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Houston’s ‘demon sperm’ doctor charms Trump; Gohmert wonders if mask to blame.
Vance Ginn, the chief economist for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, tweeted this week that schools should open because most Texans dying from COVID-19 are elderly or Hispanic. “Why not #openschools, end universal mandates, target vulnerable & check those from #Mexico?” he asked the internet. To which the internet responded by demanding that he be fired over the racist tweet. Ginn apologized for the since-deleted post and his employer stands by him, calling the tweet “poorly worded.” It shouldn’t take a think tank to figure out there are better ways to talk about virus data than to cast millions of Texans as expendable, though.
If you do want to safely open schools, maybe just keep Louie Gohmert away. The Texas congressman, who famously said “you'll never see me without a mask” if he got the coronavirus, tested positive this week. This seemed to surprise no one except Gohmert, who when trying to cast about for how he contracted the virus, decided the answer was as plain as the nose on his (mostly) uncovered face. “I can't help but wonder if my keeping a mask on and keeping it in place, that if I might have put some germs or some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in — I don't know,” he told KETK-TV. It couldn’t be that he only used a mask begrudgingly and intermittently, could it? Anyway, the congressman said he’s feeling fine — thanks goodness — and that he and his doctor are “all in” on a hydroxychloroquine treatment, so he’ll be back to not wearing a mask around the U.S. Capitol in no time.
You know what they say. Karma’s a … witch. Or maybe a demon! At least that’s what President Donald Trump’s favorite Houston doctor might say. The local physician, minister and self-proclaimed demon buster made national headlines this week after Trump retweeted a video of her arguing that hydroxychloroquine is the cure for COVID-19. That claim has been debunked by experts but Stella Immanuel stands by her statements, along with her belief that there is alien DNA used in medical treatments, that “demon sperm” and witches cause reproductive maladies, and that the government is run by “reptilians” (is that why Mitch McConnell looks like a turtle?) The president doubled down on his endorsement when questioned by reporters, saying he was “very impressed” with what was on the video. That a doctor believes in magic is bad enough. That the president believes in her, spells disaster.
Immanuel would be a great guest on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where the comedian and host specializes in exploring conspiracy theories, especially now that the show is moving to Texas. Rogan said he is leaving California for the Lone Star State in search of “a little bit more freedom,” forgetting to add “from taxes” at the end of the sentence. We’re not saying that’s his only motivation, but the popular podcaster — who recently signed an exclusivity deal with Spotify worth more than $100 million — said he wants to live in a place where it’s easy to travel from but isn’t dealing with traffic, overpopulation and the homeless. We hope he enjoys the millions he’ll save on state income tax, because he’ll have a hard time finding that sparsely populated major city he’s looking for here in Texas.
Finally, it wasn’t all witches and warlocks for Trump this week. The commander in chief decided to throw his support behind confronting real-life evil. On Thursday, he met with family members of slain Houston native Vanessa Guillén, who were in Washington pushing for legislation aimed at ending widespread sexual harassment and assault in the military. The family is hoping that some good can come out of Guillen’s tragic death at the hands of a fellow U.S. Army soldier at Fort Hood and the president’s endorsement is critical to this effort and for calling attention to the case. He’ll be needed, too, when the legislation expected to bear Guillén’s name is finalized and the voting begins. Trump gets a thumbs-up for promising to support the bill. He’ll get our rousing applause if he keeps that promise and ensures the bill’s passage.