 So, there has now been countless stories of conservative anti-vaxxers denying the severity or reality of COVID-19 in some instances and vocalizing their anti-vax sentiment who have contracted COVID-19 and died after they spread misinformation. Misinformation that if they didn't believe themselves, they might still be here today. So, on August 4th, the Daily Beast reported that Texas Republican official Scott Apley died from COVID just days after sharing anti-vax misinformation on Facebook. Then on August 7th, the Guardian reported that anti-vaccine conservative radio host Dick Farrell also died due to complications related to COVID-19. And now another conservative radio host has died from COVID-19 after spreading misinformation about the vaccine and COVID-19, Phil Valentine. So, as Joseph Choi of The Hill reports, conservative radio host Phil Valentine has died of COVID-19 after expressing skepticism toward vaccines and later saying he regretted not being inoculated. Nashville Tennessee radio station WWTN, which broadcasts the Phil Valentine show, announced his death on Saturday. He was 61 years old. We are saddened to report that our host and friend Phil Valentine has passed away. Please keep the Valentine family in your thoughts and prayers, the radio station tweeted. Tennessee lawmakers also expressed their condolences online after Valentine's death was reported. Phil Valentine was a visionary for the conservative movement and he made an enormous impact on the lives of many Tennesseans Senator Marsha Blackburn tweeted. My deepest condolences and prayers are with Phil's wife Susan and his family. May they be comforted and surrounded by love during this difficult time. He had expressed skepticism toward the vaccine, though his family shot back at suggestions that he was an anti-vaxxer. Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an anti-vaxxer, he regrets not being more vehemently pro-vaccine and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon. His family said at the time of his hospitalization. So when I read this, I think that his family is probably in denial about whether or not he was an anti-vaxxer. I mean being explicitly anti-vaxx, being vaccine hesitant, or just asking questions. Tomato tomato, it's a distinction without a difference. If you were encouraging people to not get vaccinated, you're effectively an anti-vaxxer. But the good news is that he did have a change of heart and hopefully people know that he would have changed his mind had he survived. He would have actually convinced people that they should get vaccinated. And it's irritating to me, though, that conservatives, they can't actually take a correct position unless an issue affects them personally. Dick Cheney, Republicans, totally anti-gay, but then he has, you know, a lesbian daughter and then he is pro-gay rights. Conservatives, you know, they spread misinformation as it relates to COVID-19 and vaccines, but then they get it themselves. And then they, you know, all of a sudden have a change of heart. But I mean, even though Phil Valentine isn't around to, you know, regret his decision and encourage people to get vaccines, at least there's an indication that he would have changed his mind had he survived. But for some individuals, even experiencing death firsthand, that still won't lead to them having a change of heart. So Republican state lawmaker from Maine, Chris Johansson, who is an anti-vaxxer, while his wife, Cindy, also an anti-vaxxer, contracted COVID-19 and she died after discouraging people from wearing masks while she was suffering with COVID-19. So I mean, you think that if you're isolated and you have the virus and you know how severe it is, that would encourage you to want to tell people that they should be taking it seriously. But while she was suffering from COVID, she was discouraging the use of masks. And she ended up dying. She wasn't vaccinated and she died. But if you think that that led to her husband, state GOP lawmaker from Maine having a change of heart, not at all. Because less than a week after his wife died of COVID-19, he attended an anti-vaxx rally in Maine outside of the governor's mansion with about 400 other people. And as you can see, that's him right there, shared from this photo taken by Crash Berry. He's there, maskless. Don't know if he was around his wife, possibly exposing other people to COVID-19. And he is protesting COVID vaccines after his anti-vaxx wife died. I mean, just stop for a moment and think of how brainwashed you have to be. To where you are anti-vaxx, your wife is anti-vaxx. You you see her wither away for months from having COVID-19. And ultimately she passes away and not even a week after. You're doing anti-vaccine rallies. You're speaking out against a vaccine mandate for health care workers in the state of Maine after you know that this virus is serious. If your wife was vaccinated, odds are she would still be