Shhhhh. No one cares

 The new Omicron variant is making the news. 

Why?

It is clearly just as lethal as the original and all its variants ... which is to say, not very lethal.

Unless you are very old ... and already sick.

A year ago, I was entering the final stages of recovery from COVID-19. Along with my wife, a dozen of my friends contracted it, dealt with it, and moved on. None of us are young: all between 50 and 70. Many of us have had some sort of serious health issue over the years (cancer seems to be unnervingly common). As a group, our symptoms ranged from pretty bad (fever of 101F and higher) to almost non-existent. 

The one thing all of us had in common: 100% survival rate.

COVID-19 has followed the exact same path as every other virus: 

• It spreads rapidly and the most vulnerable die in relatively large numbers
• It continues to spread but the proportion of severe illness drops dramatically, along with its lethality
• It mutates and continues to spread in its new form
• The seriousness of illness and lethality continues to drop

In other words, lots of people get infected. Some of them get sick. But a very small percentage get seriously ill, and an even smaller percentage die. 

What are we hearing about now?

The Omicron variant is very contagious, but its symptoms are very mild. Entirely predictable.

It's asking too much of our 24-hour sensationalism-based news cycle. But shut up about it already.

The Response is Killing Us

It seems as though decision makers across the country are determined to cause as much harm to the people as humanly possible. 

Now it's the delta variant and areas of high transmissibility that are their excuses for imposing burdens. 

Indisputable Facts:

• COVID has always been highly transmissible. Normal people, who are not trying to frighten or intimidate others, would say it's contagious. This is nothing new. The delta variant may or may not be statistically more contagious than any of the of the variations of the virus ...  past, present, or future. But for practical purposes, it's no different than what we've been dealing with since February 2020. 
• COVID has always been highly survivable for the majority of US residents. It is quite dangerous for the elderly, and a nuisance for mostly everyone else. Of course there are exceptions and exceptions have always gotten far more attention than they deserve. They are, nonetheless, exceedingly rare.
• Vaccines have never, ever been 100% effective. 
• Vaccines are, furthermore, effective in varying ways ... sometimes they prevent the onset of an illness; sometimes they reduce the symptoms of an illness; sometimes they shorten the time of being symptomatic. All of these outcomes demonstrate that the vaccine is effective.
• All Policy Decisions have a cost. Even those that might be considered a mere nuisance must - no matter how small the cost - be evaluated against their expected and/or experienced benefit.
• Masks are proven to have a negligible impact on the trajectory, transmissibility, and outcome of COVID. Cases in areas of high mask usage have followed the same pattern as in areas of low mask usage. Yet they impose a cost. Reasonable people can disagree on the severity of the cost, but it is NOT zero. In my opinion, any cost for NO benefit is to great a cost.
• The vaccines have proven to be effective. The short-term costs have been, thus far, negligible. We do not know the long-term costs. That uncertainty must be weighed against the proven benefits. 
• The CDC is a bureaucracy, led by bureaucrats. All successful/high-ranking bureaucrats are politically ambitious, motivated to exercise power and authority, and adept at using language to manipulate others. This does not make them bad people. It's simply a statement of fact.

Today's Response from on high:

• Once again, we see rhetoric from the CDC that recommends masks if you're in an area of high transmissibility. 
• Politicians - the president, governors, mayors, etc. - are ignoring the valid concerns of those that thoughtfully consider the uncertain long-term impact of vaccination.

The response is monumentally stupid, and will cause even more harm than we've already experienced.

Biden is Failing Test after Test

Here in the mid-Atlantic, we are in the midst of a classic economic shock. Someone ... no one is officially taking credit, nor has anyone officially identified a perpetrator ... shut down a major gasoline pipeline via a software hack. I have no doubt whatsoever that this was conducted by, lead by, and paid for by one of our global adversaries - either Russia or China.

This comes within 72 hours of a Hamas-led massive missile attack on major Israeli cities.

This comes within days of the capture of a ship carrying Russian and Chinese weapons - missiles, machine guns, etc. - by the US Navy, and Iranian boats conducting "swarm attacks" of US Navy vessels.

Hamas is backed by Russia and China.
Iran is backed by Russia and China.

