CORONA---The Howling

          Today at work, I spent much of the day muttering to myself about the bastards who have shut down large swathes of America for no reason, and the other bastards (the ones I thought were on my side), doing nothing about it.  With the mask on, no one can hear.  If they could, they would probably be dragging me away.

          At this point, there can be no conceivable reason for further restrictions, and yet they remain in place.  The original rationale offered ten weeks ago for shutting schools and colleges, all sports and cultural events and churches, and throwing tens of millions out of work was always questionable, especially since no discussion of it was permitted.  “Flattening the curve,” they said---relieving pressure on our healthcare system before it could be overwhelmed by the ‘rona.  OK, well that didn’t happen, and not only did it not happen but we have learned that the shutdowns were never going to flatten anything anyway.  A number of studies from around the world have confirmed what some of us suspected from the beginning---curves don’t get flattened and the number of cases a particular area experiences follows the same pattern regardless of the level of government restrictions imposed or not imposed.  The lockdowns have served no public health function.  All they have done is impoverish the healthy and the innocent.

          The only rational course of action for our overlords now is a decree ending all shelter-in-place edicts and policed lockdowns, allowing free people to live their lives as they see fit, taking whatever precautions they deem appropriate for themselves and their families.

          There is no longer any justification for the restrictions; there is literally no public health argument that can fairly be made.  The patterns everywhere are the same, and there have been no “second waves” despite the apocalyptic warnings of all our “experts.”  Somehow, we all survived people in Georgia getting haircuts and tattoos.

          Yet not only do the autocrats and bullies who authored these policies continue to enforce them and even extend them, there is virtually no political conservative who will even argue with them.  At most, the quislings in Congress and the conservative media will try to nibble around the edges of this policing regimen.  “Well, maybe we should allow 25 people to assemble now, so long as they wear masks, of course.”  “Well, we can’t open restaurants, of course, but with the right disinfecting procedures, we ought to allow hair salons to reopen some time in August.”  “Well, OK, you can play baseball but no one can watch.  And no spitting!  And we’ll have to take everybody’s temperature before every game.”

          NO!  The only correct answer is NO!  Open up the gyms and the ballparks and the restaurants and the swimming pools and the schools.  NOW!  And if there are people who don’t want to go to a baseball stadium with fans in the seats, fine.  No one is forcing them to go.  No one ever forced them to go.  Remember? At first, there will be plenty of people who still isolate themselves, especially because of all the virus-terror that has been pounded into all of us over the past months, but gradually public venues will begin to fill up again as people re-evaluate the risks in a way that is realistic and appropriate for them.  It may be a while before an 86-year-old with a compromised immune system goes to a hockey game, but that’s OK.  That’s the way it should be.  In a free society, one size never fits all.

          Why is this happening?  Why are the restrictions still in place?  Why are ministers and gym owners being threatened with massive fines and imprisonment and property seizures?  Why must tens of millions be driven into penury and despair?

          Because this is not about the virus anymore.

          Corona was the reason in the beginning, I think, at least to some extent.  The initial justification of flattening the curve was plausible if you didn’t think too deeply about it, and we were not permitted to think about it even a little bit.  There was no public debate at all.  The policing regimen was just dropped upon us, suddenly, without warning.  It was an emergency, you see.

          In the beginning, besides the virus, there were other reasons motivating the bullies and other aspects of our culture that prevented us from seeing what was happening until it was too late.  The precautionary principle has apparently triumphed in America, for example, and none of us noticed.  We never really objected when the diving boards disappeared and the peanuts in school lunches were banned.  Now we don’t even laugh out loud when someone in power refers to the “infinite value of a single human life,” as a matter of public policy.  The unnoticed politicization of science that allows a lifelong bureaucrat like Fauci to rule the country is another culprit, though the fingerprints were there in the legions of “climate scientists” who all stopped doing science and started proposing laws and treaties.  Then there are the traditional American ideals of freedom and individual responsibility that the Left have always hated---what better way to undermine them than to show how easily an “emergency” permits them to be suspended, and perhaps, destroyed. 

