Month: September 2021

The headline of the article read:

“COVID-19 Cases Rise Sharply Among Children as School Year Starts”

OMG! The implication here is that we are in the midst of a tragically bad situation.

The article continues:

Since the pandemic began, children have represented 14.8 percent of total cases, but for the week ending Aug. 26, that percentage jumped to 22.4 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.(AAP)

While child COVID-19 cases declined in early summer, they have ‘increased exponentially’ recently, with more than a fivefold increase in the past month, according to the academy.

At this point I thought, “Is this really unusual and a cause for alarm?” With the kids going back to school wouldn’t it be expected to have the percent  increasing, especially considering that for much of the last school year, many, if not most of their classes were online … meaning that the children were not mixing with each other.

The AAP continued, “the trend is concerning as the delta variant may pose a greater danger to children, most of whom are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines. Note the key word in this statement is “may.” In other words the AAP doesn’t know if the delta variant poses a greater risk to children.

Hidden at the end of this article:

“At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children,” the AAP report concluded. “However, there is an urgent need to collect more data, etc.

It seems to me that the AAP not only does not know if there is any greater risk to children, but even when they come out and and say “that severe illness is uncommon in children,” they cannot leave it at that but rather feel obliged to add … “there is an urgent need to collect more data.”

Perhaps a more honest headline should read:

“Despite increased incidence of Covid in children, due to the delta variant, severe illness remains uncommon.”

9/20/21

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Back on 8/26/21 I wrote a piece in which I said that a lot of Democratic politicians have no compulsion about cheating (“Just Another Way of Cheating”). This article was primarily about vote by mail, and the inherent skullduggery that goes along with. Notice that I did not say “potential skullduggery,” but rather inherent skullduggery. Ballot harvesting, dead people voting, illegals voting, double and triple voting by a single individual, and the “altruistic” filling out of ballots for those who do not know one candidate from another. Of course a lot of Democrats are all-in for unlimited voting by mail because, as pointed out back on 8/26/21, to them the end justifies the means. In other words they are inclined to do evil.

However I just read an article from The American Thinker by Andrew Coy that disagrees with my basic tenet. He says that they are not just inclined to do evil, but in fact … are evil!!

He starts off as follows:

“The only way to explain what is coming from the placeholder at the White House and the Deep State elites is that they are just evil.  They are doing what they’re doing because they are evil.  No other answer makes sense.”

Mr. Coy then details over twenty examples of why they must be evil.

He then closes with:

“These people are not dumb, not stupid, nor illiterate; that’s not it.  They know exactly what they are doing.  The only thing that can explain these unexplainable decisions is…?  evil. The answer of evil makes the only sense, nothing else does.  I do wish there’s different answer.  But there’s none.”

I highly recommend that you read his entire article.

I guess I have to apologize to Mr. Coy for my initial piece back on 8/26/21, because at this point I have to agree that the President and the Deep State elites, pure and simple … are EVIL. 

9/19/21

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The following is from The Supremes 1978 song, The Happening:

“One day you’re up, then you turn around

You find your world is tumbling down

It happened to me, and it can happen to you”

I bring this salient chorus up because of what is happening in The House and Senate with the upcoming 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, and am suggesting that the Dems pay attention to some of the lyrics of The Happening.

What is happening in Europe today could be a preview of what could happen in the US, if the progressive climate czars have their way. As perhaps many of you already know, many parts of Europe have succumbed to the “going green is best for everybody” nonsense, and, of course, what is happening in Europe is entirely predictable.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“Energy prices are soaring in Europe. … Blame anti-carbon policies of the kind that the Biden Administration wants to impose in the U.S. (emphasis in the following is mine)

Electricity prices in the U.K. this week jumped to a record £354 ($490) per megawatt hour, a 700% increase from the 2010 to 2020 average. Germany’s electricity benchmark has doubled this year. Last month’s 12.3% increasewas the largest since 1974 and contributed to the highest inflation reading since 1993. Other economies are experiencing similar spikes.

