Category: Health

In the Meme Time

I just love the Left. They are so ignorant to reality they create these memes that just show just how out of touch they can be with the world.

This one I’ve chosen because of personal reasons which I’ll get to of course. But it is supposed to be what is happening because of the scamdemic of Covid-19. Which this author does not subscribe to at all.

But we will look at the grade school world of cooties. Every boy knows you get cooties from girls. Especially touching a girl. Ewwwwwwwww.

I guess I didn’t learn that lesson back in grade school. I liked girls then. And I like girls now. Holding hands, hugging, and especially kissing. That is a sure way to get cooties.

Considering I had a girlfriend way back in grade school meant that I didn’t care about cooties then. And I also don’t care about cooties now either for that matter. I will happily get a case of cooties even today.

So the Leftist meme is just plain dumb ass. Try something better because there hasn’t ever been a good one to go along with the scamdemic.

They don’t Compare at all

The Left constantly pushes misinformation when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccine. Just stop it already. Quit trying to fool the low information public with your lies and half-truths.

On Social Media, where the Left prevails in full force and without fear of any kind of censure. They post meme after meme and statement after statement that intentionally misleads the reader into believing their false narrative about this virus and disease. It is never fact-checked.

From photos of a 1950’s polio hospital ward to comics with children asking the baby boomer generation about a small pox vaccine scar.

All to give you the impression that the Covid-19 vaccine is just like those previous vaccines. But all scientific research to date says this is just not the case. Including information you can get from your physician and the CDC on the vaccine.

The Covid-19 vaccine is very similar to the annual flu vaccine. This is because both viruses are related. You have to keep getting a vaccine every year or sooner, because it doesn’t stop the virus.

It doesn’t prevent you from getting Covid-19.

It doesn’t prevent you from spreading Covid-19.

It doesn’t prevent you from being hospitalized after getting Covid-19.

It doesn’t prevent you from dying from Covid-19.

All the Covid-19 vaccination does do is lower your personal reaction to it. That is it. Nothing else at all.

The vaccines for polio and small pox wiped out these viruses. They only now exist in extremely isolated areas of the world or in a laboratory. Because these vaccines did the job. They prevented the virus from spreading. They prevented those who got the inoculations from catching the disease. The virus couldn’t adapt and mutate unlike Covid-19 and other coronaviruses.

The coronavirus family of viruses constantly produces new strains. These are the viruses that cause SARS and other rare respiratory ailments. Including viral strains of pneumonia, some strains of the flu, and the common cold.

We have vaccines for some of these strains. But they only work on those specific strains and new inoculations must be given every season. And then it’s only a “best guess” as to which strain will be most prevalent. They usually always make the individual sick after the shot is given. And the protection doesn’t last.

I am not anti-vax. But every individual must decide for themselves to get any vaccine for any virus that they may encounter. And parents must decide this for their children.

Under some circumstances it would be in your best interest to get the Covid-19 vaccination. But that should always be a choice. This outbreak has been blown way out of proportion and falsely reported from day one. Do your own research. Consult with your doctor. Decide for yourself.

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

Regardless of where you fall on the “to vax or not to vax” question, it’s easy to see there are a number of Americans who aren’t getting the COVID-19 shot, and the Left is having a hard time figuring out why. They’ve done everything they can think of: commanding, coercing, and even bribery, but there is still a significant portion of the population passing on the “Fauci ouchie.” So, the Left has adopted a new term to describe those who absolutely refuse to get the COVID-19 shot: vax-hesitant.

Is the Left right…I mean correct? Are they completely more off-base than a shortstop looking to steal second against a pitcher and catcher who come from the Pee Wee Herman School of Athletics? Only one way to find out. Well, technically there are more, but there’s only one that will allow your humble correspondent to write a lot of words with the occasional joke thrown in for good measure.

vax hesitant

What the Left thinks it means – people who are still scared to get the COVID-19 vaccination for whatever reasons

What it really means – people who are exercising a choice concerning their bodies that the Left doesn’t approve of

When you really think about the situation, it boils down to a matter of personal freedom. Whether you’re a hardcore anti-vaxer or someone who is merely vax hesitant, the point is there are people out there who have an issue with a government body telling them they have to get an injection to be part of society. They feel, and understandably so, these types of medical decisions should be personal, private, and a kept between a doctor and a patient.

Hmmm…now, where have I heard that kind of logic before? Could it be…from the Left when talking about abortion? Why, yes! Yes it is!

