Metric Mouse said:

To be fair, South Dakota has handled their local outbreaks extremely well; remember when they were at the front of the pack 6 weeks ago in new cases and now are back at the bottom? There are several governors that have killed several times the number of people she has; I doubt anyone will face any repercussions. Most of them will probably win re election.

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South Dakota was "at the front of the pack 6 weeks ago in new cases"? In what world?


graphs courtesy of the Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/

When comparing total numbers, one should use a statistic that allows some people to see more relevant numbers - like, cases per 100,000 or deaths per 100,000. Obvious to the thinking person that a state with a population of 3,000,000 will have more cases than a state where the population is 860,000

Somerville said:

South Dakota was "at the front of the pack 6 weeks ago in new cases"? In what world?

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graphs courtesy of the Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/

When comparing total numbers, one should use a statistic that allows some people to see more relevant numbers - like, cases per 100,000 or deaths per 100,000. Obvious to the thinking person that a state with a population of 3,000,000 will have more cases than a state where the population is 860,000

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Awesome. So their spike was 10 weeks ago or so. They have been doing well for most of the year, compared to other states on a per capita basis. Thank you for the data.

Linc said:

I'll give you credit for responding in a calm way.
We won't know for at least a month how bad this $turgis $uper $preader is.

As for your your diversion to Michigan, I didn't notice you discussing the 'Liberate Michigan' crowd spitting in the faces of LEOs.
The false-equivalence between a protest rally and up to a half million bikers in a small town is palpable.

Citizens of Rapid City, Rapid to locals, are terrified.
Citizens of Sturgis are hunkered down.

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I suspect that you have never been to Sturgis, South Dakota during any part of the year, nor been to a large motorcycle rally ever. This would explain why you think that a protest and a bike rally have anything in common, other than their low transmission rate of infection.

RetiredUSN said:

Why are liberals defending rioters creating havoc while breathing on each other?

I smell hypocrisy.

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This is maybe the ninth or tenth post, or thread, where people who are not Trump supporters are being accused (without questions or trial, or evidence) of supporting all manner of atrocious behavior.

The amazing thing about this is, it's very similar to what the Hutu's did to the Tutsi people over their media during the runup to the Rwandan genocide, it's also very similar to what the Japanese did to the people of Nanking in the runup to the Rape of Nanking, and of course it's eerily similar to what the official press of the Third Reich did to the Jewish people.

And that's even with the new template currently being used, which was designed by The Kremlin.
And to watch a member of our military slurp this up is sickening.

Tell me which rioters I am defending, *****.

Chomsky said:

Is this the "two wrongs make a right" theory of debate?

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No, it's an offshoot of Hutu propaganda mixed with some of Putin's very own home brewed interlocutory techniques.
People, you better figure out quick what's being done here.

This is social media dehumanization which is the last step before justification for war.
People like USN are goading their fellow keyboard commandos into starting a war.

I don't see any potential downside to this.

Metric Mouse said:

I suspect that you have never been to Sturgis, South Dakota during any part of the year, nor been to a large motorcycle rally ever. This would explain why you think that a protest and a bike rally have anything in common, other than their low transmission rate of infection.

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(Tell all that to the Native Americans in SD.) They’ve been ravaged by Covid. This super spreader is scaring the hell out of all SD locals. This is like stadiums full of people for a political convention.

Our most recent visit to the Black Hills was two years ago, during a Sturgis rally. We stayed in Keystone at a Choice motel on a high point where Mount Rushmore was visible from two miles away. Quite the view, especially at night.

Bikers, like everyone else, love the 90-mile Peter Norbeck scenic byway and the one-lane Pinnacles. The people you meet on vacation are a huge part of the reason to go, and the bikers are no different.

Bikers come for these rides in the Hills, such as taking the back roads from Sturgis to Devil’s Tower. The ride through the Badlands is great. Bikers are fun to rap with in every locale.

Unfortunately, we’ve become so divided that it’s a status symbol to break all safety rules for certain clienteles of trump. Sturgis is about money.

My wife has family in SD. We’ve been going there together since the early 80’s. I started going west in earnest when I started teaching, in 1976.

apdst said:

My vast and expert knowledge of history is exactly why i call them communist insurgents.