My opinions:

Russia and China are testing Biden administration. They sense that he is not capable of being decisive, and that he is not in full command of how we will respond. It's a presidency by committee, and committees cannot act decisively.

This will get worse before it gets better.

The Cure has been Worse

On March 23, 2020, President Trump tweeted: “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF,"

Based on what I'm seeing, that is exactly what has happened.

In my home state of Maryland, significant sectors of business remain closed ... barred from serving customers by the state. 

The media has turned into a giant propaganda machine: extolling "social distancing" at every opportunity. Showing how wonderful it is. 

It is exactly what happened in the novel 1984. The televisions, the radio stations, the commercials, the social media. Everyone talks about their gatherings, and seems compelled to remind everyone that they are "social distancing". As if to say, Don't scold me! Look, I'm social distancing! 

It is nauseating.

The virtue signaling

The attempt at shaming.

Disproportionate Response

Here are several numbers for your consideration:

26

19

35

Two of these numbers represent the number of deaths Baltimore City by homicide in two different months. One of these numbers represents the number of deaths in all of Maryland attributed to COVID19 during March 2020.

On April 1, the state reported 12 additional deaths from COVID19, bringing the total-to-date up to 31 ... again, for all of Maryland. That's still fewer than the homicides in Baltimore City for December 2019.
Should we lock down the city?

source: https://homicides.news.baltimoresun.com/ 
source: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html 

When is Enough, Enough?

As I write these words, the entire country is gripped in fear over the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Maryland, businesses have been ordered ... ORDERED ... to close their doors, in order to stop the spread of the virus. That was 5 days ago ... at 5:00pm on March 23, 2020.
Thus far, I have been supportive of these measures. I believe they have been effective in significantly slowing down the progress of the virus.
But at some point, this needs to stop.
So far in Maryland, we have had 781 confirmed cases, and 5 deaths. That is a mortality rate of 0.64%. Several of the deceased were quite elderly ... over 80 years old ... and it's not clear that the disease shortened their life by a significant margin.
Millions of people are unemployed right now ... over 3 million new unemployment claims were filed this week. My job is in serious jeopardy, and I know that my income is going to drop significantly in the next 30 days.
So how long does this go on?
How much human suffering are we going to bear in order to save a few lives?

Choose the Form of your Destructor

Winston Churchill's definition of a Fanatic

One who can't change his opinion and won't change the subject

NeverTrumpers are determined to blame President Trump for destroying (take your pick):

• The Republican Party
• Conservatism
• Respect for America
• and on and on and on...

Liberals have successfully painted a picture of the Conservative movement as one that stubbornly refuses to consider new ideas or creative solutions. Conservatives, so we are told, are clinging to a fantastical memory of the good old days, when dad stoically marched off to work each morning, leaving mom trapped with the burden of raising the children, cooking meals, and cleaning the house. Conservatives are accused of wanting to returning to the days of segregation and minority oppression.

As a Conservative, I know these are lies, and I will not address them in this post.

But consider those who have declared themselves to be the spokesmen for the Right.

I'm looking at you, Bill Kristol, Jonah Goldberg, and David French. 

It has been 3 years since President Trump was inaugurated. Since then, some of the highest priorities for Conservatives have seen their first meaningful action in decades. The remaking of the judiciary is just one example. We have seen deregulation, tax reform, immigration enforcement, and a robust, muscular diplomatic posture across every foreign relationship.

And who are the ones railing against the person who is leading these efforts? Who is out there, jumping in front of every possible camera and microphone to make the case that this president is destroying Conservatism? Who is out there, clinging to the fantasy that the best days of the Conservatives were ... George W Bush? Mitt Romney? Really? 

I'm looking at you, Bill Kristol, Jonah Goldberg, and David French.

You are reinforcing the stereotype. And in so doing, you are the ones who are damaging Conservatism.

You have chosen the form of your destuctor. And it is you.

Never an Explanation

There is nothing more frustrating than attempting to have a reasoned discussion with a liberal.
They resort to unproven rumors: Trump is a homophobe!
They resort to disproven allegations: RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!
They resort to some arbitrary standard of presidential demeanor: Trump is a DISGRACE! Trump is an EMBARRASSMENT!

