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A failed experiment: The lockdowns must end

John Tierney
City Journal
Wed, 07 Oct 2020 05:56 UTC
Masks sale
© Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Lockdowns are typically portrayed as prudent precautions against Covid-19, but they are surely the most risky experiment ever conducted on the public. From the start, researchers have warned that lockdowns could prove far deadlier than the coronavirus. People who lose their jobs or businesses are more prone to fatal drug overdoses and suicide, and evidence already exists that many more will die from cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, and tuberculosis and other diseases because the lockdown prevented their ailments from being diagnosed early and treated properly.

Yet politicians and public-health officials conducting this unprecedented experiment have paid little attention to these risks. In their initial rush to lock down society, they insisted that there was no time for such analysis — and besides, these were just temporary measures to "flatten the curve" so as not to overwhelm hospitals. But since that danger passed, the lockdown enforcers have found one reason after another to persevere with closures, bans, quarantines, curfews, and other mandates. Anthony Fauci, the White House advisor, recently said that even if a vaccine arrives soon, he does not expect a return to normality before late next year.

He and politicians like New York governor Andrew Cuomo and British prime minister Boris Johnson profess to be following "the science," but no ethical scientist would conduct such a risky experiment without carefully considering the dangers and monitoring the results. After doing so, a group of leading researchers this week called for an end to the experiment. In a joint statement, the Great Barrington Declaration, they predicted that continued lockdowns will lead to "excess mortality in years to come" and warned of "irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed."

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Social isolation is damaging an entire generation of kids

Kerry McDonald
Foundation for Economic Edcucation
Tue, 08 Sep 2020 23:30 UTC
sad child
© si Janko Ferlič
I read an advice article at Slate recently where a mom of a nearly five-year-old daughter wrote in to express concern that her child hasn't seen any friends in five months, since COVID-19 lockdowns began. She said:
Because of COVID, my husband and I have decided to skip [pre-K] altogether and teach her everything she needs to know before kindergarten ourselves. This doesn't worry me academically, but I am concerned about her development and the loss of the social interaction she was going to experience.
The advice columnist responded that the mom shouldn't worry about her child's social isolation, saying:
She is part of a whole generation of quarantined 5-year-olds. It'll take her a while to catch up once she reenters society, sure — but it's going to take everyone a while.
This resignation to ongoing government lockdowns, endless social distancing, mandatory mask orders, and travel restrictions — even as the virus wanes in the US — is damaging to our social and economic health, and may be particularly problematic for children who are separated from their peers.

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Bell

The Constitutional reckoning of state lockdown orders

Ethan Yang
American Institute for Economic Research
Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:00 UTC
On October 3rd NPR reported that the Michigan Supreme Court struck down Governor Gretchen Whitmer's state of emergency and the powers it granted. NPR writes:
In a 4-3 majority opinion, the state's high court said she did not have that authority. "We conclude that the Governor lacked the authority to declare a 'state of emergency' or a 'state of disaster' under the EMA after April 30, 2020, on the basis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we conclude that the EPGA is in violation of the Constitution of our state because it purports to delegate to the executive branch the legislative powers of state government - including its plenary police powers - and to allow the exercise of such powers indefinitely," wrote Justice Stephen J. Markman on behalf of the majority.
Governor Whitmer has been one of the more heavy-handed executive figures during the pandemic. One of her policies went as far as to ban the selling of gardening supplies in stores that were still permitted to stay open.

More importantly, however, this court ruling was not the first of its kind but the third in a series of legal victories against lockdown orders. The first was a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that declared parts of Governor Tony Evers' stay at home order unconstitutional and the second was by a federal court that struck down Governor Tom Wolf's policies in Pennsylvania.

There is no doubt that the governors across the country have gone off the constitutional deep end in response to Covid-19, exercising powers that are not only unprecedented but unproven. These cases, notably in Michigan and Wisconsin, all share some important legal themes that may suggest the beginning of a constitutional reckoning for governors across America.
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Rose

Family of woman who died of cancer after 'three months without face-to-face appointment' denounce health authority in Spain

Tara Rippin
Euro Weekly
Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:56 UTC
Sonia Sainz-Maza
© Lydia Sainz-Maza/Twitter
The family of a woman who died of cancer after 'three months without a face-to-face appointment' have denounced the health authority in Spain's Burgos.

