Covid-19 Grab-bag of Stories

Photo-05/16/2020 residents of Virginia flocking to beaches in violation of their governor’s order that they can only fish or jog.

I wish to tweak a saying quoted often here so it reads, “Lie, damn lies, computer models, and statistics.” This applies not just to Covid-19 but to every other catastrophe of the imagination including population explosion, climate change—formerly global cooling and/or warming depending on which decade and paperback prophet of doom is quoted—rising sea levels, rainforest depletion, fossil fuel depletion, viability of socialism, and just about everything else that leftists have popularized over the years.

High on my list of news recently is the fact that Gavin Newsom is being dragged kicking and screaming, like a spoiled little girl throwing a tantrum, into allowing California into opening despite his wishes. As we have been demanding, the Orange Man has taken up our cause stating that churches are essential. Last week the Justice Department told California to reopen churches and so did the CDC. Look we know the CDC didn’t want it to happen but since Trump is their boss and churches elsewhere are opening anyway, Trump got the CDC to move churches toward the front of the line and issue guidelines for doing so. Frankly, the CDC guidelines sound way too much like those from Tennessee but at least Trump got the ball rolling.

Further irony can be found that my church declined to participate in the statewide protest to hold services on May 31st—not wishing to disobey the civil magistrate—but Newsom will likely be forced to open all churches by then anyway. Look for mandatory and reduced attendance and social distancing to be required when California rolls-out the rules tomorrow. Basically, we will get services without worship and people will be allowed to congregate. Many of the masses will claim victory but without the sacraments is it truly worship—I think not. You will find that we are still a long way from singing, greeting, weddings, funerals, and “regular” resumption of church life.

Folks, I can think of nothing worse in the current climate than dying right now. Denying a Christian burial in such times as these is a curse. That most churches never protested such is a sad commentary on the weakness of the faith in our country. Ditto for weddings.

Anyway, here are news stories that you may have missed.

Sacramento Bee attacks Newsom.

“If we move through Phase Two, that’s roughly 70 percent of the economy. That may sound significant, but modifications are real restrictions in terms of commerce, and the biggest restriction of course is customer confidence,” Newsom said at a press conference last week.

He expanded on that claim during Tuesday’s press conference, when he said that 21 sectors of the state’s economy were now able to operate.

“You go industry by industry, sectors that never closed, construction and the like. And each one of those categories, you add them all up, you’re now north of 70 percent,” Newsom said.

Fact check: Is Gavin Newsom right that 70 percent of California’s economy is reopening?

But is it fair to say 70 percent of the state’s $3 trillion-a-year economy is reopening now? Sung Won Sohn, a business economist at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, questioned Newsom’s analysis.

Take the restaurant industry, for example. Sohn said the restaurants where he lives are open for takeout, but their business probably is off 90 percent. The same with car dealers, another major segment of the economy.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” said Thornberg, founder of Beacon Economics and a business forecaster at UC Riverside.

Thornberg said that there is no way to fact-check the statement because it was an empty one.

However, there was good news because of the shelter at home order as deaths in other areas are down significantly.

The pandemic is having a positive impact on California’s highways. The California Highway Patrol says the number of crashes and DUIs have dropped significantly in the past two months.

The agency says the number of crashes is down 75% from March 19 through April 30, compared to the same time last year. There was also an 88% drop in the number of deaths on the road and a 62% decrease in the number of crash-related injuries.

CHP Traffic Data Shows Crashes Are Down 75%, DUI Arrests Down 42% Since March

Oh, Newsom is not the only governor leading from behind. In Virginia, the governor there has declared that since so many disobeyed him last weekend, he will bless their behavior, specifically at the beach.

Under Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s eased coronavirus restrictions in effect Friday, the state’s oceanfront was relegated to fishing and exercise only, and social distancing was required.

But that didn’t keep crowds away from Virginia Beach over the weekend as temperatures reached the high 70s. Sunbathers took to the sand, bikers peddled along the bustling boardwalk and newly reopened gift shops were crowded with customers buying hermit crabs and snow cones, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Northam ditches coronavirus restrictions for Virginia Beach after weekend sees crowds defy his orders

Following the weekend crowds, Northam announced during a press conference Monday that Virginia Beach would be allowed to reopen May 22 at the start of Memorial Day weekend, which normally kicks off the coast’s busy summer tourism season.

OK, here’s a sampling of stories that focus on the lies of Covid-19 in terms of deaths and other myths.