Done

If you leave, I won't cry
I won't waste one single day
But if you leave, don't look back
I'll be running the other way
--OMD

I'm off Twitter (TWTR). While it has been a useful resource for news and info, TWTR's censoring policies and left leaning political antics are unacceptable to me.

I've joined Parler which certainly is a lot...quieter. Am also beginning to visit a couple of alternative news sites to stay updated on current events.

no position

Why Now?

We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
--Buffalo Springfield

Using the Ireland situation as context, Ivor Cummins presents data that reinforces the lunacy of lockdowns.

His primary question is one I've been wondering for weeks? Why the emphasis on lockdowns now?

The answer is almost surely political.

Twitter the Censor

I'm wide awake
And I can see the perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn
--Natalie Imbruglia

A few years back I quit Facebook in part due to FB's questionable practices regarding sharing of user data. I am now having similar thought regarding Twitter. Twitter, along with Facebook and Google, has been engaging in blatant censoring of speech that they do not agree with.

BREAKING: Twitter has suspended the account of White House coronavirus advisor Scott Atlas. https://t.co/H2xwTnJoUG

— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) October 18, 2020

My dilemma is that Twitter has been a good source of news, info. But their blatant censoring practices conflict with my sense of liberty. And am I reinforcing Twitter's sense of legitimacy by continuing to patronize their site?

I will decide soon.

Give God Everything

Balian of Ibelin: How much is Jerusalem worth?

Saladin: Nothing...everything!
--Kingdom of Heaven

In today's gospel (Matthew 22:15-21), Jesus is once again confronted by the Pharisees seeking to trick Him. Like today's intellectuals, the Pharisees sought to trap people in their words.

Approaching Jesus with Roman representatives in tow, the Pharisees asked Jesus opinion about the lawfulness of paying taxes to Caesar.

Jesus reprimanded them for being the hypocrites that they were, and then asked to see a Roman coin. "Whose image is this?" Christ asked. "Caesar's," they said.

"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Today many people, modern day Pharisees assuredly, hold up this passage as proof that Jesus condoned taxation and statism.

No way. Christ understood the sticky situation that he was in and that he needed to choose his words carefully.

To His followers, Christs words are easily construed to mean this: Give nothing to the state that it does not rightfully own (which is very little, if anything). Give everything that you own to God.

Disguises

It's easy to deceive
It's easy to tease
But hard to get release
--Billy Idol

Nice article discussing mask mechanics in the context of virus protection. Simply mind-boggling how far we've veered from true science.

Article should serve as nice future reference.

Is It Time?

"Their prophet says 'submit.' Jesus says 'decide.'"
--Sybilla (Kingdom of Heaven)

The Judge's 'what ifs' are centered around the idea of let the people decide. Free will.

But at the end, he asks a particularly interesting series of what ifs:

"What if when government tramples our rights, we alter or abolish it? What if the time to do that is coming? What if that time is here?"

I have been wondering that myself.

Crimes Against Humanity

"This trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men--even able and extraordinary men--can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination."
--Judge Dan Haywood (Judgment at Nuremberg)

The president's new health advisor is beginning to assert himself. Not only are lockdowns unconscionable and reckless,

#FactsMatter Lockdowns are a luxury of the rich. It is the working class and the poor whose lives are destroyed by prolonged lockdowns. Unconscionable and reckless to ignore that in order to naively focus on eliminating asymptomatic "cases". https://t.co/1Yrt7CPXxP

— Scott W. Atlas (@SWAtlasHoover) October 14, 2020

they can be seen as crimes against humanity.

This lockdown IS a crime against humanity. I can’t wait to watch the class action litigation unfold. https://t.co/YTaYPQs2ie

— Stacey Rudin (@stacey_rudin) October 14, 2020

Let's hope that those crimes are properly litigated.

