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Our public figures, in both political persuasions, have done a borderline unethical job of setting public expectations for this virus. One of the things Flip-Flop Fauci actually did correctly was to temper expectations for the vaccine, because the results wouldn't be a known quantity for some time. It was unclear if the vaccine would work like the flu vaccine (significantly cut the risks) or like the measles vaccine (wipe the sucker out). Turns out, the results are more akin to the flu vaccine, which is A-OK. However, expectations were set at an impossible level. What I cannot agree with is that the "bar was lowered". mRNA vaccine technology has existed since 1991. There was a SARS vaccine (COV-1) that was about 90% done but shelved due to the lack of presence in Asia for some time. The whole "we don't know the long-term effects" is a complete red herring, plain and simple. We have known for some time that the supposed "long term" effects of a vaccine usually manifest extremely quickly. Lo and behold, that's exactly what happened here. We found out that the J&J vaccine will cause blood clots in a microscopic percentage for women. Moderna #2 will make a lot of folks feel cruddy for about 24 hours. And, that's it. If anything "bad" was going to happen, it would have happened in the first 340M data points. To fit your analogy, it's not like 60% suddenly constituted an A. It's more like you took a 3-week summer course that would normally be a 3-hour fall/spring course. You still learned everything you needed to learn, and the final exam was just as hard. But it passed, not with an A, but probably with a B+.

Much appreciated, but I consider myself poorly educated due to the fact that I only did what I needed to make it through high school, as I had no ambitions of attending college. My ambitions at the time consisted of either joining the Marines, or getting a job in the mines. My dad (a Marine who survived Iwo Jima) talked me out of both. Fortunately, I was able to land a job at Eastman, where I learned that being dependable, listening to people with experience, taking an interest in learning the intricacies of my job, actually doing a good job and having some communication skills would allow me to make a nice living and retire comfortably. I consider myself beyond fortunate.

My understanding all along has been that the vaccines do not prevent anyone from contracting Covid -- but that the intent was to mitigate the most severe consequences (like death) associated with the disease. And the data so far suggest that they are all pretty darned effective when measured against that type of standard. So am I the only one who is a little bit perplexed by all of the "[insert name] was vaccinated but got Covid anyway" anecdotes?

I decided to attempt to keep track of Class 1/2 on the west side. Probably should have picked a different year! haha Trying to keep track of all the ppd/ccd games has been nuts. Thanks to @VHSLhelper for his "moves" thread! Also, due to the amount of teams playing private schools and way out of their region, more teams to keep track of. Don't shoot me if these aren't 100% accurate, I'm sure I've missed some. If you see a mistake, let me know. D2... 01.) Graham 3-0 62 20.66667 02.) Ridgeview 3-0 60 20 03.) Va High 3-0 60 20 04.) Central-Wise 2-2 62 15.5 05.) Union 2-1 45 15 06.) Tazewell 1-2 40 13.33333 07.) Richlands 1-2 39 13 08.) Gate City 1-2 36 12 09.) Marion 1-3 44 11 10.) John Battle 0-3 28 9.333333 11.) Lee 0-2 16 8 D1... 01.) Twin Valley 3-0 58 19.33333 02.) Chilhowie 3-0 56 18.66667 03.) Holston 3-0 54 18 04.) Rural Retreat 2-0 32 16 05.) Grundy 1-1 31 15.5 06.) Twin Springs 2-1 45 15 07.) Eastside 2-1 44 14.66667 08.) Pat Henry-GS 2-1 43 14.33333 09.) Honaker 2-1 38 12.66667 10.) Thomas Walker 2-2 46 11.5 11.) Northwood 1-3 36 9 12.) J.I. Burton 0-3 24 8 13.) Castlewood 0-3 18 6 14.) Lebanon 0-3 18 6 15.) Rye Cove 0-3 17 5.666667 16.) Hurley 0-2 10 5 C2... 01.) Glenvar 3-1 80 20 02.) Appomattox 2-1 57 19 03.) Floyd Co 3-1 69 17.25 04.) Radford 3-1 69 17.25 05.) Martinsville 2-1 49 17.25 06.) James River 2-1 48 16 07.) Gretna 1-2 45 15 08.) Chatham 1-1 27 13.5 09.) Patrick Co 1-2 38 12.66667 10.) Nelson Co 1-2 32 10.66667 11.) Dan River 0-4 37 9.25 12.) Alleghany 0-2 17 8.5 C1... 01.) Galax 3-1 75 18.75 02.) Giles 3-1 69 17.25 03.) Bland Co 2-1 40 13.33333 04.) Covington 2-2 52 13 05.) George Wythe 2-2 52 13 06.) Narrows 2-2 50 12.5 07.) Grayson Co 1-2 34 11.33333 08.) Craig Co 1-1 22 11 09.) Parry McCluer 0-3 26 8.666667 10.) Fort Chiswell 0-4 30 7.5 11.) East Mont 0-2 13 6.5 12.) Bath Co 0-1 6 6 13.) Auburn 0-2 11 5.5

