Killing The Victim To Stop The Disease

I continue to believe that the current measures being taken by our "leaders" are worse than the disease we are trying to fight. And I believe it is also true that long after we have supposedly "defeated" COVID 19, it will still be with us, endemic as is SARS and the seasonal flu.

Martin Thau has an excellent piece at the American Thinker today entitled COVID 19 Probably Won't Destroy Society, But The Government's Reaction Might that encapsulates the problem very well. He starts by reminding us of the many many panics that have been whipped up by the media, only to be proven false.

The Washington Post recently touted "an alarming new scientific model" that warns that treating COVID-19 like a somewhat more severe strain of flu won't cut it. The model predicts over a million U.S fatalities unless we shut down all non-essential mingling until a vaccine is developed, "which could take 12 to 18 months at best." Pretty bleak stuff. In fact, that's about the bleakest take on COVID-19 you'll find. Let's run with it.

...snip...

We'll also entirely ignore the media's generally appalling track record concerning "expert" projections of hypothetical disasters. In fact, we'll ignore their altogether abysmal record of spreading misinformation when it matters most. Pretend they never created a completely unjustified panic over the prospect of massive Y2K technology failures. Nor remember they've been serially predicting we have only ten years 'til the Earth becomes uninhabitable from environmental damage for at least the last 50.

And he goes on like this for paragraph after paragraph.  Panic after panic, raised to the highest level of urgency not because these panics were real, but because they serve an agenda.  Remember peak oil?  The world was running out, until we discovered that the U.S. alone had enough oil to keep us running for perhaps 200 or more years.

Then he points out that what our "leaders" have prescribed is utter madness. 

We're now in a position to observe a remarkable fact. The restrictions and spur-of-the-moment peremptory government abridgment of our most basic rights to which we've acquiesced are still completely unjustified. The idea that we're considering extending them indicates that we've completely lost our collective mind.

...snip...

Even the worst-case scenarios presented by our dishonest, fear-mongering media don't present some kind of unique catastrophe the likes of which no human society has ever faced and for which it's impossible to predict the long-term damage or even if we'll ever recover.

The same, however, can't be said for the insane idea of an extended period of time living under draconian government-enforced social and economic sanctions. Virtually every single brick-and-mortar business in America could wind up out of business, and unheard-of levels of unemployment are guaranteed.

Thau also points out, as did I, that so called "social distancing" while being of dubious effectiveness against the virus, will no doubt increase depression and suicide. And for those who are suffering from the virus itself, they will be forced to go it alone. But man is a social creature. He needs companionship, and he needs to have contact with others. And while technology can help to keep us in contact, there is no substitute for face to face meeting with others. Even an introverted individual needs some contact with others. It is our nature as humans.

Further, I question whether the government, at any level, has the right or authority to order us to stay at home, or to enforce such orders.  We are too meekly submitting to this tyranny, and we too readily accept that it is good for us.  As I said before, those of us who are at most risk need to protect ourselves as we see fit.  But young people and those with families and mortages should not have to participate.  Dr. Nicole Saphier, MD, let the cat out of the bag yesterday when she confirmed that by next year COVID 19 will be part of the flu season in the U.S.

Go read the whole article, and several others on American Thinker Update: Please also read Enough: The COVID-19 Panic Is Insane And Destroying Our Way Of Life:

No, this rage column is for you sane people who think this entire “crisis” is stupid and have from the start. You are not alone. It’s one thing to practice basic hygiene which we all should anyway. It’s another thing to shut down the world. What gives me faith is having met so many of you who also see the problem with this pandemic. The sane — those who don’t fall in line with the herd — are, as it turns out, some of the best people I’ve met. Jovial, kind, fun and independent. Rock on, my rebels, I raise my toilet paper in your honor.

Yes, this entire “crisis” is stupid. You are not the only one who thinks so. You are not a terrible person for feeling sad or angry to see your life disintegrating before you while virtue signaling plebes hop on social media to say they’re fine with sacrificing in order to flatten the curve.