Live For The Orange Man, Die Alone On A Ventilator For The Orange Man

[Celerity]

The sad, confused, and unnecessary death of Republican leader Pressley Stutts.

https://thebanter.substack.com/p/live-for-the-orange-man-die-alone



South Carolina county Republican party leader Pressley Stutts died aged 64 of Covid-19 on August 19th. He passed away alone, in hospital while hooked up to a ventilator unable to breathe. Weeks before, he had mocked the Coronavirus — specifically the Delta variant that he believed wasn’t a threat:



Stutts was almost certainly infected with the Delta variant currently ripping through South Carolina and “feeding on the unvaccinated”. He died because of it. Sadly, Stutts was part of a concerted effort to stop vaccination in his county and had urged his followers to protest a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris back in April of this year. “Kamala is coming to Greenville, SC Monday around 12 noon (all roads lead to Greenville to push her "Get Vaccinated" agenda), he wrote on Facebook. “We will be offering her a good ol' "Southern Welcome" where we will push back against this ungodly initiative. Many signs will be sending her a clear message that We, the People are NOT in favour of hers and Biden's radical leftist agenda.” “We will also be waving American flags because June 14th is Flag Day,” continued Stutts. “Kamala hates the American flag and what it stands for. Also, June 14th is President Trump's birthday and we will be waving flags and signs that say "Trump won" (which he did), "Trump is still my President" and "Happy Birthday, Mr. President." Patriotism is alive and well in Greenville SC.”

Stupid, but not necessarily bad

While it is understandable to not be particularly empathetic towards those who refuse to get the vaccine, it is difficult not to feel some degree of sympathy for Stutts. The Greenville county GOP leader’s musings on Facebook now circulating online reveal much about him and the lives of thousands of Trump supporters dying because they refuse to get vaccinated. While clearly not a bright man, Stutts’s posts also indicate he wasn’t bad man. He had many devoted friends and often posted memes like this:



Stutts’s social media posts mostly reveal an almost childlike simplicity — an uncompromising devotion to Donald Trump, a belief that Covid wasn’t real, that vaccinations still weren’t necessary, and that he was engaged in a holy war against liberals in America. Stutts appeared to believe that his religious faith would be more than enough to cure Covid, and continuously asked his followers to pray for him. “Serious talk about having to go on the ventilator,” Stutts posted on August 5th. “Don't want to, but all avenues are going to be considered. If I do, I'll just be relaxing letting God heal my body. Critical time for fervent prayers, please!” A post from his account on August 11th was perhaps his most vulnerable, and most revealing:



Everything up until the last sentence is befitting of a man about to meet his end. Stutts wonders whether he has lived a good enough life, whether he passed enough wisdom onto this children and grandchildren, and speaks about loving the “unloved”. He shows remorse for failing to make enough of a difference, asks his followers to follow their passions and do good in the world. He even professes hope that he will survive the ordeal so he can live to correct his mistakes. But at the end, even the ravages of Covid were not powerful enough to undo the years of propaganda, deceit and lies told to him by his Orange God.

A misguided life.....

snip

[viva la]

1. It is hard to know what to feel about these people

They are so often so naive and gullible -- easy prey for the manipulative and malevolent Trump.

But they close their minds and their hearts for him. and now they are risking their bodies. He looked at all the evidence of the last 18 months-- 660K dead, millions hospitalized-- and says confidently that this is all a hoax meant to scare people. The level of deliberate denial needed for that is immoral. It isn't just stupid. It's insisting that everyone else is lying and that one vile man should lie and be taken as the ultimate truth.

And in the end, he can't even let go of the idea of Trump's "enemies" somehow being the ones to blame and hate. He has to hate everyone else to love Trump-- and worshipping Trump is what's most important to him.

[Dorian Gray]

8. I truly feel bad

he was brainwashed by group think. And the saddest part is the Trump and his inner circle all got vaccinated as soon as they could, and this man STILL couldn't see.

I truly hope that this will be a moment of reckoning for his followers and family. That they will see the light, get vaccinated and protect themselves. And that they will in turn help other people see the light.

[luv2fly]

2. I'll probably end up in Hell if there is one

Increasingly as I read these stories of antivax GQPers getting sick and often dying I find myself thinking "good." I'm not proud of it, it's not who I want to be, but it's there and I have to figure out a way to stamp it down, it can't be healthy.

[SoCalDavidS]

4. It's Healthy

It's healthy, because his death is a good occurrence.

The world is a better place, for the fact that he is no longer in it.

Just reading his little lament in that ICU, tells me all I need to know about who he is on the inside, and I have no doubt he made the world a worse place every day he could spout his hatred, that he called "love."

[Corgigal]

3. An onslaught of evil?

That’s us guy, not the virus. I never considered them evil, but the dead guy considers me evil and he never met me. This football team rally spirit is stupid, killing almost a million people, and I’m insulted to be considered evil.

The worst that an American can be.

[marble falls]

5. I think they are starting to get it. I saw a line of first jabbers at Walmart when we went to see ..

... if they'd jab my wife with Pfizer's booster.

I'd be more optimistic, but I live in Marble Falls where the older families brag about not getting vaxxed or wearing masks. They still lit cigarettes in restaurants until recently.

[spinbaby]

11. Walmart is at the Orlando airport

All weekend Walmart is giving out vaccines right in front of the security line. Saw them as we’re getting ready to flee Florida.

[marble falls]

12. Is this late still soon enough? The magic question. We need a turnout like for Polio, I think.

[ShazzieB]

6. I think there was a post about him on DU few days ago, when he was still alive.

I remember reading some of his FB musings from the hospital, saying how hopeful he was, and thinking how ironic it would be if it kills him. Not rooting for it to kill him, exactly, I'm not quite that far down the road to hell...but thinking how it would be poetic justice.

Now, reading that yes, it did kill him, I'm just sitting smdh. These people absolutely baffle me. It's really a shame that there are so many stupid people in this country, and it's downright tragic that someone as evil as that orange asshole was able to come along, screw with our country, and convince all these stupid people to literally lay down their lives for him.

[malaise]

7. He's been

"Cained". Bubye!

[Vinca]

9. Give Herman our best. No sympathy from me. I look at the guy as "one down."

[malaise]

10. One more

many ore to come

[marble falls]

13. How many perfectly innocent kids.

[SweetieD]

14. Trump has actually praised the vaccines because trump felt like he would get credit

For ending the pandemic. Trump could do more to encourage his followers to take the vaccine but I don't think trump himself is antivax. Most of his followers are. I have a feeling if trump was in office all of these types would trust the government and take the vaccine.