William – Page 26 – Really Right

Newsom Grip on California Crumbles

After leaving his gig as lead singer for Kansas, John Elefante and his brother Dino composed a song which begins

“This world is goin’ crazy and I’m ready to scream”
Love Inhalation (1989).

Folks that about summarizes my view of the madness of Covid-19; especially, here in California.

Folks, nobody is listening to our Governor. No, I’ll get to the protesters in a minute. What Newsom actually says in his press conferences about a timeline is unreported by the media. Take this from the beginning of his remarks on April 27th.

The likelihood of having a virus-free world is not realistic in the next number of months. We’ll look forward to that day as herd immunity comes into effect and we have a vaccine that we can distribute and make available to hundreds of millions of people across this country, billions around the rest of the globe. Until then, we have to manage it. We have to manage risks. We have to manage and augment our behavior.
Gavin Newson Covid-19 Press Conference 04/27/2020

Folks, Governor Newsom keeps saying this each time Covid-19 comes up. Read the quote again carefully this time especially “We’ll look forward to that day as herd immunity comes into effect and we have a vaccine that we can distribute and make available to hundreds of millions of people across this country…”

Herd Immunity

Folks, Gavin is redefining terms here so let me explain. Herd Immunity is when enough people in a population have had a disease that it is no longer able to keep being passed to new hosts. Depending on what you read, this number is believed to be between 40 to 60 percent of the population. If enough people get an illness, it will die-out on its own. Please note that in many places, as we have reported previously, antibody testing for Covid-19 is showing that about 35 percent of people are positive for the antibodies. Can we say they are within a short span of claiming herd immunity in their communities?

Back when Barack Obama was President, H1N1 infected 60.8 million people (range per CDC: 43.3-89.3 million) before it died-out in 2009. Folks, the math is that about 20 percent of the population had H1N1 during this pandemic. Just to be sure it was stamped-out, the following flu season 2009-2010, people were encouraged to get the vaccine.

Oh, as I’m writing this, look at this nugget from Wikipedia.

By April 2010, it was apparent that most of the vaccine was not needed. The US government had bought 229 million doses of H1N1 vaccines of which 91 million doses were used; of the surplus, some of it was stored in bulk, some of it was sent to developing countries and 71 million doses were destroyed. The World Health Organization is planning to examine if it overreacted to the H1N1 outbreak.
2009 swine flu pandemic vaccine

When you read, “The World Health Organization is planning to examine if it overreacted to the H1N1 outbreak.” Does it ring any bells given the current overreaction?

No, I didn’t forget about Gavin. My point is that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to come up with a vaccine. In the case of H1N1, which did see the successful development of a vaccine, mutations from the original strain were few and occurred in later years. Two mutations to H1N1 were found in a 2015 outbreak of H1N1 in India. These mutations decreased the effectiveness of the vaccine.

By contrast, as we documented here previously, in the relatively short period of time that Covid-19 has been outside the Wuhan laboratory (about 6 months), 30 mutations have thus far been documented. Again, here in the United States, the West Coast strain is different than the one ravaging New York. Oh, this may be an outlier, but a British newspaper is reporting that we may not have a vaccine for Covid-19 until 2036.

Three possible outcomes exist for the current pandemic: either the Covid-19 flu goes away by itself which makes it possible that it may reemerge in the fall, enough people get it that herd immunity develops on its own, or we shelter in place until a vaccine is created. Newsom is defining herd immunity as the point when a vaccine is able to be mass produced and deployed worldwide and advocating that we hide in our homes until then. Yep. This will go on for many more months if he has his way. Look at my original quote.

Until then, we have to manage it. We have to manage risks. We have to manage and augment our behavior.

The key phrase is “augment our behavior.” i.e. no business as usually until a vaccine.

Lest you think I’m overreacting look at this poorly publicized nugget from KOVR TV.

More than 50 days in, California is still in what’s considered phase one of the governor’s four-phase plan. That means if pacing continues, the shelter-in-place order won’t be lifted until October.
The Toll Of Reopening Timeline: No End In Sight For Area Businesses, Families

Do you believe that we will willingly shelter in place until October? Nonessential workers can you go 8 months without working and paying your bills? That is what you are expected to do. Once the November election is over and Donald Trump is voted out, California will them magically return to “normal.” Color me suspicious but welcome to the 2020 campaign.

