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The Fall of Logic (a VIRUS story)

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UPDATED ON AUG 17th, 2020

This post is brought to you by Pepsi. That’s what I like (that’s wrong with America)

A Look at Peru (update Aug 17th)

Peru: one of the longest lockdowns in the world due to COVID. Here’s a little data in relation to the impact and effectiveness of their lockdown.

Not only was the lockdown not effective in relation to preventing death, it might have played another sinister role in the lives of many of Peru’s female population. Last week, Peru’s women’s ministry said 1,200 women and girls had been reported missing during the pandemic. – Aljazeera

Youth & Masks (update on July 13th)

Coronavirus death counts

I’m not in favor of making a statement by not wearing a mask. If society wants you to wear a mask… get over it. It’s similar to how I feel about swearing. What even is swearing? We just decided a few words are so bad that we shouldn’t say them in front of children and ye elderly? That doesn’t even make any sense. BUT – here’s the thing… I don’t swear. I mean… unless I slam my head into a metal rafter in the barn I’m working in… different story.

I know these times are a changin’ but most people made a conscious decision to limit swearing… That power FFFFFF when you’re reeeeeeally mad, most of society holds back, so do I. Not because that word will hurt someone, we just do it cause we decided to do it (collectively).

Do I believe wearing a mask to walk in to a bowling alley then taking it off when you start bowling is going to protect society… Uh… no. Do I believe standing 6 feet away from someone in the store will prevent illness… Uh… no. However, society has collectively decided that’s important. Thinking your freedom is being taken away by wearing a mask is equivalent to believing you have no more freedoms cause you shouldn’t swear openly at church.

The reality to me (my opinion) is that masks are useless, social distancing is useless. Utterly useless. What’s not useless: limiting sugar, getting ample sunlight, being active, smart eating, and being young. Now, if we were wearing masks to prevent drinking diet coke and eating Doritos, we’d be on to something.

On the BEING YOUNG front, let’s talk about the current facts on youth and COVID:

  • 1yr & under – 9 deaths
  • Ages 1-4 – 7 deaths
  • Ages 5-14 – 14 deaths
  • Ages 15-24 – 149 deaths

We’re learning spread and viral load in youth is very low. We’re learning that participation rate by distance learning is low. We’re learning suicide rates are increasing in nearly every demographic and age group. Closing down our children’s society is NOT the positive answer to ANY question.

The REAL questions I have… When does this end? Will it ever end? Why isn’t taking responsibility for your personal health and well being the goal?

Protests and New Cases (update on June 24th)

Flatten the curve > increasing death rate > and now cases of new virus activity (the narrative keeps shifting) … I’m just over here worried about further imposed regulations eroding civil liberty. It’s June 24th – I started documenting my fears of government overreach due to this VIRUS awhile ago. I took a look at the data coming out of NY – we’re 1 day away from 4 weeks since the protestors hit the streets in the Big Apple – and the growth of cases has dramatically decreased.

A roller coaster of emotions tied to what to do about the VIRUS. Turns out reality has finally sunk in and our Government overreacted, the social warriors overreacted, the news overreacted (cause we let it)… the outcome from those changes WILL turn out to be worse than the actual VIRUS. The argument “profits over lives” is an outright lie, completely misleading, and sick. The fact that all the social warriors were promoting a flatten the curve campaign but somehow have accepted something more (with ease) is troubling… thus my kind king, a blog post.

For me, I’ll wear a mask in public, to be kind, no need to be a donkey. I stood in line (with a lot of people) at Home Depot, waiting for my turn to buy some lumber. Then I stood in line again to checkout, I was close to people both entering and leaving. I’ve never been so close to other customers in a Home Depot in my entire life (and I spend trillions of dollars there so I should know). Home Depot basically outlines the failed state of things. The plan is flawed and we’re all going to pay.

This also outlines how inept everyone was (and probably is right now)

Seriously people!

Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology

Here’s an outline of what Sunetra Gupta, a Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford believes:

  • “In almost every context we’ve seen the epidemic grow, turn around and die away — almost like clockwork. Different countries have had different lockdown policies, and yet what we’ve observed is almost a uniform pattern of behaviour which is highly consistent with the SIR model. To me that suggests that much of the driving force here was due to the build-up of immunity. I think that’s a more parsimonious explanation than one which requires in every country for lockdown (or various degrees of lockdown, including no lockdown) to have had the same effect.”
  • “I think that the epidemic has largely come and is on its way out in this country so I think it would be definitely less than 1 in 1000 and probably closer to 1 in 10,000.”
  • She recommends “a more rapid exit from lockdown based more on certain heuristics, like who is dying and what is happening to the death rates”. 
  • She believes that longer-term lockdown-style social distancing makes us more vulnerable, not less vulnerable, to infectious diseases, because it keeps people unprotected from pathogens:

She’s a lot smarter than me, and she makes sense.

CDC (June 7th Update)

Source – Some people, particularly young and otherwise healthy individuals, who are infected by the coronavirus never develop symptoms or only develop mild symptoms. Others might not develop symptoms until days after they were actually infected.

Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated that the virus could spread from person-to-person contact, even if the carrier didn’t have symptoms. But WHO officials now say that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is not the main way it’s being transmitted. 

“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 at a news briefing from the United Nations agency’s Geneva headquarters. “It’s very rare.”

As with everything… more information is needed. This showcases how “we” can get things wrong AND it can have a detrimental impact to society as a whole.

How about the facts?

As of today (20 May 2020) there have been 93,519 COVID related deaths in the United States. 73% of all deaths were over the age of 65 AND 48.7% of the deaths were in individuals over the age of 75. The life expectancy in the US is 78.6 years old. This means that nearly half of all deaths from COVID are about the age if not older than the life expectancy in the US.

What’s even more troubling is this little stat: 75% had definitive underlying conditions and 24.7% of those who died from the VIRUS it was unknown if they had an underlying conditions or not. Yeah, Gonna go with at least 75 MORE PERCENT of that 24.7% (brain wrinkle).

Why aren’t all the social pro-covid-meme-loving creeps crying for an improved state of health? Why is it all about calling people out? Oh… I know, cause we are a society of lazy people who want to overindulge in treats, Netflix, Amazon purchases, and opinions while sitting around waiting for a pill or a shot to fix all of our problems. #gross

As of May 20th, 2020

Comparing COVID to Heart Disease

If the argument is about saving lives… let’s dive in to reality, you know… actual people dying from actual death.

Heart disease (as for the numbers available as of 2017) saw over 600,000 deaths. This is a higher rate of death than the COVID virus, by far… real far.

It is well known and indisputable that there are several factors that contribute to heart disease, they are:

  • Diabetes
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Physical inactivity
  • Excessive alcohol use

With the same logic as what our Government did to “flatten the curve” why aren’t we:

  • Diabetes (banning sugar and all products containing sugar)
  • Overweight and obesity (forcing people to stop eating excess food)
  • Unhealthy diet. (force people to eat a specific way)
  • Physical inactivity (force people to work out)
  • Excessive alcohol use (prohibition)

We’re not forcing people to “do the right thing to flatten the curve” YES, I know you can be predisposed to heart disease via genetics. However, personal choice plays a significant role (just like it does with COVID19). If you claim the importance of saving lives is the only priority, why stop with a VIRUS? Are we going to force diet and calorie restriction next? The data shows clear trends with those who suffer and die from COVID, personal responsibility plays a VERY large roll in mortality. It’s not opinion, it’s science.

There is clear evidence that OVER 75% of the deaths caused by the VIRUS are in individuals with underlying negative health conditions (and here’s a painful truth: it has to do with the same issues causing heart disease). Yes, it’s a virus and yes a healthy immune system will help you fight it. Getting the VIRUS is NOT a death sentance.

Opioids (say hello to my little secret)

What gets me are social norms that we’ve just accepted. Doctors (IN A BIG WAY) are still prescribing opioids! What the actual heck?

Here’s something we know: pharmaceutical companies are directly tied to tens of thousands of deaths per year. They knowingly make a product that kills people. It can be argued sideways but that’s the actual bottom line: Opioids kill people and we’ve accepted that loss of life in our society so we can have a drug that makes things not hurt.

Why aren’t we flattening the curve when it comes to heart disease or drug addiction?

Our Nobility

We have this noble thought in our society that we’re here to protect others at the cost of hurting someone else. It’s never been more obvious than the last couple of months. We’re claiming (with such limited understanding) that ALL public activities must cease, hugs and affection must cease, spending money the way you want to must cease, whatever the state has deemed “unnecessary” has ceased and may forever die. Nobility has become more of a demand for compliance and less of a service to your fellowmen.

However, all of this “nobility” has a very dark side:

If you ain’t woke!

Suicide

Experts are confident that suicide rates will dramatically rise. Conditions stemming from the novel coronavirus — rampant unemployment, isolation and an uncertain future — could lead to 75,000 deaths from drug or alcohol abuse and suicide, new research suggests. (CBS News)

Out yesterday – ‘A Year’s Worth of Suicide Attempts in the Last Four Weeks’. “I think, originally, this was put in place to flatten the curve and to make sure hospitals have the resources to take care of COVID patients,” he explained. “We have the current resources to do that and our other community health is suffering.” – Dr. Mike deBoisblanc, head of trauma at John Muir Medical Center

Livelihood Ripped Away

With having done nothing wrong, real people are having their lives uprooted.

7.5 million small businesses will shut permanently if business disruption caused by Covid-19 continues unabated, according to a new survey from Main Street America

Mental Health Troubles

We’re entering a mental health crisis.Nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.” Just how long will indviduals struggle with mental health stemming from Government’s reaction to the VIRUS? How many relationships will be hurt? How much faith will be lost?

Abuse

What bothers me the most? From NPR:

There has been a rise in the number of minors contacting the National Sexual Assault Hotline to report abuse. That’s according to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which runs the hotline.

By the end of March, with much of the country under lockdown, there was a 22% increase in monthly calls from people younger than 18, and half of all incoming contacts were from minors. That’s a first in RAINN’s history, Camille Cooper, the organization’s vice president of public policy, tells NPR.