The fact the Left hasn’t discovered the duplicity of their positions between abortion and getting a vaccine is huge, yet not surprising. After all, these are the same folks who conflate speech they don’t like with violence. But it opens up an interesting dilemma, especially with the ones who insist there needs to be a government mandate to get vaccinated. You can say “my body, my choice” all you want, but this is an actual situation where your actions need to match your words or else it can and will be used against you by Republicans, most specifically pro-life Republicans. In other words, you’ve just given them the victory on abortion. Oops.

Then, there’s the racial aspect of this. Yes, I know I’m playing the race card here, but for once it’s appropriate. Although the vast majority of anti-vaxxers are seen as white Trump supporters, the fact is there is a significant number of vax hesitant folks aren’t white. In fact, they’re members of the black and Hispanic communities who may have taken the advice of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris when they said not to trust the vaccine coming from the Trump Administration. You know, the same folks who are now saying the vaccine can be trusted even though nothing has really changed…except the President and Vice President? Yeah, they’ve been paying attention along with the rest of us and finding the numerous flip-flops that makes John Kerry sue for copyright infringement more than a little concerning. Plus, there’s this history of other medical advances being tested on blacks in particular. Can you say “Agent Orange” boys and girls? I knew you could.

But wait, there’s more! The Left is attempting to lump in the extremes of the anti-vax side into the same group so they can be disregarded with the same wave of the hand. The issue is they really can’t be lumped together very well. Yes, there are the hardcore anti-vaxxers who will drag their feet no matter what, but there are two other groups: the aforementioned vax-hesitant group, and the anti-vax mandate group. We’ll get to the former in a bit, but I want to focus on the latter for a moment.

The anti-vax mandate group has a position worth discussing. It’s not anti-vax per se, but it’s anti-forced-vax. There’s an old saying about the camel’s nose in a tent. Well, the vax mandate has the potential to be not just the nose, but a whole caravan of camels taking up residence inside the tent and putting a Vacancy – Camels Welcome sign outside of it. And, to be honest, they’re right. Recent history alone has numerous examples of how government doing something for the common good has turned into the government taking more power than originally promised. And once the government takes power, they’re more likely to get along than to give it back. The anti-vax mandate crowd just wants us to make up our own minds about whether to get vaccinated and to not stick our noses (camel or otherwise) into the business of others. You know, treat people like adults?

That brings us to the vax-hesitant crowd. Although it’s similar to the anti-vax mandate group, it’s less about personal freedom and more about a lack of confidence in the process getting the vaccine into the public’s hands. Even the most strident pro-vaxxers promoting the COVID-19 vaccine are hard-pressed to hand-wave away the facts, namely how the current vaccines were developed under emergency circumstances and haven’t been fully tested. Put another way, we are the Beta test, and oddly enough it may cause people to get the Delta variant. And that lack of testing is a valid concern. Speaking as someone who has gotten the shots, I can say I haven’t been negatively affected. If anything, I’m getting 5G from my brain alone!

Seriously, though, the vax-hesitant have legitimate concerns that the Left can’t counter with dismissal, appeals to authority, or, their favorite, dishonest mockery. If we are to trust the science, as the Left wants us to do (unless the science contradicts them), it can’t be based on anything but the facts. You can’t take short cuts and get favorable results. At least, that’s what the guys who allegedly came up with cold fusion found out the hard way

What makes the Left’s obsession with getting everyone vaccinated so funny to me is how much they have to risk for the expected reward. Giving up on favorite voting blocs and bedrock issues won’t mean much if they fail to grab the power they want. And the Left tends to overreach like a poker player confident he or she has won a big pot before another player reveals a better hand. As we’ve seen in New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, the power grab is already making the Governors of those states less popular than the Chicago Cubs management right now.

If you want to fight for your right not to get the vaccine (and your right to party, coincidentally), recognize the Left’s attempts to make anyone opposed to getting it look like selfish meanie-heads. They are really pushing for full vaccination for some reason, but they aren’t giving us solid reasoning behind it; just “because science.” Just like with global climate change, the more the Left threatens and dismisses legitimate questions, the weaker their arguments are. And with the COVID-19 vaccinations, the arguments are wet-paper-sack-versus-Freddie-Kruger weak.

It seems the Left is going to a lot of trouble for little pricks. And for the vaccinations, too!

