It must be disheartening to realize that even one’s virtue signaling was a cruel joke.  Wearing a mask did not have a positive impact during the time of Covid, wearing a mask could actually be bad for your health.  Oh, the agony of it all!  All that time in one’s car all alone, looking out on those fools who did not wear a mask, believing that one was making the world a bit safer.  All that righteous anger, the stern looks, and verbal abuse heaped on those mere mortals who did not adhere to those who “followed science”.  It was all theater, it meant nothing.  And then the indignity of finding out that one was taking an action that could have a negative impact on one’s health!  Say it isn’t so!

It does make one remember some of those silly folk sayings, doesn’t it?  Such as:

• If all your friends jumped off a roof, would you do it?
• Believe nothing you hear, half of what you see and only one fourth of what you know to be true.
• He who follows the crowd has many companions.
• Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
• If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.

The article linked below offers what could be, a very common-sense medical discovery.  Yet somehow this possibility was overlooked even though there are studies reflecting these conclusions going back over a decade.  And it does not address the question of hygiene from the repeated wearing of the same mask over a period of days or longer. 

Finally, one more saying:  man is the only animal that can be skinned more than once.  Next time, perhaps we all need to be a bit more skeptical of what the herd says, believes and does.

https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-harm-caused-by-masks

During the time of Covid, governments on all levels eagerly grasped powers far beyond any degree of reasonableness.  Governors acted like dictators, issuing edicts and executive actions unrestrained by any form of check and balances.  The result was a loss of personal freedom for the average citizen which can never be fully undone.  That abuse of power was a disaster and most often, not founded any “science” despite the claims of the politicians.

After the pandemic however, other politicians decided to test the limits of their power in ways that were often, far worse than the abuse by governors.  An example of this was a bill passed in California by the Democratic super-majority, which limited the ability of physicians and others to disagree with any form of “approved” science.  While claiming to “follow the science”, the State Assembly of California threatened to “unlicensed” any physician who did not adhere to the official line on science.  It was unclear who exactly determined what that official line was, what it was based on, or how it was to be communicated. 

Given the record of false science that we experienced during the time of Covid, and the harm that such false science inflicted on all levels to individuals and the economy, what safeguard was in place to insure that there would not be any repeat of the erroneous directives from the individual, individuals or group that was to decide and bless the sanctified, official science?  Would there at least be a grace period so that the soon to be neutered physicians, for example, could adjust their advice to their patients  and were they officially freed from their Hippocratic Oath?

The more one thinks on the subject, the more one must be in awe at the nerve, the sheer chutzpah of the body of legislatures who could pass such a law. Fortunately a recent court decision has deal a blow to the egos and inflated sense of intelligence possessed by the State of California legislatures and the State Governor who so enjoy issuing literally hundreds of proclamations during the time of Covid.  I invite you to use the link below to read the story of the Courts’ decision which is a decision of freedom of thought and action.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-loses-on-medical-censorship-gavin-newsom-doctors-coivd-misinformation-pandemic-medical-board-11675024552?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

California is politically, a one-party state. Those who belong to that party decide when to enforce a law or ignore it and anyone who questions their right to function as they do must be “corrected.” This leads to, as Pierre Manent calls it, “the fanaticism of the center;” a fanaticism which seeks to eliminate those who resist their power and position.

In pursuit of solidifying the one-party control, the California legislature has taken upon itself the authority to dictate to businesses the pay of the employees for fast food workers, the transition from cheap, reliable power to inefficient and expensive power and most recently, has decided not only to eliminate the free speech of doctor’s but has also become the final arbiter of medical science.  Under Assembly Bill 2098, all information provided by doctors regarding Covid-19 can be reviewed for misinformation or disinformation. Statements, writings, interviews will be subject to review the states medical board. This means that a statement by a doctor contrary to or perhaps not enough in favor of the “consensus” medical opinion will be a basis for review. Who exactly, will determine the “consensus” on any given day and how will it be disseminated? Will doctors received tweets or emails with the latest “consensus”? Will each new “consensus” be read out at the beginning of the new day, and will intra-day updates be provided?