Of those young people who contacted the hotline in March, 67% identified their perpetrator as a family member and 79% said they were currently living with that perpetrator. In 1 out of 5 cases where the minor was living with their abuser, RAINN assisted the minor in immediately contacting police.

“As a result of looking at the information that we had from those sessions, it was clear that the abuse was escalating in both frequency and severity,” Cooper says. “So a lot of the kids that were coming to the hotline were feeling pretty vulnerable and traumatized. And it was a direct result of COVID-19, because they were quarantined with their abuser. The abuser was now abusing them on a daily basis.”

Each time you yell from your social pulpit that kids should not leave the house… I hope this haunts you.

Struggling Healthcare

It was to flatten the curve, ensure our hospitals could handle the mass of people that were sure to need solace from the VIRUS in the beginning, that’s what we were told!

I’m no economist but 258 hospitals (as of this writing) are furloughing employees right in the middle of a global health pandemic. Shouldn’t hospitals be brimming?

And this fun headline: Hospitals Got Bailouts and Furloughed Thousands While Paying C.E.O.s Millions

Increased Racism

Being racist means you’re stupid. The people (thanks to this situation) are getting more comfortable in their idiocy. From CBS:

sign displayed at a McDonald’s in Guangzhou, China, read “black people are not allowed to enter” – just one instance of a growing problem in the city. Discrimination based on efforts to contain the coronavirus in China have sparked an outcry in Africa and other places around the world, as the U.S. grapples with its own spike in discrimination against Asians over fears of the disease.

From USATODAY

In California’s Alameda County, a Chinese  American man was screamed at while mowing his lawn. The local prosecutor said the man was told to get out of America. 

In neighboring Santa Clara County, a Vietnamese couple was threatened while in a grocery store. Officials said the man turned his hand into the shape of a gun.

In New York City, people of Asian descent were  assaultedkicked, pushed and accosted on subway trains.

The theme: This virus is your fault.

How is this Political again?

There’s not a benefit for the growth of tribalism in our country. Why is there so much disagreement in a land where life is pretty dang easy? We don’t have to walk outside and worry about an invading army, we don’t starve on a daily basis, we’ve never had it easier than we do today. Yet… here we are making trouble, manufacturing problems.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people would take a look at themselves before shoveling out their opinions on how others should live, be treated, be forced to comply?

Our purpose involves our ability to make personal choices and decide how we treat others.

My Body, My Choice, right? #jeez

Conversation SHOULD be About Health

Talking about personal responsibility and wellness should NOT be taboo. Not sure where to get started, here, I’ll help you:

  • Get Great Sleep (don’t wear a lack of sleep as a badge of honor)
  • Move (you could workout, walk, plant a garden, hunt, anything… just move)
  • Get Ample Sunlight (stop wearing sunscreen unless you’ll burn) YOU NEED vitamin D – Light is medicine and COVID is starting to brightly outline Vitamin D deficiencies in those suffering from the virus.
  • Stop Overindulging with Sugars (learn to control your blood sugar)
  • Fast (take a break from eating all of the time) – Intermittent Fasting is POWERFUL!
  • BONUS: get time in the Sauna & take Cold Showers (Okay, these are just my personal favorites, they’re powerful too).

The Big Picture

  • The mortality rate of the VIRUS is very low in young healthy populations.
  • The majority of deaths caused by the VIRUS are above or near the life expectancy in the United States.
  • Health plays a significant role in mortality rates related to the VIRUS.
  • Suicides, abuse, and mental health are on the rise due to Government’s overreaction.

Please share:

Karen

Sunday 12th of July 2020

I get personal responsibility toward my personal health. I can’t be infected by someone else with diabetes, cancer, obesity, autoimmune disorders or age. I CAN be kind and proactive to protect others around me by simply wearing a mask out in public. The person next to me may be or have have a Family member protecting me & my family with military service, social service, medical service, volunteer service, and or community service. Because I am civic minded and service oriented and compassionate, I wear a mask not for my sake but for the safety and peace of those around me in public. It is the right thing to do at this moment in time..for me. Thank you for your thoughts and the opportunity to share mine. Karen

Rob Benson

Thursday 16th of July 2020

I agree! I wear a mask out of consideration even though I don't "believe" in them. If there are people that DO believe a mask is an effective tool in defense of a virus, I believe as a good citizen of my community, that I SHOULD wear a mask, for them. Thanks for your comment! :)

Derek Sacerdote

Thursday 21st of May 2020

I'm thinking the little section where you started with "why aren't we" was a strawman argument but I wasnt 100% sure. If it is, it's a Very good way to undermine the logic behind all the blaming that's going on (I'm evil because I refuse to stay home) and displaces it onto the choices that people made to become so susceptible to it.

What do you make of these cases they're highlighting on the news: a marathoner, a personal trainer, a gymnast, a bunch of people under 40 with what appear to be healthy lifestyles who came within inches of Death? a small minority? A scare tactic?

Rob Benson

Friday 26th of June 2020

I'd be interested to know specifics about people that die from the virus that are considered healthy... might be hard to know exactly what was going on with their body prior to getting the virus though.