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

Remember when COVID-19 first became a thing a little over a year ago? Everybody was freaking out because we didn’t know if it was the common cold or the Bubonic Plague or what impact it would have on us. After it was determined to have a survival rate of over, oh, NINETY NINE FUCKING PERCENT, that should have calmed us down quite a bit.

lt didn’t, thanks in part to the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci giving frequent and contradictory updates like having Sybil as your investment guru. As new cases started to drop, COVID-19 hysteria started to calm down a bit.

So, naturally, there had to be a new threat to keep us locked down, masked up, and six feet away from us. Enter the Delta variant. Leftists have been talking up the Delta variant in recent weeks, suggesting it could be worse than COVID-19 and result in more death, mayhem, and Netflix binging. Is it worth the hype? Let’s find out!

Delta variant

What the Left thinks it means – a new, deadlier strain of COVID-19 that we have to take seriously

What it really means – the result of the coronavirus acting like a virus

I will advise you ahead of time that I am not a virologist, which makes it easy to dismiss what I’m about to write in this Leftist Lexicon. Leftists love to do this as a means to discredit anyone who isn’t following The Church of Leftist Science. The thing is what I’m about to say is consistent with not only actual science, but with Leftist statements about COVID-19.

Viruses have the ability to mutate, creating new strains of the original virus. These strains can be harder to address because of the potential immunity to existing treatments, stronger and/or more symptoms, and more potential victims. When there is a new variant strain, caution is warranted.

I did some digging into the Delta variant because, well, I’m a science geek. Based on what I’ve found, it appears it’s…not that different from COVID-19. Oh, sure, the usual media talked up the danger like a hype man, but once you overlook the usual suspects and get to the kernel of truth, you see the new strain is the same as the old strain by and large. There are differences that we should be aware of, but it’s not as major as we’re being lead to believe.

So, why is the Left so eager to talk about the Delta variant? I see two major reasons: 1) to make themselves look smart, and 2) to strengthen the power of the state. The first reason is easy to understand. Leftists have to feel like they are the smartest people in the room, no matter where they are. After all, they are the “Party of Science” according to them. By using scientific concepts and terminology, it makes them seems knowledgeable.

The problem is they are often wrong because they don’t understand how science works. Whether it’s Paul Ehrlich, Al Gore, or Michael Mann, the Left has a track record of the coldest of hot takes when it comes to applying scientific principles. Instead, they modify the Scientific Method to achieve whatever goals they want/need in any situation, but it always results in the Left feeling they’re smarter and better than the rest of us.

And that brings us to the second reason. The Left needs to be in control whenever possible, so they will do whatever it takes to retain and grow that control. Once the Left caught on how easy it was to play on people’s fear of COVID-19 to make them do what the Left wanted, they jumped at the chance to not let a crisis go to waste. Hmmm…where have I heard that before?

Anyway, some of the Left’s favorite governors enacted restrictions that made it hard to do anything else but knuckle under. (I’m looking at you, Gretchen Whitmer.) By picking and choosing who or what would be expected to follow the rules, the Left was able to find a way to stifle capitalism, solidify its power base, and avoid consequences for the most part. You might want to ask Andrew Cuomo how that’s working, though.

So, what does this have to do with the Delta variant? It gives the Left an excuse to reinstate the controls they had at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, Leftist Governors lead the country! Granted, it was in killing old people, but leadership is leadership, right?

The best way to combat what the Left sees as inevitable is to be educated, not just on the science, but on your rights as a person. For me, masking and getting the “Fauci Ouchie” are a matter of choice and in some cases a matter of necessity. Whether I do both, one of the two, or neither is my business, and for the record I have done both for mostly personal reasons. If you don’t, so be it. I’m good with that and I hope you’re willing to accept the consequences of your decisions without asking or demanding my sanction or my money. You’re adults.

But the Left can’t handle that. Anyone who knows what they’re worth is a threat to the Leftist hivemind because that person can’t be infantilized and made to believe he/she is incapable of doing anything without Leftists. Once you get that sweet taste of freedom, you don’t go back.

As scary as the Left makes the Delta variant seem, a little research shows the existential danger the Left wants us to believe it is doesn’t quite match up to the actual science. Having said that, be careful out there. I would hate to lose a reader to any form of COVID-19.

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

Technology can be a two-edged sword at times. Whether it’s email or Twitter or Twitch, there will be a time when your past will come back to haunt you.

