A new scientific review raises additional questions over the science behind the mask mandates imposed on the population for years. The new scientific review by 12 researchers from leading universities found little support for the claims that masks reduced Covid exposures. My interest in the story, as usual, focuses on free speech. Numerous experts were suspended or banned for challenging these very claims and the media labeled any such critics as dangerous or fringe figures. Regardless of your ultimate conclusions on the efficacy of masks, there was clearly a scientific basis to challenge the mask policies. Yet, many people were routinely censored on Twitter and other platforms for daring to challenge the official position on masks.
The Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) initially rejected the use of a mask mandate. However, the issue became a political weapon as politicians and the press claimed that questioning masks was anti-science and even unhinged. In April 2020, the CDC reversed its position and called for the masking of the entire population, including children as young as 2 years old. The mask mandate and other pandemic measures like the closing of schools are now cited as fueling emotional and developmental problems in children.
The closing of schools and businesses was also challenged by some critics as unnecessary. Many of those critics were also censored. It now appears that they may have been right. Many countries did not close schools and did not experience increases in Covid. However, we are now facing alarming drops in testing scores and alarming rises in medical illness among the young.
Masks became a major social and political dividing line in politics and the media. Maskless people were chased from stores and denounced in Congress. Then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a Senate hearing that “face masks are the most important powerful health tool we have.”
However, the new publication reaffirms earlier studies and states that “a new scientific review suggests that widespread masking may have done little to nothing to curb the transmission of COVID.” It added that “wearing a mask may make little to no difference in how many people caught a flu-like illness/COVID-like illness (nine studies; 276,917 people); and probably makes little or no difference in how many people have flu/COVID confirmed by a laboratory test (six studies; 13,919 people).”
It also found little evidence of a difference from wearing better masks and that “wearing N95/P2 respirators probably makes little to no difference in how many people have confirmed flu (five studies; 8407 people); and may make little to no difference in how many people catch a flu-like illness (five studies; 8407 people), or respiratory illness (three studies; 7799 people).”
Again, I expect that these studies will be debated for years. That is a good thing. There are questions raised over the types of studies used and whether randomized studies are sufficient. The point is only that there were countervailing indicators on mask efficacy and a basis to question the mandates. Yet, there was no real debate because of the censorship supported by many Democratic leaders in social media. To question such mandates was declared a public health threat.
The head of the World Health Organization even supported censorship to combat what he called an “infodemic.”
A lawsuit was filed by Missouri and Louisiana and joined by leading experts, including Drs. Jayanta Bhattacharya (Stanford University) and Martin Kulldorff (Harvard University).
Bhattacharya previously objected to the suspension of Dr. Clare Craig after she raised concerns about Pfizer trial documents. Those doctors were the co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for a more focused Covid response that targeted the most vulnerable population rather than widespread lockdowns and mandates. Many are now questioning the efficacy and cost of the massive lockdown as well as the real value of masks or the rejection of natural immunities as an alternative to vaccination. Yet, these experts and others were attacked for such views just a year ago. Some found themselves censored on social media for challenging claims of Dr. Fauci and others.
The media has quietly acknowledged the science questioning mask efficacy and school closures without addressing its own role in attacking those who raised these objections. Even raising the lab theory on the origin of Covid 19 (a theory now treated as plausible) was denounced as a conspiracy theory. The science and health reporter for the New York Times, Apoorva Mandavilli, even denounced the theory as “racist.”
In the meantime, California has moved to potentially strip doctors of their licenses for spreading dissenting views on Covid.
The latest review will not conclusively answer the scientific questions around mask efficacy, but it should answer any lingering questions over the harm of censorship. We never had a serious debate because of the government-corporate-media alliance to snuff out dissenting views on pandemic policies. The result may have been avoidable emotional, economic, and social harm to the population as a whole.