I know that skeptics occasionally read the blog and give my staff trouble about what they think are our tin foil hat ideas, but these folks need to open their eyes. The cost benefit ratio does not justify the economic pain our ruling class is inflicting on their citizens in the name of safety. California has a reputation for lavishly giving out goodies to people on the fringes of society like free hotel rooms for the homeless and welfare to illegal aliens, but they have shutoff the tax money spigot to the State coffers and want to double down on this nonsense? California’s biggest tax revenue streams are personal income taxes and sale taxes. Both require economic activity that has been banned in our State.

Counties are Rising Up

Can you see why people are starting to protest and defy the Governor? Thank God for Modoc County.

One California county has had enough of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
Modoc County, a rural area that borders Oregon, announced that they will be reopening businesses and churches despite the Democratic governor’s orders. The county has had no cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak began, prompting the county health officer, sheriff-coroner, chair of the Board of Supervisors, and other county officials to announce that it would be reopening Friday.
California county with no coronavirus cases plans to reopen despite Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order

Following on the heals of Modoc, two other counties are doing likewise. The pioneer to take the lead in this region of California was the Upper Cut barber shop.

Despite county and state stay-at-home orders, Randy Mitchell decided to keep his Marysville barbershop Upper Cut open.
“I told them (police) take me to jail because that is the only way you are going to stop me from operating,” Mitchell said.
On Friday, there were no empty chairs inside his barbershop. Booked with customers, there wasn’t much room for social distancing. Mitchell recently received a $1,000 fine from Marysville police after being cited for not following orders.
“If another American chooses to do business with me that’s that American’s choice. I’m not going to tell somebody that they have to stay six feet apart from me, that they have to wear masks and gloves,” he said.
Mitchell feels he had no other choice but to stay open, fearing closing would shut his business down for good. Customers in the packed barbershop said they are happy to support him.
Yuba, Sutter Counties Set To Reopen Despite Governor’s Order; Some Businesses Already Open

Because this man was willing to endue the citation for $1,000, other businesses in the region are opening starting Monday May 4th.

More businesses in Yuba and Sutter Counties starting Monday could follow the shop’s lead. The Yuba-Sutter Heath Officer, Dr. Phuong Luu, announced Friday businesses like malls, salons, gyms and restaurants can reopen starting next week.
Businesses who are considered “low risk” by Dr. Luu can reopen if they follow social distancing recommendations. The new local order conflicts with Governor Newsom’s plan to wait to reopen similar businesses.

Yuba City Mayor Shon Harris told CNN Friday, reopening is essential for his city that is struggling to feed their families.
“We don’t want to defy anything but with the statewide order. The numbers are quite different here locally. We would just like to have some local control and make our decisions for our local folks here,” Harris said.

Folks, here’s the choice you have, wait to be taken care of by the government until at least October or man-up and get to work now. God gave you skills, will you use ‘em or lose ‘em?

Please note that last week, seven counties in northern California wanted to open. Modoc decided it was better to seek forgiveness than permission while the other six counties that asked the Governor for permission got no response. Of these two have decided to open.

Officials from six rural Northern California counties and 14 small cities have urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to let them reopen their economies, marking the most significant push-back yet from local leaders of a mandatory stay-at-home order in its second month that has left 3 million people out of work.
Of the 500,000 people who live in Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Colusa, Tehama and Glenn counties, only 69 have confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Rural Northern California counties seek to reopen economy

Oh, for you political types out there, here’s my suggestion for a way to hit Newsom in a political ad.

One of the counties that Newsom has not allowed to reopen is Butte. You all know Butte County because guess what city is in that county? Paradise. Remember the one that burned to a crisp in a matter of hours? The one Governors Brown and Newsom promised to move heaven and earth to rebuild. Yep that Paradise is shutdown and not allowed to reopen. How’s them for optics? How can you proclaim, “Rebuild Paradise” and then tell a community without houses for their citizens to “shelter in place?”