          And now that the nation has been brought to its knees after two months of executive rule, there are other reasons.  Defeating Trump in November is the biggest one, which is why Democratic governors are the most determined to maintain and extend the restrictions, and inflict the most economic pain possible, for which Trump will be blamed.  Unlike the Russia scam and impeachment and the Ukrainian phone call, Trump never saw this one coming.  Six months ago, it was obvious to everyone that the only way Trump could be defeated would be if his booming economy collapsed.  It is odd, and ironic, and sad, that when the Left came up with a plan to destroy it, and his presidency, Trump did not merely step aside, he embraced the idea.

Copyright2020MichaelKubacki      

CORONA---The Conspiracies

1.  Bill Gates developed the virus because he wants to vaccinate the world’s population in order to implant microchips in everyone.

2.  The coronavirus would not normally be very dangerous to humans, but the continuing development of genetically-modified organisms weakens us and allows the virus to proliferate.  The problem is not really the virus itself; it’s the GMOs.

3.  There is no virus.  The sickness is coming from 5G radiofrequency communications now being deployed around the world.  Alternate version: there really is a virus but 5G destroys our immune systems and makes us vulnerable to it.

4.  George Soros developed the virus in order to crash the world economy and have Trump defeated in the November elections.

5.  The Trump Administration has had a vaccine for a year and all the Trump insiders have been vaccinated already.  The vaccine will be released to the world shortly before the election and will sweep Trump and the Republicans into office.

6.  The virus escaped from a UFO.

7.  “They” have unleashed the virus in order to eliminate paper money by scaring people about the germs it might have on it.

8.  The biggest roadblock for the imposition of socialized medicine around the world is the cost of caring for sick, elderly people.  COVID-19 is a pathogen that has been altered so it almost never attacks the young, only the old.  Once the elderly are culled, universal government-run healthcare will be instituted in every country.

9.  Elon Musk and other billionaires have dreamed of colonizing Mars for themselves and their descendants.  This is necessary because climate change will soon make the Earth uninhabitable.  The problem is that climate change is progressing too fast, so Musk and the other billionaires have decided to kill off two billion humans in order to slow the environmental damage to the Earth.  This will give them the time they need to complete their exodus.

10.  COVID-19 is a ruse designed to encourage widespread DNA testing of human beings so that anyone with alien genes can be identified. These hybrid humans will be eradicated because the Federation of Planets will not allow genetically-modified organisms to leave their home planet.  The Federation’s concern is that humankind is on the verge of space travel.

11. The virus was designed and released by the Chinese in order to tarnish Trump’s image and get their old buddy Joe Biden elected President in November.

12. The pandemic is a culling of humanity by the elites because the planet will be easier to rule with fewer people on it, especially if the remaining people are more docile and obedient.  Thus, the targets are primarily those in the freedom-loving working class.  This is why government workers and the highly-educated are allowed to keep their jobs and be relatively unaffected by the widespread economic destruction.

13. Aliens planted the virus on Earth as a doomsday device many millennia ago in order to eradicate mankind if it became necessary.  The aliens are alarmed by our progress in space exploration, so they are shutting down our species.

Copyright2020MichaelKubacki     

CORONA---"Humanity Over Profits"

          Nextdoor is a social media community application found around the country.  The one for my area is called Nextdoor East Falls, and the usual topics concern restaurant openings, community events, the farmers market, street closings, and so on.  Frequently, however, politics creeps onto the forum and when it does, it is invariably the politics of the liberal left.

          The following exchange is typical of the thinking in my neighborhood.  It has been slightly edited and all the names have been changed.  The originator of this thread, whom I call Laura Davis, is a woman who appears to be in her mid-twenties, with no obvious health issues or disabilities, so her chance of contracting the coronavirus and dying (because of her job at the Starbucks drive-through), is virtually zero.  Also, though there are 36 million people unemployed and though tens of thousands of businesses have been closed, and though the coming months may bring untold millions to despair and homelessness and substance abuse and suicide, and though famines are likely around the world because of the economic lockdowns, Ms. Davis has a job.

           

A reminder from your local Starbucks Barista:

Laura Davis, South Roxborough. 5-5-20

Starbucks is NOT essential. I’m at work because I don’t really have a choice, but you have a choice to stay inside and avoid unnecessary trips. Quarantine isn’t over just because you’re bored! It’s one thing to order local delivery to support small business, but another entirely to continue to frequent places like Starbucks, McDonalds, etc, who will survive this and are currently exploiting their workers.