“…a chain-link fence to stop mosquitos…”
“The virus that causes COVID-19 is about 0.1 micrometer in diameter. (A micrometer (µm) is one one-thousandth of a millimeter.) The holes in woven cloth are visible to the naked eye and may be five to 200 micrometers in diameter. It is counter-intuitive that cloth can be useful in this setting — it’s been compared to putting up a chain-link fence to stop mosquitoes. However, that analogy is wrong in many ways.”
– The Conversation.com
(For what it’s worth, I have always carried a canister of Clorox Wipes in whatever vehicle I am in. During seasonal high-infection times, when I come out of a restaurant or store, etc. and get back in the car, I clean out my nostrils with corners of the wipe, then clean my hands with the rest of it. No COVID, no flu, zero colds or virus infections, no stuffy nose, no sneezes/coughs/respiratory symptoms, totally good. Don’t know if there is a nexus or not.
P.S. When COVID was first appearing, I tried putting the wipe over my nose and open mouth and inhaling far into my lungs. Next morning, terrible sore (and red) throat…yikes, won’t do that again.)
(point being made, maybe that’s all it would have taken for most of us, plus the Barrington Declaration for high risk ones.)
Lin,
Dang it, Lin!
You and your common sense!
😉
Upstate: Hey now, don’t make fun of me! Three winters in a row without even a sniffle, and out in the public/active as ever.
But seriously, if we stop and think about it, who made the most $$$ from the vaccines? Originally, I believe it was Pfizer, which got the most publicity/exposure (and reportedly, was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, pharmaceutical contributor to the Biden campaign) Even funnier, I am looking at a box of 50-count unused masks. The outer box says, “Expiration 08 2022.” The outer box also says, “Made in China.” Kind of reminds me of “Mr. Haney” on the old “Green Acres” reruns, which I can watch on “MeTV” (but never watched back then).– Haney, the goofy guy who created the problems, then $sold$ you the solutions.
Lin,
During the height of the COVID hysteria, my local grocery store had masks at the end caps. They also had a disclaimer that masks did not prevent the transmission of COVID.
Yeah, right? Really?
A very apt observation of the connection between the big Pharma and DNC.
Follow the money.
Legitimacy Of Study Unclear
This column is premised on a Fox News story regarding a study by the Cochrane Library entitled, “Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses”.
However a Google search of this title suggests that Fox News is one of the only media companies to report on this study. Yet Johnathan Turley displays the CDC’s logo to ‘illustrate’ this column, suggesting, perhaps, that this study was reviewed by the CDC.
Therefore it is difficult to ascertain how important this study is and how much acceptance it garnered from the science community.
Your argument is absurd. Wow. Some “new Study” might not be credible according to YOU because only Fox news reported on it. As if the study itself was influenced by reverse time effect of Fox later reporting on it.
14 Separate Randomized Control Trials done in the 21st century – 11 Done Before Covid and 3 during Covid have ALL Found that Masks are ineffective against respiratory virus’s.
Cloth masks may actually be detrimental.
So give 14 RCT’s that all agree with the results of this study that only Fox reports YOU jump to the assumption this study is the problem.
There are exactly ZERO RCT’s – that is the gold standard for anything that must be tested in the real world rather than a lab that have found masks effective.
There is not anyone of any political persuasion that does not wish there was some easy magical measure that would thwart Covid, the flu other respiratory virus’s
But wishful thinking is NOT Evidence. It is not science.
And actual science does not become questionable because only Fox reports on it.
It is not like there are not dozens of major stories that Fox has reported on that ultimately proved True that the rest of the MSM reluctantly – if at all reported on months even years later when the were finally unable to avoid Truth.
Masks do not work.
We all wish they had.
But study after study – not just this ONE study have proven they DONT WORK.
Many of hose studies performed BEFORE Covid – so it is not like Fauxi, the CDC, etc did not know that masks were not going to work from the start.
You were lied to, and you continue to trust those who lied to you.