Then there are the beach protests and others around the State. Gavin is losing his grip.

Closing Thoughts

Note to Gavin, we will put up with a lot of crap from you politicians but when you directly threaten our livelihoods and families, you better brace for pushback. Many of us are beyond the point to further enduring this nonsense. Dr. Fauci, W.H.O., et al., were wrong. It’s time to end this and get back to work. The at-risk folks know who they are and what to do so quit punishing the rest of us. Recess is over, everybody back to work.

Final and random thought: Isn’t wearing a mask now a days like wearing a ribbon on your lapel was 20 years ago? It doesn’t do anything except make you feel better because you care more than people without one. Symbolism over substance.

HBO’s Westworld

I decided to spend the last few days binge watching HBO’s Westworld. As my family will attest, I like a good Sci-Fi story, especially one that can explore questions about reality and human nature. In this post, I wish to share my overall comments on the program. I promise what you are about to read will not be a regurgitation of whatever IMDB may say about the show.

Westworld is just wrapping-up its third season on HBO. This is a television show with an A-list movie budget and has lots of special effects and CGI throughout.

Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter the overall budget for the first season of the 10-episode project is in the $100 million range… Sources peg the budget for the 90-minute Westworld pilot alone in the $25 million range, including reshoots, with some costs rolled to episode two as parts of the series debut were moved out of the premiere. (For context: HBO scrapped the entire original Game of Thrones pilot, which had a price tag of $20 million.) The per-episode budget is said to be anywhere from $8 million to $10 million.
HBO’s ‘Westworld,’ With $100 Million Price Tag, Faces Huge Expectations

Created by husband-and-wife duo Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest) and Lisa Joy and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Westworld features a cast of A-listers including Anthony Hopkins as the head of an ultra-realistic amusement park where visitors come to live out their most outrageous desires. The cast also includes Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton and Ed Harris. (Hopkins and Harris are said to have scored $175,000 per episode each, with the latter potentially having only a two-year deal.)

Folks, each episode of Westworld is like a part of a tent pole movie. It may harken back to the original movie with Yul Brenner but has been completely redone.

The good news is the J.J. Abrams is the director and not the one that wrote the story line, thus the show is expanded and reimagined but in ways that are more watchable than recent Star Wars and Star Trek movies which J.J. botched badly in my opinion. My complaint with J.J. is that his first act in any franchise is to blow-up the cannon (or mythology of the show) and do whatever he wants after that.

Johnathan Nolan and his group wrote the story arc which supposedly will end with the upcoming fourth season. Nolan has done many projects for movies and television. Some of the themes in Westworld, especially starting with the third season, are much like the back half of Person of Interest. In fact, the last episode that I watched prior to beginning to write this blog post included one of the recurring characters that appeared in Person of Interest. I will mention this program again later in this post.

FYI: both Westworld and Jurassic Park were novels by Michael Crichton.

I wish to mention a few of the characters in the show without spoiling any plot lines. Spoilers will come in a few minutes and with fair warning.

Anthony Hopkins portrays the creator of Westworld, Dr. Robert Ford. (Think Mr. Hammond from Jurassic Park.) Dr. Ford, and his now deceased partner, created and refined the androids that inhabit the amusement park. Since creative people need money to finance their ideas, this creates the opportunity for an evil corporation to voluntarily fund the Park in exchange for certain marketing opportunities. Dr. Ford is allowed to continue tinkering with his creations, as long as he keeps the Park running which he has done for 35 years now.

An android, or “Host” in this show, named Dolores played by Evan Rachel Wood is also an important and reoccurring character in the show. When you first meet her, she is clearly designated as Westworld’s damsel in distress.

Then of course is the legendary Man in Black—Yul Brenner in the original movie—is player by Ed Harris. This character is most certainly dark and evil, but I promised no spoilers… yet. I will say that his character has been given a complete rewrite by Nolan and company.

The show is lavish in every sense of the word. As I watched, I wondered where in the world would you put a place this big, certainly not a corn field in Iowa. If you recall the original movie, there were other theme parks in the same area besides Westworld. This is touched on occasionally in the HBO series.