Just ask Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Over the past few days, a Freedom of Information Act request unleashed a torrent of emails to and from the sainted Dr. Fauci showing a less-than-flattering side to the good…ish doctor. The Left has rallied around him, even to the point of blaming those who are reporting on the emails for the controversy. Hmmm…is that gas I smell?

Either that, or it’s the smell of yet another Leftist Lexicon entry!

the Fauci emails

What the Left thinks it means – emails hyped by right wing media to discredit Dr. Fauci and his leadership

What it really means – emails that prove Dr. Fauci is not only fallible, but may be as bad as some have claimed he is

The self-professed “Party of Science” elevated Dr. Fauci to the point that anyone who questioned him was ignorant of the science, a right wing wacko, or both (because there is no difference between the two groups in their hivemind). With the emails being released, however, the Left is no longer talking about the science, but is talking at length about how the emails aren’t anything contradictory, hypocritical, or even newsworthy. And the Left is digging in using this defense.

You know who else benefited from this kind of digging in? Bill Clinton, post-Lewinski, if you know what I mean.

This is pretty standard for the Left when it comes to Leftists or Democrats found to be utter scumbags. Deny the allegations until the coverage gets too hard to ignore, then pretend like nothing’s wrong and it’s old news. For most Leftists, this works too well. Remember Hunter Biden’s laptop? I guarantee the Left does…and simultaneously doesn’t.

With Dr. Fauci, however, it’s a little harder to cover up, mainly because of the Left acting like Dr. Fauci’s hype men…uh, women…uh, non-binary individuals. Anyway, the point is the Left pushed all their chips in on Dr. Fauci early on and built a narrative around that act. Granted, it was done primarily to spite President Donald Trump, but the motivations don’t negate the action itself. You own this one, Leftists.

Not that you’ll recognize the problem you created with your Fauci worship. One of the Left’s greatest faults is they can never admit when they are wrong no matter what. Remember President Trump’s “very fine people” comment? There are Leftists who still believe he called the white supremacists “very fine people” in spite of the volumes of context and actual text that they get sent whenever the topic arises. I’m not a Trump fan by any stretch, but even I will defend him on this point. He never said what the Left accused him of saying, but that memo either never got to the Leftist drones, or it did but it was already shredded into a fine powder by the time it got to them. Either way, their reality may not be on speaking terms with actual reality.

At the heart of the Left’s defense of the Fauci emails is this very concept. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on specific items because a) so many others have already done it, b) it wouldn’t affect my opinion, and c) my family wants to see me at some point. However, I will say what I’ve seen so far has shown Fauci to be interested in his personal star rising, giving orders to others to figure out what to do, and pawning off “lesser” tasks related to COVID-19 research to others. In other words, Dr. Fauci became Joe Biden in a lab coat.

Even now, I sense Leftists are already penning missives about how wrong I am and/or how I’m a brainwashed anti-science Trump lover with the same number of teeth as IQ points. And that’s if they’re being kind. Meanwhile, the actual emails reflect a man swept up in a wave of popularity, but in over his head. If we’re supposed to “Follow the Science,” that implies the science is worth following. Even the most hardcore Fauci fan who is being honest with himself or herself or themselves has to be concerned by his words and attitude during a global pandemic. He couldn’t be bothered with some of the mundane details because he was so busy…going on TV shows to impress upon the viewing public he was in control and knew what was going on.

After his flip-flops on whether masks did anything, that’s when Faucimania died for me, and it should have been the jumping off point for the science-minded folks out there. The fact it wasn’t for so many, including the “Party of Science,” signifies how much the Left have invested in making Fauci untouchable and how scared people were of the multiple question marks COVID-19 created, which made it easier for the Left to manipulate people into believing Fauci. Fear can be a great motivator, but it requires rational thought to go on vacation to be truly effective.

Let’s just say a lot of people’s rational thought found a great deal on AirBNB and stayed away for, oh, over a year. Eventually, though, it will start coming back, and the Fauci emails will be foremost on our minds for a while because the discrepancies between his acts and words are hard to ignore. Not to mention, they make it harder to take his suggestions seriously. Then again, after he said to wear multiple masks after saying masks didn’t work, only to say he lied so there wouldn’t be a run on masks, most people paying attention tapped out.