The entire covid event is shrouded in mystery and that is troubling. We need to ask two things: 1) what would have been the harm in disclosing ALL data surrounding this situation? and 2) who is following the money trail as to who and how anyone profited by this total event situation. The fact that so much of the media utilized controls to: limit information and persecuted those who either shared info not on the agenda, or disavowed that info as “misinformation” is also an indicator that something is amiss here. It is my belief that we will never get to the bottom of this since too many people and organizations were involved and they have too much “cover” to be exposed. This is what happens when we do not elect honest people and allow a partisan, unionized bureaucracy, and a corrupt media to prevail unimpeded.
Alma Carman,
Well said.
IF we had a non-biased, objective investigation could prove some very interesting results.
Might be a number of individuals, groups and party that would not look so good.
Yes, Alma, you are a TRUE disciple: you fell for the alt-right theory that mainstream media can’t be trusted, government can’t be trusted, it’s all about money and profits, they’re lying to us, there’s really a cheap cure called “hydroxychloroquine” that they lie about being ineffective because they want to line the pockets of Big Pharma and subjugate us. This is exactly how alt-right media works–sow fear, sow doubt, promote conspiracy theories, tell the disciples not to watch mainstream media because they lie to us. And, you fell for it. It’s sad, really it is. And, yet, over 1 million 100 thousand Americans died, more proportionately than any other country, because we the country was being run by a lying narcissist who cheated to get into office, who was clueless as to what to do about COVID, refused to listen to scientists, pushed for quack “cures”, and deliberately lied about the seriousness of the pandemic when he knew better, all of which caused the country to shut down for almost 2 years. Now, we have a purported “law professor” who is trying to promote the idea tha masks don’t work, not based on valid scientific methodology at all–pushed by a “Fox News contributor” doctor who opposes masks. Turley is not a medical scientist and is being disingenuous when he even suggests that there’s scientific “proof” that masks don’t work–because he’s not relying on valid, controlled studies.
Hydroxychloroquine DOES work. Also, any thoughts on the billions of masks polluting the oceans and waterways?
Gigi — You, as an alleged nurse, should know this: the biggest problem with re-purposed safe and effective drugs like ivermectin (a Nobel prize winning drug) and hydroxycholoroquine, is their threat to the business model of the entire pharmaceutical industry. When big pharma is threatened, they will attack and destroy….with counterfeit “science”, propaganda, lies, censorship. Their tactics are sinister. And well known. Why do you seem to not know this?
If a drug is super safe, effective, and cheap? It must be therefore be destroyed by the pharmaceutical industry to be replaced by the shiny new (and very expensive) drug.
Tell me where I’m wrong, Gigi.
Gigi,
You say: “that mainstream media can’t be trusted” — This is true.
You say: “government can’t be trusted” — This is true.
You say: “it’s all about money and profits” — This is true.
You say: “they’re lying to us” — This is true
You say: “they’re lyig to us about “hydroxychloroquine” — This is true.
You say: “they lie about being ineffective because they want to line the pockets of Big Pharma and subjugate us.” This is true.
So what’s your point?
Gigi – you say: ‘Now, we have a purported “law professor” who is trying to promote the idea tha masks don’t work” — He is a law professor (not a purported one) and masks don’t work. Both of these are true.
So, what’s your point?
Gigi says: “And, yet, over 1 million 100 thousand Americans died, more proportionately than any other country…”
— because of Fauci, et al, and their INTENTIONAL LIES. Only FAUCI, et al. Not Trump — ONLY Fauci, et al.
We The People now know this.
Why don’t YOU?
STOP LYING, Gigi.
Gigi: Seven words for you (and us all) to remember: “Never surrender your weapons to the government.”
2A 4 Eva, Baby!