Sonia Sainz-Maza, 48, died on August 13, from colon cancer "without receiving the help she needed", claim her loved ones, adding she is another victim of the pandemic.

Sonia's sister, Lydia Sainz-Maza, told Spanish newspaper, El Correo de Burgos, that "the family doctor in Espinosa de los Monteros, Burgos, did not give her a face-to-face appointment for three months".

She added that "when she (Sonia) was given her diagnosis, it was "too late".

"We have lost our health rights," said Lydia, explaining that during the months before her death, Sonia repeatedly contacted her family doctor, "referring to severe pain and weight loss".
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Attention

America on cusp of a Civil War: No matter who wins the election, there will be no peaceful transfer of power

Scott Ritter
RT
Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:53 UTC
Armed demonstrators in Michigan
© Getty Images/Scott Olson (file photo)Armed demonstrators attend a rally in front of the Michigan state capital building to protest the governor's stay-at-home order on May 14, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan.
Failed plot to allegedly kidnap Michigan Governor is precursor for a larger political battle over the US' future where opponents lack any common ground and neither side is ready to accept an election result where they lose.

A foiled plot by 13 self-described "militia" to allegedly kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer underscores just how dangerous the political divide is in America today. Words that address areas of legitimate political disagreement run the risk of fueling partisan rancor in a country that appears to be on the cusp of civil violence the likes of which it has not seen since the rioting of the 1960's.

The case against the members of the "Wolverine Watchmen", a Michigan-based militia, is fairly straightforward — they are accused of plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer. But the effort by leading Democrats, including Governor Whitmer and Joe Biden, to shift the blame onto President Trump, is not as cut and dry as they make it.
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Yellow Vest

Anti-govt protests grow increasingly violent throughout Indonesia after mass arrest of student demonstrators


RT
Thu, 08 Oct 2020 13:39 UTC
indonesia protest
© REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
Some 400 people were detained following clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Indonesia on Tuesday, following the passing of a controversial new labor law.

Molotov cocktails, missiles, and water cannons were deployed by demonstrators and police respectively during the protests in response to the contentious law, which had been passed with the aim of stabilizing Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Eyewitness footage purports to show local government offices aflame, as protesters clashed with heavily armed riot police in a number of cities.

Comment: See also: World in Flames: Why Are Protests Raging Around The Globe?

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Briefcase

DOJ sues Yale over alleged discrimination against Asian American and white applicants

Marlo Safi
The Daily Caller
Thu, 08 Oct 2020 18:46 UTC
Yale
© Michelle McLoughlin/ReutersA view of Yale University campus
The Justice Department sued Yale University over claims that the school racially discriminates against Asian-American and white applicants in violation of federal civil rights law, numerous sources reported.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Connecticut and alleges that Yale "discriminates based on race and national origin in its undergraduate admissions process, and that race is the determinative factor in hundreds of admissions decisions each year," according to the Associated Press.

Comment: The DOJ is now moving on statements made in August, 2020

The Justice Department accused Yale University of discriminating against Asian American and white applicants

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Star of David

The real cancel culture: Israeli organization Canary Mission's blacklists target student supporters of Palestine long after they graduate

Murtaza Hussain
The Intercept
Sun, 04 Oct 2020 18:22 UTC
anti bds canary list israel hasbara
© GWU SJP / Nikki Casey
When it comes to Israel-Palestine, full-blown authoritarian coercion, like the blacklisting carried out by Canary Mission, is a part of life.

This July, a group of over 150 artists and intellectuals issued a public letter in Harper's Magazine warning of what they called a growing atmosphere of coerced ideological conformity in the U.S. Decrying an "intolerance of opposing views" and "a vogue for public shaming and ostracism," the letter went on to add that "restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation."