Graham by about 3 scores. Galax is a good Class A school, but they don’t have the horses this year to keep up with the speed.

I know I don’t go to a football game just to watch the band or cheerleaders but I also know that I would go to a lot less of them if they weren’t there. Atmosphere is what makes football games so fun.

I simply stated the myriad of reasons that people are skeptical of vaccinations, of which, you failed to disprove any. The sad reality is, I am not hand picking irrelevant data, inconsistencies have been the norm since day one and it is these inconsistencies from "authorities," that have led to many not receiving the vaccination. Unfortunately, for some reason this triggered you and others to get all defensive, are you suggesting that what I am saying about some people is not true? Are you suggesting that there have been no inconsistencies? The simple truth of the matter is, the continuous back and forth, inconsistencies, double standards, disregard of data, accompanied with the supposition that science is an authority have led many to be skeptical. They are as equally entitled to their opinions as others. I personally, along with my family, have all been vaccinated. However, to suggest that skepticism is not warranted is grossly ignorant. It is OK to admit that many people are skeptical and that their skepticism is the reason that they are not getting vaccinated, admitting this does not somehow mean that you endorse or love Donald Trump. Being skeptical does not mean that one has a greater disregard for human life nor does it imply that they care less for their fellow man as you imply. I made an objective observation and the Gestapo is now out in full force, go for it, I am not afraid of Fascist. The simple truth is, the "authorities," ie (CDC, Fauci, AMA, NIH, etc.) have undermined the public trust, this fact has nothing to do with your support for or against the various vaccine options. I am simply stating a fact. Consider these contradictions. (I personally can attribute many of these to government attempts to just do something pro-active, however, some will not see them that way and therefore have become skeptical) You can attend a wedding with strangers but are only allowed to have 7 friends over for a party. You can send your kids to school on a bus, but you should avoid taking public transportation. You can watch a football game in a bar full of patrons but cannot observe from the bleachers or sidelines, even though you are outdoors. Players must be separated by 6 feet on the sidelines and wear a mask but are permitted to sweat and have contact on the gym floor and that is acceptable. You must wear a mask when entering a restaurant, but can remove said mask after being seated. Students who are not vaccinated are dis-enrolled from Universities but 70,000 fans are allowed to sit on top of each other during a football game. While admitting that BOTH vaxxed and unvaxxed can spread Covid. The vaccinated can transmit Covid, the unvaccinated can transmit covid, but the unvaccinated are bad, inconsiderate people, why? Because they can transmit covid! Fauci FLIP FLOPS In late January 2020, Fauci said that COVID was a ‘very, very low risk to the United States,’" Dr. Fauci originally said that masks weren’t effective & publicly encouraged Americans not to buy them (guidance he doesn’t regret). Now even vaccinated people need to wear masks I wonder which science should we follow? Fauci, no new masks mandates for Delta Variant Fauci, suggests mask mandates for Delta Variant Fauci, Masks not really effective. Fauci, Masks, Goggles, needed to fight Covid Fauci, Double masking is highly recommended Or one of these gems. Lets move social distancing in schools from 6 feet to 3 feet since we now realize that we do not have enough physical space in the schools to properly enforce the 6 foot rule. CDC says that if you are vaccinated you can ditch masks, CDC says that Vaccinated people must wear masks. CDC recommends that everyone wear a mask on page 1 of their website, on page 6 of that same website, the CDC specifies that only fitted and sized respirators are acceptable deterrents to Covid and that all other masks are ineffective against aerosols. Biden says no masks indoor or out for vaccinated, minutes earlier and later the CDC says otherwise. Masks for everyone, unless you are attending a party at Martha's Vineyard with 700 friends of Obama (masks for thee but not for me) Gavin Newsome locks down California, then attends an indoor party with several friends INDOORS, no masks (Masks for thee but not for me) I think it is safe to say that shaming someone for being skeptical, considering the small percentage of inconsistencies that I have mentioned here is actually an example of ignorance or cognitive dissonance. My comments were never meant to be pro-vaxx or anti-vaxx but rather explanatory. The knee jerk response of many, such as yourself, is strongly biased toward your opinion, you are quick to throw others under the bus and cancel them and their concerns, when we all know that healthy skepticism is good for our society. Should everyone get the vaccine? That is a decision that is best left up to an individual and their doctor, a collective, one size fits all approach is not realistic, especially considering the wide variety of health conditions that would prohibit someone from possibly being vaccinated. I have a nephew, a cancer survivor, his doctors have advised him against taking the vaccine, I suppose he is "ignorant," and inconsiderate of others, a threat to society that needs to be removed. If none of the above references are cause for skepticism, then blind ignorance may be your problem.