Of course, they didn’t. Anyone who understands despotism and how to get it knows that.
to be fair, Dr. Turley was NOT really addressing mask efficacy – as he states in the article. the point of all of this is the freedom to express your views. if you’re not aware, there have been many cases, including those cited above, where simply questioning the efficacy of masks will get you fired, banned from social media, and worse – possibly beaten up or threatened. so the ongoing, shrill and painful debate among the ignorant masses, must continue, without censorship. those who cite articles that purport to know the truth are all mistaken, the only truth is: no one can know the truth at this point. these studies were universally rushed and inaccurate, driven by this same need for political fire – and nothing else. it will take years before sufficient data has been compiled, and sufficient rigor has been restored to the wild “scientific” community, such that definitive statements could be made. note that for Covid #1, the arguments, and the research, just dried up – long before the disease was declared “managed”. Why? Because research is driven by funding, and funding is driven by commerce. It might be impossible to return to good science, in a Captial society. One needs to remember that the best intel in this case probably comes from a virologist – not an epidemiologist, or data scientist. outside of that, you can just look around at this point – you will see that when China lifted their draconian lockdowns, a bout of sickness was reported. Do you believe it? Or read Dr, Albert Schweizer. No one escapes a virus. Viruses are smarter than we are. The chances that the droplets will land on that 5″ rectangle covering your nose and mouth, and not your forearm, are unlikely. The chances that you, the person who has covid, will be able to spread those droplets when you sneeze, if you nose and mouth are covered, are slim to none. The chances that people who have covid will take any precaution i.e. are not selfish, are zero to none. All the rest, who are not infected – many quite neurotic – will cover their bodies in hazmat suits. Now is it possible that the neurotic ones might influence the don’t-give-a-shit ones into wearing a mask? Again, not in this culture.
Pfauci’s fraudulent mask-pushing agenda not only intentionally lied to and harmed people, especially children, but it brainwashed the entire populace such that we now have a confused, damaged, and traumatized society — many of whom are still walking around outside with face diapers, afraid to breathe fresh air.
Mission accomplished for The Powers That Be, including the evil little man named Pfauci, who will surely rot in hell.
It was truly sick for the evil little Pfauci to suggest that if one cloth mask was good, two was even better protection. Sick psychopaths enjoy inflicting harm. Force-masking 2 year olds?! Outrageous. Just imagine the power-trip this sick little man was on as he watched his Covidiots walking around with 2 and even 3 masks. A sick lie that inflicted intentional harm on our society by a sick and evil little man.
We call him evil, because Pfauci surely knows the shots are harming and killing people. He knows exactly where the “virus” came from and the harm these shots are doing. Yet he continues to lie. The man is a psychopath. May he rot in hell.
Pfauci also knows the PCR test is a scam.
These mask mandates also give the perps and bad guys an excuse to shield there identities from the good guys.
Which is why Joe Biden wears a mask
😷
Well looky looky here. Covid is still out there and New York is no longer requiring masking. The value of masking as a political tool is no longer effective so the lives of those who become infected are no longer important. The value of masking as a political cudgel is over while Covid is still out there. Their masks have been torn away.
Professor Turley,
I did not find in your column a link to the actual study; when I clicked on your link, it took me to the Fox News story, and none of the links in that story led to the actual article. This is a serious issue, because it raises credibility questions. I would like to circulate your column, which I think is well written, but I need to have the actual citation for skeptics. I will google the Cochrane Library, but I should not have to dig that deep to help promote common sense. I appreciate that you always link the relevant court decisions and legislation in your discussions of those issues Thank you
I posted the same. When I checked, every other source on Google cites, and actually copies, the conclusions from the Fox story. It’s not good when one undeniably incendiary media outlet provides its analysis without the citation, and then this news agency is what is referenced forever after.
Here is the link to the Cochrane study: http://www.cochranelibrary dot /cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full
I have two sources. I mistakenly accept the Pneumonia vaccine and 6 months later I was on my second round of antibiotics because I had bacterial pneumonia. I was also put on oxygen at home. I didn’t like the cannulas because of my sinuses so I asked the O2 provider for a mask. He tells NO. Wearing a mask for long periods can cause blood CO2 levels to rise to a dangerous level.