V. M.

O.K.  No restaurant is essential in your mind. Do all your fellow workers agree?

Laura Davis

That’s not quite what I said. I support small, locally owned restaurants and their right to safely stay open at their choosing. But I feel that the “it’s food so it’s essential” gap has paved the way for people like me to be stuck in a job that’s potentially dangerous for no good reason (whereas first responders: dangerous job but saving lives) and definitely more hectic than it needs to be with everything currently going on because fast food chains want to stay open. Where local businesses could shut down over this, chains will survive. And what I’m seeing, working in one of the only drive thru locations in Philly, is our line being clogged with nonessential workers, our staff trying our best to handle these long lines but not really having much control over the whole situation, and dealing with customers who are incredibly angry over the line length especially with mobile ordering and Uber Eats still being options, but also required to wait in lines, and most people I interact with on a daily basis aren’t taking any safety precautions, etc. Dangerous for no reason, especially with numbers still as high as they are, for a nonessential business, just to be yelled at anyway. During a pandemic. I would advocate for better protections for workers stuck in a similar position, so that they don’t feel financially dependent on a precarious situation. But by all means, please order local.

Laura Davis

I think it really depends on the location you’re at, a lot of my struggle is seeing our lines clogged because people are out with nothing else to do, and because we’re one of the only drive thrus in Philly, and that’s what gets me. I wouldn’t mind staying open to serve other essential workers, but it’s pretty clear who’s out just for fun and who’s out for a caffeine dose before work.

Annoyed Presumed Fascist

What do you mean by "I’m at work because I don’t really have a choice"? Are you inferring you have to go to work because you need the money? How do you expect Starbucks to continue paying you if everyone stops showing up to purchase coffee? Next thing you know you'll be out of a job and asking neighbors to join you in a rent freeze.

Laura Davis

That’s exactly what I’m saying. I can’t look for another job, because no one is hiring. I would most likely be denied for unemployment if I quit, because I don’t have any pre-existing conditions and haven’t technically been laid off. I assume you’re trying to be hurtful by saying that I’d be striking for a rent freeze, but I absolutely would. I’m a firm believer in humanity over profits and the way our economy and large businesses as a whole are handling this pandemic and profiting/exploiting off of fear and disaster is very upsetting to me and many other demographics that you may not be well acquainted with. For instance, did you know that this pandemic is most greatly affecting minorities and those working below a certain pay grade (a little above minimum wage)? That’s where my concern lies.

K. C.

If anyone in the neighborhood is organizing for tenants' rights, please contact me--I would like to volunteer.

S. G.

And she’s right. Starbucks could certainly pay its staff to stay home via a PPP or just dig into its corporate pockets and cover its staff while this pandemic rolls on. Some people don’t have much of a choice when it comes to paying the rent or buying groceries so have to put themselves at risk. Heading to Starbucks because you have to have your whatever frappacino puts others at risk of contracting Covid 19.

Annoyed Presumed Fascist

That's awesome, I'd love to work for a company that is paying people to stay home and not work currently. Any leads on that?

B. S.

The Census Bureau did. A giant corporation like Starbucks could absolutely afford to,

A. M.

It’s like going to Target to buy necessities (food, medications, household items) vs going to Target just to buy shoes, earrings and purses. I’m thankful for the store that are open, but it’s good to stick to just the most essential trips.

S. F.

You're 10000% correct. I feel awful for all non-essential (and some essential, like grocery stores) workers being taken advantage of right now. What can we do? Can we write to someone?

K.T.

http://chng.it/G5VgXtQgVR it would be awesome if you could sign this petition for Starbucks employees to keep our $3 raise! Outside of the city we are way underpaid and the extra money through this time has really helped partners (employees). No pressure at all tho if you don’t want to! Also hopefully it doesn’t show up in Spanish, I’m not sure why the website thinks I speak Spanish and it shows up that way for me.

Copyright2020MichaelKubacki

CORONA---The Madness Rolls On

          I continue to look for some evidence that a curve somewhere, anywhere, is being flattened.  I look every day, and so far, the only evidence I have seen is the study out of Israel, almost a month old now, indicating that the pattern of new cases follows the same curve regardless of the country and regardless of the amount of quarantining imposed on the citizenry.  Italy, Sweden, the UK, Israel, New York---total lockdowns, partial lockdowns, laissez-faire followed by severe lockdown, complete freedom---none of it makes any difference to the course of the disease through the population.