Wear Mask, Get Virus

Soldier in gas mask: Are you ok, sir?
Roy Neary: Yeah, I'm fine. And the only gas around here is from you guys farting around!
--Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Study recently posted on CDC site reports that masks are not effective at preventing positive CV19 cases, even among those who consistently wear masks. The July study conducted in the US compared the reported habits of 154 patients who tested positive for CV19 to a control group of 160 non CV19 patients from the same health care facility.

Over 70% of the case patients tested positive despite reporting that they 'always' wore a mask in public. About the same percentage of control patients also reports that they always wore a mask in public.

An additional 14% of CV19 positive patients reported that they 'often' wore a mask in public, implying that about 85% of positive case patients wore masks all or most of the time.

Only 4% of the case positive patients reported that they 'never' wore a mask. As shown in the table above, the p-value associated with the difference in reported face mask use between CV positive patients and control group is insignificant (p = 0.86).

Relatively small sample at a single facility to be sure, but another brick in the wall of evidence against mask efficacy.

Unfortunately, most who favor superstition over science certainly will.

Ultimate Disruptor

"They've got a lotta trouble on that ship."
--Admiral Bates

During the CV19 shutdown this past spring, the local Reds TV affiliate replayed the great 1975 World Series vs the Red Sox. 

I was watching Game 5 with the Reds up 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th. Joe Morgan led off. Sox starter Reggie Cleveland got ahead on the count. Morgan, who had the best eye in the game, took a couple of close ones for balls--the last one on a 3-2 count that had both Cleveland and catcher Carlton Fisk complaining about a missed strike call.

Down at first, Morgan took his characteristic huge lead off the bag with his right foot far out of the sliding pit onto the astro turf carpet. Cleveland picked to first, again and again--a couple of times almost uncorking wild ones. Completely distracted, Cleveland served a fat one to next hitter Johnny Bench, who promptly lined a hit to right center field. Challenging RF Dwight Evans' cannon arm, Morgan rounded second and headed for third--which he took with a headfirst slide and a cloud of dust. Bench went to second on the throw.

Clearly rattled, Cleveland now looked in at Tony Perez, who had already homered earlier in the game. A couple pitches later, Perez deposited a Cleveland fastball into the seats in left centerfield, blowing the game open.

Watching the inning unfold, I was thinking one thing: that was consummate Joe Morgan. He could wreak havoc in so many ways. The ultimate disruptor. The true driving force of the Big Red Machine.

Joe Morgan passed away today at age 77. We'll miss you, Little Joe.

WHOs Next

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
--The Who

After waffling back and forth over the past few months, the World Health Organization (WHO) appears to be taking firm stand against lockdowns. The organization's concern is the economic consequences of shutting production and trade.

W.H.O. Condemns Coronavirus Lockdowns, Just 'Doubling' Global Poverty https://t.co/X6nZU3klcQ

— Bill Cunningham (@Willie700WLW) October 11, 2020

Although excessive costs of lockdown should have been obvious from the get go, it is good to see this influential agency going public with something truthful for a change.

Who might be next?

Faceless Dystopias

Now all I can do
Love what was once
So alive in you
--Billy Idol

Interesting article associating present day mask wearing with dystopian visions conveyed by Huxley, Orwell, et al over the past century. The defining characteristic of the dystopian literature, proposes the author, is "the eradication of all individuality." 

A lesser known dystopian writer, German Ernst Junger, suggested that the face mask aptly symbolized the mechanistic uniformity of new age society. He wrote in 1932 that masks, at that time being developed for various war, industrial, and sporting functions, would "come to take on functions that we can today hardly imagine."

The author suggests that "our readiness to obscure the face reflects the dehumanising tendencies that, for Junger, underlie the modern period."

Many of the authors thoughts resonate. It does appear, based on my personal observation, that there is a strong, negative correlation between affinity for individualism and propensity for mask wearing. 

Given the ubiquity of mask wearing today, what does this imply about present human capacity to stave off collectivist takeovers similar to those portrayed by dystopian fiction.