Which leaves Leftists to carry Fauci’s water, which they are more than willing to do because to drop out now would mean admitting they were wrong. The Fonz was more willing to admit being wrong than the Left are. At this point, the Left has forgotten “Follow the Science” in favor of “Follow the Scientist.” Namely, the now-discredited Anthony Fauci. And it’s starting to look like the tide is turning against him, now that Big Tech is allowing people to mention the idea that COVID-19 was manmade or originated in a lab without getting the ban hammer. The looser those restrictions get, the bigger the trouble the Fauci emails become.

Now, if only they could do something about that Nigerian prince who keeps emailing me…

Who Is That Masked Man?

By the time you read this, I will have gotten my second COVID-19 shot, mainly because of the screaming and crying I’ll be doing afterwards. As a result, I may not need to wear a mask all the time, provided the CDC doesn’t flip flop like John Kerry in cheap sandals working a VFW pancake breakfast. However, I’ve made up my mind to continue wearing a mask indoors.

This isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly. On the one hand, I’ve spent a good chunk of change on cool-looking masks that show my appreciation for different fandoms. On the other, my glasses keep fogging up, so I have to readjust my masks on a regular basis. But there was one factor that tipped the scales for me.

Other people.

Now, I’m not just talking about making others feel more secure or giving them one less thing to worry about. I’m not even talking about being accused of being an anti-vaxer/conservative/Republican/Trump supporter/science denier/whatever new name the Left wants to call me today. I am, however, talking the people who have taken it upon themselves to be the Mask Police.

Even before COVID-19 was a thing, there were people who constantly wanted to get in other peoples’ business for one reason or another. Usually, it’s because they don’t have lives of their own and want to create drama so there is some excitement to talk about. Plus, it feeds a need in them to be righteous (even if it’s the self variety) and to virtue signal.

And neither one is worthy enough to warrant such people to act.

Good luck trying to tell them that, though. Judging from my thankfully few interactions with them, they don’t seem to be the most open-minded of folks. And as a male in a family where stubbornness is a feature instead of a bug, that’s saying something if I’m the one pointing it out. What sets these folks apart from a Gladys Kravitz type is the fact they feel justified in causing harm to others in the pursuit of their goals. If one of them sees you infringing upon what they think the rules should be, it isn’t that much of a stretch for him or her to figure out who you are, contact your employer, and advising them of the kind of scumbag you are (to them). If not that, they’ll publicly shame you, often with high pitched screaming that would make dogs turn their heads to the noise.

And that’s why I’ll keep wearing a mask, if only to save my hearing. The larger point, however, is why we’re allowing the self-professed Mask Police to dictate how we act, whether it be indirect action like me wearing a mask to avoid confrontation or direct action like punching them in the nose. They are nothing short of bullies, and I’ll bet more than a few of them talk at length about online bullying because, well, zero self-awareness.

But it’s all about personal responsibility, right? To a point, yes, but not to the point the Mask Police take it. With the Internet, we have access to tons of information we might not otherwise have, and a good chunk of that is personal. A post on Facebook here, a mildly controversial statement there, and before you know it, you’re worse than Hitler. And if you think I’m exaggerating to make a point, I only wish I were. There are news reports by the thousands of people being harassed offline for actions and sentiments taken online, and it’s not just the Trump fans, either. We have reached a point where we run right for the nukes when all we need is a fly-swatter all because we think we’re right to do it.

But here’s where I part ways. In some cases, it’s necessary to expose a scumbag so others know about it and can take or demand action be taken to rectify it. But not everyone is a scumbag. Yes, not your BLM-loving sister-in-law or your Trump-loving cousin, and certainly not a complete stranger you ran into at the Shop-N-Save. You have to know your boundaries, and I’m afraid the Karens and Kevins of the world don’t.

That’s where we come in. As much as I don’t like to start conflict, it’s come to the point where I feel I have to step in to deescalate these situations or at least take the heat off the person being targeted. Because even though I wear a mask, it doesn’t mean I’m excused from duty when a situation gets heated. If I want to live my life without harming others, I have to allow others to do the same and stand up when someone is harming someone else.

That includes you, Mask Police. Nobody appointed you to this task, so you have no authority unless I give it to you. I’m masking up so you won’t have to find out what happens when I dig in for a fight, but don’t think I’ll knuckle under if you overstep your authority. Let me put it this way, in the words of a great philosopher.

Don’t start none, won’t be none.