Further, OSHA tested N95 masks for Asbestos removal. They found that the smaller particles of asbestos could penetrate the mask and was not recommended. Even permitting your workers to use the N95 would result in a fine. Since Viruses are 100’s of times smaller than the smallest asbestos particle, how would the mask protect you? It doesn’t and never did.
The VA still has a mandate but I refuse because once a diagnosis is entered it never goes away, so I point to the COPD some nurse entered into my records and I explain the O2 guy’s warning and they STFU.
I had covid in January of 2020, before anyone was even talking about it (antibody tests confirmed this). I was likely immune the *entire time*, and I have now talked to a great many people who had the same experience (and incidentally, 100% un-boostered, I have not had so much as a sniffle since). I did not die, it was a bad cold, and the hysteria our government and media created around this is unforgivable. Period. I maintain, as it was global, that this was one of the most egregious crimes against humanity in recorded history. Brains, knowledge, and experience went out the window.
The place I live, after all was said and done, had one of the most severe lockdowns in the country (final restrictions ended just shy of a year ago in a STATE with less than 3 million people). I respect people’s right to protect themselves however they see fit, that is their prerogative, but this has all put the entire planet on a course that is going to be tough to reverse. I no longer give any credence to the American democratic party or its tendrils, such as the CDC. And it’s true: unless you are talking about very large bacteria, masks are 100% useless, even if you’re sick. Doctors and surgeons (my father in-law is a surgeon) do this as a precaution in hospitals because hospitals need to be sterile environments for a vast, vast multitude of reasons for a myriad of different patients with different issues, that do not apply to the grocery store). Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze is just as effective.
This was lunacy of the highest order, it destroyed lives, and it can never, ever happen again. I actually imagine if the threat of it happening again materialized, we just might have civil war in every country on earth. These elites really need to go to h***, and right effing now. Humanity writ large is not their pet project. These people are reprehensible in the robber baron sense, and there aren’t actually that many relatively speaking, they just have a sh** load of money and influence, and they do not get to dictate our freedoms to us.
I really thought this would shine a light on the state of our general health, we would improv, and it ended up doing the opposite (exercise and eating sensibly are RACIST now. insanity. Pure insanity). The flexing of authoritarian power isn’t what surprised me. The willing bending to it on the part of so many absolutely did. This abuse of power cannot happen again.
Incidentally, my 80+year-old mother contracted covid about a week ago, She is already over it. People dying from covid were prepped to die from someone blowing too hard in their direction, due to the pisspoor state of their health (but by all means, keep telling our children it’s normal and healthy to be obese, leftists. When I was a kid, this quite literally did not exist as a thing decades ago, except for marginally). The damage done to our society from oldest to youngest, and to our economy,and to our collective mental health is incalculable. It was the exclusive province of American democrats and their minions to push all of this on us. 100%. That they tell me I should now eat grasshoppers while they dine on steak in their private chartered airplanes that use the same damn fossil fuels as my car – they can go to h***.
James,
Awesome comment!
@Upstate
This is why i opposed Obamacare – not because I am against subsidized healthcare; if you break your arm you should be able to get that fixed, an injury should not bankrupt you; but I am not going to pay for the person that eats cheeseburgers three times a day, is 50+ pounds overweight due to *actual* privilege, and has a hard time with what to the rest of the relatively healthy among us, is a cold. Covid was about our general state of health, we ignored that fact and doubled down on the opposite about as much as is humanly possible, and that is yet another thing no one wants to discuss, and that Obamacare failed epically to address, even with the first lady preaching nutrition and doing P90X at that time back then. Take some God****** responsibility for yourself and your life, and at that time we were talking about grown adults that should have known better. My ancestors worked their little backsides off trying to make something of the little they’d been given. I owned my home at the tender age of 40, after a lifetime of paying my dues. Today, children that have it all are literally afraid of raindrops or being corrected in class, and they p*** their pants, quite literally in my wife’s classes, when that occurs, like a puppy. My wife teaches 14 year-olds.
