Life on Mars...would be less scary

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
09/11/2020 at 14:22 • Filed to: None

So here in Portland we officially have the worst air quality in the world. I didn’t even know the AQI had a purple zone - “hazardous” between 300-500, been in that range since yesterday.

We’ve been indoors all week because we’ve had really crazy winds since Monday (which started many of these fires), bringing smoke our way and our hilly neighborhood being way too gusty to spend any time outside (also have some trees that are about 200 feet tall that were trying to give each other bear hugs).

We have a tiny air purifier we’ve been moving between the rooms. I bought a MERV 12 filter (best I could find in stock locally) and stuck it to a floor fan we had in the living room, best I could find at the store. Have a proper sized air purifier arriving from Amazon on Sunday but there’s hope the worst will be behind us by then.

So sad seeing what’s happening in communities just south of us (thankfully we’re about 20 miles away from the fires and on the other side of the river from them - so as long as no new fires pop up on this side we should be safe from the flames). We were supposed to camp at a lakeside on a beautiful vineyard next weekend, but the family got evacuated earlier this week and don’t know if their home and property survived (we’ve been there before and have been in touch with them). So many homes and livelihoods lost, and the fires barely 5% contained so who knows what else is in store for our communities.

But this, THIS is what pisses me off the most about this current situation -

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Idiots - including idiots in high places - spreading LIES that ANTIFA have been running around starting these fires, leading to mass hysteria in these rural communities where many people tend to buy in to this mindset. People clogging up 9-1-1 lines to complain/ask about supposed arsonists, ignoring evacuation orders to go protect property from these outside agitators, stopping reporters on the roadside at gunpoint and asking them to GTFO. Is this really what our country has come to? The police departments cited in these fake news claims have all come out specifically saying these are all lies, not based in reality whatsoever. Yet the conspiracy theory that this is all arson is already all over the internet.

Sickening that there are assholes out there that will milk disasters like these to push their own political positions (and sadly plenty who will believe them over “the media that has always lied to us”).

DISCUSSION (23)

My bird IS the word > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 14:43

Life on mars would be exactly the same or worse, considering the planet would be trying to kill you as well.

Hard to blame an anarchist group with no leadership on anything. Can blame the members all you want though.

phenotyp > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 14:47

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

Like, you see the bar, and think: I could lower that.

fintail > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 14:50

AQI at the station about a mile from me was 220 at the last update. We’ve had it easy around Seattle.

I find it funny that outside “antifa” groups are some kind of danger to be feared, while there’s been too little coverage of touring caravans of wanna-nazi right wing “militia” groups showing up (in Seattle, Portland, and many other places) looking for a fight. This is the disease generated when frightened sensitive souls become addicted to FOX News and similar media.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 14:52

Mars. Australia. Pretty much the same thing, really.

PowderHound > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 14:57

And just when I think I can’t desp ise people any more, they go off and do shit like this.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 15:01

Can blame the members all you want though.

Blame them for what though? This is pure fantasy. Just as accurate as blaming the pope or Mickey Mouse for these fires.

My bird IS the word > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 15:12

Well one specific guy, who happens to be a member of antifa, has been accused of starting a wildfire. The paranoia about the group doing it en masse is really odd though, they do not stand to benefit in any appreciable way.

sn4cktimes > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 15:13

I’d say at least you can breathe the atmosphere here... but seeing pictures of the smoke... yeesh. I thought we had it fair bad a few times here in Calgary. But nothing like you guys down south. Stay safe. It’s too bad respirators are hard to grab. I’d say nab a few with 3M particulate or vapour canisters and breathe a little easier.

lone_liberal > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 15:14

Yuck. A couple of years ago we hit the purple zone with 500+ so I empathize. Terrible. I pretty much hibernated during that shit. Our air hasn’t been too bad in Spokane this time but with the wind shifting air quality is supposed to plummet this weekend. We’ll see how bad it gets but I doubt it will be as bad as you’re enduring.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > sn4cktimes
09/11/2020 at 15:34

Oddly enough, we’ve had no smoke down here in Lethbridge. Or if there has been, it’s been really really light. One small grass fire west of town, but that’s it.