“Europe’s anti-carbon policies have created a fossil-fuel shortage. Governments have heavily subsidized renewables like wind and solar, and shut down coal plants to meet their commitments under the Paris climate accord. But wind power this summer has lagged, so countries are scrambling to import more fossil fuels to power their grids.

“European natural-gas spot prices have increased five-fold in the last year. Some energy providers are burning cheaper coal, but its prices have tripled.”

Hmmm! Dramatic rises in the costs of energy. Now needing to import more fossil fuels, because wind power is notreliable. Who would have thunk it?! Who could have predicted that this would happen? … Actually anyone with a modicum of common sense could have foreseen what is now happening in Europe.

As an honest European might today might say the same as The Supremes had sung:

“It happened to me, and it can happen to you”

The WSJ op-ed continues:

“Americans are already feeling the pain of rising energy prices. Electricity and utility gas prices were up 5.2% and 21.1%, respectively, over the last 12 months in August. Higher energy costs are bleeding into inflation. Some analysts predict that gas prices could double this winter if U.S. production doesn’t increase and global demand remains high.

Europe is showing the folly of trying to purge CO2 from the economy. No matter how heavily subsidized,renewables can’t replace fossil fuels in a modern economy. Households and businesses get stuck with higher energy bills even as CO2 emissions increase. Europe’s problems are a warning to the U.S., if only Democrats would heed it.”

However to many Dems their infatuation with green energy is a love affair. Hopefully soon their “pie in the sky”  thought processes will evolve and like the Europeans they will pay attention to the other lyrics of  “The Happening!”

“I was sure, I felt secure

Until love took a detour

Yeah, riding high on top of the world

It happened, suddenly it just happened

I saw my dreams fall apart

When love walked away from my heart”

The Supremes continue with the lyrics of The Happening:

“Now I see life for what it is

It’s not all dreams, ooh, it’s not all bliss

It happened to me and it can happen to you”

Europe is being led out of their green dreamland …watch out US! 

9/18/21

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We have all had our experiences with temper tantrums. Some our own, but mostly the temper tantrums are those of others. Think back. Do they ever work? Okay, okay … let me rephrase that … Do they usually work? Think of the young child demanding a special treat that isn’t deserved. Think of the teenager demanding that his curfew be extended. Think of the young executive demanding that his boss change the modus operandi of the company to better suit his schedule. 

Think about a President of the US throwing a temper tantrum, which is what Joe Biden did last week when unveiling his new vaccine mandates.

Here are some excerpts from that temper tantrum:

Biden: “It’s not about freedom or personal choice.”

Actually I had always thought that America was all about freedom and personal choice. Is he implying that his other favorite, abortion is no longer about personal choice? … or is he saying that when it’s my own personal choice against his personal choice, then his personal choice always wins! 

Biden: “We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated coworkers.” Is he implying here that the vaccine is not protective? If so is he saying that everyone must get the vaccine, even though it is not effective at what it was designed for? Is this not a glaring example of circular nonsensical reasoning?

Biden: “If these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as president to get them out of the way.” Now this is the real Joe Biden -the vindictive Joe Biden … “my way or the highway. How dare anybody disagree with me!!” It appears that with his rationing of monoclonal antibody distribution, that “using his power of the presidency” is already underway.

What ever happened to his spiel on “unity?”

While temper tantrums by a President seem glaringly non-presidential, one might ask why J.B. is going out of way to piss off a lot of people. The answer is really quite simple … he I trying to get the press coverage away from his recent failures, Afghanistan, inflation, gas prices, the border, etcetera. Note that all of these recent failures are now off of the front pages.

9/17/21

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Per chance, I happened on this today. The Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) was put forth almost a year ago, on October 4, 2020. I cannot recall if at that time, I read it or not, but when I read it today, I was gratified that it said mostly what I have been saying since the beginning of this pandemic. Important to note, that the GBD was published prior to the availability of the vaccinations, and with the resurgence of the delta variant, and the waning effectiveness of the vaccines, it is appearing more and more prescient. I think that it is safe to say that very few had the foresight to predict the present leakage of the vaccines with an increasing percent of hospitalizations and deaths occurring in vaccinated individuals.