Forgive the typos. I have limited time, I often post at work or on my phone, I seldom have the time to hard edit what I share. It is not due to negligence or a lack of respect for the rest of you all.
When reading comments, I take it as a given most are at work or using some kind of virtual keyboard and not a hard one.
When the grammar Nazis chime in, it shows their lack of critical thinking to make that kind of assumption.
Thank you!
So tell me s@@tlibs, would you trust your health to a covid type mask if you found yourself in a region where Ebola was prevalent?
My guess is ‘no’, but what do I know, I’m a deplorable.
And how many shots has it been now 4 or 5; and they’re never ending. Not what we were told in the spring of 2021…and all for a virus with a survival rate of around 99% and the average age of mortality in the 70’s – 80’s.
I didn’t take the first one and you know what? There is absolutely NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, nor can you hurt me, personally or professionally.
And for those who wanted me fired, unable to travel, visit a doctor, practice my profession, lose my kids…to h@ll with you.
And before you call me one of the slurs s@@tlibs love to use, remember I am Hispanic and a member of a recognized victim group.
antonio
Ditto, except I’m not hispanic.
Maybe one of our morally superior and enlightened s@@tlib friends can explain why I should be FORCED to take a “vaccine” that does not prevent infection or transmission.
In 2021 I was told I had a “moral obligation” to do so and was responsible for “killing” grandma, if I refused.
Well what now? A deplorable anxiously awaits…
antonio
“I have no doubt gummy vitamins are safe and effective. But if you lock me in my house, shut down small businesses, claim indefinite emergency powers, and tell me I can’t work, travel, shop, or go to a restaurant without a pass showing I’m fully-gummied, we have a problem.” –Author Unknown
Let me make it very clear. They destroyed peoples businesses. They destroyed the possibility that a Hispanic man could finally be in the first generation to send his child to college because he was denied a way to make a living when his business was forced to close down. They caused these types of things to happen to real people. Groups other than whites saw what they did in Florida and voted for Ron DeSantis. The desire for power and the banning of people they don’t agree with has unfortunately become a part of their nature. Whatever sacrifice of the common man to stay in power is justified in their minds. It’s who they are.
TIT – You make inferentially the point that the plight of people put out of business by the lockdown mandates has not been examined by the MSM. They are much like the business owners who suffered harm as a result of the BLM riots. They are invisible.
I have a neighbor kid who was wild and crazy, at times obnoxiously so. Now, some could claim that aging and maturing might lead that kid to calm down, but he was one kid prior to seclusion, and he came out of his hibernation period transformed into a kid who was shy, quiet, and afraid of his own shadow. It’s an anecdotal example, I’ll admit, but if all politics is local, this kid is an example, to me, of the ramifications of our over-reaction to a pandemic. If we didn’t need masks, did we need to close the institutions (schools) housing our healthiest population? Kids are adaptable, and they have decades to reconstitute a personality, patterns, and personal discipline, but as many have said, we’re going to probably going to see ramifications for our over-reaction for decades to come.
There is no link to the actual “new study” anywhere. In your article, Dr. Turley, your link goes to the Fox News story, that reported about the new study – but also did not link to it anywhere. As you surely know, this is a big stain on the face of your article. Seems you just copied “stuff” from the Fox article, which they copied (and possibly altered?) from the yet invisible study. Freedom of speech comes with the GREAT responsibility of correct citation. It is the lack of citation that has itself led to there even being a debate on free speech. Please post the link.
Here is one Cochrane Library meta study: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full. Not sure if it’s the one. Even so, it states: “We are uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses based on the studies we assessed. “
But this is what the meta-study said about its review of the earlier studies:
“Medical/surgical masks compared to no masks
We included 12 trials (10 cluster‐RCTs) comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness (two trials with healthcare workers and 10 in the community). Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing masks (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.42; 6 trials, 13,919 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence). Harms were rarely measured and poorly reported (very low‐certainty evidence).”