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

If you’re a news junkie, last week was a coke-fueled Charlie Sheen-esque bender. Between the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Narnia…I mean Palestine, hackers halting production and causing a gas shortage on the East Coast, and Caitlyn Jenner being, well, Caitlyn Jenner, one man rose to the top of my list of topics to cover: Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Dr. Fauci is a divisive figure in the field of medicine, but with the Left he is a golden boy who can do no wrong. (I’ll get into the reason why later, so stay tuned.) Sure, he has his critics, but the Left is able to excuse the alleged transgressions and treat him as the most credible person on Earth regarding COVID-19. Whether the rest of us should put as much faith in him…well, let’s just say there’s enough material to craft a Leftist Lexicon entry.

Dr. Anthony Fauci

What the Left thinks it means – a world-renowned infectious disease expert, a man of science

What it really means – an indecisive medical expert who loves the limelight more than the science

I know I’m speaking heresy here, but I’ve been following Dr. Fauci’s advice about COVID-19 from the start. As a fan of science myself, I paid attention to his briefings and really tried to digest what he said. That is, of course, until the advice he gave started flying in the face, or rather mask, of common sense. At first, he said masks weren’t effective. Then, he said they were. Now, he’s even suggesting wearing double masks. As much as I like to follow the science, it’s hard when the science careens in wild directions like a drunk Super Ball.

Of course, the Left chalks this up to the science changing rapidly. They have a point, but only to a point. With something as tricky as COVID-19, the science is bound to change rapidly as new data become available. Having said that, these changes typically don’t happen from one speech to the next…in the same day…and without alerting people (namely, the audience) to the change. An inflexible boilerplate speech regarding a global pandemic isn’t a good look.

That’s where the Left comes in. No matter what Dr. Fauci says that contradicts himself or other scientific sources, the Left treats it as gospel. Ironic, given how hostile the Left is to organized religion…or is it?

Ever since global warming became a thing back in the 1990s thanks to Al Gore, the Left has deified science to the point it cannot be challenged without being called a non-believer. What do they call people who question the “science” of global climate change? Aside from “people who didn’t flunk science like the climate change cultists did,” they’re called “science-deniers.” Now, I’ve always found this to be a misnomer because I know of very few people who deny science. Maybe they have a different opinion or place a different value on it, but not too many people out-and-out deny science.

By the same token, though, it’s also a pretty big tell that the Left has turned science into a religion, if not a cult that would make L. Ron Hubbard salivate. You know, if he were alive and stuff. But it’s funny to me to watch Leftists mock people of faith for believing what they consider to be silly and unfounded ideas while these same Leftists hang on every word Dr. Fauci says like it’s manna from Heaven.

And that’s where the “Party of Science” goes off the rails. The major problem with putting science on a pedestal is the fact…now hear me out here…it can be wrong and/or corrupted. Science at its best is bound by human understanding, and a lot of the time our understanding lags well behind the science, causing a lot of bad ideas under the guise of scientific fact. World history and more than a few graveyards are full of examples of what can happen if we’re not putting on our thinking caps and our morality pants before trying something we think will be cool.

And I think we’re on the verge of making that mistake again. Not that I think Dr. Fauci is a quack, mind you. The problem I have is putting so much faith (and, yes, it is faith, possibly of the blind variety) in what he says that we stop thinking for ourselves and questioning ideas that don’t seem to make sense. At worst, we raise questions that get answered honestly and factually, which pretty much eliminates much of the “Party of Science.” Anything beyond that is gravy. Hard science is built on the foundation of challenging ideas and finding a better understanding of the world around us. Anyone who professes love for science but hates to have it questioned when it doesn’t make sense may be entrenched in the Cult of Science or covering up for mistakes they know they’ve made.

I’m looking right at you, Michael “Hockey Stick Graph” Mann.

But let’s give Dr. Fauci the benefit of the doubt and not paint him with the same brush as Al Gore’s number-fudging buddy. Let’s look at his track record with COVID-19.

On second thought, I’m sure his acolytes and he would appreciate that we not do that because it shows he wasn’t always following the science. Instead, it seemed like he was following the politics. When the Left said we didn’t need to wear masks, he said we didn’t need to wear masks. When the Left said COVID-19 wasn’t that big a deal, Fauci agreed. Once the Left’s tune changed (i.e. when they figured out how to blame Donald Trump for their incompetence while trying to memory-hole their own statements), Fauci’s did, too. And let’s be clear, the Left wasn’t following the science; they were following their typical political mantra, “Orange Man Bad.” We can criticize the way President Trump handled the COVID-19 situation, but we will be doing a grave disservice if we don’t include those who contributed to the lack of trust in the science.