This show has lots of violence and naked people. Most nude bodies are being reconditioned and prepared for return to the Park but since one of the main characters runs a brothel, there is some of that other stuff too. As the seasons go by, the nudity decreases in frequency. This program is not for children or teens either. Frankly, I don’t think they are ready for some of the questions that such a program can ask or the amount of mutilation and violence.

Folks, I don’t plan to give away the whole show, but from now on, I may be giving away some plot points as I continue.

I really want to like the show and do, to a point but… I have two gripes: continuity and philosophy.

Continuity

Continuity is the flow of the story and is related to consistency both of plot and the visuals of the show.

Folks, how does a Park like this even exist? No, not the technology but the economics. The amount of damage inflicted on the androids, and their subsequent repair, would not make such a park cost effective, even in a fictional world. As much as each android costs and considering the number killed in a single episode—such as the origin story of the Man in Black—I think the expense would outright bankrupt Disney, Apple, and Microsoft combined and the Man in Black is just one guy causing mayhem in an amusement park that has seen 4 million visitors since opening 35 years ago. Seems like by the time you meet him in Westworld, the Man in Black has killed everybody in the park at least once.

Then there are all the underground access points to the park which all seem to be accessed by… walking? No way. Except for elite security guys, nobody seems to have horseless carriages to run them from point A to B.

How many floors is the main facility? Also, how come nobody knows about all the auxiliary labs in the Park full of expensive equipment. Also, if the top floor is outdoors (top of the mesa), how is it that the oldest part of the facility is in the bottom floors farthest from the surface. Why does a multibillion-dollar complex in the desert have water leaks everywhere and power but somehow no standing water or working electric lights? I kept waiting for Sigourney Weaver’s Alien or Jonesy the cat to jump out every time somebody went into the bowels of the complex and started poking around.

Lastly the park is big enough to have pine trees, deserts, snowstorms, Mt. Fuji, and jungle. No effort to explain is ever made. Like much in the show, it just is, and viewers are supposed to believe.

As far as technology goes, when is any computer hardware or software still considered cutting edge 35 years after it was created? We’re talking in terms of computing power and artificial intelligence. Yet, in Season 3 we see no robots that could pass for human—even at a glance—except for the ones from Westworld. What happened to imitation and flattery? Or Moore’s Law. In our world, after 35 years, whatever people had seen at Westworld would have been copied like crazy and due to innovation, the old technology—both hardware and software—would be obsolete. The other out the writers could take to explain this away was that the technology was outlawed but that option is not mentioned in the show.

Where are backup datacenters and sources of energy for the Park? When they finally “lift the curtain” on park operations as the show goes on, they just ignore that stuff or get it really wrong. As much as the Park and its technology costs and they have no redundant systems? Destroy one bank of computers and I’m supposed to believe all the data is gone forever with no backups. Yet, this is the cornerstone of much of the action in Seasons 2 and 3.

The computers that are created by the opponent in Season 3 are big blackballs with reds lights suspended in the air—one is hanging publicly in the middle of his headquarters building and the other in a warehouse. Seems like using an RPG or the EMP weapon could have ended the whole plotline and saved HBO millions in storytelling.

The story writers just bombard you with stuff and hope you don’t dwell on it too much as they move to the next shiny object. I guess this is ok for television writing but with a blockbuster movie budget, it seems like Nolan and Abrams would pay more attention to continuity.

Lastly, each season is full of time jumps that make following the story purposely difficult. This is done in order to introduce surprises to the viewers but don’t let the show keep running if you take a potty break or you may be asking when is it.

Philosophy

Folks, I’ve saved this section for last and feel most passionately about it. I would like to grab Mr. Nolan by the shirt collar and tell him to wake-up. While many of the right questions are asked in various places in the program, the answers offered are not only insufficient but totally wrong.

Note: From here on I beat-up on Nolan but darn it, this is more of the same worldview I get from every other program originating from entertainment corporations. Why is it that in movies and television, every corporation is evil except the one that brought us the movie/TV show that somehow deserves every dime that they can earn from royalties and ticket sales?