This new law which is sitting on the Governor’s desk comes after the confusing and contradictory statements from the NIH, CDC, Dr. Fauci and President Biden. How exactly can any doctor keep track of the “truth of the day” when agencies and “experts” are often at odds with one another as they practice during a time of great stress, ignorance, and misinformation from those at the very top of the power pyramid?

The attached article by James Breslo provides more information on the proposed “Ministry of Truth” in California. Then, be sure to only speak in whispers with your doctor as someone may hear the two of you and turn in your doctor.

https://thescotfree.com/opinion/californias-legislature-votes-to-ban-all-covid-19-vaccine-dissent-by-doctors/

There are voices in the land forecasting a new American Civil War; I disagree. I do believe however, that we have unknowingly been in a revolution for a few decades. It is a revolution from the radical Left which has sought to alter many of the fundamental institutions and beliefs which has driven our nation. Attacks on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, Electoral College, the police, and others has served to split our Republic into a variety of warring tribes. Add to this the attack on the rights of parents from the medical and educational establishments and the flaunting of basic biological facts have driven many on the center and right to demand a counter revolution.

The failures of highly touted and well-funded governmental agencies during the recent pandemic have shown that they have lost sight of their primary responsibilities; working to protect the public from the exact type of challenge offered by Covid. Where have they gone wrong and how do they regain any degree of legitimacy in the eyes of those not aligned with the radical Left? The attached article suggests that those charged with specific duties have gone astray and need to be brought back to center

https://www.dailysignal.com/wp-content/uploads/220823_Fauci-1260×650.jpg

One of the most hotly contested rules of the Covid lockdown was the various mask mandates. Wearing a mask was a mark of subservience to the unscientific political whims of elected officials who suddenly seemed to believe that they had secret knowledge of Covid. The rules and exemptions were often silly and illogical, such as being allowed to not wear a mask when dining out, but if you went to the washroom, you needed to wear the mask while in transit. Or, if on an airplane, keep the mask on during flight service but you could quickly slip it down while taking a sip of your beverage. Somehow Covid would be too slow to attack you or slip past your uncovered mouth during those couple of seconds. It always struck me as odd that healthcare workers often had to wear hazmat suits while treating patients, but we could all help stop Covid by wearing a cheap piece of cloth for days on end.

Finally, we are seeing some studies which show that wearing masks may be a wonderful way to be virtue signaling, but aside from puffing up one’s ego, it does little if anything to successfully fight off Covid.

One of the great lessons of the recent pandemic, was the realization that the average American can be as cowed by the authorities as anyone else in the world. The image of the rugged, individualistic American has been severely damaged, and it shall be difficult to regain. It appears that most Americans are as sheep like as the typical Europeans who have left their individual sense of worth in the hands of the bureaucracy generations ago in exchange for the welfare state.

I fully realize that Covid was a new virus and that consequently, there were destined to be many errors in attacking it. That is to be expected and anyone who expects politicians, scientists, doctors, other self-proclaimed experts to be on target with every decision is foolish; we are all human and subject to pressures, politics and pre-conceived notions as we move through the challenges of life. But we should be able to expect those who are in positions of power to act in a relatively rational manner. Remember the Governor who decreed that consumers could purchase certain products at a store but not others? Did she have insight that Covid was attracted to certain products or activities than others? What about another Governor who distained the emergency services provided by the Federal government because he did not want to give credit to a President he disliked? How does that square with the deaths of thousands due to his decision? The list goes on and on, especially of politicians who made medical and policy decisions for which they had little if any training.

Perhaps the single individual who did more to destroy that iconic image more than anyone was Dr. Anthony Fauci. As the pandemic went on, he spoke increasingly Ex-Cathedra finally stating that “If you attack me, you attack science.”  The problem was that his version of “science” had little in common with traditional science. Clink the link below for a review of the five mistakes Dr. Fauci made which brought about terrible results. What makes those errors even worse, is that even today, he holds some of the same views despite the proven costliness of those policies. As time goes on, those who were pushed out of the decision-making process because they dared to disagree with him and his policies are being seen in a new light, for they represented “science” as we traditionally think of it as a realm of questioning as opposed to an area of dogma.