Given this conclusion, based on twelve studies, it is hard to see why they are unwilling to draw the obvious conclusion.
Thank you, Cameron. I noticed too that this column hinges on a Fox News story from the Cochrane Libary.
Now the standard is N95/P2 resp.? I never had one of those and was able to get onto transatlantic flights, hospitals, doctors’ offices, etc. most people only had crappy cloth masks – everyone knew it was theatre.
Look, we’re going to be seeing the mental gymnastics from the true believers every time these things are brought up. There is simply no defense for the lasting mandates based on NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE – even after years of study.
One things seems to be true though, “Less attractive’ people wear masks more often than others, study finds…”
this is old news. i critiqued the Cochrane piece 2 weeks ago on here, the day after it was published, as have many other public research scientists.
As you surely know, this is a big stain on the face of your article.
Pot meet Kettle. Hubris is not a good look.
As for Turley linking to FOX News, it is just as (insert your favorite pejorative) as linking to NYT, WaPo, CBS, CNN, yada yada yada. You already know this, thus your dogma was just run over by karma. Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies
The government’s response to Covid-19 illustrates well Obama’s warning: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f— things up.” In two years, Biden, his enablers in Congress, and those he appointed to positions of power have seriously if not fatally wounded the credibility and effectiveness of the Justice Department, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Department, to name just a few. Each has scored well in meeting Biden’s and the Democrats’ political needs and most have scored well in furthering the LGBTQ+ agenda, but each has failed miserably in performing their core missions. The military has not escaped unscathed. Perhaps symbolically, An Air Force F-16 missed when it tried to hit a drifting balloon with one of its $400,000 missiles, and apparently we were not even aware of the balloons until they were well into our air space. Obama was wrong about many things, but he sure nailed this one.
Where did this come from?
>>Obama’s warning: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f— things up.”
Widely reported. Google the quote.
It’s an unproven quote. Thats why you have others google it up, because even you can’t find if that was actually said.
No need to know where the quote came from. The veracity of it is self evident. Without the propaganda fake news running cover for Biden and the Democrats all day long, the truth would be plain as day for all to see. 81 million votes my a$$.
In two years, Biden, his enablers in Congress, and those he appointed to positions of power have seriously if not fatally wounded the credibility and effectiveness of …..
This has been Biden’s one true accomplishment. He did Republicans a favor: Americans, both highly educated (MD, science PhD level) and nominally educated (grammar, high school) distrust the Feds. Another accomplishment, shared with Trump, Americans loathe the elite MSM.
When people do not trust their politicians, what happens? Revolt by the masses that is either successful and ushers new leaders or they are imprisoned, e.g. Cuba, China, Russia, etc
….most have scored well in furthering the LGBTQ+ agenda…
There is no monolithic agenda. Most gays and lesbians refuse to acknowledge Trans as having anything in common with them, e.g. Bari Weiss, Andrew Sullivan, Glenn Greenwald, etc. You likely will agree with many of Sullivan’s points in his 2019 article:
When the Ideologues Come for the Kids
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/andrew-sullivan-when-the-ideologues-come-for-the-kids.html
The word “queer” likewise is still rejected by gays and lesbians because it remains a pejorative. I recently posted a link to a CBS video by David Sedaris, a gay comedian, who mocks the recent fawning of the word “queer”. Good comedy, poignant too. Those who have adopted the word are straight kids who wish to identify with gays and lesbians. This goes back to your recent excellent observation that kids today have no heroes.
An Air Force F-16 missed when it tried to hit a drifting balloon with one of its $400,000 missiles,…
Did not know that. What a mess.
Here is David Sedaris on the word “queer”.
You should read the seminal work on the topic of “queer”, by William Burroughs (title: Queer). For countless reasons beyond the debate, this book is profound.
Estovir– I agree with all you have said. As to the monolithic movement, we know there is no such thing although the Biden appointees act as if there is. We have seen the rejection of trans and queer types among our friends for years. They have expressed frustration and anger at being lumped in with other groups because as lesbians and gays they have spent most of their public lives trying to convince people that they are not groomers while these groups constantly act as if they are, whether in public schools, libraries or drag queen shows to which children are invited.
honestlawyermostly,
Well said.
