COVID Pandemic Commentary Part 3

August 7, 2020 - At Lakeside, OH this week for our annual family visit here. Of course the administration is liberal, we've known that all along, in part from their overbearning enforcement of tickets in past years. This year they are not checking them at all. Why is that? Last year every ticket was scanned going and coming. This year, they don't even seem interested in looking at them. The crowd here is very light. Less than half of normal I would guess. COVID impact. People are afraid I guess.

So part of the Liberal bent shows up in their request that everyone wear masks when you are outside of your house. They don't enforce this. They also say masks are required in the downtown area. It's not enforced, but the vast majority of folks are complying, including myself.

But many folks, maybe 30% are walking around all over the place with their masks on. I suspect they think they are protecting themselves. They might say that they are protecting others, but I suspect the real motivation is protecting themselves, perhaps just signalling that they expect me to wear my mask because they are wearing theirs.

I saw an old man taking out the trash at his home, up in the housing area where there aren't a lot of folks walking around. He had his mask on. Again, I suspect thinking he was protecting himself. Maybe he's getting some very, very small protection.

Big news items in Ohio this week: The governor has mandated that all school children will have to wear masks in school. This is going to keep a lot of kids out of schools I suspect. I know my daughter and daughter in-law are considering home schoooling. We'll see if that happens. I know I would be very reluctant to tell my kids to wear masks all day as school. I suspect this is largely a concession to the teachers' union. I'm sure a bunch of teachers are Liberals who are concerned for their health.

The second big news item was that Dewine tested postive. The test was administered because he was going to meet with Pres. Trump. Two later tests were negative. The first test was said to be a quick but less accurate test.

You may sense that I think Liberals are more likely to be worried about COVID. I do think that is the case for two reasons. First they listen to the Liberal media who blows it out of proportion, partly to keep people engaged, and partly in hopes of making President Trump look bad. The second reason I think they are more worried is they typically don't have a faith and trust in God. So they are simply more anxious people. That of course is a generalization. There are Christians who are anxious and there are Liberals who aren't anxious, but in general, I think Liberals are more anxious than Christians.

August 8, 2020 - A possible partial reflection of the COVID mess are the riots that have been going on for weeks now since George Floyd died during a police stop. Most would say that he was murdered, and indeed the police involved have been charged with murder. But I'm making the predition right here, that they will be aquitted of murder and perhaps all charges. I won't go into the details, but there is plenty of supporting evidence. If I lived in Minneapolis, I would be moving out of there. When the aquital comes down, the rights are going to be worse than they were originally, and they were bad. I'm telling you if you are a law abiding citizen and live in or near those certain areas of town where the riots happened, you would be advised to move. It's going to be ugly.

I say that this may be a reflection of COVID, as people were completely sick of being locked down and pushed around. That may well have been a factor in the reaction. It's hard to understand that severety and scope of the riots otherwise. Of course I know much of it was done by anarchists who want to destroy the country. Perhaps some are simply paid.

August 10, 2020 - Was in a discussion in Sunday School yesterday about masks, etc. I said that I don't think the governor has the legal authority to mandate masks. Another person said that he has the responsibility for the health and safety of the people in the state. I said, "No he doesnt'." Somone else agreed with me, but I'm not sure who.

I also stated that all the reaction to COVID-19 has been on a political basis, not a health basis. All that has been done has been motivated at its core to get someone re-elected. Its not about health.

August 13, 2020 - I saw an article today that the State of Connecticut fined two people for not filling out forms after they had traveled to one or more of the 32 states that are on a list. When you travel there you have to file a form when you return and then self quarantine for 14 days. Two people did not do this and were fined $1000. First of all, this is nuts. Secondly, where does the state get the right to do this. There have been no such laws passed, and I'm not sure they would be constitutional if they had been passed. Our civil liberties are being not only infringed, but unlawfully infringed. They are being stolen by fiat.

August 26, 2020 - Yesterday some Ohio state representatives filed articles of impeachment against Governor DeWine. Of course it's not going to go anywhere, but it does reflect that fact that there are people who are fed up with his dictating rules. He came out with a policy about attending sporting events. Maximum of 1500 people regardless of the size of the stadium. This is without rationality. It's just about control and making people think you're doing something. Here's the deal... if at this point he said, OK, I'm no longer going to be telling people what they can and can't do, then folks could reasonably ask, why now? I've said all along that the politicians have painted themselves into a corner. They have no exit strategy. The virus will never be gone. Do they intend to lay down this rules for ever more?

Also, I saw an article that referenced sections of the Ohio Revised Code that portended to be the basis for his authority to do what he's doing. In my view, it doesn't give him the authority at all. The representatives who filed articles of impeachment might actually have a chance of making a difference if they filed law suites against the state, but that's much more work. The articles of impeachment are pure grandstanding.

August 28, 2020 - Saw an article today entitled, "The Church After COVID." I read the article and it really was kind of meaningless. Platitudes about the church, all true, but nothing really to do with COVID. Here's my assertion though regarding the church after COVID.. there is no such thing. COVID is here for evermore. The virus is never going to go away. Will less and less people get sick? Yes. Will people more and more forget that its around and become more complacent? Yes. But will the government ever forget? Not for a long time, because it gives them control. It gives them a way to be the hero (get votes, they think)

August 31, 2020 - People love the power. I had a conversation with a local physician. He was telling me how he is monitoring the policies set at the local school. When he sees something that doesn't make sense, he calls the local board of health director and gets her to change the policy. He tells me that some masks are acceptable, other are no good. I tell him that all of what's been done is about politics and power, not about health. He is standing three feet from me with no mask on, telling me how important it is to take this thing seriously. He tells his wife to wear a mask and a plastic face shield because that would be the safest. I've not see him wearing a plastic shield. I think he's enjoying telling people what they ought to do.

He says we know that the virus is short lived and so not very likely transmitted by touching things. This is exactly the opposite of what we were told back in March. I remember very well a doctor who claimed to be an authority because he's working every day exclusively with COVID patients, that the virus was transmitted by touching things and then touching your face (eyes, nose, etc). At this point, I don't believe anything I'm told about the virus. You can't trust the media. You can't trust the government. You really can't trust.

Another local doc is still refusing to prescribe hydroxychloriquine despite many studies and much, much anecdotal evidence showing that it works. They love the power.

Note that these docs are personal friends. So note how this virus impacts us personally. Everyone has been very impacted by it in one way or another. That's what this blog is about. The impact it has had. And I think people getting sick from the virus, has been perhaps the least of the impact.