Where is the evidence?

Donald Trump worked for 40 years it the New York City real estate business, the international hotel business, and the entertainment industry. If there was any notion that he was uncomfortable around gay men or women, don't you think that would have surfaced during that time? Seriously. It's not as if he was hidden from view.

As for interference in the 2016 election... Give me a break.
Who was president in 2016?
Who oversaw foreign relations in 2016?
Who was privy to the highest-quality intelligence that we have in 2016?
Quick hint: it was not Donald Trump

And finally, this business about him being an embarrassment to the country or to the office has just got to stop. He is unabashedly FOR the United States of America. He doesn't kowtow to foreign leaders - whether they are allies or not. The people of this world that are truly oppressed welcome him with enthusiasm and love.

If you're embarrassed by that, then the problem is you.

Hiding in Plain Sight

A lot has changed since June 2013.
The United States has elected a man who truly loves his country, and governs as though it is worth defending. The polite pundit class is still aghast that he won. The establishment conservatives like Jonah Goldberg, Steve Hayes, and John Podhoretz have yet to come to terms with him. And even his most ardent supporters still find themselves (ourselves) establishing a caveat when describing just how well his policies are working.
Which leads me to the following complaint.
This blog is the only public forum in which I feel comfortable expressing my support for President Trump. It is ignored by almost everyone on the planet, and therefore is a safe place to share what I see happening in the world around me. Supporting conservative values on the social media platforms that I use - Facebook and LinkedIn - could cost me my job. I have seen it happen.
So this will be my soapbox.
And maybe someone will listen, and not fire me.

The World's Greatest Orator!?

There are days when I wish I could write this well...

So [President Obama] delivered a banal lecture on American history to an audience in a foreign country, idly analogized his own country's history to theirs, and in the process inadvertently insulted Catholics, a group he has already alienated by way of deliberate attacks. No wonder they call him the World's Greatest Orator.
James Taranto, Best of the Web Today

When history judges us for electing this man as our leader, it will do so very harshly.

Guns make us safe

If we are truly serious about reducing gun-related deaths and injury, then we must consider this:

Dealers sold 600,000 guns in California last year, up from 350,000 in 2002, according to records of sale tallied by the California Attorney General's office.

During that same period, the number of California hospitalizations due to gun injuries declined from about 4,000 annually to 2,900, a roughly 25 percent drop, according to hospital records collected by the California Department of Public Health.

Firearm-related deaths fell from about 3,200 annually to about 2,800, an 11 percent drop, state health figures show.

Most of the drop in firearm-related injuries and deaths can be explained by a well-documented, nationwide drop in violent crime.

Certainly, some of the drop in the mortality rate from gunshots is due to better trauma response. But that doesn't explain the reduction in injuries. The best response to a bad guy itch a gun is a good guy ... with a gun.

California gun sales increase - The Sacramento Bee


 

No one stopped him

Cindy Ann Yuille
Steven Mathew Forsyth

A shopper and a shopkeeper, gunned down by a 22 year-old man for no apparent reason.

The sheriff is taking credit, saying that mall security and the quick response of his agency prevented the gunman from taking more lives. Except there is a problem ... the perpetrator's gun jammed.

The police have a saying: when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Once again, the police responded within minutes. 2 minutes? 15 minutes? Accounts don't specify. I can only wonder if the outcome might have been different if other, law-abiding shoppers had been armed. Would the gunman have even contemplated such an act if he knew that his targets might be able to resist?

End Collective Bargaining

There is no reason why a public sector employee requires collective bargaining. I can understand - to an extent - that it works for public safety employees. The police is essentially a local army, and there is a valid argument for payment based on rank. But the schools are not. And there is no reason why teachers should be paid based on anything but performance, as determined by their manager.

Why should a bad teacher with 10 years of service get paid more than a great teacher with 5 years of service?
Why should someone besides the principal get decide how much her employees get paid?

The whole collective bargaining system should be dismantled.

How a "grass roots movement" starts

From the Weekly Standard...