Lots of Leftists. Are you saying you aren't a member of that camp?

Black Lives Matter protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases, research says - CNN

Black Lives Matter protests haven'''t led to COVID-19 spikes. It may be due to people staying home.

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Part of the claims that "BLM protests havent led to an increase in covid cases", may be partially attributed to 2 facts:

1). Democrat run states like NY have partisan political leaders whove ORDERED Covid19 testers NOT TO ASK IF PEOPLE WHO TESTED POSITIVE HAVE ATTENDED THE PROTESTS!! They are trying to cover their asses!

2). Most healthy, younger people may initially pick up the virus, but their immune systems FIGHT IT OFF, so they DONT get sick, which is what conservatives, data, and doctors have been saying for months, but the "news" media has largely covered it up.

Lord Tammerlain said:

Given the age and health of most Harley owners, I would say many are in an at risk group

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They give no ****s. Good on em I say. They got their priorities straight for themselves.

justabubba said:

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Yeah, but they're all outside. That makes it ok.

JacksinPA said:

Annual Sturgis rally expecting 250K, stirring virus concerns

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sturgis is on. The message has been broadcast across social media as South Dakota, which has seen an uptick in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, braces to host hundreds of thousands of bikers for the 80th edition of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

More than 250,000 people are expected to rumble through western South Dakota, seeking the freedom of cruising the boundless landscapes in a state that has skipped lockdowns. The Aug. 7 to 16 event, which could be the biggest anywhere so far during the pandemic, will offer businesses that depend on the rally a chance to make up for losses caused by the coronavirus. But for many in Sturgis, a city of about 7,000, the brimming bars and bacchanalia will not be welcome during a pandemic.
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Many bikers & local vendors will have to look forward to sitting on the ground, spreading their legs & kissing their sweet donkeys goodbye when this is all over.

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The good news is there will be less stupid people in the world. The sad news just like the protesters and party-goers the stupid unfortunately will bring it home and kill the good people as well.

PirateMk1 said:

They give no ****s. Good on em I say. They got their priorities straight for themselves.

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You got the first part of that right. They clearly have zero respect for their lives or the lives of their families.

Sturgis, SD is near the western border of Meade County. To the west is Lawrence County, and to the south is Pennington County, where Rapid City is.

8/10/20

Meade: 94 confirmed cases
Lawrence: 55
Pennington: 891

(source)

Let's see how those numbers progress in the days to come.

PIPEWRENCH said:

The good news is there will be less stupid people in the world. The sad news just like the protesters and party-goers the stupid unfortunately will bring it home and kill the good people as well.

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some old dude in like South Carolina has no idea that he's getting ready to be infected (and die) by some guy who returns from Sturgis.

sad ****.

CaughtInThe said:

some old dude in like South Carolina has no idea that he's getting ready to be infected (and die) by some guy who returns from Sturgis.

sad ****.

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Exactly. The sad reality is Sturgis would not be a problem if it weren't for the millions of other idiots running around spreading this virus.

I watch young people in gangs and having parties without a care in the world. Then you have the protesters in every city of the country doing their best to spread this virus. The amount of people they kill will make the bad police look like saints. What really gets me is they blame it on people going back to work. Everyone I know who have gone back to work claim their is no problem. We are talking months now and that includes lots of businesses that never closed. It is shame the destruction of our economy for nothing more than politics.

Checkerboard Strangler said:

No, it's an offshoot of Hutu propaganda mixed with some of Putin's very own home brewed interlocutory techniques.
People, you better figure out quick what's being done here.

This is social media dehumanization which is the last step before justification for war.
People like USN are goading their fellow keyboard commandos into starting a war.

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Wasn't aware of the ideology, but thanks for the link!

PIPEWRENCH said:

Exactly. The sad reality is Sturgis would not be a problem if it weren't for the millions of other idiots running around spreading this virus.