And that includes Dr. Fauci.

The fact such a prominent medical figure can be so publicly contradictory without his credibility taking a bigger hit than the aforementioned Mr. Sheen at the aforementioned coke binge is a mystery to me, but remember the Left doesn’t think about the long term, just what they can get away with in the short term. With Dr. Fauci, they got a walking contradiction that they could spin into an appeal to authority complete with a doctor’s coat and a semi-impressive CV. The fact he could be turned into an anti-Trump cudgel was a bonus. And with grown adults fawning over him like teenagers at a BTS concert, I’m guessing the good doctor doesn’t mind the attention because he typically works under thankless conditions.

At what cost, however? Sure, the action figures and the “Fauci Ouchie” Twitter posts are neat, but at some point, that attention is going to fade and Dr. Fauci will become just another old white man in a lab coat that the Left will pretend not to know. If you’re reading this, Dr. Fauci (and I know you are because, why not), remember Cindy Sheehan? That could be you in a few months.

I hope you like ditches, Doc…

Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

I know we just talked about conspiracy theories last time, but something has come up recently that might make them seem more credible, and we have COVID-19 and Leftist power grabs to thank for it. I’m speaking of vaccine passports, not the ones that allowed coronavirus to spread here like cream cheese on a bagel.

What the Biden Administration and its fluffers…I mean media supporters have suggested is to require people who have gotten vaccinated to be able to provide proof of such so businesses and the general public know. Seems pretty innocuous, doesn’t it? Wellll…let’s just say this one is going to be fun to digest.

vaccine passports

What the Left thinks it means – a necessary measure to ensure public safety

What it really means – totalitarianism with clown makeup as to not scare the kids

One of the biggest problems we’ve faced since COVID-19 became the viral equivalent of “Baby Shark” is we don’t know a lot about it. Even after a year of “two weeks to flatten the curve” we’re barely scratching the surface of what it can do and whether our medical responses are adequate. We don’t even know for sure whether the vaccines developed will do anything to it or us.

Before we go any further, though, let me clarify. I am not anti-vaccine by any stretch of the imagination. As a science geek, I happen to like the knowledge medical technology has evolved to the point that a shot in the arm can protect against most illnesses. Where my hesitation comes into play is when government gets involved, whether it be through funding testing and development or giving the okay to distribute drugs to the public. That hesitation isn’t without merit. Remember Olestra? Yeah, that got the government green light and it wound up making people’s pants brown, if you know what I mean.

While the effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s Operation War Speed can be debated (and, following various Twitter conversations on the subject, is), I can’t quite get behind the notion everything’s fine. As I’ve noted previously, government isn’t in the problem-solving business because they don’t have a vested interest in solving problems. If anything, they need the problems to continue so they can continue to bleed taxpayers dry. And as we’ve seen with some Democrat governors, they have no issue making things harder on their constituents, but easier for themselves.

By the way, Governor Cuomo? You might want to check with your office regarding a bunch of New Yorkers outside with pitchforks and torches.

So, why does the government want us to get vaccine passports? To the Left, it’s for the public good, which is admittedly a good reason. And if it was just for that reason, I might be a little more lenient. However, thanks to Leftist Twitter (which is pretty much the same thing), I get the feeling there’s a lot more below the surface that we should consider.

You know, like…totalitarianism.

Some Leftists have said the quiet part out loud and said those without a vaccine passport should be denied service, put on lists to prevent them from interacting with others who are vaccinated, taxed more heavily for the additional burden to our healthcare system, and a few other onerous actions designed to force compliance. At this rate, I’m surprised they haven’t gone the Hester Prynne route and just made non-vaccinated people wear a scarlet letter. (Yes, I could have gone with the Nazi route, but at some point Godwin’s Law comes into play. Besides, with so many people throwing the Nazi word around like Tom Brady during a playoff game, it’s better to try some fresh references.)

This raises more than a few questions, of course, not the least of which is what happens if someone gets vaccinated and it doesn’t take. Getting a passport saying you’ve gotten the poke means nothing if you can still contract the disease and spread it. Aside from a boon for medical liability attorneys, such a scenario doesn’t help anyone, but opens people up to a lot of hurt.

Then, there are those who are unable to get the vaccine due to pre-existing conditions. These cases may be rare, but they do exist. How would that impact the whole “you need to get a vaccine passport to do anything” approach? Plus, since we’re dealing with pre-existing conditions, how can the Pro-Passport Posse reconcile this position with what is likely their support for Obamacare? And since this is the government getting involved in personal medical decision, how will the pro-baby death movement react?

