|
News media sensationalism and dishonesty Bias and Censorship in Social Media Tracking the whereabouts of cell phone users Releasing prison inmates because they might catch the virus News media bias against President Trump Airline inconvenience and health hazards Immigration-related health hazards Other environmental false alarms Voter fraud, mail-in ballots, and postponed elections Any good news about the virus is suppressed Timely news and commentary: CDC director admits hospitals, medical folks have 'perverse incentive' to falsely count Covid deaths. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield has confirmed that, despite claims otherwise from the left, there is indeed a "perverse incentive" for hospitals to overcount their coronavirus deaths by falsely attributing unrelated deaths to the virus. Asked during a House Oversight and Reform hearing Friday to comment on what Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican, described as a "perverse incentive for medical folks to claim that somebody died of COVID versus an automobile accident, for instance," Redfield admitted that the congressman had a point. [Video clip] [...] Similarly, because of the CARES Act passed by Congress in March, hospitals receive a 20 percent premium when seeking payment for Medicare patients who died allegedly of the coronavirus. "You Don't Have a Choice — Normalcy Only Returns When We Largely Vaccinate the Entire Population" — Creepy Bill Gates Gets Creepier. This creepy video of Bill Gates is making the rounds again today [8/2/2020]. Bill Gates told The Financial Times, "You don't have a choice... Normalcy only returns when we largely vaccinate the entire population." For the coronavirus flu. [Video clip] Texas Downgrades COVID-19 Deaths After 'Automation Error'. The Texas Department of State Health Services revealed this week that an "automation error" in a new method of reporting COVID-19 deaths led to hundreds of people being mistakenly reported as having died of the coronavirus. The statistical error put 225 fatalities on the state's COVID-19 related death toll. A local Texas NBC affiliate stated: "On July 27, the state said 675 deaths were being added to the list of those killed by COVID-19 and that the increase was due to a change in reporting method that relied on death certificates rather than reports from various public health departments." Rand Paul Harshly Slams Fauci: You Praised Andrew Cuomo. Why Not DeSantis? On Monday morning [8/3/2020], Kentucky GOP senator Rand Paul, angered by Dr. Anthony Fauci having lavished praise on New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo for his response to the coronavirus pandemic while studiously ignoring Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis' much more successful response, fired off a tweet targeting Fauci. [...] As of August 3, according to The New York Times, New York had reported 421,008 cases of coronavirus with 32,401 deaths; Florida had reported at least 487,100 cases with 7,083 deaths.That amounts to 7.7% of the cases reported in New York eventuating in death, while in Florida roughly 1.5% of the cases resulted in death. Sweden's No-Lockdown COVID Numbers are Even Better Than They Look. In case you hadn't heard, Sweden is one of the very few western nations that didn't respond to COVID-19 by imposing any lockdowns. Given the obvious hardship, misery, and death lockdowns bring, Sweden's leaders decided it made more sense to just isolate the sick and elderly. They let the infection burn through the strong and healthy members of their population at its normal rate instead of trying to slow it down and thereby delaying herd immunity. Way back in May, I pointed out that, if lockdowns were effective, Sweden's neighbors would see a dramatic increase in cases after opening back up. Lockdowns, at best, only slow down the rate of infection. They don't reduce the number required to reach herd immunity and, hence, only serve to increase the amount of time the virus lingers. The point of locking down is to make sure hospitals don't get overrun by a surge of new cases on any given day, not to decrease the number of people ultimately infected. Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank boss Neel Kashkari: 'Hard' shutdown can save economy. Locking the country down "really hard" for a period of several weeks could save the economy from long-term pain, the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank said Sunday [8/2/2020]. In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," Neel Kashkari said that the only way to have "a real robust economic recovery" is to quash the flare-ups of the coronavirus that continue to pop up across the country. Shutting things down "for a month or six weeks" would allow the nation's case count to get low enough that the government's testing and contact tracing efforts could effectively contain future spreading, Kashkari said, adding that if serious action isn't taken, the country will "have this raging virus spreading ... with flare ups and local lockdowns for the next year or two." The Editor says... Dr. Harvey Risch on War Room After CNN Hit Job. Dr. Harvey Risch joins Steve Bannon, Raheem Kassam, and @JackMaxey1 on War Room: Pandemic right after his appearance on New Day with John Berman where the host attempted to "put words in his mouth." [Video clip] Jake Tapper scolds Trump for airport 'mini-rally' in Florida, but John Lewis crowds still ok. [Scroll down] There were multiple memorials and funeral extravaganzas held for John Lewis during the past two weeks. Most were held indoors, where attendees were packed together like sardines. Meanwhile, countless Americans were not allowed to hold funerals for their loved ones who had recently died. Under the District of Columbia's coronavirus rules, individuals who travel to "high-risk areas" are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon re-entering the District. The state of Georgia is considered a "high-risk area" for the coronavirus by Mayor Bowser's office. However, Bowser confirmed that anyone who attended Congressman Lewis' funeral in Georgia is not required to self-quarantine upon re-entering D.C. "Government activity is essential, and the Capitol of the United States is exempt from the Mayor's Order," Bowser's press secretary told Just the News. Sit down, Nancy: Pelosi doubles down while Birx forcefully pushes back. Good for her. A Sunday morning [8/2/2020] political show gave Dr. Birx a chance to respond to Speaker Pelosi's snide remarks about her as she was interviewed on CNN. She was asked about Pelosi's criticism of her during a private meeting with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchen on Friday night. Birx delivered an unequivocal response. Pelosi's remarks against Birx were leaked to the press, of course, and it seems that her vitriol toward Birx came from a New York Times article in July. [...] She predicted that the virus would rise dramatically but then peak and begin to decline. No one from the NYT bothered to interview Dr. Birx before publishing the hit piece, by the way. When the coronavirus moved aggressively to southern states, her prediction was proven to have been overly optimistic. Scientists say public transport may not be a major source of coronavirus spread after all. Catching coronavirus on public transport is far less likely than once feared, fresh data suggests. Trains, buses and planes were earmarked as potential Covid-19 hotspots by experts around the world at the start of the crisis. This is because Covid-19 thrives in enclosed indoor spaces with little ventilation and densely packed crowds of people. But research suggests that, if masks are worn and social distancing is adhered to, the chance of the virus spreading on public transport is minimal. Contact tracing studies looking into hundreds of Covid-19 clusters in France, Austria and Japan linked fewer than 1 percent of 'super-spreader' events back to public transport. The Editor says... Houston Doctor Stella Immanuel Doubles Down — When Was the Last Time Fauci Saw a Patient? Dr. Stella Immanuel M.D. from Houston is a courageous woman in an insane world. Earlier this week Dr. Immanuel joined several other front line doctors in Washington DC at the "White Coat Summit" to announce the amazing success they were having treating coronavirus patients on the front line using hydroxychloroquine. Dr. Stella Immanuel bravely came out on Monday and said that she has personally treated over 350 patients suffering from COVID-19 with Hydroxychloroquine, Zinc, and Zithromax and they have all recovered. When a Mask Becomes Part of the Required Work Uniform. In general, the older and less healthy a person is, the more he can expect wearing a mask to cause physical trouble. Yet, the reaction of one's body to the imposing of a new impediment, in this case on breathing, can be surprising. People who can run a mile easily can also suffer physical problems from wearing a mask while going about their daily activities. And psychological harm from mask wearing can afflict people of all ages and physical fitness levels. CNN Analyst Says Non-Maskers Should Be On Their Own 'Terrorist' List. Don't you just love CNN? [...] If there is a more target-rich environment in the news business — with MSNBC running a close second — I have yet to find it. That said, it comes as no surprise that the dumpster fire of cable news pays on-air "talent" to say stupid [things], 24x7. Such was the case on Sunday morning [8/2/2020] when CNN "analyst" Juliette Kayyem and the ever-irascible Ana Cabrera decided [...] that people who refuse to wear masks should be put on a "terror suspect" list. Texas school trustee under fire for comparing COVID-19 face masks to Islamic face coverings that Muslim women are forced to wear all the time. Red Oak Independent School District teachers and residents are debating a controversial statement made by a school board trustee earlier in the week. Fauci Hasn't Changed — He's The Problem Not The Solution. [Scroll down] It should be kept in mind that hydroxychloroquine is not a new drug. It has been widely used around the world for many decades to combat malaria. When I served overseas it was handed out by the bottle-full to me, my coworkers, and our family members to take to head off the contraction of malaria. The drug is also widely prescribed for the treatment of arthritis. In many countries, it is available over the counter without a prescription. Tucker Drops a Truth Bomb About Dr. Fauci Being a 'Total Fraud'. Fox News host Tucker Carlson slammed Dr. Anthony Fauci for being hypocritical about his stance on the Wuhan coronavirus, particularly when it has to do with churches reopening and ongoing protests and riots across the country. "Anthony Fauci is likely the most powerful physician in the history of this country. He is one of the forces behind the mass quarantines that tanked the economy and put millions out of work. He says it's worth it though because the threat is so profound, so profound, so imminent that you should wear goggles and stop shaking hands, in the name of science. So it's interesting in light of that that one thing Anthony Fauci doesn't seem concerned about at all are the riots going on, the mass protests where thousands of people are crowded into together touching each other without goggles," Carlson explained. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Vetoes Bill to Prevent COVID-19 Patients From Being Housed in Nursing Homes. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bipartisan bill on Friday that would have protected the elderly and vulnerable by banning COVID-19 patients from being quarantined in nursing homes. [...] Senate Republicans are firing back at Whitmer for her cruel and callous decision to veto the common sense legislation. "In a mean-spirited move, Gov. Whitmer announced she vetoed a plan that would have prevented COVID-19 patients from entering our nursing homes," they wrote. "Only a few governors had allowed this reckless practice in the first place, and all except Gov. Whitmer have since changed course and stopped the practice, including embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo," Senate Republicans continued. Someone is Lying About Covid. Contrary to claims by the media and the ego maniac Dr. Fauci about a tidal wave of Covid infections, I have first hand, albeit anecdotal evidence, that there is a lot of [nonsense] surrounding reports of people who have "tested" positive for Covid. My old friend Janet, who was the GM of a very popular hair salon, heard yesterday from two of her former employees that they had "tested positive" for Covid. At first she was very alarmed and concerned for their welfare until she heard the rest of the story (Paul Harvey's signature line). Both reported neither had been to any testing facility nor had they provided any sample of any body fluid. But both were notified in the mail that they had "tested positive." Democrats Sure Love A Funeral. Political rallies are a thing of the past, at least this year. Conventions are not happening, not in any recognizable way at least. But this reality hasn't stopped Democrats from having a slice of both, only it comes with a side of death. More accurately, death comes with an opportunity to have a rally or a convention-esque speech. It's pretty sick, actually. There are states that have allowed their entire population fewer funerals with fewer attendees than either George Floyd or John Lewis had. Nothing against either man. I'm sure their families miss them dearly, but there are bodies in refrigerator trucks that can't be claimed by family members because of state-imposed restrictions. Their families miss them dearly too, and would love, and need, to memorialize them as well. It's an important part of the grieving process. Yet, they can't, or at least can't have more than a few people. Who wants to be the person to tell family members they didn't make the cut for attending grandma's funeral because a governor said there could only be 10 people there? Meanwhile, Floyd and Lewis were taken on tour, with Floyd receiving three services and Lewis six. While they were allegedly subject to some restrictions, you'd be hard-pressed to spot them from the pictures and videos. Holland's top scientists say there's no solid evidence coverings work and warn they could even damage the fight against Covid-19. As I walked around the sun-dappled streets of Amsterdam, something felt strange in this world swept by fear and pandemic. There was laughter coming from barges sliding along the famous canals, clusters of cyclists clogged the streets, shoppers dipped into chic boutiques, the barber shops seemed busy and cafes served couples chatting over coffee. I heard many voices of tourists in bars and restaurants, while even the seedier sides of this celebrated Dutch city had people strolling through them. It took me a moment to realise what was so weird. Then it struck me. It felt like I had stepped back in time, returning to the pre-pandemic normality of a bustling city filled with human beings whose faces were not covered by cloth. For while 120 countries in the world, including much of Europe, have ordered citizens to wear masks in public places to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Dutch are doing things differently. Lawmakers returning from John Lewis funeral [are] exempt from D.C. quarantine order. Washington, D.C. attendees to the Atlanta funeral of the late Rep. John Lewis are exempt from following the District of Columbia's strict quarantine rules after returning home from Georgia, the D.C. mayor's office says. Lewis, a longtime member of Congress and one of the major figures of the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, died on July 17 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. After lying in state at the United States Capitol, his body was returned to Atlanta for a funeral at that city's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Among the attendees at that funeral were dozens of members of Congress, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maryland House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). Jim Jordan Confronts Dr. Anthony Fauci on Disparate COVID Concerns. Ohio representative Jim Jordan does a good job in this testimonial segment contrasting the political hypocrisy within the COVID shutdowns and decrees. The political elite can assemble without issue at the funeral of John Lewis, but don't you dare try to have a funeral for your loved-ones because it's not allowed. Within that contrast the fuel for COLD ANGER rages in the veins of ordinary Americans. Jim Jordan gives voice to some of the most ridiculous aspects of the COVID political rules. [Video clip] Social Media Censorship Is Scary. One of the many great things about being an American is that we have the right to freedom of speech. I may not agree with what my neighbor has to say, but I will fight to the death for his or her ability to say it. This concept was a founding principle that is now in jeopardy because of the monopoly power wielded by social media giants. An example of this disturbing trend occurred this week when a video from several frontline doctors who questioned the status quo position on COVID-19 treatments and protocols was summarily scrubbed from most top internet and social media sites. After going "viral," the video was immediately taken down by Twitter, YouTube, and several other prominent platforms. Unfortunately, many Americans missed the opportunity to watch the video before it was removed. Ohio Board of Pharmacy Reverses Hydroxychloroquine Ban After Governor's Request. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy reversed a ban on the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of coronavirus infections after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) asked for a reversal. "I agree with the statement from Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, that the decision about prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 should be between a doctor and a patient," DeWine said in a statement. "Therefore, I am asking the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to halt their new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19." "The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts," DeWine said. Fauci's Daughter Ali Fauci Is A Software Engineer For Twitter. NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci, facing harsh criticism for his response to the Coronavirus outbreak, has a daughter named Alison ("Ali") who is a software engineer for Twitter. This comes as Silicon Valley increasingly cracks down on so-called misinformation about the virus from truth-minded individuals who do not automatically accept what the experts like Fauci have to say. Fauci's daughter's software engineer job at Twitter was confirmed in articles by Heavy and Deseret. Twitter has some explaining to do to convince independent-minded people that there is no conflict of interest when it comes to censoring information critical of Ali's father Dr. Fauci. Election Interference: Twitter Just Censored a Doctor, Public Health Expert, and GOP Chairwoman. Twitter informed me that my account was suspended for sharing content they disagree with, and while I suppose I should be flattered by joining such august company as Donald Trump Jr., this issue is bigger than me: it is a question of censorship. The reason I was given by Twitter for why my account was suspended was because, according to them, I spread "false information" about COVID-19, or rather, information that goes against "accepted science." Is it possible that the geniuses at Twitter are referencing the medical journal Lancet, which published a study claiming hydroxychloroquine was not effective in fighting the coronavirus and that this drug, which has been used for decades with great success to treat malaria, may cause cardiac problems? Because, if so, that study was later retracted after it was discovered that the underlying data the company used was totally falsified. By Suppressing Medical Debate, It Is Twitter that Endangers Americans. Twitter has once again acted as judge, juro, and executioner. For four days, Twitter prevented the @BreitbartNews twitter account from posting, only restoring its permissions earlier today. This is in no small part because Twitter dragged its feet on Breitbart News's appeal[.] Twitter initially locked Breitbart News's account because it posted a video of a press conference featuring Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and licensed doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic. The event was held by the organization America's Frontline Doctors and organized by the Tea Party Patriots. DC Mayor Exempts John Lewis Funeral Attendees From City's Quarantine Restrictions. Lawmakers who attended the funeral of late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) in Atlanta earlier this week are exempt from Washington, D.C.'s, self-quarantine restrictions, according to District Mayor Muriel Bowser's office. According to the mayor's July 24 order, titled "Requirement to Self-Quarantine After Non-Essential Travel During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency," any residents who travel to "high-risk" areas for "non-essential" reasons must self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus. [...] The order, which remains in effect at least until Oct. 9, goes on to define "high-risk areas" as "locations where the seven (7)-day moving average daily new COVID-19 case rate is ten (10) or more per one hundred thousand (100,000) persons." By such a metric, the entire state of Georgia is considered "high-risk," and a recent federal report listed it in the "red zone" because of its skyrocketing cases of the virus. Atlanta's Fulton County averaged 228 cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days, according to most recent statistics from The New York Times. The New Ten Commandments. [#1] Thou shalt wear a mask. Wearing a mask is now the epitome of social awareness and virtue. "There is no greater love than this, that thou apply one's mask before going out." There seems to be no concern about what kind of mask or how we wear it, or dispose of it, but wear one, we must. It shows concern for one's fellow man, whether one has that concern or not — it's handy that way. It is also handy as riot-wear so no one can identify you breaking into a jewelry store or kicking in a cop car. [#2] Thou shalt stay home. unless there's a riot going on nearby. Attendance at those events is mandatory for guilt-ridden millennials, and will earn an earnest rioter merit badge to wear on his/her Che Guevara T-shirt. Bricks will be provided, but bring a personal shopping bag. Babies and young children are welcome. White people are welcome as well as long as they really hate being white and still live with their parents. 2020: The Year That Boiled the Frog. China, rocked back on its heels by America's newfound resistance to its cheating and bullying, released a plague upon the world. (Whether the outbreak was planned or not, it is clear that the Chinese Communist Party intentionally suppressed information and warnings about the novel coronavirus, and allowed it to spread around the globe. What better way to smash its enemies, America in particular, than to destroy their economies?) America responded with a robust immune response that nearly killed the patient. (It may kill it yet.) A drastic quarantine was imposed upon the nation, and a roaring economy bludgeoned to its knees. Unemployment, which had been at the lowest levels in half a century (and for blacks and Hispanics, the lowest ever recorded) soared to Depression-era levels. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses have failed. Governors and mayors imposed quarantines, severely restricting commerce and assembly, entirely at their whim. The determination of "essential" businesses and activities — which, for many smaller enterprises, meant the difference between life and death — was glaringly, often contemptuously, capricious. The Misery Compact. The wisecrack in MAGA world is that coronavirus hysteria and the catastrophic consequences of related lockdowns have an expiration date: November 4, 2020. That, of course, is the day after the presidential election, which our political experts currently predict will be won by Joe Biden. Panic over the flu-like virus will disappear; power-grabbing governors will ease house arrest orders; children will go back to school; face coverings will be torched; and the news media's coronavirus dashboards will be archived for history. Further, inner-city unrest magically will be cured. Antifa thugs will go back to Starbucks or their bedroom in mom's Westport mansion or their Ivy League dorm rooms. Crisis over. But that scenario is more than just the cynical view of Trump supporters wary that the current turmoil is the latest attempt to oust the president from the Oval Office — it appears to be the election strategy of the Joe Biden campaign, the Democratic Party, and the news media. And they are making no effort to keep it a secret. HCQ-touting doctor says she has been fired after appearing in viral video touting the drug as a COVID-19 treatment. Dr. Simone Gold, the Los Angeles-based physician behind America's Frontline Doctors, a group advocating for hydroxychloroquine to be used in the fight against COVID-19, says she has been fired for expressing her medical opinion. Gold shared the news in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson Thursday night, saying she was removed from her job due to her appearance in a viral video touting the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine. "I'm a board-certified emergency physician for 20 years, and in fact, it seems like until five minutes ago I was considered a hero and people would be clapping and glad that I was doing what I was doing, and then the video came out and I was summarily fired for appearing in what was told to me is an embarrassing video," Gold told Carlson. Physician behind 'America's Frontline Doctors' says she was fired, warns attackers she's hired attorney Lin Wood. Dr. Simone Gold, a Los Angeles-based physician and founder of America's Frontline Doctors, said Thursday night she has been fired for expressing her medical opinion. Appearing Thursday night [7/30/2020] on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight," the doctor who appeared at a press conference Monday with other physicians during a "White Coat Summit" in Washington to tout the use of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 patients, confirmed that she lost her job. "I'm a board-certified emergency physician for 20 years, and in fact, it seems like until five minutes ago I was considered a hero and people would be clapping and glad that I was doing what I was doing, and then the video came out and I was summarily fired for appearing in what was told to me is an embarrassing video," Gold said. The War on Hydroxychloroquine. [Scroll down] With COVID-19, the nation's petty tyrants in state government took the opportunity presented by the crisis to revoke the rights and freedoms of the American people and impose mass house arrest. The next phase of the war immediately followed in the form of the terrorist riots that have resulted in widespread property destruction and the sowing of intense fear among the law-abiding, who are increasingly left to their own devices in defending themselves against the tide of violence. In total, the entire campaign is aimed at forcibly limiting what Americans do, say, and even think — trying to make social controls "the new norm." As an integral part of this "new norm," the elitists who desire total power have devised another strategem: institute a vaccine program — ostensibly to safeguard us against coronavirus — that will allow elites to track us at all times and control the lives and activities of people around the world. The scheme has been heavily promoted by Bill Gates and the controlled international menagerie of NGOs and world government bodies. [...] Thus, we have an all-out campaign of demonization waged against the drug, convincing Americans to abandon hope of a non-vaccine treatment. The Democrats' Jihad Against Hydroxychloroquine. The Democrats' holy jihad against any medical professional who suggests the safe, controlled application of Hydroxychloroquine could provide therapeutic benefit to certain patients who are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus has reached a new level of insanity. In recent days, the big tech, social media behemoths inserted their own medical opinion into the national conversation over the use of this long-approved prescription drug for COVID patients. They censored and removed a video with multiple medical professionals, including a professor at Yale's schools of medicine and epidemiology, providing a second opinion to the overwhelming media narrative that this drug is somehow dangerous despite the fact that malaria and lupus patients have safely used the drug for decades. Wisconsin Orders Mandatory Face Masks. Some Sheriffs Refuse to Enforce It. Wisconsin this week is joining the growing number of states to issue a mandatory face mask order to counter the media-stoked fears about rising COVID-19 cases. The order, signed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers, declared a "Public Health Emergency and issued an Emergency Order requiring individuals to wear face coverings when indoors and not in a private residence, with some exceptions as clarified and defined in the order." Effective August 1, the order argues that widespread mask wearing is essential to curtail the spread of coronavirus. The Worthlessness of Congressional Hearings. [Scroll down] Amazon is the all-time undisputed king of merchandise sales, making owner Jeff Bezos the Richest Man on Earth. Last week, Bezos' net worth jumped $13 billion in a single day. He's worth just shy of $200 billion, or so. Bezos is so rich, his ex-wife is the Richest Woman on Earth, and the source of her wealth is her divorce from Jeff Bezos. His unimaginable wealth is so enormous that his mountain of money is still far-and-away the biggest even after peeling off a huge chunk to make his ex the Richest Woman on Earth. And Bezos is one of the very few Americans whose business is booming due to the never-ending coronavirus shutdowns that are destroying businesses across our country, making his wealth skyrocket by the day in ways never even imagined just six months ago. Politics, Not Science, Keeping Schools Closed. Politicians speak about following the science to set COVID-19 policy, but their decisions are more about political objectives than they are about medical efficacy. Why else did California Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down retail businesses in March when the state had under 300 cases per day but allow them to be open in July when the state clocked in at over 10,000 cases per day? Why else would Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear allow liquor stores to stay open but close down churches? Why did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer insist that buying lottery tickets remain legal but made it illegal to buy garden supplies? And how did New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo use "science" to prohibit outdoor funerals but allow outdoor protests? Hydroxy Hysteria Reaching a Fever Pitch. COVID-19 can cause a fever, but nothing like the fever of hysteria gripping broadcast and social media over hydroxychloroquine, a potential treatment for the Wuhan flu. Ever since President Trump mentioned hydroxy as a possible therapeutic, the media have castigated it as worse than rat poison. They've criticized any use of it in a constant barrage of fear porn, telling everyone that this 60-year-old drug would kill anyone who dared take it. When Trump mentioned he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative, Fox News crank Neil Cavuto had a seizure, telling his audience, "I cannot stress enough. This will kill you." Tell that to those Americans taking hydroxy to the tune of five million prescriptions written each year. Hydroxy was FDA-approved in 1955 and is taken for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. FDA approval means the approved drug is both efficacious and safe. [...] If it is so unsafe, why did the FDA not rescind its 60-year-old approval? Is a Face Shield or Goggle Mandate Coming to Your Town, Next? If Dr. Anthony Fauci has his way, you may be a seeing an addition to the mask mandate that many governors are issuing around the country. For better protection, he says, you should wear a face shield or goggles, during an interview with ABC News. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoes bill directing COVID-19 patients away from nursing homes. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed Friday a bill from the GOP-controlled Legislature that would have shifted elderly people with COVID-19 away from nursing homes and into entirely separate facilities. The bill was a direct challenge to the Whitmer administration's current handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has focused on caring for those with the virus in isolated spaces of existing homes. Four Months of Unprecedented Government Malfeasance. Over the last four months, Americans have lived through what is arguably the most consequential period of government malfeasance in U.S. history. [...] Americans huddled in their homes for months on end, believing that if they went outside, death awaited them. This panic was occasioned by epidemiological models predicting wildly unlikely fatalities from the coronavirus. On March 30, the infamous Imperial College London model predicted 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. by September 1, absent government action. That prediction was absurd on its face, given the dispersal of the U.S. population and the fact that China's coronavirus death toll had already levelled off at a few thousand. The authors of that study soon revised it radically downwards. Too late. It had already become the basis for the exercise of unprecedented government power. Matt Schlapp accuses Fauci of 'playing into the politics' of coronavirus pandemic. American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp decried what he described Friday [7/31/2020] as attempts by Democrats to politicize the coronavirus pandemic in a way that reflects negatively on President Trump. Schlapp joined House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on "Hannity" to discuss Dr. Anthony Fauci's testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. 51 Global Studies Find HCQ Effective in Treating COVID-19 — 16 Find HCQ Not Effective — But 10 of Those are Late Treatment Studies. It is becoming more and more apparent with each new day and as more information is accumulated that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx, the CDC and the FDA failed in their response to the China Coronavirus. Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx pushed a completely fraudulent Imperial College study to lockdown and destroy the greatest economy in US history. Dr. Anthony Fauci has made at least 15 critical mistakes and contradictions since the start of the pandemic in March. Sorry, Wearing Masks Is Anything but Harmless. Here are 5 Reasons Why. [#3] The establishment media makes it a point to run headlines containing meaningless scary-sounding factoids and manipulative stories about those who've allegedly succumbed to the virus. When its supposed death tally was climbing, we couldn't escape hearing about it. As it started to fall, they started ignoring the number of deaths and shifted over to reporting about rising cases, also neglecting to mention that rising cases and falling deaths is a good thing. The media has done nothing to make the public aware that a local CBS affiliate looked into 589 alleged Palm Beach fatalities and discovered that far less than a third (169) had actually died of the virus. Nor have they reported that the COVID-19 death tally they terrorized the nation with for months includes motor-cycle fatalities and gunshot victims. Most people who did hear about these stories were shocked. But, if the press had been doing its job, they wouldn't have been. Another crucial fact of which they've failed to inform the public is that counting vast numbers who didn't die from COVID-19 among its fatalities is a feature, not a bug. Everyone who dies with the virus is being counted as dying from it.
Just A Few Political Leaders And News Agencies Caused People To Abandon Their Senses During Coronavirus. On first glance, the current crisis may look like a recession triggered by an exogenous shock akin to a natural disaster. When the pandemic started, many of us hoaded flour, rice, and toilet paper and stopped going to restaurants. These responses are not much different than what you would do if a hurricane was headed your way. But this is more than an instantaneous capital shock. There is something about this recession that makes it more significant than an exogenous shock. Before we return to normal, the economy has to adjust to a new fear of others as threats. This fear will last at least as long as our mindset is one of panic, and may be a more permanent change to our human interactions. Just like in previous recessions, supply chains have rebounded from the initial shock and stores again carry plenty of staples and paper products. But store inventory changes are an example of a short-run adjustment. Longer-run adjustments must confront the fundamental change in our use of the existing capital structure. HCQ censorship, cubed: Social media giants shut down doctors testifying from experience that hydroxychloroquine works. Picture it: A robust middle-aged doctor of matronly dignity commanding CNN pampered prince Fredo Cuomo to come on in and take a urine test for her like a good boy. It was an image not unlike that of Saddam Hussein opening his mouth for his dental inspection, but with crybaby Cuomo, it's simply funnier. She wanted the self-important CNN anchor to prove that he's not the hypocrite she thinks he is, because, yes, those who get well from COVID-19, such as he had, very commonly do it by taking hydroxychloroquine. That really happened, in so many words, when Dr. Stella Immanuel, a fiercely passionate doctor based in Texas, called for Cuomo to prove he hadn't been using HCQ because he was such a loudmouth about denouncing it. For her, it was pretty obvious the treatment was easy and effective, based on her own experience as a doctor saving lives. Big Tech Kingpins Weasel Around in Congressional Hearing. On Wednesday [7/30/2020], kingpins from AppleAmazonFacebookGoogle slithered into a congressional hearing to shuck and jive about their predatory, politically biased companies. Many good questions were asked, lots of spin in response but we know that these tech companies have become the gatekeeper of information disseminated to the public and the sad fact is that most people have no idea how their information is sanitized. Zuckerberg was asked about taking down a video of a group of doctors, practicing physicians, discussing their experiences with the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19. YouTube, owned by Google, also removed the videos. But why? Zuck claimed the video was immanently [sic] harmful. [...] But how? A viewer of the doctor's press conference cannot hop over to 7-11 and swallow a handful of HQC because the drug is only obtainable via prescription. From a doctor. By what authority can these tech monsters claim medical authority over your personal physician who assists you in making your health decisions? NONE. They have none. Thousands of Americans were sacrificed in their insane strategy to get rid of Donald J. Trump. [Thread reader] ... as President by attacking a cheap drug that WORKS to combat the CCP Virus. The 'expert' class won't recover from this either, thanks to the antics of the clown known as Dr. Anthony Fauci. Here he is still lying — even now — about HCQ's ability to prevent/cure the CCP Virus: [Video clip] HCQ is so cheap, it's already so widely available, how are any of the 'expert' class going to make any bank on it? Besides blaming Trump for pushing a 'dangerous drug' that 'doesn't work', this is the other reason for the anti-HCQ crusade we've seen. 'Can the virus die in a day?' FOX6 viewers report testing both positive and negative for COVID-19. They tested positive for COVID-19, then negative, all within 24 hours. Which test was right? Two FOX6 News viewers who have never met share a similar story of conflicting results, and a top health official says he knows which result they should trust. "I didn't know what to think," said Charlie Jones of Union Grove. [...] On July 16, the heavy equipment operator went to the UMOS National Guard testing site in Milwaukee to find out if he was infected with COVID-19. They told him it could take a week to get results. "I wanted people at work to know sooner than later," said Jones. So Jones convinced his doctor to get him a second test at an Aurora Health Care drive-up site in Burlington the next day, but the results gave Jones a mixed message. One test was positive, and one negative. DeWine asks Ohio Board of Pharmacy to reconsider ban on hydroxychloroquine sales. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is responding to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy's decision to ban the sale of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. [...] The Ohio Pharmacy Board's rule prohibits pharmacies from selling or dispensing hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for use as a coronavirus treatment without approval from the board's executive director. It also specifies that all prior approvals for the drugs are no longer applicable. The rule does not apply to board-approved clinical trials. Participants must have documentation that they are part of such a trial. It does not apply to prescriptions to treat other conditions. Ohio pharmacy board withdraws rule prohibiting use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Hours after Governor Mike DeWine asked the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to reconsider its decision banning the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19 in Ohio, the board has withdrawn the rule. The board said the decision was made "as a result of the feedback received by the medical and patient community and at the request of Governor DeWine."
Watch Dr. Immanuel's amazing speech of COVID — banned from FB, Twitter, YouTube. Dr. Stella Immanuel personally treated over 350 people and counting, elderly people, people with diabetes, asthma with a drug cocktail, and she put her patients, herself, and her staff on the drug, Hydroxychloroquine. She has not lost any patients with COVID-19. All of her patients lived. Dr. Immanuel said "no one needs to die" if they are on Hydroxychloroquine, Zinc, and Zithromax. "It works," she said. [...] The FDA and The WHO came out against Hydroxychloroquine so this was BANNED. Read more on this link. It was taken down from all social media and Breitbart was punished for posting it. Are Lockdowns Necessary? What Data From 10 Countries Show. The 10 countries we studied have taken vastly different approaches to handling COVID-19 with varying degrees of success. The evidence suggests that full lockdowns, such as those implemented in Italy and Norway, are not as effective as the more targeted approaches taken in other countries, such as in South Korea and Iceland. In fact, as we discuss, those two countries have fared considerably better than the United States has in handling COVID-19 without shutting down their economies. Another key finding is that Australia and New Zealand, two neighboring countries with similar climates, have had similar outcomes regarding COVID-19, even though they took very different approaches to dealing with the virus. In particular, New Zealand virtually locked down the entire country in the spring, while Australia took a less restrictive approach. Yet, both countries have contained the virus at similar levels. Houston's paramedics told to assume everyone has COVID-19. Houston firefighters and paramedics fighting on the frontlines of the pandemic will no longer be alerted to potential COVID-19-positive individuals they may encounter on the scene when responding to a call. This change in procedure ends a practice dispatchers have been implementing since early in the pandemics outset, where 911 callers asking for help have been asked additional questions about whether anyone on location has or is suspected of having the novel coronavirus. This information was then relayed to Houston Fire Department personnel responding to any type of call, from a house fire to a shower fall. Could Face Masks Be Spreading the Coronavirus? [Scroll down] So now, here we are months later. Has anything changed with these folks? No. Even more unsettling, the experts appear to be grasping at straws, adding more confusion to an already confused populace. One of those straws: face masks. There have been many discussions about face masks here on American Thinker. I'm going to take a different path in that discussion. In June of 2018, five researchers published a study titled "The Spread of a Norovirus Surrogate via Reusable Grocery Bags in a Grocery Supermarket." What they analyzed was the possible spread of a norovirus via reusable grocery bags. Think "bring your own bag" (BYOB). They used a viral surrogate, a virus that infected only bacteria, and contaminated reusable bags with it and had volunteers shop at three grocery stores. The result? They demonstrated that the viral surrogate in the bags was spread throughout the stores, with specific areas of high concentration. So now, in 2020, here's my concern: we may have virus-contaminated face masks worn by people with absolutely no concept of face mask hygiene and viral contamination. They are unwitting agents for spreading this pathogen. Is anyone looking at this? If so, I'm not aware. The Latest, Fast-Moving Developments in the 2020 Election Season. I often write about the latest developments in the election area, including court decisions and legislative and regulatory changes. An unprecedented number of lawsuits have been filed by the radical left (at last count over 150 and counting) trying to use the COVID-19 health crisis as an excuse to nullify state requirements like voter ID laws. They are also trying to force states to make numerous unwise changes, such as taking away the ability of voters to vote in person by forcing them to vote by mail. Perspective: St. Louis Has 12 Coronavirus Deaths in July and 47 Homicides in July. There have been 167 coronavirus deaths in St. Louis City this year. And there have been from 143 to 150 homicides in St. Louis so far this year. Now Democrat Tyrant Govs and Mayors Are About To Force Everyone Into Goggles too? [Video clip] Ohio sees peak in coronavirus hospitalizations, bans hydroxychloroquine. The Ohio Department of Health reported 1,122 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday [7/28/2020], which is the highest daily number seen in the state since the beginning of the pandemic, reports say. The previous high was in late April, when Ohio reported 1,103 coronavirus hospitalizations, according to Cleveland's Fox 8 News. By Wednesday, the department reported 1,100 COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 348 people in intensive care. Dr. Anthony Fauci says Marlins' coronavirus outbreak could endanger MLB season. The Miami Marlins' coronavirus outbreak could endanger the Major League Baseball season, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, although he doesn't believe games need to stop now. The Editor says... Why is Big Tech censoring doctors who have treated COVID-19 patients?
[Thread reader] We organized a group of practicing physicians, many of whom have personally treated COVID-19 patients, and we spoke
directly to the American people about our experience and understanding of the virus and its treatment options. As a result:
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Remove Video Of America's Frontline Doctors Disputing Media Lies On COVID and Hydroxychloroquine. This video is being posted to Vidmax to give one more source to view and share it from. From Breitbart News: Facebook has removed a video posted by Breitbart News earlier today, which was the top-performing Facebook post in the world Monday afternoon, of a press conference in D.C. held by the group America's Frontline Doctors and organized and sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots. The press conference featured Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and frontline doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic. YouTube (which is owned by Google) and Twitter subsequently removed footage of the press conference as well. [Video clip] Breaking COVID News That Could Save Your Life. During the first six days of July, SIX positive clinical studies of HCQ were released: three from the United States (one from Michigan at Henry Ford Health System, and two from New York state, including one primary care outpatient study by Dr. Vladimir Zelenko [and] three from other countries (Portugal, India, and Brazil). All six studies showed that HCQ given early in COVID-19, alone or with zinc and azithromycin, reduces hospitalizations and deaths, with no serious heart or other adverse events. The Establishment Has No Clothes. [Scroll down] Many of the richest men in America didn't even graduate from college. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg certainly didn't. Gates and Zuckerberg, and the rest of Big Tech, hardly conduct themselves in a manner one would term as elite. Gates engages in suspicious, if not nefarious, activity in the realm of vaccines; there are credible stories of his having corrupted the public health bureaucracies in this country and others. Zuckerberg and his cohorts in social media are busy attempting to censor the very free speech that made them billionaires. So much so that on Monday and Tuesday a newly formed group of physicians called America's Frontline Doctors held a two-day summit in Washington to bring public attention to the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a treatment for COVID-19 and to call for an end to economic lockdowns and mask mandates, and by Tuesday afternoon social media and Big Internet was actively engaged in scrubbing any evidence they had bothered to speak. The doctors speaking out on behalf of HCQ were calumnied and insulted. Hydrogen Peroxide As Treatment For Coronavirus Infection: Does It Work? Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) appears to be another potential treatment for COVID-19. Health experts said the compound could help prevent virus from spreading across the body and from causing damage. Hydrogen peroxide can be found both in stores and the human body. The immune system uses the compound to boost the natural functions of cells and prevent viral infection, Live Trading News reported Thursday [4/9/2020]. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, H2O2 may help fight the coronavirus, according to Dr. Thomas Levy. He said people can utilize hydrogen peroxide using its aerosolized form in a standard nebulizer. Medical Community Declares You a Psychopath for Not Wanting COVID Microchip. In a truly shocking development, the medical community has decided on a label for anyone who does not want to cooperate with government "contact tracing" spies. If you don't want to rat out your family members and friends and get them sent to a 14-day quarantine, you are now medically considered a "psychopath." Rockland County, New York is leading the charge into America's brave new medical tyranny. After launching an aggressive contact tracing program and hiring a bunch of new workers, they've discovered that a surprising number of Americans don't want to cooperate. Imagine that! [...] Big Tech is all-in on America's new Medical Reich. At some point over the past three months, both Apple and Google quietly inserted a contact tracing app on everyone's smartphone. If you didn't know it was there already, you have to go into your phone's settings to disable it if you don't want the medical Fuhrers to track your every movement to see if you went to the grocery store or the beach while an infected person was there. A Once in a Century Fiasco in the Making. Back in March at the beginning of the COVID 19 outbreak, the highly respected Stanford Epidemiologist John Ioannidis drew heavy criticism for expressing his view that governments were making decisions without reliable data. [...] In a recent interview June 27, 2020, Dr Ioannidis spells out the accumulated data which is now available. Sadly, he was right all along. Regarding the infection fatality rate, remarkably, Dr John Ioannidis says for people younger than age 45, the infection fatality rate is ZERO! And, for people age 45 to 70, the infection fatality rate is probably about 0.05-0.3%, historically similar to other seasonal respiratory viruses. However, fatality rate for frail nursing home patients may be as high as 25%. Placing deadly faith in 'the models'. Between 2 million and 3 million Americans will die! That was the prediction from "experts" at London's Imperial College when COVID-19 began. They did also say if there was "social distancing of the whole population," the death toll could be cut in half, but 1.1 million to 1.46 million Americans would still die by this summer. Our actual death toll has been about one-tenth of that. No, New York did not get coronavirus 'under control'. Someone is going to have to explain how exactly the media are defining "under control" as it pertains to the coronavirus because it's a phrase that appears to mean nothing. Reuters over the weekend continued the campaign to rehabilitate Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's image by asserting, as other news outlets have laughably done before, that New York is in tip-top shape, especially compared to that Republican-led state Florida. (Ew!) "The surge in Florida has continued as the state's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly said he will not make mask-wearing mandatory and that schools must reopen in August," Reuters reported on Sunday [7/26/2020]. "On the contrary, New York state has managed to get the virus under control, with stores and restaurants shuttered and the wearing of masks mandatory." Librarians Get Me Thrown in Jail for 6 Days over Covid in Williston, North Dakota. I can't believe how aggressive the cops were to me, by throwing me in jail for having such a nice conversation about where I need to go for Covid seating. [Video clip] The left isn't fighting against fascism. Instead, they are fighting FOR authoritarianism. [Thread reader] They claim that their political message transcends the law; that it allows them to control cities; that it allows them to destroy property; that it justifies their designs on canceling heretics; that it permits them to block roads, create no-go zones for non-rioters, prosecute those who stand against them while themselves avoiding persecution. Leftist-run cities have shown what happens when police and federal law enforcement are demonized and unsupported by elected leaders; when local leadership can seize "emergency powers" — then pick and choose who to punish: rioters are exempt from lockdowns; you can sing in the streets but not in churches; masks are required, but not for them. They can tell you what counts as a substantive meal, essentially holding businesses hostage to their arbitrary and incoherent edicts: pot dispensaries and large warehouse stores can open; gyms and restaurants cannot. Woman Maces Couple Enjoying Lunch In Park For Not Wearing Masks. A woman maced a couple who were eating — obviously without a mask — at a San Diego dog park. According to the couple, the woman called them "idiots" and flipped them off. She came up to the table where they were having lunch, pointed the mace canister in the woman's direction, and sprayed her. Her husband then got a heavy dose before wrestling the can away from her. [Video clip] America's Faucian bargain. Anthony Fauci's embarrassing face-plant on Opening Day at Nationals Park was not because he threw a crazy sidewinder rainbow that looked more like a bad throw toward first base than a ceremonial first pitch towards home plate. To be sure, that was embarrassing. His weak performance on the mound gave a bad name to bespectacled nerds everywhere. Maybe it was his facemask cutting off the oxygen required for elite athleticism. Nor was it because cameras later caught the government's top disease expert using his facemask as a chin-bikini, rather than the proper virus-guard he endlessly harangues U.S. citizens over. Of course, that was humiliating as well. But that was not his terrible mistake. Dr. Fauci's great sin on Opening Day was his suffocating, intolerable arrogance. Brave Frontline COVID Doctor Calls Out Fake News, Challenges CNN's Chris Cuomo to Take a Urine Test to Prove He Isn't Taking Hydroxychloroquine. How many Americans died of COVID-19 because the Democrat-media complex lied about Hydroxychloroquine? Frontline doctors from across the US held a "White Coat Summit" on Monday in Washington DC to dispel the misinformation and myths surrounding the Coronavirus. The fake news media, including CNN, NBC, CBS, WaPO and NY Times all waged a war on Hydroxychloroquine just because Trump touted the anti-malaria drug as an effective treatment for COVID-19. Dr. Stella Immanuel said on Monday that she has personally treated over 350 patients with COVID-19 with Hydroxychloroquine, Zinc, and Zithromax and they have all recovered. Twitter Censors Videos of Doctors' Capitol Hill Coronavirus Press Conference, Locks Breitbart Account. Twitter deleted Breitbart News' Periscope livestream of a Washington D.C. press conference held on Monday by the group America's Frontline Doctors and organized and sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots. Breitbart News recently reported that the Masters of the Universe quickly censored a live stream published by Breitbart News of a press conference held in Washington D.C. by the group America's Frontline Doctors and organized and sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots. [...] A Twitter spokesperson told Breitbart News: "Tweets with the video are in violation of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. We are taking action in line with our policy here: [link] The Editor says... Head of CDC Admits Lockdown Killing Way More Americans Than COVID!. [Scroll down] Anyone who isn't a psychopath would take the news that lockdown deaths of despair are more than doubling COVID fatalities to mean cruelly inflicting isolation on people already struggling under the weight of depression and addiction was a horrific mistake that ought not be repeated. But not Renfield Redfield. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was warning us of the dialed-up carnage our most vulnerable, fellow Americans might have to face if we don't do what we're told and stop showing our faces in public. So much about the response to COVID-19 betrays, at best, unspeakable incompetence and, at worst, a willful effort to inflict mass casualties on the American people — without the expense or spectacle of dropping bombs. It's impossible to single out any one of the countless criminally flagrant derelictions of duty as the most egregious. But the way Fauci, Redfield, and their enablers in the media never once bothered to mention any potential negative side effects of the course of treatment on which they insisted does stand out for its blatant violation of the Hippocratic Oath's central injunction, First, Do No Harm. Even those of us who saw all along that we were, at worst, dealing with a virus no more deadly than a severe seasonal flu — the assessment, by the way, that Fauci himself quietly gave to his fellow experts when you weren't looking — have a lot to be ashamed of. Welcome To Medical Tyranny 2020. [Video clip] Hanging with the Silenced Majority in Covid Country. [Scroll down] Neither in Chautauqua County nor in Kansas City have I heard a Covid story. In New Jersey, I heard tons of them. I found myself the odd man out in a group of ten people the other night, eight of whom have had the disease, and the ninth was married to a guy who did. The victims ranged in ages from mid-30's to mid-70's. The symptoms ranged from a two-day headache to a two-week fever that topped out at 102. No one went to the hospital. No one wanted to, the consensus being that your chances of dying were greater in the hospital than out. Although the death figures have been inflated, people have died. One of them was a first cousin of mine, 60 at the time of her death. She had two major points of vulnerability, one of which I will mention only as a public service, and that is obesity. The front-line doctors with whom I have spoken cite morbid obesity as the dominant factor in high risk cases. The science here is real, but the media suppress it for fear of being accused of "fat shaming." Florida Is A Case Study In Media-Induced COVID-19 Panic. What do all these news accounts have in common? "Florida Sets Yet Another Coronavirus Record: 173 Deaths In A Day." "A record 173 Floridians died from the virus Thursday, an average of more than one every eight minutes." "The 134 new confirmed deaths is the second-largest increase on record, coming five days after the largest one-day jump of 156 last week." "COVID-19 has ravaged Florida, with more than 237,000 people testing positive and 2,013 dying from the virus in July alone." So what characteristic do all of the reports share? They are all false. It is not true that 173 people died from COVID-19 "in a day" in Florida. Nor did 134, or 156 on previous days. It is also untrue than 2,013 had died in July when that story was published. All of these scary headlines are based on the number of deaths reported by the state on any given day. This is not the same as the number of deaths that occurred on those days. If you're under 25, you're 50 times more at risk to die from drowning than COVID-19. [Video clip] Fauci's Lies and the Political Cowardice of Mask Mandates. Like anyone who's paid the slightest bit of attention during this pandemic, you've probably noticed how the narrative regarding cloth face masks has evolved. Back in March and April, the surgeon general assured Americans that masks are "NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus," so people should "STOP BUYING MASKS!" The pre-eminent Dr. Fauci similarly assured us that there's no reason for Americans to be wearing masks, because they offer a false sense of security, they cause people to incessantly touch their faces to adjust them, and most people don't wear them correctly, anyway. The World Health Organization concurred, saying the general public should not be wearing masks. An interesting theory has emerged to explain how this once-government-sanctioned, sage advice evolved to become "everyone must wear cloth masks in all public settings or others will die," followed by statewide mandates to have everyone wear masks in public places. [...] I've seen an awful lot of people wearing masks around since the beginning of the pandemic, and few of them are wearing anything resembling medical equipment. Many of them are wearing nothing more than ordinary pieces of cloth. If Dr. Fauci had actually believed, as he seems to believe now, that loosely wearing any common rag over your face might be effective in preventing COVID-19 spread, there would have been nothing to prevent him from saying so. If masks truly work, how many millions were infected before he advised Americans to wear them? How many died as a result of his lie? Inescapably, we must conclude that either Dr. Fauci was lying to the American people back in then, as he now says he was, or, much more likely, he's lying to us now by telling us he was lying to us back then. 600,000 people were told they had COVID-19 despite not being tested. The healthcare program Tricare at the United States Department of Defense Military Health System falsely told more than 600,000 people they had been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to the Daily Wire. [Video clip] Turns out they had never been tested. The email, apparently sent in error, read: "As a survivor of COVID-19, it's safe to donate whole blood or blood plasma, and your donation could help other COVID-19 patients," the email stated. Police chiefs, sheriffs refuse to enforce mask mandates: 'You have the freedom to choose'. Lang Holland, the chief of police in tiny Marshall, Arkansas, said he thinks the threat of the coronavirus has been overstated and only wears a face mask if he's inside a business that requires them. He doesn't make his officers wear them either. The Campaign Against Hydroxychloroquine Continues. [Scroll down] People are talking about the vaccine as though it's a fait accompli, as though it's gonna just a matter of time. We don't have vaccines for very many viruses. We don't have a vaccine for AIDS yet, for example. We don't have a vaccine against the flu. We've got flu shots, but we don't have a vaccine to prevent it. We don't have a vaccine for the common cold. These are all viruses, and yet everybody's out there talking about a vaccine that we're gonna have for... I mean, I hope we do. But I wonder where all that happy talk is coming from. NJ gym owners arrested after repeatedly ignoring COVID-19 lockdown orders. Two New Jersey gyms owners who have repeatedly reopened in defiance of the state's coronavirus lockdown have been arrested, police said Monday [7/27/2020]. Atilis Gym owners in Bellmawr — Ian Smith, 33, of Delanco Township, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, of Williamstown — were charged with contempt and violation of a disaster control act, according to the Camden Couty Prosecutor's Office. The two owners have continually railed against Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order amid the pandemic COVID-19 and even sued lawmakers claiming their constitutional rights were violated when they were forced to close their South Jersey gym. A Top Doctor Answers My Burning Questions About Coronavirus. With all the hysteria, misinformation and just overall questionable coronavirus-related media coverage out there these days, have you ever wanted to just get in front of a nationally prominent physician who has studied the issue — someone who knows what the heck they are talking about — and ask the questions you've always wondered about but don't see the media asking? Well, I sure have, and you'll find responses to several of my own burning questions below. Dr. David Samadi is a urologic oncologist who specializes in robotics and minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer. A former Fox News contributor and member of the network's "Medical A Team," he currently serves as Director of Men's Health at St. Francis Hospital in New York. Dr. Samadi has also made various media appearances over the past several months on the topic of COVID-19, so he seemed like the perfect expert to field my questions. "The Next One": A Truly Creepy Bill Gates Moment. Everyone's favorite non-scientist is back in a new interview. Bill Gates, the cutthroat businessman who magically turned into a nice guy philanthropist, has something on his mind. Yes, the man whose many investments in pharmaceutical companies that are somehow all related to COVID-19 has spoken. And what Gates had to say is chilling. [Video clip] Miami mayor asks residents to wear face masks at home. A Florida mayor advised residents to wear face masks at home to try to reduce coronavirus transmission between family members. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) is urging residents to wear a mask inside their house because COVID-19 spreading among families is reportedly the most common type of transmission. "Our messaging has always been, if you're outside or if you're indoors you need to wear a mask and you need to socially distance," Suarez said on Thursday during a COVID-19 press briefing. "I would tell our residents — and this is voluntary, this is not something that we can mandate — that they should consider, particularly if they have a multigenerational household, wearing masks indoors, at times, with their multigenerational residents and also respecting social distance when they're at home," he added. "Because again we're seeing the largest center of spread being our house." Yale epidemiologist says hydroxychloroquine could save up to 100,000 lives. While speaking with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Monday, July 20, Yale epidemiology professor Dr. Harvey Risch said hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), if used properly, could save between 75,000 and 100,000 lives and can also be taken safely as a preventative. His findings were published in the May 27 American Journal of Epidemiology to no effect. A similar French study in early March reported similar evidence of success using HCQ to combat COVID-19. The French report was dismissed as anecdotal. Dr. Risch insisted that HCQ is effective and safe, but he has become the victim of a "propaganda war" ever since President Trump recommended it back in March. The Lancet even published a study claiming that HCQ is ineffective and increases the risk of death. By June the journal's false claim was retracted, but lasting damage was done. Palm Beach CBS News Finds Suicide and a Fall Listed as COVID Deaths — Only 169 of 581 COVID Deaths Did Not Have Contributing Illnesses. This local TV report from CBS 12 News in Palm Beach county shows that the the inflation of COVID deaths in Florida is huge! Florida officials included falls and at least one suicide as COVID-19 deaths. NYT Fudges Data To Claim Huge Spike In COVID-19 Hospitalizations. The New York Times on Wednesday [7/22/2020] reported that coronavirus hospitalizations have risen dramatically and are nearing their April peak. The Times, however, either overlooked or ignored a serious factor: Way more states are reporting hospitalizations now than were reporting at the April peak. "The rising hospitalizations reflect the scale of serious illnesses," the Times said. "Nearly as many people are in hospitals now as there were when New York was at its worst." The latter part is true. The Times notes that as of July 22, 59,628 people were being treated in hospitals for the Wuhan virus. During the peak of the outbreak on April 15, when New York was the nation's hot spot, 59,940 were hospitalized for the virus. The data comes from The Atlantic's COVID Tracking Project, which collects virus data daily from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories. Non-Peer Reviewed Study Shows FDA-Approved Drug Might Reduce Coronavirus Symptoms To Those Of Common Cold. A non-peer reviewed study released by Israeli scientists, working in conjunction with other researchers in New York, found that treating the coronavirus COVID-19 with a drug already approved by the FDA could possibly reduce the symptoms to those of a common cold. Two of the scientists, Hebrew University of Jerusalem's professor Ya'acov Nahmias and New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center's Dr. Benjamin tenOever, said their treatment using Fenofibrate (Tricor) could hinder COVID-19's capacity to reproduce or even make it vanish. Outdoor religious gatherings draw warnings and rebukes from health officials. [T]he evangelical worship event took place on the sand near Lifeguard Tower 20 for the fourth Friday in a row, despite warnings that it was violating public health orders and permitting rules, officials said. Its organizers estimate as many as 1,800 people attended for nearly two hours of musical performances, baptisms and prayers. Days earlier, minister and musician Sean Feucht urged his fellow Christians to join him under the Sundial Bridge in Redding for a night of worship. Is There a Connection between Coronavirus and Air Conditioning? [Scroll down] There are a few possible explanations for the South's infection spike. The first is that a widespread lack of mask-wearing is causing these increases. The national media have been quick to note that Republican governors such as Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis were reluctant to impose a mask mandate. The second, that these states opened up too soon and busy restaurants, beaches, and bars — and a fair bit of demonstrating — resulted in close contact. High infection rates among young people seem to confirm the consequences of increased public socialization. The third possible reason, and the one we will be examining in this article, is how summer temperatures forces southerners into their homes where the HVAC (Heat, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning) system could be recycling the airborne virus throughout homes, grocery stores, and office buildings. Enraged Woman Maces Couple Picnicking Who Weren't Wearing Masks. On Thursday [7/23/2020], a woman enraged by a young couple enjoying a picnic in a dog park in San Diego while not wearing masks reportedly maced the couple. Ash O'Brien, her husband Jarrett Kelley and their three-month-old puppy were enjoying the sun in Rhodes Dog Park when a woman in a black face mask targeted the couple with pepper spray, prompting Kelley, who was temporarily blinded, to attempt to grab the canister from the irate woman, who was accompanied by her dog. One female witness admonished the woman, "'What are you doing? You just maced him! You just maced them and their food because you disagree." Walmart, Home Depot Won't Enforce Face Mask Rules Following Violent Confrontations. Nearly every day there's another story about a fight breaking out over the wearing of masks. Just a couple days ago, a Starbucks barista in California was allegedly punched in the face for asking the customer to put a mask on. And a couple weeks ago, a New York man allegedly assaulted a manager and bartender after being asked to put on a face mask to comply with their COVID-19 safety protocols. San Francisco bus driver beaten with baseball bat after asking passengers to wear masks: police. A San Francisco bus driver was allegedly beaten with a wooden baseball bat last week after asking three passengers to put on face masks to comply with the city's coronavirus public health order. Three men boarded the bus operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency — or Muni — in the city's South of Market neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, San Francisco Police Department Officer Robert Rueca said in a statement Friday. The driver asked the passengers multiple times to wear a mask but they refused, so the driver pulled over to let them off. Why the CDC Is Stressing the Importance of Schools Reopening This Fall. COVID has created another new and intense debate: should schools reopen in the fall? If you watch CNN, you'd think to send kids back to school was akin to the death march to Bataan. It's not. In fact, the socioeconomic impact of a whole generation of kids not learning for a year is probably more devastating than anything COVID could dish out. Accountability standards are spotty with this online learning protocol school boards are adopting. In some locations, like Nashville, around 30 percent of the 86,000-student body doesn't have a home computer. In New York City, there are horror stories about how we really cannot gauge if students there learned... anything. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a pretty thorough post about why it's key for kids to return to school. First and foremost, kids don't appear to be heavily impacted by this virus. Transmission among kids is also low. And yes, that New York Times piece about schools being possible areas of spread from South Korea was flawed [...] Roaming Mask Cops Writing Tickets for No Masks, Improper Wearing of Masks — 'We'll Arrest You Right Here'. Another sad day for civil liberties in America — or what's left of it. [Video clip] Man Wanted For Apparently Punching Starbucks Barista Over Mask Policy; Tip Jar Reportedly Stolen. Police asked for the public's help Friday to identify a man they say punched a barista over what may have been a dispute over the chain's face mask policy. The assault happened at a Starbucks on West Avenue I in Lancaster. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, a man punched a barista when employees asked him to put on a mask as he entered the coffee shop. Americans kept from funerals, work, church fume over jammed demonstrations allowed in city streets. A growing number of Americans concerned about continued coronavirus restrictions are questioning the need for such policies like business closures and mask mandates as tens of thousands gather in the streets around the country to demonstrate and protest. Video clips from such gatherings, often involving thousands of mostly mask-less people, are replete on social media, drawing ire from Americans who are pushing for COVID restrictions to be lifted so that businesses can fully reopen, along with schools, sporting and concert venues, and others. "It turns out you can attend church services in America. As long as it's the church of social justice," tweeted journalist Barrett Wilson on Friday [7/24/2020], along with a Daily Caller video featuring scores of people in a tightly-packed crowd singing and holding candles. Cuomo: Nursing Home Policy Criticism Is 'All Politics'. During a press conference on Friday [7/24/2020], New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) stated that the criticism of his nursing home policies during the coronavirus pandemic is "all politics" and that the issue is being pushed by those who are "politically motivated" at the New York Post and Fox News. The Key to Defeating COVID-19 Already Exists. We Need to Start Using It. As professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, I have authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and currently hold senior positions on the editorial boards of several leading journals. I am usually accustomed to advocating for positions within the mainstream of medicine, so have been flummoxed to find that, in the midst of a crisis, I am fighting for a treatment that the data fully support but which, for reasons having nothing to do with a correct understanding of the science, has been pushed to the sidelines. As a result, tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily. Fortunately, the situation can be reversed easily and quickly. I am referring, of course, to the medication hydroxychloroquine. When this inexpensive oral medication is given very early in the course of illness, before the virus has had time to multiply beyond control, it has shown to be highly effective, especially when given in combination with the antibiotics azithromycin or doxycycline and the nutritional supplement zinc. Florida: Death Related to a Gun Shot Wound and Deaths from Weeks Ago Are Suddenly Counted as Covid Deaths in Official Mortality Reporting. The miscounting and fraudulent numbers related to the China coronavirus just keep coming. Unrelated deaths are being counted as COVID-19 related and deaths from days and weeks ago are suddenly being attributed to today's COVID-19 mortality counts. When the Virus 'Experts' Come After Your Chicken Wings. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ordered thousands of seniors infected with Wuhan coronavirus back into nursing homes — resulting in the deaths of thousands — has moved to regulating what does and does not count as a "substantive food." In California, the same rules apply. "To be a bar, you had to have food available — soups, sandwiches, etc. More than just hors d' oeuvres, chicken wings. You had to have some substantive food — the lowest level of substantive food were sandwiches," Cuomo said this week during a taxpayer-funded press conference. Arbitrary. Capricious. Enraging. How does this stop the spread of Wuhan coronavirus? It doesn't. Why is Cuomo talking about chicken wings at all? Because he's allowing bars to serve alcohol to seated patrons, as long as they order food. He's moved the goalposts from food to "meal" after some New York City bars offered things like "Cuomo Chips" for $1. He deserves the mocking. This isn't about bars, alcohol, or food. It's about people's lives. People are struggling to survive as the government continues to bear down on them without data or explanation about why their efforts this time will pay off. Studies now show lockdowns did little to slow the spread. In fact, keeping mass amounts of people indoors may have made things worse. CDC Sides With Trump, Says Students Need To Go Back To School. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance on Friday warning about severe consequences to children if schools do not reopen for in-person class in the fall. The CDC's updated guidance now aligns with recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which endorsed school reopenings with limited exceptions last month. The new guidance also resolves what many had said was a conflict between the White House and the CDC on the safety of in-person learning amid the pandemic. Medical Experts Urge Another Shutdown As Coronavirus Cases Surpass 4 Million. As the US hit a sobering 4 million cases of COVID-19 and the rising daily rate of confirmed cases and hospitalizations suggest the virus is far from under control, medical experts are urging political leaders to shut down the country and start over to contain the pandemic. The Editor says... The rules are for you, not for them. Socialist Distancing: Sacrificing science to destroy American community. When The Great Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 hit the United States, many Americans were more than willing to wear masks and maintain social distancing to "flatten the curve." Then came George Floyd's death in police custody. Then came protests featuring thousands of activists across the nation — social distancing [notwithstanding]. Not even Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, the pandemic's two most visible experts, initially expressed concern — let alone alarm — about the blatant disregard of health protocols when the protests began. Indeed, Fauci waited 12 days after Floyd's death to comment publicly. Many Americans now realize that they have been — and continue to be — deceived. Meanwhile, their emotional and psychological health rapidly deteriorate because of draconian mandates ostensibly designed to protect them. Why Do Mass Media Keep Propagating Unproven Speculation about Coronavirus Origins? Could the coronavirus that caused the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic evolve naturally? Based on what is publicly known at this time, it probably could, but there is no scientific evidence that it actually has. As of today, no animal has been found to carry the coronavirus that infected Chinese individuals in Wuhan with COVID-19 in the fall of 2019. Yet the mass media and their so-called "fact-checkers" keep propagating the unproven speculation that the virus did not leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, as if it were some kind of "settled science." A Washington Post article titled "State Department releases cable that launched claims that coronavirus escaped from Chinese lab" is a recent example of this kind of sustained propaganda. It downplays the fact that, as reported by the State Department in 2018, the personnel at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were not properly trained to safely handle live samples of contagious coronaviruses. Fauci Finally, Falsely, Invokes the 'Spanish Flu'. Ten years ago I published an article called "No More Crying 'Spanish Flu,'" in part because with every pandemic or potential pandemic that's exactly what public health service gurus and the media were doing. And in part because the comparison to the 1918-19 flu was always ludicrous, based not on science but primal fear. Well, it's happened again. And this time the klaxon-ringer is no less than the nation's top health official, National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci's advice and counsel during the coronavirus pandemic has been "uneven," to say the least. Most recently, he said of New York, the state with the second-highest COVID-19 deaths per capita, that the state did it "correctly." But he's never been particularly reliable. In 1983, he made a huge splash with a medical journal article stating that AIDS could be transmissible through casual contact. Fauci repeated the pattern during successive disease panics, such as when he declared 16 years ago that we're "due" for "massive person-to-person" spread of Avian flu H5N1. The Media and the Virus. During the early stages of the unfolding crisis, the WHO failed to take the coronavirus threat seriously, to question China's official claims about its outbreak, and to coordinate a global response. In January, February, and early March, while the WHO was still declining to label the coronavirus a pandemic — partly because that label carries, according to Tedros, "significant risk in terms of amplifying unnecessary and unjustified fear and stigma" — the American media were also failing, systemically, to sound the alarm. As it unfolded in the media, the story of the pandemic was initially that of a nonevent. On January 31, Vox ran a supposedly comprehensive "explainer" about the coronavirus. There was no need for Americans to wear protective face masks, Vox said, and "really no reason to worry." On Twitter, Vox was still more blunt: "Is this going to be a deadly pandemic? No." The hectoring tone and sham certitude are Vox specialties. But Vox wasn't alone in dismissing the virus. No students in class until January? Yes, one N.J. union leader says in urging big delay. The local teachers' union president in Paterson says Gov. Phil Murphy should hold off on reopening school buildings until January, and possibly longer, due to the coronavirus pandemic. John McEntee, president of the Paterson Education Association, said he prefers all-remote learning to the hybrid model embraced by Murphy, in which classes will start on time in September but parents may choose to keep their children home for online learning. 'I just don't trust them': Canadian truckers afraid of coming to US. Last week, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Canada-US border would remain closed for most people until at least Aug. 21, with additional extensions of the border closure possible beyond that date. Basically, it means that non-essential travel can't take place between the two countries right now, which is no surprise given how the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic in the US is continuing to spiral out of control. [...] Canadian truckers can still continue their work as normal — but, increasingly, they don't want to. That includes people like Leanne Steeves, a long-haul truck driver from Ontario who told CBC News she's concerned about being in the US because we don't seem to be taking the virus seriously enough. "It's like they don't care," she said of Americans. "Life is normal. Nothing's changed for them." The Editor says... UIL pushes start of Texas high school football season back to end of September. The University Interscholastic League has pushed the first games of the Texas high school football season for its biggest districts to the end of September due to the coronavirus. The modifications to the 2020-2021 UIL calendar and updated COVID-19 risk mitigation guidelines are set to take effect August 1st. The Editor says... No known case of teacher catching coronavirus from pupils, says scientist. There has been no recorded case of a teacher catching the coronavirus from a pupil anywhere in the world, according to one of the government's leading scientific advisers. Mark Woolhouse, a leading epidemiologist and member of the government's Sage committee, told The Times that it may have been a mistake to close schools in March given the limited role children play in spreading the virus. Schools in England are preparing to reopen in full from September. Some primary year groups were invited back for lessons before the summer holidays but most pupils have had no face-to-face teaching for four months. Hydroxychloroquine could save up to 100,000 lives if used for COVID-19: Yale epidemiology professor. Dr. Harvey Risch, an epidemiology professor at Yale School of Public Health, said on Tuesday that he thinks hydroxychloroquine could save 75,000 to 100,000 lives if the drug is widely used to treat coronavirus. "There are many doctors that I've gotten hostile remarks about saying that all the evidence is bad for it and, in fact, that is not true at all," Risch told "Ingraham Angle," adding that he believes the drug can be used as a "prophylactic" for front-line workers, as other countries like India have done. Risch lamented that a "propaganda war" is being waged against the use of the drug for political purposes, not based on "medical facts." [Video clip] Word Salad in the Time of Coronavirus. [For example,] "Social Distancing." Why "social" distancing? Standing six feet apart is physical distancing. There's nothing social about locking yourself at home and not seeing other people. Meanwhile, we're communicating via "social" media, making us more physically distant than ever. It's a safe bet our health — mental and physical — would be in a better state if we did actually socially distance, that is, distance ourselves from Facebook and Twitter. [...] "New normal" is a perfect example of doublethink. "Normal" is what we are used to. If it's new, we're not used to it — it's different. Don't tell us we will have a "new normal" when what you actually mean is that things are going to be different. And this is precisely what politicians don't want to say. The power of the concept of "normal" is its utility for weasel politicians. "Normal" is something invisible. We don't think about it; we consider it metaphysically preordained, something we have no control over; it's just, well, normal. The verbal construction "new normal" leads us unconsciously to accept as inevitable a radically different society crafted by the powers-that-be — there's nothing to see here; accept it, that's just the way it is — it's "normal.' Rand Paul: Lockdowns Were A 'Big Mistake'. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has frequently criticized the extended lockdown strategy and Dr. Anthony Fauci, denounced the current spate of lockdowns as a "big mistake" for what they have done to the U.S. economy and society at large. Speaking on the "Fox News Rundown" podcast on Wednesday [7/22/2020], Paul said that the lockdowns have caused tremendous damage and did little to curtail the actual virus. For example, Paul noted that states with lockdowns saw spikes in cases alongside states that didn't have lockdowns. Several state governors announce orders requiring face masks in public. Officials from a number of states have issued orders requiring people to wear masks when out in public. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday [7/22/2020] announced a mandate that will require people to don facial coverings while out in public, starting on Thursday evening. In addition to requiring masks indoors when not at a residence, people will also be required to wear coverings outside if they will not be able to stay six feet from people who are not members of their own household. The order applies to ages 10-years-old and up. People can forego a mask while consuming food and beverages and while working out or engaging in sports. Individuals with medical issues or disabilities are included on a list of carve outs. The Editor says... And now, here is a public service announcement: Pompeo: The World Health Organization is corrupt. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is sharpening his denunciation of the World Health Organization, saying that "corrupt" leadership bears responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic. "It's become corrupt," Pompeo told a Danish radio outlet while traveling in Copenhagen. "An epidemic broke out, killing hundreds of thousands of people all across the world. Trillions of dollars lost in economic wealth. All as a direct result of the Chinese Communist Party covering up and doing it with a complicit World Health Organization." Pompeo offered that rebuke to explain the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO. The attack comes on the heels of a private accusation, reportedly delivered in London, that drew a public response from the United Nations agency. Pompeo: US Spent Half Billion Dollars a Year Supporting 'Corrupt' WHO. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continues to rip the World Health Organization, blaming its "corrupt" leadership pushing the United States away from the group. "It's become corrupt," Pompeo told a Danish radio station during his trip to Copenhagen. "An epidemic broke out, killing hundreds of thousands of people all across the world. Trillions of dollars lost in economic wealth. All as a direct result of the Chinese Communist Party covering up and doing it with a complicit World Health Organization." "That's not an organization that the United States wants to spend roughly half a billion dollars a year supporting," Pompeo said." AP-NORC poll: Very few Americans back full school reopening. Only about 1 in 10 Americans think daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without restrictions, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. Most think mask requirements and other safety measures are necessary to restart in-person instruction, and roughly 3 in 10 say that teaching kids in classrooms shouldn't happen at all. The Editor says... Delusional Democrats intent on trying to fool Americans. Every day, evidence mounts that Democratic politicians are delusional by design. They may or may not believe their increasingly absurd versions of unreality, but they are intent on fooling the rest of us until Election Day. Take New York's version of Dumb and Dumber, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. This dimwit duo doesn't just deny the errors that have made New Yorkers' lives worse than they needed to be during the pandemic. Like true delusional Dems, Cuomo and de Blasio actually pose as our saviors. The governor's shameless vanity poster celebrating his leadership through the pandemic took the cake. It did not mention the more than 32,000 deaths on his watch, nor his disastrous nursing-home policy, and it pretended the virus originated in Europe, rather than China. Fauci Files: Celebrated doc's career dotted with ethics, safety controversies inside NIH. Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci offered a pointed response to those who have challenged his stewardship of the pandemic as the nation's infectious disease chief: "I think you can trust me," he declared, citing his long record of service in government medicine. That is exactly what Fauci's National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) agency declared years ago to foster children in New York, Illinois and elsewhere, many of whom were enrolled in an AIDS drug trial without the promised patient protections. An investigation concluded the NIAID's AIDS research division that reported to Fauci had failed in many cases to provide patient advocates to monitor the foster kids' health as promised, and in some cases, as required by law. In other words, a trust was broken. If the panicmongers were consistent, we'd close the schools every flu season. The reality is that every flu season, many more children die from this common ailment than have from COVID-19. And unlike with COVID-19, where the rare pediatric deaths are among those who have serious conditions, many of the flu deaths occur in perfectly healthy children. Were the Lockdowns Effective at All? [Scroll down] Translation: Lockdowns had little effect on the course of severe COVID-19 cases, with the exception of helping with recovery rates, which ratifies the "flatten the curve" logic so as not to overwhelm hospitals. More important were social distancing practices, and bans on foreign travel. (Or as the authors put it in the main body of the study, "government actions such as border closures, full lockdowns, and a high rate of COVID-19 testing were not associated with statistically significant reductions in the number of critical cases or overall mortality." My emphasis.) This means that if what we care about most is mortality risk rather than mere infection rate, total lockdowns should be viewed skeptically. But as the full study makes clear, much more important in the outcomes were underlying demographics and health co-morbidities, and the general economic profile of the country — essentially another ratification of Aaron Wildavsky's shorthand axiom that "wealthier is healthier." (Hard to believe such a common sense idea needs empirical demonstration.) New York City's Reported COVID-19 Hospitalizations and High Hospital Death Tolls. [Scroll down] Looking at hospitalization statistics sheds light on the topic. First, some general information on hospital occupancy; the COVID-19 pandemonium has included many attempts to scare Americans with hospital data. The fear concerns hospitals filling up and not having enough space. Unmentioned by politicians and public health officials is that hospitals apparently normally try to stay at greater than 85% occupancy rate. This is particularly helpful to know: for hospitals, "an industry accepted benchmark for the volume necessary to break-even" is "an inpatient occupancy rate that is greater than 85%." (Page 15) That is, hospitals apparently try to stay near full. Regarding specifically the COVID-19 situation that occurred in New York City, one significant piece of information is what the occupancy rate was at the beginning of the reported SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. How many were already hospitalized when the COVID-19 outbreak reportedly began and how many more could NYC hospitals reasonably have hospitalized thereafter? New York Times-Hyped Korean Report Actually Shows Kids Are Not Spreading Coronavirus. In an incredible redux of when they hyped the Christian Drosten fake paper claiming children were highly infectious — when his math actually showed the opposite — the New York Times and Chicago Tribune pushed screaming headlines that a new Korean government report proves children ages 10 to 19 are highly infectious. The Korean government report, based on data from March and ignoring all newer research, does make that claim, with qualifications, in its narrative summary. Its actual math, however, shows exactly the opposite. Do the elite newspapers even bother to consult anyone numerate? As Professor Francois Balloux of the University of Lausanne Genetics Institute immediately replied, the New York Times writer completely misunderstood the report. Time to Reopen the Schools. It seems almost incredible that in a number of states, serious consideration is being given to keeping the public schools closed in the Fall. Given that the coronavirus is rarely dangerous to children — less so, in fact, than the average seasonal flu — it is hard to understand the rationale for continued school closures. The most commonly offered excuse is that the children may infect teachers. Presumably that is possible, but a U.K. epidemiologist said yesterday that "Scientists are yet to find a single confirmed case of a teacher catching coronavirus from a pupil anywhere in the world." Teachers' unions are the main proponents of continued school closings, apparently because some teachers and administrators would like to be paid in full for working relatively little. The impulse is understandable, if not commendable. As usual, teachers' unions are happy to throw kids under the bus. Why Are Potentially Viable COVID-19 Treatments Being Suppressed? [Scroll down] What is inexcusable is the ongoing and blatant suppression of valid debate over how to treat COVID-19. We're not talking here about an irresponsible meme that recommends somebody drink bleach. We're talking about distinguished, credentialed doctors and scientists, with decades of front line experience in virology, infectious diseases, pandemics, microbiology, pharmacology, emergency medicine, and a host of related fields, whose opinions are being banned. When it comes to treating COVID-19, not only are dissident opinions offered by medical experts ignored by the media or only featured in the context of being "debunked," but their postings on YouTube and Facebook routinely are taken down. Alternative websites that attract far less viewership are the only recourse. The most notorious example of this bias and suppression is with respect to the treatment alternative that relies on hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and zinc as an outpatient therapy. There is growing evidence that this treatment is effective in the early and mid-stages of a COVID-19 infection, before the patients end up in the hospital. Michigan House OKs bill keeping COVID-19 patients out of nursing homes. The Michigan House approved Wednesday a bill that would direct elderly people with COVID-19 away from nursing homes and into designated care facilities, a challenge to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's nursing home order. If the Senate concurs on the bill, the legislation would be sent to Whitmer, where she is expected to veto it. The bill, which was approved by the House 74-34, bans nursing homes from admitting or retaining an individual starting Sept. 1 who tests positive for COVID-19 unless the person had recovered or unless a nursing home could provide care in a separate building. Seventeen Democrats joined Republicans in approving the bill. The mask police are here. Yale professor says hydroxychloroquine could save 100,000 lives — but it's being stifled by a 'propaganda war'. Yale epidemiology professor Dr. Harvey Risch said Tuesday [10/21/2020] that he believes the President Trump-touted drug, hydroxychloroquine, could save up to 100,000 lives if used properly to treat the coronavirus. Speaking with Fox News' Laura Ingraham Monday night, Risch insisted that the controversial drug is proven to be effective against the disease and safe for people to use, but lamented that it has become the victim of a "propaganda war." "It's a political drug now, not a medical drug," Risch said. "I think we are basically fighting a propaganda war against the medical facts, and that colors not just population people, how they think about it, but doctors, as well. CNN Reporter Melts Down After Trump Campaign Spox Uses CNN Link to Disprove Her Coronavirus Claims. CNN anchor Brianna Keilar had Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh on the network earlier today to talk about the Trump administration's Wuhan virus response. As things often do on CNN when a Trump official is part of a segment, the interview got contentious fast. Keilar disputed numerous claims made by Murtaugh, including statements about how Dr. Anthony Fauci has recommended the use of the Trump-touted hydroxychloroquine and how some studies have shown it's an effective drug when used in concert with other treatments. You'll remember that the media and Democrats have spent almost the entirety of the outbreak trying to downplay the drug as a possible coronavirus treatment because Orange Man Bad. Studies have been mixed on it, with some showing some successes in using the drug and others not. Some of the studies the media have definitively touted as debunking the idea of using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment either used flawed methodology (read about another one [elsew]here), were discredited, or were actually retracted. Covid-infected Patients Are Fleeing Mexico for American Hospitals. Last month, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey uttered forbidden words that drew such hot-stove backlash that neither he nor any other border state governor has dared repeat them. Mexican Covid patients with dual U.S. citizenship, Ducey told President Trump's coronavirus task force during a June 22 governor's conference call, were driving Arizona's spiking numbers by crossing the border and "seeking the superior healthcare of our system in our border counties." The Editor says... Medical directors in Texas border counties: We're treating patients from Mexico. Who would have thought it: That when a neighboring country without stable medical care gets hit by the virus, anyone with the ability to come here would seek care in our hospitals when they get sick? I've written a six-part series detailing how the border counties have a worse crisis than anywhere else in the country because of a mix of cross-border travel, medical tourism, and dual citizens traveling back and forth. You can read the series [elsew]here. Until now we have seen remarkable data that shows the the timing and severity of the surge in relation to the sister cities and states in Mexico. California hospital directors have gone on the record admitting that they have been treating patients from Mexico. Now we have on-the-record proof that this is happening in Texas as well. Also posted under illegal immigration puts a strain on our health care system. The Big Surge In Coronavirus Deaths Is A Media-Fed Myth. Almost daily now we've been reading about how daily deaths from COVID-19 have reached record highs. It's a scary prospect. But the truth is the mainstream press is grossly misleading the public by misreporting the death counts. [...] According to PBS in Arizona, the state "on Saturday (July 18) set a record for coronavirus-related deaths reported in one day, with 147, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services." The last story is particularly illuminating because the website the PBS article links to includes a chart of daily deaths in the state. It lists only six deaths on July 19. What's more, the chart shows that there have only been two days where deaths exceeded 65. So where did that scary 147 number come from? The same place all the other "surging" numbers come from. Each day Arizona and other states file reports on how many people died from COVID-19. It's not a measure of how many died that day. In most cases, the people died days or even weeks earlier. In fact, in Arizona's case, 106 of the reported deaths on Saturday resulted from a periodic review of death certificates. None of those caveats made it into the PBS story. Not likely, unless you like high taxes, crowds, rampant crime, and snow. Media Malpractice on COVID Numbers. [Scroll down] Context includes what defines a positive COVID test. Is it an actual positive antigen test result or a presumed positive case? Some counties in Texas were classifying a neighbor or co-worker of a test-positive case, suffering from a cough or sore throat, as having COVID, even without an actual test. This could result in 10 to 20 additional reported positive cases based on only one actual case. Antibody test-positive individuals, having previous, but not current active infections, are also positive cases. That would be like classifying retired military members as active duty. Context also includes asking whether these individuals are symptomatic or not. We never test asymptomatic individuals or contacts of those with the seasonal flu. In fact, most with the flu treat it symptomatically until they get better, and do not get tested unless they are sick enough to journey to the hospital. Asymptomatic individuals exposed to someone with the flu certainly don't get tested. Why then is there such a push for COVID testing? Unless the goal is inflated numbers to fuel a media narrative and damage President Trump. We Can't Stop Coronavirus, But We Can Limit the Damage We're Doing to Ourselves. [Scroll down] While I've never been for the lockdowns and in fact spoke out against them at the time, part of me could at least understand the logic of some measures to slow things down, especially given the fear of the unknown that existed at the beginning. There was some common sense in measures intended to "slow the spread," even though in reality they didn't actually work all that well. We had "15 days to slow the spread," then 30 more. Then, seemingly overnight, the narrative changed. The expectation went from "slow the spread" and "flatten the curve" to, oddly enough, "no cases at all." As we began to find out just how large the infection denominator was, as death rates plummeted infinitely lower than the two to five percent many were fearing at first, as actual deaths declined and flattened to less than 1,000 a day (even using their cooked-up numbers where someone who dies of a car accident or heart disease and had COVID is lumped in as a COVID death), the media-induced panic was only getting started. California is shut down again with calls for other states to do the same, and leftists seemingly won't be happy until masks are legally required at all times on every man, woman, and child from the wilderness of Alaska to the streets of New York City from now until the end of time.