I got my third (booster) dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday afternoon. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

People fear scientifically driven data supporting vaccines but will take horse dewormer without hesitation!!! Society has jumped the shark!

Can you still smell and taste normally?

At that rate, Graham High School should reach herd immunity by the weekend. Once again, I only play a doctor on a sports forum 😂.

I am a die hard sports fan,and I used to be ignorant. My eldest played football and baseball,and my youngest played the baritone in the marching band. Man oh man did I get an education. In football you can make a mistake and still win. You do not have to be perfect. In a band competition if your toe is 1/4 an inch off target you will lose the competition. Marching in the blazing sun in black poly unis hotter than Southern hell toting a big arse instrument (and if you've never packed a bass drum or timpani you don't appreciate the effort). I used to have the jock mentality. These days I'm much wiser. I have every bit as much respect for the band kids than the players (maybe more). They bust their humps to play for us. They deserve nothing but our utmost respect.

Athletics are a privilege, not a right within any public school system. While music is still a requirement every school system must offer in some form or fashion. I have two daughters in marching band at Galax. My oldest plays 7 instruments (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, ukulele, piano and saxophone). She has performed on stage since the age of four with recording artists such as Zach Brown, Kacey Musgraves, Vince Gill, Rhiannon Giddens, Rhonda Vincent, and Old Crow Medicine Show. Most of these band kids put as much work and effort into their craft as any athlete would put into theirs. To dismiss that would be a death-nail to athletics within a public school setting. Be careful what you wish for!

Someone holler at @OldTakesExposed. Lol

One cell phone playing a train horn will be louder than Graham's golf claps.

Sir, this is a Wendy's!!!

I used to listen to 93.9 quite often until they played an Exile song one day and pretended it was Country. I cannot abide by such tomfoolery.

Hey guys, just a quick word from an old man who loves high school football. A couple of our guys at work actually got the virus and ended up on ventilators. Both had blood clots in their lungs, and after recovery, (thanks be to God), their doctor told them not to get the vaccine, but are keeping check on the antibodies. We've also had a few employees that had the virus, didn't end up on the vent, and the doctor told them to get the vaccine, so I think it depends on the situation. As my view, I'd love to see everyone receive the vaccine, but have to say, it's still an individuals freedom to make that choice. As for me and my wife, we got the vaccine, and we've also used a cell phone for years, so the government already know were we are. Lol! Just my opinion.

Nothing moves faster in SWVA than the rumor mill at the Mercer Co. School Board.

Rub your socks across a rug or carpet it will deactivate the magnetic pull of the tracking device

I think people should get their vaccine. I was thinking “Eh leave it up to the individual.” But I am closer to taking a bit of a harder line with it. I am a teacher. Not going to say where, but that obviously puts me in contact with kids. Vaccines have gotten the world rid of illnesses such as polio or smallpox. If you are concerned about the safety of your kids and that makes you reluctant to vaccinate, then you should be reluctant to allow your kids to play football, drive a car at 16, etc. And before anyone says it: vaccines do not cause autism. End of story. Goodbye. The end. See you later.

Forget the whole Sweden reference, which is a ridiculous Apples:Oranges comparison on multiple different levels that I don't have time to discuss in full detail. It's funny that you accuse Ryan of moving goalposts, then you literally do exactly that by comparing this to swine flu. But since it submarines your entire argument, I'm happy to play that game. The 2009 swine flu killed 12,649 people among those 75,000,000 people affected. COVID-19 has killed 631,000 people among those 38,200,000 infected. As a point of reference, that's not too far away from the total number that AIDS has killed in the U.S. in the last 40 years. COVID-19 is roughly 100 times more deadly than the swine flu. Using that as any justifiable comparison for policy's sake is patently idiotic.

