
© Andre Coelho/BloombergBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
There it was. With that simple phrase,
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro dashed the hopes of everyone who thought he might perform a U-turn. The hateful media, the think tanks, the politically-minded state governors, the scores of lockdown lovers, all of them.
That's when I knew. Brazil was not now, not ever, going to have a national lockdown.Because, if not now, when?
Let me take you all back a few months.
Since roughly August of 2020, Brazilians had been living almost completely free lives. Sure, there were some token rules in place, depending where you were in the vast, continent-sized country, but they were barely adhered too.
The first wave had come and gone. In reality, if it hadn't been for the hysterical media coverage,
it would have gone unnoticed, swallowed up by the black hole of constant tragedy and stress within the Brazilian medical system.
Comment: It's notable that this uptick in violence occurs amidst calls from the establishment media that the US, that has recently postponed its withdrawal, should instead remain in the region, because their presence 'helps women's rights'. The Taliban have denied involvement, and actions like this do not benefit their cause: 'Woke imperialism strikes again': CNN faces backlash after it defends keeping US troops in Afghanistan by citing 'women's rights'
See also: US begins 'withdrawal' from Afghanistan... by sending MORE troops & gear for 'temporary force protection'