Editor's note, added 8/2/2020: Officials: Viral report of a surge in COVID-19 cases in south Texas infants is false. A viral report of a sudden surge of coronavirus cases in infants in a single county in Texas is inaccurate, a local official said on Saturday [7/19/2020]. On Friday, the top health official for the Corpus Christi area said at a press conference that the county currently has 85 cases of newborns with coronavirus. "We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces County that have all tested positive for COVID-19," Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces County, said at the press conference. [...] But Rodriguez was mistaken, according to Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales. According to KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi, Canales said that 85 infants have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic several months ago. "On Friday, July 17, during a press conference, a spokesperson mentioned that 85 infants under the age of one had tested positive for coronavirus," Canales said in a statement, KRIS 6 reported. "This number reflects the cumulative total of positive tests for infants under the age of 1 since the beginning of testing in mid-March, which has resulted in 8,171 positive test results." "Stating this number during our press conference led many to believe that we had a sudden surge in infants under the age of one testing positive. We have NOT had a sudden surge of 85 infants testing positive," she said. Lockdown Myth: All The Data We Have From Every Country Completely Proves Lockdowns Were Pointless. As the United States experiences a surge in COVID-19 outbreaks with most of it concentrated in regions that avoided the earlier wave that struck the Northeast back in March and April, the media has adopted a new explanation to continue its longstanding rationalization of society-wide lockdowns. As the argument goes, most European states (including those that were harder hit than the US) followed a "responsible" pattern of quashing the virus through heavy-handed lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, and only began the reopening process when its data-driven models said it was safe to do so. By contrast, the United States allegedly waited too long to lock down, did so ineffectively, and "rushed to reopen" before the virus was under control. It's a convenient narrative for justifying the reimposition of lockdowns, as well as politically chastising anyone who questioned their efficacy in the first place. But is it based on any evidence? An American Refuses to Sign Coronavirus Documents. Here's How the Local Health Department Responded. Kentucky resident Elizabeth Linscott was planning to visit her mother in Michigan. Despite having no symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus, Linscott decided to get tested out of an abundance of caution. Her results turned up positive and she was told to self-quarantine at home. "My grandparents wanted to see me, too," Linscott told WILX-TV. "So, just to make sure if I tested negative, that they would be OK, that everything would be fine." Once the health department alerted her to her positive test results, they wanted Linscott to sign the Self-isolation and Controlled Movement Agreed Order, a document stating she would not leave her house without first asking the health district for permission. She refused to sign the documents. Oxford University Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Produces Strong Immune Response. An early human trial of Oxford University's experimental coronavirus vaccine has yielded a strong immune response in hundreds of people, according to newly released data. The potential vaccine, which the U.K. university developed in partnership with drugmaker AstraZeneca, was administered in a trial that involved 1,077 people and caused an immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted two months or slightly longer, according to data published Monday [7/20/2020] by the medical journal The Lancet. The vaccine, which is made from a combination of coronavirus genetic material and a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees, caused the body to produce antibodies against the coronavirus and caused a reaction in T-cells, a type of white blood cell that also helps stave off infection. Democrats, The Party Of Science (Fiction). Before the pandemic, Democrats called anyone who didn't kneel before the shrine of Al Gore and activist researchers trafficking in climate fear to be a "science denier," just as they will again once the coronavirus no longer dominates the headlines. "The Republican War on Science," written by journalist Chris Mooney, summarizes as well as any other rant the Democrats' contention that the political right is anti-science. The Publishers Weekly reviewer, no doubt eager to join the charge, said the tome "is the first to put the whole story, thoroughly documented, in one place." This is all rather funny, because the "science" the Democrats put their faith in is often little more than a set of baseless theories that fit their policy agenda. They treat their own share of "settled science" as if it's witchcraft. The COVID Coup. Panicked by fears manufactured by the ruling class, the American people assented to being put essentially under house arrest until further notice, effectively suspending the habits, preferences, and liberties that had defined our way of life. Most Americans have suffered economic damage. Many who do not enjoy protected status have had careers ended and been reduced to penury. Social strains and suicides multiplied. Forcibly deferring all manner of medical care is sure to impose needless suffering and death. In sum, the lockdowns' medical and economic dysfunctions make for multiples of the deaths and miseries of the COVID-19 virus itself. Bad judgments and usurpations — the scam, not the germs — define this disaster's dimensions. [...] In short, COVID-19 is not America's plague. It did not shake America. The ruling class shook it. They have not done it ignorantly or by mistake. They have done it to extort the general public's compliance with their agendas. Their claim to speak on behalf of "science" is an attempt to avoid being held accountable for the enormous harm they are doing. They continue doing it because they want to hang on to the power the panic has brought them. The Editor says... They're Lying to You — Florida: Motorcycle Crash Listed as Coronavirus Death. They're lying to you. The Orange County Health Officer admitted this week that on of the coronavirus victims listed on their website — died in a motorcycle crash. And yet they are pushing these numbers to the public to cause a panic? CDC Employees Made More Than 8,000 Federal Contributions To PACs And Politicians Since 2015. Only 5 Went To Republican Causes, FEC Records Show. Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made more than 8,000 contributions totaling over $285,000 to Democratic candidates and causes since 2015, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of political contributions. Only five contributions were sent to a Republican PAC or candidate. Out of these five contributions, which totaled just over $1,000, three sent money to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign efforts, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate. The contributions were made by more than 550 people who listed the CDC as their employer on FEC forms. The Quixotic Quislings of Quarantine Have No Clothes. Today we are inundated by "authorities" who insist that we must wear masks everywhere, seemingly even in the shower. They flood us with panic porn about a "spike in cases," and how we must consider a new lockdown to avoid having the virus overwhelm us. But they (intentionally?) ignore the fact that deaths continue to decline. New hospitalizations are younger people with less severe disease who have shorter stays, using fewer resources. In other words, things are getting better. In a hurry. But let us suppose that there remains some sort of need to defend us from SARS-CoV-2. Are masks a good answer? If I listen to Dr. Carl Heneghan, the Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University, "aside from people who are exposed on the frontlines, there is no evidence that masks make any difference." This is in keeping with previous posts from Nobel-winning biophysicist Michael Levitt Ph.D., former Stanford Chief of Neuroradiology Scott Atlas MD, John Iaonnidis MD, Lisa Brousseau ScD, and a host of others. Will Teachers' Unions Reelect Trump? During the next six weeks the nation's 51 million public school students, with the assistance of their parents, would normally be preparing for the next phase of their education. This year, despite the absence of scientific data indicating that a return to in-person class attendance increases the risk that students or educators will contract COVID-19, the teachers' unions are resisting school reopening. This flouts the will of parents whose taxes pay the teachers, disregards the failure of large-scale distance learning, and ignores the emotional damage children suffer pursuant to the social disruption that accompanies school closures. According to a recent Gallup survey, a clear majority of parents want schools reopened. Bob Hall Hosts Medical Townhall, Criticizes Abbott's Approach. As Gov. Greg Abbott continues to enable local governments to enforce mask orders and impose other restrictions ostensibly engineered to contain the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, a lawmaker critical of those actions is seeking input from medical leaders and challenging his decision. On Wednesday evening [7/15/2020], State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) hosted a Facebook conversation with six Texas medical doctors, who all described the success they are having in early intervention medical treatments for COVID-19 patients. Abbott Tells Republicans He Shares Frustrations Over Coronavirus Orders. Amid growing frustration from conservative grassroots over his string of unilateral executive orders in response to the Chinese coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott defended his actions to Texas Republicans on Thursday [7/16/2020]. In the first recorded address on the first day of the Republican Party of Texas' virtual convention, Abbott acknowledged the frustration and defended his actions, specifically his recent statewide mask order. "I know that many of you all are frustrated. So am I," said Abbott. [...] On the Texas GOP's Facebook page, party activists were near unanimous in criticizing the governor. "We knew Abbott is a tyrant, now we know that he is a liar, too," wrote Lubbock activist Jim Baxa. "Funny Abbott had to use his video slot to try and convince us he believes in the Constitution," wrote True Texas Project's Julie McCarty. "He would have been roundly booed at a live convention. This is how he avoided it," said Jim Pikl, a conservative activist and attorney from Collin County. "He also lied about what the Fifth Circuit held. Sad." The comments come as more and more counties across Texas pass resolutions censuring Abbott for his unilateral executive actions under the Chinese coronavirus emergency. Convention delegates may also approve a legislative priority calling for the governor's emergency powers to be limited. Jacksonville sheriff casts doubts on Republican convention. The sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, said he isn't sure his department has the money or the manpower to provide the Republican National Convention's security. "As we're talking today, we are still not close to having some kind of plan that we can work with that makes me comfortable that we're going to keep that event and the community safe," Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told Politico on Monday [7/20/2020]. The Republican Party selected Jacksonville at the last minute to host aspects of the 2020 iteration after Democratic leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, refused to guarantee a crowded gathering could take place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacksonville's program includes President Trump's acceptance of the nomination. Reopening Schools and the Limits of Expertise. The last thing you want to hear from your brain surgeon (aside from "Oops") is "Wow, I've always wanted to do one of these." You'll feel a lot better hearing, "I've done 30 operations like this over the past month and published several articles about them." Expertise like that is essential for brain surgery, building rockets, constructing skyscrapers, and much, much more. Our modern world is built upon it. We need such expert advice as we decide whether to open schools this fall, and we should turn to educators, physicians, and economists to get it. But ultimately we, as citizens and the local officials we elect, should make the choices. The murder rate is out of control in Chicago, but the mayor is worried about masks and six-foot spacing. Mesh "Anti-mask" Masks: A New Way of Protesting Mask Mandates. A new form of protest is "taking the mask off" the establishment's coronavirus hysteria and exposing the absurdity behind mandatory mask-wearing. Known in some circles as "anti-mask masks," these thin face masks are made of permeable materials such as mesh and marketed as having no protective qualities whatsoever against the spread of COVID-19. The idea behind the masks is that the wearers are still allowed to enter public places that require masks, even though their particular choice of covering is no different than wearing no mask at all — highlighting the fact that mask mandates are largely more about compliance than actual public health. Riding the COVID Wave, Non-citizen Flippy, at $3 an Hour, to Replace White Castle Workers. Well, Flippy finally has a new job. It was March when I reported on the burger-flipping kitchen worker, who does his job dutifully, never goes home, doesn't get sick or take bathroom breaks and won't unionize — and can be had for $3 an hour. He's also a non-citizen who doesn't need a visa and doesn't care if you have a beef with his taking your job. Flippy, you see, is a robot. Buck Jordan, the chief executive of the company that birthed Flippy, Miso Robotics, had stated in February that the robot could appear widely in restaurants as soon as early 2021. But now it appears that the COVID-19 pandemic has improved Miso's fortunes further, as there's a desire to reduce worker contact with restaurant victuals. (While the chances of contracting the Wuhan coronavirus from food is low, there have been outbreaks affecting restaurant workers and patrons.) Florida Health Officer Labels Motorcycle Crash Victim a Coronavirus Death. An individual who was killed in a fatal motorcycle crash in Florida was recently listed as a COVID-19 death for the Sunshine State, according to a state health official. The truth about the death was brought to light after FOX 35 News asked Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino whether the two individuals in their 20s who were listed as coronavirus deaths had any underlying conditions. Doubts. [Scroll down] When did we start having doubts about the masks, that they were being used as a political emblem, rather than as simple and reliable devices to slow the spread of the virus? From the very beginning. But in the beginning that was a fringe-kookburger idea to have, even in an election year. But now? As possibilities go, it's unavoidable! Liberals have made it abundantly clear they want the visual of masks masks masks... it's the only chance Biden has. And oh by the way, these "Biden buttons" worn on the face may also retard the spread of the virus... possibly. We wear our masks when they make sense, because the masks can be both. We recognize non-mutual-exclusivity; it doesn't have to be all of one thing and none of another. We want our grandmothers to live and we comprehend functional overlap. We have doubts about the masks themselves. We see something is wrong when "a mask" is what's being ordered upon us — no exceptions! Don't even think about going out bare-faced or we'll report you! And yet... a cloth mask is the same as N95 is the same as a surgical mask. Not how it works at all. Montreal police tackle and arrest man in Tim Hortons for not wearing a mask. As masks become mandatory in Quebec, many are having a hard time adjusting to the new rules. On Saturday afternoon, a man who refused to wear a mask was tackled to the ground and arrested by police in a Montreal Tim Hortons. A video of the incident was posted on Facebook by user Sandra Bourgoin and has since gone viral. How COVID-19 fatality reports are distorting the data on daily death rates. Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, state governments and media outlets continue to publicize confusing, misleading data on the spread of the disease here, perpetuating fears that deaths from the virus are skyrocketing on a daily basis even as those fatalities are generally distributed across a period of days, weeks or even months. At issue is how state health departments publicize daily reports of fatalities within the state's borders. State health officials have for months been publishing two sets of mortality statistics: deaths that occurred on the publication date in question, and deaths that have only recently been catalogued from state backlogs. Epidemic Mask Theatre, Past and Present. [Scroll down] Here's another example that you've undoubtedly seen or experienced. At your local grocery store, you are standing in a line that is several customers long. Everyone's wearing masks, but still standing several feet apart. When you finally get to the cashier, you observe that the mask she's wearing couldn't be looser, with large gaps between the cloth and her face that you could drive a Buick through. But, in the unlikely event she's infected, somehow the mask might still prevent coronavirus-carrying, microscopic droplets of moisture from escaping her mouth to infect anyone else, we all suppose. There's a clear acrylic barrier annoyingly placed between you and the cashier for some reason, so you move a foot or so to the right so you can comfortably communicate with her around it. It's time to pay, so you look down at the card reader, and there's a thin layer of translucent plastic covering it (which looks suspiciously like the plastic food wrap from aisle 13), though you notice it hasn't been changed by anyone since the six customers before you used it, and you assume hasn't been changed for hours before that. But you confidently insert your card and press the keys with your bare fingers, anyway, knowing that the barrier provided serves as some sort of protection from the invisible coronavirus that is potentially lurking on every surface that you touch. You don't have to be a scientist to recognize that what I've described above are nothing more than useless symbolic rituals, and it's all practically ineffective at stopping coronavirus spread, just as a plague mask was practically ineffective is stopping the spread of plague. Los Angeles mayor says city is 'on the brink' of declaring another stay-at-home order. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday [7/19/2020] that Los Angeles is "on the brink" of another stay-at-home order. Los Angeles County has seen a surge of cases recently, with new record high hospitalizations and infections. The city has more than 150,000 cases. "A lot of things went wrong," Garcetti said. He pointed out that cases haven't increased as quickly in LA as in some cities, but said there is "no national leadership" in efforts to slow or stop the pandemic. "It was politicized when it should have been unified." Anti-mask protesters with armed militia stand up to BLM in Ohio: 'I will not wear someone else's fear'. Hundreds of open-carrying anti-mask-mandate protesters congregated Saturday afternoon [7/18/2020] outside the Ohio Statehouse to display their displeasure with the state's mask mandate, but unlike Black Lives Matter protesters, they actually behaved themselves. During the protest, there was reportedly no vandalism, no arson, no looting, no harassment and almost no violence, though one guy did reportedly try to throw a punch at someone, but he was quickly overpowered by police and hauled off to jail. Here's what I saw in the first half of
2020.
Hillsdale College to hold in-person graduation in defiance of Dem Gov. Whitmer's coronavirus order. A conservative college in Michigan is planning to hold an in-person graduation ceremony that could draw as many as 2,600 guests and students, in defiance of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's social distancing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials at Hillsdale College say they have notified county health officials of their plans to hold the in-person graduation over the weekend even as coronavirus cases rise in the area, reports noted. In internal emails, county health officials criticized the college's plans, but noted that there was little the state could do to prevent the ceremony. The 'Fatal Conceit' of Dr. Fauci. ore than four months after abruptly saying goodbye to the daily life we once knew, Americans still live in a surreal and virus-induced dystopia. Summer, essentially, has been canceled: no big family weddings, no trips abroad, no open public beaches and pools, no baseball. Tens of millions remain out of work while small businesses close up shop, permanently altering the landscape of big cities and small towns across the country. Mini Gestapo populated by once-friendly neighbors police face coverings and six feet of separation. Power-grabbing, attention-addicted governors hog local news cameras each day under the guise of "Coronavirus Update!" to riff about their keen abilities to fight a virus or spew invective at Donald Trump or issue another decree to inflict further misery upon their willing subjects. As school children and their parents anxiously check email boxes for any update about the fall semester and working parents with small children are scrambling to develop backup plans for online learning, Democrats are pushing hard to keep kids and teachers at home — at least until Election Day. Are the state-led pandemic shutdowns a trial run for the Green New Deal? Consider it a warning. Meaning to get where they want, when the Green New Deal gets going, whether in 2021, 2025 or whenever Democrats reclaim the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress will require even greater restrictions on the economy and liberty. It will be a tyranny the likes of which has never been seen in human history. Filings show all but five political donations from CDC employees since 2015 have gone to Democrats. The majority of political contributions made by employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 2015 have gone to Democratic candidates or causes, federal election records show. Donors who list the CDC as their employer have made more than 8,000 contributions totaling over $285,000 to various political campaigns or organizations. An analysis by the Daily Caller News Foundation found only five contributions were sent to a Republican political action committee or candidate, totaling just over $1,000. Only three people donated to President Trump's 2016 campaign. Coronavirus good news for a change. [Scroll down] I roughly estimate the following: for August, 5.4%; September, 4.0%; October, 2.1%. On the day you go to the polls to vote for either Orange Man or Senator Senex, by my estimate, 62% of the country will be immune to COVID-19, which is close to herd immunity. The pandemic will be long gone everywhere except in the lying media and in the hearts of the mask fascists and those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome. A modern day parable: Living during malignant mask madness. [Scroll down] As a buffoonish example of how medical "community" (the new buzz definition) Dr. Fauci, 79-year old with a medical degree and a bureaucrat's job has opined within four months that masks should be worn, and also not worn. Over four months he has changed his opinion. He supposedly ran tests via the scientific method during this period? Of course not. Then we get television M.D. stars like Dr. Oz (the wizard of Oz?) telling us we must wear then for everyone's protection. When did he run his tests? Between T.V. spots? Of course, he has "experts" like Sean Hannity to support him because Sean says he wants to protect "granny." Over 3,000 Cases Removed From COVID+ Count After San Antonio Health Dept Labeled Them As "Probable". From NBC 4 San Antonio: "Right now there's a discrepancy in the numbers reported by Metro Health and those reported by the State Health Department. The State Health Department has removed more than 3,000 cases classified as 'probable' from the Bexar County and state totals, which puts our local cases at over 17,000. Those are cases confirmed with 'antigen' or mouth swab tests." Nothing to see here, folks, just another case of a state reporting "probable" cases as "positive" cases. Texas had to remove 3,484 "probable/positive" cases because these cases only had the antigen. Not all cities in Texas use the antigen test since its approval in May, and Texas wants Apples-Apples comparison between its cities.
Unmitigated propaganda: Dr. Samadi Says Fauci Appearing On Magazine Cover Is 'Not Appropriate' During Pandemic. Dr. David Samadi, the director of Men's Health at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, joined the Daily Caller's Stephanie Hamill to discuss the effort to reopen schools, mask mandates and Dr. Anthony Fauci's latest magazine spread. "I think it's not appropriate for him right now to be posing for the cover of a magazine," said Samadi. "This is not a celebrity contest, the lives of a lot of people are at stake, millions of jobs have been lost, many families have been affected." Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, invited photographers into his home for a photo shoot for InStyle magazine for a "special digital cover," according to reports. Now We Have Proof Dr. Fauci [...] Can't Be Trusted. According to a recent poll, two-thirds of voters trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, not President Trump, when it comes to information on the coronavirus. Well, if you think you can trust Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, you now have every reason to question his judgment. In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Dr. Fauci, the trusted expert, actually lauded New York's response to the coronavirus. "We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York," he told PBS's Judy Woodruff. "New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly." I used to have faith in Dr. Fauci's judgement, but that faith has waned over the past few months, and is now completely gone. How exactly does anyone look at what happened in New York and say that's a model example for fighting the coronavirus? Fauci holds up New York as model for fighting coronavirus — 'They did it correctly'. White House health advisor Anthony Fauci has praised New York for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the state responded "correctly" to bring its outbreak under control. "We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York," Fauci said in an interview with "PBS NewsHour" that aired Friday evening [7/17/2020]. "New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly by doing the things that you're talking about," he continued. New York was once the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States with more than 10,000 new cases a day during its peak outbreak in April. The state has dramatically reduced daily new infections to 776 as of Thursday. Fauci: Cuomo Did a Great Job Killing 6,400+ Nursing Home Residents. I'm not a Fauci hater. As regular readers know. I think he's a perfectly typical representative of the expert class with a pretty good bedside manner. And like most of the expert class, he's failed badly in the face of the virus. But I don't see that as a personal failing. It's, as Marxists would say, a failure of his class. The same failure that helped bring on much of the coronavirus death toll. So of course Fauci happily praises New York. As Governor Cuomo, who killed thousands of nursing home patients by forcing nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients, keeps saying, he follows the science. Not actual science, but whatever nonsense the expert class pushed out there. That included the false claim that unless we got everyone out of hospitals, coronavirus patients would be dying in hallways. So instead, 6,400 New York nursing home residents died of coronavirus in the homes, and countless more died in hospitals because Cuomo's science-based regime doesn't count nursing home patients dying in hospitals. Dr. Fauci's latest lie is HUGE, and easily debunked. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, New York handled the coronavirus "correctly." Yes, the state with by far the most COVID-19 cases and deaths is being vaunted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director as having most properly handled the pandemic. It doesn't take mental gymnastics for him to come to this conclusion. It just requires a nefarious agenda and a willingness to tell bald-faced lies in hopes that we're all just too simple-minded to look at the facts ourselves. Sadly, he may be correct. Too many Americans rely on mainstream media promoting Fauci's agenda through their propaganda. When he makes statements like he made yesterday, alarm bells should be going off ubiquitously. Instead, the vast majority of people are taking him at his word and dismissing critical analysis. It's Time to Shame the COVID-19 Liars. They are everywhere! From Dr. Anthony Fauci slyly working yet another media opportunity to the nursing assistants in my friend's doctor's office to the members of the newly formed Hysterical Church of Karen on social media. They seek to manipulate or have been manipulated everywhere they turn, and in every direction that they look. They are the ones who need to stop. They need to read more, dig deeper, and attempt to do some critical comparison in their thinking process. If after doing those things they still have reasons to keep their kids out of school, stay at home out of circulation, and demand that all in their households wear masks indoors and outdoors then they can choose to do so. Guess How Much Money the WHO Spent to Fix Their Public Image. The World Health Organization (WHO) has botched the entire Wuhan coronavirus saga from the beginning. Taiwan attempted to alert the WHO about the pandemic that is now wreaking havoc on the world. Instead, the WHO looked the other way. The organization continually parrotted the Chinese Communist Party's talking points, particularly that the Wuhan coronavirus was not transmitted from human-to-human. To make matters worse, President Xi Jinping personally asked Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to delay publishing vital information about the Wuhan coronavirus. While the Center for Disease Control was recommending people wear masks, the WHO had completely different recommendations, saying only those who are sick or treating someone with coronavirus should wear a mask. Less than a week later, the WHO told people everyone should wear a mask. Can a Whole Country Go Mad? The other day I was watching TV. (We're quarantined. Sometimes there is little else to do.) In any case, in the mindless surfing that approaches an altered state, I saw an ad that left me nearly apoplectic. It consisted of a series of faces covered by masks of all types and sizes. The voice-over repeated like the peeling of bells over St. Patrick's Cathedral on Easter: "This is not a mask. This is not a mask. This is not a mask. This is solidarity." It propelled me off the couch. I screamed, "IT'S A MASK." It's a mask that we would not have been allowed to wear into a bank or a federal or state office or municipal office a mere three months ago. It's a mask. It's a mask. It's a mask. Like a man condemned to psychological torture in the Gulag, I started to recount all the lies we were being told under the guise of erudition and belonging. Coronavirus: Why everyone was wrong. The coronavirus is slowly retreating. What actually happened in the past few weeks? The experts have missed basic connections. The immune response against the virus is much stronger than we thought. Until We Have Faces: The American Niqaab. [Scroll down] This is a harbinger of a few things that are deeply troubling to me, and should be to you. Because despite the fact that fewer people have become ill in this pandemic than during an average flu season, and despite the medical data that show not only the futility of a rag over the face but the potential harm, and despite the fact that herd immunity suffers from artificial "flattening of the curve," people are persisting in the illusion that a facial covering can make them safe. Why is the left so adamant about masks? Is it a delusion about safety? Is it something more insidious? I think it may be both. On WuFlu Masks. As the Nazi Party grew more powerful, they required Jewish people to sew large yellow Star of David emblems on their outer garments. This mask nonsense is in the same vein. An N95 mask has a pore size of 300 nanometers — it will NOT reliably stop a virus particle that is smaller than that (the COVID-19 particle is 125 nanometers — barely 1/3 the size.) It doesn't get any simpler than that. [...] Slowing the spread of the virus among the asymptomatic hampers the building of herd immunity, what virologists and epidemiologists of any integrity will readily admit is the ONLY way a respiratory virus is rendered inert. And maybe that, concomitant with the psychological manipulation of constant fear mongering (frightened people are easiest to control), is the real intent. As for claims to the contrary, where are the data that support that? How has that data been analyzed and has it been subjected to peer-review? In general, people shouldn't take medical advice from a politician or career bureaucrat, nor accept offhand remarks as credible. If someone wants to carry around a rabbit's foot for good luck, be my guest. But don't prosecute those who don't buy into superstition. Walmart, Kroger weigh in on national debate: Here is how your next shopping trip will be different. Two of the country's largest retailers have jumped feet first into the national debate on face masks. Both Walmart and Kroger have decided that all customers must wear a face mask in order to shop in their stores, regardless of local mandates. It doesn't matter if your town doesn't require face masks in public if you are headed out to Walmart or Kroger, grab one on your way out the door. Lots of local stores have put the policy into place, this is not anything new for them. This is news because this is a nationwide mandate for customers. It's a blanket, one-size-fits-all approach that overrides local government. [...] The face mask wars are real. The issue has been politicized and it is absolutely a 2020 kind of craziness. Wear one, don't wear one, it's your choice because you accept the risks involved with your decision. And, we all remember how opinions have changed from the beginning of the pandemic when the CDC, Dr. Fauci, the Surgeon General, and every 'expert' around was telling us that wearing a mask wasn't necessary to mitigate the outbreak. Georgia governor sues Atlanta mayor for defying order ending mask mandates. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta's mayor after she defied his order that revoked mask mandates. Kemp filed a lawsuit against the state's capital city Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday for defying his earlier order eliminating mask mandates and pulling the city back to "phase one" of coronavirus restrictions. "This lawsuit is on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times. These men and women are doing their very best to put food on the table for their families while local elected officials shutter businesses and undermine economic growth," Kemp said in a social media post on the lawsuit. Data expert Justin Hart breaks down hospitalization data from a major San Diego hospital. Data expert Justin Hart has been closely following the numbers from all over the country, especially here in San Diego County. Hart is sure that the numbers show the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media reports, and uses the data to prove his point. Hospitals around the country and here in San Diego are reporting their ICU beds are over 90% capacity, but when you look at the data, most of the people in ICU are not COVID patients. Regarding the Wuhan virus, if you think you're being lied to, you're right. Ever since the Wuhan virus appeared on the scene, Americans have been bombarded with information, misinformation, re-information, and disinformation. In the beginning, this information soup was understandable, given that the virus was new. For that reason, many communities agreed to be shut down for a couple of weeks "to flatten the curve." Since those murky beginnings, though, we've learned a lot about the virus, including how to treat it and how to protect the elderly, making it significantly less lethal. Still, politicians — usually Democrats — are using the virus as an excuse to achieve non-virus goals. For example, they're pushing for more government handouts and dependency, a weakened economy favorable to Biden, mail-in voting, and limited religious worship. [...] What's starting to leak out, though, is that these new data about rising cases and deaths are being manipulated, whether intentionally or accidentally. This is especially true for data coming from Florida and Texas, two states that seemed to be handling the virus successfully without destroying their economies. Media Should Do a Mea Culpa as French Analysis Offers a Stunning Observation About Hydroxychloroquine Use. We have been told repeatedly by health experts to demonstrate the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine and the other meds prescribed with it we need strict clinical trials. These are studies where some patients receive medication, and some do not. For many healthcare providers, this is a noxious thought if there is evidence to believe a treatment may work. How do you ethically deny a potential treatment to an eligible patient to conduct a study? So-called double-blind studies described above are the preferred method advocated by Dr. Fauci. These double-blind studies allow people to die in the name of "science" if a drug is effective. They are in the "control group." There are ethical issues with this approach that researches at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center addressed with a new concurrent trial based on machine learning developed following the H1N1 pandemic. This method has been ignored by the NIH and FDA approval processes. The Science Is Very Clear: Schools Should Reopen This Fall. Progressives like to brag that they prize science over politics. Indeed, it's a major talking point in their effort to "transform" America from the greatest nation on Earth to, well, something else. But one look at the debate over reopening schools this fall shows just how absurd that assertion really is. Los Angeles, home to the nation's second-largest school district, is a case in point. The city has long been governed by far-left Democrats, to its detriment. But the local teachers' union really takes the cake when it comes to extremist positions on COVID-19 and school closures. Teachers are so worried about returning to school that they're preparing wills. Back-to-school is looking a little different for many teachers nationwide this year, as they grapple with returning to their classrooms amid a pandemic. Added to their list of concerns: Death. [...] Her comment comes after the Orange County Board of Education voted this week to return children to schools without face masks or social distancing, despite a surge in coronavirus cases and more than 7,000 Covid-19 deaths in the state. The Editor says... Texas health officials remove over 3,000 'probable' coronavirus cases from overall count. Texas health officials removed more than 3,000 reported coronavirus cases from an overall count after "probable" cases for people who were never tested were counted as confirmed. "Since we report confirmed cases on our dashboard, we have removed 3,484 previously reported probable cases from the statewide and Bexar County totals," Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the state health agency, said to the Austin American-Statesman. "The State of Texas today had to remove 3,484 cases from its Covid-19 positive case count, because the San Antonio Health Department was reporting 'probable' cases for people never actually tested, as 'confirmed' positive cases.- TDHS," Fox 4 Dallas Evening News anchor Steve Eagar tweeted Wednesday [7/15/2020]. "What other departments make this same mistake?" 11th San Quentin inmate's death tied to COVID-19. San Quentin inmate Jeffrey Hawkins, who was sentenced to death in two Sacramento County murders in 1987, died Wednesday at an outside hospital of complications from COVID-19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Hawkins, 64, is the 11th inmate at San Quentin whose death has been linked to COVID-19. Across California, 37 state prison inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have died, according to the CDCR website tracking illnesses and deaths related to the pandemic. What the Media Won't Tell You About the United States' Coronavirus Case Fatality Rate. Without fail, the media seems intent on making America out to be the lone failure in the world in the battle against the coronavirus. Many media outlets have described the United States as "losing the war" against the coronavirus because of the number of cases keeps going up. Axios, for example created a chart show that if all coronavirus patients (confirmed cases) were a city, it would be the third-largest city in the country. The recent trend of the media to focus on the total number of cases seems to be a result of the recent spike cases that failed to produce a similar spike in deaths. So far, we've only just seen a small bump in fatalities, and there is evidence that data dumps of backlogged data could be inflating those numbers. Georgia's Republican Governor Suspends All Local Mask Mandates, "Unenforceable". Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp suspended all local mask mandates in an executive order on Wednesday [7/15/2020]. Kemp overruled all local governments that issued an unconstitutional, mandatory mask 'law.' [...] Last week Kemp blasted Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms' executive order mandating face masks in public. Georgia Governor Kemp Issues Order Banning All Local Mask Mandates. Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday prohibiting local municipalities from establishing mask mandates for people who go out in public. His order prevents any municipality from enforcing a mask order that is more restrictive than the one at the state level, The Hill reported. The order nullifies more than 15 mandates that have already been issued by local governments throughout the state, according to The Associated Press. Instead of a mask mandate, the state order says that masks are "strongly encouraged," except when eating, drinking or exercising, according to The Hill. "Previous executive orders — and now this order — state no local action can be more or less restrictive than ours. We have explained that local mask mandates are unenforceable. The Governor continues to strongly encourage Georgians to wear masks in public," said Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Kemp, The Hill reported. A permanent state of emergency, disguised as a series of small extensions:
It's just a mask. [Thread reader] It's just six feet. It's just two weeks. It's just for non essential businesses. It's just for non essential employees. It's just a bar. It's just a restaurant. It's just a salon. It's just to not overwhelm hospitals. It's just until the cases go down. It's just to flatten the curve. It's just a few inmates. It's just to keep others from being infected. It's just a few more weeks. It's just church. It's just until we get a vaccine. It's just an app. It's just for tracing. It's just to let people know you have no temperature. It's just so others know who you've been in contact with. It's just a few more months. It's just a few more inmates. It's just for large gatherings. It's just until the clinical trials are complete. It's just an account. It's just to prevent hateful speech. It's just to stop hateful content. [...] It's just to protect the children. It's just a little fine. It's just to prevent a spike. It's just to achieve distancing. It's just some skewed statistics. It's just a few places that won't take currency. It's just so people can safely vote. Florida Labs Acknowledge "Major Errors" After Reporting Positivity Rates Of 100%. Florida health officials left COVID-19 trackers slackjawed on Sunday [7/15/2020] when it reported more than 15k new infections in just 24 hours on Sunday (the data were gleaned from the prior day). But as hospitalizations surge, questions have grown about whether the state is still trying to 'juke' its data, something that a now infamous whistleblower alleged before she was fired (she has since started her own COVID-19 data portal relying on public info). Journalists scouring the reams of daily data for discrepancies have apparently happened upon bombshell they had been hoping for: Orlando Health has just confirmed that some of the data it shared over the weekend were wrong, after journalists reported more than 50 labs showing 100% positivity rate, or roughly around there. One local Fox affiliate looked into the numbers and contacted a few of the labs to confirm that their internal data matched the public data released by the state. As it turned out, some of these discrepancies were pretty extreme: Orlando Health, one of the organizations contacted by Fox, confirmed that it's positivity rate was actually 9.8%, not the 98% that had been reported to the state. Are Face Masks & COVID Rituals Occultist Symbols For Submission? For the past few weeks, I have been trying to figure out the reason behind the mandating of face masks that are ramping up even as the deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic have wanned [sic]. Since there is no logic to it, could it possibly be something else more sinister? As with everything you see, read, hear, or are commanded to do; use your discernment. Some will think this is crazy, but as we know, the people who are trying to take over the world to create a New World Order are Luciferian occultists, and they believe this stuff, whether you do or not. I don't know how much stock to put in this, but again, use your own critical thinking skills and discernment and see if any of this information resonates with you. Our Insidious New Normal. Four months into our national coronavirus hysteria, the media's appetite for scare-graphs, doomsday headlines, and wild predictions of death and destruction continues unabated. [...] So far, 135,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 — allegedly. That is a minuscule portion of the total population: roughly .04 percent. What percentage of these actually had respiratory symptoms or died from other causes is unclear. What is clear is that America saw a short-lived and moderate spike in excess deaths in April. The normal average of 58,000 deaths per week in April jumped to 78,000 before rapidly restabilizing in mid-May. It isn't clear that the lockdowns or mask mandates actually saved any lives. Sweden, which never locked down, followed a similar trajectory of excess deaths as the rest of the West. Perhaps nature is merely mocking our efforts. It would not be the first time. Regardless, in a country where 3 million people die every year, 130,000 deaths is not an apocalypse. Would the average American have noticed a 4 percent change in overall mortality without media fanfare? Probably not. At present, the country is in limbo. When does all this end? When we have a vaccine? When there are zero deaths? If so, this "pandemic" could last for years. Time is Running Out for Coronavirus Course Correction. Let's begin with a fact that undoubtedly contradicts the hysterics that you've routinely heard about the viral pandemic of 2020 — COVID-19 is anything but an indiscriminate killer of those infected by it. A new study, released by the CDC on July 10, finds that the median age of death where COVID-19 is involved is 78. [...] Here's the first of a few inconvenient yet undeniable truths. Half of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 have occurred among less than seven percent of the population, and the other half occurred among the other 93 percent of the population. Already, we have a pretty good idea as to who is most at risk when it comes to the risks of infection. But we can actually demographically narrow down COVID-19 victims much more closely than that. Not only are those dying with COVID-19 often quite old, but they're usually very unhealthy as well. A Pandemic of Democrat Proportions. [T]he U.S. response to the Wuhan coronavirus has been gratuitously overblown. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current infection fatality rate for the virus is less than 0.26%. The inordinate response to the virus resulted in the contraction of a once robust economy by 5% during the first quarter of 2020 thus ending the longest period of economic expansion in our nation's history. An unemployment rate under 4%, the best in half a century, jumped to over 13% in a matter of weeks. [...] Never have so few done so much to debilitate so many Americans. The medical "experts" issued frequent contradictory and increasingly draconian guidelines adding to the prevailing fear. Don't wear a mask. Wear a mask. Go to the grocery store; but, don't go to church. Protest, riot, loot, shoot, burn and run rampant through the streets of cities; but, don't go to school. No swimming, fishing, commuting, traveling, working, eating out, going to bars, partying or sunbathing until a vaccine is developed. Stay in your homes. Socially distance. Eat "contact free" pizza and tacos. Be together alone. Don't pay your bills. Go bankrupt. Do your part because we're all in this together! Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on: Peter Navarro. Dr. Anthony Fauci has a good bedside manner with the public, but he has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on. In late January, when I was making the case on behalf of the president to take down the flights from China, Fauci fought against the president's courageous decision — which might well have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives. When I warned in late January in a memo of a possibly deadly pandemic, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was telling the news media not to worry. When I was working feverishly on behalf of the president in February to help engineer the fastest industrial mobilization of the health care sector in our history, Fauci was still telling the public the China virus was low risk. When we were building new mask capacity in record time, Fauci was flip-flopping on the use of masks. Peter Navarro just said what many people were thinking. White House economic adviser Peter Navarro broke from the administration on Wednesday and released an opinion article criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has been advising President Trump throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In the article, Navarro alleges that Fauci has been wrong about almost everything, and he urges people to treat Fauci's advice with skepticism. Navarro's approach deserves criticism. He went behind the White House's back and published this piece without the president's approval, according to White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah. In doing so, he created a faux rift between Trump and Fauci that shouldn't be there. But the truth is that Navarro just said what many people in the United States have been thinking: Can we trust the health experts? Fauci is certainly qualified, and I believe he has the best intentions. But he has been wrong about several things throughout this crisis, as have many other leading experts we trust to guide our policy decisions. OSHA Covering Up Face Mask Danger? Why hasn't US Occupational Safety and Health Administration bothered to do any testing on the potential negative effects of mandatory workplace face masks? An increasing number of individuals have tested C02 level build-up inside masks using OSHA-approved equipment and the results have been concerning. Why doesn't OSHA take the time to either disprove or confirm whether it is safe for face masks to be mandated on workers? Plus in today's program: corruption in Covid testing across the country and another look at the big hype over new "cases" in Texas and Florida. [Video clip] Mask mandates are a public health menace. Contracting COVID can be fatal or debilitating for the elderly, immune-compromised and physically challenged. But there is no catastrophic public health emergency justifying sweeping government orders and ordinances that would force healthy citizens to wear masks in an increasingly oppressive climate of manufactured fear — completely untethered from pragmatic realities and risk assessments. According to the federal government's own COVID-19 data, 120,675 deaths in America have been tied to the virus. Tracked weekly by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, fatalities peaked on April 18, 2020, with 16,897 succumbing to the disease. (Keep in mind that many medical whistleblowers have reported that these statistics are inflated by including "COVID"-related deaths uncorroborated by lab results and also by including patients who died with COVID infections, but not necessarily, from the virus itself.) In the 12 weeks since April 18, as states have reopened and protests (or riots) of all kinds have brought tens of thousands of people in close contact, deaths have fallen precipitously. For the week of July 11, 2020, guess how many deaths were attributed to the virus? 181. Maybe the media should do their job and fact check people like Fauci instead of just repeating what they are told. In [January] WHO and others said COVID-19 would not spread human to human. In Jan., Feb., and early March, Fauci, the CDC, most of the media, and other Democrats said the virus wasn't very dangerous in the U.S. In late Jan., Trump put a travel ban on China, and he was widely criticized by the experts, Democrats, and most of the media. They called it an overreaction and called Trump racist and xenophobic, which is what they have called Trump for four years. In early March, the CDC, Fauci, the NIH, and others said don't wear face masks. On March 9, Fauci said it was OK to go on cruise ships. Then, suddenly, on March 13, Fauci and the CDC made up numbers and said millions would die and hundreds of millions would get the disease. There was no science to support this. [...] After months of saying COVID-19 would pass easily on surfaces, they said never mind. Essentially, they just made it up, just like making up the original modeling numbers. Sunbelt Covid 'Spike' - Just A Lot Of Hot Air? The scare headlines are screaming: record spike in "cases" in Arizona, Texas, and Florida! Other states are mandating face masks even where deaths and the death rate continues to decline. New York City has for the first time since March reported zero Covid deaths. So, is there anything to this "spike" in the Sun Belt? Is the hype justified? [Video clip] Citizens Forced to Breathe Deadly Climate Change Gas. You may recall that back in 2009 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) went on record as designating carbon dioxide (CO2) as a pollutant that was contributing to manmade climate change. [...] Of course humans exhale CO2 as a natural part of the respiratory process. People need a constant flow of fresh air for proper brain function and for our immune system to operate optimally. But now we're seeing a massive push to mandate mask wearing allegedly due to Covid-19. Way back in March of this year the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were on record saying masks should only be worn by people who were around sick people. Healthy people didn't need to wear masks. But all that has changed. Locking America Down Again Is Exactly What China Wants Because It Will Ruin Us. The governors of Texas and California, the nation's two most populous states, recently reimposed coronavirus lockdowns despite falling death rates and health-care capacity far beyond hospitalization rates. Numerous other governors have delayed reopenings or reversed them in similar situations. Lockdowns are not necessary to prevent coronavirus deaths, since the current capacity for treating cases is far above what is needed and people are going to get this disease until there's a cure. Further, lockdowns accelerate systemic weaknesses such as our national debt, poor education, large numbers of working-age men who do not work, failure to pay for decades of overspending at both the national and state levels, tendency to bail out corrupt institutions such as schools, big business, and hospitals, and bloated health care system. In the Face of COVID-19, We're Not Acting at All Like Americans. What are we gonna do? Are we gonna keep going back and forth? We're gonna open up and then we're gonna shut down a little bit, then we're gonna open back up, then we're gonna shut down. Do you realize this is gonna be a cycle in California at least until November 3rd or at least until there's a vaccine? We can't live this way. We can't do this. This is not who we are. [...] We're not acting at all like Americans. Some of us are, don't misunderstand. But we're not cowards. We don't retreat. We don't find the nearest corner to curl up in and cower away from things. We don't look for excuses for inaction. We don't look for excuses for status quo failure. We're Americans. We beat back every enemy we have faced. And we have been fearless in confronting every enemy we have faced, in large part, because every enemy has come after us. Every enemy. I don't care if you want to talk about Hitler in World War II, the Japanese in World War II, the so-called Korean Conflict, whatever it is we came together and triumphed. This is missing. Masks Are Neither Effective Nor Safe: A Summary Of The Science. Masks are proven ineffective against coronavirus and potentially harmful to healthy people and those with pre-existing conditions. My wife and I dined out last night in a very empty restaurant and the young waitress was required to wear a cloth mask. I asked her how she was doing with the mask and if there were any side effects. She related that was consistently short of breath (when away from the table, she lowered the mask below her nose) and that she had actually passed out because of it a few days earlier, taking her straight to the floor. [...] The purpose of this paper is to examine data regarding the effectiveness of facemasks, as well as safety data. The reason that both are examined in one paper is that for the general public as a whole, as well as for every individual, a risk-benefit analysis is necessary to guide decisions on if and when to wear a mask. German study finds no evidence coronavirus spreads in schools. Schools do not play a major role in spreading the coronavirus, according to the results of a German study released on Monday [7/13/2020]. The study, the largest carried out on schoolchildren and teachers in Germany, found traces of the virus in fewer than 1 percent of teachers and children. Scientists from Dresden Technical University said they believe children may act as a "brake" on chains of infection. Prof Reinhard Berner, the head of pediatric medicine at Dresden University Hospital and leader of the study, said the results suggested the virus does not spread easily in schools. Perspective: St. Louis Has 159 Coronavirus Deaths, 125 Homicides and 50 Children Shot So Far This Year. St. Louis has seen 159 coronavirus deaths so far this year. St. Louis has seen 125 homicides so far this year. And 50 children were shot in St. Louis so far this year. If coronavirus continue to trend downward as they have in every country after around two months of pandemic then homicides will soon pass the number of coronavirus deaths in the city. Second Wave Myth: South Dakota Reports No Surge In New Cases Amid Residents Gathering By The Thousands to Celebrate 4th Of July. South Dakota has just reported there was no surge in cases after residents gathered by the thousands in huge parties to celebrate Independence Day. This is coming after mountains of data show the hospitalization and death rates for Coronavirus have been plummeting. Hopefully this evidence America can safely open up will make it to Washington, D.C. and if not there then other state and local governments so we can get our economy moving again and stop drug overdoses, child starvation, and suicides, in addition to domestic abuse. Celebrate: Navarro Op-Ed Signals White House Break With Fauci. Peter Navarro, the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy for President Donald Trump, grew weary of Dr. Anthony Fauci's grandstanding and chronic flip-flopping in public long ago. Back in April, Axios reported on a confrontation Navarro had with the little menace to American society during a Coronavirus Task Force meeting at the White House: [...] Yesterday [7/14/2020], in response to Fauci's continuing efforts to undermine national policy in his myriad media appearances, Navarro penned a sterling op-ed for USA Today. As is his habit, Navarro is devastatingly succinct and precise in laying out the many reasons why Fauci deserves to be ignored in the nation's ongoing efforts to effectively deal with the Wuhan Virus pandemic. Illinois Costco shopper spits in man's face for removing mask while exiting store: police. A woman who claimed to be a teacher assaulted a man and spat in his face when he took his mask off while exiting a Costco store in Illinois, police said. Elizabeth Mach, 45, allegedly approached a 50-year-old man after he removed his face covering while leaving a Costco store in Mettawa in Lake County, on June 16, the Sheriff's Office announced Thursday [7/9/2020]. Mask Shamer Crashes Into Man's Shopping Cart and Spits In His Face - And Claims She Has COVID. There are so many things wrong with the alleged spit-taker's actions in this story. [...] It sounds like he'd had his receipt checked and was exiting the warehouse store when Mach rammed his cart. That was her first mistake. She then, according to the report, goes into 2020 freakout mode on him. "I am a schoolteacher and I have COVID-19," Mach allegedly told him, before taking her mask off and spitting in the man's face, police said. She left the store, but was later identified by police, who arrested her on Wednesday [7/8/2020]. Claim of superior virtue — "I am a schoolteacher" — followed by brandishing of weapon — "I have COVID-19." Followed by a potential assault with a deadly weapon — her saliva bearing a deadly virus. She also violated social distancing and took off her own mask to shout and spit... in the name of shaming someone else for taking off his mask a few feet earlier than she would have liked. Question: Should someone with COVID be shopping at Costco or anywhere else? Mask or no mask? If Mach knew she had COVID and was out shopping, well, that's a problem. Stanford Doctor: 'Anyone Who Prioritizes Children Would Reopen The Schools'. Dr. Scott Atlas said it "feel(s) like I'm living in a Kafka novel" when watching politicians' "hysteria" against school reopening, in an TV interview Monday [7/13/2020] with Martha MacCallum. According to the renowned doctor, school closings severely damage children's' development and generate next to no gains for public health. "I'm not sure how many times it has to be said, but the risk to children for this disease, for fatalities, is nearly zero. I mean, this is totally antithetical to the data," he said. Atlas is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, a health-care expert, and former professor and chief of neuroradiology at the Stanford University Medical Center. The Shameless Gaslighting by Andrew Cuomo's Defenders. On March 25, New York governor Andrew Cuomo made one of deadliest mistakes of the coronavirus crisis, signing an executive order forcing nursing homes in his state to accept patients who tested positive for coronavirus. Around 4,800 New Yorkers died from COVID-19 in those nursing homes from March to May — approximately 25 percent of all fatalities in the state. Many medical professionals opposed the policy. A report by ProPublica, certainly no right-wing outlet, found that deaths had spiked after Cuomo's order. States issuing similar policies — Michigan and New Jersey — saw similar disasters unfold. By any standard, the New York tristate area's numbers are the worst in the country. By most measures, the numbers are some of the worst in the world. Fake news! CNN'S S.E. Cupp Lectures on Masks at Beaches, Then Posts Beach Selfie Without One. The Never-Trump Republican who's had a contentious relationship with the party over her support for gay marriage and continuing foreign wars used her CNN show S.E. Cupp: Unfiltered and Twitter account to scold Americans who forgo wearing masks. Despite tweeting "Just wear a mask. It so effing simple." [A]nd implying President Trump is "not well" for refusing to wear one, Cupp posted a picture of herself on July 12th on a public beach without a mask. How to Create a Pandemic Panic, and Keep it Going. If nothing else, the coronavirus pandemic is a textbook example of how to create fear and anxiety that is out of proportion to the threat, and spur panic-induced policies that needlessly kill people (like seniors in New York nursing homes). It also demonstrates how to keep the panic going, even as evidence piles up that the initial fears were wildly exaggerated. [...] Here are five steps that the got the coronavirus panic started and why it continues to this day. [#1] Wildly exaggerate the deadliness of the disease. [...] Does Trump have a secret well of unreported support? [Scroll down] Meanwhile, it was revealed that the data for COVID-19 infective rates in Florida is shockingly wrong. It appears that many labs have forgotten to report the negative results and have provided only positive infections. In some areas, the reported positive tests were up to 100%, a virtual impossibility, which alerted skeptical reporters. Some wonder whether the state laboratory data are intentionally being inflated for political purposes. The media has consistently argued that the Florida situation is proof of Trump's failure regarding the infectivity rates. They conveniently forget to mention the generally lowering national death rates per 1,000 persons. As this information becomes available, the support for Trump in Florida will increase. Further, the reopening of the Disney World parks will help the economy and provide reassurance that schools can reopen, too. Scientists from Wuhan coronavirus laboratory have 'defected to the West'. Experts from the Chinese laboratory at the heart of global suspicion over the coronavirus pandemic have "defected" and are in the hands of Western intelligence, it is claimed. Steve Bannon, who was Donald Trump 's White House chief strategist and retains close links to the administration, said spies were building a case against Beijing on the basis the global pandemic had been caused by a leak from the Institute of Virology in Wuhan. The 66-year-old former naval officer alleged the subsequent cover-up had amounted to "pre-meditated murder". "I know that certain defectors are working with the FBI here to try to knit together what happened" in the Wuhan institute, which he said was "horribly run and terribly mismanaged," Mr Bannon said. Florida man shamed in viral clip for not wearing mask fires back after [his] life [is] destroyed. A man who was recorded on cell phone video arguing with another customer about shopping without a mask in a Florida Costco claims he was doxxed and received death threats after the clip went viral on social media. He subsequently lost his job at a local insurance company. In the brief video (embedded below) during which he objects to being filmed, the man yells to the other customer behind the cell phone that "You're harassing me. I feel threatened. Back off," along with some expletives. Viral is an ironic term these days, but the clip has logged 12 million views on Twitter plus thousands more on YouTube and other platforms. GOP-Run Coronavirus Hotspots TX, FL Have Fewer Cases, Deaths. The two hardest-hit states by the coronavirus as of Tuesday evening, Democrat-run New York and California, are not getting the same level of negative attention by the leftist mainstream media as the GOP-governed hotspots of Florida and Texas, which have lower deaths and cases. Although the ongoing spike in cases and, to a lesser, extent a rise in deaths, has spared New York, the sheer number of infections and fatalities in NY and surge-impacted California exceed those in Florida and in Texas, respectively. Amid the recent record surge in cases, the Democrat-controlled states of New York (1) and California (2), remain the top two hotspots for the most infections, followed by GOP-governed Florida (3), and Texas (4), data from Worldometer revealed. New York Owes America an Apology. The grim reality of New York's coronavirus outbreak soon outpaced the worst fears anyone might have imagined in early March. By mid-April, Cuomo's state was reporting as many as a thousand deaths a day, mostly in New York City and its suburbs, with the city's pandemic also driving up the death tolls in neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut. By late May, those three states accounted for 45 percent of all U.S. coronavirus deaths. Furthermore, as the New York Times reported May 7, researchers found that "the city became the primary source of new infections in the United States," as infected New Yorkers fled their disease-riddled city by the thousands, ignited COVID-19 "outbreaks in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and as far away as the West Coast." Hindsight is 20/20, but many in the major media (including CNN, which employs the New York governor's brother) have sought to distort public perception of what went wrong with America's response to the Chinese virus. Liberal journalists have devoted enormous effort to blaming President Trump for this catastrophe, and this anti-Trump bias obscures the unique role that Democrat-controlled New York played in the deadly pandemic. The most important evidence regarding pediatric transmission comes from Iceland. [Thread reader] [Scroll down] The study isolated SARS-CoV-2 samples from every positive case, sequenced genome of virus, and tracked the mutation patterns. This analysis, along with contact tracing, allowed the authors to identify definitively who passed the virus to whom. This is unique. Based on this, the senior author concluded that "[E]ven if children do get infected, they are less likely to transmit the disease to others than adults. We have not found a single instance of a child infecting parents."