"I don't know what she's going to do, but I do know this: The Democrats want her to run," said Carville, in response to a discussion about Clinton's future. "And I don't just mean a lot of Democrats. I mean a whole lot of Democrats, like 90 percent across the country. We just don't -- we just want to win. We think she's the best person and shut it down. And that's across the board."

So the archetypical Washington insider declares that the "people" want Hillary to run for president in 2016. Remember this when the MSM begin to report on the "groundswell" of support for Mrs. Clinton in 2 years.

Falling behind

Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have risen by 1.7%. Unfortunately, inflation — as measured by the consumer price index — has risen by 2.2% over the past year, meaning average hourly earnings have fallen by 0.5% in real terms.

This will cause far more damage than the "fiscal cliff". What's worse is that most people have no idea this is happening to them ... yet.

From this point forward

I was hoping that the election had turned out differently. But I have become more troubled by larger issues. Among the most concerning is one that gets little to no attention in the press: the decline of traditional marriage.

The MSM only wants to talk about homosexuals getting married. But they refuse to acknowledge the great harm that results when fewer men choose to marry their girlfriends... or even worse, when fewer men marry the mother of their children. The facts are indisputable:

• Children borne out of wedlock are far more likely to suffer sexual and physical abuse
• Single men are more likely to be unemployed (or under-employed)
• Unmarried mothers are far more likely to be poor

Why is this happening? Some might say that pop culture has so glamorized the single lifestyle that people are sorely tempted to pursue it. I disagree. The single lifestyle has always been glamorized, and it has never delivered on that false promise.

What is new, though, is that the traditional family lifestyle has been turned into a punch line. Pop culture portrays the man of this life as far from ideal or attractive or aspirational. Instead it casts him the role of lovable idiot (at best), or malicious oppressor. Why would anyone want to be that guy?

the Likable lie

How can anyone say this guy was ever likable? Almost everything that comes out of Obama's mouth is arrogant, condescending, insulting, or all three! Here's the latest:

At a $20,000-per-ticket fundraising dinner at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, President Obama made a joke about Romney cracking down on the Muppets.

"Finally, somebody is cracking down on Big Bird," Obama quipped. "Elmo has been seen in a white Suburban. He's driving for the border."

Using a murder to score political points? He is unworthy of the office.

Credit where credit is due: Real Clear Politics. Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit

Sometimes the government is just stupid

Microscopically etch an identifying mark on a gun's firing pin. Every bullet casing would be engraved with that mark, and law enforcement would know which gun fired that bullet. Seems like a great idea, right?

Actually, it's hard to count how many ways this is a stupid idea. But Jazz Shaw at Hot Air and Bob Owens at PJ Media itemize just some of the problems with gun microstamping.

Included in the litany of idiocy:

1. The firing pin for most weapons are easily replaced with a $12 part
2. The stamping naturally wears down through normal use, rendering it unusable.

This is what happens when central economic planners get too much power.

No enforcement of the law?

More evidence that this administration seems to think itself above the law.

“We will not use levies, liens or criminal prosecutions if taxpayers have unpaid amounts related to the individual-coverage provision,” Steven Miller, an IRS deputy commissioner, said Tuesday at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing. “There will not be revenue agents involved in this. These will not be audits.”
Read more: at FoxNews.com

Not only do they decide what aspects of immigration law they will enforce.
Not only do they pick and choose whether to uphold duly passed laws regarding welfare and work requirements.

But now they are deciding that the funding mechanism for their own signature legislation will not really be enforced.

Open war is upon us, whether we would risk it or not

One of the great mysteries of progressives is how they seemingly refuse to believe that we are not the cause of wars in this world. The only explanation for the act of war perpetrated upon our sovereign land - as all consulates and embassies are designated - is that a specific, identifiable segment of the world's population desires to eliminate our country.

Identifiable? Yes. Islam seeks to rule the world. The infidel has two choices: convert or die. Christianity seeks to rule the world as well. However, the difference is that we do not take it upon ourselves to carry out the sentence of unbelief. True Christians leave that to Almighty God.

So Islam has, once again, attacked our nation. Our feckless leader will denounce it. Maybe he'll send out a few drones. But he refuses to view our situation as war. He refuse to risk open war! Well open war is upon us, whether he would risk it or not.