here, but he still didn't learn. Think of how deranged and fucked in the head you have to be to do something like this. It's like if, you know, somebody who you knew and loved died of a heart attack and then you like protested against heart attack awareness or some shit like that. Like it's it's hard to even come up with a comparable analogy because it's so it's so deranged. It's so honestly cruel even to his wife. And perhaps like on her deathbed, she was still vehemently anti-vaxx. But either way, you'd think that maybe seeing your wife who was anti-vaxx die from COVID-19 might trigger even a little bit of introspection. But to him, no. And when he saw that people were criticizing him for attending an anti-vaxx rally after his wife just died of COVID-19, he took to Facebook to call out the haters. He writes, I have a hard time understanding these haters. My address is public. If you really want to hurt me, come here and physically hurt me. I think you're doing enough yourself, bud. My wife, Cindy, was reluctant to get the vaccine because of all the conflicting information we have been getting from day one to the haters out there. Have none of you seen my picture at the Capitol on January 6th? Don't know what he's referencing. I don't know if he was there or not. You are a pretty tame bunch. I was sure you could hate me for many more reasons if you really knew me. So check the video. If you know what you're looking for, I'm not hard to find. So I think that he's saying that he was there on January 6th. Therefore, he's tough. Folks, Jesus Christ. So he's flexing on people who are pointing out the absurdity of him attending an anti-vaxx rally after his wife just died of COVID-19. I mean, like if you lose your spouse, wouldn't you be totally distraught and not go to any political rally for a very long time? I mean, when my dad died last year, like I felt so numb. I didn't want to leave the house for a really good amount of time because I just wanted to like be by myself and like collect my own thoughts. But I mean, he's he's out here going to anti-vaxx rallies, flexing on the haters on Facebook. Holy shit. And then he's saying or suggesting that people who are criticizing him want to hurt him. You're doing that yourself. Anti-vaxxers are literally killing themselves because you're not getting vaccinated. And unlike Phil Valentine, this dumb fuck, he still won't have a change of heart after his wife dies. I mean, I just what do you even say? He's bragging about the fact. I'm guessing that he was there on January 6th. And he talks about his wife being reluctant to get vaccinated because of all the conflicting information, i.e., misinformation about the vaccines. But yet there is so much more information out there that demonstrates how serious this virus is. But yet the seriousness of COVID-19. That's not something you take seriously, but potential side effects from this vaccine that 160 million Americans plus have taken that I want to take seriously. I just I don't know what to say. We've reached this point in America where there are some anti-vaxxers who are so glued to this position that even if their their spouse dies, they're not going to have a change of heart. And it's still really upsetting that people like Phil Donahue had to experience COVID-19 firsthand to have a change of heart about vaccines. But it shouldn't take you getting COVID-19 and dying or seeing a loved one die from COVID-19 to acknowledge that the vaccines are necessary. It's not just necessary for your own public health. It's necessary for us as a country, as a society to mitigate this virus, to stop it from, you know, filling up hospitals. People can't get elective procedures. They can't get surgeries because hospitals are completely overburdened by COVID-19 patients. Now, I can't convince people who don't give a shit about others who are selfish to care about those people. Who can't have their scheduled surgeries because hospitals are overburdened. But at a minimum, you'd think that they'd at least be selfish enough to care about themselves. And that would be enough of a reason to get the vaccine. But unfortunately, no. And the sad part is that stories like this are going to continue to happen. People aren't going to learn after reading these stories. They'll think that Phil Donahue is like a crisis actor. Or, you know, these people who are dying, who are anti-vaxxers, they're part of this plot or conspiracy. It's just it's not going to stop. And that's really frustrating. And as a society, we have to figure out a way to grapple with the reality of this. I think that it's it's a bad situation. And it feels like even though we have access to more technology than ever, we all have phones with virtually unlimited information and that we are dumber as a society than ever before. And this is just so sad to see. But I mean, what else can you say? It's sad, but they brought this upon themselves.