Obviously all are invited to read the GBD in its entirety, but what follows is a summary of its main thrust (and parenthetically my main thrust for over a year):

The Great Barrington Declaration 

– As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection. 

-Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health – leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice. 

-As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all – including the vulnerable – falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity – i.e.  the point at which the rate of new infections is stable – and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity.

-The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this Focused Protection. 

-Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.

Rereading this,I say, “Right on!”

After a full year of misguided approaches, like lockdowns, stopping all kid’s sports, closing schools to in-person teaching, closing restaurants, barber shops, churches, etc, society is now sneaking back up on what used to be normal. The hooker here, however, is the increasing waning effectiveness of the vaccines. I continue to say that there should be a relaxing of preventative measures in those with minimal risk from Covid, namely in all students up to and through college. Stop vaccinating high school students, and do not start vaccinating kids less than twelve years of age. And most of all, stop the incessant and punitive wearing of masks in schools and especially in the classrooms.

9/16/21

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Last night I had a bizarre and unusual dream … or perhaps I should call it a nightmare. It was about WWIII. Yes you read that right. WWIII. No, my nightmare hadn’t yet gone into details about who won and how, but common sense could certainly predict the final outcome was not going to be good for either side.

In the morning I asked myself, “Why did I now dream about WWIII?” The answer became intuitively obvious once I thought about it. Joe Biden … Joe Biden … and of course Joe Biden, who will figuratively turn out to be the Neville Chamberlain of the twenty-first century. With his botching of the Afghanistan withdrawal, he has certainly chiseled his place in history. Because of his obvious incompetence in Afghanistan, the enemies of the US will be rightfully emboldened. This will lead to nothing but trouble as the military “leaders” that J.B. has installed can only encourage those enemies who had been too timid to challenge the US in the past.

Also think about where Afghanistan geographically lies … right next to Pakistan which is adjacent to Iran. Pakistan has nuclear weapons and, if J.B. has his way, Iran will soon follow suit. In this nightmare, I envisioned the following countries on each side.

The bad guys: China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran including all of its lap-dogs in the Mideast.

The good guys: USA, India, Taiwan, and Israel.

Notable neutrals included the European Union (who JB appreciably pissed off with his clandestine secret Afghan exit), Japan, and South Korea,(both too close geographically to China and Russia), Canada (especially with Justin Trudeau at the helm), and Australia/New Zealand (still paralyzed by its Covid lockdown).

Who won? 

As is often the case with dreams, the conclusion was fuzzy. All I can say for sure, is that there must have been a happy ending as J.B. and his incompetent appointees were no longer on the scene.

What happened? … Let your mind wander.

9/15/21

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Last week the University of Georgia’s football team had quite a quandary  …  multiple cases of Covid. We’re they going to be able to field a team?

I can already hear the multiple choruses of: “It serves those young anti-vaxers right. What do they think was going to happen!”

The problem, however, may represent a new at risk group as all of the COVID-19 football cases were among people who were fully vaccinated on a team where nearly everyone had received the jabs. The news of the infections not only has the coach in a quandary about who on his roster will be available to play this weekend, but it should also raise a number of questions. 

College football players are young (18-23 y/o), and in great shape  … maybe with the exceptions of the kickers and the water-boys. In other words their risk from Covid is minimal. Where did all of these vaccinated young men get the virus? Did they get the virus from the team (Clemson) they played the prior weekend? Did one player get the virus from outside of the team confines and then spread it to all of his teammates? If that were the case, that’s a very impressive, amazingly fast spread in young vaccinated individuals. Are these Georgia football players better off in the long run now that they have tested positive for the virus?