COVID Madness — Comrade Newsom Shuts Down California Indoor Activities. This is nuts. In an effort to fundamentally destroy the livelihoods of millions of California small businesses, Comrade Governor Gavin Newsom has declared that all indoor activities must shut down to top the spread of COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of dictates around COVID-19 mitigation are not laws. There was no debate; no input from representative government; and no option for the public to weigh-in on the decisions. It's just nuts to praise New York's 'success' against coronavirus. If only the rest of the country could handle COVID as well as New York: That's the lament of progressive commentators as COVID cases spike in the Sun Belt and the South. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin hailed New York City the other day after it reported no deaths for the first time during the pandemic. This is what competent government can accomplish, she gushed. Former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett tweeted, "Short term sacrifice saves lives!!!" [...] This is all perverse given that New York is only now emerging from one of the worst COVID debacles on the planet. Literally Thousands of Doctors and Scientists Have Come Out Against Fauci's Lockdowns Including a Nobel Prize-Winning Biophysicist. As RedState's very own Sister Toldjah reported earlier today, the doubts President Trump recently expressed about the wisdom of Dr. Fauci's advice on COVID-19 have elicited a chorus of smug accusation from the usual suspects that he's "ignoring the experts." Sister Toldjah pointed out that it's hard to know what their complaint even means given how often Fauci and other media-anointed authorities have done total 180s. But, even putting aside how their advice seems to change with the political winds, the idea that there's some scientific consensus in favor of the extreme measures inflicted on us in response to COVID-19 couldn't be further from the truth. Though you don't hear their perspectives on CNN, countless scientists and doctors have tried to warn us not only that COVID-19 isn't nearly as deadly as we've been led to believe; they're also certain that the real threat to public health we're facing is from the lockdowns. Hospitals confirm mistakes in Florida's COVID-19 report. After FOX 35 News noticed errors in the state's report on positivity rates, the Florida Department of Health said that some laboratories have not been reporting negative test result data to the state. Countless labs have reported a 100 percent positivity rate, which means every single person tested was positive. Other labs had very high positivity rates. FOX 35 News found that testing sites like one local Centra Care reported that 83 people were tested and all tested positive. Then, NCF Diagnostics in Alachua reported 88 percent of tests were positive. How could that be? FOX 35 News investigated these astronomical numbers, contacting every local location mentioned in the report. The report showed that Orlando Health had a 98 percent positivity rate. However, when FOX 35 News contacted the hospital, they confirmed errors in the report. Orlando Health's positivity rate is only 9.4 percent, not 98 percent as in the report. Florida Investigation By Real News Station Shows Labs Are Massively Inflating Positive Cases, Some Show 100% POSITIVE!. The Florida Department of Health released its daily coronavirus testing report showing a statewide positivity rate of 11 percent, but FOX 35 News investigated and quickly noticed some shocking positivity rates. Countless labs have reported a 100 percent positivity rate, which means every single person tested was positive. Other labs had very high positivity rates. FOX 35 found that testing sites like Centra Care reported that 83 people were tested and all tested positive. Then, NCF Diagnostics in Alachua reported 88 percent of tests were positive. [Video clip] More Florida Covid Craziness — One Local News Station Finds Multiple Clinics Errantly Reporting 100% 'Positive' Test Results. It is becoming apparent that injecting politics into coronavirus reporting is contagious. The state of Florida has become the ever-growing focus of activities surrounding the coronavirus and the way it is handled by the politicians. The reasons for this are numerous: Florida is a swing state in November, GOP leadership is at the helm, the press is desperate to cover for the incompetence seen by the Mayor and the Governor in New York, and any good news on the COVID front cannot be allowed to make President Trump look good in any fashion. Panicdemic! Record Number of Coronavirus Cases Hyped — But Deaths, Recoveries Downplayed. [Scroll down] Alex Berenson is former New York Times. They have no desire to have him working for them anymore because he's one of these guys that just instinctively violates conventional wisdom. He stays outside it. He doesn't conform to it. [...] He's been doing research and tweeting on the virus and on all the numbers related to the virus. And he tweeted yesterday [7/12/2020], the same day that this record number of cases came out in Florida, quote, "And after a week of nightmare headlines about Florida and about 70,000 new cases," which really is nothing more than positive tests... And, by the way, that is an important distinction, folks. When you see these numbers, like 15,299, what do you think happened to create the number? [...] This is the result of positive tests, for the most part. There are [sick] people showing up, but it's not the entirety of the number. This is the result of improved or increased testing and positive results. But it doesn't even tell us how many of this number are symptomatic or asymptomatic. Ohio County Creates Hotline for Neighbors to Report Non-Mask Wearers. Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has rolled out a hotline for residents to snitch on those of their neighbors who do not wear masks, in line with an executive order by Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, mandating masks in public when "social distancing" is not possible. County Executive Armond Budish made the announcement, telling the people of Cuyahoga that individuals who witness others not wearing a mask in public spaces should make complaints to the new hotline or file on a website titled "Mask Experience." Once a complaint has been filed, county workers contact the subject of the complaint, whether it's an individual or business, to let them know. The complaints are also forwarded to the Board of Health and the relevant village or city. "This is not intended to be going out and finding people not wearing masks. We want people to wear their masks.... We want people to do it voluntarily," Budish said. Fight for Freedom. Ask anyone in state government and they will say they are not a communist, but they work all day enforcing communist principles with relish. It gives them a sense of individual power to enforce state dictates. The mask is a symbol of that systematic communism worn by those who do not see the connection, who no longer recognize the individual as supreme, the only way it can be in a republic. No more
pandemic panic, please. As expected by most observers, the number of cases of Covid-19 continues to increase
across the country. There are primarily three reason for the spike in cases: Did the state legislature pass this law, or is it a unilateral decree? Comrade Cuomo Announces Visitors into New York Must Show Papers and Register With State or Face $2,000 Fine. Comrade citizens, those who travel in the Northeast zone should beware, Minister Cuomo is going all-in with the COVID compliance mandates. All travelers into New York from "high-COVID" states, must provide their papers upon arrival or face a summons and $2,000 fine. Covid-19: Is a real search for the truth now taboo? Are public health officials telling the truth when they state they are seeking information about possible early cases of COVID-19? Similarly, is it possible some members of the "watchdog" press are unwilling to publish any story that presents compelling evidence the novel coronavirus was spreading in America in November or December? As a freelance reporter who's been investigating this hypothesis for two months, I've come to believe the answer to both questions could be "yes." The account below shows how I reached these conclusions and why I came to believe that lessons gleaned from working on a COVID-19 story might be more frightening than the virus itself. [...] Gov. Cuomo pummeled online for selling poster touting New York's COVID response. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing intense backlash for selling a poster touting New York's response to the coronavirus outbreak. On Monday [7/13/2020], Cuomo debuted a poster he designed called "New York Tough" that he suggests captures the journey his state went through while addressing the pandemic. [...] The poster depicts a mountain with essential workers pulling a rope symbolizing the "flattening of the curve." On top of the poster reads a quote attributed to the governor, "Wake up America! Forget the politics, get smart!" The Editor says... Groundbreaking: Scientists create an air filter that kills the coronavirus. The coronavirus is spurring on all kinds of innovation and creativity from the scientific community as well as the business community. The main focus now is on developing a vaccine and therapeutic drugs to combat the virus. Businesses have shut down normal production of products and switched to manufacturing essential medical equipment, like ventilators, as well as personal protection equipment to meet the needs of hospitals and first responders. All of this is good. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Houston (UH) have developed an air filter that kills the coronavirus. It is a "catch and kill" filter and it sounds really promising. The masks have been largely symbolic for at least two months. Now the government admits it! The Editor says... White House releases list of Dr. Fauci's 'mistakes'. Anonymous Trump administation officials are distributing a list of every instance in which Dr. Anthony Fauci and others have made statements about the coronavirus pandemic that have turned out to be wrong, reports CNBC. It includes Fauci saying in January that the virus, which now is confirmed to have infected more than 3 million in the U.S., was not a "major threat." In March, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said "people should not be walking around with masks[.]" "Several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr Fauci has been wrong on things," an official said. Newsom shuts bars, indoor dining and most gyms, churches amid rise in virus cases. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday extended the closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising in the nation's most populated state. On July 1, Newsom ordered 19 counties with a surging number of confirmed infections to close bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centers like bowling alleys and miniature golf. HCQ Helps Contain COVID-19 Cases: New Evidence and a Major Retraction. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) — the controversial COVID-19 treatment touted by President Donald Trump — might be gaining new traction in the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus. The latest positive results come from Vadodara, India, where city officials have conducted a major study involving more than 300,000 people, including "health workers and other frontline staff." [...] Local health official Dr. Devesh Patel told the paper, "It has shown positive results. We have the numbers and not one person has complained of complications. The only side effect reported is mild gastritis, which is common with administering heavy medicines and can be effectively handled." [...] Also on Friday, Retraction Watch reported that The Lancet, the prestigious Britsh [sic] medical journal — had quietly retracted and replaced an anti-HCQ editorial by Christian Funck-Brentano it had published in May. Dr. Scott Atlas decries 'ludicrous' level of 'hysteria' among Democrats over school reopenings. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that school reopenings present the "biggest risk for the spread of the coronavirus" is "completely wrong" and "contrary to all the science," Dr. Scott Atlas told "The Story" Monday [7/13/2020]. "I'm not sure how many times it has to be said, but the risk of children from this disease and the fatality is nearly zero," Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and former chief of neurology at Stanford University Medical Center, told host Martha MacCallum. "The risk of children for a significant illness is far less from the seasonal flu. This is totally antithetical to the data." [...] Atlas said he was amazed by the "ludicrous" level of "hysteria" among Democrats who are pushing to keep schools closed for the start of the 2020-21 academic year. Never Letting a Crisis Go to Waste. It's difficult to grasp the amount of collective suffering, anxiety, and fear experienced by Americans in the past few months as the coronavirus made its deadly way through cities like New York. States shuttered schools and announced that families had to isolate indefinitely at home. Forty million filed for unemployment. The news media were filled with mixed messages from public-health professionals and politicians — you don't need to wear a mask, you must wear a mask — sowing confusion among Americans who were desperate for guidance and leadership. By the end of May, more than 100,000 people had died. As people did their best to adjust to a new world of empty streets, strict lockdown orders, and, for many people, the loss of jobs and loved ones, a strange reaction arose in certain quarters. Where some saw an unrelenting crisis, others saw opportunity. This crisis wasn't merely something to survive; it was fertile ground where an ideology could thrive. The Wrong Governors. [Scroll down] The decisions of Cuomo, Whitmer, Newsom, and Murphy regarding the movement of infected patients from hospitals to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities might be the worst and most consequential of the crisis. Whitmer made odd and difficult-to-justify decisions, including banning the purchase of seeds, and her husband apparently "jokes" about being exempt from state orders. California's coronavirus-testing programs stumbled right out of the gate. Murphy violated his own order on large gatherings. Very little of this has affected the job-approval ratings of these governors — in part because only some portions of the media world are interested in the flaws of the records of these governors. The others prefer to stick to their preselected happy narrative. COVID spikes might be the result of bad tests. [Scroll down] Epidemics do not grow exponentially forever. As people recover from infections and become temporarily immune, the numbers of people that can catch or spread the virus diminish. The rate of new infections bends down into a "bell curve" or Gaussian. After peaking, the number of new infections exponentially diminishes. The longevity of a respiratory virus epidemic is about 120 days; they vanish almost as fast as they come. For 2019-nCoV, we completely missed the rise. PCR testing from the USS Theodore Roosevelt showed positive for 1100 of the 4850 person crew, with 60% of those testing positive showing no symptoms. Antigen testing later showed that 60% of the crew, 2900 sailors may have been infected. That means 2019-nCoV produces no symptoms in 78% of infected people. Of the likely 2900 infections, only 9 (0.3%) were bad enough for hospitalization, and only 1 (0.03%) died. How to End the COVID-19 Epidemic in the US. Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin (HCQ + AZ), with optional Zinc, given upon early symptoms, is a cure for COVID-19. This combination is a strong antiviral against the Wuhan coronavirus, quickly reducing the viral load and risk of transmission to other persons. It is a cure both for the treated patient and the epidemic in the country when it adopts this treatment widely, including middle age and young adult population. [...] If a large fraction (30% [to] 70%) of COVID-19 patients receive HCQ-based treatment early and isolate themselves for 5 [to] 7 days (until the viral loads drops to a reasonably safe level), the virus reproduction rate R drops below 1. The number of cases drops exponentially, and the epidemic ends. This has happened in Italy, Spain, and other countries that adopted this treatment when the infection was already widespread. Put structure back into your day: Reclaim your life from the coronavirus. Many people's lives have been turned upside down as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The way we all generally structure our workdays and weeks has suddenly disappeared. In fact, you and I don't know when the old normal structures will return, or even if they will ever return. [...] Being constantly at home with your spouse, kids and pets, combined with a lack of outside social interaction can add up to that familiar upside-down feeling. Moreover, for working parents who are now teleworking, dealing with childcare can create additional problems. If your child is used to you working out of the house, and now, all of a sudden, you are working from home, setting new, if temporary boundaries can prove very helpful and reassuring. Poll: 30% of Christians Have Stopped Attending Church During COVID-19. A third of practising Christians haven't tuned in to online services during the coronavirus pandemic, new research by Barna reveals. Broken down by age, the survey — of adult American Christians — discovered that half of practising Millennials hadn't attended church in the last four weeks. Video: Church Uses Tiny Remote Controlled Truck to Gather Tithes During Pandemic. A church is using tiny remote-controlled cars equipped with money buckts strapped to their roofs in order to collect tithes in a socially-distanced way. The video, [...] show[s] the little RC trucks going from aisle to aisle as money is dropped into the bucket on top. At one point, however, a man tries to give but the little buggy, which is being driven by someone who definitely needs a few lessons, drives off back to the front, leaving him hanging. A test of the CO2 concentration inside a face mask: Bannon Claims Wuhan Lab Employees Have Defected, Are Working With FBI. One day after a report that a respected Chinese virologist fled Hong Kong to accuse Beijing of a COVID cover-up, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon told the Daily Mail that scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other labs have defected to the West and are "turning over evidence" against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for their role in the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed over 560,000 lives worldwide since last December. To Mask or Not to Mask? Medical practitioners wear masks to reduce the chance of infecting open wounds with spittle from their mouths as they talk above their patients and to protect themselves as patients sneeze and cough within a couple feet of their health care providers. Despite the protective equipment, nurses and doctors still catch infections from and give infections to their patients, but properly worn equipment reduces close quarters spread by as much as 75%. Great for the E.R. and ICU, but masks have been mandated to prevent spread from the asymptomatic in the general population, who rarely cough, sneeze, or spit into the faces of others except as a form of assault. If the droplets emitted from coughing and sneezing fall to the ground within six feet, does it make sense that a virus spreads even without masks? A garden hose on mist is good for plants two feet away, but not so good for plants four feet away. Moreover, are the asymptomatic coughing and sneezing at all? 'How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?'. Several states — including Pennsylvania, the site of one of the country's largest outbreaks, as well as Texas, Georgia, and Vermont — are blending the data in the same way. Virginia likewise mixed viral and antibody test results until last week, but it reversed course and the governor apologized for the practice after it was covered by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Atlantic. Maine similarly separated its data on Wednesday; Vermont authorities claimed they didn't even know they were doing this. The widespread use of the practice means that it remains difficult to know exactly how much the country's ability to test people who are actively sick with COVID-19 has improved. "You've got to be kidding me," Ashish Jha, the K. T. Li Professor of Global Health at Harvard and the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told us when we described what the CDC was doing. "How could the CDC make that mistake? This is a mess." Why
Aren't We Outraged? This article will be another expansion on my regular coronavirus updates, which I've posted
regularly in recent weeks. I would think there would be, at very least, a modicum of outrage over the truth versus the
hyperbole being promoted by a corrupt media. Shockingly, there isn't! In spite of the fact the vast majority of
people I talk to, many of them wearing masks because they have to for their jobs, who believe this is all nonsense. Oh,
there are those who are panicked, make no mistake about that, but almost every one of the people I talked to agreed
infectious diseases are a part of life, that people get sick, and people die, and it happens every year, and will happen
every year hereafter. But no one shut down the economy over it. So that bodes well these two questions: COVID Hysteria Is the Disease and It Comes from Dirty Politics. It's frightening how many ordinary people are being sucked into the whirlwind of COVID hysteria. We see it every hour of every day now as a biased media hoping to score points for their favorite pols and against those they hate hype the data on news cases, while ignoring the reality of the deaths and who is most responsible for them. [...] The idea was to "flatten the curve," not eliminate it and if younger people are getting it and survive with few symptoms and contribute to community immunity, isn't that good thing? Of course it is, although there will always be tragic exceptions. That's the case with the flu, too, but we don't go into COVID hysteria over the flu; just the WuFlu. [...] How long will the COVID hysteria continue? As long as the media and politicians arming themselves with it continue to benefit. Sadly, that's a simple fact. The only cure for this disease is to spread the facts, which is the point of this post. It's All About November 3. As we look around at American society today, what do we see? A confusing mélange that seems partly mindless, partly vicious. Our response to the latest Chinese import, the novel coronavirus — what was that? How long will we be in sorting out the petty and sometimes murderous tyrannies enacted by various state governors and other officials? [...] A new, flu-like virus is abroad in the land. The anti-Trump establishment goes to work: How can we blame it on Trump? He shuts down flights from China at the end of January: charge him with being racist and xenophobic. He consults experts. They tell him it is not a serious threat. He goes on television and says that: hysteria! Then he swings into action, mobilizes American manufacturing prowess and turns out more ventilators, protective gear, testing kits, and new therapies than anyone thought possible. The curve flattens. The political weapon that was COVID-19 falters. No problem. Declare a race war! Smash up the storefronts. Censored:
A Review Of Science Relevant To COVID-19 Social Policy And Why Face Masks Don't Work. Masks and respirators do
not work. There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT
studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or
respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles. Furthermore, the relevant known
physics and biology, which I review, are such that masks and respirators should not work. It would be a paradox if
masks and respirators worked, given what we know about viral respiratory diseases: The main transmission path is
long-residence-time aerosol particles Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To The Healthy. Dr. Russell Blaylock warns that not only do face masks fail to protect the healthy from getting sick, but they also create serious health risks to the wearer. The bottom line is that if you are not sick, you should not wear a face mask. As businesses reopen, many are requiring shoppers and employees to wear a face mask. Costco, for instance, will not allow shoppers into the store without wearing a face mask. Many employers are requiring all employees to wear a face mask while at work. In some jurisdictions, all citizens must wear a face mask if they are outside of their own home. How To Read Emergency Orders And Avoid Wearing Face Masks. Every city, county or state that issues a "mandate" to wear face masks and practice social distancing must published it publicly and make it available for you to read. Download it and read it! Don't ever believe what the local media or other individuals say about the mandate, you must read and examine it for yourself. The city of Englewood, Colorado issued an emergency order on March 10, 2020, that required all citizens to wear face masks when outside of their home. The entire emergency order is reproduced below, and the emphasis is added for clarity. The ultimate penalty for not wearing a face mask in Englewood is a fine of up to $2,500 and up to one year in jail. It is not clear if the City Manager just made this up or if it was embedded in the ordinance approved by the City Council. If any court action were ever brought against a citizen, it is highly unlikely that the city would prevail. Heads Need To Roll At The CDC Following The Entire Covid-19 Fiasco. Mr. Trump has been proved right again with another shockingly successful hydroxychloroquine study, done by the Henry Ford Health System and published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. This new explosive study proves the experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been proved wrong — again. Those experts have often said that the drug, typically used for malaria, was useless for the Chinese coronavirus. [...] The new study is additional proof that corruption at the CDC and NIH is deep and wide. That would almost always be true when piles of money in research funds, federal grants, personal gifts, royalties, and patent rights are involved. Interwoven in all this are egos, reputations, and fear of exposure. Even highly educated people lose control when they are threatened with a loss of salary, subsidies, and status. Won't Talk To Contact Tracers? There's A Subpoena For That. Rockland County, New York is ramping up to issue subpoenas to Constitution-minded citizens who tell contact tracers to pound sand. If you don't obey the subpoenas, the court can issue an arrest warrant and the police show up at your door. Those who were actually served with subpoenas didn't have as much backbone as they professed: "County officials said Thursday that after issuing eight subpoenas, all eight people were now cooperating with contact tracers." Misguided left-wing activists have been trying to rid the world of air conditioning for years. This is their latest excuse: Coronavirus: Why everyone was wrong. The coronavirus is slowly retreating. What actually happened in the past few weeks? The experts have missed basic connections. The immune response against the virus is much stronger than we thought. Global Cooling Gives Nightmares To Global Warming Alarmists. Cycles of sun spots are fairly predictable and the current cycle is looking more and more like the Maunder Minimum that created the "Little Ice Age" between 1650 and 1715. The story below is largely propaganda that minimizes the story of impending global cooling. The article also cites Imperial College London, which was directly responsible for the Great Panic of 2020 when it released Professor Neil Ferguson's trashy computer model on the COVID-19 pandemic. With global warming's dead horse, this alarmist crowd needed a new champion to drive the world into their coveted deep transformation, and the coronavirus was the perfect replacement. Hydroxychloroquine lowers Covid-19 death rate, study finds. The anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine helped lower the death rate in Covid-19 patients in the most recent study of the drug conducted by Henry Ford Health System. Cardiologist Dr. William O'Neill, a medical director at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, first spoke with "Full Measure" about the study while it was underway in May. The findings have just been published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The large scale analysis examined 2,541 patients who had been hospitalized in six hospitals between March 10 and May 2, 2020. OPV as Potential Protection Against COVID. Since the 1960s, studies have shown that oral polio vaccine (OPV) may have beneficial non-specific effects, reducing morbidity and mortality from other infections than polio. Such beneficial non-specific effect have been observed for other live vaccines, including measles, smallpox and BCG vaccine. For BCG, the vaccine for which the mechanism has been studied the most, the effects appear to be mediated through the innate immune system. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has now caused over 7.1 million cases and >400,000 deaths worldwide. As everywhere else, it is anticipated that in Africa the older part of the population will be at risk of severe COVID-19. MSNBC Evening Shows Gave 137 Mins to Expert Who Said He Had Coronavirus (He Didn't). For almost two months in his Fourth Watch newsletter, the indispensable Steve Krakauer has been chronicling the strange case of MSNBC/NBC medical and science contributor Joseph Fair, who had claimed in May that he not only contracted the virus, but was hospitalized. Even worse yet, he surmised he contracted it through his eyes on a flight. But as Krakauer's reporting showed, it was all a lie as Fair "had at least five negative coronavirus tests" and tested negative for COVID-19 antibodies. MSNBC and NBC predictably kept their heads in the sand despite this breach of journalistic ethics and peddling of bona fide fake news. NBC News Spent Weeks Reporting On A Contributor's Journey Battling Coronavirus — But He Never Had It. NBC News spent weeks documenting its science contributor's battle with COVID-19, but now he admits that he never tested positive for it. Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist, believed he had the virus and appeared on air numerous times to discuss his struggle with illness in May and June. On Tuesday, Fair admitted that he tested negative for the virus multiple times but had originally believed he had it regardless. Fair also tested negative upon taking an antibody test. NBC Contributor Reveals He Never Had Coronavirus After Network Documented His Recovery. An NBC medical expert who was brought on air nearly a dozen times to detail his struggle with COVID-19 never had the virus, he revealed this week. After believing he had the coronavirus in spite of getting negative tests, virologist and NBC News science contributor Dr. Joseph Fair tweeted Tuesday [7/7/2020] that he had tested negative for the antibodies and that the illness that hospitalized him in May "remains an undiagnosed mystery." It Would Appear NBC Buried Some Key Details About Their Medical Expert's 'Coronavirus Battle'. For two weeks, not really a lot of COVID coverage and when the rioting began to subside, we needed to get back inside. Yeah, not happening. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the most insufferable clowns in office, issued an edict banning large crowd gatherings unless you're protesting in support of Black Lives Matter. They don't even hide their hypocrisy anymore. Well, over at NBC News, there was something they tried to hide as well regarding COVID, which is that one of their contributors who they peddled as having the virus... never had it. Former CNN producer Steve Krakauer touched upon this, noting that the network appeared to just ignore that Dr. Joseph Fair had five negative tests regarding COVID. Oh, and it gets worse, Fair had scores of interviews because he was the man who "recovered" from the virus. He never had it. Either this is willful deception or just an epic screw-up. If it's the former, then welcome to the fake news hall of fame. America Can't Take Another Lockdown. Protect The Vulnerable And Carry On. [Scroll down] As I read what is left of our newspapers and consult online sources — all with an eye to the current epidemic — it's striking how nearly everything I read is noise, not news. Take the supposed surge in coronavirus cases. Does it matter? I think not. To begin with, what is being reported is the number of newly diagnosed cases. We are rarely told this, but much of this has to do with the increased prevalence of testing. It does not mean that the virus is spreading with alarming rapidity. What it really tells us is that the journalists and their editors are doing a fairly poor job assessing the significance of what they report. This means they do the general public a disservice. The most revealing metric, the one that genuinely matters, is the fatality rate. While deaths from COVID-19 are not down in every state, deaths are down nationally. [...] But on one question there is professional consensus: the spread of the coronavirus cannot be stopped. Data suggest Florida's record-breaking coronavirus days may have been inflated by as much as 30%. Florida health officials appear to have inflated recent record coronavirus case numbers there by as much as 30%, according to an analysis of data released by the state's Department of Health. U.S. health officials have been warning for several weeks that COVID-19 case trends in Florida are pointing to a possible looming catastrophe as the state records ever-increasing numbers of the disease. After several months of flat infection rates, positive case results in Florida began rising slowly in mid-June before beginning a steep climb near the end of the month. Deaths in the state have remained largely flat over that time period, leaving experts struggling to explain why surging case rates have not resulted in an uptick in mortality. One possibility, according to data provided by the state itself, is that the new case numbers regularly posted by Florida health officials have been significantly inflated in recent weeks. Phoenix Mayor Lied About Morgues Bringing In 'Refrigerator Trucks' To Store Overflow COVID Bodies. As the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Maricopa County climbed to new highs late this week, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego appeared on MSNBC Friday morning for an interview with Chuck Todd and Katy Tur to discuss the situation in the state, which has moved to close bars, and rollback other reopening measures to combat the outbreak. During the interview, Gallego claimed that the county's public health agency had just put in an order for refrigerated trucks because they were running out of space in the morgue. Hours later, as the mayor's comments started proliferating through the media, representatives for the hospital system called and complained that the mayor's comment wasn't true, despite the fact that she made the claim -- seemingly with a high degree of certainty — on a popular cable new show. Texas Republicans sue Gov. Abbott over ongoing coronavirus restrictions amid minuscule death rate. Republicans in Texas have filed a number of lawsuits while sanctioning GOP Gov. Greg Abbott after he reimposed restrictions on businesses and other sectors of the economy after coronavirus cases reignited across the state. The suits come as critics of Abbott's actions note that despite major increases in the number of coronavirus positives across the state, the vast majority of them involve patients who are asymptomatic or suffering mild conditions. They also note that the coronavirus death rate in Texas is remarkably low. A suit filed last week in Travis County District Court by Houston GOP activist Steven Hotze, former Republican state Rep. Rick Green, former chair of the Republican Party of Texas Cathie Adams and two Houston business owners argue that Abbott's orders, as well as the law that gave him the authority to issue them, violate the state constitution. Why In-Person Schooling Would Be One of the Safest Activities to Reopen. Most students around the country haven't been to school since March, when large parts of the country began to lock down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the data increasingly suggests that reopening schools entails the least risks and should be a goal of every level of government. The early hope was that the closures would be temporary, such as Michigan's school-closure order that was originally meant to end in April — but that was extended for the rest of the school year. Now, with the 2020-2021 school year fast approaching, what do we do about schools? Man arrested after allegedly pointing gun at Walgreens customer for not wearing a mask. A Boston man has been arrested after police said he pointed a gun at a man in a parking lot for not wearing a face covering inside a store. Todd Goulston, 59, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace for allegedly aiming a gun at a man who did not wear a face mask inside a Walgreens despite a statewide coronavirus mask order, according to the Boston Herald. [...] Ghoulston's license to carry a firearm and the firearms he kept in his home were seized by police. Security guard charged with murder after fighting man who refused to wear a mask. A security guard at a Southern California market fatally shot a man who refused to wear a mask, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors said that Umeir Corniche Hawkins, 38, was charged with murder in the death of Jerry Lewis, 50, according to the district attorney. Lewis entered the undisclosed market without a mask on July 5 and he and Hawkins got into an argument, officials said. Up to 8,000 California inmates could be released early to stop crowding at prisons during COVID-19. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced (CDCR) announced new programs that will allow for the early release of up to 8,000 inmates by the end of August to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as outbreaks continue to flare up across the state prison system. "These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff," Ralph Diaz, Secretary for the CDCR, said in a press release on Friday. "We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety." Head of Emergency Management Says Texans Should Wear Masks Inside Their Own Homes. The head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management gave an interview in which he said that people should wear masks inside their own homes in order to stop the spread of coronavirus. Appearing on Fox News at Nine, Chief Nim Kidd insisted that people should wear masks indoors if they have potentially exposed themselves to the virus by being outside. "We still need people to wear the mask out in public, we still need people to keep social distance and isolation," Kidd said. "Ryan, the one thing I want to try to get across today is we need to do that when we're in our homes also." [...] If health authorities are now moving towards patrolling behavior inside the confines of private property due to COVID-19 hysteria, how far away are mandatory vaccinations? As we have previously highlighted, the media is continuing to peddle alarmist hysteria by hyping rising coronavirus cases, despite the fact that the death rate has been consistently falling for over two months across the country. DNC Platform Proposal: Flood the U.S. with Migrants. Tens of millions of Americans are, at present, unemployed. Tens of millions of Americans are unemployed because of an artificial economic shutdown due to the coronavirus. They're not out of work because the American economy failed them. They're out of work because government leadership failed them. There was never any need to shut down. There was no need to destroy the world's number-one economy. But they did it. Fauci Is a Deep State Fraud. I knew for sure that Anthony Fauci is a fraud after listening to him for about 10 seconds — as anyone who listens carefully would have known as well. [...] A reporter asked Fauci if he agreed with Trump that the Chinese have not been fully forthcoming about the scope of the pandemic. Fauci answered that although the Chinese had lacked candor in previous years, this time they had turned over "the sequence of the virus." Spoken like a wily swamp reptile! His words were factually correct. The Chinese had turned over all they knew about the virus's "sequence" — namely, its genetic structure. But the reporter and the audience neither knew nor cared about that. They were interested in the Chinese government's misrepresentations of the virus's contagion, fatality rate, and so forth. That is what they had dissembled and lied about. A Nightmare Campaign of Outright Idiocy. As we get into high summer, there must be a very large number of Americans now actively considering whether the country is going mad. [...] Fatalities from the coronavirus have declined by nearly 90 percent and evidence has piled up in nearly 40 million coronavirus tests that large numbers of healthy Americans have contracted the disease and had no or minimal symptoms. This progressively immunizes the public from it, yet in a barefaced attempt to prolong economic miseries and public hysteria, the Democrats uniformly agitate for a resumed economic shutdown. America Needs To Stop Reacting To Coronavirus Like A Bunch Of Hysterics. America is in an epic battle with the Wuhan coronavirus. It's not fun. It's been messing with us. It behaves oddly. But Americans should want America to win. Instead, it seems like a lot of our media and other institutions are rooting for the virus and have an attitude suggesting the virus has us dead to rights. See, for example, "Georgia's experiment in human sacrifice." One of the ways the media root for the virus is by hyping it like they hype local sports teams. It's not that it's not a horrifically deadly and contagious virus — it is. But the media routinely amplify its actual risk by many multiples. What we know about the virus is that it is particularly bad for older Americans and those in long-term care. It's no fun for the younger folks who have gotten it, but it's far less deadly for them. Children are more likely to die from a flu infection than a coronavirus infection. The country is seeing a small uptick in cases, centered around a few major cities. That's true and concerning, but it need not be hysteria-inducing. Some areas of New York City may have reached a 68% coronavirus immunity rate. Some areas of New York City have recorded a nearly 70% rate of immunity to the novel coronavirus, in what scientists are calling a "stunning" finding. Sixty-right percent of those tested for coronavirus antibodies in the Corona neighborhood of Queens received positive results, while a neighboring clinic saw results of 56%. The findings suggest that percentage of people have already contracted the virus and at least some among them could, as a result, be immune to a second wave. Michiganders required to wear masks in indoor public spaces or face $500 fine, Whitmer order says. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Friday requiring people to wear masks when they are in an indoor public space and in crowded outdoor spaces. The order requires any business that is open to the public to refuse entry or service to people who aren't wearing a face covering, with limited exceptions. Governors in Kansas, Maine, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Washington have imposed similar requirements on businesses, a news release from the governor's office said. Press Now Plumbs Its Own Depths Of Depravity. [Scroll down] In the same spirit, the national political press have simply dismissed the administration's view of the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis. The fact that weekly fatalities have descended by nearly 90% in two months is never mentioned. Also rarely mentioned are the facts that large increases in detected coronavirus cases have occurred because almost 40 million Americans have now been tested and most of these new discoveries are cures, and that a large number of healthy people have contracted the virus with no or minimal symptoms as the country has reopened and are essentially progress towards the general immunization of the country, as second infections are rare and comparatively resistible. The failure of the administration's COVID-19 policy has been enthroned as conventional wisdom despite these contrary facts. Maryland man may be first person successfully vaccinated against COVID-19. A Maryland man believes he may be one of the first people to be successfully vaccinated against the coronavirus after participating in a trial that has reported promising early results in producing antibodies, according to reports. David Rach, a graduate immunology student, was the first person to be injected in the trial at the University of Maryland in May, where US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech are working together in the global race to create a vaccine, the Daily Mail reports. Now, early indications show the vaccine is working by stimulating the growth of antibodies at rates equal or higher to those who have the illness, according to WJLA. NBC Guest Doctor Who Was Suffering from Coronavirus in Hospital in TV Interviews — Never Had Coronavirus!. Dr. Joseph Fair appeared on NBC and the Today Show nearly a dozen times in May during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Dr. Fair appeared in a hospital bed fighting off the disease with oxygen tubes in his nose when he appeared on NBC. In one segment Dr. Joseph Fair told the Today hosts, "If it can take me down, it can take anybody." NBC Science Contributor Who Reported About Having Coronavirus Admits He Never Had It. NBC and MSNBC science contributor Dr. Joseph Fair documented his battle with coronavirus — until admitting he did not actually have it after all. The Daily Caller reported Friday: "Dr. Joseph Fair, a virologist, believed he had the virus and appeared on air numerous times to discuss his struggle with illness in May and June. On Tuesday [7/7/2020], Fair admitted that he tested negative for the virus multiple times but had originally believed he had it regardless. Fair also tested negative upon taking an antibody test." Fair's timeline on Twitter documents his journey over the past two months, from announcing that he had "come down with COVID" on May 13, to revealing on July 7 that he had not. Atlanta Mayor: Okay, Now That I Have The Virus, Everyone Has To Wear Masks. As we learned over the holiday weekend, Atlanta Mayor (and potential Biden running mate) Keisha Lance Bottoms has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Her husband has tested positive as well. While she reportedly remains asymptomatic, she maintains that she has "no idea" where or when she could have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. As I asked at the time, is it possible she might not have contracted the disease if she'd worn a mask more often? Perhaps she's taken that possibility to heart because it was announced this week that she was signing an order to make masks mandatory in her city. And yesterday [7/8/2020] she did just that. Texas Republican convention in Houston canceled; Montgomery County judge offers to host. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday, July 8, that Houston First agreed to his request to cancel the upcoming state Republican convention. The convention was expected to bring some 6,000 delegates to the George R. Brown Convention Center from July 16-18. "Houston is a hotspot in a global pandemic, and we cannot have thousands of people gathering at GRB," Turner said. "This convention is not moving forward because of the public health risk it poses." "Mayor Turner's hypocritical flip flop on public gatherings is a political stunt," Harris County GOP Chairman Paul Simpson said. "While he joined in massive marches in the streets last month, he has now blocked Republican grassroots activists from peaceably assembling even under the most stringent health safeguards." The mayor said Houston First's contract with the state GOP included the right to cancel during a health crisis and said the decision had nothing to do with politics. The Editor says... Also posted under obstructionism. Dan Bongino Vows To Defy Mask Order. Conservative radio host Dan Bongino vowed to defy officials who passed a mandatory mask order this week in his county of residence. "You can take your mask mandate and shove it [...]," Bongino said Wednesday on "The Dan Bongino Show," a shot across the bow to Martin County, Florida commissioners who voted 5-0 to pass the ordinance after a lengthy Tuesday meeting that saw most residents in attendance opposing the mandate. "They have no authority to do this," the former policeman and Secret Service agent said. "These people are just fabricating new tyrannical powers drunk on their own power." The Press Is Already Trying To Whip Up A New Pandemic Panic. Oh, no! With the planet still unlocking and some parts still tightly buttoned down, and with the world economy plummeting, "China Researchers Discover New Swine Flu with 'Pandemic Potential,'" blares CNN. "Scientists Say New Strain of Swine Flu Virus Is Spreading to Humans in China," shrieks the New York Times. Say it ain't so! Okay, it ain't so. Not in any meaningful way. The media should go back to "murder hornets," or find another asteroid with a chance in a zillion of hitting Earth. Yakima Mayor donates to legal expense fund for Selah gym fined by state. The city of Yakima's mayor has donated to a GoFundMe account for legal expenses for Anytime Fitness in Selah, the first business in Washington to be fined by the state for violating "Safe Start" mandates. Yakima Mayor Patricia Byers donated $10 to the account, which has raised $9,680 over the past five days from more than 150 donors. The state's "Safe Start" program does not allow gyms to reopen until Phase 3. Yakima County recently moved to Phase 1.5. First-hand account of Chinese COVID-19 censorship underscores just how much our media failed us. It was obvious in March, back when members of the free press first began to praise China for supposedly defeating the coronavirus pandemic, that many journalists and commentators were parroting literal Chinese Communist Party propaganda. [...] "We were all familiar with China's growing censorship and had avoided using words and phrases that the Chinese government didn't like," writes freelance journalist Tracy Wen Liu, "but we fell victim to an expanding system anyway. ... A wave of new censorship has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, most of it focused on covering up the stories around COVID-19 itself." "To Those Who Cheer Against Hydroxychloroquine — I Regret to Inform You I Am Doing Well" — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. On Tuesday [7/7/2020] Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced he had tested positive for coronavirus. In early April Jair Bolsonaro urged residents to keep the economy going despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. [...] On Wednesday President Bolsonaro shared some excellent news and took a swipe at his socialist critics by tweeting out that he is doing very well with the hydroxychloroquine treatment. COVID Deaths Plummet, But the So-Called News Remains Negative. Now, let's get into some COVID-19 news and, folks, are you asking yourself what of any of this is true and what isn't? It's almost like the tale of two viruses. We have an entire group of stories that are about how much worse the virus is. "[...] It's worse than we thought. We haven't even gotten to the second wave. Dr. Fauci says, Dr. Fauci says, Dr. Fauci says." Whatever Dr. Fauci says, it gets amplified. We are told how so many more people are getting it. The number of cases is skyrocketing, but then deaths are down. We demonstrated this yesterday. The number of deaths associated with COVID-19 are way down. It's why they're not being reported. The game here is to scare you into siding up with a new lockdown. They want you to hear all these brand-new numbers of cases as deaths. But deaths are down. The curve was flattened. This Doctor/GOP State Senator Faces Investigation for COVID-19 'Misinformation' 'Recklessness'. Minnesota State Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Carver County), a doctor who was named the Family Physician of the Year in 2016, now faces an investigation for alleged "misinformation" and "recklessness" in his public statements about the coronavirus pandemic. The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice is investigating him for warning that coronavirus deaths may be inflated due to financial incentives to put "COVID-19" on death certificates and for comparing COVID-19 to the common flu. CDC: Official U.S. COVID Death Count Has Plunged 88% Since Mid-April. The number of deaths involving COVID-19 in the United States peaked at 16,394 in the week ending on April 18, 2020, according to the provisional COVID-19 death counts published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By the week ending on June 20, deaths involving COVID-19 had dropped to 2,287 — a decline of 86 percent from the peak of 16,394. The media says hospitals are out of beds, but here is the real story. [Scroll down] In a recent report by Miami-Dade, it shows that they have a capacity of 434 ICU beds typically. The other interesting number is that they can convert 532 additional beds to ICU beds if needed. So the media would have you to believe that they are entirely out of ICU beds, but that's simply not the case. Yes, this is a strain on the healthcare system. Yes, the virus has spread much more than previous, but we need to be honest, we knew it would. In every instance of guidance that was given by the CDC, the information was clear. Extreme measures would only slow the spread of the virus. Every safety precaution that is taken only attempts to slow the spread; it does not stop the spread. Many states and the media are pushing the initiative that wearing masks and handwashing will stop the spread of coronavirus. The truth is, it cannot stop the virus. There is not a magic fabric or chemical in hand sanitizer that prevents it. We can only try to contain it. This is where the mainstream media and many state health leaders have continued to mislead the American people. Because of widespread testing... The Editor says... This Is How the Media Lies to the American People: The Carsyn Leigh Davis Coronavirus Story. We really are at a point in America that you can no longer trust the mainstream media on even the most basic reporting. They will always put their personal spin on a story to sway your thinking. Florida teenager Carsyn Leigh Davis died on June 23rd in Fort Myers, Florida from "complications from coronavirus." [...] This is the latest example of the panic porn promoted by the liberal mainstream media. What the media is hiding from the public in their headline is that Carsyn battled cancer and suffered from an auto-immune disease. Her parents gave Carsyn hydroxychloroquine but the 17-year-old succumbed to the disease anyway. It's not until you read into the reporting that you find out about Carsyn's battle with disease. The headlines were specifically written to make you feel that teens are at great risk. They're not. Trump, in push to reopen schools amid coronavirus outbreak, vows 'pressure' on governors. President Trump, at a White House event Tuesday with first lady Melania Trump, said his administration would "very much put pressure" on governors to reopen their states' schools in the fall amid the coronavirus outbreak. "We don't want people to make political statements or do it for political reasons, they think it's gonna be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed, no way," Trump said after noting that the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced plans to reopen schools in that state starting in August. "So, we are very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools." Dallas County Judge Asks Governor to Close Restaurant Dining Rooms. As COVID-19 infections soar across Dallas and Tarrant counties, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has asked Gov. Greg Abbott to close bowling alleys, gyms and restaurant dining rooms. "If the governor says, 'let's leave the restaurants open for another week or two and let's just see what happens,' well, we know what will happen," Jenkins said. "We don't even have that luxury anymore. This thing has gotten so out of control." The Editor says... No, Gov. Cuomo, New York's nursing home carnage is your fault. Another day, another scapegoat. Or two. For months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been desperate to find somebody, anybody, to blame for the nursing-home carnage he helped to cause. The list of those he blamed was blasphemous — it started with God. It was ludicrous when he later aimed at President Trump and The [New York] Post. His latest bid is simply scandalous. Cuomo has the nerve to blame grieving family members and heroic nursing-home staffers, charging they were the ones who infected and killed as many 12,000 elderly and helpless residents. Desperation is no excuse. This is shamelessness on stilts. And it is heartlessly cruel to blame the victims.
The Editor says... COVID and the CDC. Some have rightly noted the double standard shown by numerous public health officials and politicians regarding "social distancing." Were public health officials indicating that COVID-19 is not as dangerous as originally stated by their apparent approval of rioting throughout America? Multiple statistics can be provided here to answer the question and show that SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is not the "threat to all Americans" that it has been made out to be. One need not be an epidemiologist to arrive at this conclusion. [...] One should not trivialize life and death; this article is not making light of those deaths. Instead, it is merely evaluating the statistics from the standpoint of the CDC's severity criteria to make the point that SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 are not as severe as many have stated. Know Your Enemy: Undeniable Truths About the Left. [Scroll down] Leftist governors and mayors have gone full communist under the guise of safety in their removal of freedoms during the Wuhan virus lockdowns. Think about the three areas the left focused upon. They went after our right to peaceably assemble, our free exercise of religion, and our right to free speech. The left went after our right to peaceably gather by limiting the number of people we could congregate with and initiating social distancing. Next, they impeded our free exercise of religion by deeming churches as non-essential and forbidding us from gathering for church services; even if they were drive-thru services. Finally, free speech was attacked when leftist social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter censored any posts or tweets that went against the COVID-19 media narrative. Not dying is bad for headlines. As the bumpy COVID-19 path back to normalcy bounces along, you would never know that we were headed in the right direction. Teasers on television and headlines in newspapers report a "surge" in new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations. The teasers and headlines fail to mention that the most important measure of our progress in getting ahead of the virus is the number of deaths recorded. The fact that the rate of fatalities to infection is very low now is seldom if ever mentioned. [...] The CDC data show that as of July 1, 2020, death in people younger than 25 is less than 170 out of a total of 120,000. It is almost non-pronounceable to state a fatality rate — too many zeros after the decimal point. My point is this: if you are young and healthy, you have nothing to fear from the coronavirus except the fear-mongering from the media. NYT wonders: Say, maybe cheering the BLM protests has undermined epidemiologists' COVID-19 credibility. This flash from the Paper of Record only surprises to the extent that the New York Times covered this issue at all. "Are protests unsafe?" their headline asks, and then adds, "What experts say may depend on who's protesting what." [...] The shutdown protests usually involved dozens of people, sometimes hundreds, with inconsistent-at-best distancing and masking practices. They were also generally one-off events, with Michigan being the most obvious exception. The protests that followed the Floyd homicide, on the other hand, have been continuous, involve thousands if not tens of thousands of people, and have zero distancing and a middling use of masks. If the lockdown protests were a crisis for future spikes, then so are the Floyd protests. The latter would be higher risk because of their size, density, and the length of time. So why aren't epidemiologists warning about them?
The Media Outright Lied About Hydroxychloroquine Just to Destroy Trump. The media has spent the last four months outright lying about the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine just to destroy President Donald Trump. Washington D.C. journalist Drew Holden recently took the time to compile a large number of stories built entirely on lies pushed by the left-wing media. Holden jumped to his Twitter account with an amazing thread that has to be seen to see the lies spread by our sold-out, anti-American media. A Second Wave of Stupidity. First we were warned about an exponential increase. Cases were doubling and tripling in as many days. Soon millions would be sick and dying. Then we were warned of rising deaths, even though many of these deaths had other causes. We were told to flatten the curve. We needed to stay home. We should not wear masks. Then we should wear masks. The whole experience has been dizzying. The media and experts then began selling tests as the key. [...] Most people have not been tested. People with mild symptoms do not run to the doctor for tests, nor do the asymptomatic. Thus, millions of people only minimally impacted by the coronavirus are not ending up on the radar of the health authorities. Minn. physician, lawmaker under investigation by the Board of Medical Practices for his comments regarding COVID-19. A Minnesota physician and lawmaker is under investigation by the Board of Medical Practices for his comments regarding COVID-19. In a Facebook video Senator Scott Jensen (R-Chaska) said that he was notified by the state Board of Medical Practices that he is under investigation for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding death certificates in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also say that he provided reckless advice as a physician by comparing COVID-19 to the flu. Jensen has accused the state of inflating the number of deaths from COVID-19[.] The Editor says... Dems and Media to Blame for Countless COVID-19 Deaths After Anti-Hydroxychloroquine Hysteria. Last week, a new peer-reviewed study of hydroxychloroquine's effectiveness at treating the coronavirus was published, and it found that the drug significantly reduced mortality rates. And by significantly, I mean it literally cut the mortality rate by more than half. The study also determined that despite previous reports, there were no adverse effects on the heart. President Trump has been touting hydroxychloroquine as a potential game-changer since mid-March after small studies showed it potentially served as an effective treatment for coronavirus patients. How Joe Biden's Health Plan Would Stiff Coronavirus Patients. Given the dramatic impacts of coronavirus on our daily lives — killing tens of thousands and shutting down hundreds of thousands of businesses — most Americans would find it unthinkable to deny patients access to COVID-19 treatments on the grounds of cost. But that is just what presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden proposes to do. It is simply the latest in a long string of examples of how the left's support for centralized health care will harm patients and the economy. Gilead Sciences recently announced pricing plans for its new coronavirus treatment named remdesivir. It set the price for the drug at $3,120 for a five-day course of treatment; government payers will pay roughly one-third less than that ($2,340), in another case of individuals with private insurance subsidizing those on Medicare and Medicaid. CDC: After 10-Week Decline In COVID-19 Deaths, It May Soon No Longer Be An Epidemic. The United States now has so few deaths due to COVID-19 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday it is approaching the threshold for dipping below the level of an epidemic. The CDC defines an epidemic as an outbreak from which the number of deaths per week exceeds a given percentage of total deaths within the nation. The number of deaths from COVID-19 has steadily declined since hitting its peak in early May after it began spiking in the second week in March. Can We be Allowed to be Adults, Please? Our states' Governors have decided that executive orders allow them to become little kings, in some cases little tyrants, in their respective states making law by fiat without the legislature's consent. Worse, the legislatures have decided that is just fine with them and we complied without any resistance. There seems to be no limit to the executive powers that governors can take for themselves. All of this is done in the name of "protecting" us from a virus. [...] The early fears about the virus have been steadily proven to be wrong. An overwhelming majority of people who get the virus recover. The mortality rate has been steadily going down as more testing has been conducted and now sits at lower than 1% which is not any worse than other seasonal diseases we've already dealt with. The truly vulnerable can take precautions, they can stay at home they can wear a mask, they can avoid large gatherings. The one thing they shouldn't have the right to do is expect the rest of the world to stop living in a vain attempt to protect them. Even if we did, they aren't going to be protected. About
All These "New" Positive COVID Cases — State Health Departments Manipulating Data, Changing
Definitions. This is very interesting. The document described in the video below is available HERE.
Research into state health regulations by Fog City Midge shows that new guidance for the definition of COVID-19
positive infections is likely the biggest background cause in a dramatic upswing in positive test
results. [Video clip] This revelation would explain exactly why those who construct the reporting
systems are pushing so hard for contact tracing. According to the new guidance anyone who comes into contact
with a person who tests positive is now also considered positive. Nice convenient way to inflate the infection rate.
[...] In order to support the most important political objectives of the DNC writ large in the 2020 election, COVID-19 hype
is essential: Texas' coronavirus hospitalizations hit new daily high as overall cases slip. A record 8,181 Texans with the coronavirus were hospitalized Sunday, a new daily high as overall cases slipped during the coronavirus pandemic. Texas reported 3,449 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, after a record high of 8,258 Saturday [7/4/2020]. State health officials also reported 29 additional deaths, bringing the totals to 2,637 deaths and 195,239 confirmed cases. Ector County GOP censures Abbott over executive power amid coronavirus, state Sen. Charles Perry calls for special session. The Ector County Republican Party voted Saturday to censure Gov. Greg Abbott, accusing him of overstepping his authority in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, while state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, called for a special session so lawmakers could have a say in how Texas proceeds amid soaring caseloads. The party executive committee in Ector County, home to Odessa, passed the censure resolution 10-1, with one abstention and three voting members who were not present, according to the chairperson, Tisha Crow. She said she was among those who supported the resolution, which accuses Abbott of violating five party principles related to his exercise of executive power during the pandemic. We've all turned from normal humans into muzzled masochists. When this madness began, I behaved as if a new and fanatical religion was spreading among us. Be polite and tolerant, I thought. It may be crazy and damaging but in time it will go away. Now it is clear that a new faith, based on fear of the invisible and quite immune to reason, has all but taken over the country. And it turns out to be one of those faiths that doesn't have much tolerance for those who don't share it. My guess is that about 85 percent of the population now worship it and will continue to do so. The rest of us are, as each day goes by, a persecuted minority, forced to go along with beliefs we do not hold. Its evangelists will not leave you and me alone, but constantly seek to force us to join. This is why I make such a fuss about the demand to make us all wear muzzles. This is not about health. There is simply not enough evidence to compel us to do so. It is an attempt to force submission on Covid unbelievers. That is why it spreads, despite the absence of any good case for it. In a creepy development, one of the most powerful scientific papers arguing against it, Why Face Masks Don't Work: A Revealing Review, last week suddenly vanished from its usual place on the internet (I still have a copy and you may read it here. Why Face Masks Don't Work: A Revealing Review. [Scroll down] Cloth or cotton gauze masks have been used since the late 19th century to protect sterile fields from spit and mucous generated by the wearer. A secondary function was to protect the mouth and nose of the wearer from the sprays and splashes of blood and body fluids created during surgery. As noted above, in the early 20th century masks were used to trap infectious "droplets" expelled by the wearer thus possibly reducing disease transmission to others. Since the mid-20th century until today, face masks have been increasingly used for entirely the opposite function: that is to prevent the wearer from inhaling respiratory pathogens. Indeed, most current dental infection control recommendations insist that a face mask be worn, "as a key component of personal protection against airborne pathogens". Literature reviews have confirmed that wearing a mask during surgery has no impact whatsoever on wound infection rates during clean surgery. A recent 2014 report states categorically that no clinical trials have ever shown that wearing a mask prevents contamination of surgical sites. With their original purpose being highly questionable it should be no surprise that the ability of face masks to act as respiratory protective devices is now the subject of intense scrutiny. Fauci omits context, feeds alarm with warning of 100,000 coronavirus infections a day. Dr. Anthony Fauci testified before the Senate this week that the United States could soon see as many as 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day, feeding alarmist narratives that have spread rapidly through the media: Surging COVID-19 infections, hospital systems under strain, and the prospect of a "second wave" of the virus potentially throwing much of the nation back into open-ended lockdowns. Yet estimates cited by other U.S. public health authorities and academic researchers indicate we may have already far surpassed 100,000 new infections per day, the vast majority of them mild and/or asymptomatic. If so, the U.S. would now be significantly closer to herd immunity — and the end of the pandemic — than widely assumed. Yet another stunning revelation about the true origin of COVID-19. In 2013, Zheng-Li Shi, the "bat woman," and her team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were asked to investigate the virus profile of a mine shaft in Yunnan Province after six miners contracted pneumonia with symptoms similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). After sampling the mine shaft for a year, the researchers identified a diverse group of bat coronaviruses, one of which was designated RaBtCoV/4991 (GenBank KP876546) and partially sequenced as a 440-base pair fragment targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRp). Despite being unique enough to be considered a new strain and associated with a human SARS-like outbreak as a Potential Pandemic Pathogen, thereafter, RaBtCoV/4991 disappeared from the scientific literature. That is, until 2020. Tracing the origins: COVID-19 is not naturally-occurring. According to the Wall Street Journal, China has now backed away from its claim that the COVID-19 outbreak originated in the Wuhan Seafood Market through transmission from animals to humans. Since the onset of the pandemic, China has flooded the scientific literature with that claim, but now has been forced to admit that it is false. The search for the truth has been hampered by the global media, which have been eagerly and uncritically regurgitating the Chinese Communist Party's narrative that COVID-19 is naturally-occurring. That is, while circulating in animals, a bat coronavirus mutated, perhaps through another intermediate animal host, acquiring the ability to infect humans, presumably workers in the market. That argument was never scientifically viable. An Industry of Untruth. Unfortunately few in authority have been more wrong, and yet more self-righteously wrong, than the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci. Given his long service as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and his stature during the AIDS crisis, he has rightly been held up by the media as the gold standard of coronavirus information. The media has constructed Fauci as a constant corrective of Trump's supposed "lies" about the utility of travel bans, analogies with a bad flu year, and logical endorsement of hydroxychloroquine as a "what do you have to lose" possible therapy. But the omnipresent Fauci himself unfortunately has now lost credibility. The reason is that he has offered authoritative advice about facts, which either were not known or could not have been known at the time of his declarations. Since January, Fauci has variously advised the nation both that the coronavirus probably was unlikely to cause a major health crisis in the United States and later that it might yet kill 240,000 Americans. It is not a game. FDA commissioner 'concerned' quarter of Americans could reject coronavirus vaccine. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said it was "concerning" that a new survey found more than a quarter of adults would "definitely" or "probably" not accept a free coronavirus vaccine. During a discussion about the possible timetable for developing a vaccine, Hahn was asked what happens if all of those people refuse. "It is a sizable number. And it is concerning. And, of course, the issue of vaccines in this country has been around for a number of years," he said on ABC News' "This Week." The Editor says... America Must Hold the Corrupt News Media Accountable in Order to Survive. [Doctor] Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is closely tied into and receives support from those same pharmaceutical manufacturers. Those Pharma companies essentially serve as NIAID's lobby before congress, which helps to explain why a government institute that has consistently failed in its mission sports a $5 billion budget. Oh. HCQ is cheap, it is widely available and it has been used for decades mainly as a malaria treatment all over the world. There is no money to be made from HCQ. For the corrupt, corporate news media, the motive initially seems less clear. That is, until you get to the next commercial break and suffer through yet another 90-second ad for some new drug with a mysterious name that was made up by a million dollar consultant. This drug won't cure you — because, hey, there's no money in curing you — but it will dampen your symptoms at a very high price if you take it every day for the rest of your life. The Editor says... How many people died because mainstream media panned Hydroxychloroquine? President Trump was right. Even CNN and other Trump-hating mainstream media outlets had to admit this morning that an encouraging comprehensive study has shown Hydroxychloroquine as part of COVID-19 treatment saved lives. Granted, CNN is already trying to spin their way out of the news, but the cat is mostly out of the bag. What President Trump said may be effective, many in mainstream media said was dangerous. What President Trump took himself as a preventative, some in mainstream media said could kill people. The President was right. The media talking heads were wrong. Now, we have to ask the morbid but important question: How many people died as a result of mainstream media's Trump Derangement Syndrome? Fascist Fauci makes political decision, not practical or medical ones. People have generally been wearing masks in public for months and now there's a "surge" in cases. That surge is coming from more testing, of course, but facts aren't stopping the authoritarians such as Fauci from forcing more lockdowns and demanding everyone wear masks in public at all times. It's all a big contradiction. It's all a big con. We cannot trust Fauci. Not one bit. He makes decisions based on what's best for him, whether professionally or financially. This guy needs to be out of the White House and back to his real talent of making money off patents. Media Get Absolutely Exposed In Epic Thread On Their Hydroxychloroquine Bias. Last last week, a study came out that posited to show what anyone paying attention already knew. Namely, that the drug hydroxychloroquine does appear to help coronavirus patients when taken early in the infection in conjunction with other drugs. You would think such information would be relatively uncontroversial. Anything that helps people recover from the virus should be welcome news. But because Donald Trump touted the drug early on, mostly in April, the media have spent months trashing it and feverishly reporting on flawed studies that claim the drug not only doesn't work, but that it kills people. In fact, you'd think hydroxychloroquine was one of the most dangerous drugs on earth, not a drug that's been around for decades and used to treat a variety of illnesses. [...] Needless to say, hydroxychloroquine has been ridiculously politicized by a media that is obsessed with sniping at Trump. In the end, it probably cost people their lives. Mark Levin: 'Lying media' should apologize after study finds hydroxychloroquine helped coronavirus patients. Conservative commentator Mark Levin lashed out at the media after a study found a controversial anti-malarial drug may have helped coronavirus patients recover. Levin, a staunch ally of President Trump, argued that this was evidence that newsrooms were in the wrong to dedicate critical coverage of the commander in chief for touting hydroxychloroquine. "The disgusting, lying media fought the president tooth and nail for months telling us this drug was deadly," Levin tweeted Saturday morning. "Every damn newsroom repeated this crap. Now they tell us it helped. How about apologizing to the American people and the president, you frauds." Evidence is in: Hydroxychloroquine works. The media is doing its best to ignore the solid new evidence that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) works. Although they claim to be pro-science, they only report scientific studies that agree with their narrative. Although they claim that black lives matter to them, they purposely keep knowledge about successful treatments away from COVID-19 patients, a disproportionate number of whom are black. Here are some details of the two new studies that almost all of them are ignoring: [...] With the Wuhan virus, Gavin Newsom discovers the perils of crying 'Wolf'. In March, California Governor Gavin Newsom put California in lockdown to flatten the Wuhan virus curve. Newsom, like Gov. Cuomo, placed virus patients in nursing homes, which may have contributed to the 2,531 resident and 93 care worker deaths in those homes. The government also had a hand in the virus's rampage through San Quentin prison, which killed three death row inmates. In other words, Democrat policies in California managed to produce 42% of the state's 6,263 virus fatalities. With its lockdown, which initially was to last for two weeks and that instead continued for months, Newsom weakened the California economy, drove its citizens to despair, prevented people from getting healthcare for other potentially deadly conditions, and deprived citizens of their constitutional rights. NY County Issues 'Costly' Subpoenas to People for Refusing to Talk to Coronavirus Contact Tracers. Officials in New York's Rockland County announced on Wednesday that they had issued subpoenas to eight people allegedly infected by the coronavirus for refusing to speak with contact tracers voluntarily. "The health of our county" will not be "compromised because of ignorance, stupidity, or obstinance," Ed Day, the county executive, told reporters. "Failure to comply will be costly: $2,000 per day," Patricia Rupert, the county's health commissioner, added, referring to the subpoenas, according to the Hill. Officials are using the subpoenas to compel the people to talk with the contact tracers about contracting the COVID-19 disease at a June 17 party in Clarkstown, located north of New York City, Rubert said. Trump official claims China 'deliberately' sent coronavirus to US as cases soar across country. Donald Trump's top trade adviser has suggested China deliberately allowed hundreds of thousands of people infected with coronavirus to leave the country "to seed and spread the virus" abroad. Peter Navarro's remarks follow the White House's accelerated rhetoric against China, where the virus is believed to have originated, as the crisis in the US grows nearly four months after a pandemic was declared. As the US approached its Fourth of July holiday weekend, more than a dozen states saw record numbers of new cases. Michael Cohen, Who Was Released To House Arrest Over COVID Fears, Is Spotted Dining At NYC Restaurant. Michael Cohen was released from prison in May to home confinement because of the coronavirus, but the threat posed by the bug isn't stopping the former Trump lawyer from dining at restaurants in New York City, a hotspot for the pandemic. The New York Post spotted Cohen on Thursday night [7/2/2020] eating at Le Bilboquet, a French restaurant near Cohen's Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan. The newspaper reported that Cohen and his wife were dining with two other guests until 11:30. The Coronavirus Lockdowns are Over, and These Studies Really Deliver a Death Blow. After weeks of being told to stay inside, not be selfish, and prevent medical workers from being overrun, it was suddenly okay to go outside and riot over the officer-involved death of Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. If these so-called experts could flip like that, then this virus was never a big deal from the start. [...] Yes, this virus is real and it's still contagious, but death rates have not spiked to April highs. If that's the case, I couldn't care less about all these new cases that the media is peddling in their panic porn addiction. It's over, clowns. The lockdowns are done. And the best part is that once the nationwide unrest, rioting, and protests were dying down, you knew the media was going to pivot and say we had to go back inside. Nope. We're not going back inside. The Most Powerful Argument Against Forced Universal Masking That You Won't Read In The Establishment Media. Anytime things go from widely disputed to sudden, virtually-overnight national "scientific consensus," it's probably a good idea to be a wee bit skeptical. So it goes with the forced universal masking issue. We've obviously run quite the gamut on this, from being told not to wear them at all while the pandemic was at its peak — and everyone and their neighbor was crowding and swapping moisture particles in Lowe's and Walmart aisles across America — to the now almost cultlike, lockstep message from politicians, the media and every leftist still too frightened to come out of their basement that not wearing masks in every possible setting is pretty much the equivalent to stabbing grandma in the heart. It's all a farce, of course — absurd theater forced upon us by people who would have probably believed in witches a few centuries ago. [...] No, the ongoing, relentless, unceasing crusade to force every American to wear masks to "stop the spread" of coronavirus isn't about to end anytime soon, if ever. Even with deaths declining, they keep the pot stirred up with panic porn about spikes in new cases and hospitalizations in southern and western states. Are we being lied to about how coronavirus is spread? On March 31, a nurse friend of mine — someone who is with Physicians for Informed Consent — posted in a private group about how people with negative COVID nasal swabs were testing positive for the whole virus in their feces, and why aren't we being told that it's spreading through the fecal-oral route? It's been 90 days and we're still hearing nothing outright about this, yet the signs are all around us that coronavirus is spread the same way as polio or typhoid: through poop and unwashed hands. For starters, the whole live SARS-coV-2 virus is found in poop. These aren't little RNA fragments that require PCR testing. It's the whole [...] virus, and it's alive. Of course, public health knows this, so when Italy wanted to pinpoint the date at which the virus was first in their population, what did they do? They went to the poop. Italian sewage water samples showed it was circulating since December 18, 2019. Anthony Fauci: The Consummate Unelected, Unaccountable, Technocrat. When National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and other infectious disease specialists instructed us to self-isolate, President Donald Trump "shut it [the economy] down." Governors issued executive orders shuttering restaurants and hair salons. Mayors banned private gatherings. Funerals — even at the graveside — became grieving ceremonies that most were forbidden to attend. As for beaches and public parks, they became ghost zones. The policy purpose behind our national quasi-home arrest was to "flatten the curve" of new COVID-19 cases to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed — as happened terrifyingly in Northern Italy. [...] But that laudable success came at a terrible toll. Tens of millions were thrown out of work. Despite concerted government efforts to shore up the economy, the small-business sector imploded — some shops and restaurants never to reopen. Uber and taxi drivers lost countless fares. Parking lot attendants and airport shop workers became unemployed. Major corporations faced bankruptcy. Wolf administration recommends quarantine for Pennsylvanians who visit 15 states with high coronavirus rates. The Wolf administration is recommending that Pennsylvanians self-quarantine if they have traveled or plan to travel to 15 states where coronavirus cases are on the rise. Officials said Thursday [7/3/2020] that people should stay at home for 14 days when they return to Pennsylvania. CNN Hardest Hit: Michigan Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine 'Significantly' Lowered Coronavirus Death Rate. Remember when the media and leftists trashed President Donald Trump for hyping hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the Wuhan coronavirus? Pepperidge Farms remembers. Trump received more vindication from a study at the Henry Ford Health System. [...] Always talk to your own doctor instead of relying on government officials and doctors who never met you. Vindicated? Trump-touted COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroquine works, according to new study. The anti-malaria drug that President Trump touted as a possible treatment for coronavirus, hydroxychloroquine, successfully lowered the death rate among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the most recent study of the drug. The large-scale analysis, conducted by Henry Ford Health System, was published Thursday in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The study examined 2,541 patients who had been hospitalized in six hospitals between March 10 and May 2, 2020. More than twenty-six percent (26.4%) of patients who did not receive hydroxychloroquine died. China Never Reported Existence of Coronavirus to World Health Organization. Contrary to claims from both Chinese officials and the World Health Organization, China did not report the existence of the coronavirus in late 2019, according to a WHO timeline tracking the spread of the virus. Rather, international health officials discovered the virus through information posted to a U.S. website. The quiet admission from the international health organization, which posted an "updated" timeline to its website this week, flies in the face of claims from some of its top officials, including WHO director general Tedros Adhanom, who maintained for months that China had informed his organization about the emerging sickness. Keeping schools open worked in Sweden. UNESCO estimated in March that 91.3% of the world's students were out of school. But Swedes under 16 were not among them. Sweden's iconoclastic approach was based on the belief that students faced little risk from coronavirus and far more from missing months of school. What they're saying: Anders Tegnell, Sweden's chief epidemiologist, admits there were flaws in the country's permissive approach to the virus — Sweden has a high death rate, particularly in nursing homes — but says there's little evidence schools exacerbated the outbreak. Texas Governor Issues Statewide Mask Mandate. In a sweeping reversal of prior policy, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released an executive order today mandating masks for Texas residents. The order will take effect at noon Friday and applies to counties with 20 or more confirmed active cases of COVID-19. [...] Abbott hopes that wearing masks may allow economic activity to increase while minimizing the spread of the virus: "Given the current status of COVD-19 in Texas, requiring the use of face coverings is a targeted response that can combat the threat to public health using the least restrictive means, and if people follow this requirement, more extreme measures may be avoided." The Editor says... Texas governor issues mandatory face mask policy. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has issued an order making it mandatory for all Texans to wear a face covering of some kind while out in public as the state faces a surge in coronavirus cases. The governor's office said the order applied to all counties in Texas with 20 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19, saying the move was necessary with other efforts to curb the spread of the disease. "Due to recent substantial increases in COVID-19 positive cases, and increases in the COVID-19 positivity rate and hospitalizations resulting from COVID-19, further measures are needed to achieve the least restrictive means for reducing the growing spread of COVID-19, and to avoid a need for more extreme measures," Abbott said in his executive order issued Thursday afternoon [7/2/2020]. The Editor says... As face mask requirements pop back up across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott faces criticism from local leaders and fellow Republicans. [Scroll down] In his Capitol Report newsletter Friday, state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, criticized the way the orders are now placing the enforcement responsibility on business owners, saying it is "bizarre, convoluted, and confusing." "Business owners will become a de-facto law enforcement arm, but the only tool they will have to enforce the mask requirement is to refuse to sell to their customers and to kick them out of their store," Hall wrote. "These are the same businesses that the Governor recently declared non-essential and ordered shut down for months." State Reps. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, and Mike Lang, R-Granbury, also denounced Abbott in a Thursday letter, telling him to "stop playing games." "It is inconsistent to say you believe Texans should be free to make their own decision on whether to wear a mask or not but use the heavy hand of the government to punish business and make them enforcers of tyranny on freedom loving Texans," they wrote. List of Texas counties and cities that have mandatory face mask orders. As of June 20, 2020. All Texans must wear face coverings, Gov. Greg Abbott orders. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order that requires all Texans to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth in public spaces, with exceptions. According to the order, which is effective at noon on Friday [7/3/2020], this applies to residents of counties with more than 20 positive cases of COVID-19. Texas Executive Order GA-29. The Texas Division of Emergency Management has promulgated the following criteria for a county to be exempt from the face-covering requirement of GA-29: 1. The county must have 20 or less active COVID-19 cases. 2. The county judge of a county with 20 or less active cases must submit an exemption form affirmatively opting out. 3. Counties approved for exemption from the GA-29 face-covering requirement will be listed below. [There are no counties listed!] Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick: Dr. Fauci Doesn't Know What He's Talking About. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick slammed Dr. Anthony Fauci for suggesting his state is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases because they didn't follow guidelines. Fauci, testifying before Congress on Tuesday, said he was "quite concerned" about rising infection rates in certain states such as Texas and Florida, adding "they need to follow guidelines that have been very carefully laid out" for them. Patrick, speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, wasn't pleased with the good doctor's comments. "Fauci said today that he's concerned about states like Texas that skipped over certain things," the Republican Lt. Governor said. "He doesn't know what he's talking about," continued Patrick. "We haven't skipped over anything. The only thing I'm skipping over is listening to him." [Video clip] Third Reich Redux. Major media, government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, and politicians have pressured Americans to follow onerous lockdown orders put out by governors, such as ones from Michigan that both "prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life" yet allow liquor stores to remain open. Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued edicts seemingly as whims struck her: allowing hardware stores to open yet not allowing large department stores to sell hardware supplies, allowing kayaking while not allowing boating in motorized boats, and encouraging food delivery but not allowing furniture delivery. For the most part, those on the ideological left have strongly supported the mandates — in words, at least, if not always in deeds — while those on the right supported precautions so that people could make up their own minds about how to respond to the disease and railed against mandatory lockdowns wherein government chose workplace winners and losers. Lethal Lockdowns: The WHO-CDC Global Genocide. Dr. Fauci's dictatorial lockdowns were instituted (so we are told) to save lives from the dreaded COVID "pandemic." But the lockdowns have very likely already taken more lives globally than the virus ever would have, as we will show below. And here's the most important point: The COVID "cure" will keep on killing for many years to come. The full extent of COVID cure-related deaths is only beginning to be revealed, even as the CDC finally admits that its earlier death-rate estimates for the virus were way overblown. Yes, the wild estimates that were used by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the media to create panic and justify totalitarian edicts are now thoroughly discredited — while the far-greater death tolls from the lockdowns and the socio-economic havoc they are causing are only beginning to be tabulated. And the fatality numbers from the "cure" that are coming into view are horrific. As a result of the COVID lockdowns and mandates, many millions more people worldwide will die of famine, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, diabetes, tuberculosis, pneumonia, depression, loneliness, and other conditions. Want to Kill the Economy Again? Keep Threatening More Lockdowns. The first time governments imposed business closures in the name of fighting the spread of COVID-19, the job market imploded. [...] It remains to be seen if the country even began anything that could realistically be called a "recovery" in June. After all, new unemployment claims were still at over a million new applicants according to the most recent data. That's still off-the-charts bad. Nonetheless, we continue to hear about how, any day now, we'll see evidence of a "V-shaped recovery" in which jobs and economic growth will come roaring back. But now we're already seeing governments — by which I mean a small cadre of governors and unelected bureaucrats who currently rule by decree — announcing another round of business closures and ongoing government regulations that micromanage every aspect of a business's daily interactions with customers. Suburban NYC County Uses Subpoenas as People Resist Contact Tracing. Officials in Rockland County, New York, say they will have no choice but to issue subpoenas to get people to talk to contact tracers trying to combat the spread of coronavirus. Local NBC affiliate NYC Channel 4 reports that health officials are looking into at least eight COVID-19 cases in the county that likely are the result of a large party held earlier this month. But the county is running into a problem: people are not cooperating with contact tracers. In order to force people to speak to contact tracers, the county says it plans to issue subpoenas. It won't be the first time, either. Rockland County issued subpoenas during a measles outbreak several years ago. COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is Much Closer Than Antibody Tests Suggest, Say Two New Studies. The prevalence of immunity to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 may be much higher than previous research suggests according to an intriguing new study by researchers associated with Karolinska Institute in Sweden. In addition, a new German study by researchers associated with the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany reports that people who have been previously infected with versions of the coronavirus that cause the common cold also have some immunity to the COVID-19 virus. If these reports stand up to further scrutiny, it would be very good news because they suggest that the pandemic could be over sooner and ultimately be less lethal than feared. First, a few caveats: Both studies are based on small sample sizes and neither have yet been vetted by peer review. Is the COVID Surge More Fake News? We are told new cases are rising by double-digit percentages, including: "The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus." Hospitalized with or from coronavirus? Is this really a surge or simply fear-mongering fake news? Texas features prominently in the surge scare. Coincidently Texas is a red state that if flipped to blue would prevent a Republican from ever winning the White House for the foreseeable future. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the Chinese coronavirus surge. A Texas hospital CEO lets the fake news cat out of the bag. ["]Health officials in Texas are logging every single COVID-19-positive hospital patient in the state as a COVID-19 hospitalization, even if the patients themselves are admitted seeking treatment for something other than the coronavirus.["] Most hospitals require a COVID test before elective surgery. This means that patients coming to the hospital for a non-COVID reason are tested for COVID, and if positive are being counted as a "COVID hospitalization." Massive CDC Fraud Uncovered — CDC Grossly Overcounting Active China Coronavirus Cases Causing States to Keep Their Economies Closed Indefinitely. The CDC is over counting the number of China coronavirus cases in an apparent effort to keep the country shut down throughout the summer. [...] On May 21, 2020, the Atlantic reported that the CDC was over counting the number of cases of individuals with the China coronavirus: [...] The CDC's method of reporting the number of active cases is totally flawed. It is fraudulent. The CDC counts individuals who show that they had the China coronavirus in their counts of individuals who are identified currently with the virus. This data is then used by states to determine whether to open our shut down their economies. Many People Lack Protective Antibodies After COVID-19 Infection. Individuals who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 were more likely to have neutralizing antibodies than those who hadn't been hospitalized, suggesting that those with more severe illness are more likely to be immune in the future. Overall, this is fairly concerning. Without neutralizing antibodies, an end to coronavirus transmission seems unlikely. But let's also remember the empiric data: We don't yet have any significant numbers of individuals who have been documented to have cleared COVID-19 and then become reinfected. And even without high levels of neutralizing antibodies, a second infection is likely not to be as bad as the first. Too Woke to Fail. Lockdowns were unquestionably onerous. Yet America was not allowed to question them, because they were deemed in the public interest. So schools closed, businesses shuttered, medical treatments were curtailed, church services ceased. Most external, normal behavior stopped. Those seeking to evade lockdowns faced swift repercussions, from fines to jail. This cessation of otherwise normal behavior came at great cost. Over 44 million have filed for unemployment. GDP fell 5 percent in the first quarter, and the second will be worse. The government — through legislation and Fed action — has pumped $8.5 trillion into the economy (roughly 40 percent of America's GDP) to compensate for the lockdown's effect. It will take years for many to recover lost savings — if they ever do. [...] Then, in the wake of George Floyd's killing, protests erupted across America. Everything changed in the coronavirus lockdown universe. Suddenly, it was all right — even encouraged — to do everything we had been told and forced to not do for three months. 'We won't be social distancing, South Dakota governor expects packed house for Trump Mount Rushmore event. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has no plans to limit the crowds that are expected to gather to watch the fireworks over Mount Rushmore during Independence Day weekend. Noem, a Republican, told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday that she will not enforce the social distancing guidelines that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit the spread of the coronavirus. She said that those who are concerned about the virus can make other plans. Fauci's Remdesivir Costs $9 Per Dose, Will Be Sold at $3,000 per Treatment — China Company Linked to Soros Will Also Mass Produce the Drug. Never in history have we seen such a determined effort by the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry to downplay and lie about the use of a successful drug to treat a deadly disease. Hydroxychloroquine is the first choice in a study of 6,000 doctors treating the coronavirus. In the field and in independent testing hydroxychloroquine displayed amazing results in treating the COVID-19 virus. But there was great pushback against hydroxychloroquine for two reasons. The first reason was because it was safe and very inexpensive. The second reason is because Donald Trump promoted its use. Mask Wars. As states begin to reopen and America tries to recreate normalcy, masks have replaced social distancing as the new moral statement. Just as adherence to lockdowns was framed by many as a sign of virtue — with some arguing that those who refused to abide by the lockdown orders should forfeit medical care for Covid-related indications — masks have become a face-borne signal of righteousness. As a virologist, I find this perplexing, considering the limited evidence in favor of masks. More than anything, the scientific rationale behind masks appears to be that wearing them does little harm. [...]The viral particles that spread Covid-19 are tiny bundles of proteins and nucleic acids, about 0.1 micron in size — or one hundred-thousandth of a centimeter. The CDC generously describes the evidence in favor of cloth face masks' efficacy as "emerging," but by the standards we use to assess clinical interventions, the efficacy of masks, especially nonsurgical masks, is undetermined. The Editor says... Covid-19 pandemic is 'fire drill' for effects of climate crisis, says UN official. The coronavirus pandemic is "just a fire drill" for what is likely to follow from the climate crisis, and the protests over racial injustice around the world show the need to tie together social equality, environmental sustainability and health, the UN's sustainable business chief has said. "The overall problem is that we are not sustainable in the ways we are living and producing on the planet today," said Lise Kingo, the executive director of the UN Global Compact, under which businesses sign up to principles of environmental protection and social justice. "The only way forward is to create a world that leaves no one behind." She said there were "very, very clear connections" between the Covid-19 and climate crises, and the Black Lives Matter protests around the world, which she said had helped to reveal deep-seated inequalities and "endemic and structural racism". The Editor says... 'He could be Joe's running mate': Ingraham accuses Fauci of 'working for the Biden campaign'. Fox News's Laura Ingraham claimed that Dr. Anthony Fauci is working on behalf of Joe Biden's presidential campaign. Ingraham ran a segment critical of the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Tuesday night following his testimony before a Senate health committee hearing in which he warned that the number of new coronavirus cases could double to about 100,000 each day if people don't begin taking social distancing protocols more seriously. "Well, Dr. Doom himself at a Senate hearing today spreading more COVID panic," she stated, while a fake "Biden Fauci 2020" graphic appeared on-screen. "Now, at this point, can we all just admit that Fauci is working for the Biden campaign? Now, for all we know, he could be Joe's running mate. Why not?" Are Prolonged Shutdowns Deadlier Than the Virus? The COVID-19 pandemic caught the entire immune-defenseless world off guard. No one knew what the "novel" virus was; how it spread; how lethal it was, and for which population segments; how to cure infected victims; or how to "lower the curve" (slow its spread) to avoid overwhelming medical response resources. Medical authorities and government policy leaders were forced to make terribly difficult responsive judgement calls with very incomplete, often competing and conflicting, information. A Doctor a Day Letter. [Scroll down] Millions of Americans are already at triage level red. These include 150,000 Americans per month who would have had a new cancer detected through routine screening that hasn't happened, millions who have missed routine dental care to fix problems strongly linked to heart disease/death, and preventable cases of stroke, heart attack, and child abuse. Suicide hotline phone calls have increased 600%. Tens of millions are at triage level yellow. Liquor sales have increased 300-600%, cigarettes sales have increased, rent has gone unpaid, family relationships have become frayed, and millions of well-child check-ups have been missed. Hundreds of millions are at triage level green. These are people who currently are solvent, but at risk should economic conditions worsen. Poverty and financial uncertainty is closely linked to poor health. A continued shutdown means hundreds of millions of Americans will downgrade a level. Media Begging for a 'Second Wave'. The media is churning out countless alarmist stories each day about the threat of COVID-19 and the dangers of societal reopening. "Risk of new lockdown rises with fear of second COVID-19 wave," writes Reuters, as one example of the genre. These stories generally incite, rather than inform. They cherry-pick facts and lack context. Only when the COVID picture is viewed in perspective are people able to make wise decisions about their actions. It should be safe for society to continue broadly reopening while directing resources to specific at-risk populations, such as nursing homes and prisons, which are more vulnerable. Questions remain about 'temporary morgue' as COVID-19 deaths decline. The administration of Gov. Tim Walz made a decision in May to spend up to $6.9 million to buy a building in St. Paul and convert it into a temporary morgue for a possible surge of COVID-19 victims. The decision was largely based on a COVID-19 model by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Department of Health that projects the possibility of 16,000 to 44,000 deaths over the first year of the pandemic. Then came June. Instead of deaths surging, they dropped from 696 in May to 402 in June for a total so far of 1,411 since March. If one thing is certain about COVID-19, it's the uncertainty about what comes next. But for now, the decision to spend millions on the temporary morgue will continue to be a target for the governor's Republican critics in the legislature. Arizona governor sued by gym over coronavirus closure. The CEO of an Arizona health club company said he is suing Gov. Doug Ducey over his "arbitrary" decision to re-close gyms as coronavirus cases surge. "I asked the governor, where's the proof that this decision came from any evidence of what is happening in any health club here in Arizona or across the country," Mountainside Fitness CEO Tom Hatten said at a press conference on Monday [6/29/2020]. Hatten planned to keep Mountainside health clubs open on Tuesday despite Ducey's order to close Monday night, he said. He is seeking a stay of the governor's order like some Michigan gym owners are doing. Friendly Fire: Are NY Patients Dying Of COVID Because Of Doctors? A retired army sergeant and war veteran turned whistleblowing nurse alleges horrific medical malpractice at a Queens hospital. Erin Olszewski's abbreviated tenure at Elmhurst Hospital Center was during the months that New York was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, suffering the highest number of COVID deaths in the nation. Her claim that the standard of medical care at Elmhurst was commensurate with "a third world country hospital" is based on shocking undercover videos she made of conversations with colleagues, supervisors, and other hospital personnel over many weeks — and they are chilling. Multiple Scientists: Coronavirus Altered in Lab to Better Attach to Humans. Multiple highly regarded scientists who have studied Coronavirus say that the VlRUS has been manipulated in labs to better attach to human cells. Turns out, research on that very thing was conducted here in the United States until the research was banned in 2013. Are Americans a Pride of Lions or a Herd of Cattle? Democrats are using COVID19 to purposely turn Americans into a herd of cattle that can be easily controlled through fear and subtle intimidation tactics. Governor Cooper just announced he is keeping the State in phase 2 lockdown and is still refusing to allow gyms and bars to reopen. In addition he is trying to get all of us to wear masks outside if we cannot guarantee the 6 ft. recommended distancing. Let us look at the facts about the virus. [...] The actual virus death rate nationally is about 5%. In North Carolina the numbers are similar yet better. There have confirmed approximately 56,500 people to have the disease. Yet the Death rate is just over 1300 or a rate of about 2.3%. In New Hanover County there are 611 confirmed cases with 5 deaths or a rate of .008%. [...] Kids need to go back to school or we will never end this virus lock up. Preliminary Data Suggests Low-Dose Radiation May Be Successful Treatment For Severe Covid-19. Human medical trials have begun on severely ill COVID-19 patients using low-doses of radiation. The first results on a very small group were published this week in a non-peer-reviewed journal that exists to get critical results out quickly to the scientific and medical community. The results were quite extraordinary. Researchers at Emory University Hospital, led by Dr. Mohammad Khan, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, treated five COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia who were requiring supplemental oxygen and whose health was visibly deteriorating. Their mean age was 90 with a range from 64 to 94, four were female, four were African-American, and one was Caucasian. Rand Paul rips Fauci's coronavirus response, says schools should be reopened. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday ripped into Dr. Anthony Fauci and what he called government "central planners" during a hearing on COVID-19 response, asserting that Americans should not be "sheep" — and that US schools should reopen. "It is a fatal conceit to believe any one person or small group of people has the knowledge necessary to direct an economy or dictate public health behavior. I think government experts need to show caution in their prognostications," Paul, a Republican and libertarian, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing featuring the Trump administration's top coronavirus experts. "It's important to realize that if society meekly submits to an expert and that expert is wrong, a great deal of harm may occur when we allow one man's policy or one group of small men and women to be foisted on an entire nation," Paul continued. The Media Is Lying About The 'Second Wave'. For months, the Washington Post and the rest of the mainstream media kept a morbid Covid-19 "death count" on their front pages and at the top of their news broadcasts. The coronavirus outbreak was all about the number of dead. The narrative was intended to boost governors like Cuomo in New York and Whitmer in Michigan, who turned their states authoritarian under the false notion that destroying people's jobs, freedom, and lives would somehow keep a virus from doing what viruses always do: spread through a population until eventually losing strength and dying out. The "death count" was always the headline. But then all of a sudden early in June the mainstream media did a George Orwell and lectured us that it is all about "cases" and has always been all about "cases." Death, and especially infection fatality rate, were irrelevant. Why? Because from the peak in April, deaths had decreased by 90 percent and were continuing to crash. That was not terrifying enough so the media pretended this good news did not exist. Houston Hospital Boss Shatters Media's COVID Fearmongering: "Only About 3 Or 4 More People In ICU". Headlines like "Houston facing 'apocalyptic' July 4" sparked fear and panic across most of America's media over the weekend as talk of max'd out ICUs and soaring case-numbers dominated every pixel (with very few able to see any link to this resurgence in cases and the riots and protests that began to take place a few weeks ago). As per usual in this highly politicized world, another leading voice has emerged to clarify that this heightened state of alarm was all for naught, since Houston actually has the situation in its hospitals well in hand. Is Covid immunity more common than we think? Antibody tests on random samples of the population have so far shown much lower levels of general infection than the government's scientific advisers claimed would be necessary to attain 'herd immunity'. In London, for example, tests have shown that 17 percent of the population have antibodies to Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. In New York, the figure is 21 percent. At the beginning of this crisis, on the other hand, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, suggested that at least 60 percent of the population would have to be infected in order to achieve herd immunity. But are antibodies the whole story? Not according to a team from Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which has found that 30 percent of Swedish blood donors in May this year were found to have an immune response to Covid-19 in their T cells — white blood cells that are an essential part of the immune system. Remarkably, many of these people had no detectable antibodies — suggesting that their T cells had fought off the disease without any need to produce antibodies. Cash4Covid — How hospitals are making money off the coronavirus. Hospitals in the US are getting money for diagnosing Covid19. They get more money if those patients are then put on ventilators. It's time we really started thinking about what that means. Early on in the launch of the Sars-Cov-2/Covid19 "pandemic", it was revealed by Dr Scott Jensen that hospitals in the US were getting paid bonuses for diagnosing Covid19 in their patients, and then larger bonuses again if those patients were put on ventilators. We're not fact-checking that. We don't need to. It's already been done. As soon as his words were aired, the "independent fact checkers" descended upon them in an effort to prove him wrong. They could not. Resorting instead to weasel words and obfuscations. No symptoms, big problems: Scientists still puzzled by asymptomatic coronavirus cases. Months into a pandemic that has caused more than 500,000 deaths worldwide, scientists are still trying to answer crucial questions about the coronavirus. Chief among them: everything about asymptomatic patients. People who contracted COVID-19 but didn't get sick and had no symptoms have been one of the most confounding factors of the public health emergency. The United States has more than 2.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases, but it's likely that many asymptomatic people have fallen through the cracks of official counts. There is no scientific data that shows masks save lives. In Illinois, our governor and his health experts say continuously that they base all their dictatorial edicts that have destroyed our economy on science and data. They chastise other states for reopening too soon and having less strict standards. We are lectured that our health will be jeopardized if we travel into surrounding states with less strict standards, including not requiring face masks. What we don't see are data from other states to support those statements. [...] We were told that cases and deaths would spike after big crowds on Memorial Day-They were 100% wrong. [...] We were told cases and deaths would spike after Republicans beat the tyrannical governor at the Wisconsin Supreme Court and because of an in-person primary. They were 100% wrong. The dictatorial edicts have greatly harmed the citizens from their states and there is no statistical data that shows better health and death results. The cure is worse than the disease. Jacksonville, site of Republican convention, orders wearing of masks. The city of Jacksonville, Florida, where mask-averse President Trump plans to accept the Republican nomination in August, ordered the wearing of face coverings Monday, joining the list of state and local governments reversing course to try to beat back a resurgence of the coronavirus. Less than a week after Mayor Lenny Curry said there would be no mask requirement, city officials announced that coverings must be worn in "situations where individuals cannot socially distance." Aerial Footage Shows Thousands Closely Packed In Chicago For Pride Festival. I think this is gonna be one of those articles where I give you "just the facts ma'am". Not a lot of opinion, just some basic reporting on some basic facts. Sound good? And I have a hunch you're all smart enough to draw your own conclusions. Lockdown Hypocrisy: Why Are BLM And 'Pride' Exempt? Tens of thousands marched in a joint BLM/'Pride' rally over the weekend in Chicago (and elsewhere) with the blessing of the same officials who are threatening churches, forcing face masks, and ripping liquor licenses from bars that won't shut their doors (again). Claiming that "cases" are skyrocketing, officials from Texas and across the country are trying to return us to devastating lockdown. But why aren't they talking about the falling death rate? [Video clip] Gilead sets price of coronavirus drug remdesivir at $3,120 as Trump administration secures supply for 500,000 patients. Gilead Sciences, the maker of the first covid-19 treatment found to have worked in clinical trials, remdesivir, said Monday it will charge U.S. hospitals $3,120 for the typical patient with private insurance. Soon after the announcement, the Trump administration said it had secured nearly all of the company's supply of the drug for use in U.S. hospitals through September, with a contract for 500,000 treatment courses, which it will make available to hospitals at Gilead's price. Anarchists and Trump's Reelection. Leftist governors and mayors are tripling down on their absurd overreaching COVID-19 mandates to depress Americans and stop the remarkable comeback of Trump's unprecedented booming economy. One of Mary's favorite stores in Virginia was empty of merchandise. "Are you going out of business?" she asked a clerk. The clerk said, "No." He explained that upon reopening, customers purchased everything. The store had not restocked its shelves yet. His explanation was in keeping with the 2.5 million new jobs and amazingly swift comeback of our economy. Maryland mandates that shoppers wear masks. However, stores and shoppers have begun relaxing the absurd decree. With a 98% recovery rate, more and more Americans realize the COVID-19 hysteria was created to shutdown our country to destroy our economy to block Trump's reelection. Coronavirus In One State (65). The Minnesota authorities attributed five new deaths to COVID-19 yesterday — all five among residents of long-term care facilities. That brings the respective totals to 1,411 and 1,112. LTC deaths constitute 79.3 percent of total deaths attributed to the epidemic. Four of the five decedents were in their 80's and 90's. One was in his 60's. Deaths and hospitalizations have declined while new cases have increased over the past three days. The latter, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm noted at yesterday's press briefing, was on a high testing volume. It should be hard to sustain the panic in Minnesota. The rationale for Governor Walz's shutdown orders has long since dissipated, but Walz continues to modulate the dials of our lives. Man wears a mesh face mask to prove mandatory masks in Florida is not about protection but compliance. A man decides to prove a point that masks are not for protection but compliance when he decides to use a mesh face mask rather than a filter mask in Walmart that is mandated in Tampa, Florida. "I visited a local Walmart in a county that put an ordinance in place that mandates masks," the filmer, Russ Ward, said. "I wore a mask that is designed for protecting your face in a paintball battle. You can easily breathe through it. I walked all around the store, talked to employees, and other shoppers, and every one of them could see my mouth." [Video clip] Guess What's Missing in These Coronavirus News Reports. [Video clip] Here are 150 reasons why I'm against the COVID-19 lockdowns. The COVIID-19 lockdowns will end up killing far more people than they save, in the form of increased suicides, increased drug and alcohol overdoses, and canceled and postponed medical procedures. For young and middle aged people who have healthy immune systems, being and poor and unemployed is more dangerous than having COVID-19. The lockdowns are totalitarian. The lockdowns are based on bogus computer models. The real fatality rate of COVID-19 is far, far lower than the bogus, overinflated rate that was used to justify the lockdowns. The alleged purpose of the lockdowns was to flatten the curve, and prevent the hospitals from being overwhelmed. But the hospitals were never even close to being overwhelmed. [...] Many politicians and other high ranking government officials violated their own lockdowns. Lockdown supporters want to destroy other people's jobs, but not their own. Previous pandemics did not destroy the economy, because there were no lockdowns. Fresh air, sunshine, and exercise are good for your immune system, and actually reduce your chance of dying from COVID-19. The government is falsely overstating the number of COVID-19 deaths by including people whose deaths were not actually caused by COVID-19. COVID-19 Protection Advice from a Doctor, albeit a Dentist. [Scroll down] So imagine my bewilderment in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic at all the politicians, pundits, and talking heads who've suddenly become experts in infection control — not to mention all the lay people wearing masks of every conceivable design and standing six feet away from others, as if six feet were some magic number. Poor sheeple — they think they're safe, they're following the "science," and far be it from me to disabuse them of their imaginary sense of security. As I was saying, I'm just a dentist — with forty-five years of studying and practicing infection control — and here's how I see it. We live in a sea of bacteria, viruses, and Spirochetes (Lyme Disease, syphilis), a veritable Grand Central Station of pathogens, all of them vying to take us down. They're on doorknobs and newspapers, in our air and water, and emanating from the mouths (and other orifices!) of our fellow human beings. One way to protect yourself from these ubiquitous bugs is to raise your immune status. Eat better, exercise more, get your sleep, and manage your stress. Does anyone still listen to this guy? Keeping Us Alarmed Is the Main Goal. Here it is, summertime, and although we're trying to come out of the lockdowns, we're still battling COVID-19 and we may be doing so for quite some time given the recent surge of cases, particularly in the southern United States. Add in the turmoil surrounding Black Lives Matter, riots, and statue-toppling, and it seems we're stuck in a quagmire which will never resolve itself. In the midst of these continuing problems, I came across an article that got me thinking. The article, compiled by several seasoned journalists, dug into the COVID-19 numbers and found some good news for a change. Drawing from various sources, they lay out an interesting case that many of the official numbers may not be as bad as they seem. For example, they cite Dr. Deborah Birx and her concern that the CDC's COVID-19 death count may be 25 percent higher than reality. Many of the deaths attributed to the virus are not primarily caused by COVID-19. Why is this? The authors explain: [...] Nancy Pelosi Says Every American Should Be Forced to "Wear The Mask". Nancy Pelosi says today that every American should be forced to wear face masks. However, proving that her position is purely a political division strategy, notice how she is not asked about passing a law that demands it then. The reasoning is simple. First, Pelosi knows a law forcing Americans to wear a mask would never pass; and even if it did it would be an unconstitutional, and unenforceable demand. Second, Pelosi would never attempt such a bill because it would put Democrats in a minority position; Americans do not support such nonsense. Third there is no factual evidence showing face masks prevent COVID-19 spread; even the boxes of masks specifically state: "will not provide any protection against COVID-19." Instead, by playing the politics of COVID Pelosi presents the nonsensical face mask issue as a political virtue-signal. [Video clip] NPR: "Mounting Evidence" Suggests COVID Not As Deadly as Thought. Did the Experts Fail Again? Many people will recall the fatality risk debate that took place prior to and in the early stages of the lockdowns. There was much discussion over how deadly the virus was and what the collective response to the virus should be. Some voices exercised caution. "The public is behaving as if this epidemic is the next Spanish flu, which is frankly understandable given that initial reports have staked COVID-19 mortality at about 2 [to] 3 percent, quite similar to the 1918 pandemic that killed tens of millions of people," Jeremy Samuel Faust an emergency medicine physician and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, wrote in Slate. "Allow me to be the bearer of good news. These frightening numbers are unlikely to hold." May 28, 2020: March 31, 2020: Coronavirus Drug Remdesivir To Cost More Than $3,000 For Treatments. Pharmaceutical giant Gilead has announced pricing for its coronavirus drug remdesivir, and it's just short of an arm and a leg. Gilead said the drug will cost $520 per vial, or $3,120 for a six-vial treatment, for private insurance companies. And that's for the short treatment. The long treatment will cost $5,720. Did Your iPhone Secretly Install a COVID-19 Tracker? Users are reporting that the latest update for iOS (the iPhone's operating system) automatically installed coronavirus contact-tracing software onto their phones. The change appears to have come with update iOS 13.5 back in May and all subsequent updates. The tracking option was installed discreetly on users' phones without announcement. It can be toggled on and off by going to settings > privacy > health. Reopening Is Not a Failure. The coronavirus hasn't gone away. As the Northeast, the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. for months, has seen steep, persistent declines in confirmed cases, other parts of the country have spiked. A month or so ago, most of the increased cases were a function of increased testing. Now, states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona have seen worrying increases in their positivity rates — the percentage of tests that are positive — in a sign of accelerating community spread. The media's tone about this trend is, of course, apocalyptic, with many commentators portraying the Republican governors of these states as callous extremists hell-bent on reopening, come what may. The fact is that states all over the country have been reopening, and California and North Carolina, both with Democratic governors, have seen spikes in new confirmed cases, too (although not dramatically increasing positivity rates). The Good News About COVID-19 the Corporate Media Keeps Hidden. As the pandemic panic porn continues because identified cases are rising, Dr. Fauci is back on television, and the media is once again demanding a national response. However, there is news they don't share with you that could help reduce the already unwarranted levels of fear. Obviously, that doesn't fit their partisan agenda. Many commentators have noted that rising case numbers are not necessarily a reason to sound the alarm. The fear with COVID-19 was always of overwhelming the hospital system. [...] A doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center said in a press conference Wednesday that people who are testing positive do not appear to be getting as sick as they did earlier in the pandemic. Dr. Donald Yealy also noted this trend was being seen in the wake of massive protests. One of the very biggest reasons yet for why the lockdown is a scam. [Scroll down] Here are some examples of Cuomo's and de Blasio's hypocrisy: De Blasio broke up a rabbi's funeral, citing the virus as the reason, but allowed a funeral for George Floyd. De Blasio threatened to shut down synagogues and churches, but not mosques. De Blasio said he still supported quarantine measures that limited attendance at houses of worship to 10, even as he supported much larger gatherings for Black Lives Matter protests. Cuomo criticized anti-lockdown protestors, but defended Black Lives Matter protestors who violated the lockdown. And one of the most absurd examples of the lockdown's double standards: A Jewish children's gathering turned into a George Floyd protest so De Blasio wouldn't shut it down. Don't fear a coronavirus spike. Mainstream media are sounding the alarm about coronavirus cases spiking across the South and West. They're distorting the facts to cause panic, instead of reporting the whole truth. Gov. Cuomo is piling on, accusing states that have reopened of playing politics instead of acting "intelligently." Sorry, but "intelligent" isn't the word that describes his administration's pandemic response. He caused carnage by forcing nursing homes to take in infected patients. He also has no good answer for why New Yorkers unfortunate enough to catch the virus had a worse chance of surviving it than people in other states. The Empire State ranks 48 out of 50 states for survival rates. Dodging accountability for these [...] facts, Cuomo is bragging about his results and bashing President Trump for encouraging states to reopen. Cuomo is flat wrong: The US daily death count from the virus is down nearly 80 percent from its peak in March. It's telling that the likes of Cuomo and his media allies don't focus on death and hospitalization rates anymore, but almost exclusively on infection rates, to build their doom-and-gloom scenarios. Coronavirus Death Rates Stable or Falling, Even in States with Rising Cases. The latest data show that death rates from coronavirus or COVID-19 are stable or falling in many states, including those that have shown a recent spike in the number of coronavirus cases. On Friday [6/26/2020], Texas and Florida paused their re-openings, as both states showed a surge in new COVID-19 cases. At the same time, data from the New York Times COVID-19 dataset, obtained on GitHub, shows that death rates in Texas and Florida are falling, at least for now. Journalist savagely destroys officials over face masks, lockdowns. This week Los Angeles-based conservative radio talk show host John Ziegler chewed out the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for being as [mistaken] as Fauci. He specifically slammed them for believing every claim by Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin, a man who's been as wrong about everything as Fauci. [...] "We now have panicked over 51 total hospitalizations in a county with eight hospitals. Can you people do math? Can you please do basic math and understand where we are on this? This is not a crisis. You however have created one. You, in an effort to try to prevent all death, have now ended all relevant life!" Ziegler continued. "And you should all be ashamed of yourselves. And this will never be forgotten. [...]" Zoos reopen in Chicago, but they now require reservations. Zoos in Chicago got the green light this week to reopen under new capacity limits, even as coronavirus infections in the U.S hit an all-time high. To get in, though, guests will need to reserve a spot. That's among a slate of changes in store at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium. The sites will only admit 25 percent of their usual capacity, indoor habitats will remain closed, and most guests will be required to wear face masks. Where are the deaths? The coronavirus doomsayers could not even wait until the fall for the apocalyptic announcements of the dreaded second wave. Because the red states recklessly loosened their lockdowns, we are now told, the US is seeing a dangerous spike in coronavirus cases. [...] The high to date in new daily cases was on April 24 — 39,072. Since April 24, the daily case count started declining, then began rising again after around June 9. What virtually every fear-mongering story on America's allegedly precarious situation leaves out, however, is the steadily dropping daily death numbers — from a high of 2,693 on April 21 to 808 on June 24. That April high was driven by New York City and its environs; those New York death numbers have declined, but they have not been replaced by deaths in the rest of the country. This should be good news. Instead, it is no news. Federal judge: Cuomo and de Blasio can't limit the size of outdoor religious services if they didn't care about limiting the size of protests. The subtext of the ruling, wrote Peter Spiliakos, is that "the NY state and city governments were treating left-wing protest as a de facto state religion and were discriminating against other faiths." Gotta treat all creeds equally under the law. Judge: New York State wrong to restrict religious gatherings while allowing protests. A federal judge ruled on Friday that New York State is violating the First Amendment by restricting religious gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic while simultaneously allowing both much larger protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and the opening of other activities and businesses. Senior U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and sits in Albany, issued a preliminary injunction that voids parts of an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo three months ago that included a fine against anyone who gathered in excess of set limits. UN says the world cannot return to 'previous normal' after coronavirus. The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told an international forum Friday [6/27/2020] that society cannot return the "previous normal" as he laid out socioeconomic responses amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We must keep in sight the gravity of the situation," Mohammed said Friday [6/26/2020], addressing the severity of the coronavirus globally. "A return to normality in some regions must not lull us into a false sense of security." CDC: Fewer people dying in COVID-19 surge than March, April. The coronavirus surge across the South and West is concentrated in younger adults, meaning fewer people are dying compared to March and April, though people with underlying conditions must be cautious and the long-term effects of any infection aren't fully known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday [6/25/2020]. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said the shift in median age may indicate that older people are taking greater precautions and that increased testing is finding more cases, as the virus continues to rifle through parts of the U.S. Joe Biden: I Will Force Americans to Wear Masks in Public. Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday [6/25/2020] that he would compel Americans to wear masks in public if elected president. In an interview with Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA, Biden said that he would use federal power to "mandate" masks. Dallas County face mask policy is in effect through August. Under the latest order, customers must wear a face mask when entering businesses in Dallas County or they may be asked to leave. Friday morning [6/19/2020], Dallas County Commissioners voted 3-2 and passed an amended ordinance. The order went into effect at midnight and ends on Aug. 4. The amended version includes a $500 fine if a business fails to come up with a health and safety policy and post it "in a conspicuous location sufficient to provide notice to employees and visitors." How Many COVID Deaths Are There, Really? Currently the Centers for Disease Control says there have been 121,809 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. Most people, seeing that figure or reading newspaper headlines about Wuhan virus deaths, assume that means that in 121,809 cases, COVID-19 has been the cause of death. But that isn't true at all. [...] We also know that some doctors have complained about being pressured to list COVID-19 as a cause of death, perhaps because the CARES Act provides a 20% Medicare bonus for COVID patients. And most recorded COVID-19 fatalities are elderly people with one or more co-morbidities. What good do the masks do, really? [Scroll down] After all, we have N95s, surgical masks, homemade cloth masks (enjoy the video), and the classic train robber bandana. Just for good measure, as I wore my cup-style dust mask on my last pass through Costco, I saw staff members wearing required face coverings that came from lathe section at Woodcraft. It should be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that these masks are not all identical in their intended use and possible function against viruses. The bandana and face shield represent the extreme of one side of the spectrum. The shield blocks large objects (relative to viruses) traveling from striking the user's eyes at high speeds. The bandana blocks the good guys from seeing who the bad guy is. In both cases, breathing around them is very easy, and aerosols aren't blocked. They may be effective against a sneeze, but ordinary breathing or talking defeats them easily. The cup-style dust mask falls roughly into that same category. Nike posts $790M loss after coronavirus pandemic shuttered stores. Nike lost $790 million during a fourth quarter in which nearly all of its stores were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company said in its earnings report Thursday [6/25/2020]. Sales fell 38 percent to $6.3 billion during the quarter, falling far short of the $7.3 billion that Wall Street analysts expected, according to Refinitiv data. Nike posted a loss of 51 cents per share. The company reported a profit of $989 million in the same period one year ago. Families: Gov. Pritzker's Nursing Home Liability Order Strips Justice. Families who've lost loved ones in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic, patient advocates and attorneys are blasting an executive order issued by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker that they said protect an industry with a long history of issues. "Families deserve answers. Families deserve to know what happened with their loved ones," said Steve Levin, an attorney with Levin & Perconti. CDC says COVID-19 cases in U.S. may be 10 times higher than reported. The true number of Americans who've been infected with COVID-19 may top 20 million, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Our best estimate right now is that for every case that's reported, there actually are 10 other infections," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said on a call with reporters Thursday [6/25/2020]. The assessment comes from looking at blood samples across the country for the presence of antibodies to the virus. For every confirmed case of COVID-19, 10 more people had antibodies, Redfield said, referring to proteins in the blood that indicate whether a person's immune system has previously fought off the coronavirus. Oregon County Reluctantly Rescinds Race-Baiting Mask Rule. The Public Health Office of Lincoln County, Oregon, fearing an uptick in COVID-19 cases as lockdowns eased, decided to introduce a mandatory mask rule for all indoor public settings. One small detail stood out: citing potential "heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public," the directive declared that the mandatory rule would in fact be completely optional for "people of color." National attention and national mockery ensued. [...] Just to be clear, there was no way to justify this selective exemption on scientific grounds. Social distancing and masks barely work as halfway measures; only a small proportion of a population needs to "cheat" for effectiveness to plummet. The exemption was therefore nothing more and nothing less than putting politics of the worst kind ahead of common sense and basic scientific coherence. Mailing It In. Assembly Bill 860, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 18, is premised on ensuring safety in the era of the coronavirus. Yet Wisconsinites voted in person in April, and the predicted spike in coronavirus cases from that public assembly never materialized. The state's caseload did climb, but no steep increase occurred in the days and weeks after the primary, just a steady rise that has continued, partly driven by expanded testing. Apparently the same can be said for the locations where George Floyd marches, encouraged by the media and many public officials, were held. The pandemic, it appears, was a useful crisis — voting by mail has long been a priority among progressives, and the coronavirus outbreak provided sufficient cover to institute it. The Left Craps Out. The pandemic, and specifically the botched elite response to it, has exposed most Democrat state governors as either sloppy with people's lives (Cuomo, Murphy, and Wolf), or thirsting for absolute power to an extent unacceptable to any sane individual (all the above, with Newsome, Whitmer, and Mills added). By April, the reputation of the Democrat political establishment lay in shambles, with further thrashing yet to come as cases involving businesses being ground under and granny being sent to the extermination center inevitably make their way to the courts. The Antifa uprising simply carpet-bombed the rubble. To the panic, hysteria, and callousness of COVID we can add the gibbering idiocy of the current Dem leadership. Jay "What, me worry?" Insby had to take refuge in willful ignorance. Mayor Jenny Durkan burbled on about "street festivals" and the "summer of love." Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis whimpered like a small child, while Chicago's Laurie Lightfoot, a true Dem superstar, being black, female, and lesbian, was revealed as nothing more than a petulant, foulmouthed harridan. The American Left collapsed in the face of both great crises of 2020, and furthermore, they were seen to fail. Cuomo: Nursing Home Order 'Wasn't a Mistake' — Staffers Brought Infection into Nursing Homes. On Tuesday's [6/23/2020] broadcast of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) defended his order that sent coronavirus patients into nursing homes and blamed the infections in nursing homes on staffers bringing in the virus. Floridians give local county commission flak for new mask mandate: 'We the people are waking up'. On Tuesday in Florida, the Palm Beach County Commission voted to mandate that all residents over the age of two begin wearing masks while out in public starting at 12:01 am Thursday morning [6/25/2020]. In response, an assortment of local residents vociferously lambasted the commission reportedly for, among other things, "killing people," "obeying the devil's laws" and behaving like modern-day Nazis. [...] "You literally cannot mandate somebody to wear a mask, knowing that that mask is killing people," one resident said. "It literally is killing people." New COVID-19 infections rising, but new deaths flat as younger patients recover. Even though new coronavirus infections are rising in America and around the world, new coronavirus deaths are largely flat, a trend largely missing from most mainstream media coverage. Experts say the fact that new coronavirus deaths appear to remain flat is driven by more younger patients getting infected and recovering amid reopenings as the worst of the pandemic passes. On Wednesday evening [6/24/2020], the Washington Post issued a breaking news email alert headlined "New coronavirus cases in the U.S. soar to highest single-day total." [...] Yet the article failed to mention that even while new infections are on the rise, new COVID-19 deaths are not. Governors juggle new restrictions with reopenings as coronavirus cases surge. The highest single-day total of new coronavirus cases was reported in the United States on Wednesday as governors take renewed action to curb the spread of the outbreak even as their economies are in the middle of reopening. Cases across the country rose to 2.37 million, an increase from Tuesday of 39,000, according to COVID Tracking Project data. Hospitalizations also hit record highs in Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Editor says...
Media-Induced Fear Of COVID-19 Is Starting To Cause A Second Wave Of Severe Economic Panic. Fear of COVID-19 absolutely crippled the U.S. economy during the first half of this year, and now it appears that there are some people that are pushing for that to happen again during the second half of 2020. Earlier this evening [6/24/2020], I came across a headline that boldly declared that there will be "180,000 U.S. deaths of COVID-19 by October", and right now just about every mainstream news outlet is running stories about how the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. is surging. And it is definitely true that we are seeing an alarming rise in the number of confirmed cases. The Editor says... Blatant official racial discrimination: County orders white people to wear masks in public, exempts 'persons of color'. Madness is in the air, with mobs terrifying guilt-ridden government officials, corporate leaders, educators, and the heads of all our significant institutions into violating previously sacred principles in an effort to prove their wokeness. The Constitution and basic concepts of justice are out the window, and we face a grim new normal in which "getting whitey" becomes acceptable behavior from governments. How else to explain this "Face Covering Directive" from the "Health & Human Services" mandarins of Lincoln County, Oregon, signed by Rebecca Austen, Lincoln County Public Health Administrator and Dr. David Long, Lincoln County Health Officer. [...] Oregon county issues face mask order that exempts non-white people. Lincoln County, Oregon, has exempted non-white people from a new order requiring that face coverings be worn in public — to prevent racial profiling. Health officials announced last week residents must wear face coverings in public settings where they may come within six feet of another individual who is not from the same household. But people of color do not have to follow the new rule if they have "heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment" over wearing the masks, officials said. "No person shall intimidate or harass people who do not comply," health officials said. A retired physician's take on epidemiologists. I am a retired physician. Over my career, I've had some contact with epidemiology. I'll be blunt here: I came away unimpressed with that field. Here's why: [#1] When a pandemic strikes, I've never once witnessed an epidemiologist get his hands dirty in providing actual patient care. So where the rubber meets the road during a pandemic, they're useless. [#2] Their models, and therefore their advice and counsel, are based upon best guesses from previous pandemics. It's been pretty clear during COVID-19 that in any number of cases, their accuracy has been less than impressive. [#3] Typically, the confidence ranges of their models are wide enough that you could drive a Mack truck through them. Then, when actual outcomes fall somewhere within those massive ranges, they pat themselves on the back as though they've really accomplished something. [...] [#4] They get to have tunnel vision. The concern of the epidemiologist is to focus on the disease and the disease only. It is not their job to concern themselves with the economic, social, political, marital, and psychological devastation resulting from strict quarantines and lockdowns. Coronavirus Derangement Syndrome. Such an astounding disorientation as we are witnessing on account of a virus leaves little doubt that political maneuvering and the hand of corporate media have a lot to do with the oppressive official response to COVID-19. Relying on the mainstream media for all you need to know about this pandemic is to put your faith in their honesty and objectivity. Not for me, thank you, considering the track record. Let me bring up what is missing from the usual reporting on coronavirus. It is not being said loudly or clearly enough that the coronavirus is not a disease or an illness. It is the name of a virus. It is no small matter to know what is being talked about. The distinction between the sickness and its cause gets lost in the media chatter. Does "having coronavirus" mean you're sick, or does it mean you have a virus in your body that has been identified as COVID-19? Not a trivial matter. It's also not being said loudly or clearly enough that we've all, at some time, "had coronavirus." It's not a disease or illness, remember, but a virus. It is important to know that in one form or another, the coronavirus has caused respiratory illness for centuries. New study says summer sun can kill coronavirus in 34 minutes. The strong summer sun is capable of wiping out 90 percent or more of coronavirus living on surfaces in just 34 minutes, a new study has found. Scientists suggest that "midday sunlight in most US and world cities during summer" is extremely effective in inactivating the virus that causes COVID-19 when it's been coughed or sneezed onto a surface, according to the study published earlier this month. It found the virus is most infectious from December until March — when it can live on surfaces for up to a day or more "with risk of re-aerosolization and transmission in most of these cities." New Coronavirus Cases Have Reached Record Highs in 12 States; Here's Why It Doesn't Matter. The media has been issuing ominous warnings about the resurgence of new cases of COVID-19 in many states. In fact, new cases are at record highs in at least a dozen states. NPR published a list of states where new cases (as of Monday 11:59 pm, June 22) were higher than they'd been two weeks ago. Topping the list was Oklahoma, which has seen a 268% jump in new cases. Next up are Florida and Texas with increases of 184% and 154%, respectively. The list can be viewed [elsew]here. [...] In early March, when various plans of dealing with the coronavirus were being debated, the choices were shown to us via a curve. Two extremes were presented to us. In the first scenario, we could go on with business as usual and the curve would nearly immediately turn upward and would peak quickly. It would also fall as fast as it rose. The obvious disadvantage to this choice is that the hospitals would be crushed trying to provide care for such a huge influx of patients at one time. FDA warns not to use these 9 'toxic' hand sanitizers. The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid nine brands of potentially toxic hand sanitizers. According to the report, the antibacterial gels and lotions in question may contain methanol, which can be lethal if absorbed through the skin. At the start of the coronavirus outbreak, stores could hardly keep hand sanitizer stocked on shelves. Now, having access to the ubiquitous product could be a matter of life and death. The agency's alert specifically calls out products by Mexico-based manufacturer Eskbiochem SA de CV, asking them to pull these "potentially dangerous products" from the US market. Lab tests revealed that one of its sanitizers, Lavar Gel, contained 81% methanol. Another name, CleanCare No Germ, showed a methanol content of 28%. What Happens When the Madness Ends? At some point, tonight's hero on YouTube torching Wendy's or kicking a downed policeman on CNN, becomes tomorrow's commonplace, unnoticed felon — with a new warrant issued out on his head, and about whose fate and lengthy CV no one other than his parents much cares. Governors and mayors can demand masks and all sorts of social distancing measures. But once they declared that only those not demonstrating — the non-looting and nonviolent — were subject to their rules, while millions both peacefully protesting and violently looting were exempt, then their words meant nothing. It will be impossible for them ever to be seen as credible again. Virus or no virus, crowded freeways, and busy malls will soon be referenda on the bond of governors like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer. What coronavirus data show — it's time for the country to do this. Political and public health leaders appear to have contracted another case of lockdown fever. The governors of Oregon and Utah recently hit pause on their states' reopening efforts. Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to do the same in New York City on June 14, even as the city prepares for a new stage of re-opening on June 22. Meanwhile, public health experts maintain it's unsafe for people to congregate — unless, of course, they're attending a protest that lines up with the progressive consensus. This is all absurd. After months of lockdown, the most reasonable interpretations of the data indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak is largely contained to a few geographic hotspots — and that the virus poses a far greater threat to specific at-risk groups than the population at large. [...] Fewer than 19,000 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19 at the outbreak's peak, a far cry from the 110,000 [Governor] Cuomo predicted. Coronavirus Cases Are Climbing Again. So What? A dozen states have seen record highs in new coronavirus cases, blares the news media, accompanied by dire warnings of a "second wave" of the disease because those awful Republican states reopened too soon. [...] Even if there is a "second wave," it doesn't mean anything in and of itself. For one thing the Centers for Disease Control has long predicted that coronavirus cases would increase as the country reopened, for the simple reason that the lockdowns were never intended to stop the spread of the disease, only to slow it down. Remember? Flatten the curve? No, wait! I still have 350,000 masks I need to sell! Democrats Hope COVID-19 Will Carry Joe Biden. There is no history of 21st-century America that will not include analysis of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Maybe a few will be truthful about their primary purpose: to separate President Trump from his supporters. Anyone who is paying attention knows full well that Joe Biden cannot defeat President Donald Trump in any traditional way. Not only is Trump a successful incumbent with a strong economy, which is always a formidable combo, but he is also the leader of a popular anti-globalist movement. He has kept his promises, satisfied his 2016 voters, and expanded his base. A senile has-been cannot hope to defeat a president in that position. BLM protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases: study. Black Lives Matter protests haven't seen coronavirus cases surge in cities since the massive demonstrations began, a study says. The new research, which was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found no evidence that coronavirus cases jumped in 315 cities in the weeks following the first protests. Researchers determined that protests may have been offset by an increase in social distancing among those who decided not to march. Using cellphone data, the study determined that more people opted to stay home "perhaps due to fear of violence from police clashes or general unrest." The case for the two metre rule is falling apart. With the Covid alert level being reduced from 4 to 3 it is surely only a matter of days before the government announces that it is relaxing the two metre rule — a move for which the hospitality industry has been lobbying for heavily, warning that pubs and restaurants will not be able to reopen until it happens. Another sign of impending change came from Professor Calum Semple of the University of Liverpool, a member of the Sage committee, who told the Today programme this morning that he had changed his mind on the two metre rule and now believes that infection levels are low enough to make it safe. Study Finds Some Governments Already Using Contact Tracing Apps For Mass Surveillance. For months, privacy experts like Edward Snowden were warning about governments using virus contact tracing phone apps to conduct mass surveillance on citizen populations. As most of us know, governments are already spying on domestic citizens, but if they have access to data from the contact tracing apps, it gives them yet another tool that helps to give them a clearer picture of everyone's day-to-day activities. The morons of the pandemic. Thursday [6/18/2020], the brilliant, non-scientist, governor of California started requiring facemasks for everyone. The brilliant former governor, also a non-scientist, chimed in and said wearing masks should not be a political issue and anyone who makes it one is a moron. I would say that anyone who doesn't have the cognitive ability to recognize that the masks have been a political issue from the start, not based on science, is a moron. [...] When the WHO and people like Bill Gates said that the disease would not spread human to human, that showed a tremendous lack of knowledge. Anyone who treats them as experts now when they were so wrong in the past is a moron. [...] Anyone who called Trump a racist and xenophobe and said he was overreacting by implementing a travel ban from China is a moron. Anyone who treats new modeling numbers as factual when previous ones have been exponentially off is a moron. Anyone who continually repeats that millions of people with no symptoms are spreading the disease, with no scientific evidence, is a moron and that is the reason we are required to wear a mask. Anyone who believes anything [Governor] Newsom says, or treats him as if he bases his decisions on science, when he just used made up numbers in March that over twenty million Californians would have COVID 19 by May is a certified moron. Anyone, such as the CDC, who said that COVID 19 would easily spread off surfaces, with no scientific evidence, is a moron. Anyone who treats CDC's pronouncements as gospel and fact knowing how wrong they have been in the past is a certified moron. Anyone who continues to keep schools closed when there is little to no risk to children is a moron. Anyone who treats Governor Cuomo as if he is an expert on how to handle COVID 19 when his state had the worst results and when he forced nursing homes to take sick patients in is a certified moron. Cuomo brushes off criticism over nursing home deaths as 'shiny object'. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday again defended his administration's now-scrapped nursing home policy that critics say contributed to thousands of coronavirus deaths, slamming the controversy as "a shiny object" and "pure politics." Cuomo's comments came during an interview on New York's WAMC-AM on Thursday. He was asked about the criticism and whether he acknowledged the policy was "on the wrong track." "No," the Democratic governor responded. "The nursing home is an unfortunate situation on two levels. Number 1, people in nursing homes died. The nursing home [controversy] is pure politics, the Republicans in Congress, they think there's a vulnerability." He added: "The nursing home thing it's just all politics." Cuomo takes a bow after his deadly nursing home decision. There is an old saying that if you don't blow your own horn, there won't be any music. Gov. Andrew Cuomo obviously is a believer, having ended his streak of 111 daily coronavirus briefings with another blast of praise for himself. From March 2 until Friday, he held forth in marathon appearances that boosted his political ratings. Early on he hit an incredible 87 percent approval in the state and an April poll found that 56 percent of national Democrats wanted to dump Joe Biden and make Cuomo the presidential nominee. That support reflected how skillfully the governor performed in front of the camera. He appeared to have command of the facts and used big graphics to demonstrate the flow of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. What If I Trust Science and Don't Trust Dr. Fauci? [Scroll down] When the virus hit our shores, we were preparing the health system to deal with a severe respiratory infection that caused Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Ventilators were all the rage and occupied the national response. Within days of the first patients hitting the ICU in New York City, doctors were questioning this assumption. Ventilators did not seem to be working, and the patients were presenting with severe hypoxia, or low blood oxygen, and other symptoms that were not indicative of ARDS. This was not well-reported and all but ignored by the corporate media. Our Health Experts™ never mentioned it. Then some clinicians started talking about cytokine storms or an overreaction of the immune system that can cause damage to several body systems. It is a complex illness and often requires immunosuppressive drugs. These specific drugs were contraindicated on the national health guidelines for treating COVID-19 until very recently. This is all very frustrating because the NIH knew in 2005 that SARS caused this reaction in the body. Callous contempt: The crisis of blue-state one-party Democrat goverance. How's this for a disgusting evasion of responsibility? [...] Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called the mass COVID-19 deaths in New York's nursing homes "the nursing home thing" and "a shiny object" being played with for political purposes by his opponents, instead of the raw, rank, killing scandal that cause more than 10,000 people to lose their lives in nursing homes. These patients were not just unprotected but explicitly put in harm's way on his orders. It doesn't take a genius to know that in an era when nursing home patients were being blocked off from visits by their loved ones to protect them from potential coronavirus exposure, that putting live, COVID-19-positive patients right there in their closed living quarters where no one could get out was a death sentence to thousands, who ended up dying terrified and alone. And that was done at his order on March 25 on 'non-discrimination' grounds, even as President Trump sent a hospital ship to New York harbor fully ready to take care of them. WHO listens to these people any more? The Editor says... Coronavirus in one state (62). There are many people in the world who say the COVID-19 epidemic will sweep us all away. Let them come to Minnesota. There are some who say that COVID-19 is the wave of the future. Let them come to Minnesota. And there are some who say in the United States and elsewhere we can work with the COVIDians. Let them come to Minnesota. And there are even a few who say that it is true that COVID-19 is an evil disease, but it permits us to make economic progress. Let them come to Minnesooota. Counsel of the Woke. America has reached an epistemological breaking point. For the first two months following the coronavirus outbreak, public-health experts insisted that we "follow the science" and implement their recommendations, even if it meant millions of lost jobs and significant restrictions on constitutionally protected activities, such as church attendance and freedom of assembly. Blue-state governors quickly positioned themselves as executors of this neutral scientific knowledge, condemning anti-lockdown protesters as "anti-scientific;" meantime, social media companies banned anti-lockdown groups and censored content from lockdown skeptics. But when protests erupted in the U.S. after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, many public-health experts reversed course — and subordinated "science" to their activist politics. Appeals court judges threaten 'contact tracing' for religious services. The shutdowns mandated by government to minimize the spread of coronavirus have affected schools, stores, government buildings, sports, concerns and much, much more, including churches. The conflict between the constitutional right to assemble and worship in churches and health officials' demands that people not gather in groups has been stark in many cases. Dozens of fights have erupted as churches insist they have a constitutional right to exercise their religion, and government bureaucrats say no. One prominent war over the issue has been going on in Illinois, where Gov. Jay Pritzker ordered no churches could have services involving more than 10 people, an order he later made a recommendation. The Editor says... Fauci falls, fumbles forbidding football. It's been a long way down for Anthony Fauci, MD — from virtual dictator of a nation under virtual house arrest (and purported sex symbol) to laughingstock caught lying and blaming the public for his fall. Fauci finally fessed up to his face mask fabulations. He lied to us for our own good, of course. [...] Now, Fauci is complaining that ignorant Americans "don't believe science and they don't believe authority." [...] Fauci and the phony models have discredited more than one man. The global warming fraud, totally a product of computer models, is now a much harder sell. Americans Should Never Again Comply With Pandemic Lockdown Orders. We're told a second wave of coronavirus infections is coming. As businesses open back up and states relax lockdown orders, the number of new cases is ticking up in a handful of states. We've heard warnings in recent days from the Centers for Disease Control and various public health experts and elected officials that a new series of lockdowns might be necessary. What these experts and officials don't seem to realize is that Americans will never comply with their lockdown orders again. They have burned their credibility to the ground, and they no longer have the moral authority to tell us what to do. Simply put, the people in charge have shown themselves to be rank hypocrites who care more about politics than science. For months, we were told that large gatherings were deadly because of the coronavirus, but when protests broke out in late May, large gatherings were suddenly okay. Early data show no surge in coronavirus cases from protests. Preliminary coronavirus testing data showed recent protests against racial injustice in several cities and states haven't caused a surge in new cases. In Minnesota, where the death of George Floyd in police custody sparked protests across the country, 1.8% of test results among 3,200 protesters who were tested at community sites came back positive, the state's health department said. Another 8,500 protesters were tested by their healthcare providers or at other sites, and .99% have been positive so far, the department said. The seven-day rolling average of the percent of positive coronavirus tests in New York City has been below 3%, according to city health department data. The city urged thousands of protesters to get tested and made testing available to anyone. By the Time Trump Gets to Tulsa. Any remaining doubt that curbing President Trump's campaign rallies was a key goal of the Democratic response to COVID-19 should be quelled by the Democrats' antic opposition to Saturday's Trump rally in Tulsa. [...] Never mind that Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery, which the Republican Party abolished in the United States after overcoming the violent resistance of the Democratic planter class in the Civil War. The point is to find some pretext to stop President Trump from communicating directly to the American people while his campaign team uses the rallies to register voters and continue to grow Trump's support using its advantage in digital technology. Key to the latter is an online app that rally attendees can download by providing a phone number. It's an advanced data mining tool that places the Trump team light years ahead of the Biden campaign on voter outreach. Airlines Ban Alcohol On Planes In Response To COVID-19. Airlines are always looking to do less ... for more. After the 9-11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001, airlines in America did away with most meal services (and many started charging you $50 for an extra bag — that'll teach those terrorists!). Now, with COVID-19 emerging as a new threat in the states, airlines have decided to stop in-flight sales of alcohol on many flights ('cuz, you know, the coronavirus lives on those little bottles). "Because COVID-19 can spread through surface contact, airlines have placed an emphasis on reducing 'touchpoints' between fliers and airline staff as much as possible. And beverage service is a major source of those touchpoints," The Washington Post reported. Whitmer extends Michigan's state of emergency through July 16. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended Michigan's state of emergency Thursday through July 16 as a federal judge asked the state Supreme Court to clarify the governor's emergency powers. The declaration, which was set to expire Friday, allows the Democratic governor continued authority to issue the executive orders that have created the framework for the state's coronavirus-restricted activity in recent months. Whitmer's response to the pandemic has so far included 122 executive orders. "The aggressive measures we took at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have worked to flatten the curve, but there is still more to be done to prevent a second wave," Whitmer said in a statement. Federal judge asks Michigan Supreme Court to clarify Whitmer's emergency powers. A federal judge asked the Michigan Supreme Court Thursday to clarify whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has the authority to continue issuing or renewing executive orders under either of the two state laws that govern her emergency powers. The request came on the same day that Whitmer extended Michigan's state of emergency through July 16. [...] The federal and state lawsuits are seeking answers to whether state law allowed for the governor's emergency powers to continue after April 30, even without legislative approvals, and whether the emergency laws giving Whitmer virtually limitless authority violate the separation of powers between the governor and Legislature in Michigan's Constitution. Mask-wearing is becoming increasingly politicized. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced Thursday [6/18/2020] that mask-wearing is compulsory in most public settings, making California the 11th state to mandate that people wear masks. Public spaces include every workspace, public transit, and any facility in which people receive medical care. President Trump, meanwhile, has discounted the benefits of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Brazil politicians break into hospital, find no virus patients. Members of Parliament of Brazil break into hospital that claimed to have 5,000 infected & 200 deaths from COVID-19 & caught them red handed: Not one person. Texas county mandates coronavirus face masks in public, warns businesses could be fined for violations. Officials in the San Antonio area have ordered people to wear face masks in public when social distancing isn't practical amid a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas as the state continues to reopen itself. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued an executive order Wednesday mandating the precautions. In a press conference, Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg voiced concerns about younger people contracting the virus and infecting older family members. "What we are doing here is to protect the life and safety of the San Antonio community," Nirenberg said. 'Death Sentence:' Why Did Dem. Governors Place COVID-Positive Patients Back in Nursing Homes? This week, House Republicans on the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent five letters to Democratic governors, demanding answers as to why these state leaders ordered nursing homes to admit patients who had tested positive for coronavirus. The House Republicans noted that the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance suggesting that nursing homes should only admit patients if the facility could follow quarantine guidelines. "Democrats failed our nursing home residents, plain and simple," Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) declared in a statement Monday [6/15/2020]. The Media Said Trump Didn't Have a COVID Testing Strategy. The Media Was Wrong. At the beginning of March, there were fewer than 1,000 tests in the country on most days. By the end of March, there were more than 100,000 a day. The number climbed again before hovering somewhere around 150,000 a day for much of April. Then it bumped up again, to more than 200,000 at the end of the month. It surpassed 400,000 for the first time on May 17. On May 29, it was nearly 500,000. It's been in the range of 400,000 to 500,000 most days since, with a high of more than 580,000 just this just Friday [6/12/2020]. More than 23 million tests have been run altogether, more than 3 million over just the last week. In April, 32 million tests were produced, and in May, 39 million, with the trajectory further upward. Have the protests proved that COVID-19 risks are being vastly exaggerated? By now, we ought to be seeing some evidence of increasing COVID-19 cases from the mass protests. The fact we are not raises very serious doubts about the coronavirus lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions, many of which are still ongoing. One explanatory hypothesis is the weather — that outdoor protests in warmish weather might have decreased the infectious potential of SARS-CoV-2. This seems highly unlikely. Even if there is such an effect, it almost definitely doesn't outweigh the close proximity of protesters to one another. Another explanatory hypothesis is that most protesters are relatively young, and therefore unlikely to fall ill but may asymptomatically transmit the virus. This could well be the case, but there is not yet enough data to support this hypothesis and I am not currently convinced this is the most compelling explanation. The third explanatory hypothesis is that we have vastly overestimated certain risks from COVID-19, limiting fundamental civil liberties of law-abiding citizens and getting it wrong. It finally took unsanctioned mass protests to prove this point. At this stage, I find the third explanation the most likely hypothesis. Contact Tracing Is A Fiasco Rejected By Most Americans. There were supposed to be armies. Grand armies of contact tracers crisscrossing every county in the country on the hunt for the Chinese virus. This was the key we were told to a safe reopening, they have been telling us this since back when they still told us not to wear masks. Soldiers in this army would interview anyone who tested positive and track down the people they spent time with. Supposedly serious people with TV shows and everything said with straight faces that we might need 100,000 contact tracers, maybe more, maybe everyone needs to be a contact tracer. In New York, Michael Bloomberg stepped out of ubiquitous presidential ads (remember that?) right into being charged with leading the new public health Manhattan Project. The result looks more like a middling 4th grade science fair entry. Oregon reported last week that that the state has no idea how many contact tracers it has in the field. In New York, several upstate counties are opting out of the program because their own local policies work better for them. Meanwhile in Gotham, Mayor Bill de Blasio betrayed the deeply unserious nature of his tracing efforts by telling his tracers not to ask if people who test positive had been at a political protest. Democrat Governors in MI, NY, NJ, CA and PA [have been] Sent Letter Demanding Why They Ignored Protocols and Sent Sick COVID-19 Patients to Nursing Homes. An updated study revealed 42% of all US coronavirus deaths occurred in nursing homes. That comes out to over 40,000 Deaths in Nursing Homes! That is a bloodbath!! Another 60,000 deaths were outside of nursing homes. Which is what you might expect from a typical flu season. The Editor says... United Airlines Passengers Who Won't Wear Masks Won't Be Allowed to Fly. United Airlines announced Monday [6/15/2020] that passengers who refuse to wear masks will be put on an internal no-fly list and will be banned from boarding future flights. The airline said the policy will start taking effect Thursday [6/18/2002] and last for a minimum of 60 days, adding that the policy is being put into place to protect passengers and crew from contracting the coronavirus. Dr. Saphier on prolonged school and summer camp closures: The mental health effects for kids are real. Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier said Wednesday [6/17/2020] that the mental health effects on children during the coronavirus shutdowns are a real concern, as many summer camps have declined to open this year. Speaking on "Fox & Friends," Saphier said "94 percent of superintendents" across the country are not ready to talk about plans for reopening schools in the fall, raising concerns about the effects on children. "This conversation is being prompted by surveys out of Italy and China where they reported that children were experiencing anxiety up to 70 percent of the time, saying that they were having feelings of anxiety or difficulty breathing. Those surveys were done from March and April. I would like to see more modern ones or more up-to-date ones. Let me tell you, as a mother having three kids at home, the mental health effects of these shutdowns are real," she said. Covid has laid the groundwork for revolution. Covid is not and never was a health crisis remotely justifying the destructive magnitude of the measures imposed — allegedly against it. It is and always was a seized-upon, contrived, promoted, exaggerated and prolonged wedge, utilized from the beginning by the political left for its ends, and abetted by an establishment already either dominated by those who hate our society and its history or too badly educated to love and defend either. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Sues FDA for "Irrational" Interference of Access to Life-Saving Hydroxychloroquine. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons filed a lawsuit against Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA for "irrational interference" by the FDA with timely access to hydroxychloroquine. Never in history have we seen such a determined effort by the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry to downplay and lie about the use of a successful drug to treat a deadly disease. Coronavirus in one state (58). In the data reported late yesterday morning, the Minnesota Department of Health attributed only 15 new deaths to COVID-19. Eleven of the 15 new deaths occurred among residents of long-term care facilities. Of the 1,298 deaths attributed to the disease by the Minnesota authorities to date, 1,030 are deaths of LTC residents — 79.3 percent of total deaths. At last word, roughly 98 percent of all deaths attributed to the disease have occurred among LTC residents with serious underlying medical conditions or other mostly elderly non-LTC residents with serious underlying medical conditions. When the Minnesota Department of Health last reported the median age of death of all decedents, it was 83.5. COVID Madness — Chicago Ministry of COVID Compliance Introduces "Social Distancing Ambassadors". Comrade Lightfoot explains why the Chicago Ministry of COVID Compliance needed to cancel the days-off for all police officers, and extend all shifts to 12 hrs per day. According to the Chicago Mayor, the city will be deploying "Social Distancing Ambassadors" to help citizens accept their social responsibility. The monitors will assist the public remaining disengaged from human contact as the Ministry begins permitting citizens to exit the confines of their homes. Drone enforcement could likely assist. [...] The ministry has determined Blue state residents are safe at distances exceeding 6 feet. However, inside that zone, at 4 or 5 feet or less, the virus creates a rapid death spiral and attacks with increased ferocity. It is currently unknown why the proximity strain of the virus responds differently in Red states. WHO director to give graduation speech at top Chinese university. The World Health Organization director-general whose alleged pro-China bias prompted President Trump to withdraw US funding is scheduled to deliver a graduation speech Sunday at a top Chinese university. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will address graduates of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, the Beijing school announced Monday. His remarks will be "online" and it's unclear if he will travel. Trump halted roughly $500 million in annual US contributions to the WHO in April, saying the United Nations body failed to vet Chinese misinformation about COVID-19, which emerged in Wuhan, China, late last year. Thousands Dismiss Social Distancing in Brooklyn for Pro-Black Transgender Rally. On the same day that thousands of protesters gathered around the Brooklyn Museum in New York to show their support for blacks who want to live as the opposite sex, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday warned that customers flocking to restaurants and bars in the state could lead to another coronavirus lockdown. "Governor Andrew Cuomo warned New Yorkers against triggering a second wave of the coronavirus, singling out bars and restaurants in Manhattan and the Hamptons as the worst offenders among 25,000 complaints filed to the state," Bloomberg reported. "We are not going to go back to that dark place," Cuomo said. Aerial views posted on social media show people packed like sardines at the Brooklyn protest. Trump Voters Have Had It With the CDC. Just as President Trump's reelection team is being inundated by a tsunami of ticket requests for his first campaign rally since March, the public health bureaucrats who bungled the initial coronavirus outbreak have launched a new campaign of fear-mongering. Last Friday, while Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously speculated that the country may not see a second wave of COVID-19 cases, the "experts" at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were discussing the possible need for another phase of job-killing "mitigation efforts." Not coincidentally, the CDC also published new guidelines for large public gatherings that obviously have more to do with hobbling the president's rallies than public health. De Blasio's 'Contact Tracing Team' Isn't Allowed To Ask COVID-19 Patients If They Attended A Protest. Democratic New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio's "contact tracing team" won't be allowed to ask COVID-19 patients if they attended a George Floyd protest recently, The City reported. The "contact tracing team" is tasked with finding an infected patient's recent contacts and informing them about their exposure to the virus so they can self-isolate. However, the team is not allowed to ask people if they attended one of the many recent demonstrations where thousands of people gathered closely together to protest the death of George Floyd, The City reported. How the Riots Crushed Coronavirus Testing. It may be a while before Americans can assess the full impact of the savage radical anarchist, Black Lives Matter, and antifa riots of 2020, initially sparked by the police killing George Floyd. The losses to property will almost certainly run into the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars. Entire buildings were torched. [...] We know at least five police officers have been murdered by rioters. Several hundred more officers have been assaulted, shot or run over by rioters. But here's one thing we may not know for a while yet: how many rioters and protesters at these mass gatherings spread the Wuhan virus around. Looters and arsonists burned down as many as 70 testing centers, according to a report in The Daily Beast. Another day, another bogus report from CDC seeking to entice the public to continue wearing masks. The CDC now says they have proof that wearing facemasks reduced COVID 19 cases in NYC by 66,000 from April 17th to May 9th. [...] There is no way they would know this, and it is as made up as the modeling numbers that CDC put out in March that showed that hundreds of millions would get the disease and millions would die. That is the study that destroyed the economy and caused governors throughout the country to require us to wear masks, social distance and avoid large groups for the first time in our lives. Oh Yeah, About Those Masks... The Credibility Ship Has Sailed. Beginning roughly two weeks ago, we all watched as mass stay-at-home orders and self-isolation gave way to massive street protests, where tens or hundreds of thousands of people gathered together in the U.S. and around the world, often one on top of the other, chanting, yelling and singing: a virtual laboratory for what we had spent four months hearing was exactly what one must not do in the middle of this pandemic. To the tyrants that order mask-wearing, it is the symbolism that is important. The lockdowns should never have been ordered. The masks serve as a visual symbol of fear, to show that the lockdowns were justified. This is a total CYA effort in the face of the strong evidence provided by the states that never ordered the useless lockdowns. The Coronavirus Mask Charade Continues. When he announced on May 1 that masks would be worn in public places, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker was emphatic. "We view this as common sense. This is going to be basically a way of life. No ifs, no ands, no buts, no doubts." However, doubts are showing up. First, Baker's order said to wear face coverings when in public places and unable to keep a social distance of six feet. Why'd he pick six feet? There is no research showing that six feet means anything in a public space. That six-foot idea is an arbitrary guess that was "conjured up out of nowhere," according to Professor Robert Dingwall, a top scientific adviser to the British government, which like the U.S. has adopted six feet as a safe social distance. The authorities guessed that it might be a good distance because some study had shown that a cough could travel six feet in a tightly closed dead-air space. The relevance of that to everyday life — who knows? The Backlash Is Coming. "We're all in this together" isn't completely true, but it isn't a complete lie, either. Our ability to live our lives depends upon the judgment and actions of others, and the pandemic illustrated that in surprising ways. Most Americans probably didn't spend a lot of time thinking about meatpackers or the supply chain of potatoes until recently. What Social Distancing? House Transportation Bill Would Pack Americans on Mass Transit. For months, the news media and health experts have repeatedly told Americans that the main way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to avoid crowded and enclosed spaces. That guidance led to a nationwide shutdown of churches, schools, businesses, and other places of public gathering, causing the greatest disruption to our way of life in generations. It seems like a bad time to pack as many people as possible into crowded and enclosed spaces. Yet that's precisely the goal of the surface-transportation bill recently unveiled in the House, which would sharply increase federal spending on mass transit. Our leaders ignore the high price kids are paying for coronavirus lockdowns. The isolation and the loneliness of the COVID-19 lockdown hasn't been good for any of us. We're on edge and angry at each other. A Gallup poll in April found "the percentages of US adults experiencing significant stress and worry on a daily basis have increased in an unprecedented manner." But that's nothing compared to what many kids have been going through and how they have been dismissed by those in charge. Kids are resilient, true. But it's been months of this lockdown. Parents I spoke to feel lied to about how long we would be kept indoors. "It was supposed to be two weeks to stop the spread," one mom told me. "My kid is getting weird," three separate parents commented to me. With no interaction with other kids and no idea when their lives will return to normal, many of the nation's children are suffering through this lockdown. Nurse shares undercover video bombshell: NY hospitals didn't isolate COVID-19 patients properly. A Florida nurse-turned-undercover journalist who traveled to New York City to work at the hospital hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic says she witnessed negligent healthcare practices that very likely increased the COVID-19 death toll. In an interview Saturday [6/13/2020] with Fox News, Erin Marie Olszewski, a registered nurse and U.S. Army veteran, said it was an "extremely common," "everyday experience" for healthcare workers at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens — the "epicenter of the epicenter" for coronavirus in the U.S. — to not properly isolate patients infected with the virus. "And, there was really no reason for that," she said. "There were resources that were not being utilized. For instance, the Comfort ship, the Javits Center, and they had Samaritan's Purse. So, we had options that weren't utilized." The Editor says... Asbury Park, NJ gives restaurants blessing to defy state COVID lockdown. Restaurants in Asbury Park, New Jersey are clear to resume indoor dining starting Monday, city officials have ruled — in defiance of Garden State Gov. Phil Murphy's coronavirus shutdown. "We believe indoor restaurants can run in a safe manner provided they are subject to all the requirements outlined in Executive Order 152," said Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, according to The Asbury Park Press. A City Council vote in favor of the move was first reported by The Coaster, a local outlet. Under Murphy's order, outdoor dining can resume on Monday [6/15/2020], but indoor dining remains a no-go. Rikers Island Inmates Released Because of COVID Rearrested Hundreds of Times. Hundreds of inmates were released from Riker's Island in New York City to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the prison. Officials knew the risks. And those fears have been realized, hundreds of times. New reporting from Melissa Russo reveals that at least 250 prisoners out of the 2,500 who were released early have gone on to commit at least 450 more crimes. "The NYPD is not happy," Russo said, somewhat understatedly. Dr. Fauci's recurring disease 'nightmares' often don't materialize. Nobody did more to kick off the U.S. AIDS alarm than [Dr. Anthony] Fauci, who was sole author of a 1983 piece in the prestigious JAMA in which he declared the disease might be transmissible by "routine close contact, as within a family household." Fauci shortly thereafter ascended to the position he holds to this day as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci continued to raise the AIDS alarm. In 1987, columnist George Will asserted on TV that the heterosexual AIDS threat was overstated. "That's not correct," Fauci protested, followed by a prediction that the percentage of AIDS cases contracted via heterosexual transmission (then at 4%) would rise to 10% by 1991. That rate never rose above 4%. [...] More recently, Fauci sounded the threat of the Zika virus, demanding billions more in taxpayer funds. It barely touched two U.S. states before burning out on its own. Gathering Is Essential — Unless You're Republican. Destroying a business is tolerated, reopening one forbidden. Democrats are bailing out rioters, and sending salon owners to prison. Going to church is worse than trying to burn it down. Protesting is a threat to public health, until experts declare your cause worthy enough. These are the new, ever-changing rules of Democrats' America. We'll forgive you if you have a hard time keeping up — but they won't. After months shaming Americans who had the audacity to want to reopen their businesses safely as COVID-19 cases waned, social distancing is suddenly less important than "social justice," according to the media's health "experts." [...] These infringements must end. We built up hospital capacity, flattened the curve, and under President Trump's leadership, delivered millions of medical and testing supplies. The American people must be given the respect they deserve, and be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves and their families, communities, and customers, like many Republican governors have from the start. Florida scientist makes [her] own COVID-19 map after refusing to doctor state data. A Florida data scientist who claimed she was fired by the state for not doctoring coronavirus figures released her own COVID-19 map. Former state Department of Health worker Rebekah Jones said she was fired because she refused to "manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen." So now the enterprising Sunshine Stater has created her own map, similar to Florida's version, except for one major additional detail: Her map includes report cards for each county on whether they meet the state's criteria for entering the next phase of reopening. Jones told NPR she hopes to give people a source of trusted information untainted by the politics of reopening. Fifty-four scientists have lost their jobs as a result of NIH probe into foreign ties. Some 54 scientists have resigned or been fired as a result of an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health into the failure of NIH grantees to disclose financial ties to foreign governments. In 93% of those cases, the hidden funding came from a Chinese institution. The new numbers come from Michael Lauer, NIH's head of extramural research. Lauer had previously provided some information on the scope of NIH's investigation, which had targeted 189 scientists at 87 institutions. But his presentation today to a senior advisory panel offered by far the most detailed breakout of an effort NIH launched in August 2018 that has roiled the U.S. biomedical community, and resulted in criminal charges against some prominent researchers, including Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard University's department of chemistry and chemical biology. "It's not what we had hoped, and it's not a fun task," NIH Director Francis Collins said in characterizing the ongoing investigation. He called the data "sobering." The dangers of bowing to the mob and defunding the police. Over the past few months, I have watched swaths of panicked civilians pressure local, state, and nationally elected officials to shut down global economic activity, lock free people in their homes, force people to cover their faces, allow certain organizations freedom to break those previous rules in order to riot and loot, and most recently begin dismantling police forces. All of these policies have been enacted with nearly no regard for the downstream societal effects, but rather in an effort to deflect blame or responsibility on to other politicians or entities. I am deeply troubled and worried about the leadership capabilities and convictions of our politicians in this country from top to bottom. The COVID Skeptics Were Right. When Alex Berenson, the former New York Times reporter, said that people will look back on the coronavirus lockdown as a "colossal mistake," many scoffed. But with each passing day, as the failures of government at every level become clearer, Berenson and other COVID skeptics look increasingly perceptive. The governmental cure was worse than the disease. [...] The sheer arbitrariness of the lockdown, during which pols, drunk on their new powers, deemed services essential or nonessential depending on their ideological preferences, has been punctuated by the riots and protests, where all the COVID rules suddenly disappeared. We see nanny-state liberals, formerly so censorious of clustered gatherings, marching arm and arm with Black Lives Matter. The shutdown revolved around an irrational assessment of risk, one which failed to weigh the consequences of crushing an economy, distorting social life, and suppressing freedom. The Emperor's New Mask. The NFL is testing face masks, not for the fans in the stands, but for the players. Is there a face mask in the world that will stop virus particles from being inhaled when the players are inches apart and slamming into each other at high speeds? Probably not. But masks have become a cultural symbol. That's why masks are being deployed in environments where they're ridiculous and useless. A strip club in Wyoming reopened with mandatory masks. At restaurants in Atlanta, waiters wear face masks. Both are equally silly. Non-medical masks might stop large droplets, but won't stop small ones. People interacting at close range will be producing small droplets that a cloth mask won't stop. When everyone is inches away from each other, talking and exchanging money, the masks are just a fetish. What a mask says is more important than what it does. Contact tracing is here, and it's even more frightening than imagined. [Scroll down] This is not friendly helpful government reach-out, folks. This is government coming to your home, coming to your doorstep, telling you to stay at home, out of medical concerns for self and others — and stripping you of your privacies and individual rights to choose, your rights to self-determine, your rights to make your most basic personal health decisions. And it's going to get worse with technology — with handy-dandy smartphone downloaded apps that do the hard part of data collection currently done by health office personnel. Beware the app. Avoid the app. Beware the entire government contact tracing program. Dr. Birx Says George Floyd Protests Have Resulted in the Destruction of 70 Covid-19 Testing Sites. Dr. Deborah Birx, President Trump's coronavirus response coordinator, warned the nation's governors on a conference call that 70 coronavirus testing sites had been destroyed amid widespread protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd. During the Monday [6/8/2020] call, a recording of which was obtained by the Daily Beast, Birx said governors should "scramble now to make sure there is testing available in urban areas." Obama to the Rescue. For three years, Resistance Media and a set of political operatives who tag-team with their allies inside the federal bureaucracy have laid siege to the American public through their proxy war against the president they hate — and the country elected. What the resistance yearned for was the kind of imagery that galvanizes resistance movements from Latin America to the Middle East: a spectacular act of martyrdom that would crown their campaign of new age political warfare, which began with the Russiagate conspiracy theory, which was followed by a fraudulent impeachment process staged by the same political operatives, CIA officers, and media personalities who pushed "collusion" into the public sphere, to the three-month-long coronavirus lockdowns that were portrayed as matters of life and death only to be magically lifted to combat racism, after leaving nearly 20 million Americans jobless. Gov. Noem: Establishment Media Coronavirus Bias Shows in 'What They Choose to Cover, Not Cover'. Much of America's news media manipulate public perceptions through sensationalism and omission of context to further a political agenda, determined Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), highlighting the industry's broad advocacy for lockdowns in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. [...] Noem continued, "They definitely spent a lot of time attacking — and I would say — really sensationalizing items and pulling out facts that worked for an agenda that they were trying to sell, and then rarely covering the good news of what was happening here in South Dakota, and that really is what is disturbing to me." Whirled Health Organization. The WHO has spoken, but (wait for it!) we won't get fooled again. Once more, they've opened their inept, over-funded, Chinese-owned yaps to spread completely incorrect information about SARS-CoV-2, then issued an immediate retraction when their lies were challenged. In this case, we're referring to their announcement several days ago that there was virtually no risk of contagion from asymptomatic spreaders, as such cases were "very rare." Which meant that society could reopen fully and, as long as someone wasn't running a fever or hacking up a lung, social distancing and masks could be forgotten. Hooray, right?! Only they've now issued a "clarification" that what they really meant to say was that up to 40% of coronavirus transmission might be due to asymptomatic spread but "more information is needed." Information which they apparently get by spending way too much time on Facebook. The WHO Throws a Wrench In What We All Thought About the Coronavirus. For months we have heard about how asymptomatic people, particularly the young, are unknowingly spreading the Wuhan coronavirus to vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. The World Health Organization on Monday said asymptomatic people spreading the disease is actually "very rare." "From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said during a press conference. "It's very rare." Originally, the WHO and the White House Coronavirus Task Force said that otherwise healthy people could contract the Wuhan coronavirus and pass it on to others without knowing it because they lack any symptoms, CNBC reported. The asymptomatic spread was the very reason most of the nation went on lockdown and social distancing was heavily emphasized. The Editor says... Brazil pulls all coronavirus stats, then releases incompatible numbers. Outside of the United States, Brazil has the largest number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections; it's behind only the US and UK in terms of confirmed COVID-caused deaths. Meanwhile, its leader, President Jair Bolsonaro, has frequently minimized the risks posed by the pandemic and has frequently been photographed taking minimal precautions — going without a face mask and hugging supporters. Complicating his country's policy response, Bolsonaro has also fired his health minister in the midst of the pandemic, only to see his replacement quit after a month on the job. All of that took place, however, against a backdrop of detailed data about the known extent of the COVID-19 pandemic within the country, allowing Bolsonaro's public proclamations to be tested against the facts. Over the weekend, however, all of that data was taken down from government websites. Recommendation: Do Not Install or Use Centralized Server Coronavirus (COVID-19) Contact Tracing Apps. As I write this, various governments are rushing to implement — or have already implemented — a wide range of different smartphone apps purporting to be for public health COVID-19 "contact tracing" purposes. The landscape of these is changing literally hour by hour, but I want to emphasize MOST STRONGLY that all of these apps are not created equal, and that I urge you not to install various of these unless you are required to by law — which can indeed be the case in countries such as China and Poland, just to name two examples. Without getting into deep technical details here, there are basically two kinds of these contact tracing apps. The first is apps that send your location or other contact-related data to centralized servers (whether the data being sent is claimed to be "anonymous" or not). Regardless of promised data security and professed limitations on government access to and use of such data, I do not recommend voluntarily choosing to install and/or use these apps under any circumstances. WHO Official Says It's "Very Rare" For Asymptomatic Patients To Spread Coronavirus. How are our scientific experts still at odds over a fact as basic as whether asymptomatic patients are infectious? There are nearly two million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. alone available for study. [...] [H]ow can there be a dispute over one of the disease's most distinguishing characteristics, its supposed transmissibility by people not suffering symptoms? This was, I thought, essentially the entire reason why COVID-19 was so hard to control and why nothing short of shutting down the economy could slow it down. We couldn't stop it by quarantining the visibly sick because it wasn't just the visibly sick who were passing it around. New Marxist frontiers: The riots cured the incurable virus. It was the biggest news story and most consequential policy decision of our lifetime. The lockdowns destroyed potentially 53% of our GDP, paralyzed our health care system, shut down our education system, and induced a physical and mental health crisis along with a social, economic, and labor catastrophe that we still can't begin to conceptualize. Yet we were told it was absolutely necessary for our survival because of the most dangerous virus ever that required these actions to some degree until there is a vaccine or a cure. Well, it appears that we found a cure, though not a medical one. From day one, the coronavirus response was a display of the tail wagging the dog — the media driving the scientific and medical community, not the other way around. This is why the minute the media found a more exciting narrative to advance their agenda, namely racial strife, not only is the virus is out of the news entirely, but the cult-like devotion to quarantine, wearing masks, and the mind-numbing trope of "social distancing" has been repudiated within hours of the first sacred "protesters" smashing and burning storefronts in Minneapolis last week. Trump critics used major study on hydroxychloroquine to attack him — the authors just retracted it. An influential study in the Lancet used to attack the president for recommending the use of hydroxychloroquine against the coronavirus has been retracted after overwhelming criticism. The editors of the publication explained on Thursday that the authors of the study could not obtain the dataset in the study in order for third-party reviewers to confirm the results. The original study was published in the Lancet on March 22. "Our independent peer reviewers informed us that Surgisphere would not transfer the full dataset, client contracts, and the full ISO audit report to their servers for analysis as such transfer would violate client agreements and confidentiality requirements," the authors said in the retraction. They Blinded Us With "Science". How would our leaders get through this pandemic without "the science"? It's never been obvious just what "the science" is, or why anyone would speak of science as a single truth, but the role it plays is quite clear. [...] Why, for instance, was the upstate New York economy shut down for more than two months, despite the small number of cases of Covid-19 in rural counties? Why, as some offices and barber shops and other upstate businesses were finally about to reopen at the end of May, did Governor Andrew Cuomo infuriate local officials by suddenly announcing that this decision could not be made by them — or even by himself? "We'll give the experts all the data," he explained. "And if they say we should move forward, we move forward." Everyone's fate now rests with the new oracles. With recovery of last case, New Zealand has eradicated virus. New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus — at least for now — after health officials said Monday the last known infected person had recovered. The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights. The Real Looters are the Politicians. In Portland, Oregon, "rioters have broken into Portland's main mall in downtown and began looting the Louis Vuitton. Youths ran out with designer bags. They shouted about expropriation," as Andy Ngo tweeted. But that state suffered far more from Gov. Kate Brown's edict that banned residents from leaving their homes except for essential work, buying food, and other narrow exemptions, and also banned all recreational travel, even though much of the state had few if any COVID cases. Almost 400,000 Oregonians have lost their jobs after Brown's shutdown. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, looters pillaged a shoe store and many other businesses. But the damage they inflicted was not even pocket change compared to the wreckage produced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She prohibited anyone from leaving their home to visit family or friends. Whitmer severely restricted what stores could sell; she prohibited purchasing seeds for spring planting in stores after she decreed that a "nonessential" activity (unlike buying state lottery tickets). Though COVID infections were concentrated in the Detroit metropolitan area, Whitmer shut down the entire state — including northern counties with near-zero infections and zero fatalities, boosting unemployment to 24% statewide. New Pandemic-Related Disorder: 'Zoom Fatigue'. Looks like working from home turns out to be not so 'perfect' after all. Here are three examples of why public trust in the scientific community is waning. Many in the medical and scientific community have publicly come out in support of Black Lives Matter and the protests dominating the news. It's a free country, that's their right to individually do so but it is quite another thing for their personal opinions to affect public health recommendations. [...] Protesting during a pandemic is doable if the cause is righteous, that's the message being sent. An open letter signed by 1,300 epidemiologists and public health experts says that "protests against systemic racism, which fosters the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on Black communities and also perpetuates police violence, must be supported." These professionals specifically say that their support of racial injustice protests does not mean they endorse other gatherings — you know, like protests about stay-at-home orders. The open letter actually says that "COVID-19 among black patients is yet another lethal manifestation of white supremacy." Why Did they Close the Schools? On March 12, 2020, a banshee-like cry went out to an email list of public health professionals and government officials who were then in a state of mental meltdown. Pull the trigger now, screamed the memo. Close the schools. As with any email chain, there were a few dominant voices who post more than others and with more passion, while others shrink back in fear of being shamed. Such was the case here: one disciple of computer modeling, Dr. Carter Mecher of the Veterans Administration, was convinced that the coronavirus was another Spanish Flu. Why he didn't explain. Mostly he wanted to try out his closure/lockdown/social-distance model on which he had been working for 14 years since he first became a convert to agent-based modeling techniques. Coronavirus of 2020 was as good an excuse as any. Mecher emerged as the leader of the list, sending hundreds of messages of increasing alarm. Desperate FakeNews Media in Overdrive. [Scroll down] Start with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a drug that's been around for 60 years and is one of the safer drugs currently on the market. Ever since President Trump spoke of its potential benefits against the Wuhan virus, the medical establishment and fake news media have been in overdrive to discredit it. If only Barack Obama had mentioned it early on as a potential treatment, then it would be in widespread use by now and Obama would be booking a trip to Sweden to collect the Nobel Prize in medicine. But since the Orange Man promoted it, the predominantly left-wing medical establishment have been on a jihad against the drug. The Lancet, a once prestigious medical journal, recently retracted a study they published, supposedly debunking any benefits of HCQ. The study was performed by a sketchy data analytics company with only five employees, four of whom joined the company only recently after Trump began mentioning hydroxy. It appears that The Lancet was so eager to publish the paper that, "They were unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis." Maybe it never was all that bad. Just Like That, Gun Control Support and COVID-19 Died This Week. [Scroll down] The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine had rushed into print articles from a sketchy outfit, Surgisphere. These studies had not been peer-reviewed and seem to have been pure poppycock. In the Lancet, it was about the effectiveness of hydrochloroquine and chloroquine, anti-malarial drugs the President had suggested might be effective in treating COVID-19 and which grandma-killer Governor Andrew Cuomo had banned as a treatment in New York. Both once-prestigious medical journals have long been losing credibility, and this will certainly drive their authority down even further. [...] If there's no increase in COVID-19 cases after these tightly packed marauder marches, were they wrong then when they told us to stay locked down and away from crowds? COVID and Climate Models Will Not Save Us. We are possibly witnessing the most destructive scientific fraud in the history of man via the COVID-19 pandemic while shutting down the U.S. economy. Hysteria is destroying people's lives. This level of "groupthink has drove [sic] unnecessary global shutdowns." When the majority of U.S. deaths those of and countries like Italy occur in nursing homes from the coronavirus, it's time to bring medical facts from physicians into this discussion. One epidemiologist, Knut Wittkowski, has gone so far as to say: "We could open up again and forget the whole thing" (COVID-19). Stanford University School of Medicine professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, would likely agree with Dr. Wittkowski. The deathblow for ending U.S. and global lockdowns comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC): [...] Stanford study suggests coronavirus might not be as deadly as flu. One of the great unknowns of the Covid-19 crisis is just how deadly the disease is. Much of the panic dates from the moment, in early March, when the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a mortality rate of 3.2 percent — which turned out to be a crude 'case fatality rate' dividing the number of deaths by the number of recorded cases, ignoring the large number of cases which are asymptomatic or otherwise go unrecorded. The Imperial College modelling, which has been so influential on the government, assumed an infection fatality rate (IFR) of 0.9 percent. This was used to compute the infamous prediction that 250,000 Britons would die unless the government abandoned its mitigation strategy and adopted instead a policy of suppressing the virus through lockdown. Imperial later revised its estimate of the IFR down to 0.66 percent — although the 16 March paper which predicted 250,000 deaths was not updated. Biden's Floyd Funeral Campaign Stunt Exposes The Elitist Left's Lies. The Daily Wire reports that Joe Biden is expected to attend George Floyd's funeral. Biden, however, is not expected to attend the funerals of any of the innocent Americans murdered during riots over the past two weeks. [...] But that's not the most outrageous thing about this story. [...] [There will be] "Hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees." Some of them apparently flying in from around the country. Normally, there would be nothing outrageous about this. Except that, for the past three months, many Americans have not been able to attend the funeral services of their own family members due to COVID-19 restrictions. In most states, funeral attendance was capped at 10 or 15 people, and only graveside services were allowed. These are the guidelines still recommended by the CDC. Chicago Opening Grant Park and Union Park For Protesters To Gather This Weekend. Grant Park and Union Park will be designated spots for demonstrators to gather this weekend, as part of a plan announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday [6/5/2020]. But Chicago just entered Phase 3 of the governor's reopen plan, and groups of 10 or more are still prohibited. Or are they? The city expects hundreds if not thousands to gather peacefully this weekend. In addition to opening up Grant and Union parks, portions of Lake Shore Drive will also be shut down to deal with the crowds. The Editor says... The Green New Deal Dress Rehearsal. More than 1.4 million cases of Wuhan Coronavirus and 106,000 deaths in the United States alone have accompanied stay-home lockdowns, businesses bankruptcies, over 40 million unemployed workers, plummeting tax revenues and unprecedented debt. Ongoing rioting, vandalism, arson and looting are compounding problems for many cities and minority communities. But where many see disaster, others see opportunity. Some want to use the crises to enact laws and welfare programs they could never get otherwise. More ambitious activists see the lockdown as a blueprint or dress rehearsal for a total energy, economic and lifestyle transformation to "save the planet." If three months of Covid lockdowns can reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, they argue, permanent fossil fuel bans are not just possible; they should be undertaken immediately. Pandemic to Protests: Coverage Shifted But Outlooks Didn't. After three months of wall-to-wall television coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost overnight the live infection dashboards and often-uttered phrases like "social distancing" have all but disappeared, replaced with images of a nation in racial turmoil. How are the major cable news channels covering the protests and what do their different narratives teach us about how the media frames national events? The data provide some clues. Since late February, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News have spent at least 15% of their daily airtime on the pandemic, based on data from the Internet Archive's Television News Archive processed by the GDELT Project. CNN displayed a live dashboard of infection and death counts a total of nine hours a day, seven days a week. As much as half of all news coverage worldwide mentioned the virus. Former MI6 Spy Chief: Coronavirus Was 'Accident' From Chinese Lab, Trump's 'Hardline' Approach is 'Right'. The former head of MI6, the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence service, has asserted that the coronavirus "started as an accident" in a Chinese laboratory and that President Trump's "hardline" China policy is "right." Speaking on the Telegraph's podcast 'Planet Normal', Sir Richard Dearlove, the head of MI6 from 1999 to 2004, is the latest voice to corroborate reports on coronavirus' man-made origins. Many — including President Trump — have alleged the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the virus' source since it's located where the disease first spread. Medical Journal Retracts Study Claiming Hydroxychloroquine Is Dangerous. A widely read study claiming the use of the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus leads to an increased risk of death has been retracted, the study's publisher said Thursday [6/4/2020]. The Lancet, the medical journal that published the original study in late May, said in a statement that they "can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources," and "due to this unfortunate development, the authors request that the paper be retracted." "We all entered this collaboration to contribute in good faith and at a time of great need during the COVID-19 pandemic," they said. "We deeply apologise to you, the editors, and the journal readership for any embarrassment or inconvenience that this may have caused." Lancet Formally Retracts Fake Hydroxychloroquine Study Used By Media To Attack Trump. The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal that published a 96,000-subject study indicting the efficacy of the politically controversial hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 has retracted its findings that the malaria medication led to an increased risk of death. "Today, three of the authors of the paper, 'Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis", have retracted their study," The Lancet said in a retraction statement Thursday [6/4/2020]. "They were unable to complete an independent audit of the data underpinning their analysis. As a result, they have concluded that they 'can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources." America in the 21st Century: 20 Long Years of Constant Brainwashing. Hey, what happened to all those pervasive, ubiquitous messages from March, April and May, telling us ten thousand times every day to wash our hands and stay at home? It was a hell of a brainwashing campaign carried out by our national news media and governments at all levels, and now it has basically vanished. Dr. Anthony Fauci has gone from being the national grandfather figure who hands out constantly-shifting and always-wrong advice on your TV screen every day to some old guy cooped up on his basement who gets an interview with some daytime hack on MSNBC or CNN once or twice a week. He told us yesterday he was very concerned about a coming new outbreak of COVID-19 due to the lack of social distancing being practiced by the looters and burners and rioters in the nation's big, Democrat-run cities, but no one was listening, which frankly is not a bad thing. Mind you, he told us that while the very same statistical modeling idiots who projected 2 million Americans would die of this virus were now saying that, hey, all the staying at home and social distancing and washing our hands had no effect on the spread of the virus whatsoever. But you weren't supposed to hear that. Why Should We Trust Health Experts Ever Again? [Scroll down] Except, now we know that the study was, at best, sketchy [...] and unverifiable. At worst, the data was entirely made up. But the health experts, including those at leading medical journals, pushed the study as if it were gospel truth. The CDC has been plagued by ineffective dawdling, and it really showed in this crisis. The FDA couldn't do anything until the bureaucratic red tape was cut. The health experts in government and out were all offering such convoluted and contrasting opinions from the start. Their statements, when they were useful to the media in attacking Trump, were blared out across all the headlines to make sure everyone knew Trump is an idiot and he is unfit to be the leader of this country. But whenever any of those narratives failed upon closer inspection, they were dropped. It's as if they never existed. Those experts, many of whom seemed just as willing as the media to make a comment solely at the expense of Trump, have really hurt their own credibility. And the result is going to be, once again, a lack of trust in the experts from here on out. Why should we pay attention to or trust medical experts when they have so clearly beclowned themselves for media exposure. Comrade Whitmer Suspends COVID-19 Virus Mitigation To Facilitate Crowd Marching. Comrades, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered the COVID-19 Virus to suspend the random infection operation while she organizes political marches to support the family of George Floyd. All expressions of political protestation are not created equal. Apparently the virus reluctantly agreed to conform with the request, and Fraulein Whitmer was permitted to violate her own social distancing rules and regulations. It's almost as if the disease is no big deal, and all the "social distancing" and lockdown and decimation of the First Amendment was a political ruse from day one.Democrats give DOJ liars and conspirators a free pass. Over the past few months, the media have subjected the public to a barrage of opinions about lockdowns, infections, and the value of a human life compared with the livelihood required to sustain it. What qualifies as "common sense" changes by the hour; still, media influencers strictly police challenges to buzzy slogans meant to keep people afraid and at home. Their cheap moral panic has turned the national discourse into a roulette wheel of grievance and threats that determines at random who is allowed to speak and on what terms. How Do We Go From Cheering Cops to Hating Them in One Week? Not too long ago, New Yorkers and city-dwellers across the country took a break from their busy lives to stand by their windows and cheer first-responders, which include cops, who were literally putting their life on the lines during the coronavirus outbreak. Police officers assisted with transporting COVID-19 patients and continued to patrol the streets and risk infection from a violent suspect. These police officers — like many first-responders — were finally getting the recognition that they deserved. What a difference a week makes. NYC City Councilman: Blame Racism, Not Riots, for Post-Riot Coronavirus Uptick. In February, this is the same person who told people to go to Chinese New Year celebrations: "If you are staying away, you are missing out!" According to Mark Levine, Chair of New York City Council health committee, if there's an increase in coronavirus cases following the violent riots, racism will be to blame. Democrats at War. The Democrat party is at war with America. That is the clear message of the Democrats' responses to the crises that have engulfed our nation over the last six months, made our streets war zones, and destroyed the small business communities that are the lifeblood of our system. When the country was attacked by a deadly virus from China in January, the Democrats attacked the president's efforts to stop it at the border, then blamed him for the 100,000 deaths that followed. Yet Democrat governors controlled the health systems of every major center of the covid19 devastation and were 100% responsible for any policies that failed. When the president attempted to re-open the economy in May, Democrat governors and mayors issued draconian orders to arrest individuals violating their "social distancing" injunctions by strolling in parks, lounging on beaches and — worst of all — attempting to revive their barbershops and salons. Was it Ever Really About the Virus? For the past four months, [...] [w]e have heard about ventilators and ICU beds, social distancing and masks, death counts and vaccines, all to the point of over-saturation. [...] But suddenly it all stopped. Coronavirus has been the most searched term on Google in 2020. At the time of this writing, on the last day of May, three-quarters of the top trending Google searches relate to the country-wide riots over the death of George Floyd. Virtually no searches of the Chinese coronavirus. [...] How could such a black swan event disappear from the news so quickly? This is another example of Rush Limbaugh's "drive-by media", quickly driving past a story that is no longer of use or relevance to the DNC media apparatus. Was the past four months of media hysteria and panic really about the virus? Or was it instead a means to a desired end? The Rule of Doctors Threatens Trump's Reelection, American Well-Being. [Scroll down] The anti-Trump media immediately jumped into the fray, warning of plagues, boils, locusts, and frogs falling from the sky; in a trice, the second coming of the Black Death was upon us. Millions would die, they confidently predicted, based on airy-fairy "models" from second-tier British universities (the same kinds of places that gave us the "global warming" hoax a decade ago). If drastic measures weren' t taken right away, American streets would soon look like the zombie dystopia of "The Walking Dead." Out of either ignorance or willfulness, the media began conflating infections with demises — this for a virus to which young and fit people with strong immune systems are essentially insusceptible, and whose greatest damage is done among an extremely elderly population with such comorbidities as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease — and even then, largely among people in nursing homes. New York City's abnormally high death rate was merged with the overall national numbers, making things look worse even for folks in rural environments, where the disease is practically unknown. Then, the goalposts started moving. The measures, we were told, were to "flatten the curve" in order to slow the spread and thus prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. When the hospitals weathered the outbreaks, we were told that the resumption of normal activity wouldn't be safe until widespread testing was underway, or until a vaccine was developed, or until the Twelfth of Never, whichever came first. Fear: The Best Tool of the Ruling Class. [Scroll down] With the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, pandemonium erupted worldwide as fear of the unknown initially governed both social and scientific responses. Leaders abhor the prospect of telling a frightened public that they do not know how to respond to a new pathogen. Informed response would require a learning curve time-span to fully understand the clinical impact on the public, but no one wants to be the unfortunate guinea pig awaiting nature's random death sentence. Experts in epidemiology and infectious diseases were tapped for advice, and they turned to computer models for answers. Years of failed computer-based climate predictions would be no reason to doubt the ability of virus modeling to predict its worldwide impact. By mid-March, the computer had spoken and British scientist Neil Ferguson reported that many millions would die. [...] Subsequently, the computer derived predictions of millions of deaths proved to be grossly exaggerated. Maine Governor Blocks Restaurant Openings, Advises Selling Food to Prisons. Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills reversed her decision last week to allow restaurants in the state's southern counties to reopen June 1, suggesting to owners they sell already purchased perishable foods to prisons at the government contract rate. Just days before restaurants in Cumberland, York, and Androscoggin Counties were slated to reopen to allow for indoor dining with health and safety measures in place, the governor reversed course, claiming an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the region. We Must Stop Falling for the Coronavirus Moral Crusade. Unlike agenda-driven climate change "crisis" claims, the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked blameless cause both for rampant dread and community behavioral restrictions that nobody expected nor wanted. The rapidity and presumed lethality of the menacing invisible onslaught caught the whole world off guard and immune-defenseless. Drastic safety responses were warranted. Forceful behavioral controls were enacted. Dangerous political precedents were established. Although devastating, eventual hindsight will likely prove the coronavirus Armageddon- level fear factor to have been exaggerated. We now know the virus is not nearly as deadly as early data from China suggested. Lacking clear understanding of the new virus or good population infection and mortality data, early model-based casualty projections were substantially overestimated. Leftie Governor Cooper Kills RNC Convention in Charlotte Due to COVID-19, Then Goes and Marches with Leftist Mob in Street. Governor Roy Cooper was out walking with leftist protesters on Tuesday without his mask on. Masks are for the peons. Governor Cooper walked with leftist marchers despite their disregard for his coronavirus orders. [...] Governor Cooper wrote the RNC on Tuesday [6/2/2020] and told them he cannot guarantee a full convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO guidance: Healthy people should wear masks only when 'taking care of' coronavirus patients. The World Health Organization is recommending healthy people, including those who don't exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, only wear masks when taking care of someone infected with the contagion, a sharp contrast from the advice given by American public health officials who recommend everyone wear a mask in public. "If you do not have any respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough or runny nose, you do not need to wear a mask," Dr. April Baller, a public health specialist for the WHO, says in a video on the world health body's website posted in March. "Masks should only be used by health care workers, caretakers or by people who are sick with symptoms of fever and cough." The Risks vs. Benefits of Face Masks. There has been a shifting of positions on the use of face masks with the COVID-19 outbreak. Initially it was not recommended, then we had different signals from the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and representatives of the CDC, the NIH and other agencies. More recently, the policies recommending wearing face masks have become more prevalent and often mandated in public places. Is there sound medical or scientific basis for the recommendations? Is much of it simply virtue signaling? Is there a legitimate rationale to do it to protect the vulnerable? And if so, at what cost to the rest of society? Dr. Fauci We'd Like a Second Opinion. While Covid-19 can be deadly, so can delaying needed healthcare procedures because hospitals are closed to non-Covid patients. Delaying treatments for concer or other chronic diseases can dramatically worsen treatment outcomes. There are thousands of hospitals across the nation that do not have a serious problem with Covid patients but are banned from treating ordinary patients. Scathing letter from health department insiders says N.J.'s pandemic failures led to 'preventable deaths'. New Jersey's response to the pandemic inside nursing homes was "an unmitigated failure" that led to "preventable deaths," a group of anonymous health department employees charged in a letter to lawmakers Monday. Moreover, the administration "is making things up as they proceed" in order to reopen the economy, the writers also allege. The letter, sent to Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union and obtained by NJ Advance Media, also calls for the resignation of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and an investigation into other top administration officials who they said have mishandled the state's response. Journalists Forget Their Own Predictions: Millions of Americans to Die. [Scroll down] By this point, there were estimates aplenty in the media that there would be anywhere from almost a half million to 1.5 million to 2.2 million dead Americans. But mysteriously in all the stories about the 100,000 dead Americans there is no mention — zero — of earlier media predictions that there would be ten or twenty times that number of deaths. Not to mention that the media seems reluctant to focus on just why the number is up to 100,000 in the first place. No Large Crowds at Church, But Street Protests are Fine. According to the city of Memphis, citizens aren't supposed to hold large weddings or church services, but you can gather in a large protest and block part of Union Avenue. The city government says you're supposed to stand six feet apart in bigger groups, but is it fine to be crammed together if it's for the "right" cause? This is what the city seems to be implying when they allowed a group of more than 200 people to protest police brutality against minorities Wednesday evening. 8 Reasons Why I Don't Wear A Mask And You Probably Shouldn't Either. The partisan divide over mandatory face coverings is one of the more interesting, if sad, twists of the Chinese coronavirus era. On the one hand, the mask police insist that not wearing one is equivalent to being a literal Typhoid Mary and trying to purposefully kill everyone's grandma. On the other, many conservatives, including this one, see it as yet another unnecessary and overblown reaction to what has been a pandemic defined by unnecessary and overblown reactions, and a particularly unsightly one at that. Regardless of how you come down on the issue, nobody should condemn anyone for their choice of wearing or not wearing a mask. That's my position, but sadly it's not shared by mask-shamer Karens and would-be tin-pot dictator Democratic governors who revel in their newfound godlike power to order citizens around like peasants. Now that they've lost the war on staying locked down forever, they now seem to think everyone, everywhere, should be masked from now until the Wuhan virus disappears from the planet. Riots are going to be the end of lockdowns. Initially, political leaders said shutdowns were temporary expedients to ensure that infections were spread out over a longer period of time so that when there was a peak, the case count was low enough that it wouldn't overwhelm hospitals and trigger a collapse of the medical system. Once that goal was achieved, however, leaders remained illogically reluctant to reopen the economy and transitioned from talking about hospital capacity to a supposed need to stay shut down until people felt safe. The number of new coronavirus cases peaked in April and have been declining for the past month, even as states started easing restrictions and as testing has ramped up. Nonetheless, scolds have spent the last few weeks on social media lashing out at those gathering on beaches, in parks, and by pools. They have tried to shame people who don't wear masks even in the wide-open outdoors, where science has shown the risk of transmission is vanishingly low. The Fog Is Lifted. As the fog lifts on the mystery of the virus, we are beginning to see more clearly. We know multiple things. First, we can beat it. Whether we mitigated correctly, or the models were entirely wrong, or it never was as bad as advertised, we don't know yet. But we do know that we know how to beat it. This, in spite of the nonsensical Democratic Party lockdown governors. We also know that the hard-left apparatchiks know we have beaten it. We also know that these same apparatchiks know that the economy will rebound strong and have better numbers than ever before the election. It's pretty clear: these leftist party leaders failed miserably trying to blame the virus on Trump. Polls show he is the one most trusted, not they. Their own failed policies in their states and cities are legion. They not only failed, but consigned tens of thousands of seniors to death with their horrifying nursing home edicts and failed policies. Manslaughter in plain sight. The TRACE Act and the Rule of Law. On May 1, 2020, Democratic congressman Bobby Rush introduced bill H.R. 6666, otherwise known as the "Testing, Reaching, And Contacting Everyone Act" ("TRACE Act"). Ostensibly, the TRACE Act will limit the spread of COVID-19 by creating "mobile health units" that will "conduct diagnostic testing... trace and monitor the contacts of infected individuals" and then "support the quarantine of such contacts." The TRACE Act allocates $100 billion in federal funds to facilitate this project. Rush says "increased testing and contact tracing is the only way we will get back normal and safely reopen our economy." Basically, Rush's position is that America should remained locked down until everyone is tested. The TRACE Act will not keep Americans healthy or safe. Instead, it will erode what remains of our constitutional freedoms — freedoms which have been all but washed away during the pandemic's hysteria. Although the TRACE ACT has been sponsored by over 50 congressmen it received very little media coverage. The CDC confirms remarkably low coronavirus death rate. Where is the media? Most people are more likely to wind up six feet under because of almost anything else under the sun other than COVID-19. The CDC just came out with a report that should be earth-shattering to the narrative of the political class, yet it will go into the thick pile of vital data and information about the virus that is not getting out to the public. For the first time, the CDC has attempted to offer a real estimate of the overall death rate for COVID-19, and under its most likely scenario, the number is 0.26%. Coronavirus may have been created in a Wuhan lab 'genetic engineering' experiment. A growing number of scientists are raising the possibility COVID-19 was created in a laboratory, saying the option cannot be ruled out. Leading immunologists and geneticists have told Sky News that there are two unusual things about COVID-19 that open the door to it being man-made rather than a naturally-occurring virus. The first curious characteristic of COVID-19 is that the virus binds to human ACE2 receptor cells more strongly than it does to any other animal, including bats. Disputed Hydroxychloroquine Study Brings Scrutiny to Surgisphere. Surgisphere Corporation, the company that supplied data for a controversial study on the health risks of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients published in The Lancet last week (May 22), has found itself in the spotlight after researchers raised questions about the dataset. The Lancet study, which lists Surgisphere founder and CEO Sapan Desai as one of four coauthors, reported harmful effects tied to the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine among patients with COVID-19. In response to the findings, the World Health Organization (WHO) and several other health organizations stopped or suspended clinical trials of the drug while they look more closely into the compound's safety. LancetGate: Pulling a Fast One on Proponents of Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine. The Lancet is one of the world's oldest and best-known medical journals. According to its "manifesto," it "sets extremely high standards. We select only the best research papers for their quality of work and the progression they bring. ... We recognize that a great research paper is not enough and that it requires development, mobilization and exposure. So we promise to set agendas, create context, inform leaders, start debates, and advocate for the idea that research can and will make a difference." Pursuant to that mission statement, on May 22, 2020, the Lancet published a study by Dr. Mandeep R. Mehra of the Harvard Medical School and Dr. Sapan S. Desai of Surgisphere Corporation that concluded that the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ) did not improve the condition of COVID-19 patients and may have harmed some of them. The study was purportedly based on the medical records of 15,000 patients who received either HCQ or CQ and 81,000 who did not. This study set off an orgy of celebration by the progressive media. Blaming White Supremacists For The Riots Is Nonsensical Gaslighting. On Saturday morning [5/30/2020] Minnesota officials came out with an audacious and absurd explanation for the looting and arson that struck Minneapolis this week. Apparently it was white supremacists from out of state who pretended to be actual protestors in an attempt to discredit the protest. The evidence? A vague claim and a lie. It turns out that most of those arrested were actually Minnesota residents. The hypocritical mental gymnastics from the liberal media in the past 72 hours were amazing enough to earn a perfect 10 from the stingiest East German judge. First, we watched tens of thousands of people hold mass gatherings across the country, which just last week we were told would kill everyone, and the media suddenly didn't care. It's like the Chinese virus just went away by magic. Nancy Pelosi Lectures About Wearing Masks, While Not Wearing A Mask. [Video clip] The Media's Top Lies and Spins About COVID-19. In such uncertain times, Americans can only hope that the media would follow suit and put aside partisan politics in the face of a global pandemic. Sadly, some journalists and fake news outlets can't help themselves. The media distorts and misleads, takes statements out of context, treats assumptions as facts, and in general, seems to want to sow as much rancor and fear as possible. This is irresponsible journalism in a time when the nation needs just the opposite. L.A. Reporter Goes Off: Floyd Protests Expose 'How Ridiculous and Arbitrary' Stay at Home Lectures Have Been. As the protesting/rioting/looting has played out in cities across America this week, I've noticed that there's one particularly important piece of information mainstream media reporters and Democrats have curiously left out of their stories/tweets on the protests. Where are all the lectures from them about staying at home, social distancing, and wearing masks? A few Democratic politicians, like the inept mayor of Minneapolis, have virtue signaled to protesters about wearing masks and social distancing, but most of our intellectual betters in the Democratic party and the MSM have largely gone silent on the matter. Imagining covid-19 under a normal press. [The New York] Times embraced abnormalcy in August 2016 when it demanded journalists abandon objectivity when covering Donald John Trump. The Times demanded that journalists treat every statement by him as a lie that he must somehow prove. The Times also demanded that journalists no longer seek his side of the story when reporting the news. [...] The Pandemic Panic is on the press, not the president. The press has politicized the covid-19 response. A normal press would have been careful and balanced in its reporting. This press is loony. At one press briefing four different reporters in four different ways asked the president if calling the Chinese Virus the Chinese Virus was racist. COVID Senicide — The Overlooked Tragedy. Nursing homes care for the elderly and infirm in our society. These vulnerable citizens have fared poorly during the Wuhan virus pandemic. [...] New York has the highest nursing home death toll. As AP reports, ["]Of the nation's more than 26,000 coronavirus deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, a fifth of them — about 5,300 — are in New York, according to a count by The Associated Press, and the toll has been increasing by an average of 20 to 25 deaths a day for the past few weeks.["] The New York Post ups this number to an estimated 11-12 thousand nursing home deaths in New York State, half of the state's COVID fatalities. This population is particularly vulnerable to the Wuhan virus often due to age and associated medical problems. In a pandemic, no one wants to touch it. Why cash has become the new Typhoid Mary. The Almighty Dollar has lost some of its might in the time of COVID-19. While most struggling businesses will take payment in any form to make ends meet during the economic downtown, a minority reject cash, fearing that it could be a transmission vehicle for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some experts predict that the pandemic will accelerate a steady flight by American consumers away from dollars and cents. The Editor says... Showboating With 100,000 Dead. On May 27, the American coronavirus death toll rose to six figures: 100,000 lives lost. That's a very sad number, made sadder when we ponder that the virus prevents loved ones from saying goodbye in person and makes any funeral an extremely small event. America's largest national newspapers have all made dramatic front pages out of the number. The New York Times came first on Sunday [5/24/2020], filling its entire front page and three more pages with names of the victims. USA Today followed on Wednesday with an entire front page in black and white and photos of the dead. The Washington Post waited until we reached the horrible number but still printed some stories on the front page. Maine's Governor Janet Mills pulls the rug out from under restaurant owners she had okayed to reopen. Maine restaurant owners are going to have a lot of rotting food and idled staff on their hands, after their governor suddenly reversed a decision to allow them to re-open on June 1st. Having made the mistake of trusting their state governor, Janet Mills, the restaurants that were able to survive the lockdown spent scarce funds restocking their supplies and rehiring staff, in preparation for the promised reopening. But not so fast! Mask Hysteria. few days ago, people in a Staten Island grocery store collectively shrieked in panicked terror because a fellow shopper was not wearing a surgical mask. Hysteria quickly ensued, with masked shoppers forming a threatening mob, as some howled, "GET OUT! GET OUT!" and driving the non-masked deviant away from the store. Watching the video on Twitter (of course!) was like seeing people in the Old Testament shrieking "Unclean! Unclean!" at an approaching leper. Were these terrified people justified in ejecting the maskless shopper from their midst as a means of peer pressure to wear a mask? Joe Biden's chief health adviser, the bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, would probably say yes. He has argued in the New York Times that mask-wearing should be universal and imposed by law. A behind-the-scenes battle raged between top Murphy aides over $500k contract as nursing home deaths mounted. New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and senior officials in Gov. Phil Murphy's administration clashed behind the scenes over the cost of a $500,000 contract for a consultant the state hired to help navigate the deadly coronavirus crisis inside the state's nursing homes, NJ Advance Media has learned. Murphy announced May 6 that Persichilli had retained Manatt Health, a national health advisory consulting group, to assess the state's response to the coronavirus in long-term care facilities, where one in 13 residents have died in the pandemic. And Persichilli seemed in full accord with the governor. "They're going to hit the ground running," she said of the high-profile consultants. But inside the administration, a different story was playing out. In private conversations recorded without her knowledge and shared by a source with NJ Advance Media, Persichilli complained about the cost of the three-week contract with Manatt and the company's lack of experience with running nursing homes. In the recording, she tells several unnamed colleagues that she initially had refused to sign it — even as she came under pressure from the governor's top advisors. Virtue Signaling Masks [are] Smothering Our Society. I have spent a lot of time since early March in the woods, in the company of birds, geese, a wild rabbit, a fox visiting my yard daily, squirrels, a racoon, five deer who enjoy the grass in our back yard at dusk, one coyote, wasps, bumblebees, a majestic eagle, a water snake, the river, flowers, grasses, two ospreys, and a lot of mud. The daily trips to the woods saved my sanity when everything around me turned irrational and abnormal, "socially distancing" from other humans as if they had the bubonic plague, the "new normal" as the Democrat leaders turned Stalinists and their lackey mainstream media have been telling us non-stop for twelve weeks now. Insane lefties took up the crusade of forcing everyone to wear face masks outside, in the woods, in state parks, in the house, in stores, while jogging, biking, in grocery stores, and in their own cars when they were driving alone. A fashion industry has quickly popped up with useless face masks of various shapes, sizes, thickness, colors, and messages that fit the submissive and scared-to-death personality of the wearer. The "Experts" Have Scammed The World, and EVERYONE Has Fallen For It. An extensive collection of links to stoke your doubts about coronavirus dangers. Why Were 'Experts' So Wrong About Florida? Last week, the Florida National Guard offered free COVID-19 testing in Collier County, but they weren't overwhelmed with panic-stricken residents seeking tests. Located on the state's southwest coast, Collier has not been a viral hotspot, and there seems to be little danger of a major outbreak there. With a population of about 385,000, the county has reported 1,334 coronavirus infections since March. Only 178 of those cases required hospitalization, and as of Wednesday, the county had recorded 46 deaths from the disease. The worst problem for local residents was when Naples reopened its beaches earlier this month, prompting an influx of "out-of-towners," including residents from the Miami area, which has the highest COVID-19 rate in the state and where beaches are still closed. When Science Becomes a Cult:
Granted, some of the public health failures surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic were the result of incomplete data, but many of them could have been avoided:
The Science Turns Against America's Mask Fascists. No less than the New England Journal of Medicine has dealt a body blow to America's growing army of mask fascists with the news that "wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection." The reasons for this are both simple and logical: ["]We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.["] Hydroxychloroquine, Me, and the Great Divide. I took hydroxychloroquine for two years. A long time ago as a visiting cancer surgeon in Asia, in Thailand, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. From 1987 to 1990. Malaria is rife there. I took it for prophylaxis, 400 milligrams once a week for two years. Never had any trouble. It was inexpensive and effective. I started it two weeks before and was supposed to continue it through my stay and four weeks after returning. But I stopped it after two years. I was worried about potential side effects of which there are many, as with all drugs right down to Tylenol and aspirin. These, however, are rare. The Democrats' 'Governor Says' America. Democrats have exploited coronavirus to override the U.S. Constitution to transform America into an evil game of "Governor Says." By simply decreeing, "Governor says," our right to assemble and worship God is rescinded. Governor says fake news media elites and government employees are essential and can earn a living. Governor says Trump supporters are nonessential and cannot earn a living. [...] Out of nowhere, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that practically all Virginia business employees and patrons must begin wearing masks. Northam's supreme-dictator decree comes on the heels of 35 states reopening and dramatically declining nationwide cases of COVID-19. So why on earth is he doing this? The answer is political wickedness, folks. It still blows my mind that by arbitrarily declaring a state of emergency a governor can force you to do something potentially detrimental to the health of yourself and your family. Numerous health experts say masks are dangerous. Contact Tracing: Your governors, red or blue, are coming after you. [Scroll down] All it takes is to spend 10 or 15 minutes sitting or standing within six feet of another human being who was infected. These are all potentially infected persons who must be tracked down and sent into quarantine, then interviewed to get a list of their contacts. In the end, one case such as that of James Daggett can ensnare hundreds of healthy, innocent Americans, and send them into lockdown, simply because they happened to breathe the same air that James breathed, or stood next to someone who did. Contact tracers are trained to make sure all of these people, healthy or not, get thrown into complete isolation, away from their children, spouses and other family members while they get monitored for at least 14 days. Prestigious medical journal urges outpatient use of hydroxychloroquine regimen for COVID-19. A prestigious medical journal is criticizing news media coverage of hydroxychlorioquine in the battle against coronavirus, saying there is evidence the anti-malarial drug combined with the antibiotic azithromycin helps in the early stages of outpatient treatment. "These medications need to be widely available and promoted immediately for physicians to prescribe," the American Journal of Epidemiology reported in an article published this week that pushed back against claims the regimen has been dangerous or ineffective in all cases. "Hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin has been widely misrepresented in both clinical reports and public media, and outpatient trials results are not expected until September," the journal noted, urging medical professionals and the public to recognize there are different stages of the disease that may require different treatments. Time To Show The Better Angels Of Our Nature With Coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control has finally produced a report with a mortality figure for COVID-19, and it's good news. Its "best estimate" is around 0.26%, as opposed to the original World Health Organization estimate of 3.4%. That's about twice the accepted rate for a typical seasonal flu. But it's vastly below some 20th century flu pandemic rates, pandemics that didn't lead to widespread deprivation of human rights, the possibility of the greatest economic downturn since the 1930s with attendant misery and death and an ominous cry for a "New Normal." More Reasons to Flee Blue States. For years Americans have been relocating from blue states to red states in search of jobs and affordable housing. The heavy-handed lockdown policies of governors in some blue states will no doubt accelerate this trend. [...] When states are sorted in order of deaths per 1,000 cases, an important pattern becomes evident: Nursing homes in five of the seven worst affected states were ordered or paid to take in recovering COVID-19 patients. Massachusetts rescinded this requirement after objections from the medical community, but New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan doubled down and turned their nursing homes into slaughterhouses for the elderly. Instead of owning up to this mistake, the state of New York is trying to minimize the evidence by excluding nursing home residents who died in hospitals from their tally of nursing home deaths. Obama CDC Boss Who Admired China's Response Put in Charge of Contact Tracing. Two years ago, the NYPD was frog-marching Thomas Frieden, Obama's former CDC boss, with his hands cuffed behind his back after he was charged with third-degree sexual abuse and forcible touching. Frieden had been accused of groping a female friend, but was shortly released without bail on his own recognizance, pled guilty to disorderly conduct, and had the charged sealed and dismissed. And that shouldn't have been surprising. Not only had Frieden headed New York City's Health Department for seven years, going to war against fat and big sodas, but he had remained a close Bloomberg ally. And the billionaire was a major funder of Vital Strategies, Frieden's public health organization. Now Governor Cuomo has announced that New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will be launching a tri-state contact tracing program. Religious liberty means COVID-19 restrictions cannot target churchgoers. [Scroll down] Last month, the city of Greenville, Mississippi, fined attendees at one such service at Temple Baptist Church $500 per person. Their crime? Sitting in their vehicles and listening through their car radios to their pastor speak. This decision, whatever its motive, makes no sense, especially since the drive-in restaurant just down the street from the church had people in their cars eating their dinner and listening to their radios. That's why the U.S. Department of Justice swung into action. In the words of Attorney General William Barr, "even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers." On April 14, Mr. Barr filed a Statement of Interest on behalf of Temple Baptist. The city of Greenville has dropped the fines, but it is still preventing people from meeting — in their cars, with the windows rolled up and no close social interaction. Cuomo says NY businesses can deny entrance to those without masks. New York businesses will have the right to deny entrance to those who refuse to wear a mask or other face covering under an executive order Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday [5/28/2020]. "We're giving the store owners the right to say, 'If you're not wearing a mask, you can't come in,' " said Cuomo in a press briefing at the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in Flatbush, Brooklyn. "That store owner has a right to protect the other patrons in that store. "You don't want to wear a mask? Fine. But you don't have a right to then go into that store if that store owner doesn't want you to." The Editor says... Cuomo blames everyone but himself for nursing home fiasco of his own making — and has got some doozies. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, that New York Democrat so vaunted in the media he was once touted as a replacement candidate for wretched Joe Biden, is on the hot seat these days for his wretched performance in the coronavirus crisis. He's become reviled for his outrageous decision to force New York's nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients by executive order, killing off 5,000 of the state's most vulnerable people. He should be crawling under a rock in shame, now that word's gotten out. Instead, he's blaming everyone but himself. The New Internet Censorship. [Scroll down] According to the conventional wisdom of the powers-that-be, the unprecedented pain and suffering caused by shutting down most of the global economy has resulted in a "flattened curve" that saved millions of lives all over the world, so the benefit was worth the price we've paid. Is that true? It must be, because that's what all the experts have said! Only the experts you've been allowed to hear have said it's true, but you wouldn't know otherwise because the information you are allowed to see on social media is being filtered. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki declared that her company will censor any information that fails to conform with the message of the WHO by flatly admitting, "Anything that would go against World Health Organization recommendations (on COVID-19) would be a violation of our policy." In other words, we are now supposed to trust and depend on the United Nations as our only source of information. [...] The only authority figures whose opinions have been solicited and disseminated to the public during the current crisis have been Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci. We have no reason to doubt their credentials as experts, but do we have any reason to question their judgment? At minimum, we have ample reason to wonder if the coronavirus shutdown was ever necessary. As non-COVID-19 patients return to Chicago-area emergency rooms, doctors see skyrocketing blood pressure and other side effects of delays in care. One patient ran out of medication during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up in the Loyola University Medical Center emergency room with dangerously high blood pressure. Others, unwilling or unable to get consistent treatment for chronic conditions during the pandemic, have come in with out-of-control asthma, mental health crises or inadequately treated chronic kidney failure. And then there are the patients who have been putting off treatment for chest pain. Just How Exaggerated Is The COVID-19 Death Count? As the "official" tally of COVID-19 deaths tops 100,000 in the U.S., we keep hearing how that number is likely a low-ball estimate. But there's far more evidence that the death count has been knowingly exaggerated — possibly by a very wide margin. A recent Seattle Times article pretty much lays out the charade going on. The headline reads: "Washington state's actual coronavirus death toll may be higher than current tallies, health officials say." But the story itself leads one to the exact opposite conclusion. [...] The story goes on to say that the state's dashboard "reflects anyone who died, that tested positive for COVID, irrespective of cause of death." (Emphasis added.) Basically, the state has been matching up the names of those who died this year with a database containing names of people who tested positive for COVID-19. Reopening the economy only works if people return to work. Business owners across the country are lamenting that people are not coming back to their jobs, even when offered. For small businesses able to survive the quarantine, more will need to be done to get their workers off welfare and back in the workforce. It's going to require thoughtful action from state and federal leaders, as well as strict enforcement of existing laws regarding unemployment benefits. Thankfully, some of the nation's governors are making bold and commonsense moves to address the three-headed monster of a health crisis, budget woes, and businesses on the brink of extinction. Now completing a 360-degree turn: Top Australian vaccine scientist reveals how COVID-19's unique structure means it's either man-made — or a 'complete fluke' of nature. Coronavirus is so 'perfectly adapted' to infect humans that the possibility it was made in a Chinese lab can't be ignored, Australian vaccine researchers conclude. Professor Nikolai Petrovsky said the virus was better at attaching itself to human cells than to any other animal, explaining why it has infected five million people. The vaccine expert warned the investigation into where COVID-19 started, as proposed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was as a result urgently needed and should have begun months ago. The Editor says... Coronavirus may never go away, even with a vaccine. There's a good chance the coronavirus will never go away. Even after a vaccine is discovered and deployed, the coronavirus will likely remain for decades to come, circulating among the world's population. Experts call such diseases endemic — stubbornly resisting efforts to stamp them out. Think measles, HIV, chickenpox. All in this together? Across the country, some are more "in this" than others. It's all a matter of being essential. Or not. Or caught at a particularly good (or not so good) stage of your life or career. How do you prepare for the unexpected? My dentist is non-essential. It's impossible to offer virtual dental services. Too bad for those who have gone without dental care for more than two months now. My dentist owns and operates a small business. I wonder how long can he continue to pay the rent without any income. Yet government workers and members of our news media are essential. Who makes these decisions: essential and non-essential? Using what criteria? [...] My hairdresser has been allowed (allowed!) to re-open her home-based business starting next week so long as she operates at 25% capacity of her former load. [...] She has only one hair-cutting station. Exactly how will she operate at 25% capacity? Numerous Former Pelosi Aides [are] Lobbying For Companies Seeking Benefits Related To Coronavirus, Report Says. Numerous former aides to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have reportedly transitioned to working as lobbyists for companies which have sought benefits from legislation related to the coronavirus, making a bundle of money for their firms in the process. The Washington Free Beacon examined federal disclosure records and found at least seven of those aides, including Pelosi's former chief of staff, Nadeam Elshami, senior policy adviser Anne MacMillan, and special assistant Shanti Stanton, have represented over 50 different entities in 2020. The Beacon added, "Their firms received over $2 million from these clients during this time. These fees were for lobbying on multiple issues in addition to coronavirus legislation and policies." Democrat Lockdowners Keep Getting Caught Breaking Their Own Rules. Those leading the charge to keep America closed seem to have a problem living under their own rules. On Tuesday [5/26/2020], Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was caught in hot water when her husband sought expedited boat service to take the family out on a lake in northern Michigan. While Whitmer lifted statewide lockdown restrictions prior to the holiday weekend, the governor still warned residents not to travel. "If you don't live in these regions... think long and hard before you take a trip into them," Whitmer said in a public press conference earlier this month. Just days later, the owner of Northshore Dock LLC in Traverse City received a request from Whitmer's husband, Marc Malloy, leveraging his wife's high status to get the family boat up and running. Dem Gov. Cuomo Blames The Nursing Homes For Obeying His Orders And Taking Covid-19 Patients. [Video clip] Lockdown-defiant NJ gym sues governor, state in federal court. The defiant New Jersey gym that was repeatedly shuttered for violating the state's coronavirus lockdown is suing the state in federal court. The owners of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr charged that Gov. Phil Murphy, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and other New Jersey officials violated their constitutional rights by forcing them to close up shop for three months, putting their business on the verge of collapse. "If allowed to stand, now 67 days after the first executive order and over 40 million Americans unemployed, defendants' orders will not only continue to violate plaintiff's rights under both the US Constitution and New Jersey Constitution but will continue to inflict massive and widespread economic damage to plaintiff," according to the lawsuit, filed Monday [5/25/2020]. Cuomo's Coronavirus Personae All Fail the Statesmanship Test. [Scroll down] According to Cuomo, his decision to lock down the entire state and to impose on every New York county an arcane set of complicated benchmarks for reopening is not a policy decision, it's dictated by science. Science, we are to believe, requires that every county have a 30 percent vacancy rate in its hospitals for both general beds and ICU beds, among six other complicated benchmarks, before its shoe repair and gardening stores can reopen. Never mind that even New York City had thousands of available beds at its worst moment of crisis — the breakdown of Elmhurst Hospital, a poorly run public facility in a high-immigrant, high-poverty Queens neighborhood. Three thousand five hundred hospital beds lay empty throughout the city, with two dozen new ambulances available to take patients to those beds, while hundreds of the sick languished without care at Elmhurst. Never mind that the hundreds of additional hospital beds that rapidly were constructed in the Javits Convention Center, in Central Park, and on a Navy hospital ship in April were never fully occupied. Democrats Are Running Out of Arguments. The terror campaign conducted by the media when the coronavirus outbreak began effectively compelled President Trump and most governors to follow the advice of the audible scientists and "flatten the curve" with a comprehensive shutdown requiring huge numbers of people to stay at home. As the unemployment figures that resulted mounted swiftly toward 40 million, the American Left, now including almost all the official Democrats and almost all the national political media, became instantly addicted to the prospect of holding the president responsible at the election in November for creating an immense economic depression. [...] The rabidly Democratic media who effectively are conducting the campaign for the beleaguered official Democrats, are left clinging to an indefinite shutdown that only panic can justify and that an increasing number of people, now including the president, believe should not even have been imposed. If you still care what Dr. Fauci thinks, you're falling behind. Canceled Contact Tracing Contract Reveals Michigan Authorized Democrat Firm for 400 Activists to Collect Medical Information. A copy of the since-canceled contact tracing contract Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration executed with a Democrat operative's consulting firm, obtained exclusively by Breitbart News, shows the firm would have been paid to recruit 400 volunteers to collect medical information from state residents. The contract was signed April 20, 2020, between the Michigan Public Health Institute and Great Lakes Community Engagement, a nonprofit organization under the control of Mike Kolehouse, a Democrat campaign consultant. American vulnerability and American strength. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, people predisposed to believe in conspiracies posited the idea that the coronavirus was a Chinese bioweapon manufactured in a Wuhan laboratory. This was always far-fetched. It seemed and still seems far more likely that the virus leaked accidentally from the lab, where safety procedures were known to be sloppy. But one counterargument made against the weapon theory, that the virus was not lethal enough, always seemed unpersuasive. Surely, a smart bioweapon made by a hostile power wanting to supplant America as world leader would not kill tens or hundreds of millions of people. It would infect and kill only so many as to guarantee panic and shut down and ruin the enemy's economy while giving the perpetrator plausible deniability. Medicare chief Verma blasts Cuomo for trying to deflect blame onto White House for NY nursing home deaths. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma fired back at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wednesday [5/27/2020] after he claimed last week to be following "what the Republican administration said to do" when he ordered nursing homes to admit coronavirus patients who had been discharged from hospitals. Verma told "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio that neither she nor Trump instructed governors to place infected patients back in their original nursing home setting. "President Trump took very early actions when it came to nursing homes," Verma said. "We prohibited visitors [and] put out guidance to both nursing homes and states." Let the Sun Shine In. For a moment in April, the Internet tried to cancel Florida. Photos showing crowds flocking to Jacksonville Beach amid the Covid-19 pandemic brought the hashtag #FloridaMorons to the top of Twitter. The media eagerly spun scenes of ignorant spring breakers endangering themselves and others. Nearly two months after America's first case of coronavirus, here was Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, joining neighboring state Georgia's "experiment in human sacrifice" by letting locals lift restrictions on their own. Nearly a month later, Jacksonville's Duval County reports new Covid-19 hospitalizations in the single digits. Rates of hospitalizations, cases, and deaths remain steady across Florida. So far, fewer Floridians have died of the novel coronavirus than in New York's nursing homes alone (2,259 compared with 5,800, at least). More than half of the state's known cases of Covid-19 are found in just four South Florida counties — the top out-of-state destinations for fleeing New Yorkers. 