DipodomysDeserti > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 15:40

Mind posting up any links to this info? And how does one gain “ membership” to Antifa?

MrSnrub > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 15:43

I figured I might end up being a climate refugee or get shot by a fascist militia in the future, but it didn’t occur to me that I might be shot by a fascist militia WHILE being a climate refugee! Ahhh, America.

Stay safe!

My bird IS the word > DipodomysDeserti
09/11/2020 at 15:56

Ahh, it looks like not only did the rumors spiral out of control, but the original police report was fake as well. As far as antifa, again they have no leadership so being a "member" consists of saying so on social media I guess.

punkgoose17 > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 16:01

There are not really “members” antifa is just short for antifascist.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 16:27

Seems like you realized how erroneous your initial post was.

Again, there is zero evidence or suggestion from authorities to date that ANTIFA members (whatever that means) or anyone else for that matter set these fires on purpose. It’s all a bunch of right wing nut jobs creating fake news and feeding off each other to make it look like that’s the case because it fits their political interests.

Sickening.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > sn4cktimes
09/11/2020 at 16:28

Thankfully we have a few N95s laying around from some renovation work we did last year. We’re managing fine, just doing our best to keep the smoke out of the house and occupying a 2 year old who doesn’t understand any of this and why we need to stay indoors all week.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > lone_liberal
09/11/2020 at 16:30

Sounds like that’s the same currents we’re expecting that will hopefully help push this crap out from over us...in your direction, probably. Hopefully without as many fires right in your back yard it won’t be quite as horrible once it gets blown your way.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MrSnrub
09/11/2020 at 16:34

LOL seriously.

ANTIFA is a great catch all for anything these days in those parts of the state. When the protests started earlier this summer there were conspiracy theories going around about ANTIFA loading up in to buses and driving to the countryside to destroy towns...and people actually lined up the streets armed with their guns to defend their communities. And then when nobody came they patted themselves on the back for scaring off the baddies.

A poor family that was out camping in rural WA in an old school bus got caught up in all this when these armed people started questioning them, followed them in pickups with guns, and once down a rural road to their campsite downed trees across the road so they couldn’t get out. All because they were “mixed race” as the articles pointed out.

This shit all hits pretty close to home (duh, living here) being a brown guy with a white wife and mixed toddler whose primary form of enjoyment in times of COVID has been getting out in to the countryside on camping trips. Apparently we’re pretty close to the definition of ANTIFA for some folks .

My bird IS the word > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 16:42

I really wouldnt rush to defend antifa specifically though . Clearly some misinformation. I was nt blaming them per se, just poking at that whole "bad apples" thing and the disorganization

lone_liberal > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/11/2020 at 18:03

Right now they’re saying that since the major fires are fairly distant the smoke will be higher in the atmosphere. We’ll see.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > My bird IS the word
09/11/2020 at 19:19

I’m not rushing to defend anyone, I’m literally saying these are unfounded rumo rs being turned into conspiracy theories tying antifa to absolutely anything right now. It creates more chaos and that is dangerous. People are ignoring evacuation orders and standing in their properties with their guns to prevent antifa from looting their neighborhoods. That not only puts themselves in danger but also first responders, and who knows who else these people might believe to be the enemy and take unnecessary action against.

MrSnrub > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
09/12/2020 at 13:36

It’s pretty odd to me that Oregon of all places seems to be the hotspot for so much of this. Then again, the contrast between lefty urban and far-right rural areas is probably at least as stark there as it is anywhere else. And of course, Oregon used to be a whites-only territory , so I guess it’s in keeping with tradition.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MrSnrub
09/14/2020 at 16:13

Yeah when I lived in the SF Bay Area you could drive for hours and still be within that lefty bubble. Here in Portland you drive 20 minutes out of town and you’re in pretty rural territory, so that divide is far more obvious. I “like” it in the sense that I’m exposed to all the elements of society regularly (so I don’t get a false sense of security from my little bubble), but it’s also very depressing.