Spoiler Alert: they can’t square that circle, and they won’t even try. They’ll just tell you it needs to be done because shut up.

The fact some dude in the Midwest can think up these potential drawbacks when our elected officials haven’t should be concerning regardless of your position on the vaccine passport idea. And it’s not like these drawbacks are too obscure or preposterous to consider. They should be front and center and, dare I say, addressed without mockery, shaming, coercion, or undue oppression by government or Leftists. The fact the self-professed “Party of Science” can’t even acknowledge the potential downfalls of its approach isn’t a good sign.

Plus, there’s this whole personal liberty thing to consider. As much as I can see the general good of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, it should remain a choice because not everyone is me. I would rather take my chances contracting COVID and respect another person’s agency than to force that person to forcibly conform. It’s in my best interest to take precautions, but it’s also in my best interest to let others attempt to come to the same conclusion. It’s the same reason I still wear masks and wore a seatbelt before it became illegal to drive without one: enlightened self-interest. If someone else doesn’t see things the same way, so what? Last time I checked, life was a terminal condition. Well, there was this one guy…I think he was a Jewish carpenter or something.

Anyway, the point is not everyone is going to dance to the tune you play, so you either need to convince others to shake their respective booties or accept it. Trying to force people to do the Macarena because you like it shows a) you care more about personal power than the good of the collective, and b) you have crappy taste in music. Vaccine passports work along the same lines, including the crappy taste in music. The fact so many Leftists are on-board with the idea to the point of punitive enforcement against those who don’t agree is a no-go for me. The thing I’ve found with Leftists is they will try to force agreement when they lack the ability to persuade others to agree. Although it’s a lot less work, it’s going to guarantee pushback from parties that might have been persuaded otherwise.

In the meantime, don’t forget to celebrate the one year anniversary of “two weeks to slow the spread”!

Panic in the Streets

Leprosy, the plague, and now Covid-19. These 3 ailments have taken a similar role in history.

They are all the boogeyman disease. Anyone with any symptoms is to be shunned, feared, and rejected by society.

Someone sneezes at the grocery store and all eyes turn to look at them. You can see the fear in everyone’s eyes. Especially with the person who just sneezed. Is an angry mob that is going to attack out of blind panic that has been instilled by the media.

I can just hear the ancient shouts rising up from the masked covered crowd. “Unclean! Unclean!” they shout with fingers pointed. Lord help the frighted sneezer if they aren’t wearing a flimsy cloth mask.

Of course those cloth masks and face-shields people wear today remind me of the masks worn to ward of the plague. And they are just as effective too, especially in the practice.

But no one takes into account that a sneeze can be allergies, or just some random irritant particle that cause the person to sneeze. These things and many more harmless reasons can cause a person to sneeze.

What if someone is a known survivor of Covid-19? And this is quite common since the disease has a 99% survivability rate. Unfortunately they too are shunned made turned into outcasts. Again out of nothing but blind fear.

And blind fear when mixed with panic and stirred by anger caused by media misinformation creates an environment waiting to explode in violence. If this isn’t stopped soon there will be blood spelt because of it.

An Inconvenience

The Covid-19 shutdown is an inconvenience not governmental oppression. That’s good to know because that means it’s necessary and not a violation of human or Constitutional rights.

So thank you for permanently closing 7.5 million small businesses. I’m sure those business owners will see it as the inconvenience it is at the loss of their livelihood, fortunes, and savings.

Thank you for pushing 130 million people worldwide into starvation during this inconvient economic shutdown. They understand it’s all for the greater good.

Thank you for the 900% increase to those calling the suicide hotlines. It’s just an inconvenience that they lost everything and see death as the only way out. Their families will take comfort in knowing it was just an inconvenience.

Thank you for letting us know that the psychological and other health issues suffered by the 10’s of millions who are now unemployed is just an inconvenience. Tell them to suck it up is the message of an inconvenience.

These are just some of the inconveniences of the economic and social shutdowns. I’m sure there are more of them. Such as the higher death tolls in states that have stronger lockdown measures in place vs the states that don’t. Even those Covid-19 deaths are just an inconvenience while the rest of us stay safe.

So again. Thank you for letting me know you think it’s just an inconvenience instead of oppression of rights by governmental overreach. That tells me all I need to know about your character.