          There are plenty of opinions out there, and there are many people deeply invested, politically and otherwise, in the idea that trying to “flatten the curve” by shutting down society is wise.  If anyone is aware of any actual evidence on this point, please send it to me at duck3351@aol.com.

          *

          You may have noticed there has been a major shift in the supposed importance of flattening the curve over the past month or so.  The original justification for lockdowns was that the onset had to be slowed down and spread out because the medical community would be overwhelmed.  We wouldn’t have enough hospital beds.  We wouldn’t have enough ventilators.  Therefore, everybody had to be locked in their homes.

          At this point, not even Andrew Cuomo is claiming there aren’t enough ventilators.  In fact, medical facilities are being closed down and health workers furloughed all around the country because there isn’t enough work for them to do.   Thus, the original stated purpose for driving tens of millions of people into poverty and homelessness and despair is no longer viable.  And yet, businesses are still not permitted to reopen.

          As I recall, Dr. Fauci himself started the repositioning at a press conference on April 2 when he said we can relax the restrictions only when there are NO new cases for an extended period of time. (Hint: that ain’t tomorrow.)  Other fans of the shutdowns quickly chimed in, arguing that the economy must remain locked until a vaccine is discovered.  (Also not tomorrow, or even the day after.)  Cuomo himself, a couple days ago, dragged out the “infinite value of a single life” rhetoric to explain why nobody can get a mani-pedi for another millennium or so.

          I strongly suspect they have a different measuring stick in mind.  On the night of Tuesday, November 3, when virtually everyone in America has been made so miserable and impoverished that a Democrat actually gets elected President, we will all be allowed to take our masks off and shake our neighbor’s hand.

          *

          In my job at the Big Box, I must wear a mask the entire eight hours I am working.  I find the experience extremely unpleasant.  Since this is Pennsylvania, all customers must wear masks within the store as well.

          Over the years, there have been a number of scientific studies published on the efficacy of masks in protecting the wearer, or those near the wearer, from infection.  Most find that the protection provided is very low, though there are also many that find masks provide NO protection at all.  On April 7, a month ago, a study published by Yale University found “no difference in reducing influenza-like illnesses, either in the general population or in healthcare workers.”

          In February, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted “STOP BUYING MASKS.”  In March, he said that wearing a mask can increase the spread of the coronavirus if not worn properly.  (Emphasis added.)  He later changed his mind.

          The CDC, on January 31, said, “We do not currently recommend the use of face masks for the general American public.”  On April 3, the CDC reversed itself and now recommends that Americans wear masks in public.

          The WHO still recommends that the general public NOT wear masks.

          At work, the range of face wear runs the gamut from the professional to the absurd.  There are paper medical masks, a few N-95s, construction masks, Frito-bandito-type bandanas, scarfs wrapped around the face, ski-masks and Muslim veils.  About half of the employees walk around with their masks pulled down so that their nose is uncovered, rendering the supposed purpose for the mask meaningless.  Maybe 40% of the customers do the same.  Also, as soon as an employee enters the backroom or another non-public area, the mask is pulled down immediately.

          I find it increasingly difficult to believe the wearing of masks in public serves any medical purpose at all.

          Aside from the feel-good aspect (I’m doing something!), wearing a mask while walking on the streets or jogging in the park, where they are not required (and scolding those who don’t wear them), is just the latest form of virtue-signaling.  That has been my view for a while, but I may be changing my mind.  Some argue that masks are being used to subdue us, and that they are physical symbols of oppression imposed by power-obsessed state governors and our Health Commissioner overlords.  I don’t think this is a crazy point of view anymore.

          *

          As tempers fray, the police are being summoned to the store more frequently.  Yesterday, a woman in the check-out line realized she had left her wallet in the car, so she went out to retrieve it.  Returning, she tried to by-pass the line at the front door but was stopped by a security guard who would not let her enter.  An argument followed.  Reportedly, the word “bitch” was used.  The woman then drove home and returned fifteen minutes later with two male friends, who engaged store security personnel in a melee in the parking lot until the police were able to restore order.

Copyright2020MichaelKubacki