'Americans Don't Get Ruled' — Illinois Judge Unloads on Pritzker's Stay-at-Home Order. Lost in the shuffle of the Memorial Day holiday weekend — unusual, though it was — an Illinois judge unloaded on Governor J.B. Pritzker's still-in-effect stay-at-home order this past Friday. I've written previously regarding the significant distinction between Chicago — and even Springfield — and "outstate" or "downstate" Illinois. This judge's decision further highlights that great divide. The back story: State Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from the state's 109th District, filed a lawsuit against Pritzker in April, asserting that Pritzker's stay-at-home order unfairly affected the residents of his home county. Clay County Judge Michael McHaney issued a temporary restraining order in that matter, but only as to Bailey himself, opining that Bailey "has a clearly ascertainable right in need of immediate protection, namely his liberty interest to be free from Pritzker's executive order of quarantine in his own home." Pritzker subsequently removed the case to federal court (Southern District of Illinois) and now, the U.S. DOJ has intervened in that matter, supporting both the challenge to the orders themselves and the removal of the case to federal court. The Coronavirus Is Deadliest Where Democrats Live. The staggering American death toll from the coronavirus, now approaching 100,000, has touched every part of the country, but the losses have been especially acute along its coasts, in its major cities, across the industrial Midwest, and in New York City. The devastation, in other words, has been disproportionately felt in blue America, which helps explain why people on opposing sides of a partisan divide that has intensified in the past two decades are thinking about the virus differently. It is not just that Democrats and Republicans disagree on how to reopen businesses, schools and the country as a whole. Beyond perception, beyond ideology, there are starkly different realities for red and blue America right now. Coronavirus death toll is heavily concentrated in Democratic congressional districts. The coronavirus outbreak has taken the lives of nearly 100,000 Americans. Yet since the start of the outbreak, the death toll has been concentrated in a just a few places — mostly large metropolitan areas, especially the New York City area. The places hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak — which have relatively large shares of ethnic and racial minorities and residents living in densely populated urban and suburban areas — are almost all represented by congressional Democrats. Andrew Cuomo managed to kill Grandma — and New York's economy too. Too harsh? Well, report cards are snapshots, and the pandemic is an evolving event. Numbers are shifting, and surely things will look different down the road. But if New York had dodged the coronavirus bullet, this governor surely would be taking full credit. So because in fact it has been hit squarely between the eyes, it seems reasonable to hand him the blame. It was just six weeks or so ago when folks were touting the hugely telegenic Cuomo for vice president, maybe even as the fellow to replace a faltering Joe Biden on the Democratic Party's November ticket, should it come to that. Heck, even I showered Cuomo with praise in these pages. Not anymore. The numbers are bruising the narrative. Coverup: Fauci: Wearing A Mask Is Symbolic, May Be No Second Wave Of COVID-19. One of the worst problems of mitigating the coronavirus pandemic has been the ever-changing advice from the experts and professionals in the fields of medicine generally and public health policy specifically. One day we are told one thing, the next day brings different advice. President Trump put together a White House coronavirus task force with Dr. Birx at the helm. Vice-President Pence acts as coordinator. One of the first pieces of advice was about masks. At first, medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci and others said that masks shouldn't be considered mandatory in the virus's mitigation, mostly out of concern for the supply of personal protection equipment for the medical community and first responders. Mask production had to be ramped up quickly to keep up with professional demand, let alone for an increasing demand from the public. The Editor says... Cuomo nursing home scandal — Deaths likely closer to 10,000 and it gets worse. COVID-19 has already killed thousands of nursing home residents in New York. An estimated 10,000 or more, double what the state reports. It's hard to know what's worse, the dying or the lying. Under criticism for forcing nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to shift the blame to President Trump. "Don't criticize the state for following the president's policy," Cuomo said at his Saturday news conference. The governor points to a Trump administration statement issued on March 13. Sorry, Governor, but you're twisting what the statement said. The administration recommended nursing homes should admit patients even if they were coming from a hospital battling COVID-19, not that patients with COVID-19 themselves should be admitted. Face Masks Just Became a Presidential Election Issue. It would be silly to think that any issue in 2020 couldn't be politicized, but there is now a new level beyond expert-mode of how to get voters to line up on one side of an issue or another. On Monday [5/25/2020], Memorial Day, former vice president Joe Biden took part in a ceremony in his adopted home state of Delaware. Biden, as is required and/or strongly encouraged in many parts of the country, wore a protective face mask due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The pictures weren't too flattering but given Biden's age and possible susceptibility to Covid-19, not unwarranted nor unexpected. It's time to checkmate run-amok COVID-19 states. Hopefully, many of the things that lie heavy upon the nation right now will be in our collective rearview mirror in the near future. These things include constant mention of pandemic and crisis — hourly radio reports and TV news reports of coronavirus infections and deaths, face masks, the pronouncements of "experts" like the little gnome man and the scarf lady, and ubiquitous signs and messages that implore us to stay home and stay safe (OBEY!). All of this is aimed at creating and reinforcing a state of fear and panic because scared people are easier to manipulate. What will not, and must not, fade from our memory and consciousness is the stench of the actions of state governors and state officials who acted with little regard for the constitutional rights of their citizens. Is COVID-19 fading away? The Daily Mail (U.K.) says a technical report from Singapore predicts that COVID-19 will be gone in the U.S. by Nov. 11, the U.K. by Sept. 30, Italy by Oct. 24. Maybe that's why the heralded Oxford University vaccine development group is getting nervous. According to this account reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, the virus is disappearing, creating a panic among the vaccine developers. In fact the virus is fading so rapidly that "Professor Adrian Hill said an upcoming Oxford vaccine trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return "no result" because of low transmission of COVID-19 in the community." Americans fight over everything else — why not add religious services to the list? In the interest of fighting over just about any conceivable thing, even during a national pandemic, Americans are now arguing about the right to assemble together for religious services. [...] With some 39 million neighbors becoming newly unemployed in recent weeks, schools closed, normal living routines destroyed and the economy at a crawl, political pressures are mounting to begin reopening the economy. But what about churches? Fellow citizens in shorts, flip-flops and maybe masks can wander through Walmart, which, like many such stores, is deemed an "essential service." But in the eyes of government, sharing faith observances in-person with fellow believers, once a bedrock national assumption, is not. Instead, they were confined to virtual services in private. Initially, the lockdown was sold as imperative to flatten the curve of COVID-19's spread. Then, like the mission creep of some notorious modern military undertakings, a lockdown became essential to save lives. In the end, it is the face mask that is the clearest symbol of America's divide. There have been several great columns on the debate over mask-wearing in public. Scott McKay at American Spectator explains why the mask is essentially useless: The mask is not an adequate defense against the COVID-19 virus, gang. The virus checks in at somewhere between 0.06 and 0.14 microns, meaning it's too small for any commercially available mask to effectively filter it out. The pores on an N95 mask, which are the best masks you're reasonably going to find, and the vast, vast majority of you are not going to have N95 masks but rather cloth masks, which perform far less well, are 0.3 microns." Over at Powerline, John Hinderaker writes about how "wearing face masks has become a cultural divide.... On the left, mask wearing has become a basic marker of good citizenship, no matter how silly it may be..." Then on Tuesday [5/26/2020] at the Federalist, David Marcus astutely observes that the mask has become the political symbol of 2020. Indeed it has. These Are The Most Illogical Coronavirus Restrictions Still In Place. While most of the U.S. has begun to reopen, some parts of the country remain under burdensome restrictions that can't be justified by either science or logic. Most of New York, Michigan and the Washington D.C. metro area remains under lockdown through at least Memorial Day weekend. Some beaches in Virginia and New York reopened over the weekend, but Democratic New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made it clear that swimming is forbidden, saying beachgoers who swim in the ocean will "be taken right out of the water." From Speech To Consumer Choice, Democrats Believe Everything Must Be Policed. The political left is driven by an urge to supervise every aspect of our lives. It's a corrosive impulse that shouldn't be accepted anywhere in a free nation, let alone practiced. The backlash needs to begin now. If not, our liberty will eventually be overrun. [...] Nothing in recent times illustrates the left's inclination to control as does its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Democrats want to keep people and businesses locked down while Republicans, with some exceptions, want to free people and unleash commerce. Don't think the Democratic governors, mayors, and unelected public health officials who have put the most restrictive limits in place aren't enjoying the authority they've given themselves. It's as if they've waited their entire lives for this moment to exercise raw power over the masses. People nurture and savor their pleasurable fear. The odds of a young healthy American catching and dying of the COVID virus are roughly 1 in 70,000 and going down. Their odds of dying of sunstroke are ten times greater. Their odds of dying in a car wreck or by suicide are a thousand times greater. So why are many young healthy people afraid of dying of the virus? I have a theory. It's because fear is pleasurable. [...] Moreover, fear is not just highly stimulating but is also easy to get. We can simply watch a scary movie or take a roller coaster ride. Or get hysterical about COVID killing us. Ah, you say, but there's no real danger in those things. That's the point. That's why they're perfect methods for stimulating fear. With safe scary things like COVID, people get all the enjoyment of fear stimulation with none of the effort required to deal with real danger. 'This is my big worry': Obama officials and other Democrats fear strong, post-coronavirus economic recovery. Democrats are bracing for the political impact of lifted lockdown restrictions across the country and other measures that could lead to a boom in the economy following the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report. Jason Furman, one of former President Barack Obama's top economic advisers, gave a presentation to top Democratic strategists and donors last month. He shocked the group with his prognostication. "We are about to see the best economic data we've seen in the history of this country," he said, according to Politico. "Everyone looked puzzled and thought I had misspoken." J.B. Pritzker is a Horse's... Friend. A horse is a horse, of course, of course, unless that horse resides on the Pritzer horse farm in Wisconsin[.] As he requests the power to seize private business property if owners open too early or not in concert with his wishes, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says it's not safe yet to hold indoor church services, but it's totally okay that construction workers travel to his Wisconsin horse farm to build his new house. Construction workers have been deemed essential, especially union construction workers who have dues taken out to fund the campaigns of politicians like Pritzker and who get time off to ring campaign doorbells on behalf of Illinois Democrat politicians. And so, apparently, is his horse farm, where the customers get better grooming services than the taxpaying citizens of Illinois. CNN, MSNBC are peddling panic, moral judgment, not science and data, in coronavirus coverage. We hope you had a happy Memorial Day weekend. It's possible you have spent, along with millions of others, months trapped indoors per government order because of the coronavirus. So, getting outside makes all the difference — grilling a hamburger in the fresh air, hitting the park, walking on the beach for a couple of hours. It's essential. All of us needed it. Nature is medicine. Happy, balanced people understand that intuitively. You can't just sit on a couch all day barking at other people on social media. Your soul will rot if you do that. And unfortunately, it's too late for a lot of people at CNN, and they haven't even been trapped inside for months. For reasons that no one in authority has ever really explained, cable news yappers have been classified as essential workers from the very first day of lockdown. COVID-19 'surcharges' take customers by surprise. Some companies are adding coronavirus surcharges to bills, infuriating customers enough to take their business elsewhere. "Many customers are angry about the changes," wrote Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at CreditCards.com. Rossman noted that roughly 86% of respondents from an American Express survey said they would stop patronizing a business if it applied surcharges to receipts. A dentist in Florida charged patients $10 to help pay for the personal protective equipment worn by staff, which the mother of one patient felt she was not obligated to pay. "I don't feel that I'm required to pay that," she told a local news station in Jacksonville, Florida. Irish PM accused of breaking social distancing rules after shirtless picnic. Ireland's prime minister has been accused of breaking his own social distancing rules after being snapped topless while picnicking with pals in a packed park. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stripped off with partner Matthew Barrett and two friends in Dublin on Sunday — just days after one of his senior officials warned against picnics or staying outside longer than necessary. The photos sparked outrage, with the Irish Independent accusing him of being like other politicians "simply making things up as they go along" while others called for his resignation on Twitter. A large percentage of Minnesota COVID-19 patients don't speak English. The pandemic has heightened the need for interpreters as hospitals cope with a disproportionate number of COVID-19 patients who speak languages other than English. As of mid-May, 22% of the Minnesota Department of Health's interviews with people who had laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases required an interpreter — more than five times the proportion of the state's population lacking fluency in English. At least part of the trend is driven by outbreaks at meatpacking plants that employ many immigrant workers, such as the JBS pork processing plant in Worthington, where hundreds of employees contracted the virus. Obama, Clinton 9th Circuit Judges Suspend Bill of Rights Until Coronavirus is Cured. Perhaps these two lefty scholars can point us to where the First Amendment states, "except in an emergency". [They are] proposing the suspension of the Bill of Rights until there's a cure. Which may never happen. Bizarrely, the Democrat judges are quoting a minority dissent arguing that speech could be censored if it was inflammatory. Jackson was arguing that the authorities should have the right to stop Nazi supporters from saying racist things in public because it would lead to disorder and then America would go the way of Nazi Germany. Jackson was a great man, but wrong in this case. That he's being quoted by the majority in this ruling is troubling at best considering the original implications. The Democrat judges did not address the fact that Newsom is discriminating against religious observance. Illinoisans head to Indiana to spend money as stay-at-home order continues. While dining rooms remain closed in the state, many Illinoisans are crossing the border to go out to eat. Many restaurants in Illinois are preparing for outdoor dining starting on May 29, but indoor dining rooms must remain closed. As it stands now under Gov. J.B. Pritzker's five-phase reopening plan, indoor dining rooms in Illinois won't be able to open until the end of June. Restaurants in Missouri have reported a steady flow of people coming over from Illinois to have a meal. The same holds true for Indiana. In a viral video, a supermarket mob rampages against a woman. On Monday morning [5/25/2020], people woke up to a video on Twitter showing masked customers in a Staten Island grocery store screaming obscenities at a woman without a mask and shouting at her to "get out." It's an alarming video because it shows how quickly people can be turned into human weapons when fear powers them. Turning nursing homes into extermination sites: the Gretchen factor. We're finally getting a clear picture of exactly how the beating of a 75-year-old nursing home patient by a man nearly one-quarter his age came about. And boy, it is a shocker. It turns out that victim and perp were sent to the Westwood Nursing Center in Detroit due to the fact that both were suffering from COVID. The older man, an Army vet, was snatched from his apartment and dumped in the nursing home without any notification of his relatives, who then spent a considerable amount of time looking for him, to no avail. As for the younger man, who is evidently named Jaydon Hayden, though the police haven't yet confirmed it, he was suffering from some sort of breakdown and had been sent to a group home to await treatment when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus and also dumped in the Westview facility. I Am Criminal. Fear is a tool of the tyrant. Law is another tool of the tyrant. When you put them together, you do not arrive at freedom, you arrive at more than even tyranny. You arrive at terrorism, by means of law. [...] It is all about control, not safety. The health department should serve (and probably really does serve) merely an advisory capacity. It should not rank higher than the U.S. Constitution and certainly not when itself admits that not enough is known, even yet, about the coronavirus to use data to enforce such sweeping and absolute rule over a "free" people. All things being equal and Americans actually being "free" rather than captive to a Soviet-style, bureaucratic omnipotent tyranny, there would be significant push back, even more so than what is taking place in Michigan with one of the worst, most explicit tyrants in power. Except, perhaps, the Tennessee (Knox county) health guru who felt completely comfortable in stating that "communion is not a part of core worship." Of course, I could go on and on about how communism has taken over American government all I wish, but these people put the color and sound to it that I never could. 5 Things I've Learned From COVID-19. [#1] People Overreact. In the absence of knowing what to do, people need to do something. The masses feel better when they are preparing to defend themselves against an invisible threat, even if this makes no sense whatsoever. Like pregnant mums writing a birthing plan, only for it to go out the window the minute you realize pushing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a doughnut is going to sting a bit. When the threat of coronavirus came, ordinarily sane people were caught doing the strangest things: freezing onions, fighting over toilet paper, putting beans in their loft space. It is comforting to know that the most fearful in our society will never need to buy toilet paper again. Self-inflicted destruction of America, all for nought. Stats now show that the mortality rate for the coronavirus is hardly more than the seasonal flu. And when this is all over, it may even be less. Trump was right all along. But the left mocked him as they elevated Dr. Anthony Fauci to sainthood. It turns out, this "expert" deceived us all. The mortality rate for the coronavirus dropped from WHO's estimate of 3.4% to 2% to Fauci claiming it was 1%, and therefore ten times deadlier than the seasonal flu. (He plucked the 1% figure out of thin air, since there was insufficient data to make such a claim). Now we learn that the overall mortality rate for this virus is not 3.4% or 2% or even 1%[.] Instead, the mortality rate is around .26%. Yes, you read that right. .26%. They Killed Everything Beautiful. Massachusetts was the next-to-last state to begin re-opening, and the timetable set by the state is tortuous and vague, making planning for opening up again by businesses and organizations close to impossible. The restaurant and hotel industries are still waiting for their rules from the commonwealth, but when they do open up — if they survived the financial hit from the shutdown — they should be able to do so fairly quickly, after replenishing supply lines, rehiring staff, and reconfiguring their operations for the "new normal" which incorporates the "social distancing" nonsense. But for cultural organizations, the timeline for getting going is much longer. Death, Politics and the Nursing Homes. There still is a lot we don't know about the transmission and treatment of the virus, though you'd be well advised to skip the hysterical accounts in the fake news and rely on more substantive accounts elsewhere. One thing has been consistently true, though: The elderly have been the most vulnerable to this disease. Reason would suggest, in that case, that instead of focusing enforcement attention on closing parks and beaches and arrests of lone surfers or churchgoers sitting in their closed window cars, attention should be paid to those institutions which house in close quarters the aged and infirm. Apparently, however, Democratic governors live in a post-rational world. It's Time to Be Americans Again. There is more to life than not dying from COVID-19. And, this just in, you can die from causes other than the coronavirus. As Americans, we need to remember this, or else risk an extended period of economic distress that will cost lives as well as economic hardship. The choice is not between people and profits. We can indeed both walk and chew gum at the same time. Let's get started. As things currently stand, a majority of Americans understandably want to ensure their health and safety are taken care of before they even think about reintegrating into society. After all, who could blame them for prioritizing the health and wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones. But much of the fear and reluctance to return to normal society as we knew it is based on the current information being widely disseminated to the public by the media. Control Measures Should Be Based on Emerging Evidence About the Danger Posed by the Virus. As we move from lockdowns to something more closely resembling normal life, the emerging evidence about the threat posed by COVID-19 should inform our judgment about which precautions make sense. The initial, ham-handed approach — which confined hundreds of millions of people to their homes except for government-approved purposes — should be replaced by more carefully targeted measures focused on protecting the people who face the highest risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current "best estimate" of the death rate among Americans who develop COVID-19 symptoms is 0.4%. By that measure — the symptomatic case fatality rate — COVID-19 is roughly four times as deadly as the seasonal flu but far less deadly than the Spanish flu. Unlike the Spanish flu, which commonly struck down healthy people in the prime of life, COVID-19 primarily kills elderly people. The CDC estimates that the symptomatic case fatality rate for people younger than 50 is just 0.05%, compared with 1.3% for people 65 or older and 0.2% for 50-to-64-year-olds. Major changes ahead for American civil liberties are going to 'redefine us'. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to play out and Americans see many of their leaders adopting draconian lockdowns, mandating business closures, and implementing additional policies that seem to run afoul of the Constitution, scores are concerned about what a 'new normal' may look like. And not everyone is going to like it. [...] The technology to track people already exists and the concept already has a name: Contract tracing. However, the question isn't whether it can be done but whether it's legal to do so. Throttle Up. The phrase "Throttle Up" jumped into my consciousness in the last week when Trump and his coronavirus task force of government hacks and bureaucrat lackeys announced the guidelines for re-opening America, as if a formerly $22 trillion economy, tied to a $90 trillion global economy, could be turned off and on like a light switch. Clap off, clap on. It just doesn't work that way. The arrogance and hubris of people who think they can declare a global shut down for a virus and think they can easily deal with the intended and unintended consequences of doing so, is breathtaking in its outrageous recklessness and egotistical belief in their own infallibility. This contemptible belief in their own superiority has permeated every fiber of those who rule over us, particularly among captured central bankers, corrupt politicians, bought off scientists, and billionaire oligarchs. Cooking the Books on COVID-19 Deaths. Fox News, and other cable networks, run a COVID death count ticker on the side or bottom of the television screen just as they show the major stock indices during the business day. Why are they so obsessed with deaths from the Chinese virus? Most peoples' moods are already melancholic over the unending economic shutdown, along with social distancing, masks, and restrictions on movement and assembly not normally seen in free societies. Why don't news networks show a tally of recovered patients rather than deaths? Aside from the morbid, "If it bleeds, it leads" mantra that guides much news reporting, the media wants to pin each death on the tail of President Trump. [...] If more deaths are better for the Democrat and media narrative, expect to see inflated death counts, erroneously blaming non-virus deaths on the virus. Where Is Cuomo's Apology for Killing 10,000 People? [Scroll down] But I still cannot fathom the mental disconnect from reality that induced Cuomo — not Fredo, who despises the CNN employer who pays him millions to attack the president daily, but the more dignified one who told our nation that America never was all that great anyway — to order New York nursing homes, which were medically and structurally unprepared for the challenge, to admit coronavirus sufferers into their facilities. Under the governor's orders, they were coerced to comply, and somewhere along the lines of 10,000 seniors died as a result. Cuomo's own government admits to nearly 6,000 of the killings attributable to his order. The data are so shocking and indefensible that he understandably now plays three-card monte and does not count among his nursing-home killings any senior who contracted COVID-19 in a skilled nursing facility and thereafter was removed to die in a hospital. No question that the honest tally is closer to 10,000 Cuomo killings. In a viral video, a supermarket mob rampages against a woman. On Monday morning [5/25/2020], people woke up to a video on Twitter showing masked customers in a Staten Island grocery store screaming obscenities at a woman without a mask and shouting at her to "get out." It's an alarming video because it shows how quickly people can be turned into human weapons when fear powers them. Of Course COVID-19 Deaths Aren't a 'Trump Death Toll'. Does anyone seriously think that if Donald Trump were not president, the coronavirus pandemic would have never hit America? The super PAC Democratic Coalition — which supports presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden — apparently does, because it has launched a series of ads describing deaths from the coronavirus as the "Trump Death Toll." Hundreds protest in Sacramento against stay-at-home order. Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the state Capitol on Saturday [5/23/2020] to protest against California's stay-at-home orders even as residents entered the Memorial Day weekend with newly expanded options for beachgoing, barbecuing and shopping. The rally to demand that Gov. Gavin Newsom lift his restrictions on business, religious gatherings and other activities took on the atmosphere of a political rally and festival on a closed-off street. Reopen America Now! Sunday, Memorial Day weekend, was a beautiful sunny day. Mary and I left our West Virginia home to make the 40-mile trek to Walmart and Home Depot in Virginia. We drove past a Virginia megachurch which usually has state cops directing traffic for the congregation. The parking lot was empty with a large "closed" sign. Meanwhile, Walmart and Home Depot parking lots were packed. Around 50% of shoppers wore masks. Absurdly, I saw toddlers wearing masks, which were particularly annoying. Professor Dolores J. Cahill, PhD is a highly credentialed and respected Immunologist and Molecular Biologist. Prof. Cahill, world-renowned Dr. Russel Blaylock, Dr. Judy Mikovits, and countless other scientists around the world say wearing masks is dangerous. Prof. Cahill explains that coronavirus is not transmitted through the air. It is transmitted through droplets on surfaces. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to wear a mask and no need for social distancing. Prof. Cahill says when you are covered with a mask, you have less oxygen which puts your immune system under stress. Because you are under immune stress, latent viruses in your body will reappear. You will have more coronavirus and other latent viruses will reemerge. Bottom line, fake news media insidiously hyping fear is harming children. Which is not new. Everything leftists cram down the throats of the public always harms people. Why the Left is Weaponizing Science. According to some "experts," science can sometimes be settled, meaning that in certain areas of study, the evidence has been deemed so overwhelming and indisputable that further debate is not only unnecessary, it is forbidden. Only one interpretation of this evidence is possible. [...] Science was never intended to be used as a weapon to bludgeon or intimidate dissenting opinions into silence. However, politicians and other authority figures have figured out that the only sure way to decisively win an argument is not to have one. They have begun to experience success by weaponizing science in an effort to silence any intellectual opposition. The basic strategy is simple and straightforward: anyone who dares to challenge the conventional wisdom (typically presented as the consensus opinion of scientists) will be mocked and ridiculed as "science deniers." Mayor de Blasio Claims NY Businesses Are Doing Fine and Can Stay Closed For Months. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a New York radio audience businesses in the city are "hanging on" and they'll be able to stay closed for several months. "I've talked to lots and lots of business leaders, especially the smallest businesses. They're very worried about their futures understandably, but they also are hanging on and they know it can be a matter of months until they'll be back in action," de Blasio said on WNYC Friday [5/22/2020]. Meanwhile, back on planet earth, The National Restaurant Association predicted that 11 percent of New York's 25,000 restaurants will permanently close by the end of May and the entire travel and leisure industry will lose up to 68 percent of its jobs. Brainwashing & the New Vocabulary: 12 Words & Phrases I Never Want to Hear Again. If you've been watching any type of media coverage or reading articles, you've probably seen or heard a plethora of words and phrases which are currently being perverted due to the coronavirus pandemic. I don't know about you, but if I never heard "safe" or "new normal" again, I'd be a much happier person. If you feel like people are being brainwashed through repetition, that's because they are. Quite simply, these buzzwords and several others we'll discuss are being used to indoctrinate the public. [...] The "new normal" is most often used to get people to accept whatever unconstitutional or undignified rule that people in charge want us to find tolerable, like taped squares on the floor that we're supposed to stand in while waiting in properly spaced lines. New CDC Figures Show Fauci's Dishonest COVID-19 Projections Were Garbage. This madness has to end now. Every single lockdown order inflicted on the American people these past few months needs to be rescinded immediately. Once that's done, Fauci has to be investigated to find out why on earth he pushed these catastrophic measures on us using projections he knew to be false. He also needs to be indicted for peddling his lies before Congress and held criminally accountable for all the death and devastation he's caused as well. In case you hadn't heard, Matt Margolis over at PJ Media is reporting that the CDC now estimates the case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 to be only .4 percent. As Margolis points out, that's much lower than the numbers used to frighten us into these lockdowns. But there are a few factors he doesn't mention that demonstratively show we were unspeakably deceived rather than merely the victims of some disastrous but ultimately honest mistake. Insane News Tidbits. The funding priorities of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that they think diversity is an important input in making headway in the fight against the coronavirus. On April 20, NIH and CDC announced the availability of grants to increase the "diversity" of biomedical research labs. For example, academic virology researchers studying respiratory failure could receive hundreds of thousands more taxpayer dollars if they could find a woman or a minority to add to their project. High school students and college students are eligible for the program even though they cannot contribute anything of value. No scientific justification for the new diversity hire is needed. The scientists must promise to mentor the new hire, which will take time away from their research with no offsetting gain. Open Letter From LA County Public Health Professionals: Ferrer "Not Qualified," Ignored Early Coronavirus Outbreak Warnings. [Scroll down] As Ms. Ferrer stepped into the role of Director, she replaced a career employee in the Department, Cynthia Harding, who has a very strong epidemiology background, and who had ably done the job as "acting" director for over two years with Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauzer as Acting Health Officer for the same time period, following the retirement of Dr. Jonathan Fielding. [...] Once Ms. Ferrer was appointed as Director, one of her first moves was to notify all department program directors that she was to be the ONLY voice and contact with the Board offices. This broke down a chain of communication in place for many years that allowed local public health managers to assist constituents that contacted their local Board offices about a variety of health issues and act quickly on public health threats. Ms. Ferrer is the ONLY control point for Board questions and communication in the department. Even now, many managers complain that they don't know what's going on and are not being well utilized for the pandemic. If you're stuck in your house, you're probably watching television. Therefore... Gov. Gretchen 'Karen' Whitmer in Hot Water Over Husband's Vacation Hypocrisy. Michigan's Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has epitomized the political, draconian response to coronavirus imposed by some states. Just recently, she extended the stay at home for Michigan until June 12th, forcing businesses to remain closed and people to not travel. This wasn't in response to any scientific data, but appeared to just be retaliatory against recent protests of her actions. But now, she's in a bit of hot water after it was revealed that not only was her husband looking to get their boat in the water for Memorial Day, but that he asked for special treatment in the process. While contemplating mandatory mask order, Virginia governor caught without one on beach. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam drew criticism Saturday after he was captured on social media photos without a mask while mingling with constituents on a beach. The episode at Virginia Beach came one day after Northam reportedly began contemplating a mandatory mask rule for Commonwealth citizens when it reopens from the pandemic. The order would require masks in indoor settings. "Virginia Gov Northam on the Virginia Beach boardwalk; no mask, no social distancing," one citizen tweeted. Another complained: "Liberals consistently send a message of 'Do as I say, not as I do.'" Harvard Prof. Blames Christianity's 'Malignant' Belief in Afterlife for Lockdown Protests. Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker said Thursday that the push for reopening society from lockdowns comes from Christianity's "malignant delusion" of belief in an afterlife. Atheists who believe in this life alone are more concerned with health and safety, Professor Pinker suggested in a Tweet, while Christians tend to devalue "actual lives" and live a riskier existence. NYT Issues Correction After Coronavirus Death List Includes Suspected Homicide Victim. The New York Times' list of 1,000 coronavirus victims displayed at the top of its Sunday edition included the name of at least one individual whose death reportedly had nothing to do with the pandemic. "U.S. deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss," the headline reads, just above the list of 1,000 names, meant to be 1% of the overall toll. The outlet, however, removed the name and reposted the list via Twitter along with a correction notice: [...] Don't Buy the Misleading Figures. Here's the Real Story About How the U.S. Matches Up on Coronavirus Deaths. The sheer ease with which the American left has politicized the deaths of thousands of Americans has shocked even me. The United States is approaching 100,000 deaths and the left seems determined to make sure the public blames President Donald Trump for those deaths. As PJM's Tyler O'Neil noted, the Democratic Coalition is trying to make "Trump Death Toll" a thing. While Tyler effectively demonstrated the absurdity of blaming these deaths on Trump, I'm going to show that despite the headlines that suggest things in the United States are the worst in the world, that is emphatically not the case. Democrats Face Criticism for Not Wearing Face Masks, Violating [Their] Own Rules. Several Democrats who have insisted on strict stay-at-home orders — including the wearing of face masks when out of doors — have been caught violating the rules that they wish to impose on others for fear of spreading the coronavirus. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who has suggested he might make wearing face masks mandatory, was spotted on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach on Saturday — without a mask. The Doctrine of Media Untruth. Take the strange case of the respective records of liberal New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis. Both states have roughly equal populations, with Florida slightly larger by about 2 million. Both have populations that travel daily back and forth between their respective major cities. Both are major international tourist and travel hubs. Both have widely diverse populations. Both have large numbers of retirees and long-term-care homes. Yet, New York has suffered 14 times the number of coronavirus deaths as has Florida. Florida is now increasingly open, and on May 19 saw 54 deaths attributed to the virus. That same day, New York was completely locked down and yet saw nearly twice that number at 105 deaths. One would never know from the media of the contrasting fates of the two states during the epidemic. Cuomo admits 'we all failed' at making coronavirus projections. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted Monday [5/25/2020] that coronavirus projections from experts were all wrong — and he's getting out of the business of speculating because of it. Cuomo said he can't predict when the hospitalization and death rate numbers will drop to the necessary threshold required for reopening certain regions because as he put it, "we all failed" at predicting. Hillary Clinton just thanked Andrew Cuomo for 'responsible decisions to keep people safe' in crisis. In what could be the most tone-deaf and incorrect statement of the year so far, two-time failed Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton has just praised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his 'responsible' leadership during the coronavirus pandemic to "keep people safe." "I'm missing our Chappaqua Memorial Day parade today while also feeling grateful to leaders like @NYGovCuomo for making responsible decisions to keep people safe. Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday. @BillClinton and I will be waving our flags at home," Clinton wrote in a tweet featuring a picture of herself, her ex-president husband, and Cuomo, laughing it up presumably during an earlier parade. Has Trump been proven right yet again about the Wuhan virus? President Trump is an extremely smart man who calibrates his speech to about the seventh-grade level in order to make sure all Americans, not just excessively verbal college graduates, understand him. His uncomplicated speech patterns lead leftists to the erroneous conclusion that Trump is stupid. That mistake, plus Trump Derangement Syndrome, explains why leftists instantly denigrated the predictions Trump made when the virus first broke in America. Before Sunday [5/24/2020], of Trump's three most significant predictions, two proved correct. Now there's news out of England that the virus's low infection rate is making it hard to put together a vaccine trial. This news proves that Trump's third prediction, that the disease would die out as summer neared, was right, too. $21 Million Brooklyn Field Hospital Shutters After Seeing No Coronavirus Patients. A $21 million field hospital in Brooklyn, New York, authorized by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic opened and closed without seeing any patients. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook was one of several makeshift hospital sites throughout the city intended to relieve the city's overcrowded hospitals brimming with coronavirus patients, the New York Post reported. $21M Brooklyn field hospital never saw a patient amid coronavirus pandemic. A roughly $21 million Brooklyn field hospital authorized by the de Blasio administration at the height of the coronavirus pandemic opened and closed without ever seeing one patient, according to city officials. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook was one of several sites across the five boroughs converted into a medical facility as a way to relieve the city's overburdened hospital system as the COVID-19 crisis mounted. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans on Mar. 31 — a day after the USNS Comfort hospital ship arrived in New York Harbor to aid in the coronavirus fight — for the $20.8 million Red Hook field hospital with an estimated capacity for 750 beds. The field hospital was built by Texas-based construction company SLSCO. Hospitals flush with cash got billions in coronavirus bailouts. Hospitals hoarding massive piles of cash got billions of dollars in federal coronavirus bailouts while vulnerable health centers were forced to scrape by, a new report says. The feds have given more than $5 billion in grants to 20 big hospital chains that already had more than $108 billion in cash, the New York Times reported Monday [5/25/2020]. The money was among $72 billion in grants the Department of Health and Human Services has distributed to hospitals and other providers since April under the CARES Act — the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill that Congress passed in March to shore up struggling businesses amid the pandemic, according to the paper. The CDC's New 'Best Estimate' Implies a COVID-19 Infection Fatality Rate Below 0.3%. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current "best estimate" for the fatality rate among Americans with COVID-19 symptoms is 0.4 percent. The CDC also estimates that 35 percent of people infected by the COVID-19 virus never develop symptoms. Those numbers imply that the virus kills less than 0.3 percent of people infected by it — far lower than the infection fatality rates (IFRs) assumed by the alarming projections that drove the initial government response to the epidemic, including broad business closure and stay-at-home orders. The CDC offers the new estimates in its "COVID-19 Pandemic Planning Scenarios," which are meant to guide hospital administrators in "assessing resource needs" and help policy makers "evaluate the potential effects of different community mitigation strategies." It says "the planning scenarios are being used by mathematical modelers throughout the Federal government." Cooking the Books on COVID-19 Deaths. Fox News, and other cable networks, run a COVID death count ticker on the side or bottom of the television screen just as they show the major stock indices during the business day. Why are they so obsessed with deaths from the Chinese virus? [...] Aside from the morbid, "If it bleeds, it leads" mantra that guides much news reporting, the media wants to pin each death on the tail of President Trump. Twitter has a #TrumpDeathCount hashtag to blame every single death on the president, the more the merrier. This is ahead of the fall presidential campaign where Democrats will attempt to blame the entire Wuhan virus mess on Trump, from the economic devastation to the total number of deaths. If more deaths are better for the Democrat and media narrative, expect to see inflated death counts, erroneously blaming non-virus deaths on the virus. The left is practiced at this since every type of extreme weather, from rain to snow, heat to cold, hurricanes to tornadoes, is blamed on global warming or climate change, depending on which term fits the weather in question. COVID-19 becomes a political disease. Just as the coronavirus begins to wane, another dangerous pathogen is infecting America — COVID-19 politics. In the early days of the pandemic, state governors walked in lockstep, ordering lockdowns to mitigate coronavirus infections and safeguard hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients. Now that the number of new cases is flattening, politics are taking over, with states veering in different directions. Science no longer appears to be in the driver's seat. Blue states are extending stay-at-home orders, while red states are opening for business. Two playbooks are in motion. Red states are scrambling to revive the economy as quickly as possible, to get people back to work so they can feed their families. [...] Blue states say they are continuing quarantines to save lives, putting the nation's economic recovery on the back burner. Are we allowed to ask if the lockdowns killed more people than COVID-19? Tucker Carlson opened his show on Thursday night with a 15-minute commentary that centred around setting the record straight on the response to the COVID-19 crisis. He started off showing how 'our leaders' set the groundwork for the deprivation of our essential human rights with fear. They used dire predictions of doom to soften opposition to the shredding of the Constitution. We now know that the dire predictions to sell us on '15 Days to Slow the Spread' were wrong. We also know that it didn't work as advertised, with antibody studies showing that most infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus were asymptomatic. We know of the original source of the 'social distancing' and shutdowns that are a part of pandemic safety theater. This draconian assault on basic human rights was also the strategy employed by the Chinese Communist Party. Birds of a collectivist feather tend to flock together. We were also told we could trust the Chinese, even though they have never shown themselves to be trustworthy. Thousands Of Churches Are About To Defy Lockdown Orders. It's About Time. On Friday [5/22/2020], President Trump said churches and houses of worship are "essential" and called on governors nationwide to allow them to open this weekend. If they don't, Trump said he would "override" governors, citing forthcoming guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In remarks Thursday, the president criticized some governors who have "deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential" but not churches. "It's not right. So I'm correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential." Trump is right, but churches are already taking action on their own. YouTube Censors Former CBS Journalist Sharyl Attkisson For Reporting On Hdroxychloroquine. YouTube is not a group of doctors, nurses, or have any sense of medical education, but their Nazi CEO claims that they will not tolerate and they will remove any videos that present a different, lawful narrative against the current one they are presenting. Former CBS journalist Sharyl Attkisson has come under their attack just as The Sons of Liberty have in attempting to investigate certain claims about COVID-19, 5G, coronavirus and drugs used as treatment, including hydroxychloroquine and chlorine dioxide. Oklahoma: After State Killed 275,000 Jobs Over COVID-19, Sheriff Now Evicting Residents Who Can't Pay. Since March, unemployment across the country has reached record and potentially catastrophic numbers. In the entire country, a record 38.6 million Americans have filed for unemployment during the pandemic. That corresponds to nearly 25% of the entire United States labor force. While many of these folks are receiving unemployment from state and federal government, many others are not. Millions of Americans — who watched states close non-essential businesses, subsequently crushing their careers — cannot even access unemployment benefits, according to the Economic Policy Institute. While some of these problems have been remedied, for others, collecting unemployment insurance was never an option. The grossest interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci I have ever seen. Watching an actress worth $200 million go into an orgiastic state because Dr. Anthony Fauci, the "coolest guy on the planet" has agreed to chat with her and pontificate about his lucrative, 40-year-old pet theory on vaccines, is beyond depraved. That's what happened when fading Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts put on a serious-looking pair of specs and "interviewed" Fauci in the fawning Hollywood style. Roberts, an actress, outdid any fawner in the entertainment industry press. And it was disgusting. Police Shut Down Bernardsville Shop On Facebook Live Video. A live video captures Bernardsville Police shutting down a borough business for repeatedly violating Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order for having a non-essential business open during the coronavirus pandemic. Katherine Hermes of Peapack and owner of Country Home Store at 21 Olcott Square can be heard on the video making an emotional plea to the officer. "I am just trying to save my business," Hermes says. "I am widow with three children who need to eat." Congress must protect good faith businesses from COVID-19 liability. Throughout most of the nation, the curve of the coronavirus has been decisively flattened. The healthcare system has not only survived but also excelled, keeping more than 94% of confirmed infected patients alive, a number that will only increase as testing ramps up. That's better than Britain's National Health Service or the healthcare systems of France, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Spain, Ireland, or Sweden, among others. But there are limits to how quickly commercial and economic life can resume because no government snap of the fingers can restore life to the way it was. Nolte: Retracting My Claim that Andrew Cuomo Is Not Responsible for Coronavirus Deaths. Based on new facts, I have no choice but to officially retract my earlier statement that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) should not be held responsible for any coronavirus deaths. Unfortunately, Cuomo is directly responsible for a number of coronavirus deaths. Possibly thousands. [...] The government's responsibility is to save as many lives as possible, and our government — at the local, state, and federal levels — met this responsibility admirably. Incredibly, no one in this country died due to a lack of medical care or lack of a ventilator. Everyone who could be saved was saved. What more can any reasonable person ask? Well, in the case of Andrew Cuomo, we could have asked that he not pour plague into New York's nursing homes and assisted living centers, that he not mandate these facilities accept discharged hospital patients recovering from, and, therefore, still infectious with the coronavirus. Still More Evidence That Lockdowns Were A Massive Waste Of Time, Money, And Lives. The nation's economy is on track to drop by more than 30% in the second quarter. Unemployment is well into the double digits. Half of small businesses might close in the next six months. All for naught, it would appear, giving the growing pile of evidence that the economic lockdowns didn't work. The latest evidence comes from a report out of JP Morgan Chase & Co. this week. It finds that there's been no increase in cases or deaths as other nations and U.S. states start reopening. This flies directly in the face of all the public health expert predictions of a major spike once people started moving about. [...] Don't expect anyone to admit they were wrong. The public health community — which has been peddling wildly exaggerated predictions of deaths — will never do so. Nor will Democrats and the press — which are committed to the narrative that every death in the U.S. is President Donald Trump's fault. Can We Sue Our Way Out of Quarantine? State governors from coast to coast issued coronavirus-related lockdown orders about two months ago, closing businesses and restricting people's movements. Government officials have taken unprecedented steps, seemingly without much calculation or forethought. In New York, for instance, Governor Andrew Cuomo insisted on March 18 that he would not approve a shelter-in-place order; by March 20, he praised California's lockdown and announced Gotham's own stay-at-home regime. New York and many other states have extended these orders indefinitely. The reasons for the lockdowns have shifted. Initially aimed at "flattening the curve" — slowing the rate of infection to avoid overwhelming hospitals — shutdowns keep getting extended, even as medical workers are furloughed and temporary field hospitals (set up to handle a surge in cases) are dismantled. Officials have leaned haphazardly on broadly worded and mostly untested "emergency powers" statutes to justify whatever policies they deem necessary. The command-and-control mode of leadership has struck many Americans as contrary to limited-government principles. The CDC Just Gave Us the Biggest Reason to End the Coronavirus Lockdowns. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nows estimates that 35 percent of coronavirus infections are asymptomatic. But that's not even the most important part of their latest estimates. It's the CDC's new "best estimate" for the case fatality rate amongst symptomatic patients. But, before I got to that, I should note that back in March, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated a 3.4 percent fatality rate and Dr. Anthony Fauci estimated that the fatality rate of the coronavirus was about 2 percent. [...] According to the CDC's current best estimate, the case fatality rate of the coronavirus is .4 percent. And that's just amongst symptomatic cases, which, the CDC estimates, is 65 percent of all cases. This means the CDC estimates that the fatality rate for all infections across all age groups, symptomatic as well as asymptomatic, is approximately .26 percent. DOJ warns Los Angeles, Illinois of possible illegality of stay-at-home orders. The Justice Department warned state and local officials Friday of the possible illegality of their stay-at-home orders, as the agency continues to monitor restrictions meant to contain the spread of COVID-19. In a letter to Los Angeles officials, Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said their recent comments suggesting that stay-at-home orders may stay in place longer "may be both arbitrary and unlawful." The Justice Department also said that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's "sweeping limitations" on Illinois residents raise constitutional concerns. The end is always three weeks away, yet you never quite get there. Coronavirus Basics Too Many People Never Learned. [Scroll down] COVID-19 often produces only moderate flu-like symptoms, but sometimes it generates a catastrophic collapse, sometimes unexpectedly. It is believed that a cascading overreaction of the immune system can causes mass death of cells, including in the sensitive tissues of the lungs, leading to death by oxygen starvation. Researchers are hoping to directly target the genesis of a cytokine storm, which should blunt the worst symptoms of the disease. Trump announces that houses of worship are 'essential,' calls on governors to open them up. President Trump on Friday [5/22/2020] announced that new Centers for Disease Control guidance will classify houses of worship as "essential," as he called on governors to allow them to open "right now" after being closed during the coronavirus lockdowns. Trump announced the policy for churches, synagogues and mosques, during a short briefing at the White House. Open the States. The citizen-led movement against overreaching COVID-19 lockdowns has been met with derision in the media, scorn from governors, and censorship from big tech. OpentheStates.com was founded to address this dismissive response by giving the American grassroots a place to organize their communities and connect with existing re-open groups. At OpentheStates.com, concerned citizens can sign the petition urging our national, state, and local leaders to re-open the states and connect with like-minded patriots. We encourage all Americans to follow the CDC guidelines on social distancing, but we do not support government dictates that limit the constitutional rights that have made this country great. There's no evidence coronavirus lockdowns saved lives. Mass quarantines may have killed people. It has now been 63 days — we're keeping track — since California became the first American state to issue a so-called shelter-in-place order for all citizens. Governor Gavin Newsom's order was the beginning of an unprecedented coronavirus mass quarantine that has changed this country forever. In many ways, the United States is hard to recognize compared to just two months ago. Two months from now, it will be more different still. In fact, it may be years before we fully understand the effects of what our leaders have done in response to the Wuhan coronavirus. There are certain to be battles over how to interpret this moment many years from now. It's possible your children will hear only one version of the story. Uncomfortable facts by that point may have been scrubbed from social media platforms as disinformation. Apple Sneaks COVID-19 Contact Tracing into Latest Phone Update. If you install updates on your phone without reading the details then you might get an unwanted surprise. The latest involves contact tracking technology. Contact tracing technology, in theory, will notify users when they have entered the presence of a person with the coronavirus. This project was begun in an effort "to protect people and get society back up and running," according to an April 10 announcement via Apple's newsroom. Even if this technology supposedly works, surveys have shown that three in five Americans are either unable or entirely unwilling to use the technology. Veteran and MMA champion Paul Lazenby condemned this update on Twitter: "Contact tracing slipped discreetly into your latest IOS update. No notice given, no attention drawn to it. I wonder how many people really understand what a terrifying sign this is." Fauci's Failures. One of the greatest economic booms in our country's history has been brought to its knees by a virus. [...] Dr. Anthony Fauci is tasked with leading us through this as the resident "expert" that has all of America shut down. It was his advice to President Trump that has locked down our country. It is Dr. Fauci that has set the limits of what our country should do. The damage is done when the experts are spreading fear and panic throughout the country and are allowed to set policy for the nation. Dr. Fauci persuaded President Trump to "lockdown" the entire U.S. economy based on a false Imperial College model-based on the work of Dr. Neil Ferguson. The Imperial College model has since been deemed to be a model "completely unusable for scientific purposes." If the model was so flawed, why did Dr. Fauci not look closer into the results and question the facts as they were presented? Plandemic: The COVID-19 Video YouTube and Facebook Don't Want You to See. Over the last couple of days, I've had several friends send me a link to a video about COVID-19 called "Plandemic." They said they can't post it on Facebook; Facebook either removes it or threatens them with suspension before they try to post it. When I went to the URL on YouTube, it had been pulled for allegedly violating YouTube's terms of service. A YouTube spokesperson told Buzzfeed News that they remove "content that includes medically unsubstantiated diagnostic advice for COVID-19." Mysterious Deaths Of Covid-19 Researchers & Arrests Of Journalists Covering The Pandemic Are More Ominous Warnings Something Incredibly Sinister Is Going On. Dating all the way back to 1994, Steve Quayle has kept a fascinating two-part list of mysteriously dead scientists, microbiologists, infectious disease experts and other 'medical experts in their particular fields' and we have to report that Covid-19 has brought us at least two more such mysterious deaths after two 'trailblazing' Covid-19 researchers were found dead in less than a month. As Zero Hedge reports in this new story, "outside of academic circles, Dr. James Taylor and Dr. Bing Liu were relative unknowns. Inside of the scientific community, however, the two had achieved something like rock-star status. And now, within a period of 30 days, both young men are dead at a time when their talents are needed most." Eisenhower warned us about people like Dr. Fauci and Bill Gates. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of the most intelligent men to sit in the Oval Office. He wasn't just a good leader. He was also quite prescient, known for his discussion of the Military Industrial Complex during his farewell speech in 1961. This was essentially a prediction of what we saw with the Vietnam War and both Gulf Wars, particularly the second that was driven by this so-called Military Industrial Complex. But in the same speech, he told of another challenge America would face, a challenge that we're seeing rearing its ugly head today during the coronavirus crisis. His fear was that scientific-technological elite would drive policy. When you read this quote, keep Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and other scientific-technological elites in mind. ["]In holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.["] The incredibly stupefying origins of the COVID-19 lockdown, the world's greatest mistake. One would expect that a blue-ribbon team of experts would have carefully developed a policy with life or death implications for billions of people around the world. A team of experts with the top women and men of the fields' microbiology and epidemiology interspersed with a few Nobel peace recipients for good measure. It would be incumbent upon this bevy of boffins to methodically research what has worked in the past with other outbreaks and pandemics, especially paying attention to the subject of just quarantining the sick and protecting the vulnerable as well as looking at effective mitigation techniques, perhaps with an eye towards assessing ideas that are patently unworkable through practical considerations. Well, one would be wrong in assuming that took place in developing the disastrous pandemic policies currently in place. Instead, we have the absurd tale of a high school science project of a 15-year-old sophomore that ended up being the key part of almost every politician's plan for this kind of crisis. Judge rules against Michigan trying to shut down barber defying lockdown — for the second time. A judge ruled against the state of Michigan in their attempt to shut down the barber shop of a man who has become the symbol of resistance to social distancing edicts. Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Matthew Stewart refused to grant a request from the state for a preliminary injunction against 77-year-old Karl Manke, who owns a barber shop in Owosso. Stewart said it was a "close call" but ultimately he said the state did not prove their allegation that Manke's shop was an imminent public health and safety threat, according to the Detroit News. Nationwide protest planned for Friday. An organization called Open the States is planning nationwide protests on Friday [5/22/2020]. [...] Predictably, the left is claiming this is an "astroturf" operation as they try to discredit Americans across the country who are suffering economically and sickened by the tyrannical rule that has taken hold in blue states. It remains to be seen how large the turn-out will be tomorrow. I haven't seen any information about this circulating on conservative sites until I saw it at Legal Insurrection this week. CDC Changes Its Mind About Wuhan Virus Transmission and That Tells You All You Need to Know About Our Current Mess. [Scroll down] Sadly, this kind of stupidity is par for the course for CDC. CDC has and does some great things but it is a failed organization that is currently living on its old press releases. What it would rather do is be a Karen-esque nanny brigade that tells you how to live and deal with political issues like health disparities, and obesity, and guns than deal with disease. When it does get put on the spot in an infectious disease crisis, it fails. If you go back to the response to the anthrax attacks that happened around 9/11, particularly the attack on the Brentwood (DC) USPS facility, you find blinding incompetence is the order of the day. Coronavirus: wearing a cloth face mask is less about science and more about solidarity. [C]loth masks will affect both what you breathe in and where your breath goes when you breathe out. But even so, the most optimistic estimates suggest that cloth coverings only have a minor effect on your chances of breathing in (or expelling) droplets containing a virus. A small study of 21 healthy people concluded that a "homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection". Getting Our States Back To Work Quickly And Safely. As President Donald Trump acknowledged in April, there is no net benefit in making the cure worse than the disease. By adhering to the set of reasonable principles outlined in this document, states can get their citizens back to work safely. With safeguards in place, the nation can manage the invisible threat of coronavirus and restore the public's confidence. Work and free enterprise will fill store shelves and supply much-needed services. There is pent-up demand. Work is the backbone of wealth, and without prosperity, the nation jeopardizes its chances of fighting off the next threat. Without prosperity, there will be pain and hardship, and the damage to economic stability and well-being will only increase the already-rising public unrest and lead to a powerful undermining of the legitimacy of governments. What Medicine Is Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic. We believe we have learned several things from this particular iteration of viral illness and the treatment options we have provided: [#1] Initial survival after intubation for respiratory failure from COVID-19 in many reputable hospitals was 20 [to] 30%. Only weeks later, it is 70 [to] 80%. This is due to a multiplicity of reasons, but one is the use of prone ventilation, essentially breathing for them through a tube while flat on their stomachs rather than lying on their backs. [#2] Use of oxygen-assisted CPAP and BiPAP machines for patients with very low oxygen levels in their bloodstream has proven desirable when intervention is done in time. [...] [#3] COVID-19 can cause advanced clotting disorders in the blood vessels and the heart. [...] [#4] Many of the stricken are pre-diabetic, diabetic, or morbidly obese. Aggressive management of blood sugar levels is proving to be important in acute care. [#5] Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, is common with COVID-19. Tucker Carlson Exposing Governor Cuomo's Nursing Home Disaster that killed Seniors In Large Numbers. [Video clip] CDC: Coronavirus 'does not spread easily' except for close contact with infected patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued updated coronavirus guidelines that now downplay the chances of contracting the virus from surfaces, potentially offering relief to millions of Americans who have been concerned they might catch the disease from purchased groceries or delivered packages. On its website, the CDC says that coronavirus is "thought to spread mainly from person-to-person." Yet "the virus does not spread easily in other ways." "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes," the CDC also states on its site. "This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus." Who Believes the Lockdowns Were About Science? Every state and local politician who imposed lockdowns pursuant to the COVID-19 pandemic claimed their decisions were based on "the science." In reality, they ignored the advice of leading epidemiologists, relying instead on statistical models produced by "experts" with histories of wildly inaccurate projections. The most notorious of these oracles was, of course, Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, who claimed that coronavirus could kill 2.2 million Americans. Based on such apocalyptic predictions, combined with overcautious warnings from Beltway bureaucrats like Dr. Anthony Fauci, all but a few governors implemented economically destructive stay-at-home orders — despite the reservations of respected epidemiologists who questioned the logic of lockdowns from the beginning. Australian researchers see virus design manipulation. A forthcoming Australian scientific study concludes that the coronavirus causing the global pandemic contains unique properties suggesting it was manipulated in a Chinese laboratory and was not the result of a natural occurrence. Five scientists who conducted the study discovered an unusual ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as the pathogen behind COVID-19 is called, to easily infect humans. The scientists said there is no sign so far that the virus can be found in other animals, including bats or the exotic wildlife sold for fresh meat at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified and where China maintains a major laboratory studying such viruses. Keeping America Skeered. When President Trump announced that he was taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to protect himself against contracting COVID-19, the Democrats and their mainstream media propaganda machine reacted with disbelief, horror, panic, and outrage. [...] Why are these people so upset? [...] Can it be that, by taking HCQ, President Trump is demonstrating in the most dramatic and effective way possible that the drug can be a "game changer" in the fight against COVID-19? Are the Democrats and media concerned that, by his example, Trump might raise doubts regarding their relentless drumbeat of warnings about the drug's alleged danger? Baltimore Pastor Rips Up Cease-And-Desist Letter Mid-Sermon: 'We're Gonna Do It God's Way!'. "Pharaoh doesn't get to dictate to God's people how they worship their God. God is the one who defines the parameters. God is the one that communicates his will and his plan for his church, not Egypt. And I'm telling you right now, with this cease-and-desist letter in my hand, the Bible says to the New Testament church 'not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but so much the more as you see the day approaching,' and the closer we get to Jesus coming back, the more church we ought to be having, not less church. Now that's God's parameters. So I'm tearing up this cease-and-desist order right here, and I'm telling you right now, we're gonna do it God's way! We're gonna do it God's way! God tells us how to worship Him, nobody else gets to do that." [Video clip] Liberals Would Rather People Die Than Have Hydroxychloroquine Work. The battle over hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment for coronavirus is a testament to just how far gone the left is now. That someone like Joy Behar is paid millions of dollars to spew ignorance on television is a testament to just how far gone merit is. That Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president is a testament to society's tolerance of senior abuse. These three individual fecal storms of stupidity came together this week when President Donald Trump announced he was taking the drug as preventative measure after being exposed to White House staffers who tested positive, and the result was Olympic-level stupid. It's time for media to say 'We're sorry' to Ron DeSantis. When the coronavirus first appeared in Florida, the media's predictions were dire. Many expected the state to experience a crisis similar to New York's since thousands of New Yorkers fled their home state for Florida in the early days of the pandemic. Others claimed Florida's outbreak would be just as bad, if not worse, than Italy's, given that Florida is a huge tourist destination with a major international city and that it has a sizable elderly population. Health officials echoed these warnings, arguing that Florida's hospitals would be overwhelmed and that the state's open beaches would become breeding grounds for the virus. Not one of these predictions proved true. DeSantis and Florida emerge as Trump showcase for reopening. Once widely considered to be courting disaster with its coronavirus response, Florida may soon be touted as a success story and President Trump's model for reopening. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a Trump ally, and as his state's coronavirus numbers improve, he is telling the national media, "I told you so." In a press availability, he said, "I was the No. 1 landing spot from tens of thousands of people leaving the No. 1 hot zone in the world to come to my state. So we've succeeded, and I think that people just don't want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative, it challenges their assumption, so they've got to try to find a boogeyman." Masks Aren't Meant For Presidents. No, the president of the United States should not be wearing a mask. Period. Not ever. If it brings you comfort to wear one, I have no beef with you. To each their own. Some feel safer with masks, while others feel safer with a legally concealed firearm. God bless America. You do your thing, and I'll do mine. Nevertheless, the leader of the free world is an important symbol bigger than our individual comfort zones. The media knows this, and it's why they're so desperate to get President Trump behind a mask. CNN's Kaitlan Collins knows it's a game. She's been one of the loudest voices during White House briefings chirping over why some officials wear masks and some don't. President Trump has repeatedly explained that everyone in the White House is tested daily and given the option of wearing a mask if they wish. As for him, he chooses to not. How 'Flatten The Curve' Became 'Slow The Spread' And Proved 'Prolong The Pain' Is The Goal. As part of the bait-and-switch committed by those who derive power from our fear, the phrase "flatten the curve" quietly became "slow the spread" thus proving that "prolong the pain" is all many of those people are interested in. One of the main problems is that the experts coronated by the media represent only one side of the medical community's thinking, but are treated by the media as carrying 100% of the medical community's authority. And that's because they're the ones who traffic in the most fear, and whose insistences assure the most collateral damage for our nation. And the language shift we just saw happen is really no different than what they did with global cooling. I mean global warming. I mean climate change. They reeled would-be victims in with very specific language that lost its value and capacity to incite submission, and then transformed the language into something they could push indefinitely. Judge refuses state request to shut Owosso barbershop. A Michigan judge denied the state of Michigan's request to shut down an Owosso barbershop whose owner has openly defied the governor's stay-home orders and continued to cut hair. During a hearing Thursday [5/21/2020], Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Matthew Stewart refused to issue a preliminary injunction against Karl Manke. Stewart said while his decision was a "close call," he could not grant the state's request because officials failed to demonstrate that Manke was posing an imminent public health and safety threat by serving customers during the COVID-19 outbreak. California hospitals saw sharp drop in heart attacks during COVID-19 shutdown. For years it's been one of the leading causes of death, a critical condition plaguing nearly every corner of the country. Every hour, seven people die from heart disease in the state but since the new coronavirus pandemic, some Northern California hospitals are admitting fewer heart attack patients than before. The Editor says... Michigan AG tells Trump to wear mask while visiting Ford plant: It's 'the law'. Michigan's attorney general urged President Trump to wear a face mask when he visits the state Thursday to tour a Ford Motor Co. plant and to adhere to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's coronavirus executive order, telling the commander in chief that he has a "legal responsibility" to follow the law. Dana Nessel, a Democrat, penned an open letter to Trump Wednesday [5/20/2020] asking him to follow the face-covering policy of Ford Motor Co. and of the state of Michigan. Trump has not been pictured wearing a face mask in public and said he's taking hydroxychloroquine, an unproven COVID-19 drug, as a preventative measure to ward off the contagious virus. Why is There so Little Coverage of Nursing Home Fiascos? The promises and predictions in the media have been plentiful. The failing of those pandemic predictions has nearly been as widespread. As consistently wrong as these seers of doom in the press have been there is one other failing they have been adept at delivering; holding local officials accountable. [...] For a time New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) had been something of a media darling. For a time he was hailed for his leadership and his ability to either work with President Trump, or call out the administration for supposed problematic responses. For a time he was hinted at as a possible presidential ticket name. That time has ended. In recent weeks, Gov. Cuomo's swelling presence has ebbed as problems with the response in his state have been revealed, with one in particular being a jarring reality. From Frontline to Breadline: How Governor Andrew Cuomo's Policies Have Created Financial Havoc for Nursing Home Workers. Governor Andrew Cuomo's nursing home mandate, which helped to cause the deaths of thousands of patients, is just the tip of the iceberg. The residual effects from the governor's onetime decision to force nursing homes to accept virus-positive patients will soon form an avalanche of problems too insurmountable to overcome. As usual though, it's the mainstream media — both left and right — that gets to pick winners and losers when it comes to any unfolding story. This is a shame. Not only do the media often push misinformation about crucial issues, they are obsessed with theoretical outcomes and not actual causes. This is why they are prone to jumping to illogical conclusions about critical situations. The pandemic led them to create false dilemmas for ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and now many of them, especially on the right, are doing this with what is happening in NYC nursing homes. Scientists believe cannabis could help prevent and treat coronavirus. They have high hopes for a coronavirus breakthrough. A team of Canadian scientists believes it has found strong strains of cannabis that could help prevent or treat coronavirus infections, according to interviews and a study. Researchers from the University of Lethbridge said a study in April showed at least 13 cannabis plants were high in CBD that appeared to affect the ACE2 pathways that the bug uses to access the body. Mandatory vaccination for coronavirus gains support from 'civil libertarian' Alan Dershowitz. The media, computer modelers, epidemiologists, and the censors keeping dissenting views off of social media have succeeded in terrifying much of the political class and the American public into accepting far-reaching suspensions of civil liberties in the name of suppressing the spread of a Covid-19, a highly communicable flu strain whose lethality principally affects the elderly and those with comorbidities. At the moment it is an open question whether the lockdown "cure" will end up being more lethal than the disease. Last week, American Thinker took some flak, including from some conservatives for publishing Peter Barry Chowka's warning, "Mandatory coronavirus vaccination looming on the horizon." But retired Harvard Law School Professor and prominent civil libertarian Alan Dershowitz has unburdened himself in favor of exactly that. The Editor says... No Pandemic Exception to Constitution. Does the Wuhan virus, which arguably escaped from a Chinese virology lab, supersede the rights guaranteed to American citizens under the U.S. Constitution? The owners of a New Jersey gym think not. They want to earn a living and pursue their American dream, and like most business owners and their customers are not stupid, suicidal, or children. They are American citizens watching their unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness being ripped away by dime-store Napoleons who see this pandemic as a chance to pursue the liberal progressive dream of controlling every aspect of our lives. [...] As some states, mostly red states, open up and people begin to regain their lives and their liberty, it is clear this toothpaste is out of its tube. Doctors raise alarm about health effects of continued coronavirus shutdown: 'Mass casualty incident'. More than 600 doctors signed onto a letter sent to President Trump Tuesday pushing him to end the "national shutdown" aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, calling the widespread state orders keeping businesses closed and kids home from school a "mass casualty incident" with "exponentially growing health consequences." The letter outlines a variety of consequences that the doctors have observed resulting from the coronavirus shutdowns, including patients missing routine checkups that could detect things like heart problems or cancer, increases in substance and alcohol abuse, and increases in financial instability that could lead to "[p]overty and financial uncertainty," which "is closely linked to poor health." "We are alarmed at what appears to be the lack of consideration for the future health of our patients," the doctors say in their letter. "The downstream health effects ... are being massively under-estimated and under-reported. This is an order of magnitude error." Hundreds Of Doctors Warn Trump Of 'Exponentially Growing Negative Health Consequences Of' Shutdown. More than 600 medical doctors wrote a letter to President Donald Trump this week that warned the president that continued shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic are going to cause a serious "mass casualty event." "Thousands of physicians in all specialties and from all States would like to express our gratitude for your leadership," the letter, obtained by Fox News, began. "We write to you today to express our alarm over the exponentially growing negative health consequences of the national shutdown." "In medical terms, the shutdown was a mass casualty incident," the letter continued. [...] "Tens of millions are at triage level yellow," the letter continued. "Liquor sales have increased 300-600%, cigarettes sales have increased, rent has gone unpaid, family relationships have become frayed, and millions of well-child check-ups have been missed. Hundreds of millions are at triage level green. These are people who currently are solvent, but at risk should economic conditions worsen. Poverty and financial uncertainty is closely linked to poor health." 'How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?'. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conflating the results of two different types of coronavirus tests, distorting several important metrics and providing the country with an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic. We've learned that the CDC is making, at best, a debilitating mistake: combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus. The upshot is that the government's disease-fighting agency is overstating the country's ability to test people who are sick with COVID-19. The agency confirmed to The Atlantic on Wednesday [5/20/2020] that it is mixing the results of viral and antibody tests, even though the two tests reveal different information and are used for different reasons. CDC now says coronavirus 'does not spread easily' on surfaces. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says the coronavirus "does not spread easily" through touching surfaces or objects. In early March, the federal health agency was warning that it "may be possible" to pass on the virus from contaminated surfaces, according to Fox News. Its guidelines now include a section on ways the virus doesn't easily spread — including from touching surfaces or objects. "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes," the CDC webpage states. Democrats are using the global pandemic to alter elections. While the world's attention remains on the coronavirus global pandemic, Democrats are exploiting the crisis to change America's election system in a fundamental way. It should concern everyone. My home state of Nevada, where I served as attorney general from 2015 until 2019, began voting in its first all-mail primary election after the secretary of state's unilateral decision to make the switch. This move exposes Nevada's June 9 primary election to voter fraud. Here, a coalition of Democratic Party-aligned groups seeks to implement further changes to the all-mail primary in an effort to alter our primary elections permanently to include mailing ballots to inactive voters and ballot harvesting. The Democratic Party: A Robbery in Progress. [Scroll down] The Democratic Party is attempting to cash in on the nation's current pandemic fears so that they may finally dig themselves out from the mountains of debt they've created through vote-buying schemes and interest group bribes that have kept them in continuous power of their state and city governments while creating the most financially insolvent treasuries in the nation. The truth is that our present pandemic nightmare has set in motion an event that has been fermenting for over fifty years. Corrupt Democrat politicos have been fraudulently using the tax-and-spend powers of their offices to keep their natural constituencies financially beholden to their electoral success for generations and generations with no immediate plan for solving their growing financial albatross except the ephemeral hope that one day, somehow, they'd be able to offload the cost of all that graft and corruption onto the federal government's tab for the national taxpayers from faraway states to pay. Oregon Gov. Decrees Residents in Closed Counties Cannot Shop in Open Counties. Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D-Portland) said that residents of counties that have yet to reopen may not travel to open counties to get haircuts or dine in restaurants. [...] Of course, Brown's lockdown orders have confused Oregonians since they began. It turns out that many retail outlets shut down when they didn't have to do so. As we approach the tail end of the pandemic, and as Oregon has consistently ranked in the bottom five states in terms of infections and deaths, Brown's scattershot approach to the virus has raised more questions than answers. The Editor says... Minnesota Gov: Eateries can have 50 people. Churches? Ten. Minnesota is moving into the third phase of its reopening under Governor Tim Walz's plan on June 1st. After plenty of comments from the public, however, he's been making last-minute changes to the plan. The most recent update offered more opportunities for people to out for dinner and put some food in their bellies. Food for the soul, on the other hand, still won't be quite as available. Restaurants will be allowed to host up to fifty customers on outdoor patio seating, but churches will remain limited to 10 congregants whether they are indoors or outdoors. The Editor says... The Catholic Church Of Minnesota Will Defy Walz's Restrictions On Mass. Minnesota's Catholic bishops say that they will be reopening churches for mass at 33% capacity, boldly defying Governor Tim Walz's decree that limits the size of religious services to 10 people. Governor Tim Walz gave a press conference, Wednesday [5/20/2020], where he layed out a "phased plan" to allow his state's businesses to reopen. While his new agenda permits bars and resturants to host up to 50 patrons at a time, churches are only allowed to admit 20% that number of worshipers. The public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minneota, the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), says that their churches simply will not abide by this order come Sunday. Study: Washington ranks among states with most restrictions still in place due to coronavirus. Washington is taking a gradual approach to its reopening, using data and a series of metrics to determine when to move forward and continue easing restrictions. But the approach differs from that of many other states across the country. According to a new study from WalletHub, Washington ranks among the top 10 states with the most restrictions still in place due to the novel coronavirus. Data Leak Suggests China Had Hundreds of Thousands of Coronavirus Cases in 230 Cities. There are many reasons to doubt China's official numbers. The official count of cases hit 84,000 at the beginning of March and has barely risen at all since then. Since March 1, the official data indicates the country — with almost 1.4 billion people — has had only one day with more than 300 new cases. China's official figures show just two deaths since April 17. In mid-April, the city of Wuhan revised its number of coronavirus deaths from 2,579 to 3,869 — a statistically improbable increase of exactly 50 percent. Ron DeSantis Has Had Enough. Florida has been a shining star in the current coronavirus epidemic. Its fatality rate is unusually low, in part because its governor, Ron DeSantis, has followed the opposite approach from that of the inept Andy Cuomo: he has gotten infected people out of nursing homes rather than stashing them there. Of course DeSantis has been given no credit for his excellent performance. When Florida reopened for business ahead of most other states, DeSantis was hit with a barrage of criticism from left-wing journalists, who among other things alleged that Florida was conducting an experiment in "human sacrifice." As usual, the journalists were wrong. The Coronavirus Timeline Liberals Don't Want You To See. Monday, the infamous left-wing group MoveOn began running a digital ad slamming President Trump for his administration's "insufficient response to the Coronavirus pandemic" and encouraging voters to vote against him in November. The ad features a timeline that gives viewers the impression that the government failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus. [...] The timeline featured by MoveOn does what most anti-Trump coronavirus timelines do: it ignores all the things that actually happened. Unfortunately for them, I've compiled a comprehensive timeline from various sources that lays out the Trump administration's response in far more detail than they want you to see. As this timeline shows, the Trump administration responded quickly and decisively in the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, even as impeachment was underway. This timeline covers the moment China revealed the virus to the world up to the day Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency. The truth about US coronavirus deaths: American fatalities per capita are lower than EIGHT European countries. US deaths are lower per million than eight European countries despite having the highest total number of deaths in the world. As of Wednesday morning [5/20/2020], there had been 92,000 deaths across America — the highest reported number of any country in the world by far, and more than 1.5 million cases. Modelers are now predicting that another 4 million will become infected by July 24 and that as many as 290,000 could die in total if social distancing isn't adhered to. But when weighing the death toll up against America's enormous population of around 328 million, then comparing the per capita rate to other European countries, the US slips to number eight on the list of the worst affected countries. CNN's Harwood Complains, Doctors Who Want to Reopen [are] Like Scientists Who Don't Believe in Global Warming! This morning [5/20/2020] on CNN Newsroom, CNN White House correspondent John Harwood attacked Trump allies in the GOP for looking for doctors who support reopening the economy to appear on television and advocate this position. CNN obtained this information from a leaked conference call between members of Trump's reelection campaign, discussing finding pro-Trump doctors who will go on television and advocate the need to reopen. CNN Newsroom co-host Jim Sciutto posed skeptically to Harwood, "Trump's reelection campaign is now recruiting doctors? Friendly doctors who serve as supporters to help Trump in that message? What are you learning?" Harwood complained how doctors who would advocate for reopening the economy are the same kind of crackpots who don't believe in global warming or think mail-in ballots lead to voter fraud. He ended his smug rant by saying this is why "educated" voters aren't supporting Trump. Also posted under Liberals think you're stupid. Killing Off a Pandemic is Engineering, Not 'Science'. There are people in our society who lust for power and luxuriate in it once they have it. Some are elected, many are not. Call them governors, call them mayors, call them health administrators, call them bureaucrats, call them "journalists," the power mad have become a potentially lethal plague on America. They have suspended our civil liberties "for the duration." So what is the duration? These power-mad people have moved the goal posts to the undeterminable far future when a vaccine cure will be available. There has never been a successful vaccine for an upper respiratory corona virus. So don't count on it this time. If we do get one an instant Nobel prize awaits. Waiting for a vaccine is just an excuse for continued suppression of our liberties. Moving the goal posts is profoundly dishonest and un-American. In the name of "science" some governors forbade experimentation with various pharmaceutical treatments. Florida's Governor DeSantis brings out his inner Trump. Florida chose a different lockdown path from the rest of America, protecting old people and letting other Floridians mostly roam free. The media gleefully predicted disaster and have been disappointed that Florida has avoided the disaster and emerged from the pandemic scare with flying colors. On Wednesday [5/20/2020], Governor DeSantis let the media know how disgraceful their reporting about Florida has been. With an approving Vice President Pence standing beside him, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida gave conservatives a thrill when he let the media know how awful their behavior has been regarding Florida's approach to the coronavirus. It was a performance that would have made President Trump proud, because DeSantis, instead of accepting and defending against the media's pro-Democrat narrative, attacked the media for having a narrative in the first place. Gretchen Whitmer Allows Gay Swinger's Club to Operate While Barber Loses License. There is perhaps nothing more confusing than Democrat governors' orders during the Chinese WuFlu pandemic. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is by far the worst. That was made clear with the news that a gay swinger's club [...] is being allowed to operate under her nose in Lansing while she aims her business-killing death ray on 77-year-old barber Karl Manke for giving haircuts. Italians petition G20 nations to join Trump in defunding W.H.O. President Donald Trump is not alone in his stand against funding the World Health Organization. While critics of the president repeatedly demonize him for withholding U.S. funds to the organization, recently threatening to make the cuts permanent, it seems other countries are making similar moves. A petition addressed to the leaders of nations that make up the G20 group, and signed by more than 200,000 Italians, is asking for defunding the specialized agency of the United Nations which has come under heavy criticism for its mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic at its outbreak. Sweden: Coronavirus and the Concept of 'Trade-Offs'. Sweden, unlike its Scandinavian neighbors, made different decisions to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. It issued no mandatory orders. It did not require its citizens to shelter at home. True, as of May 4, more Swedes had contracted and died from the coronavirus (2,679 total deaths, a rate of 263.08 per 1 million people) than people in Norway (211, rate of 39.7) and Denmark (484, rate of 83.49), but fewer when adjusted for its population size compared with the U.K. (28,446 deaths, a rate of 427.83), Spain (25,264, rate of 540.71), France (24,864, rate of 371.18) and Italy (28,884, rate of 477.96). The Same Fools Who Called Us Racist For Wanting Early Border Closures Now Admit They Should Have Closed The Borders Earlier. We all remember what happened when the CCP Coronavirus started spreading and posing a risk to Canada. People like you and me were calling for border closures early on, realizing that the way to protect Canada was to shut our borders. Yet, when people like us were calling for that, the foolish people in charge like Justin Trudeau, Theresa Tam, and Patty Hajdu insinuated that border closures were 'racist.' They claimed that 'stigma' was a 'greater threat than the virus,' a statement that will live in infamy as one of the dumbest things every uttered. N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's careless cruelty shows in coronavirus nursing home policy. The core of cruelty defining New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo marches on. As many contend, his policies are responsible for the shocking number of deaths at nursing homes in the state. In a response to a reporter inquiring about the situation, Mr. Cuomo declared, "He [President Trump] worked it out so we always had available beds. Nobody was deprived of a bed or medical coverage in any way. And still people died. Still, people died. Older people, vulnerable people are going to die from this virus. That is going to happen despite whatever you do. Because with all our progress as a society, we can't keep everyone alive." Janice Dean, Fox News' senior meteorologist, was not impressed with Mr. Cuomo's remark. Both of her in-laws died of coronavirus complications in a New York nursing home. The American Media Has Betrayed America. [Scroll down] The media's capital crime, however, is their coverage of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. And if the national media establishment had not already demonstrated repeatedly that they are nothing more than a political action committee attached to the Democratic Party, more people would be fooled. But as it is, the timing of the virus, the response to the virus, and the reporting on the virus: all of it is suspect. The repercussions of media malpractice are more deaths, destruction of the constitution, and quite possibly an economic depression. This is not overstating the case. Imagine if the media covered this crisis with honesty. Sure, in the early stages, nobody knew what to make of it. But why were the only voices accorded credibility by the media those who called for a lockdown? [...] Worse, why has the media ignored every report or study or journal article or clinical abstract that finds treatment with hydroxychloroquine, zinc sulfate, and azithromycin to be effective? Why have they persistently spread the lie that a seven-day course of hydroxychloroquine is dangerous, when millions of people have used it safely for years on end to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis? Why don't we ever hear about doctors around the world who are successfully using this treatment to prevent COVID-19 in exposed patients and to cure it in patients who've tested positive? Why? Who is pulling the strings of mainstream media in the United States? We Were Never Asked. In the early days of the coronavirus, everyone went from being carefree and complacent to scared in the blink of an eye. We did not know what we were facing, other nations were taking extreme measures, and apocalyptic predictions from scientists and public health officials created an overnight panic. Quite voluntarily, most people avoided crowds, unnecessary trips to the store, going to the office, and anything that might increase their risk of catching the coronavirus. Handshakes went out of style, as did restaurants, gyms, and travel. Soon there was a run on surgical masks, which became so bad that authorities engaged in a "noble lie" to discourage their use by regular folks. Now these same experts have reversed course, as if we will forget what they said only a month ago. In addition to these voluntary measures, mandatory lockdown measures were imposed to "flatten the curve." They were supposed to save our hospitals and preserve limited ventilator resources. While severe, this mostly made sense, as the risk seemed enormous, and the lockdowns were sold as a temporary measure. As soon as the "15 days to slow the spread" began to expire, however, the goalposts were moved. Phase Two in the Battle to Reopen America. Weeks ago, a large chunk of the country believed fake news media and health experts' lie that COVID-19 is the worst thing that ever hit the planet. They said 2 million would die if we did not close down the country. It would have been foolish for Trump to push against the tsunami of fear sweeping the country. Trump wisely waited for evidence to begin surfacing that the predicted doomsday numbers of deaths were proven false. In April, Trump announced his plan to reopen America. As expected, Democrats and fake news media responded in outrage, hysterically claiming that over 100 thousand will die. Trump realizes THAT a large percentage of Americans are over the fear and ready to begin living again. Dr. Fauci wants the lockdowns to continue. After expressing his respect for Dr. Fauci, Trump said he will proceed. Now is the time for more Americans to step up and rebel big-time against power-drunk, evil Democrats. Remember, scientists and computer models got us into this mess. Don't Be Fooled: LA Public Health Director is an Activist Using "The Data" to Advance an Agenda. Those of us on the conservative side of the spectrum already know that many scientific fields have been highly politicized. What most of us are learning in 2020 is just how politicized the public health field is and that some who are considered experts in the field, such as Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., are not even medical doctors (even though some official websites claim she is). Ferrer's numerous degrees include a Masters of Education, a Masters of Public Health, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare. An examination of Ferrer's career shows that, like many "public health" professionals, her focus isn't on public health as it has traditionally been known; her focus is that of an activist using "data" to advance an agenda of "racial equity," and personal and institutional success is measured in nebulous, politically-correct terms. Understanding the paradigm in which these "experts" operate is foundational to understanding and pushing back against their attempts to manipulate public policy. A Pandemic Does Not Suspend the Rule of Law. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials have imposed unprecedented restrictions on our liberties and livelihoods, acting on the assumption that they can do whatever they think is necessary to protect the public from a potentially deadly disease. The courts, which were initially reluctant to second-guess state responses to COVID-19, are beginning to recognize that public health powers, while broad, are not a blank check. The Wisconsin case involved a dispute between two branches of the state government. The Republican leaders of the state legislature argued that Andrea Palm, a Democrat who runs the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, was exercising powers she had never been granted when she ordered the closure of "nonessential" businesses and confined residents to their homes except for purposes she approved, threatening violators with fines and jail. This case was not simply a partisan spat. It raised the question of whether a single executive branch official can unilaterally criminalize heretofore legal behavior, based on nothing more than her own judgment of what is required to protect public health. Crenshaw nails what's fueling deep partisan divide, and why the Left's in 'no rush' to re-open America. [Scroll down] "The debate over reopening the economy has a peculiar characteristic: It breaks down almost entirely along political lines," Crenshaw began the piece titled, "Why Does Reopening Polarize Us?" "Liberals emphasize the dangers of an open society, shaming those who want to go back to work. Conservatives argue the opposite. Red states are steadily reopening, while most blue states lag," he wrote. "House Democrats believe it isn't safe for lawmakers to go back to work, while the Republican-controlled Senate is back in session." The former United States Navy SEAL gave a few reasons why the division exists, noting that, generally, liberals will oppose anything that President Donald Trump is in favor of. A tidy takedown of Media Matters and its propaganda about hydroxycholoroquine. For most thinking Americans, it is unnecessary to bother to fact check the propaganda group Media Matters. If they have heard of Media Matters at all, they typically understand it's a smear group funded by donors with political and corporate interests whose names are kept secret. (The last big Media Matters donor whose name was publicly revealed years ago was that of liberal billionaire activist George Soros.) The problem is, too many news organizations and even journalism groups such as Poynter use Media Matters and their affiliates as if they are legitimate news sources. They are either unforgviably ignorant of Media Matters' slants, or choose to keep readers in the dark because they agree with the slant. One major interest Media Matters and its affiliates have served over the years is that of the pharmaceutical industry. The Shutdown May Soon Collapse in Pennsylvania Thanks to Local Resistance. As in the rest of the country, life in Pennsylvania has been greatly disturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the chaos that has resulted from the state government's attempts to handle the situation. On March 16, Governor Wolf ordered that all "nonessential" businesses be closed for at least two weeks. They are still closed today, and as a result, 1.8 million Pennsylvanians have filed for unemployment. At the end of December of last year, the state estimated that there were roughly 6 million employed persons in Pennsylvania. If we set aside all the workers whose incomes have been reduced through pay cuts or reduced hours, or who for various reasons have not filed for unemployment, still nearly a third of people who were working in December are now out of work. Northam ditches coronavirus restrictions for Virginia Beach after weekend sees crowds defy his orders. Under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's eased coronavirus restrictions in effect Friday [5/15/2020], the state's oceanfront was relegated to fishing and exercise only, and social distancing was required. But that didn't keep crowds away from Virginia Beach over the weekend as temperatures reached the high 70s. Sunbathers took to the sand, bikers peddled along the bustling boardwalk and newly reopened gift shops were crowded with customers buying hermit crabs and snow cones, The Virginian-Pilot reported. On Friday, Northam, a Democrat, gave the green light for houses of worship and some businesses to operate at 50 percent capacity. Outdoor dining — with different parties spaced 6 feet apart — resumed with some staff required to wear masks. Dolores Cahill and Del Bigtree on the Covid19 fraud. Professor Dolores Cahill discusses the Covid 19 hoax with Del Bigtree. Prof. Cahill calls for an end to the lockdown, discusses vaccine safety and demands accountability from those in power. [Video clip] Wisconsin Governor Gives Up Efforts to Continue Statewide Lockdown. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D-Wisc.) announced that he will no longer be pursuing any attempts to initiate another statewide lockdown due to the coronavirus, as reported by The Hill. Evers' decision comes after the State Supreme Court struck down his attempted extension of the stay-at-home order last week, due to his failure to cooperate with the state legislature in doing so. Any further extension, the court ruled, would have to be agreed upon by both the governor and the legislature, which is controlled by Republicans. Michigan Gretchen Whitmer seeds the nursing homes with COVID-19. In light of the nursing home disaster in New York, what kind of a ghoul would take that as an example to emulate instead of a baleful death warning to avoid, and then order contagious COVID-19 patients into her state's nursing homes? Only Michigan's hard-faced Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the ambitious Democrat who banned sales of garden seeds to Michiganders, saying she's doing it in the name of keeping everyone 'safe.' 'Safe' to Whitmer is seeding the nursing homes with COVID-19 patients, supposedly as a means of lightening the loads of hospitals. Too bad if granny gets it. Under Whitmer's executive order, which she just extended yesterday for a week, any nursing home with less than 80% capacity will be forced to create special COVID units, regardless of their ability to protect their other patients, with the special ventilation systems, trained staff, and personal protective gear something like that would require even if it were advisable, and none of which are included in her order. I Don't Want To See One More Coronavirus Commercial. No more "We're all in this together" ...we are decidedly not. From celebrities doing Tik Toks from their palatial estates to Nancy Pelosi's subzero freezer filled to the brim with expensive ice cream it has become increasingly clear that we are indeed not all in this together. Some of us are crammed into stale apartments. Some of us are isolated with our abusers or family addicts. Some of us are losing the businesses we worked our whole lives to build. [...] No more Zoom late night shows, no more Zoom daytime shows, no more Zoom "reunions" from your favorite casts and no more Zoom "specials" where the wealthiest among us try to soothe our pain from their poolsides. Zoom's usability and popularity was possibly the most helpful thing to come out of this thing. Now it is the most annoying thing and I would like to go back to having never to think about it. Judge rules that Oregon virus restrictions are invalid. A judge in rural Oregon on Monday [5/18/2020] tossed out statewide coronavirus restrictions imposed by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, saying she didn't seek the Legislature's approval to extend the stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit. Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff issued his opinion in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month by 10 churches around Oregon that argued the state's social-distancing directives were unconstitutional. Let's wait til the first lockdown is over before asking... Sheriff Revolts Against Lockdown: 'We Are Not Stormtroopers. We Are Peacekeepers'. In a passionate Facebook post, Sheriff James Mendrick of DuPage County, IL, broke his silence in the wake of the Chinese virus pandemic-induced lockdown rules that have businesses gasping to survive. "As Sheriff, I feel that my own 1st amendment constitutional right to free speech has been completely trampled on by a governor who has threatened my Offices' reimbursement and grant funds as a tool to force me not to speak," he wrote. "I just can't do this anymore. I stand with our citizens and businesses of DuPage County who have offered no trouble or no resistance to any rule we put upon them, no matter how strange." The Virus Modeling Scandal and "the Years of Living Hysterically". "If it bleeds it leads" is an old rule of local news. You can add to that the need to create suspense and to hype each event as big, bigger, the biggest ever (just think of weather reports during hurricane season). The bigger the threat the better. The larger the number the better. When the Imperial College of London reported in mid-March that its model predicted the COVID-19 virus could kill as many as 2.2 million Americans and more than 500,000 Britons if governments did nothing to control the spread of the virus, it became the benchmark for radical policies that were unbelievably destructive to society. What might have been a more dangerous but manageable pandemic (which would be the fourth since 1975) suddenly became the species threatening, Spanish Flu-Black Death-end-of-times threat that required the most radical, draconian public health restrictions and economically suicidal behavior in modern history. Was the decision to impose lockdown based on crude mathematical guesswork? Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College "stepped back" from the Sage group advising ministers when his lockdown-busting romantic trysts were exposed. Perhaps he should have been dropped for a more consequential misstep. Details of the model his team built to predict the epidemic are emerging and they are not pretty. In the respective words of four experienced modellers, the code is "deeply riddled" with bugs, "a fairly arbitrary Heath Robinson machine", has "huge blocks of code — bad practice" and is "quite possibly the worst production code I have ever seen". When ministers make statements about coronavirus policy they invariably say that they are "following the science". But cutting-edge science is messy and unclear, a contest of ideas arbitrated by facts, a process of conjecture and refutation. This is not new. Almost two centuries ago Thomas Huxley described the "great tragedy of science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." Redfield and Birx: Can they be trusted with COVID? U.S. military documents show that, in 1992, the CDC's current Director Robert Redfield and his then-assistant, Deborah Birx — both Army medical officers — knowingly falsified scientific data published in the New England Journal of Medicine fraudulently claiming that an HIV vaccine they helped develop was effective. They knew the vaccine was worthless. Redfield now runs the agency charged with mandating COVID vaccines. Birx, a life-long protégé to both Redfield and Anthony Fauci, served on the board of Bill Gates' Global Fund. Redfield, Birx and Fauci lead the White House coronavirus task force. The Coronavirus Death Rate Is MUCH Lower Than the Estimates Justifying the Lockdowns. Appearing on Justice with Judge Jeanine on Saturday night [5/2/2020], Dr. Debora Birx admitted something that anyone paying attention to the coronavirus pandemic has known for some time now. "I think we underestimated very early on the number of asymptomatic cases," Dr. Birx said. "And I think we're really beginning to understand there are people that get infected that those symptoms are so low-grade that they don't even know that they're infected." Code Review of Ferguson's Model. [Scroll down] The code: It isn't the code Ferguson ran to produce his famous Report 9. What's been released on GitHub is a heavily modified derivative of it, after having been upgraded for over a month by a team from Microsoft and others. This revised codebase is split into multiple files for legibility and written in C++, whereas the original program was "a single 15,000 line file that had been worked on for a decade" (this is considered extremely poor practice). A request for the original code was made 8 days ago but ignored, and it will probably take some kind of legal compulsion to make them release it. Clearly, Imperial are too embarrassed by the state of it ever to release it of their own free will, which is unacceptable given that it was paid for by the taxpayer and belongs to them. Did a 14 Year-Old Schoolgirl Invent the Lockdown Policy? [Scroll down] Her name is Laura Glass and in 2006 her dad, Robert Glass, was working as a scientist at the Sandia National Laboratories. He and his daughter, then 14, co-authored a 2006 paper entitled 'Targeted Social Distancing Designs for Pandemic Influenza' and this paper, apparently, was referenced in a proposal about how America should respond to a pandemic drafted by by two doctors working for the US federal government in 2006, along with a team at the Defense Department. How Many Excess Deaths Are Due to COVID-19? One of the stats most commonly latched on to by lockdown sceptics is the number of people who would normally be dying at this time of year in the absence of coronavirus because it seems to show there's been no increase (or, rather, it did before the death toll began to peak). [...] Every year, about 600,000 people die in the UK and it remains to be seen whether more people will die this year than in a normal year and what effect, if any, the lockdown will have had. For instance, about 10% of people aged 80 and over die every year and while it's true there's a risk they'll die if infected with coronavirus, they won't be significantly less likely to die if they don't catch it because they're likely to die of something else. Oregon salon owner who defied lockdown says CPS questioned her son: 'I'm almost broken'. An Oregon salon owner and mother who reopened her doors in defiance of a coronavirus-related state lockdown alleged that her son was paid a visit this month by Child Protective Services. Lindsey Graham, owner of the Glamour Salon in Salem, reopened her business on May 5 despite being deemed "nonessential" under Gov. Kate Brown's executive orders in March. Two days after reopening, and after receiving a letter from the city of Salem informing her she was violating her lease agreement by breaking state orders, Ms. Graham said Child Protective Services showed up at her house. You're Nonessential — Keep Your Mouth Shut. COVID-19 America has realigned itself into a two-part caste system, one made up of the essential hero, and the other comprised of the selfish, nonessential coward. Essential heroes, like those who work in grocery stores, hospitals, Walmarts, and deliver for Amazon, are deserving of our admiration and praise. [...] My wife is one of these essential workers. She's a clinician at a small hospital in Philadelphia, where dozens of people have tested positive for COVID-19. In the middle of April she too tested positive, and subsequently gave the virus to me. Luckily, our symptoms were minor, and we quickly recovered. When my wife returned to work after her 14-day quarantine, there was a big sign on the front lawn that read, Heroes Work Here. Although she was completely recovered and COVID-free, she still had to take a deep breath to keep from vomiting. My wife was given special papers from her job to show she's an essential worker, just in case she was out driving around and a cop pulled her over and demanded to know why she was on the road. I kid you not. County Judge Rules That Oregon Governor Kate Brown's Covid Restrictions are Unconstitutional. She had no legislative authority for these diktats. More and more, the left is straight-up endorsing tyranny. For the public safety and health, you understand! Wisconsin Supreme Court Invalidates State's 'Safer at Home' Order. On May 13, 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its decision in Wisconsin Legislature v. Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm, et al. and declared the state's Safer at Home Order unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable, creating a rush by local jurisdictions to issue orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19, resulting in uncertainty for businesses as to how to operate. Judge tosses out Gov. Kate Brown's coronavirus restrictions in Oregon. A judge in rural Oregon on Monday [5/18/2020] tossed out statewide coronavirus restrictions imposed by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, saying she didn't seek the Legislature's approval to extend the stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit. Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff issued his opinion in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month by 10 churches around Oregon that argued the state's social-distancing directives were unconstitutional. Georgia Supreme Court Says Yes, Economic Liberty is a Constitutional Right. The Georgia Supreme Court this morning reversed a trial court decision that had declared that the right to earn a living is not a right protected under that state's Constitution. In a unanimous ruling, the justices held that "we have long recognized that the Georgia Constitution's Due Process Clause entitles Georgians to pursue a lawful occupation of their choosing free from unreasonable government interference." The case involves the state's laws regulating "lactation consultants" — that is, people who help new mothers learn to properly breastfeed newborn babies. In the Peachtree State, you need a government license to do that, believe it or not. That licensing requirement was challenged by a group of lactation counselors represented by our allies at the Institute for Justice, who argued that requiring government permission to help mothers breastfeed is so irrational that it violates the state's Due Process of Law Clause — a provision of the Constitution that for centuries has been understood as a prohibition on irrational laws. But the trial court threw the case out on the grounds that there's no such right as economic freedom to begin with. Fox News at NJ gym's defiant opening: Crowd cheers as cop says they're in violation, then walks away. A New Jersey gym kicked opened its doors early this morning as supporters celebrated the move in defiance of the state's coronavirus shutdown order. Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey reopened Monday morning [5/18/2020] amid cheers from anti-lockdown protesters who were on hand to rally behind the business and send a message to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. NJ Governor Goes Full Dictator After Video of Gym in 'Defiance' of Stay at Home Order Goes Viral. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is levying new threats against citizens who dare to defy his "orders" after a video of a gym re-opening went viral yesterday [5/18/2020]. For background, here's the video, which includes clapping and cheering after police decided not to enforce the order with arrests. [Video clip] America Is Reopening Itself: Will Politicians Be Able To Stop It? As has been widely noted, we were initially told that we needed to shut down and shelter in place so that we would "flatten the curve" of infection growth to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed by people sick with COVID-19. That benchmark was met a little more than a month into the lockdowns. [...] Yet many Americans are still under shelter-in-place orders, some of which have been extended. We hate to use a cliche, but politicians have been moving the goalposts. Flattening the curve isn't good enough. They want to keep people home until there's a vaccine; or science, which has sadly become a loose term that means whatever the user wants it to, has established an effective treatment; or maybe until there are zero coronavirus cases. This has rankled more than a few. Andrew Cuomo's Reckless Choices. ill de Blasio made terrible decisions as mayor of New York City. But as more reporting emerges about the catastrophic decisions made by New York's governor, it's possible Andrew Cuomo deserves even more blame than de Blasio for what the coronavirus has done to the tri-state area and consequently the nation. New York and New Jersey combined have suffered more COVID-19 deaths than any other country being tracked by researchers who run the Johns Hopkins crisis dashboard. Cuomo made three breathtakingly bad moves in March that in retrospect amounted to catastrophe. COVID-19 is killing Vermont's restaurants. In the restaurant world, if the chefs run out of ingredients for a menu item, they inform the wait staff to "86 it" — remove it from the menu. The shutdown in Vermont of essentially its entire restaurant industry will likely result in the "86ing" of 30% or more of its restaurants, never to reopen. COVID-19 has killed 53 people in Vermont...and also thousands of jobs. Restaurants nationwide are shut down, but Vermont's restaurant industry is particularly vulnerable. In 2018, Vermont boasted some 1,413 eating and drinking establishments, and restaurants generated $1.1 billion in estimated sales. In 2019, some 29,600 people were employed in restaurant and food service jobs (9% of all Vermont state employment). Report: Chicago Mayor sent Police to Tow Cars, Block Church Parking Lot. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot dispatched police officers to shut down parking lots and tow the cars of Christians attending Sunday services at a Romanian church, a religious liberty law firm alleges. Liberty Counsel tells The Todd Starnes Radio Show that the mayor posted "no parking" notices around the neighborhood and around the church and "sent the police out to tow cars of residents." "The church has leased the parking lot of a bank across the street for 18 years," Liberty Counsel said. "Mayor Lightfoot had the police block the lot so churchgoers couldn't park there." Chicago Thuggery Directed at Romanian Churches. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has engaged in mob-like thuggery against the Romanian churches that have begun to meet in-person. Even though these churches have their own private parking, and their members don't park on the street, the mayor ordered "No Parking" signs along the streets for nine blocks around the churches. On Sunday [5/17/2020], Mayor Lightfoot blocked off nine blocks around the churches posting "No Parking" signs, hoping she would get the neighbors mad at the church. However, the churches are not using street parking with their limited services. The aldermen sent letters to the neighbors of the churches instructing them not to park on the street from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The letters stated the reason for the "No Parking" signs was due to the Romanian churches holding limited services. Restaurant owners in disbelief as Massachusetts avoids providing details for industry to reopen amid coronavirus pandemic. The words from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday were meant to offer some hope for small business owners as he spoke of reopening industries within the state. For restaurant owners, it was what he failed to mention that evaporated any reason to hope. As restaurants continue to withstand revenue losses of more than 75% over the last two months amid the coronavirus pandemic, Monday's plan revealed little new information to guide the industry forward. Texas Reopening: Bars, child care, sports among businesses opening in May. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday outlined the next businesses that will be allowed to reopen in phases this month. Gov. Greg Abbott said bars across the state can reopen beginning on Friday [5/22/2020]. [...] Also on Friday, restaurants can operate at 50 percent instead of 25 percent capacity. "Texas is prepared to move into Phase 2 for the further opening of businesses," Abbott said. Rural America Rebels Against the Madness. New York City is the center of the Wuhan epidemic in the United States, and in response to the virus, governors across the country have imposed shutdowns that might possibly be appropriate in New York, but are bonkers as applied to local conditions. Initially, most of us tried to be good sports. But as shutdowns lingered from weeks into months, and small businesses were destroyed by the hundreds of thousands for no apparent reason, the spirit of rebellion began to grow. No doubt there were a number of places where rebellion flared today, but the one I know about is Albany, Minnesota, population 2,734, where a bar and restaurant owner stood up for his constitutional rights against the arbitrary power of the state's government. "Mask Police Reporter," Kaitlin Collins Rips Off Mask Immediately After She Thinks Cameras Are Off, Rushes to Speak Maskless to Other Reporters. Another black eye for the Karenwaffe. This wouldn't be a story except Karen Collins here is one of the Firefighters bravely mask-shaming her targets. Governor/Murderer Andrew Cuomo gets no mask-shaming for not wearing a mask at press conferences, but of course Trump does. Karen Collins wears a mask at press conferences. Until the moment the camera is off her. Then it comes off faster than a t-shirt at Mardi Gras. EU calls for independent probe of WHO's pandemic response. The European Union and other countries on Monday [5/18/2020] called for an independent evaluation of the World Health Organization's response to the coronavirus pandemic "to review experience gained and lessons learned." The resolution has the support of more than half of the WHO's member countries and will be discussed this week at the decision-making body of the U.N. health agency, being held virtually this year. The proposal is intended to initiate "a stepwise process of impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the WHO's efforts to coordinate the international response to COVID-19, including the functioning of international health law and its actions within the greater U.N. health system. Google slaps down conservative sites reporting the truth on coronavirus. Google, the top search engine in the United States, appears to be hitting conservative sites who are publishing articles that run contrary to the accepted narrative surrounding the coronavirus. Multiple reports have come into NOQ Report concerned with major drops in traffic from the search giant. So, we checked our own stats and realized it had started happening to us as well. We will not be "outing" other conservative sites who may require Google traffic to function properly (our biggest search traffic source is DuckDuckGo, which I highly recommend from a privacy perspective). I will not be disclosing the names or websites associated with the people I talked to on this matter. Google's various teams, for their part, have not responded to requests for information. Nets Have a Meltdown After Trump Says He Takes Hydroxychloroquine. Even though the FDA says the use of Hydroxychloroquine was up to a patient and their doctor, Monday's evening newscasts saw ABC, CBS, and NBC clutch their pearls after President Trump admitted he's been taking the anti-Malaria drug for several days to prevent catching coronavirus. Acting as though he was self-medicating and not telling viewers that the drug needed a prescription to obtain it, which meant his doctor approved it, these liberal networks decried the medial precaution. ABC's World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News kicked off their newscasts with the headline stealing development. "But, of course, the headline that immediately took over all the others, when late today, the President said he's been taking hydroxychloroquine for more than a week," announced ABC anchor David Muir. He added: "But, of course, it led to immediate questions about why he's taking it, with the FDA warning that no one should be taking the drug for coronavirus outside a hospital or clinical trial." Reporting on how the President said he had spoken with the White House physician before he started taking the drug, ABC chief White House correspondent Jon Karl didn't mention that it needed a prescription [...] New York City Police Won't Enforce Face Mask Rule Following Outrage Over Woman's Rough Arrest. The outrage that followed the publishing of a video of a woman's rough arrest for not properly wearing a face mask on Wednesday morning led to a change in police policy. At a press briefing on Friday New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said: ["]NYPD will continue to enforce the ban on non-essential gatherings, prioritizing dispersing groups of 6+ adults. Absent a serious danger to the public, NYPD will not take enforcement action for failing to wear face covering[s].["] This was not an apology. Nor was his comment on Wednesday night when he tweeted: "Face coverings are important to protect everybody — they're not optional. But no one wants to see an interaction turn into this. We've made progress with de-escalation. This isn't it." Un-furloughing the Economy. The shocking rate of U.S. unemployment — officially 14.7 percent but perhaps as high as 20 percent — suggests an economic depression, possibly as deep and severe as the Great Depression itself. The numbers represent millions of families living with grave economic uncertainty. But the current unemployment rate does not have the same meaning that it normally would. In previous recessions, almost every newly unemployed person represented a job that no longer existed. That's not the case today. A significant share of today's unemployed are furloughed workers, or contract workers seeing less demand, or laid-off workers whose employers will rehire them once they can reopen. By some estimates, 80 percent of the unemployed expect to be back at their old jobs one day soon. That may be too optimistic: economists at the University of Chicago estimate that 42 percent of the unemployment is permanent, meaning that almost half of the lost jobs aren't coming back. A better name for the COVID-19 masks. A motorcycle, especially one with an upright sitting position, gives you an unmatched view of the world around. You actually look down into cars. It would have been beautiful, except that everywhere I looked, I saw the absurdity of the face masks that seem to be growing larger by the hour. Was that a beautiful woman alone in a BMW convertible, top down, with a mask on? Everywhere along open paths and sidewalks, people were walking, jogging, running, and pedaling furiously, all with masks on. Some of the masks had grown so large that they covered from the chin to just under the eyes. And then it dawned on me: "FACE DIAPER!" And I couldn't stop laughing. Seriously, I nearly dumped my motorcycle. Now, I know some people are saying, "What's it to you if some people choose to wear face masks?" Because something this absurd cannot continue into the summer heat unless it becomes a mandate. What will I do if the governor mandates that to work or go out in public, I must wear a mask? And our governor, Ralph Northam, has been among the most aggressive of the blue-state governors in absurd restrictions. Add to that that we know he is a fan of masks, as in college he often wore a blackface mask and sometime a white mask with matching robe, if you know what I mean. So when people are doing a patently foolish thing, I feel it is my duty to point it out. Mitigating Tyranny: Lockdowns and Flynn. [Scroll down] For reasons not based on science, but on fearmongering by the press and autocratic leanings of some governors (for the most part, Democratic Governors Cuomo, Newsom, Whitmer, Evers, Northam, and Inslee) draconian lockdown measures were instituted by executive order. These orders were often backed up by health commissioners, themselves ill-equipped by education or experience to offer sound advice. The consequences of these actions have been to jeopardize the health of the poorest and most vulnerable and destroy the livelihoods of those not able to work from home or on academic and government payrolls. At the same time, they released from prison some really hardcore prisoners, ostensibly to protect them from the virus. In sum, they have most harmed the members of the very lowest tranches of the economy, which they have always claimed to represent. The rebellion against the orders by affected citizens and courts continues. Counties, municipalities, and sheriffs are refusing to enforce these orders. My favorite is the sheriff of Fresno, California, who said she was too busy rounding up the criminals Governor Newsom had released to bother enforcing his lockdown edicts. Covid-19 Is Becoming a Theory of Everything. The desire to retrofit societies' infinite complexity to conform to a formulaic preconception may explain how a virus has overnight become a key to interpreting and restructuring the entire world. COVD-19 immediately morphed from a disease to a philosophy that includes a multidisciplinary effort that defines other disciplines, including economics. The wholesale applicability of COVID-19 first began with the expansion of the disease's symptoms into a DOE, or Disease of Everything that in turn has become the formula for interpreting the entirety of the field of medicine. The long list of symptoms attributed to viral infection have expanded to the status of a universal affliction. Symptoms include COVID toes, blood clots, organ failure and heart attacks, dizziness, difficulty breathing, coughing, sniffles, and much more. Even children, initially thought almost immune to infection, are now coming down with "pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome." There's Something Happening Here. Thousands of flag-waving Californians descended upon the State Capitol Friday [5/15/2020] for a protest of Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide stay-at-home lockdown order, which has caused millions of residents to lose their jobs and businesses," wrote Katy Grimes in the California Globe. Down in Huntington Beach in Orange County, as Fox News explained, protesters were backing up traffic for a mile on Pacific Coast Highway, while others staged rallies in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. What could have prompted these Californians to get out in the streets? Governor Gavin Newsom had declared them "nonessential" and they showed up with signs reading "All jobs are essential." So, basically they want their lives back. This is not what their governor wants, however. On Wednesday, Newsom told reporters, "we believe we are weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications to that indicator," a reference to his shelter-in-place order. The San Francisco Democrat didn't say what the modifications would be or when he would make them, and he didn't want people expressing their opposition in public. Veni Vidi Fauci. "We have to get the schools open, we have to get our country open, we have to open our country. Now we want to do it safely, but we also want to do it as quickly as possible, we can't keep going on like this." That was President Trump in an interview on Thursday [5/14/2020]. By contrast, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House coronavirus task force wants to keep most everything shut down. As the president told Maria Bartiromo, "I've disagreed," with Fauci on that question. So has Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a medical doctor and a survivor of COVID-19. On Tuesday, in a hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Paul told Fauci, "I don't think you are the one person who gets to make a decision. We can listen to your advice but there are people on the other side saying there's not going to be a surge and we can safely open the economy." Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), did not appreciate the challenge. Is it time for Fauci to go? 'Yes," he's been wrong at EVERY TURN! [Video clip] Operation Warp Speed eliminates Fauci's power to delay vaccines. On Friday [5/15/2020], President Trump announced Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership to develop a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year if possible. He put two "can-do" people in charge of the process — Glaxo Smith Kline's vaccine expert Mancef Slaoui to oversee vaccine development and Army General Gus Perna to oversee logistics. Not only will they facilitate testing of the available vaccines, but they will also arrange production of promising vaccines even before they have been approved. In contrast, during President Obama's Swine Flu (H1N1) epidemic, the CDC got vaccines approved quickly (just 7 weeks after Phase 1 clinical trials began), but then a shortage ensued while the vaccines were being produced. How Many COVID-19 Deaths Are There? Deborah Birx, the physician advising the White House's coronavirus task force, gave voice to a real concern earlier this month. She told officials from the Centers for Disease Control that some of its numbers on mortality and case count could be inflated by up to 25 percent. "There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust," the Washington Post reported Birx saying. Lawsuit Against Cuomo Alleges 'Bloodless Coup' Has Stripped New Yorkers of Their Constitutional Rights. The lawfare part of the lockdowns has begun in earnest with lawsuits being filed across the country against governors who ordered private businesses closed indefinitely with no due process and stripped them of their constitutional rights because of the Chinese coronavirus panic. The latest lawsuit was filed by New York protesters in Rochester whose businesses have been shuttered by executive fiat. The filing of the lawsuit was announced at a rally organized by RestartROC on Saturday [5/16/2020]. 'We could open up again and forget the whole thing'. Governments around the world say they are following 'The Science' with their draconian measures to stem the spread of the virus. But the science around Covid-19 is bitterly contested. Many experts have serious doubts about the effectiveness of the measures, and argue that our outsized fears of Covid-19 are not justified. Knut Wittkowski is one such expert who has long argued for a change of course. For 20 years, Wittkowski was the head of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design at The Rockefeller University's Center for Clinical and Translational Science. YouTube censors epidemiologist Knut Wittkowski for opposing lockdown. Big Tech companies are aggressively tamping down on COVID-19 "misinformation" — opinions and ideas contrary to official pronouncements. Dr. Knut M. Wittkowski, former head of biostatistics, epidemiology and research design at Rockefeller University, says YouTube removed a video of him talking about the virus which had racked up more than 1.3 million views. Wittkowski, 65, is a ferocious critic of the nation's current steps to fight the coronavirus. He has derided social distancing, saying it only prolongs the virus' existence and has attacked the current lockdown as mostly unnecessary. Wittkowski, who holds two doctorates in computer science and medical biometry, believes the coronavirus should be allowed to achieve "herd immunity," and that short of a vaccine the pandemic will only end after it has sufficiently spread through the population. Failures of an Influential COVID-19 Model Used to Justify Lockdowns. Professor Neil Ferguson, who led the COVID-19 modeling team at Imperial College in London, resigned May 5 from his government advisory role after breaking the very same British lockdown rules that he had a role in influencing. Ferguson led the Imperial College team that designed the computer model that, among others, had been used to justify the recent stay-at-home orders in England as well as in the United States. We now know the model was so highly flawed it never should have been relied upon for policy decisions to begin with. YouTube Censors Noted Anti-Lockdown Epidemiologist. Welcome to the 2020 New World Order, when a social media platform like YouTube thinks it knows more about the coronavirus pandemic than an epidemiologist. Brooklyn Park Paints Circles on Grass to Force Public Into Social Distancing. I don't know if this is worse than the pool noodle hats that a restaurant in Germany is asking people to wear, but it's close. A park in Brooklyn has painted what looks like parking spots for humans on the grass six feet apart from one another to force the public to behave. And they're doing it. [...] If this is the "new normal" I want nothing to do with it. I've adopted Ron Swanson's attitude. I'll do what I want. And if the government tries to stop me, I'm calling my lawyer. This is out of control. Are you going to sit in a little circle on the grass like a good social distancing sheep? Adding to Dr. Fauci's diagnosis: The critical case for ending our shutdown. Basic science underlying a viral pandemic is absolutely critical. But now is the time for the design of sound public policy — and that involves a far broader formulation than a single-minded focus on stopping COVID-19 at all costs. Policymakers and the public have not received several key messages that are critical to alleviate fear and guide a safe reopening of society. That has led to a gross failure in policy at the state level: There has been a failure to remind everyone that the stated goal of the policy — total lockdown and whole-population isolation — has been accomplished in most of the United States, including the epicenter of New York. Why we need a clinical trial of hydroxycholoroquine, azithromycin, and zinc ASAP. A preliminary study done by New York's Grossman School of Medicine reports on the use of HCQ+AZT+Zinc versus HCQ+AZT alone in four New York Hospitals has issued its report. [...] The "main finding of this study is that after adjusting for the timing of zinc therapy, we found that the addition of zinc sulfate to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was found to associate with a decrease in mortality or transition to hospice among patients who did not require ICU level of care, but this association was not significant in patients who were treated in the ICU." The Obama-Biden Pandemic 'Playbook' Is Less than Advertised. Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign has frequently pointed to a 69-page "playbook" that the Obama-Biden administration created for dealing with pandemics, arguing that President Donald Trump had ignored it. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany recently called the playbook "insufficient," according to the Washington Examiner. In fact, the playbook is less than advertised. Of the 69 pages, only 27 are the actual "playbook." The first 13 pages are the table of contents, executive summary, and various title pages. The last 29 pages are appendices. Dr. Fauci and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study victims. Although Dr. Anthony Fauci's NIAID (one of the institutes of the NIH) has lost its power to slow-walk a vaccine solution to COVID-19, he still retains his power to disparage HCQ (hydroxychloroquine), the most effective treatment against COVID-19. During the last couple weeks, he has publicized two studies in which HCQ without zinc hasn't worked with hospitalized patients. He has been so successful at disparaging HCQ that hospital use of HCQ has been declining. HCQ is a zinc-ionophore (meaning that it helps transport available zinc from the bloodstream through cell walls into cells where it slows virus replication). [...] COVID-19 patients are largely drawn from groups that are known to have zinc deficiencies (i.e., the elderly, black Americans, diabetics, those with cancer, and those with low hemoglobin levels). When Fauci tests HCQ on them without giving them zinc at the same time, many will die. You can't criticize CCP influence of WHO. That would be un-YouTube. 108 Million People in China Put Into Lockdown After 34 New Coronavirus Cases Detected. The Chinese province of Jilin has placed about 108 million people into lockdown on Monday [5/18/2020] after roughly 34 new cases of coronavirus and one death were identified in the region over the past few weeks, according to a new report from Bloomberg News. The new lockdown demonstrates widespread fear in China of witnessing another uncontrollable outbreak like the one in Wuhan that set off the global covid-19 pandemic in December 2019. A tale of two governors. Alas, the early "science," the early facts and analysis of COVID-19 suggests that those states controlled by the urban left are flunking by any fair mark up. A New York (D) versus Florida (R) comparison, blue versus red, provides an early template for judging who gets high marks for crisis management. By any measure New York is not just the national Covid hot spot, it is an international disaster area. Andrew Cuomo's (D) state leads the nation in all statistical categories from infection to morbidity rates. New York City (D) is now the toxic nexus for the nation. The Big Apple is hands down the necrotic 2020 spoiler in the larger American barrel. Badgering Washington for more of everything from the start, it turns out that team Mario miscalculated the need for damn near everything, including beds, hospitals, rescue ships, and respirators. Mario Cuomo pushed city mayor de Blasio (D) aside and seized control of metro policy with hype and bombast, if not hysteria. Incredibly, Cuomo was lionized by the media as "the only adult" in the room as he presided over the worst state or city medical crisis in America, if not the world. Lock Up the Lockdown Governors. It's week 7,298 of the #Coronapocalypse lockdown and a lot of Americans have reached the "I'm not staying here any longer, you idiots," phase. I've actually been there for weeks but decided to play along with the New Rules because I was saving lives or something. We are allowed to be opening up here a bit in Arizona, but some businesses are remaining closed and virtue-signaling all over the place, posting long social media messages about how it's just "not safe" yet. I'm making a list of these places to make sure they don't get any of my money in the next year or two. Some of them are favorites of mine, so it won't be easy. [...] There is a very real possibility that 20/20 hindsight will show us that little, if anything, was achieved by shutting down people's lives and livelihoods. It will have been a self-inflicted and wholly unnecessary tragedy. Good news: COVID-19's grip is fading. It is true that the pandemic's toll on our health and economic well-being has been devastating. But a review of public reports, statistics, and studies shows that the future is not as dire as we are being told by the national media. In fact, there is ample evidence that we are turning the corner on the virus and that the overwhelming majority of people are not at serious risk if they take commonsense precautions and follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Here are eight reasons why things are starting to look a little better. [...] Why is THEIR health so important? One State Amends Coronavirus Death Count and the Numbers Are Significantly Lower. From the start of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, one of the concerns was how the death count was being tallied. White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said last month that the United States is taking a "liberal approach" to counting coronavirus deaths. Instead of only counting those who died as a result of the virus, they are counting everyone who died who had tested positive, even if their death was unrelated to the virus. "The intent is right now if someone dies with COVID-19, we're counting that as a COVID-19 death," Birx said at the time. "There are other countries that if you had a pre-existing condition and let's say the virus caused you to go to the ICU and then have a heart or kidney problem. Some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death." Blame governors for the coronavirus deaths in nursing homes. If they are honest, historians judging the American experience during the coronavirus pandemic will excoriate our barbaric failure to protect the elderly. We think of ourselves as civilized, but mindless policies and bureaucratic indifference turned many nursing homes and rehabilitation centers into killing fields. At least 28,000 residents and workers in long-term care facilities already have died from the virus, according to a New York Times analysis done more than a week ago. That represented one out of every three COVID-19 deaths recorded in the United States at the time and was likely an undercount because of reporting lags and varying state methods. Cuomo Defends Nursing Home Policy: 'Older People, Vulnerable People Are Going to Die'. New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo is under fire for his disastrous policy of sending elderly Wuhan coronavirus patients to nursing homes. President Trump even approved a temporary hospital at New York City's Javitz Center to house and treat coronavirus patients. The president also sent a floating hospital packed with emergency supplies to New York to make additional space. But with a fawning press behind him, Gov. Cuomo decided in all his wisdom that elderly people, sick and contagious with the Wuhan coronavirus, should be sent instead to nursing homes full of other elderly, vulnerable people. The policy went on for weeks. The press was probably too busy looking for bad news about hydroxychloroquine to question the governor's deadly directive. Federal Judge Blocks North Carolina Governor's Restrictions on Church Services. On Saturday [5/16/2020], a federal judge temporarily blocked North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's restrictions on indoor religious services during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. In a recent statewide stay-at-home order aimed at reopening the state, religious services were instructed to be held "outdoors unless impossible." Judge James C. Dever III sided with two Baptist churches who argued Gov. Cooper's restrictions on indoor church services violate their rights to worship and treat churches differently than secular entities like retailers. While Dever believes the governor has acted in good faith, the judge also finds restrictions applied to one group and not another burden religious freedom and do little to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the judge wrote in a 22-page order. Why the Lockdown Lost. The nationwide lockdown during the 2020 global COVID-19 crisis will be the debate of historians for decades to come. [...] But it wasn't just Fauci's fault. Inept governors running huge budget deficits tried to scapegoat their failures in financially upside-down states on the virus and simultaneously skate their way out of jams. California, Illinois, and New York were in ruinous shape prior to COVID-19. By going along with the ivory tower lab coat, by pinning blame on the orange man, and by believing their own press, these disasters in office could improve their personal standing. But it all blew up. Now... Where's the accountability? Garbage In, Garbage Out. How many people have died from COVID-19? You can cite the official numbers, which vary depending on your source. They're horrific, of course, but are they anywhere close to accurate? Dr. Anthony Fauci testified this week that the number is probably higher, Dr. Deborah Birx, it was reported last week, thinks the number may be inflated by as much as 25 percent. Who is right? We don't know. Fauci didn't cite much beyond his belief, which doesn't hold that much water considering he's held opposite positions on everything from the wearing of masks to whether or not coronavirus was a serious threat to Americans during the early stages of the pandemic. Birx didn't cite much either, sharing an equally bad track record of prognostication. The truth is we have no idea. Leaked Videos From Wuhan Show The Apocalyptic Nightmare It's Become. Wuhan, where cases of coronavirus were first reported before the outbreak spread across the world, has been dubbed "zombieland" by desperate locals. Overcrowded hospitals, people dropping in the middle of the street, dying citizens treated in gardens because there is no room in the hospital, police bullying people into ambulances, 2-day old corpses under blankets it's like a bad nightmare these poor people can't wake up from. The Coronavirus Lies Just Keep on Coming. Check out this little video clip from Chicago. Corrupt Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has just finished up holding her latest briefing, during which she and all of the reporters in the room dutifully wore their masks while they knew the TV cameras were rolling. As the presser ends, everyone immediately takes off their masks, as several reporters approach Lightfoot to ask a few more questions. [Video clip] They just didn't know the camera was still running. Watch how closely they crowd around the Mayor with their masks off. Does that look like social distancing to you? Timeline Of Blame: Cuomo & De Blasio Are Soaked In Blood. It's easy to overcomplicate the question of who is at fault for COVID-19. The reason we have global organizations full of experts is for moments like the one we currently inhabit, and more to the point, for the moment a member state recognizes that it has a potentially serious problem: to prevent further harm. In the case of infectious disease, the world looks to the health-related arm of the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO). Until April 15, when President Trump defunded the WHO, the U.S. was footing the lion's share of the global watchdog's budget, nearly a quarter of annual operating expenses, most of which was spent on lavish travel, not curing diseases. COVIDictators Beware: The American Rebel Spirit Is Still Alive. In the current environment of uncertainty and government overreach into all of our lives, there seems to be some light at the end of the government built tunnel. This is not because we have actually reached the end, but because as with most things built by the government, it's crumbling. In the past few months, dollar store dictators from across the nation have been implementing strict draconian regulations, in what appears to almost be an attempt to break the back of the largest economy to have existed on this planet. Those who have tried to fight back have been punished like Shelley Luther, a salon owner in Dallas, Texas who saw the inside of a jail cell for daring to put food on her own table. Even more recently, Governor Whitmer of Michigan decided due process was not to be afforded to a 77-year-old barber who had his state licenses stripped after ignoring local health officials orders to close his shop. UN Human Rights Chief Tries to Scare Countries Into Continuing Lockdowns. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is suggesting that the draconian lockdowns most countries have enforced on their citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic might need to be extended to avoid a disastrous "second wave" of the virus. Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet, a socialist and the former president of Chile, issued the warning on Thursday. Bachelet claimed that the disastrous economic effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns are a small price to pay when you consider the possible alternative. [...] Bachelet must not watch much television or go on the Internet. In America at least, re-openings are clearly being driven by unhappy citizens who want to go back to work and start their lives again — not by any "elites." In fact, it seems like many elites — globalist health organizations, Democrat-controlled states and the mainstream media, for example — are the ones pressing to continue these authoritarian lockdowns. The Human Rights High Commissioner is clearly of the belief that only government has the answers to the economic and health concerns brought on by the Chinese coronavirus. COVID-19 Proves America Needs Economic Nationalism. In World War II, America produced the gauze, iodine, and syringes that allowed allied troops to soldier on in the face of bloodshed and broken bones. Times have changed. Today, America cannot produce the basic medical supplies it needs to fight COVID-19. Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services secretary, told the House Appropriations Committee that America needs 25 times more masks than it currently has stockpiled. Worse still, it turns out that America cannot even manufacture the masks it needs because most of the factories are in China. Evidently, it will take years for domestic mask-makers to fulfill the order placed by America's Strategic National Stockpile. Until then we are at China's mercy. Two Months Ago Today [...] the W.H.O.'s Coronavirus Mortality Rate of 3.4% Was Completely Inaccurate! — And We Were 100% Correct! Exactly Two months ago, on March 17, 2020, we reported on the controversial Ethiopian politician and Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who claimed in a press conference in early March that the fatality rate for the coronavirus was 3.4% — many multiples that of the fatality rate of the common flu which is estimated to be around 0.1%. This egregiously false premise led to the greatest global panic in world history. COVID-19 Compliance Circles Begin in New York City. Comrades, the New York Ministry of COVID Compliance is taking every precaution to ensure your safety. The scientists at the New York parks and recreation compliance bureau have designed a new social safety system to permit continued enjoyment. The compliant metropolitan citizens are leading by example, and all good citizens are now enjoying the benefits of correct behavior. Continued compliance with the New York scientific standard for safe social engineering is greatly appreciated. To further ensure your safety; while you explore the modified systems of freedom and liberty; the Ministry is providing uniformed Compliance Coaches, educators for our new society, at each of the designated parks and state approved recreation areas. Alderman: Mayor's Office Bans Parking On Ravenswood Streets Near Church That Plans To Hold Sunday Services. People heading to Philadelphia Romanian Church in Ravenswood on Sunday might have a hard time finding a parking spot. Ald. Matt Martin (47th) said no-parking signs have been put up for several surrounding blocks near the church at 1713 W. Sunnyside Ave. The signs have been mounted on Sunnyside Avenue between Greenview and Ravenswood avenues, and Paulina Street between Lawrence and Berteau avenues, Martin's office said. The parking ban is in effect from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Martin's office. Martin said the signs were put up at the direction of the Mayor's office, in response to plans by the church to hold one or more religious services — in violation of the stay-at-home order for the coronavirus pandemic. No Cure for Impatience. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic, I have observed a syndrome emerging in scientific research, namely publication of hopeful findings before there is any real evidence that the hope is well- or properly founded. One or other of the hopes may be justified in the end, but the syndrome is not in itself harmless if it raises false hopes, puts additional pressure on politicians, and leads to a misdirection of financial and other resources. Starting the trend was Professor Didier Raoult, of Marseille, for whom in other respects I have admiration, with his insistence that hydroxychloroquine, especially in combination with azithromycin, was virtually curative of Covid-19 disease. He has provided nothing like proper evidence that this is so, which is not quite the same as saying that it is not so. [...] Then there was remdesivir. A paper was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that must rank as one of the most lamentable and irresponsible in recent years, and the competition is stiff. It suggested that the drug was useful in the disease: Patients were ill, patients were given it, and quite a lot of them got better. There was no control group of similar patients who were not given remdesivir, so the effect of the drug, whether good or bad, was unknowable from this paper, which smacked more of advertising or stock manipulation than science. Ruling Pandamerica. As of May 13, 2020, 70 percent of Pennsylvania's 3,806 COVID-19 "related" deaths have occurred in assisted living facilities. We have known since the onset of the pandemic that persons age 65 or older and/or with comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease are overwhelmingly at risk of death should they be exposed to the virus. [...] To reduce the risk of infection, state officials prohibited visits to nursing homes by friends and families. At the same time, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine issued a witless and ill-conceived directive requiring those facilities to readmit residents who have been hospitalized for COVID-19. This was done regardless of the clear increased risk of harm that this posed to the health and safety of the facilities' aged and infirm patients. The nursing home deaths were entirely predictable. So why did Dr. Levine issue her mandate? Was she simply unaware of the risk involved? Apparently not. You see, after requiring the assisted living facilities to admit COVID-19 patients, Levine moved her 95-year-old mother out of her nursing home to a hotel. California City To Allow Reopenings, Declares Itself A 'Sanctuary City' For Business. The central California city of Atwater has declared itself a "sanctuary city" for businesses. The Friday [5/15/2020] resolution passed by the Atwater City Council allows business owners to open, openly defying Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom's coronavirus-related stay-at-home order. The resolution affirms "the city's commitment" to "fundamental" human rights. Churches and other nonprofits are included in the resolution, according to ABC30's Vanessa Vasconcelos. CNN Reporter Who Chastised Trump for Non-Mask Usage Rips off Mask the Moment She Thinks the Cameras Are Off. It's almost like all these reporters wearing masks while not being within 10 feet of anyone are just virtue signaling to push a partisan narratives. Crazy thought, right? CNN's Kaitlin Collins, who has tried to make a name for herself by getting into confrontations throughout the Wuhan virus pandemic (see Dr. Birx Takes CNN Reporter Apart After Attempted Gotcha Question), was caught red-handed yesterday. As the press briefing ended and the cameras were assumed off, the "journalist" jumped out of her seat and ripped her mask off, even as she immediately walked closer to her colleagues. Evidence emerges indicating COVID-19 was artificially adapted to infect humans. Coronaviruses mutate naturally within their animal or human hosts, many of which produce no functional change in the virus. Significant changes in the structure of a coronavirus can result in a "gain of function," that is, enhanced pathogenicity and/or an increase in transmissibility among animals or between animals and humans. Such a "gain of function" has also been generated artificially through bioengineering, which has been demonstrated using a wide variety of viruses. Limbaugh asks VP Pence about blue states with 'political desire to inflict pain' by not opening. In an interview with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday [5/15/2020], conservative talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh opined that it appears as though some governors of "blue states" are pushing back on reopening their economies to harm President Donald Trump. Pence, who told the host that both he and the president had kept Limbaugh in their thoughts as he battles cancer, was there to discuss the administration's progress on battling the coronavirus as well as plans to reopen the economy. [...] Early on, Limbaugh observed that Democrats would try to use the coronavirus pandemic to harm President Trump politically. In February, the host blasted the Leftist establishment media, noting that "the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump." Requests for N.J. public records rejected during coronavirus crisis as Murphy administration uses little-known law. In 2005, New Jersey enacted a sweeping law called the Emergency Health Powers Act, giving the governor greater authority to take actions to protect Garden State residents during a health crisis. Gov. Phil Murphy has cited the statute frequently the last two months as he's issued a series of orders to place the state in near-lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic. But in an unexpected development, some government agencies in Murphy's administration have also cited the law to reject requests from media outlets seeking public records related to how the state has responded to an outbreak that has killed more than 10,000 residents and caused widespread unemployment. The ability to obtain records is one of the key tools journalists, advocates, and everyday citizens wield to examine the inner workings of government and discover how your taxpayer dollars are being spent (or misspent). The Coronavirus Lockdown Has Not Made the Air Cleaner. Just about every day, someone claims that the air is cleaner. That, we are told, is a small benefit of the coronavirus-induced economic lockdowns. By reducing traffic on our roads, we are polluting the air less, providing a visible example of the supposed benefits of imposing more environmental regulation. In my hometown of Seattle, one environmental activist told the local paper that people can "physically see that difference in the cleaner air." The air-quality data tell a different story. According to the EPA's air-quality monitors, levels of particulate matter — known as PM 2.5 — are not lower now and have, in fact, been higher recently than the median level of the last five years. Consisting of particles smaller than 2.5 microns, PM 2.5 includes natural sources such as smoke or sea salt, as well as human-caused pollution from combustion. In Philadelphia, a city health commissioner said, "I would expect our air pollution levels will probably go down because the number of vehicles in the streets are less." Recent particulate-matter levels, however, have been close to the five-year average. In Dallas, the levels of PM 2.5 are higher than average. Eric Trump predicts Dems 'will milk' pandemic until Nov 3rd, then it will 'magically... disappear'. Eric Trump appeared Saturday night [5/16/2020] on Fox News' "Justice with Judge Jeanine," to say what so many Americans are already thinking, that the Democratic Party is using the coronavirus pandemic as an election ploy to boost their chances of defeating his father, President Donald Trump. The younger Trump pointed out that in a world Democrats have created, people can buy a bottle of liquor but can't go to church, and they can go to Planned Parenthood to get an abortion but can't go to a public library to vote — this being in response to the left's push for national mail-in voting. "The Democrats are trying to milk this for everything they can and it's sad," he said.
The Editor says... Detroit priest sprays holy water from squirt gun to maintain social distancing. A Roman Catholic priest in the Detroit area has taken aim at his parishioners in a bid to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, using a squirt gun to shoot holy water. Photos posted on social media by the St Ambrose Church show the Reverend Timothy Pelc shooting water into a car window as it stopped by the steps of the church. He wore a mask, face shield and rubber gloves as further precautions against spreading the coronavirus. The Editor says... US Rep wipes House floor with Dem governor for decision to 'extort the counties and kill our elderly'. A Pennsylvania congressman slammed the state's Democrat governor for what he called out as an attempt to "extort counties and kill our elderly." U.S. Rep. Scott Perry called out Governor Tom Wolf on Friday [5/15/2020] for the alarming number of coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania's nursing homes, apparently a result of a policy that allows infected patients to return to the facilities they reside in. Perry attacked Wolf for his withholding of funding to counties in the state while demanding more federal assistance as the elderly population in nursing homes have been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak. You're less likely to object to the perpetual lockdown if you're intoxicated. Medical Misinformation, Part 2: Cure is Deadlier Than the Disease. Is it possible that Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Coronavirus Task Force are suffering from temporal myopia? According to the Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology, "Temporal myopia is the inability to consider the long-term outcomes of an action when making a choice." I am a certified behavioral analyst, not a psychologist, so I'm not in a position to diagnose. But from what I can observe, Fauci and the Task Force have made some horrifically short-sighted choices. Either that, or we're dealing with an agenda much more nefarious than most Americans would care to consider. The Imperative to Think in the COVID-19 Era. The world can be a lonely place for those of us who suspect that the coronavirus pandemic or "crisis" is little more than a pretext by which, practically overnight, those who have long been aching for it executed nothing less than "the fundamental transformation" of America. It's been that much lonelier given that, up until very recently, upon realizing that Democratic officeholders, their apologists in the media, and their constituents are exploiting the mass fear that they engendered for the purposes of furthering their own agenda, Republican politicians and conservative media personalities have been equally guilty of promoting the narrative of the second coming of the Black Plague. Much more work needs to be done on the part of those in the Republican Party and conservative media. Mandatory coronavirus vaccination looming on the horizon. President Trump's promise of a vaccine yesterday implies words like mandate, monitoring, and immunity passports. Contact tracing and tens of thousands of new government workers to spy on and enforce compliance with that unproven strategy which came out of nowhere last month were bad enough. Now we have the next and possibly the final chapter: A new medical mandate enforced by the military that will make Obamacare's onerous individual health insurance mandate seem like child's play. There are those of us — millions of us, actually — who have refused to take the annual flu vaccine and any of the other fashionable immunizations that are hyped and sold to us by the medical industrial complex and the mainstream media. When one looks closely, including into the scientific literature itself, there is just too little or no proof at all that most vaccines, including the annual vaunted flu shot, actually do any good — and/or are worth the potential dangers and the costs to personal health that lurk within all of them. The few exceptions for an adult might include something like a tetanus shot after a skin-breaking accident. It Wasn't The "Virus" That Crashed The Economy, It Was The People Who Obeyed. Most atrocities in human history have all been committed by individuals and agents of government who were "just following orders" or "just obeying the law." The virus didn't give any orders. It was the people who obeyed the commands of tyrants that crashed the economy and ruined the livelihoods of others. Most human beings still think like slaves. Instead of asking questions or using critical thinking skills to ask if something is right before doing it, they simply obey perceived "authority". The truth is, this lockdown is the fault of everyone who complied and everyone who used forced to exact revenge on those who disobeyed. It was the same in all tyrannical takeovers in history. The mainstream media keeps blaming the economic devastation on the coronavirus, but it wasn't the fault of a virus. It was the fault of the government and the slave mentality of the police and the public willingly obeying their commands. Mainstream media outlets are still trying desperately to spin the narrative and fault the "invisible enemy" for the very real toll on human life the government's overreaction has already caused. This is nothing more than propaganda, and once you pick it up, you'll be able to see it. The media doesn't want you to put the blame where it belongs and figure things out for yourself, so they hide behind deception headlines that will keep you in fear of COVID-19 as long as possible. This is all a part of the larger plan to keep the public panicked about a virus and looking the other way when the tyrannical boots of the state come down on them. The Moral Busybodies Strike Again. There's a weird cognitive dissonance happening right now that is as revealing as it is alarming. Just as we learn more details about all the ways Barack Obama and his henchmen weaponized powerful federal agencies to punish Donald Trump, Americans, oddly, are surrendering their own power to the same type of god-like government authorities under the guise of the common good. [...] The effort to stop coronavirus, much like the attempt to stop Donald Trump, has been presented by ardent defenders as their call to duty, a selfless act undertaken not to gratify their lust for power but to protect the public's best interest. There is no discernible difference between the high-minded hectoring of former FBI Director James Comey and that of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer — their decisions are above scrutiny because, as they often scold their lesser subjects, these decisions are made for your own good. NYTs and L.A. Times Reject NSC Advisor O'Brien's Column on Ventilators Because it 'Didn't Fit Their Narrative'. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien on Friday revealed in an interview Friday that the New York Times and Los Angeles Times declined to publish his recent column on American ventilator diplomacy because it "didn't fit their narrative." Back in early March, many experts feared that a shortage of ventilators in America could be a public health catastrophe because there would not be enough of the life-saving machines in hospitals to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. The column describes in detail how the Trump administration became a world leader in the fight against the coronavirus by ramping-up production of ventilators. The piece, which had high praise for Trump's handling of the crisis, was published at Fox News. Dr. Scott Jensen — Truth on Covid-19 and Minnesota. Dr. Scott Jensen is both a practicing physician and a Minnesota State Senator. He brings a unique perspective to the affects of Covid-19 and the mandated social isolation on his patients. [Video clip] Stanford University doctor: 'You are mistaken' if you think coronavirus lockdowns provide safety. Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, said people are "mistaken" if they think coronavirus lockdown policies are a solution that proves safety from COVID-19, PJ Media reported. Bhattacharya recently led the largest COVID-19 antibody study in the United States, testing thousands of staff members of 27 Major League Baseball teams to get a better idea about how widespread the novel coronavirus already is. Based on this and other research, Bhattacharya is opposed to continuing the lockdowns, and said they may even cause unnecessary harm. The uncertainties of mask use demand that no one be forced to wear them. Regular readers of Behind the Black will know that I have made it very clear I consider the requirement to wear a mask by government officials to be an incredible and inappropriate overreach of their authority, partly because they don't have that legal right, and partly because the science is very uncertain, with some studies strongly suggesting that the mask could have serious negative health effects. Still, the science remains uncertain. Because of this uncertainty, it seems to me in a free society, where everyone respects the idea of freedom, wearing a mask must be left up to each individual. Sadly, the social justice warriors of our society no longer believe in freedom, and will try to shame and discredit you if you say publicly you will not wear a mask. Masks
Don't Work: A review of science relevant to COVID-19 social policy. Masks and respirators do not
work. There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies,
which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory
illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles. Furthermore, the relevant known physics and
biology, which I review, are such that masks and respirators should not work. It would be a paradox if masks and
respirators worked, given what we know about viral respiratory diseases: The main transmission path is
long-residence-time aerosol particles Neil Ferguson's Imperial model could be the most devastating software mistake of all time. In the history of expensive software mistakes, Mariner 1 was probably the most notorious. The unmanned spacecraft was destroyed seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral in 1962 when it veered dangerously off-course due to a line of dodgy code. But nobody died and the only hits were to Nasa's budget and pride. Imperial College's modelling of non-pharmaceutical interventions for Covid-19 which helped persuade the UK and other countries to bring in draconian lockdowns will supersede the failed Venus space probe and could go down in history as the most devastating software mistake of all time, in terms of economic costs and lives lost. The entire panic, lockdown, and social distancing hysteria is based on this incomprehensible "bowl of spaghetti" computer program. Andrew Cuomo in All His Ugliness. Much of the nation these past few months has focused on New York state since it became the hotspot for the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. Many have also complimented Governor Andrew Cuomo's response in fighting the pandemic, even to the point of suggesting he should substitute for presidential hopeful Joe Biden as the Democratic Party nominee to face Donald Trump in the November election. On Tuesday [5/12/2020], Cuomo proposed a new law that aims to prevent corporations from receiving stimulus funds as a result of COVID-19. While he presents himself as a governor who will tackle all forms of injustice, especially in light of his continual hands-on approach during this crisis, Cuomo is anything but the knight in shining armor he is being portrayed as. 'Fake news is not essential!' Tense scene as reporter walks through NY lockdown protest and feels the disdain. There's a lot of frustration in the country today. Frustration over a two-month-long lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, and frustration with the media for being more obsessed with destroying President Trump than providing reliable information during an unprecedented national emergency. These frustrations came together Thursday during a Long Island reopening rally, as the protesters let a local reporter know how they feel as he made his way through the crowd, chanting "fake news is not essential." News 12 Long Island reporter Kevin Vesey was covering the protest, with an emphasis on social distancing, and was ripped by person after person for being "fake news." Gretchen Whitmer hit with nasty lawsuit by Michigan medical groups over 'drastic' and 'unconstitutional' COVID-19 lockdown. Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer just got hit with some bad news when four medical groups and a patient seeking knee surgery in her state filed a lawsuit against her claiming that her strict coronavirus stay-at-home order is "drastic" and "unconstitutional." The lawsuit was reportedly filed on May 12 by Grand Health Partners in Grand Rapids, Wellston Medical Center in Wellston, Primary Health Services in Ludington, and Jeffery Gulick, a Michigan man who wants to get knee replacement surgery, according to MLive. The lawsuit names Whitmer along with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon, and it calls for the immediate reopening of healthcare facilities for medical procedures that have been dubbed "nonessential." They Blinded Us With Science. [Scroll down] Only occasionally, under the press of extraordinary calamities, do we attain the lucidity needed to pose fundamental questions anew. The recent coronavirus pandemic is one such event. An event of this kind forcefully and frontally challenges the reigning scientific outlook. It does this in three ways. First, by revealing science's internal limitations when it comes to mastering nature, let alone yielding ultimate truth. Second, by underscoring the primacy of life itself over the scientific enterprise. Third, by reminding us that there persists a vast range of human problems that no scientific discovery or technique can solve. The deaths and disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus are tragic. But we would be betraying reason itself if we fail to reexamine our most cherished civilizational assumptions through the rare window of lucidity lately opened for us. Colorado changes data amid complaints that it inflated COVID-19 deaths. Nearly a quarter of the people reported as coronavirus deaths in state statistics don't have the virus listed on their death certificates — at least not yet — the state Health Department said Friday [5/15/2020], adding more uncertainty to how many people the virus has killed in Colorado. The number of coronavirus deaths in state figures topped 1,000 earlier this week, and the number stood at 1,150 deaths as of Friday afternoon. But officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment revealed during a call with reporters that that number does not represent the number of people who have died due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The US is Dramatically Overcounting Coronavirus Deaths. Over 86,500 people have reportedly died in the United States from the Coronavirus, and the fear generated by those deaths is driving the public policy debate. But that number is a dramatic overcount. Our metrics include deaths that have nothing to do with the virus. The problem is even worse as the Centers for Disease Control over counts even some of these cases and the government has created financial incentives for this misreporting. Relying on these flawed numbers is destroying businesses and jobs and costing lives. "The case definition is very simplistic," Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois Department of Public Health, explains. "It means, at the time of death, it was a COVID positive diagnosis. That means, that if you were in hospice and had already been given a few weeks to live, and then you also were found to have COVID, that would be counted as a COVID death. It means, technically even if you died of clear alternative cause, but you had COVID at the same time, it's still listed as a COVID death." Why I See Good Days Ahead. Most of the coverage of our present circumstance has been noise; meaningless nonsense. Our left-wing press has labored to make Donald Trump seem short-sighted in not seeing the Chinese Flu coming from afar. No one ever sees anything coming from afar except by chance or by constant negativity that finally hits the jackpot. Trump did fine. On the Right, there are those who say the lockdown was an error and a few who say it was an evil plot to destroy the economy. They may be right about the error — we won't know for a while and we may never know. But the fact that most countries shut down proves that it looked like the best idea at the time. Like the 20-20 hindsight media, the angry Right could express more wisdom by being silent. The Editor says... Democrats Drunk With Pandemic Power Could be Undercutting Themselves Come November. Flexing unearned influence has exposed the thirst for control of their citizens. In Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf caught a whiff of his constituents working up the desire to step out and start living their lives once again. The idea of citizens exerting their freedoms and basking in the normalcy of liberty was too much for him to stand. On Monday he sent out a tweet storm, delivering a series of firm commands of how he intends to clamp down on those who might dare get the idea of doing things. [...] This governor, as we know, is hardly alone, as the petulant Pennsylvania tyrant is part of a widespread mob of Democratic governors who have been intoxicated by the sudden discovery of power they can impose on the citizenry. Wolf does this with the comfort of no reprisals, as he is in the final stretch of a term limit regime — he is operating comfortably with a lame-duck Napoleanic complex. Others, however, may have a reckoning ahead, and the wider Democratic party repercussions could be felt later this year. New York's Terrible Decisions on Wuhan Coronavirus Screwed the Rest of America. The curve of Wuhan coronavirus cases across the country has flattened and cities are slowly coming out of stay-at-home orders. Businesses are opening back up and people are doing what they can to return to normalcy. But the bad decisions made by politicians in the hardest-hit areas, specifically New York, should not go unnoticed as we start to pull away from the pandemic. On March 2, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was encouraging residents to continue their regular behavior. He even gave them ideas about what to do in crowded areas. The virus had been in the country since the end of January and rapidly spreading. Italy, a preview of what could come to the U.S. without proper preparation, was completely overrun, devastated and chaotic. Our Nevermind Media. Media observers are today noticing how strange it is for reporters to juxtapose panic about Florida, where the virus has done relatively little damage, with robust defense of New York, the coronavirus death capital of the Western world. This week, after Politico Florida correspondent Marc Caputo noted that the long-predicted mass outbreak of coronavirus in his state still hasn't happened, with three full months having passed since the first dire warnings about spring breakers partying on the beaches, Daily Beast Washington correspondent and CNN analyst Jackie Kucinich threw the yellow flag. [...] The media loves to run with "blood on his hands" stories about nefarious Republicans, but you'll have a hard time finding even a quiet, pro-forma apology (much less an admission of bloody hands) from the media for their massive bungling of the early stages of the coronavirus story. No, We Can't Wait Anymore. Most of us are incredibly fed up. While everyone is suffering, we are the ones risking our whole futures for this. People tell us to stay positive and to find the beauty in little things. We have tried our best to make the best out of this but, in truth, every day we watch our futures get further and further away from us. [...] If schools do not open in the fall, it would be one of the biggest sacrifices asked of America's youth in the history of this country. Education is vital to America's future and we have the same rights to it as older adults across America once did. Why would we just throw all of this away for the sake of an uncertain, and probably false, sense of safety? As lockdown eases, other uncertainties lie ahead. After months of the pandemic lockdown, we have arrived at a decisive time. Communities around the country and around the globe are starting to take dramatic next steps as they try to move toward economic and social recovery. You cannot help but wonder how this time of isolation has changed us and how those changes will reshape the world that awaits us. As an example, last week, I looked at the airline industry and recent announcements of what passengers can expect as the industry tries to lure travelers back into the fold. Not unexpectedly, they are banking on plane cleanliness as the draw. The Editor says...