A related story that I just heard it eerily similar to that of that of the Georgia football team. This involved a family of five … the parents in their forties, and three sons ages 10, 13, and 15. All except the ten year old had been double Pfizer vaccinated, and lo-and -behold all came down with Covid. The ten year old had not been vaccinated because of his young age. Only the mother had a significant course having to go to the emergency room, but now everyone is okay. Again as with the football team, how did this transpire? Did one of the boys bring it home from school, or did one of the parents unwittingly bring the virus into the house? Either way the spread was rapid, just like with the Georgia football team. The spread was also all inclusive, irrespective of vaccination status.

However, more important at this point in time, similar to the Georgia football team, are all five of this family’s members better off in the long run now that they have had the real deal?

The other day Biden said that he wanted “to protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated,” yet in these two instances perhaps we should ask how to protect the vaccinated from the vaccinated!

9/14/21

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As I have pointed out many times in the past I am not an anti-vaxer. I was one of first ones to stand in line getting my vaccine when it was initially available way back in February. However, I do respect those who are anti-vaccine for whatever reason. Not getting the jab is a personal choice that individuals should be allowed to make. Yes, apparently they are putting themselves in a higher risk category … so be it.

How many of these individuals have actually had Covid? How many of these individuals think that they have already had Covid, and are resisting vaccination because … “why get vaccinated against something I have already had?” If an individual already had documented measles, mumps, or chicken pox would it not make sense to avoid getting a vaccine for something that he/she already has the natural immunity?

It is incredulous to me that recently when the eminent Dr. Fauci was asked about ‘natural immunity after having Covid,’ he tap-danced.  During an interview on “Anderson Cooper 360,” CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked Fauci about a study done in Israel that found natural immunity from previous COVID-19 infection conferred longer-lasting protection against the Delta variant of coronavirus than two shots of the Pfizer vaccine.

“You know, that’s a really good point, Sanjay. I don’t have a really firm answer for you on that,” Fauci replied.

This amazing answer is worth repeating in common every day language that we can all understand. This study found that natural immunity was longer lasting than the immunity conferred by the vaccine. Basically the person who has been telling us what to do and what not to do for over a year and a half is saying that as far as the effect of natural immunity in Israel … “I don’t know!!” It seems to me that an honest person with his wealth of knowledge on this issue could have elaborated, but of course, this would have been against the party line. 

For those who are unaware, the Israeli researchers specifically addressed the durability of natural immunity compared to vaccine immunity, writing that their study demonstrated “natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant” than does the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.

According to a report from Science magazine’s Meredith Wadman, “The natural immune protection that develops after a SARS-CoV-2 infection offers considerably more of a shield against the Delta variant of the pandemic coronavirus than two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a large Israeli study.”

If this finding is sustained, could not a positive Covid antibody test be better than a vaccine in those who have not been vaccinated? Perhaps instead of mandating vaccines for just about everybody, doing antibody testing could demonstrate that a large percent of the non-vaccinated population is already immune. If our government can abandon multi-billions of dollars of armaments in Afghanistan, certainly it could afford to subsidize a single antibody test for those who think that they already have had Covid.

About two weeks ago I penned a similar idea in a letter to the editor of my local liberal “newspaper.” Recognizing that their position is … “those who have not been vaccinated are BAD people,” I was not surprised that my letter was not printed.

9/13/21

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When the President says something that is the opposite of something that he said before, should we just attribute it to his senile forgetfulness? 

Certainly it is more than just J.B’s unwitting absent-mindedness when the White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki does the same thing. Did she also “just forget?”

Follow me here:

On 9/9/21 President Joe Biden announced new vaccine mandates. 

This  is not merely a mandate for federal employees and contractors, who White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki explained must be vaccinated or could be fired. The president is also expected to direct his Department of Labor, using Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to issue a new rule mandating that private employers with more than 100 workers have a vaccine mandate or have their employees submit to testing at least once a week. Such a rule could carry with it a $14,000 fine for each violation.

From Michael Chapman CNSNews:

“While speaking in Wilmington, Del., on Dec. 4, 2020, Biden was asked whether COVID vaccinations should be mandatory.  He said, “No, I don’t think it should be mandatory. I wouldn’t demand it to be mandatory.”