One of the people who found themselves agreeing with these noble sentiments was Hammam Farah. A Palestinian Canadian born in the Gaza Strip and raised between the United Arab Emirates and Canada, Farah spent years studying to become licensed as a therapist in Toronto. The letter resonated with him because he has had very intimate experience with what it feels like to have one's free speech stifled: attacks on his student pro-Palestinian activism have dogged Farah into adulthood, leading to recurring problems in his professional life.

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Star of David

Police engage in brawl as hundreds of protesters vent anger at Netanyahu in Tel Aviv


RT
Wed, 07 Oct 2020 06:59 UTC
Netanyahu
© Iran PressIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reacts to Tel Aviv protests 12th weekend running.
Israelis flocked to the streets to decry the government's ban on mass demonstrations, which they see as a distraction from PM Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial. The noisy gathering ended up in scuffles with police.

The crowd, numbering hundreds, amassed in Tel Aviv when night fell on Tuesday, carrying homemade placards that demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Others were seen waving flags and chanting slogans in unison.

At some point, the demonstration became chaotic although police began to get things under control. Officers - some armed, some wearing riot gear - didn't deploy any crowd control measures but used their hands to push protesters away.

Demonstrators flocked to the streets in defiance of new measures passed last week, which prohibit Israelis from traveling more than a kilometer from where they live to protest - and limit rallies to socially-distanced groups of up to 20 people.


Comment: Mild crowd control by police considering what Israel does to Palestinians day-in, day-out over decades.
However, push came to shove, four officers were injured trying to contain Coronavirus restriction protests in a settlement in West Bank:

unruly rally
© Reuters/Ammar AwadPolice and unruly crowd Tel Aviv, Israel
"Police arrived at the synagogue in Modi'in Illit and asked the crowd to leave the area. The officers were attacked with stones and firecrackers. During the riots, seven suspects were detained," the press service said.
Meanwhile, across the pond, an angry Jewish population in Brooklyn, New York, spilled into the streets after NY Governor Andrew Cuomo announced limited occupancy for synagogues in 'red zones' would be limited to 10 individuals, regardless of their size:
Protesters in Borough Park, a largely Orthodox area of Brooklyn, burned a pile of discarded masks in the middle of the road in symbolic repudiation. A video posted to social media shows New York City firefighters arriving at the scene to put out the blaze - while men in traditional Orthodox costume marching through the area. Elsewhere in the city, police attempted to corral Orthodox Jews who were celebrating Sukkot, a Jewish holiday marking the autumn harvest.


Radio host and local celebrity Heshy Tischler said that he would file a court order to "hold Cuomo and the idiot [Mayor Bill] de Blasio" in contempt of a recent court ruling that blocks New York State from singling out religious gatherings when imposing coronavirus restrictions.
And, they were at it again a second night, with no further resolution to the lockdown policies:
A number of Trump flags were seen flying over the crowd, suggesting strong support for the president among the group. The Republican leader has often voiced skepticism about the stricter lockdown policies brought by Democratic mayors and governors, and has himself been reluctant to mandate nationwide restrictions, instead allowing localities to decide for themselves.



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Palette

Artist bragged he got Seattle tax dollars to paint anti-police messages

Jason Rantz
mynorthwest.com
Fri, 09 Oct 2020 17:18 UTC
BLM Sign Street
© David Ryder/Getty ImagesDemonstrators fill an intersection near a Black Lives Matter street mural during protests.
July 26, 2020 • Seattle, Washington
A Seattle artist bragged that the city used tax dollars to pay for his anti-police art just a block away from a police station.

The city of Seattle agreed to spend tens of thousands of dollars to restore a Black Lives Matter mural near the East Precinct after rain damaged it. As a concession to activists, the city gave the Vivid Matter Collective permission to recreate the mural, paying 16 artists over $50,272 to share equally amongst each other.

But one artist, who goes by the moniker Future Crystals, tagged the art with vicious anti-police messages. He sure was excited that he was getting paid by the city to rip on cops.

Comment: See also:



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