I watch young people in gangs and having parties without a care in the world. Then you have the protesters in every city of the country doing their best to spread this virus. The amount of people they kill will make the bad police look like saints. What really gets me is they blame it on people going back to work. Everyone I know who have gone back to work claim their is no problem. We are talking months now and that includes lots of businesses that never closed. It is shame the destruction of our economy for nothing more than politics.

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I don't know anyone blaming it on people going back to work.
I'm sure a handful of lunatics will try that angle, I just haven't heard it repeated as such yet.

But you make excellent points, and I want to go on record as "shaking my damn head" no matter if it's folks on the right, left or somewhere in between. The peaceful protesters generally seem to be wearing masks, but when asked why they're out there despite the risks, most of them gave responses that sounded similar to the Sturgis people: "It's worth the risk".

The violent folks, the anarchists, the arsonists, the vandals, the neo-nazis, the fake Confederates, boogaloo boys, militia twats...**** em all.
I don't identify with them, I don't support them, thus I don't care what happens to them but I do care about the fact that they're going to infect innocent people including their own friends, coworkers and family.

But all in all, I look at it this way...if the COVID crisis had been handled the proper way from the beginning, we still might have seen these protests anyway. But you cannot separate Sturgis and treat it as if it lives in a vacuum, sorry.
You know full well that a virus is no respector of religion, politics, money, class or value system.
A biker at a festival is not much different than a vegan ultra lefty at a protest...except for one glaring difference.

The difference is, few bikers even BELIEVE that the virus is real, and that is documented by the very guy who heads up Bikers for Trump, Chris Cox, who pretty much thinks that it was invented BY Democrats to hurt Trump.

RetiredUSN said:

The rioters are doing fine.....right? All your hack liberal buddies said they are at low risk of spreading the virus.

The average age of a Harley owner is 47 with only a very slight increase in risk.

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Lulz. Harley's are wheezing, gimped-over homoerotic Tom Of Finland icons. I can see why you'd trigger at their owners being mentioned.

And what 'rioters' are you referencing? You seem easily confuzzled.

Chomsky said:

Wasn't aware of the ideology, but thanks for the link!

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Not as much an ideology as it is a well engineered psyop that reaches to roots that start back almost eight decades, then later refined by military-industrial think tanks like RAND here in the USA and The Kremlin in the East.

Linc said:

(Tell all that to the Native Americans in SD.) They’ve been ravaged by Covid. This super spreader is scaring the hell out of all SD locals. This is like stadiums full of people for a political convention.

Our most recent visit to the Black Hills was two years ago, during a Sturgis rally. We stayed in Keystone at a Choice motel on a high point where Mount Rushmore was visible from two miles away. Quite the view, especially at night.

Bikers, like everyone else, love the 90-mile Peter Norbeck scenic byway and the one-lane Pinnacles. The people you meet on vacation are a huge part of the reason to go, and the bikers are no different.

Bikers come for these rides in the Hills, such as taking the back roads from Sturgis to Devil’s Tower. The ride through the Badlands is great. Bikers are fun to rap with in every locale.

Unfortunately, we’ve become so divided that it’s a status symbol to break all safety rules for certain clienteles of trump. Sturgis is about money.

My wife has family in SD. We’ve been going there together since the early 80’s. I started going west in earnest when I started teaching, in 1976.

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In the 1970's it was common for longhairs like myself to hang with the biker guys.
Except for a few really horrible outliers, they shared a love for good music like The Nighthawks, Danny Gatton, Steppenwolf, etc.

We had more IN common than not.
Political disagreements didn't matter...it just wasn't that important because it was just two people who liked to argue on different sides, meanwhile everyone else wanted to ride their bikes, (when not working on them) drink beer, get buzzed on weed, chase the women, enjoy biker music, and generally just act like maniacs.

Ever since the Nineties much of that has fallen by the wayside.
I still have a handful of friends who are Harley guys, but they don't have the same camaraderie either anymore either.
Being a biker has now become a political thing, and it's pretty much destroyed the whole reason for being.

If you HAVE to embrace a certain kind of politics to be either a patriot, or a biker, or a hunter, or any goddamn thing at all then it's not worth it.
If anyone ever tries pulling that crap on surfing, I hope it immediately gets ugly enough that it disabuses them of the idea quickly.