The Bait-and-Switch Blues. [Scroll down] In Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer won by a handy 53-44 margin in 2018 to become that state's governor. Whitmer is, as Robert Stacy McCain aptly noted, America's worst governor. She has proven that by doggedly repressing her state's economy despite its people loudly telling her they will not continue to allow it. Whitmer's shutdown was, like all of the state and local examples of economic seppuku, which, for some strange reason, are continuing in Democrat-run states but not so much in Republican ones, predicated on the idea that if everyone stayed at home it would "flatten the curve" of the virus's spread and thus keep the health-care system from being overwhelmed. Well, it wasn't. And yet the shutdowns continue. They continue in New York, where that state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, has won election with 63, 54, and 60 percent margins in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Cuomo's orders actually killed nursing home patients in that state by insisting that nursing homes take in patients with COVID-19, spreading the virus to the most vulnerable people in society and ratcheting up the nation's worst fatality count. Cuomo, who answers outrage over his blatant malfeasance by repeating the mantra of "We did everything we could," now is demanding much of his state stay closed until June 13. 'There is a cure': California biotech company claims it has discovered an antibody that can block '100%' of coronavirus infections. Scientists at a California biotech company have found an antibody that completely blocks coronavirus in a discovery they called a 'cure,' Fox News reported. Sorrento Therapeutics, based in San Diego, claims its STI-1499 antibody stopped coronavirus from entering 100 percent of healthy human cells in petri dish experiments. It's one of several antibodies planned to be combined for a drug 'cocktail' Sorrento is developing in collaboration with Mt Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Free State Tourism for an over-the-border haircut. [Scroll down] These are people who are glad to be back to work. Are they essential? Absolutely. So is every other worker in the country. Open it up, American governors, or the willing workers and their eager customers will open it up in spite of you. We are adults. We don't need nannies. We will once again make personal decisions using common sense. We will start making our own plans without waiting for you to "allow" us to have weddings, birthday parties, family events, meetings, and everything else we have postponed. We will choose our own risks. We've suffered your madness for nearly two months. Now it's our turn. We will take back our own lives. Skateboarders defy city, clearing mulch off closed course placed there as deterrent. Possum Creek Park in Gainesville just reopened this week, but it's opening in phases, as the skate park area is still closed. Apparently, some skating enthusiasts didn't get the memo. "We've been here this whole time with the park closed. People have not stopped coming," said Michelle Dean, a concerned parent. "There was 15 to 20 people here, mainly teenagers, playing and skateboarding." Gov. JB Pritzker Urges Republican Critics To Stop 'Pushing Stories' About His Family's Whereabouts. In the wake of questions about where his family has been staying during the statewide stay-at-home order, Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday [5/15/2020] said he's been protective of his wife and children's privacy, out of fear for their safety. [...] Last month, published reports revealed Pritzker's wife and daughter had been staying at an estate they own in Florida, prompting critics to accuse the governor's own family of flaunting the executive order he'd issued mandating people stay at home as much as possible, and avoid non-essential travel. Pritzker had refused to answer questions on the issue until Friday, when he said his wife and daughter had been in Florida before he issued the stay-at-home order. The governor said they sheltered in place there until recently, when they returned home. Cuomo can't conceal his glee at news of defiant barber spreading COVID-19. New York's embattled governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced that an upstate barber who violated quarantine, caught COVID-19, and then spread it to others, is reason enough for More Lockdown. He said it with an impressive combination of coldness and glee, looking like some kind of hard-faced Caligula-like character. Let them hate me so long as they fear me. Antibody tests from 2 Snohomish County residents raise questions about when coronavirus first hit Washington. She came down with a bug two days after Christmas, and for the next week or so, Jean, a 64-year-old retired nurse, suffered through a series of worsening symptoms: a dry, hacking cough, a fever and body aches, and finally, a wheeze that rattled her lungs. But after two trips to the doctor, chest X-rays and prescriptions for several medications, including a "DuoNeb" solution inhaled through a nebulizer device commonly used to treat asthma, her condition slowly improved. NY Tourist Arrested In Hawaii After Posting Beach Photos. A tourist from New York has been arrested in Hawaii after he allegedly violated state regulations that require travelers to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Tarique Peters, 23, of the Bronx, arrived in Honolulu on Monday. He then posted photographs on Instagram photos showing himself sunbathing at the beach and carrying a surfboard, state officials said. "He allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled many places using public transportation. Authorities became aware of his social media posts from citizens who saw posts of him — on the beach with a surfboard, sunbathing, and walking around Waikiki at night," said a news release from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center. Enzyme that will make Bill Gates' vaccine microchip implant work known as LUCIFERASE. Part of the plan for vaccination against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is to inject people with syringes that contain implantable "quantum dot" tattoos, which we reported are a type of microchip that would seem to constitute the Mark of the Beast. And further proof of this comes in the form of the enzyme that Bill Gates has chosen to make it all possible, which has been ominously dubbed "luciferase." According to reports, luciferase will activate these quantum dot "microneedles," as they are also called, effectively delivering the so-called vaccines into people's bodies. Police State Dry Run [was] a Huge Success. We have become part of a mass scale human experiment in government control and it turned out that stripping away our freedom wasn't all that difficult. Under the guise of concern for our health and well-being, tyrants came out of the woodwork. [...] You tell me if what follows sounds like the United States, or China. We've been told who can work and who can't, with language that separates us according to who is and who isn't "essential" as the almighty State supersedes individual rights and the family unit. We've been physically and verbally harassed, threatened, fined, detained, arrested, jailed, and/or placed in forced quarantine. Business licenses have been revoked. Going to work without the permission of the government is now a crime. So is going to the park or a beach. Children playing together is also in defiance of the government. So is placing flags on the graves of veterans. The list of infractions goes on and on and on and on. Examples read like the manifesto of a demented madman. [Numerous additional links.] Stay home. Do not go out. Do not earn money. Do not pay your bills, feed your family, maintain your credit rating, live your life. Do not make a single move without permission from the State or you will be punished. The Lie That Launched a Thousand Lockdowns. [Scroll down] The Imperial College of London projected that more than 500,000 people in Great Britain would die if no protective measures were put in place. The picture in the United States was even bleaker: 2.2 million people could die if the country didn't close. Even with ambitious measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, the Imperial College model predicted that 1.1 million people in the United States and 260,000 people in Great Britain would die. The governmental response was immediate. Both the United Kingdom and United States ordered people to begin sheltering in place. [...] And almost overnight, states across America began implementing total shutdowns of restaurants, bars, retail stores, and every business they deemed "non-essential." Unfortunately, the Imperial College model on which they all relied was staggeringly, disastrously wrong. Almost immediately after it was released, [Neil] Ferguson's model came under fire from Oxford University epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta, whose own modeling suggested that Coronavirus had been spreading in the U.K. far earlier than anyone suspected and that in most cases, it was either asymptomatic or so mild that it was confused with the common cold. If they get away with this, they can arrest you for having any disease. A Scientific Explanation Of Why Shutdowns Are Useless. [Scroll down] On the other hand, Dr. Bhattacharya has good news, too. The fatality rate from COVID-19 is low — worldwide, somewhere between 0.1 percent and 0.5 percent, probably closer to the low end of that range. The typical seasonal flu is said to have a fatality rate of around 0.1 percent. So COVID-19 is probably somewhat worse than the average flu virus. Further, another of Dr. Bhattacharya's studies found that 70 percent of those who contract COVID-19 are asymptomatic. That is, they wouldn't know they had had the virus if they weren't tested. That percentage may be low. Studies of prisoners in several states have found that more than 90 percent of those who tested positive were asymptomatic. So the good news is, when you get COVID-19 — and it is highly probable that you will get it, regardless of what governments do — it is unlikely to do you any harm, and you probably won't know you had it. She has a Ph.D. in Social Welfare, whatever that is. Flattening the Curve or Flattening Trump? Flattening the curve is a new term for most of us not steeped in the world of public health or epidemiology. Prior to the Chinese Coronavirus making a mess of lives and economies, this term might have featured in a Saturday morning infomercial on the latest weight loss fad. Now it has become the holy grail of fighting this viral pandemic. The New York Times, in a rare moment not bashing President Trump, explains flattening the curve. There are two curves, a steep one and a flat one, as we have seen endlessly on the news. Neurosurgeon Says Face Masks Pose Serious Risk to Healthy People. Every Karen on Facebook is shaming her neighbors for not wearing a face mask. We are being told by governors that if we don't wear them we are selfish, horrible human beings with no souls who want Grandma to die a horrible death. Police are tackling people who don't wear them properly in the subway. Grocery stores are throwing maskless people out and denying them service. But now, there's another doctor weighing in — besides Dr. Fauci, bonafide sex god and ruler of us all, who also said face masks are largely security theater and of no use to the healthy. Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, has written an editorial addressing healthy people wearing masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 and his advice is: don't. Overview of coronavirus insanity. Well worth your time. Leaked data suggests China may have 640,000 coronavirus cases, not 80,000. A leaked database from a Chinese military-run university suggests the country may have at least 640,000 COVID-19 cases — a figure substantially higher than Beijing's dubious claim that it has seen just 80,000 coronavirus infections. The virus tracker, compiled by China's National University of Defense Technology and leaked to Foreign Policy magazine, appears to confirm fears that the nation's Communist government is hiding the true nature of the outbreak that originated in Wuhan late last year. GoFundMe picks up the slack: It's not over, and uncertainty abounds, but Israel's COVID-19 stats are stunning. Lockdown and reopening policies have been inconsistent and illogical. IKEA is doing a roaring trade, but bereaved families were barred from military cemeteries on Memorial Day. We were allowed to run 500 meters from our home, but not to walk 500 meters from our home... unless we were on the way to the shops. Restaurants were allowed to make deliveries, but not to have customers come and pick up takeout food, although some cafes were permitted to sell food and drink to passersby. Supermarkets never closed, even though social distancing rules were not always upheld; open-air food markets have not yet been allowed to re-open, even though they promised to impose social distancing. Tokyo mortality data shows no surge in deaths during pandemic. As of Tuesday [5/12/2020], there were 633 deaths in Japan attributed to the virus, far fewer than the some 80,000 in the U.S, and 32,000 in the U.K., with Japan having the fewest confirmed cases and deaths of any Group of Seven leading democracy. Japanese authorities have placed a high emphasis on identifying infection clusters and limiting their spread. Infectious disease expert says he caught coronavirus through his eyes. An infectious disease expert says he caught the coronavirus through his eyes on a flight to New Orleans that was "packed in like sardines," according to a report Thursday [5/14/2020]. Dr. Joseph Fair — a virologist and epidemiologist who has spent decades studying deadly viruses such as Ebola — was wearing a mask and gloves on the April 24 plane trip to New Orleans but fell critically ill soon after. "I had a mask on. I had gloves on. I did my normal wipes routine, everything like that. But, you know, obviously you can still get it through your eyes," Fair, 42, told NBC's "Today" show in an interview from his hospital bed. He said the airline did not abide by social distancing measures — which he believes led to him catching the virus after droplets touched his eyes. He didn't reveal the name of the airline he flew on or where he was coming from. The number of new coronavirus cases is going down in 28 states as reopening efforts continue. The number of new coronavirus cases reported each day is going down in more than half of US states, according to an analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. In all, 28 states have seen a downward trend, including several that took steps toward reopening relatively early, like Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Colorado. A notable exception is Texas, where case numbers are up between 20% and 30% since the state began lifting stay-home restrictions on May 1. Thursday [5/14/2020] was particularly grim as the Lone Star State recorded 58 new deaths — the state's highest one-day increase in coronavirus fatalities since the pandemic began. The Editor says... How Much Are We Spending To Prevent One COVID-19 Death — Millions, Billions, Trillions? Nobody Knows. "I'd say the cost of a human life, a human life is priceless. Period." That was Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, arguing for stretching the economically catastrophic lockdowns into the foreseeable future. Never mind that more than 105,000 abortions were performed in New York in 2017 alone, at an average cost of about $600. Clearly, human life is not priceless. In a world where resources are limited and everything involves a tradeoff, we are constantly making decisions that put a value on human lives. Federal regulators have even set an amount for what's called the "value of a statistical life." During the Obama administration, the EPA put that value at close to $10 million. Regulations that cost more than that to save one "statistical life" are seen as costing more than they're worth. The governor's unscientific and misleading COVID-19 dials. On April 29, Governor Inslee released a series of dials called the "COVID-19 Risk assessment dashboard," reflecting the data he claims to be using to make decisions about reopening the state economy. He told the reporters that he was doing this "so we can be completely transparent with Washingtonians about how we are making these decisions," which he promised he is doing "based on data and science." Analysis of that dashboard and the dials, however, shows this is simply not true and there are several problems. The dial settings do not match the underlying data trends. There is no data for some of the dials. The dials are extremely imprecise, and some of the metrics the governor uses are meaningless. These flaws are even more obvious when compared to New York's detailed and specific dashboard, which includes clear targets and transparent data. A Farrago of Democrat Delusions Will Bury Them in 2020. To judge from campaign oratory, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that the Democrats and Republicans are contesting for the honor of governing the same country this election year. The Democrats describe a country where, if the administration had acted more quickly and subjected the entire population to constant testing for the coronavirus even before any of its characteristics were known, Americans would have been spared scores of thousands of avoidable deaths. It is a country where there is now no alternative to a near-complete national shutdown while the whole population submits to constant testing and anyone with whom an identified COVID-sufferer has met in the previous 14 days must be hunted down and forcibly quarantined. [...] It is hard to credit that the Democratic Party has adopted this fairy tale until its interpretation of recent legal events is taken on board. Coronavirus pandemic takes huge toll on restaurants and bars. Restaurants and bars have suffered a tremendous financial setback as people stay at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even under a gradual reopening beginning in June, the industry is projected to lose $240 billion by the end of 2020, according to the National Restaurant Association. An OpenTable report shows that reservations and foot traffic into watering holes and restaurants plummeted 95% through May 13, compared with a year ago. Pelosi Coronavirus Plan Orders Felons, Illegal Aliens to Be Freed from Prison. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) latest Chinese coronavirus relief package includes a mandate that federal inmates, as well as local convicts and illegal aliens, be released from jail so long as a court considers them "non-violent" offenders. Pelosi's plan would order the release of federal prisoners, illegal aliens in federal immigration detention facilities, and local convicts if they are considered by the courts and judicial officers to not be a threat to the community. The Editor says... Why Trump Doesn't Get Rid of Fauci. Why is Anthony Fauci the only medical and health official anybody ever consults? Why wasn't there a panel of doctors the Senate committee talked to yesterday? There's all kinds of different doctors out there. There's all kinds of different health experts. And they've all got their own theories of what's going on here and how to deal with it, what's the best course of action. There's all kinds of thinking about this out there. Why is Anthony Fauci the only health official and doctor that's consulted? Seattle Cop Fired for Protesting Lock Down Just As Jay Inslee Declares He Will Confine People Without Food Who Don't Cooperate With Contact Tracers. Sometimes two stories appear that that fit so nicely together that if you imagine this is all being done by a novelist with a gift for foreshadowing. [On] Monday [5/11/2020], Port of Seattle Police Officer and Special Forces veteran Greg Anderson was terminated. His offense, a viral Instagram post which he refused to take down. You really need to read it. [Video clip] ["]I've seen officers nationwide enforcing tyrannical orders against the people and I'm hoping it's the minority of officers, but I'm not sure anymore. We don't get to violate someone's constitutional rights because somebody in our chain of command tells us otherwise.["] Bingo. Across the nation we have seen police departments willingly accept orders to not apprehend many classes of criminals and divert officers to such important duties as arresting parents at playgrounds, rousting people off the beach, threatening ministers and church congregations with fines and involuntary isolation orders. It is just a matter of time before a SWAT team shows up to shut down a restaurant. Okay, we've already done that [...] Outrageous: Now Leftist L.A. Mayor Proclaims that City 'Will Never Completely Open'. The left-wing mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, has issued the shocking proclamation that the city will "never" fully re-open because of the coronavirus. The liberal mayor insisted this week that the city will never fully reopen until there is a "cure" for the feared coronavirus. This, though, is an utterly unscientific proclamation because science has yet to cure many viruses like the coronavirus. So, if Garcetti is going to wait for a "cure," he may never be ready to allow his city to reopen. An Orgy of Plague Death, Deferred. Judging from the volume of gloomy revelations and dire predictions in the press, it seems there isn't much market for encouraging news these days. We have journalistic integrity alone to thank for the series of reports that, taken together, paint a promising portrait of how the country is now navigating the pandemic. The rate at which the country is conducting and processing COVID-19 tests — one of a few chief metrics that gauge a region's readiness to begin reopening public facilities — is at or approaching comprehensiveness. What's more, the rate at which those tests return positive is on the decline and was, as of last week, below 10 percent. Even some relatively hard-hit parts of the country are now in a position to have more available tests than test-takers. More heartening, the states that have begun to experiment with a phased reopening of public and commercial spaces have benefited doing so. Florida and Georgia, which relied on their publics to abide by guidelines that recommend frequent hand-washing, mask-wearing, and social distancing, have been rewarded for their faith. More than two weeks have passed since these states began cautiously easing their lockdowns, and their respective caseloads continue to decline. Perpetual Lockdown in the City of Angels. The Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro joins the podcast today to talk about lockdown from the perspective of the West Coast. With his hometown of Los Angeles now planning to extend shelter-at-home guidelines well into the summer and early fall, what are the prospects that the public will abide by those recommendations? And what are the chances that those who do will preserve their sanity? [Podcast] San Diego Supervisor Says Only 6 Of 194 Coronavirus-Recorded Deaths 'Pure' Coronavirus Deaths. On Tuesday [5/12/2020], San Diego county Supervisor Jim Desmond said after digging into the data that he believes only six of the county's 194 coronavirus-identified deaths are "pure" coronavirus deaths, meaning they died from the virus, not merely with the virus. Desmond was seemingly ruling out deaths from individuals with preexisting conditions. "We've unfortunately had six pure, solely coronavirus deaths — six out of 3.3 million people," Desmond said on a podcast, Armstrong & Getty Extra Large Interviews, according to San Diego Tribune. "I mean, what number are we trying to get to with those odds. I mean, it's incredible. We want to be safe, and we can do it, but unfortunately, it's more about control than getting the economy going again and keeping people safe." Colorado man dies from astounding 0.55 blood alcohol level, coronavirus listed as cause of death. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment is listing coronavirus as cause of death of a Colorado man despite the county coroner ruling that he died of ethanol toxicity with an astounding 0.55 blood-alcohol level. A blood-alcohol level of 0.3 is generally considered fatal. Although the unidentified man tested positive for coronavirus, County Coroner George Deavers said he disagreed with the state's assessment after his investigation with a pathologist revealed that the man's blood-alcohol content was nearly seven times the legal driving limit of 0.08. Florida Gov DeSantis calls out other governors for 'draconian' lockdowns and says 'people have rights'. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis tore into other governors who have ordered 'draconian' lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday as he took further steps to reopen his own state. 'You're not a dictator, you don't have unlimited authority, and people do have rights,' DeSantis said in an interview with Fox & Friends. He made the comments after being asked if he thinks 'some of these governors that are just doing a one-size-fits-all for the entire state' are 'being too strict and going too far.' 'I don't think any governor has the authority to restrict anyone unless there's a direct relationship to combating this virus,' DeSantis replied. Big police presence expected at Michigan protest of stay-at-home order. A demonstration protesting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order is set to take place on Thursday in the state capital of Lansing, with fears some might carry weapons inside the Capitol building. [...] The protest is organized by Michigan United for Liberty, which says it is a nonprofit with nearly 8,000 members, organized and formed in response to Whitmer's first stay-at-home order in April, which it views as unconstitutional. Dallas doc is treating her patients with hydroxychloroquine with a 100% success rate, but has to lie to pharmacists to prescribe it. Ivette Lozano is a Dallas doctor who is treating her COVID patients with hydroxychloroquine. The recovery success rate of her treatment is 100%! Dr. Lozano is blowing the whistle on the corruption, the misinformation being broadcast by the mainstream media, and the medical establishment's obstruction in recommending against the use of the one known cure for COVID patients — chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. The "so-called experts," like Tony Fauci, are recommending against the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID patients, declaring that it has not been sufficiently tested. Dr. Fauci is either a liar or a moron (neither of which is good), as hydroxychloroquine was thoroughly tested in 1955 and approved by the FDA that same year. I'm pretty sure the residents of the graveyard are already immune. Virginia restaurant's creepy plan to use mannequins to enforce social distancing gets mixed response. A Virginia restaurant got some serious social media pushback after it announced how it planned to enforce social distancing when it reopens this Friday. The Inn at Little Washington unveiled a plan that almost instantly conjured up "creepy" feelings online as reactions poured in to the idea of dressed-up mannequins being used to fill space at empty tables. Music store owner weeps as he loses his dream due to COVID lockdown. A Michigan man with a passion for music and teaching children has seen his life's work wiped away with the stroke of a pen by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Steve Walker, the owner of Walker Music & Textiles Co. in Hastings, Michigan, wept as he spoke with WXMI-TV during a recent interview in which he said Michigan's lockdown order had forced him and his wife out of business. 13 May LA County Supervisors: Flashpoint for the Second American Revolution? The LA County Board of Supervisors announced on May 12th a three-month extension of lock down or stay-at-home orders. The LA Times concurrently reported that LA County's death toll stood at 1,613, which is said to be over half of the total for the entire state of California. California has an estimated population of around 40 million people. Which means coronavirus deaths in California represent around 0.000075 [percent] of the population, or about one thousandth of one percent. And for this, all of Los Angeles will be subject to three more months of lockdown. This is absurd and outrageous on its face. Lethality rates for Covid-19 based on actual data do not justify this action in any way, shape, manner or form. There isn't a shred of any 'science' backing up this decision; just political blather about insufficient testing making it too dangerous to conclude the worst is over. No Blue State Bailouts: Hold Democrats Accountable for Democrats' Policies. As red states like Georgia and Texas methodically are ending their lockdowns and opening their economies without the spikes in hospitalizations and deaths that were promised by the progressive doomsday prophets, blue state governors continue applying economic pain to their constituents without any convincing reason to do so. If "flattening the curve" was indeed the objective in states like California, the objective was inarguably met long ago. We could debate whether or not the lockdown was the reason for that outcome, but what is not up for legitimate debate is the fact that hospitals in California being overwhelmed never even came close to becoming a reality. The Peculiar World of Dr. Fauci. A federal bureaucrat for 36 years, Fauci came wrapped in the white coat of medical science but with no claim to infallibility. Back in the 1990s, Fauci was wrong that AIDS would ravage the heterosexual community. In January of 2020, Fauci said it was unclear whether the coronavirus could spread person to person and cited a low risk to the United States. In March, Fauci said the coronavirus might become a "seasonal cyclic thing," with "inevitable" new outbreaks. In press conferences, Dr. Fauci did not underline the most important fact about COVID-19, the true mortality rate. Instead Fauci showed a preference for computer models and their meaningless numbers. Prophecy is not science, but on Tuesday Fauci warned about new outbreaks should the economy be opened up too soon. Sen. Rand Paul, a medical doctor, called him on it. Paul cited varying mortality figures and decried a singular approach for the entire United States. "I don't think you're the end-all," Paul told Fauci. Fauci's Song and Dance. Dr. Anthony Fauci has never been muzzled by President Trump, as the lamestream media often charged, but maybe he should have been and should be still. Before his tour de farce before the Senate Health Committee, the shy, modest, and unassuming Dr. Fauci emailed a New York Times reporter with a preview of his testimony, an apocalypse now prediction if we don't hang on to and follow his sage and expert advice. [...] Many would argue, and I count myself among them, that Fauci's consistently wrong advice using consistently wrong computer models has led to needless suffering and death. Tucker Carlson on his Fox News show recently asked Dr. Marty Makary, professor of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. what he thought of Fauci's performance thus far and his assessment was not good: ["]He's a good laboratory virologist. But you know, in terms of preparing this country, he missed it...["] Illinois coroner blames overdose spike in part on virus. There has been a spike in opioid overdose deaths in a northern Illinois county in recent weeks and it could be because of increased isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, a coroner said Wednesday [5/13/2020]. DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said 20 people in the county have died from overdoses in the past three weeks, in comparison to 96 in all of 2019. Washington state directs restaurants to log all eat-in customers in order to reopen. Restaurants in Washington state will be required to keep a log of each dine-in customer to facilitate contact tracing during phase two of the state's coronavirus reopening plans. As part of the requirements, the log must be maintained for 30 days and must include each customer's telephone number and email address, and what time they came in to eat, according to officials. "If you have somebody who has become sick and they were sitting right next to a person at a restaurant, to be able to identify that person could be very valuable for their health to try to save their life, and so we put that in place," Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday [5/12/2020]. The Editor says... Update: The Editor says... The Danger of Letting Lab Coats Run the World. It should be clear by now that most of the world's leaders were stampeded over the lockdown cliff like so many lemmings. What caused the stampede is even more remarkable: a tiny coterie of obscure, soft-spoken epidemiologists in white lab coats playing with numbers. Americans trying to keep up with the torrid pace of new developments over the past few months have been hearing about that work — the data-modeling these people do by feeding selected data and a variety of assumptions into a computer. The computer then disgorges diagrams and charts that attempt to describe the future progress of diseases like COVID-19. The most frequently cited COVID-19 modelers are those at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and similar organizations at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Imperial College in London. Does Greta Thunberg have the answer to COVID-19? COVID-19 is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma and hidden within a Chinese wet market, or possibly a CCP laboratory. World leaders are baffled by how to respond. The science keeps contradicting itself. The world's greatest mathematicians can't keep up with the ever-changing data sets. Who can the poor and frightened public turn to for help? Never fear, Greta's here. That's right. Little Miss Thunberg, a 17-year-old Swedish girl who dropped out of high school to sound the climate change alarm, is turning her mega-brain towards COVID-19, just when we need her most. On Thursday evening [5/14/2020], CNN will host a live town hall called 'Coronavirus: Facts and Fears', featuring former acting CDC director Richard Besser, former HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Miss Thunberg. Lockdown Logic. When politicians begin slinging around words like "expert" and "science," any sensible citizen becomes a skeptic. Being elected to public office does not qualify anyone to lecture the public on scientific matters, but this is never pointed out to cable TV viewers tuning in for the daily lectures from Governor Science (D-N.Y.). Andrew Cuomo has a bachelor's degree from Fordham and a law degree from the University of Albany, and if he has any specialized knowledge about infectious diseases, it's only because he has presided over the worst COVID-19 pandemic in the world. On a per-capita basis, nowhere has this virus been more deadly than in New York, yet no one in the media blames this public-health catastrophe on the governor — quite the contrary. What Spread Coronavirus in New York City? The Subways. One hundred eighty-four thousand cases and counting. New York City now has one out of every eight confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the United States. Far more cases than Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Seattle and Houston combined. More cases than the Lombardy region of Italy, the Community of Madrid and the Province of Tehran combined. [Paywall] Nearly 420,000 of NYC's richest residents have fled the city amid the pandemic [according to] smartphone data. Five percent of New York City's population has fled since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the city, new smartphone data reveals. From March 1 to May 1, about 420,000 residents of the Big Apple left, particularly from the wealthiest neighborhoods, reported The New York Times. While there was relatively little change in some zip codes, others such as SoHo, the West Village, Morningside Heights, the Upper East Side, the Financial District, Midtown, Gramercy and Brooklyn Heights emptied by at least 40 percent. Meanwhile, Manhattan's overall population fell by almost 20 percent. Connecticut
Gov. Ned Lamont fires health commissioner in middle of coronavirus crisis. Connecticut Gov. Ned
Lamont has fired his health commissioner while the Nutmeg State grapples with reopening plans amid the coronavirus
pandemic. Lamont bounced Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell late Monday [5/11/2020] and
replaced her with the state's Department of Social Services commissioner, Deidre Gifford. Lamont refused Tuesday to say
why he removed Coleman-Mitchell. "I thought this was a good time to make a change," Lamont told Connecticut
reporters. "I think the job has changed, and I want closer coordination with our different departments."
SGUgZmlyZWQgYSBibGFjayBmZW1hbGUhIFRoYXQncyB0aGUgYmlnIG5ld3MgaW4gdGhpcyBzdG9yeS4= Why airplanes are still packed in the coronavirus pandemic — and is flying still safe? Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and social distancing guidelines advising people stay six feet apart, reports of terrified airline passengers on packed flights continue to emerge. Just this week, passengers on an Iberian Airlines flight became incensed over their crowded flight, which had jammed the plane to 70 percent capacity despite airline guidelines to have the cabin no more than half full. And photos from a United Airlines flight last week showed passengers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder — while a doctor returning from helping fight the virus in New York had a similar experience with the carrier. The Scientism Virus. The perception that science is an "objective and verifiable" approach to knowledge, free of bias and beholden to no philosophy is flawed. That scientists have a firm grip on the physical world is not in dispute. But just what it is they are grasping remains unknown, given the necessity of reducing everything to quantifiable data that must fit the given frame of reference. Tailoring data to suit a given aim has a nasty way of endowing nonscientific agendas with false "authenticity." This is how evolution theory becomes evolution fact, how environmentalism turns into "climate change mandate," how theology becomes an asset of politicians... the list of abuses of science to gain advantage and control is long. It is not that science needs to be put down, but that science not be deified or endowed with an authority it cannot possess, a too common belief among the technocrats and academics of our day. One chart exposes the lie behind universal lockdowns. What is the true infection fatality rate of COVID-19, broken down by age and health status? This is a simple question for which the CDC should have a clear answer by now, accompanied by a readable chart — a chart showing everyone's demographic risk assessment so that we can better target our infection mitigation efforts. Yet it's the one thing our government hasn't done. Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down stay-at-home order; Dane County institutes local order. In a 4-3 decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the state's stay-at-home order, handing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers a defeat in his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans and some business owners cheered the ruling as a win for liberty, while local officials in Dane County and Milwaukee immediately announced they would be enforcing the state's rules at the local level, creating a de facto regional approach to combating the spread of the disease. In its order, the Supreme Court said Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm exceeded her authority with her sweeping order, declaring the mandate "invalid, and therefore, unenforceable," meaning some businesses and restaurants could open immediately. But some counties, such as Dane, have already issued replacement orders enforcing the elements of Palm's order, and therefore must remain closed. The wild west wasn't always safe, but at least those who lived there were free people who didn't live on government handouts. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Orders All Residents Must Wear Face Coverings When They Leave Home. Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that all residents will be forced to wear face coverings when they leave their homes[.] "We're requiring all Angelenos to wear face coverings when they leave the house," Garcetti said in a statement. "There are exceptions in place for small children or those with disabilities." "Our Safer at Home order will remain in place beyond May 15. Depending on public health conditions, we will continue to adjust the order to safely allow more businesses to operate and more people to get back to work," Garcetti added. Family: Woman died during childbirth from treatable condition due to hospital lockdown. An expectant mother in New York City apparently fell victim to the health care industry's prioritizing the coronavirus above all else when she died after giving birth to her son last month. WABC-TV reported that Amber Isaac, 26, was excited to give birth to a baby boy, but experienced treatable pregnancy complications that were unable to be resolved, as she was denied an in-person doctor appointment and was instead offered telehealth services.
The Editor says... Gym owner says he'll reopen Monday, whether or not Murphy allows it. A business owner in Bellmawr has decided to "take matters into our own hands" by opening his gym in defiance of a state-ordered closing of nonessential businesses. Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym, said he plans to open at 8 a.m. Monday [5/18/2020] for members. Smith said they've decided to limit capacity to 20% or about 44 people at a time, but he expects "thousands" of people to show up after a primetime national television interview Wednesday. The Wuhan Virus Lockdown is a Colossal Blunder. The Wuhan Virus pandemic is not the most significant crisis in our nation's history. It isn't even the greatest public health crisis in our history. But with the imposition of a near total national lockdown it is undoubtedly the greatest marginalization of personal liberty in American history. Over the centuries, in virtually all societies, people known to be infected by various deadly diseases were confined and isolated in order to mitigate the spread and protect the rest of society. Never have we confined the entire population ostensibly for the same objective. [...] But one question that the powers-to-be never asked themselves at the time was: How do we get out of this? Now they find themselves trapped by their own decisions. [...] What are the limits to the things that the State can legitimately do to a people living in a constitutional republic originally established on the basis of guaranteeing individual freedom? Lock down failure. First we were told that it was necessary to impose "social distancing rules" and shut down the economy for a few weeks in order to prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed by a sudden influx of COVID-19 cases, predicted to possibly be in the millions. [...] Fortunately, the prediction that millions would become sick was so wrong it is now considered a joke. Moreover, it was quickly obvious that the healthcare system was not going to be overwhelmed. So of course, we can now end these stringent social distancing rules and the lock downs, right? Hah. Now we are being told that the new social rules and the government-imposed economic shut downs are necessary to stop the spread of the disease, to protect us from further infection, to make us all safe from coronavirus, forever. And if we do have to ease the lock downs at all, we have to do it as slowly as possible, and to change our behaviors forever. Masks must be worn, businesses can no longer serve as many at a time, and we must change and limit our freedoms, just because we might possibly save one life! Cuomo's COVID-19 Panic Killed Thousands In Nursing Homes. In New York, 5% of the seniors living in nursing homes have died from COVID-19. In Florida, the disease has claimed less than 0.6% of those in nursing homes. What explains the vast difference in death rates among this vulnerable population? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo panicked about COVID-19, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not. Over the weekend, Democrat Cuomo announced that nursing homes would no longer have to accept patients discharged from hospitals who were COVID-19 positive. Which leads to a question: Why in the world were they required to do so before? The reason was that Cuomo was panicked about hospitals being overrun. So to clear beds, he told nursing homes that they had to take the elderly, whether or not they had COVID-19. St. Louis County Sues to Put Fitness Center Out of Business in Legal Show of Force. The House of Pain gyms are in danger of going out of business and declaring bankruptcy because St. Louis County Executive Director Sam Page wants to show everybody who's boss. St. Louis County filed suit in St. Louis County Court asking for an injunction to close two House of Pain fitness centers in Chesterfield and Maryland Heights, Missouri. The suit alleges House of Pain is open for business despite an executive order by County Executive Director Sam Page that all persons must stay in their own homes and all businesses he deems "non-essential" must close. Los Angeles Will Keep Stay-Home Order For Another Three Months. This is nuts. According to the Los Angeles Times city officials plan to keep the stay-at-home order in place for an additional three months. However, this decision does provide further evidence the deep blue regions plan on maximizing economic damage. The odd dynamic is, without a massive local bailout, and funding for the citizens who are on lockdown, how could they possibly even attempt to pull this off? Is this LA plan of action dependent on Pelosi's brand new scheme for a $3 trillion spending package? We now know that the majority who contract COVID-19 are asymptomatic. That changes everything. Initially, the "experts" used the fear of asymptomatic transmission as a means of pushing for universal lockdown. But that only makes sense if the number of asymptomatic are a minority and we are at the beginning of the transmission phase, in which such lockdown could work. Now we see the opposite is true. The overwhelming majority of those infected are asymptomatic, which grows to an absolute super-majority when you factor in the mildly symptomatic. The fatality rate is therefore very small and very confined to a known population. Thus, it makes no sense to lock down younger and healthier people who overwhelmingly don't get seriously ill, much less deathly ill, even if they contract the virus. Moreover, the fact that this has spread so far and wide and most are asymptomatic demonstrates that there is no longer any "spread" to stop and we were months too late in trying to stop it even if we wanted to. [...] By going back to normal with basic precautions for most of the population, we will be able to achieve herd immunity much less painfully than previously thought while shielding the more vulnerable population. How 'Flatten The Curve' Became 'Slow The Spread' And Proved 'Prolong The Pain' Is The Goal. As part of the bait-and-switch committed by those who derive power from our fear, the phrase "flatten the curve" quietly became "slow the spread" thus proving that "prolong the pain" is really all they're interested in. One of the many problems is that the experts coronated by the media represent only one side of the medical community's thinking, but are treated by the media as carrying 100% of the medical community's authority. And that's because the media's preferred experts are the ones who traffic in the most fear, and whose insistences assure the most collateral damage for our nation. It's really no different than what they did with global cooling. I mean global warming. I mean climate change. Dr. Fauci has not been elected to anything. He should not be dictator during this coronavirus crisis. Dr. Tony Fauci appeared on Capitol Hill Tuesday [5/12/2020] to testify before members of Congress. The topic, of course, was the ongoing debate over when and how to reopen the country at schools and workplaces amid the coronavirus pandemic, when to do it, and how quickly. Dr. Fauci left no doubts about how he feels on that question. Opening up now, he said, after just two months of lockdowns, is a very risky, indeed a dangerous, prospect. Letting Americans work and learn once again could be a catastrophe, he said. And he wasn't just referring to a handful of hotspots that have been hit especially hard. Entire states, Fauci said, likely need to remain closed. Protect Your Family From Fearmonger Fauci. There is nothing public health fossil Dr. Anthony Fauci can do or say to stop me from making the best choices for my children's health, sanity and resilience. He appeared before the Senate on Tuesday to heckle states like Colorado not to get back to business — back to life — too soon and too quickly. "Needless suffering and death" will occur, he told The New York Times. "I think we better be careful (that) we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune from the deleterious effects," he testified. Irked by Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul's very necessary reminder that no federal infectious disease bureaucrat is the "end-all" decider of our fate, Fauci warned against reopening schools because children in New York are "presenting with COVID-19 who actually have a very strange inflammatory syndrome, very similar to Kawasaki syndrome." How dare you accuse us parents of being "cavalier" with our children's health, Fauci, when you are scaring them with dubious, unverified claims connecting a few cases of an alleged mystery pediatric disease to the coronavirus? No more anonymous dining in Washington: 'More Off Base Than Your Average Epidemiologist': Tucker Cites Dr. Fauci's 'Buffoon Level' Mistakes, Questions 'Powerful' Role. Fox News host Tucker Carlson went through a laundry list of Dr. Anthony Fauci's "buffoon level" mistakes during a lengthy Tuesday night "Tucker Carlson Tonight" monologue. Carlson cited mistake after mistake to make his case that Fauci has been "more off base than your average epidemiologist," yet has become one of the most "powerful people in the world." Pritzker says he'll consider withholding federal funds from local governments that don't follow his reopening plan. Some communities around the state have made it known they plan to open for business soon, despite a stay-at-home order and the governor's reopening plan. Restaurants and bars have opened in Quincy. Police there say they will only issue warnings and let the state handle any further enforcement. During his daily news conference on Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he would consider withholding federal funding to communities that won't follow his plan. Sweden Cared More About Islamophobia Than Saving Elderly in Nursing Homes From Coronavirus. The debate over the Swedish model has been concentrated around whether countries should battle the coronavirus pandemic by locking down everything or adopting the more liberal approach. This debate is as irrelevant to the actual causes of coronavirus deaths as the inhabitants of Constantinople debating whether angels have genders while the Islamic invaders were preparing to breach the city walls. Preventing teenagers from going to the beach, as many American states and European countries have chosen to do, is going to have a very limited impact on a disease that is killing people in nursing homes. While Sweden does have a higher rate of virus deaths than Norway or Finland, it's not because the bars are open. 90% of the dead in Sweden were over 70 and half of them lived in special housing. Sweden has a higher rate of deaths in care homes than Norway or Finland, and lockdown enthusiasts have struggled to explain why keeping bars open would be killing people in housing for the elderly. Los Angeles County 'with all certainty' will keep lockdown orders in place through July. Los Angeles County's stay-at-home orders will "with all certainty" be extended for the next three months, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer acknowledged during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday [5/13/2020]. Ferrer, though she didn't issue an official order, said that timeline would only change if there was a "dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand." L.A. County could keep stay-at-home orders in place well into summer, depending on conditions. Los Angeles County's stay-at-home orders will "with all certainty" be extended for the next three months, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer acknowledged during a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday [5/12/2020]. Ferrer later added that even if the orders remain in place through the summer, restrictions will be "gradually relaxed" under a five-step plan. LA County's stay-at-home order will likely remain in place for next three months, officials say. Los Angeles County officials are recommending that the stay-at-home order be extended for the next three months as the region continues efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. At a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, county Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the order will "with all certainty" be extended unless there is a "dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand." Ferrer's comments came during a debate over how long the county's moratorium on evictions should remain in place. Franklin Graham, faith leaders ask Congress to grant legal immunity to religious organizations reopening amid pandemic. A long list of religious leaders signed onto a letter sent Tuesday requesting that Congress' next coronavirus relief package include legal immunity for religious organizations reopening amid an onslaught of new regulations surrounding the pandemic. "[I]n the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a proliferation of complex and often contradictory orders and guidelines at the state, county, and local levels, each purporting to govern when and how to reopen," read the letter, signed by pastor Franklin Graham, actor Kirk Cameron, and dozens of pastors. In total, the letter has 300 signatories. Pa. officials revoked coronavirus shutdown business waivers the night before publishing list of recipients. Late last Thursday evening, Tiffany Kuhn was at her home outside Harrisburg reading an e-book on her cell phone when a notification popped up that she had an email from Gov. Tom Wolf's administration. When she opened her inbox, Kuhn said, her blood pressure "went through the roof." The letter from the administration, sent at 9:30 p.m., informed her that the waiver she had received six weeks earlier to operate her mobile notary business during the pandemic had suddenly, and without explanation, been rescinded. The fresh air rebellion. [Scroll down] In Huntington Beach, California, "surfers walked right by law-enforcement officials telling them the beach was closed this weekend. Cyclists zipped across bike paths that were supposed to be off limits," the Wall Street Journal reported May 3. Golf course owners in Massachusetts vowed to defy the lockdown and reopen. New Yorkers flocked to city parks, which remained open, but so did police officers bent on enforcing social distancing rules. With salons and barbershops still closed, hairdressers have been making unauthorized house calls. Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther chose jail rather than apologize to a judge for resuming her business. As a market economy, suppressing such interactions can be, in many cases, plainly unsustainable for an extended lockdown. Dallas salon owner jailed for keeping her business open got $18K PPP loan from feds. The Texas salon owner jailed for opening up shop in violation of the state's coronavirus rules said that she received $18,000 in stimulus funds from the federal government prior to her court date. But Shelley Luther, the owner of Salon la Mode in Dallas, blasted the feds for the "confusion" over the Paycheck Protection Program, saying the cash was dropped into her account without warning or instructions, weeks after she applied for it. "All of a sudden, two days before my court trial, money drops in my account and I had no idea what it was," Luther said in an interview on Fox News Tuesday morning. Rush Limbaugh: Blue State Governors Want To 'Wreck The Economy' To Hurt Trump, And Make Red States Pay. Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh speculated that blue state governors are keeping their states locked down for "purely political" reasons. Discussing the issue of so-called red states being the majority of those opening up their economies on Tuesday's "The Rush Limbaugh Show," Limbaugh noted that, while that will serve to "get the economy kickstarted," the capital they create will go to those who refuse to get things moving. "The red states are gonna create capital and money to transfer to pay these people their stupid welfare costs and whatever else they're using to bleed this country dry, while their population sits home, doesn't work, waits for the federal check to show up — and they sit around and they trash the supposedly reckless red states. I cannot tell you how this irritates me," he said. While red-state governors "are doing the right thing," Limbaugh observed, "it's the exact opposite" in Democratic Party-run states. Republicans blast Pelosi coronavirus relief package laden with 'wish list' projects. Republicans are criticizing House Democrats for their newly unveiled coronavirus relief bill, which is packed with funding for projects such as $50 million in "environmental justice grants." The $3 trillion package revealed Tuesday immediately drew the ire of Republicans, including a tweet from the official Twitter account of the Senate GOP, which accused Democrats of "trying to take advantage of a crisis." "1,815 pages, 347,144 words, 44,803 paragraphs. It took us over 6 MINUTES just to scroll to the end. Even the media calls it a 'wish list' that will 'never become law.' THIS is what trying to take advantage of a crisis looks like," the tweet read. Brushfires: Little guys revolt all over in blue states with heavy lockdown orders. It's not just Elon Musk. Small fry and little people who pay taxes are defying blue-state lockdown orders and reopening for business, with or without the state's blessing. And quite often, their local governments and more important, cops, are behind them. [...] Even the cops want nothing to do with this, and when that happens in a tinpot-dictatorship, a regime usually falls. For a City Already in a 'Death Spiral,' What's After Lockdown? In Farmington, N.M., the economy was already struggling. Now everyone knows someone who is out of work because of the coronavirus. Very few say they know anyone who got sick. Of Pandemics and the Partisan Divide. [T]he pandemic has provided a particularly stark view of the growing chasm between their governing philosophies. This ideological rift is nowhere more apparent than in the reopening debate. If you reside in a Democrat-dominated state, for example, you probably still labor under the yoke of a stay-at-home order. If you live in a Republican-run state, your freedom of movement is likely to be far less restricted. This policy difference is not about science or public health. It is a manifestation of widely divergent perspectives on the roles of government and the individual in shaping society. [...] A number of Republican Governors have been carpet bombed by the Democrats and the "news" media for permitting most of their residents to return to something resembling their normal lives. This is particularly true of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Never mind that new cases peaked in all three states by the middle of April, and their deaths per million are far below most of their Democratic counterparts. Gov. Tom Wolf denounces Pa. counties reopening without his approval as 'cowardly,' 'selfish'. Gov. Tom Wolf sternly rebuked Pennsylvania counties and businesses that plan to reopen without state approval, calling it a "cowardly act" that could cost those areas not only lives but federal stimulus money, too. Over the past week, a host of lawmakers, district attorneys, and law enforcement agencies in counties still under strict COVID-19 closure orders said they planned to defy Mr. Wolf and unilaterally move themselves to the next phase of the governor's reopening plan. State officials have given 37 counties the go-ahead to ease restrictions, lifting the stay-at-home order and allowing some businesses to reopen if they follow certain safety precautions. Gov. Tom Wolf warns of consequences for Pennsylvania counties planning to reopen early. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued a warning Monday [5/11/2020] about the consequences for counties and businesses that plan to reopen in defiance of his shutdown order. State lawmakers and county leaders in several Susquehanna Valley counties have sent Wolf letters informing him of their intention to move to the yellow phase of his reopening plan, with or without his permission. During a news conference, Wolf urged Pennsylvanians to stay the course in the fight against the coronavirus. He said reopening early is a cowardly act. The Editor says... Attorney: Shiawassee judge denies shutdown of Owosso barbershop. The most defiant challenge of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's pandemic-prompted restrictions on businesses has not come from a titan of industry but from a 77-year-old barber and occasional novelist in a small town between Lansing and Flint. Still dressed in his hair-cutting smock and with clients waiting inside, Karl Manke choked up Monday [5/11/2020] when he was cheered by the more than 50 people, mostly unmasked, carrying American Gadsden flags and chanting his name. Pennsylvania District Attorneys: 'We Will Not Prosecute' Businesses Defying Governor's Orders. An increasing number of Pennsylvania district attorneys are stating that their offices will not prosecute businesses for violating Gov. Tom Wolf's (D) orders restricting them from reopening. "People are being smart, wearing masks, and maintaining social distance. Using criminal sanctions would not be helpful," Dauphin County district attorney Fran Chardo said in a Saturday press release, which indicated that prosecution would only occur in an "extraordinary circumstances." Dr. Anthony Fauci TestiLies to Senate. Anticipating the first step in the phase-three effort to remove President Trump from office, today at 10am ET Dr. Anthony Fauci will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. CTH anticipates Fauci will position the reopening of the economy as a likely public health catastrophe; thus paving the way for Trump removal 3.0. In addition to sketchy Fauci, Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Health Adm. Brett Giroir and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn are scheduled to appear. However, the pre-planned media narrative will be led by Fauci. People [are[ flouting lockdown as patience wanes. We can keep debating the merits of keeping society locked down versus reopening the economy amid the coronavirus. There are no easy answers, as we must weigh economic ruin, increased deaths of despair, and a coming mental health crisis against the potential death toll from a raging pandemic. But at a certain point, the debate becomes null and void when people simply get fed up and stop doing it regardless of what the talking heads on television and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., have to say about it. A new poll suggests we're inching closer to that point. The Wuhan Virus, Globalism and the November Election. [Scroll down] Calling the Covid-19 the Wuhan Flu was not a racial slur. It is now a medical fact. Personal and national culpability and accountability are necessary to redress any global fail. The World Health Organization, a UN appendage, actually misled the world and thus enabled the viral spread of the new bug by pandering to China's political sensitivities. The open borders policy in Europe also, in retrospect, now has all the earmarks of a death wish. Five of the eight worst Covid national victims are in the Schengen Zone. If Turkey and Russia were included in the EU totals, seven of eight European countries would top the global infection rate and fatalities list. Ironically, the United States, the biggest monetary contributor to WHO, now leads the world on the Covid infection and death charts. Elon Musk Threatens To Flee Virus Infecting California — And, No, It Isn't COVID-19. California has gone through waves of corporate out-migration as local regulatory burdens, high tax rates and a generally unfriendly business environment spur disgusted owners and CEOs to head for more-business-friendly states, including Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Texas. [Tesla founder Elon] Musk is a good example of this thinking. He's angered, as are many business owners, by the high-handed local mandarins who have decreed his factory must remain shut indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. This has become a serious problem as states struggle to reopen and get their economies moving again. With 33 million people now jobless nationwide, it's an open question whether the economic damage done by the outbreak will exceed the human toll of the virus. 'Western Pact' states seek $1 trillion more in federal aid. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday [5/11/2020] that he and his counterparts in Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Nevada were calling for the federal government to provide an extra $1 trillion in aid to their coronavirus-ravaged states. "These budget shortfalls are so much bigger than any state," the governor said at his daily coronavirus briefing, Deadline reported, referring to the Western pact, an alliance to increase the states' buying power for medical supplies. Much of the aid will go to help public safety officials like policemen, firefighters and EMT's, as well as to schools. The Editor says... Wisconsin GOP lawmakers urge Washington to reject any 'bailout' money for Illinois: 'Our neighbors to the south have spent decades spending and borrowing recklessly'. Members of Wisconsin's Republican legislative majority are asking the state's congressional delegation to oppose using any federal coronavirus relief package money to help bail out Illinois and other states with a history of "reckless budgeting." The letter, sent Friday [5/8/2020] by 43 GOP lawmakers to Wisconsin's two U.S. senators and seven House members, acknowledged states and the nation are facing "unprecedented challenges" dealing with COVID-19. "These responses to the disease have led to drastic changes in budget projections for states around the country: sales tax collections are down, income tax deadlines have been extended, unemployment rates are at historic levels and more businesses are permanently closing every day," the letter said. More evidence that the virus is perceived as no big deal: California inmates tried to infect themselves with coronavirus for freedom. A group of California inmates are accused of trying to intentionally infect themselves with the coronavirus — thinking they would be set free if they contracted the contagion, authorities said Monday [5/11/2020]. Prisoners at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic were filmed sharing a disposable cup and sniffing a used face mask in order to accomplish their alleged plot, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. "Somehow, there was some mistaken belief among the inmate population that if they tested positive, that there was a way to force our hand and somehow release more inmates out of our jail environment — and that's not going to happen," Villanueva said at a press briefing. COVID-19 and the Normalization of Mass Surveillance. Governments, scientists, and product designers are racing to find technological fixes for the spread of COVID-19. Some of these solutions — such as more efficient mass-production of masks, more accurate and prevalent testing, and efforts to create a vaccine — are valid and vital, and defend the health of citizens and strength of society without violating civil liberties. Masks can arguably even help promote freedom by disguising protestors and flustering increasingly prevalent public facial recognition cameras. And there are other key antiviral tactics that don't rely on cutting-edge technology: handwashing, social distancing, and contact tracing. Contact tracing is the important practice of interviewing the sick to find out who they've met in recent days, so that health authorities can warn them, so they can take proper precautions, isolate themselves, and seek medical help if necessary. It is a resource-intensive practice, requiring tens of thousands of human "contact tracers" for large populations. Silicon Valley has clamored that there must be ways to automate this process. At least two dozen governments are already experimenting with or rolling out contact tracing phone apps. White House advisor Navarro threatens coronavirus retaliation. White House advisor Peter Navarro on Monday [5/11/2020] threatened retaliation against China for its role in the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as tensions between the world's two largest economies continue to rise. "A bill has to come due for China," Navarro said during an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "It's not a question of punishing them, it's a question of holding China accountable, the Chinese Communist Party accountable." Navarro is one of the chief China hawks in President Donald Trump's administration and serves as the director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Michigan Judge Sides with Barber, Rejects Gretchen Whitmer Demand to Close Shop. A Michigan judge has denied a motion made by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration that an Owosso barber close up shop during the coronavirus outbreak. Great Lakes News was outside Karl Manke's Barber & Beauty Shop on Monday [5/11/2020] when the ruling came down. [Video clip] Reporter Katie Heid said the judge denied the state's claim that the 77-year-old Manke to close his shop because he was allegedly in violation of Whitmer's stay-at-home order. Eighteen Republican attorneys general press Congress to hold hearings on China's coronavirus 'deceit'. More than a dozen Republican attorneys general called on Congress to conduct hearings about China's "deceit" during the coronavirus outbreak. Eighteen state chief legal officers sent a letter to congressional leaders over the weekend asking them to look into the disinformation tactics put out by the Chinese government when the virus first broke out in Wuhan at the end of 2019. The letter, led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, accused China of working with the World Health Organization to mislead the world intentionally about the origins of the outbreak. The letter was directed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the heads of the House and Senate Foreign Relations committees, and other leaders. Coronavirus: Ohio to test 1,200 residents at random. Around 1,200 Ohioans might soon find out that they have been selected to be tested for the coronavirus as part of a statewide study. The Ohio Department of Health plans to screen 1,200 residents in their homes for the virus through a nasal swab test and through an antibody blood test. Screening could start as soon as next week, department spokeswoman Melanie Amato said via email. The Editor says... Coexistence with China or Cold War II? Under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump, his campaign and his party are moving to lay blame for the 80,000 U.S. dead at the feet of the Communist Party of China and, by extension, its longtime General Secretary, President Xi Jinping. "There is a significant amount of evidence" that the virus originated in a Wuhan lab, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week. Trump himself seemed to subscribe to the charge: "This is worse than Pearl Harbor. This is worse than the World Trade Center. There's never been an attack like this... It could have been stopped in China. It should have been stopped right at the source." There is talk on Capitol Hill of suspending sovereign immunity so China may be sued for the damages done by the virus that produced a U.S. shutdown and a second Great Depression where unemployment is projected to reach near the 25% of 1933. The Trump campaign has begun to target the Democratic nominee as "Beijing Biden" for his past collusion with China and his attack on Trump for "hysterical xenophobia" when Trump ended flights from China. What is the historical truth? Coronavirus reopening — Democrats resist, Americans persist. Here's why. Can you feel it? Can you feel the pace quickening? More cars on the road, more people in the stores, more ads crowding your inbox? Activity is picking up, even in my state of New York, where we're still under lockdown. It's palpable; Americans everywhere are going back to work. Democrats don't like that one little bit. The worse things are, the better their chances in November. Restaurant Renewal. The Covid-19 lockdown gravely threatens New York City's vast and indispensable restaurant industry. But while some of our 26,000 eateries won't return, and some owners face economic ruin, it by no means follows that we'll be left with nowhere to eat — or that new places will be inferior to old ones. Georgia kicks off chilling door-to-door COVID-19 blood collections. Let the government-pressed coronavirus-tied blood collections of citizens begin. And begin they have. They have in Georgia at least, where the state's Department of Public Health recently announced, in cooperation with both Fulton County and Dekalb counties' Boards of Health, that "to learn more about the spread of COVID-19," an "investigation" has commenced — and it's an "investigation" that's leading government officials to make random stops at randomly selected residences and ask random citizens for, get this, their blood. Citizens' DNA in the hands of unelected government officials. Hmm, what could go wrong there? The Editor says... 'Mask Shaming' is Just Another Form of Virtue Signaling. It's become entertainment in America to express one's moral superiority by calling out fellow citizens for being unmasked. "Mask shaming" as a political sport is one thing. The "tsk-tsking" from the media when Mike Pence went maskless at the Mayo Clinic just gave the press another opportunity to bash Trump. But what about private, ordinary citizens calling out others who aren't wearing a mask? What [...] business is it of theirs? Especially since wearing a mask is far less than a guarantee you won't get the coronavirus. January 5, 2017: A Day that Should Live in Infamy. [Scroll down] Rebellions against the stringent gubernatorial flu orders are growing and spreading from state to state. This week's heroine was Shelley Luther, a Dallas, Texas hairdresser who reopened her shop following the CDC guidelines. After her arrest, Judge Eric Moyé accused her of selfishness and demanded she apologize and shutter the salon. She explained that she was not being selfish, that she had to reopen so she could feed her kids and her staff could feed theirs. The judge, who seems to have studied at the feet of Anatole France ("In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.") gave her a stiff fine and jail sentence. Texas's attorney general and governor said she should be released, and the Texas Supreme Court so ordered. In a telling mark of how sick we all are of this nonsense, the last time I saw it, a Go Fund Me site set up for her raised within days $500,000 for her defense. Over half of all U.S. coronavirus deaths have occurred in just 5 states. Well over half of all documented coronavirus deaths in the United States have occurred in just five states, a statistic which mirrors the heavily concentrated and localized nature of COVID-19 outbreaks in several other countries. Of the nearly 80,000 deaths from the virus in this country as of Saturday afternoon [5/9/2020], nearly 48,700, or about 60 percent, had occurred in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania. New York remains the hardest-hit state of any in the country by far, having logged nearly 27,000 deaths as of Saturday afternoon. The next-hardest-hit state, New Jersey, had recorded over 9,100. Tennessee Police Arrest Citizen Who Escaped Forced COVID-19 Detention Camp. Comrades, some readers might not be aware the Ministry of COVID compliance has set up quarantine camps, detention facilities in various areas. Formerly free citizens who test positive for COVID-19 are forcibly taken to the quarantine camps and held under guard. Last week one of the non-compliant captives demanded his freedom; he climbed the fence and escaped detention. After a manhunt in Tennessee the subversive citizen was recaptured, arrested and brought back to the detention facility. Alarmed yet? We're Winning. Sure, we have the tattered remnants of the bat biter flu pandemic to deal with, but no one not pre-programed to hate Trump is buying that he and not the ChiCom's inexplicable desire to munch on pangolins is to blame. The Free States are mostly coming out of this nonsense, having realized that a bug that targets the elderly, subway riders, and the George Conway carb-curious demographic is best handled by having those people chill at home while the rest of us go back to earning a living. We were told that our selfish desire not to go bankrupt was going to kill grandmas across the fruited plain, but like so many expert opinions parroted by the Democrats' gimp media lately, that was malarkey, and not Grandpa Badfinger's ironic kind. Remember how happy spring breakers were gonna kill us all? How requiring Wisconsinites to show up to vote was pretty much genocide? [...] None of that was a thing. None of that was even remotely a thing. What was a thing was the New York subways being a festering petri dish of pestilence. And what was another thing was the genius move of requiring that nursing homes take back in sick people. Remember when Gov. Kemp was excoriated for re-opening Georgia? Are you wondering how that has worked out? It was just over 2 weeks ago that Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp was a monster with blood about to be on his hands for greatly loosening the restrictions on residents of the Peach State? Even President Trump joined in, criticizing this move as risky. Since then, we haven't seen much about the disaster that was supposed to automatically result from ignoring the gospel of Dr. Fauci. Which tells you what has happened in this era of corrupt and dishonest propaganda media. Amanda Prestigiacomo of the Daily Wire fills in the details that any reasonable person would infer from the media blackout: [...] Pritzker defends extended order, faces salon owner lawsuit. Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended his stay-at-home order and incremental plans to reopen, saying Sunday that Illinois residents have to change the way things are done until COVID-19 is "eradicated." The Democrat's comments on CNN's "State of the Union" came as he faced a southern Illinois salon owner's lawsuit, criticism from some Republicans who deem his plans an overreach and a Chicago Tribune editorial accusing him of being "cautious to the extreme." The Editor says... 5 SoCal counties have 71% of all California COVID-19 cases — and 80% of hospitalizations. New California data released Saturday [5/9/2020] show how the majority of cases and deaths, as well as current hospitalizations, are concentrated in Southern California. California on Saturday said it has 2,678 fatalities from coronavirus, up 93 from a day prior, a rise of 3.6%. There are now 64,561 confirmed cases statewide, up 2,049 cases from a day earlier, a rise of 3.3% A Pandemic of Illogic. When dealing with politicians, the less logical the statement or action, the more political the statement or action. This truism is notably evident as we contend with the pandemic of COVID-19 and its attendant pandemic of illogic. For example, Governors Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.), Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), and Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), have instituted continuing lockdowns — some of questionable state and federal constitutional validity — to defeat the novel coronavirus. In Whitmer's case, she has been notoriously lax about providing the sources of and the actual data driving her decision — now a unilateral one — to extend her emergency powers over the citizenry, not for the purpose of "flattening the curve" (which already has been done), but to prevent a hypothetical "second wave." One need not be a constitutional scholar to be concerned by the threat of a governor unilaterally imposing constitutionally dubious emergency powers to stop a hypothetical event; however, to be the victim of the pandemic of illogic, it seems one's governor is required not to give a whit. Nearly 50 Percent of California Coronavirus Deaths in Nursing Homes. Data released from the California Departments of Health and Social Services on Friday [5/8/2020] show that nursing home deaths represent almost half of the coronavirus fatalities in the state. Ben Carson: This economic crisis was intentional. HUD secretary and member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Ben Carson, weighs in on unemployment rate hitting record high on 'Fox and Friends.' [Video clip] Ted
Cruz, at Shelley Luther's Dallas salon, shows solidarity and gets first haircut in months. Sen. Ted Cruz
flew to Dallas for his first haircut in three months on Friday — at the hair salon whose owner just spent two days
in jail for defying emergency restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. The Editor says... Hours after Pittsburgh dumped sand on skate park, a pile of sand was left at city hall. Skateboarders may have drawn a line in the sand after the city of Pittsburgh shut down their neighborhood skateboard park. Only hours after Pittsburgh dumped sand on a skate park to prevent people from skating, a pile of sand was deposited at Pittsburgh's city hall in what very well could be a dirty form of revenge. The Polish Hill skate park was transformed into a sandbox after Pittsburghers continued to use the park despite the stay-at-home lockdown. Pittsburgh Department of Public Works Director Mike Gable said they locked up the park, but people cut the locks to gather at the park. Narrative Fail: 15 Days After Lockdown Ease, Georgia Sees Lowest Day Of COVID Hospitalizations. Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia celebrated the state's lowest number of hospitalized novel coronavirus patients and the fewest number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators on Saturday, 15 days since the Republican loosened lockdown restrictions in the face of persistent attacks from the mainstream media and the public disapproval of President Donald Trump. Respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 "typically appear an average of 5-6vdays after exposure, but may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure," per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UC San Diego Health notes. Tucker Carlson evaluates Fauci's job performance: 'A ruthless political operator'. Tucker Carlson continued to question infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and his impact on the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus crisis. The Fox News host suggested Fauci, a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, "seems to be a very political man" during commentary on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Friday [5/8/2020] as he spoke with a professor at Johns Hopkins University about Fauci's performance. Media Find In Coronavirus A Crisis They Can't Waste. Are we alone in feeling as if the media are enthusiastic cheerleaders of the coronavirus pandemic? We can't be the only ones who sense the glee with which the news about the body count, the Democrats' wailing over the president's handling of the crisis, and the "new normal" are delivered across our screens. Nor is it possible that no one else is noticing that the states that believe reopening is necessary to survival are being portrayed as communities of rubes who deserve to suffer the sting of mass death. The coronavirus coverage goes beyond the "if it bleeds it leads" tenet of sensationalized media coverage. It's a handy means for them to extend the cultural and political divides that have made the 50 states less united than they have been in any of our lifetimes. Gov. Cuomo admits he was wrong to order nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has finally admitted — tacitly and partially, anyway — the mistake that was state health chief Howard Zucker's order that nursing homes must admit coronavirus-positive patients. On Sunday [5/10/2020], Cuomo announced a new regulation: Such patients must now test negative for the virus before hospitals can return them to nursing homes. Yet the gov also admitted that COVID-19 cases might still go to the facilities via other routes, and didn't explicitly overrule Zucker's March 25 mandate that homes must accept people despite their testing status — indeed, couldn't even require a test pre-admission. Cuomo's nursing home reversal is too little, too late for those now dead. Unfortunately, [Governor] Cuomo's pride and political calculations don't allow him to admit error even as he finally reverses one of the mostly deadly policy mistakes in New York history. Nursing homes and rehabilitation centers have tallied more than 5,000 coronavirus deaths, yet the governor accepts zero responsibility despite his March 25th order forcing them to take infected patients from hospitals. Now he says they no longer have to do that, announcing Sunday that "a hospital cannot discharge a person who is COVID positive to a nursing home." Indeed, the initial order denied nursing homes the right even to ask if patients being sent by hospitals had tested positive for the coronavirus. Now hospitals must do discharge tests and only those who are negative can be referred to nursing homes. Americans are too afraid of risk. What we need in this pandemic is balance. All this economic ruin is due to the governors shutting down commerce to fight the coronavirus, to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. But maybe extreme social isolation of the young and healthy wasn't the wisest course. [...] The economy is in a tailspin. And you don't start the economy up again by saying a few magic words and snapping your fingers. The economy isn't a light switch. You don't turn it back on once it's been shut down. And we don't have years to wait for a vaccine. Already people are pushing against the shutdown, defying government orders, and the more idiotic politicians will push back with law enforcement, which will just increase the chaos. Thousands in Germany protest against coronavirus restrictions. Thousands of people took to the streets of Stuttgart and Berlin on Saturday (May 9) to protest against the measures taken by the German government in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. [Video clip] The Editor says... A New Day in a Fearful America. Much like America in the days and months following the attacks of September 11th, our friends, family, and neighbors are beginning to ask how far we need to go in order to win the war against the "Invisible enemy" as President Trump has described it. The cost of this war has already cut deep as nearly one in four American adults have found themselves forced out of work. Trillions of dollars in stimulus have been printed, certainly making the stock market appear healthier than ever while the working class has certainly felt anything but "stimulated." [...] Sadly, the only "normal" behavior we can witness is currently coming from the halls of local courthouses, the chambers of state legislatures and governor's mansions, as well as the quintessential smoke filled "representatives only" marked rooms in Congress. If Americans who witnessed the rise of the police state post-9/11 know one thing, it's that power-hungry individuals scarcely ever let a good crisis go to waste. Throughout the country, many Americans have already learned this the hard way. 'Social Distancing' is Snake Oil, Not Science. Very likely, you already instinctively know that the guidelines suggesting that it's somehow helpful to keep a six-foot space between healthy people, even outdoors, is not based on science, but just an arbitrary suggestion we've been conditioned to accept without evidence. And your gut feeling would be right. There's a reason that "social distancing" wasn't a buzzword common to the American lexicon prior to 2020. There's very little science behind "social distancing" at all. "It turns out," Julie Kelly writes at American Greatness, "as I wrote last month, "social distancing" is untested pseudoscience particularly as it relates to halting the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. On its website, the CDC provides no links to any peer-reviewed social distancing studies that bolster its official guidance." Castle Rock eatery defies lockdown, enjoys packed Mother's Day brunch; punishment cries follow. Odd as it may be, defiance in America today is defined as a restaurant opening its doors for Mother's Day. And on that note, C&C Coffee and Kitchen, located in Castle Rock, Col., is a rebel with a cause, as the establishment began trending Sunday after the owner shared a video of a packed house — even though the state remains under a Safer at Home order that closes restaurants, food courts, cafes, coffeehouses, and other similar places of public accommodation offering food or beverage for on-premises consumption, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis. With few wearing face masks and social distancing pretty much out the window, the lesson here may be that consenting adults in America still reserve the right to decide for themselves what is or is not appropriate behavior. Andrew Cuomo admits forcing COVID-19 patients into nursing homes, refuses to take blame. New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his political allies were quick to declare that President Trump had 'blood on his hands' based on the state's failure to prepare supplies for the coronavirus pandemic. It now comes to light that the bloody hands were Cuomo's. It's not just that the subways were continuously running packed, or New York City's schools took a long time to shut, or city officials were busy going to the gym, if not encouraging people to attend those Chinatown parades, the better to Get Trump. The worst of it was from the death toll coming out of New York City's nursing homes, where a disproportionate percent of New York's humongous death toll occurred. Not only were the nursing homes with the city's most vulnerable residents not so much as basically protected, they were positively seeded with COVID-19 patients, rolling in from the hospitals, forced into the homes no matter how much the homes objected, because 'discrimination.' Nursing homes weren't even allowed to ask incoming patients if they were coming back 'stabilized' from the coronavirus units. The crisis is over whenever we say it is: CDC director on hot seat over his predictions, agency performance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is increasingly on the hot seat for its performance during the pandemic, from its testing and counting of COVID-19 cases to its chief's predictions for a second wave of the disease. For CDC Director Robert Redfeld, whose predictions about the AIDS virus decades ago drew unflattering scrutiny, it is familiar territory. The latest controversy reportedly centers around concerns over the CDC's tally of coronavirus cases and deaths, which Dr. Deborah Birx reportedly challenged last week during a meeting of the White House Coronavirus Task Force she leads. New York has mismanaged COVID-19 from top to bottom. Andrew Cuomo is having the time of his life. His approval ratings are through the roof and he's being talked about as a replacement for Joe Biden should Joe wander off somewhere without his Visiting Angel, never to be found again. Hipster merchandise featuring his face is exploding on Etsy and he's getting a nightly hour with his own brother on CNN to chat about oh, this and that, and whatever is happening in his day at the given moment. It's quite the arrangement! Andrew doesn't ask his brother why he broke quarantine, literally endangering lives and the younger Fredo doesn't ask him about 1,700 previously uncounted COVID related deaths in New York nursing homes, or why he didn't authorize disinfecting subway cars until early May, a full 90 days after the first cases were reported on March 1. Governors in Florida, Texas and Georgia bear the brunt of media criticism for their handling of testing, shutdowns and hospitalizations. In each instance, no outbreak or death count in those states has come close to matching New York. Time to Stop the Madness. The mantra among the governors who continue to preside over the destruction of their states' economies is that they are following "the science" which purportedly requires that the lockdowns remain in place to prevent another wave of COVID-19 cases. They contend that the lockdowns must continue until the number of COVID-19 cases decreases to an acceptable level and their states have adequate testing facilities and "armies" of investigators to track and trace any future infections. As they say, they don't want to give up the progress already achieved against COVID-19 by reopening too soon. Well, if that's their true goal, then the governors are on a fool's errand. Why? Because no matter how long we shelter in place, there will be future major outbreaks of COVID-19. We know this because COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus designated as SARS-coV2. Reasonably assuming that SARS-coV2 propagates like the coronaviruses that have caused seasonal influenzas, it will be with us for many years and will continue to infect and kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. Trump is Not Weakening. I characterize President Trump's behavior as strategic rather than weak. Many Trump supporters are furious that Trump appears to allow Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx to dictate when we reopen America. At the same time, Democrats and fake news media absurdly claim Trump is responsible for thousands of deaths because he ignores science and health experts. Fake news media is flooding the airwaves with their claim that over 100,000 people will die if crazy Trump irresponsibly reopens America. Trump is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I am confident that Trump will courageously press forward, doing what is best for We the People. Out-of-control Democrats are using coronavirus to overrule our Second Amendment right to bear arms, release dangerous felons, and fund extreme leftist causes. They have selectively implemented unconstitutional restrictions intended to punish Christians and Trump voters. Insane with their newfound power, Democrats are actually considering going door to door to drag people out of their homes. In a nutshell, coronavirus has liberated Democrats from the restraints of the U.S. Constitution. Folks, we are at war with an evil enemy within, the Democratic Party. Medicine Will Not Look Back Kindly on COVID-19 Response. [Scroll down] The CDC was not using known, modern methods to establish available and accurate testing for COVID-19 in anticipation of the spread of this disease. It relied more on quarantining and fear-mongering, admitting that the available testing was inadequate and frequently inaccurate. Additionally, the CDC was not prepared with enough of a supply of masks and ventilators. Viral pandemics are respiratory illnesses, and these should be baseline items. Politicization of the possible COVID-19 treatment options will not withstand the "retrospectoscope," either. Doctors on the front lines of the most heavily impacted areas of our country are having inconsistent results with the anti-malarial medication hydroxychloroquine, the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, and the anti-viral medication Remdesivir. Many of the hard-hit communities are in areas that are politically vehemently anti-Trump. Trump has been trying to let the nation know that efforts are being made to medically treat COVID-19. Because of poor results in their own patients with these medications, many doctors have chos |