Cheesy Masks

Evey Hammond: Who are you?
V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask.
Evey Hammod: Well, I can see that.
V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation. I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
Evey Hammond: Oh...right.
--V for Vendetta

What's one hint that mask mandates are a complete charade? There are no specifications, no performance requirements for masks. 

A mask is a filter. Serious scientific analysis of mask efficacy would study important filtration variables such as mesh size and thickness to determine minimum standards necessary to capture the virus.

So...we have an oppressive regulatory regime in place yet no regulations about what constitutes a 'valid' mask?

People are beginning to push this folly toward completion. 

If you can't get out of wearing the face napkin entirely, here's a good option. https://t.co/a6qsbx0SHn

— Stacey Rudin (@stacey_rudin) October 8, 2020

Wear some cheesecloth, or even coarser netting.

Not fine enough? Why not? Where are the standards and the studies that explain how the requirements were derived?

Lockdown Harm

Feed the babies
Who don't have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Living in the streets
Oh, oh, there's a solution
--Steve Miller Band

No public health official in favor of lockdowns has an intelligent reply to this question: how much will lockdowns cost in terms of human life and suffering?

More folks are beginning to estimate this cost. John Ioannidis of Stanford has written a recent paper lists several possible causes of excess deaths from lockdown measures (Table 1). Note the lengthy time horizons associated with some of these CODs to materialize.

This article cites research by Scott Atlas and others estimating that lockdown deaths from cancer, heart disease, suicide, and other causes could easily add up to more life years lost than from CV19. Moreover, the associated recession could push more than 60 million people into extreme poverty worldwide (that number seems conservative.

A declaration about the hazards of lockdown written by several scientists is attracting worldwide support.

The axiom that people are coming to realize is this. Prosperity (which includes health) depends on production and voluntary trade. Anything that impedes this process makes heath worse, not better. 

Stated differently, lockdowns lead to less production and trade. Less production and trade lead to higher poverty. Higher poverty leads to lower health. 

Courting Michigan

"I'm just a humble country lawyer trying to do the best I can against this brilliant prosecutor from the city of Lansing."
--Paul Biegler (Anatomy of a Murder)

Add Michigan to the list of states taking judicial action to upend government by edict. Looking forward to more state legislatures getting back in session. When legislatures deliberate and discuss issues from various perspectives, then they more accurately represent the people than does a dictatorial governor.

Use the courts to get states back into the hands of legislatures. Into the hands of the people. Back to being a republic.

Siren of Satan

"There will be a day when you will wish that you had done a little evil to do a greater good."
--Sybilla (Kingdom of Heaven)

Difficult to tell if they are being genuine or not, but many pro-lockdowners are questioning what others are complaining about. Except for schools being shut, everything else is pretty much open, they argue.

This is statist mentality. Some of your freedoms still remain, so what's the beef?

The problem, of course is that any restriction on liberty, particularly when made by edict, is unacceptable to people endowed with inalienable rights to liberty.

"C'mon, don't be selfish. Surrender some of your freedom in the name of security. Permit a little evil for the greater good."

Those who know better shun this Siren of Satan, and refuse to make this trade.

Deep State of Public Health

You're in hiding
And you hold your meetings
I can hear you coming
I know what you're after
We're wise to you this time
We won't let you kill the laughter
--Red Rider

The deep state is commonly associated with military, security, and intelligence bureaus. There can be little doubt now that public health agencies should be added to the list of deep state operatives.

Similar to other deep state bureaus, public health officials are unelected governments bureaucrats that can pursue their own agendas with little fear of reprisal. They can retaliate against administrations that threaten their existence. Left unchecked, they can undermine liberty.

Hopefully the last few months have taught us to check the power of the deep state of public health.

Parable of the Landowner

Balian of Ibelin: What becomes of us?
Imad: As you deserve. You reap what you sow. You have heard of this, no?
--Kingdom of Heaven

Today we ponder the Parable of the Landowner (Matthew 21:33-43)--perhaps the most jarring of all parables when the light switches on.