He added, “Just like I don’t think masks have to be made mandatory nationwide.” 

“I’ll do everything in my power as president of the United States to encourage people to do the right thing and when they do it, demonstrate that it matters,” said Biden.

On 9/9/21 did J.B. just forget what he forcefully said on 12/4/20? Take notice in his 12/4 statement that he emphasized “everything in my power.”

What about Psaki. Did she just forget what she recently said about the role of the federal government in issuing mandates?

Psaki herself told a reporter during a July 23 press conference–mere months ago–that issuing mandates is “not the role of the federal government.” Rather, it “is the role that institutions, private-sector entities, and others may take. That certainly is appropriate. Also, local communities are going to take steps they need to take in order to protect people in their communities. What our role is and what we are going to continue to do is make the vaccine available.”

Hmmm! There seems to be a lot of “forgetting” these days at the White House.  However, keep in mind that to “forget” implies that it is unintentional. A lot of forgetting? … I would say, “no,” but there does seem to be a lot of lying!

Hopefully the American people will not forget that J.B. lies to us … especially those Americans who voted for Biden!

9/12/21

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I just read a proposal to start “Universal Service For America” by Marvin L. Covault, Lt. Gen U.S. Army, retired. Basically his concept is meant as a plan to address five basic big time problems in America. The subject is compulsory national service for all 18-year-old Americans.

He starts with a short list of youth-related issues that will continue to plague this nation far into the future unless bold steps are taken now. From his proposal these issues include:

a.  GANGS:  The FBI reports, “Some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs with about 1.4 million members are criminally active in the U.S. today.

The average number of members per gang is reportedly 42.  About half of all homicides in the U.S. are gang related.  The Justice Department reports that, “The average age of gang members arrested in the U.S. is 17 or 18.” 

b. DROP-OUTS AND ILLITERACY: On average 7,000 students drop out of school every day; 90% of them end up on welfare. Nationally, 68% of all males in prison do not have a high school diploma.

An education system in which more than half of students entering 9th grade either drop out or graduate incapable of further education or satisfactorily performing in the private sector or the military is unsatisfactory. 

c. YOUTH OBESITY: It’s a common, serious, and costly disease.  From 2000 to 2020 obesity in the U.S. population increased from about 30% to 45% while severe obesity doubled.  Half of the obesity problem is with adolescents aged 12-19 years.

d. CULTURE: America is drowning in a culture of hate and blame.  A year of character development can change young adults and henceforth, transform America.

e. RACE: There is no way to explicitly measure the state of race relations in the United States, but they are at least not what they should be.  Babies are not born bigoted, disrespecting, or hateful.  While growing up they learn it at home, in school, on the playground and in the street.

f. WELFARE:  It is a fact that the more education one completes, the less likely they are to be on welfare. About 32 million households, or 27.1%, benefit from one or more of the following:  Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized lunches, public housing, unemployment, and some sort of direct cash assistance.  

Be forewarned this article by Lt. Gen Covault is long, complicated, and detailed. If you have ten minutes you should read it in its entirety for yourself. 

What brought this to mind is a recent headline in The Chicago Sun Times:

“Labor Day weekend violence in Chicago: 4-year-old boy killed, seven other children wounded, total of 66 shot, 6 killed” But this was small time compared to the 4th of July weekend headline:

“Chicago’s most violent weekend of 2021: 104 shot, 19 of them killed. 13 kids among the wounded”

Keep in mind that violence in Chicago is not just on holiday weekends. The weekend before Labor Day, at least six people were killed and 50 others wounded in citywide gun violence. To me the difference this past Labor Day weekend was that these shootings were not just in “bad neighborhoods,” as one was downtown in the Loop and one was on a Gold Coast walking trail.

Everyone knows that the majority of these shootings are related to gangs, whose members are young, angry, uneducated, and most likely either on or soon to be on welfare. This profile of individuals sounds exactly like what “Universal Service for America” is aimed at. Would this work? Is it possible or mere fantasy?

Either we do nothing or we desperately try something! 

9/11/21

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