Perhaps, just perhaps, more Americans will be a bit more skeptical next time and so easily bullied into giving up so much freedom to self-proclaimed “experts.”

https://nypost.com/2022/07/23/dr-anthony-faucis-5-disastrous-covid-mistakes/

Years ago, when learning how Hitler, Lenin, etc., seized power, it was easy to see the path and to identify the players who were so dangerous. In the excellent article by Larry Arnn, the President of Hillsdale College, we see another path taken by those who can destroy our liberties with (giving them the benefit of the doubt) the best of intentions. Do they fully realize the cost of their actions? Certainly, there seems to be no cost to them personally for the damage they cause, but then, it was all with the best of intentions.

After reading the article, you may believe it is the writing of a paranoia, yet it comes together oh so smoothly. A short cut here, a “necessary” action there and soon you have an entirely new set of rules by which your life is governed. If you disagree with the new rules, to whom do you turn? Who will hear your views? Your local representative? They are the ones who have helped to create the “solutions” by relying on the “experts,” so who are you to complain?

The greatest injustices in human history have been committed by those who act “with the best of intentions.”  Think back; has any dictator or tyrant ever announced his deadly policies in terms other than solving injustices?

There are solutions, but they require brave individuals who will stand for their traditional values and guidelines, as two examples are noted in the article. Those who have taken brave stands are not “experts,” but as Winston Churchill once said, they know that “what hurts is a safer guide (in their lives) than any vigorous direction of a specialized character.”

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Imprimis_Nov_11-21_8pgWEB.pdf

Fortunately for the world, the United States has a First Amendment, which guarantees in part, the freedom of speech. This radical concept is coming under fire in an area which depends on the free flow of ideas and concepts; that of science.

In the article linked below, we find a short, concise discussion on those in our society who seem to have or wish to set themselves up as arbitrators of what is permitted and what is forbidden in discussions of science. These arbitrators include social media, the press and even many leaders in the scientific community. If these individuals and groups can “control what science says, they can control what is considered true.”, then we face the decline of science with all that it implies.  We have seen that before, in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and today in various authoritarian nations around the globe. When we have a lifelong bureaucrat state that “If you discredit me, you discredit science” we face a serious threat to true science and the benefits that can flow from it.

https://www.city-journal.org/in-defense-of-misinformation-restrictions-of-scientific-free-speech

The article linked below should be extremely alarming to all of us.

• Did phony videos produced by Communist China cause a stampede by our “leaders” to actions which destroyed tens of thousands of businesses, created huge financial upheaval, consolidated power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and power-hungry politicians and harmed the educational options for a generation of youth?
• Did the “leaders” of German base their support of lockdowns, quarantine facilities, etc., based on clinical results from Communist China?
• Did a major Dutch agency determine that the cost of a lockdown would six times more than the benefit, but the Dutch government decided to go with lockdowns due to a fear of negative optics in the news?
• Using information from Chinese journals, did the WHO recommend a rush to ventilators which killed thousands of Westerners?
• When it was widely realized that the New Zealand Department of Health had based their recommendations based on information from Chinese journals, the references were deleted.

The common thread was that unverified reports and claims from Communist China were used by Western “scientist” and “leaders” to create public policies which were disastrous and non-effective. Where was the checking for accuracy, the due diligence that we should expect from those who handle the levers of power over our lives? As time goes on, will more revelations become known, and we ever hear one apology for massive public policy failures? Of course not, for being in government, and increasing it appears in science, means never having to say, “I’m sorry, I failed.” https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/masked-ball-cowardice

It is amazing that we are lectured to “follow the science” but on the issue of masks, there seems to be an amazingly small amount of actual scientific evidence. What there is, is often politicalized and of poor quality when examined. Follow the link below to an excellent article which reviews numerous studies, both good and bad regarding the value of masks. https://www.city-journal.org/do-masks-work-a-review-of-the-evidence