Meeting with political, religious, and intellectual elite, Jesus presents the following parable:

A landowner builds a vineyard and leases it to tenants. He then travels out of town. Because he is still away at harvest time, the landowner sends some servants to the vineyard to obtain his produce. Rather than paying what they owe, the tenants kill the servants.

The landowner then sends more servants, but the tenants kill them as well. 

Finally, the landowner sends his own son, reasoning that he will be respected and the tenants will turn over what is his. Instead, the tenants see this as an opportunity to expropriate the landowner's property by killing the one who was to inherit the vineyard. So they murdered the son.

Christ then turns to the elite and asks them what the landowner should do to those tenants upon his return to the vineyard. 

Paraphrasing their response: "He should kill every one of those sons of bitches and find new tenants who will be loyal and productive."

I wonder if the elitists stopped right there...and saw the light.

Gibby

Billy Chapel: Don't crowd me, Sam. I hate being crowded.
Vin Scully: So, one and two the count, and, whoops, Tuttle has really moved up on the plate. He's all over the plate right now.
Billy Chapel: Now you got the idea (in response to catcher's signal for up and in pitch).
Vin Scully: Uh-oh, down goes Tuttle! What a knockdown pitch that was! There's a message being delivered.
--For Love of the Game

The first World Series that I remember is the 1967 Fall Classic between the St Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Cards pitcher Bob Gibson threw games 1, 4, and 7. He won all three, throwing complete games in each and giving up only one run in 27 inning pitches while striking out 26. He also added a home run at the plate on his way to being named the series MVP.

This was Gibson's second World Series MVP, btw. In 1964 he led the Cardinals to a seven game series win vs the Yankees. He started three games in that series as well--striking out 31 in 27 innings pitched.

In 1968 the Cardinals returned to face the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. There was Bob Gibson again, throwing three complete games while striking out 35. Unfortunately, the Cards lost game 7 when a fly ball was misplayed by centerfielder Curt Flood.

His lifetime World Series stats: 3 series, 9 games started, 8 complete games, 7-2 record, 81 innings pitched (9 game x 9 innings/game), 92 strikeouts, 1.89 ERA.

Gibson also pitched one of the first games I saw at Crosley Field. Gazing from behind Crosley's bulletproof backstop behind home plate, I marveled at Gibson as he spun like a top off the mound toward first base after his delivery.

As fierce a competitor that you'll ever see ('up and in' never a prob for him), Bob Gibson passed away yesterday at the age of 84.

RIP Gibby.

Coroner Report

"We are being detoured into the land of make-believe."
--Horatio Caine (CSI: Miami)

Milwaukee coroner suspects at least one fifth of CV19 deaths have been misclassified. Like Alex Berenson, I sense that is likely on the lower bound of error here.

The Milwaukee coroner says about 20 percent of #COVID deaths in his county are misclassified and not due to the virus (not sure if this includes death certificate matching, which typically happens at the state level). 20 percent is likely the minimum.https://t.co/HEXHPg9FOB

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) October 2, 2020

Adds more to the notion of auditing death certificates to determine count accuracy.

Old Decisions

Give me your answer
Fill in a form
Mine for evermore
--The Beatles

"We must protect the elderly." Nearly everyone assumes that rules must be enforced to limit old people's exposure to the virus.

I deliver to nursing homes and I've been trying to tell people this. The #1 thing residents tell staff: "I want to see my family". Seems obvious that when you have little time left anyway, quality is more important than quantity. Stop assuming what the elderly want and ask them. https://t.co/2bfFGaFvPH

— Orange Hats Save Lives (@luther_snell) September 28, 2020

But the older you are, the less time you have left. Do you really want to spend your remaining days isolated from those people that mean the most to you?

This is not the choice for regulators. It is a choice for the old and their loved ones.