Be nice to the Raider truck if you see it in Bluefield on Saturday. If you see the Raider A and SMITH STRONG please leave the tires alone. Looking forward to seeing your home field as I'll be there for my sons college game (Georgetown College) Hitting the Railyard for lunch is the plan provided 81 flows well.

GW had one kid test positive at an outdoor dance so all kids have to quarantine who were at the dance! Dumb!!!

This is when we need a meme of beating a dead horse.

One entrancing Tiger fan here roaring into Mitchell on Thursday night in support of those "Government Men""! Give em he$$ and sling em high Graham High

I think Blevins is Graham’s best overall player. He reminds me a little of Polier from union that he’s not faster than everybody but he’s tougher, and in high school ball that means more than recruiting stars sometimes.

If Union goes to Graham and wins, 100% Jenkins has a TD. Whether it's a return or a defensive play or a receiving TD, if Union wins he is gonna play a huge factor in it. Lomax is gonna be the focal point but getting Jenkins in space with the ball, in any way possible, is gonna be key. The passing game keeps improving, the pass Bunch hit Jenkins on the Union sideline where 21 stepped out around the five was the best throw I've seen Bunch make. If Union can threaten teams downfield like that with that rushing monster of Lomax, Satterfield and Honeycutt, they're gonna be very tough to stop.

Maybe a Graham parade down Main Street would suffice?

That’s exactly what I said in the postgame last night. Tazewell teams from 2009-2018 would have lost that game. The last 3 years have seen a culture established and foundation set. Very proud of those young men.

Like it or not trash talking is big among this younger generation. If you’re 35+, you probably trashed talked a little but nowhere near what these kids feel led to do. I don’t like it personally but it’s here to stay. The BIGGER problem I have with it is when the game is out of reach and the winning team still feels the need to talk sh*t. The losing team has nothing to lose, they are down, frustrated, and looking for an opportunity to take a dirty shot. It’s only 15 yards. Another factor is some daddy’s want their kids to be Bad*sses more-so than good coachable teamates.

The AMA is incredibly politicized as are other agencies of government. The same AMA recently argued for patient/doctor privacy in response to the recent 6 week abortion law in Texas, while simultaneously, objecting to patient/doctor privacy regarding the prescription of Ivermectin. These type of inconsistencies lead people to distrust these agencies and organizations. I personally take a libertarian approach and side with the idea that the patient and the doctor should have privacy and that the doctor should know what is best for the patient, not the government or some agency of government.

Going to be close, always seems to be...except for the years Graham was coached by Marrs and Williams...

Virginia High 63 John Battle 0 Final Largest margin of victory for VHS since beating Greeneville 70-0 in 1921

Heels as overrated at VT was 15 years ago. Good job Hokies. Ain't nothin' fina than beatin' Carolina.

Japan has never approved the use of Ivermectin for treating COVID-19. There’s no data suggesting it treats COVID-19, and has hellacious side effects such as hallucinations, tremors, and hypoxia. FWIW, Ivermectin won nothing in 2015. Medicines don’t win those prizes, people do. William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omuta won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites”. I’m almost certain COVID-19 is not a roundworm parasite. Using that as an argument is laughable. It would be akin to saying that Biaxin is a valid COVID-19 treatment because Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005 showing how Biaxin fought H. pylori bacteria.

I'm an older, poorly educated Appalachian American. My research skills are shaky at best, not to mention my ability to comprehend the actual findings of my research. That's why I consulted with my doctor of 35 years. He's always been pretty good at understanding shit related to the medical field, and has never steered my wrong. He told me emphatically that I needed to get vaccinated, so I did as soon as I was eligible.