I have friends (lesbians) whom are appalled at being lumped in with the radical trans group. I say radical as we also have a trans friend who also thinks exposing children to sexuality as young at six years old is grooming. People think a six year old “knows” anything about sex when they still believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? Really?
Our trans friend knew he was different at a young age, but would still prefer to go through puberty and make an informed decision at 18 years of age.
BTW, I do not care whom you love or marry. I think those who are attracted to the same sex should suffer the institution of marriage, just like everyone else. The government and the church and your neighbors should have no bearing on the subject whatsoever.
Just leave children out of it.
Want to try to groom my children (back when they were young and not grown)? Go for it. I will show you hell.
The simple fact, masks can’t work and don’t work when worn improperly.
The cdc “studies” of mask effectiveness were done on mannequins in a lab. Mannequins do NOT move, do NOT scratch, do NOT eat,…
scroll references, wayback machine is necessary as it has been memory holed…
http://web.archive.org/web/20210901030803/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html
Anyone with a brain knows lab results are not indicative of real world for good reason.
clowns uncritically followed fauci.
The public was lied to and intentionally manipulated about many things related to COVID-19, methods of prevention, available medical treatments, and vaccines and everything was hidden behind a false veil of “settled science”, which was also a bald-faced lie, and opposition to the settled science narrative was intentionally censored. This is going to go down in history as one of the greatest violations of medical standards. Medical doctors in the future are going to look back at what happened during the COVID-19 Pandemic and wonder how medical doctors could have been so blindly ignorant to completely ignore effective available treatments and jump on the vaccine bandwagon. I think this will be taught in medical ethics courses to show what NOT to do!
With the unique exception of members of the United States military, and even with the military there there are justifiable morality questions with forcing experimental vaccines, the vaccines mandates were a blatant violation of the Nuremberg Code. It was a reasonably fair argument to talk about a civic responsibility to get the vaccines but to mandate that citizens of the United States get the vaccine or be punished in some way was a clear violation of the Nuremberg Code.
And for those of you out there that say it wasn’t experimental because they approved it to be used are ignoring the facts that they used “the ends justifies the means” to change proven standards. You’re damn fools for swallowing their lie, it was experimental and still is today by proven standards that have been in place for many decades.
The Nuremburg Code has never been officially accepted as law by any nation. Your argument may be supported by the Common Rule (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Part 46). IANAL so would not know where to begin to look as to legality.
Actually Svelaz today is the voice of reason and much of what he has written is accurate and reasonable TODAY. There do need to be more randomized studies of separate groups who wore masks vs those who did not, maybe using some agents with minimal lethality. Surgical masks are worn not to block out viruses but to minimize gross contamination of the surgical field. If you are sick then don’t perform surgery. Time of exposure to covid or someone with it was key. It’s called viral load. Works in many infectious diseases including TB (not a virus). Also ventilation was extremely helpful. If masks did anything it was to remind people that there was a communicable disease present and maintain distancing. Hand washing was probably more important than masks. It should be possible to design studies to delve into the actual efficacy of each of these modes of action. But this all needed free discussion. Arresting people with no mask on who were outside with no one else around is not medical practice, that is simply a demonstration of power. Arresting people walking their dog on a beach with no mask or others around is also simply to demonstrate power.
It also tells us that the CBC and FDA need to be far more open and with more voices from outside the Ivory Tower which often changes into an echo chamber.
GEB,
But was the reaction to COVID, the lockdowns, social isolation, loss of children’s education, increase in suicides, increased drug use and alcohol abuse, worth it? For a virus that has a 99.998% survival rate?
Svelaz is that guy, alone in a sinking leaky rowboat, triple-masked and wondering if it is time to change his masks.
There are and were controlled studies of masks.