This is where a lot of people are — and that’s 1000% understandable. The issue is that most people don’t do the research you did to find out more about it. They just keep assuming — and keep refusing to get the vaccine. What we need is more redtiger’s in the world

I think it was characterized as the end all. From President Trump to President Biden to Tony Fauci and so on. But especially the media. I can remember things said such as "If we can just hold on until we get a vaccine. When the vaccine is here we can put away our masks, etc. So people are really feeling lied to about this whole mess. Now there have many such as myself that have said "not so fast". And those have been from both sides of the political spectrum. But those voices have been drowned out. Whether it was intentional or not the message being sent was we can all get back to normal as soon as X percentage of the people get the vaccine. The problem with the 'vaccine" is that the bar was lowered so low from what constitutes normal certification and approval. Remember President Trump stating that "we are going to remove red tape and get the vaccine out quickly" (paraphrased). What that translated into is that most of the procedures and red tape that test the long term effectiveness and side effects are going to be laid aside. The bar was also set very high for what the vaccine could do when it was approved for emergency use. The way I look at it is this way. I think at most colleges you have to score 90% to get an "A". Now if I start a college and all you have to score to get an "A" is 60% then the standard of an "A" is compromised and confused. I honestly think that is what has happened here when the words "safe" and "effective" are used regarding this vaccine. The CDC has lowered the bar so low as to what constitutes "Safe" and "effective" that those words that used to give people confidence are now causing great doubt and the are eroding the confidence of the public. When you make statements that vaccinated people no longer to wear a mask you are implying that vaccinated people can no longer get or transmit the virus when they knew all along that this wasn't true. I suspected this because every year when I get the flu shot the nurse told me that I could still get the virus and could still transmit it. We all know that the Covid-19 is from the same family.

Fascinating to me how we are so opposite and take sides, even in the face of going against what we think is our own values. For example, Bill Clinton had largely, Republican leaning policies such as welfare reform, tax cuts, and a three strike and you are out rule on crime, yet the Dems loved him and the Pubs said he was to far left. Trump is largely isolationist, actually was the frontrunner of ending the war and bringing troops home, and signed massive wide decriminalization of crimes, and these are left leaning policies former Pubs would have considered outrageous, yet the Pubs love him and the Dems think he's a right wing zealot. We live in an absolutely Insane world man. God help us in the US when we have no enemy in common, be it the Soviets, Taliban, etc. We are going at each other's throats when we probably disagree on 20 percent of stuff and agree on 80 percent, but guess where we focus our energy. Let's just play some football and love it (another one of the 80 percent of things) we have in common

Typing very slowing… I never said the vaccinated were clogging up hospitals. If you would read to understand rather than merely condemn others , we might actually have points we agree on. 1. Vaccinated can spread Covid 2. If someone isn’t vaccinated, they probably aren’t going to get the vaccine (maybe if an unvaccinated family member gets really sick, they might) but otherwise, their mind is made up. 3. More effective treatments are needed. 4. Everyone should build up their own natural immune system with vitamin supplements, healthy diet, & exercise. 5. Vilifying those who are unvaccinated is not productive.

You apparently didn't see his Alabama rally where he was booed by the crowd for telling that he got the vaccine and they should too. He started backpedaling real fast.....

It’s not just selfish, it’s defiant, weaponized ignorance. How many of these people look at the weather app before making decisions? How many of these people had an MRI or a CT scan based on the advice of an expert? It makes zero sense to not trust science, but they can’t look past their cognitive dissonance when they have snake oil salesmen and TV preacher hacks telling them that the science of a vaccine is a lie.

That's your choice just hope you don't lose any family members like I have.

I think they have changed their protocol. I heard from one source last week exactly that of quarantining all regardless. His wife is a teacher so he would know. But then on Saturday I heard from another teacher at Graham Middle that wasn't the case anymore. Only those positive or non vax get quarantined. This is also echoed from a teacher at Tazewell Middle. Bottom line, I think it's a moving target and the school board is left in the middle trying to do what they think is best with neither side being happy with whichever way they go. I know we had players out on quarantine Friday so not sure why Graham had to shutdown. If I had to guess possibly an over reaction??? I agree, hope the game is played regardless the outcome and will say the same about all other teams as well. This is the last chance for the majority of players in their football career. Let's let them have every chance they can to make the most of it.

Nothing is worth losing the good will and working relationships with your friends and neighbors at Pikeview and Graham. Period.

Here’s a perfect example: https://www.rawstory.com/caleb-wallace/ So instead of a vaccine or mask that you think is trying to turn us all into sheep, you’re gonna be a true ‘Merican instead and take an anti-parasitic equine medication? In related news, this dude’s going to die, and leave a wife and 4 children behind. At least he’ll die a “patriot”, for whatever that’s worth.

Raven Crimson Tide (1)

Apparently you've not heard about the big game in Ben Hur this week

Which seems ridiculous to me but I only play a doctor on a sports forum 😂