On the HBO website for the program, Westworld claims that they “will explore questions about the nature of our reality, free will and what makes us human.”

How can Jonathan Nolan do not one but two television shows on artificial intelligence and the question of what it means to be alive and not believe in a Creator? Talk about a logical disconnect! The thesis of all the elites in Nolan’s Westworld is that we are here as the result of not one mistake, but a whole series of them. His characters espouse evolution by chaos theory in a program dedicated to exploring the idea of artificial life designed and created by humans.

In a story with the scope of Westworld, I can understand different characters believing different ways about God and origins just like the real world but in Westworld all the discussions—more like monologues—are all from the same point of view no matter which character has the dialogue. Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins go on ad infinitum about no purpose to our existence which is simply the result of errors. In these monologues, we also get a dose of Marxism claiming that those who believe in God are the unenlightened, ignorant, stupid, masses who use the opiate of theism to stay ignorant of the world around them. Those of us that believe in God are just waiting for the slaughter.

In Jurassic Park, we hear Jeff Goldblum’s character Malcolm espouse the virtues of evolution but in the book, Malcolm goes on the mock the arrogance of humans that think they control the planet. Malcolm opposed the idea of the park tinkering with genetics. As you read the passage, it is clear that at this point in the book, Michael Crichton is both providing a warning about what follows and also giving you his opinion at the same time.

In contrast, after watching three Seasons of Westworld, there is zero indication that Nolan is using science to teach a parable about the hubris of mankind. Thus far, Nolan is just a storyteller with a big budget. To me, it’s like Nolan—thru his characters—is having a tantrum and thinks if he yells loud enough then he won’t have to listen to God’s voice. However, I keep holding out a tiny measure of hope that he sneaks in “a still small voice” by the resolution of season 4 but I’m skeptical.

Instead of God, Westworld introduces the idea that a simple algorithm can be discovered to predict all human behavior. Frankly, as the idea is developed, it seems like L. Ron Hubbard is the unsung hero of this tale. The androids get the algorithm and can then predict the entire course of a human’s life down to the words coming out of their mouths in any given situation. Oh, and who they will marry, how they will die, etc. Several times thus far, one-character hands another a piece of paper or a computer pad with the dialogue typed on it before the other character has even spoken the lines. The other character is amazed that their life is that predictable.

Person of Interest had “the machine” versus Samaritan, likewise in Westworld, host Delores and her allies versus evil trillionaire’s IA computer. The trillionaire wants to control everyone on the planet and anyone that falls outside the parameters that he can control is eliminated—after they are given the obligatory opportunity for conformity at a reeducation facility.

The faction of the Hosts has the algorithm from Westworld and thus have the answers to the human condition but limited resources. They desire to remake the world of humans and dominate them—how has not been explained other than they want to replace the current order with something else. Dolores at one point did proclaim that she wanted to burn down the human’s world. I think this story sounds like a thinly veiled version of Scientology bringing salvation to both men and machines, but we won’t know until they roll-out Season 4.

Just so you know, Nolan is the product of a nominally Roman Catholic upbringing and he has the reputation of using colorful metaphors when interviewed. However, at a casual search, I can’t tie Nolan to the scientology mafia that has dominated Hollywood for the last few decades. (John Travolta, Tom Cruise, etc.)

I wish to circle back to the issues that the show promises to explore, the “…nature of our reality, free will and what makes us human.”

Westworld claims to explore reality but rejects that we are made in God’s image. They have reduced man to a predetermined and even fatalistic organism that just runs in their “loop.” The hosts deny that man has any free will but the AI faction thinks that while man is just following his programming, every once in a while, free will might actually be exercised by an individual; however, such behavior is rare and might even be a bad thing.

Why can’t Nolan and company allow that we have a Creator? Even Richard Dawkins, the supposedly great leader and advocate of evolution, doesn’t really believe it is a sufficient explanation. When cornered, Dawkins finally resorted to saying that life on Earth is due to seeding of the planet by aliens and not evolution. In other words, he will accept any intelligence from anywhere as long as it’s not God. Find the video of Dawkins in Ben Stein’s Expelled (2008) if you don’t believe me.

I’m not demanding that Nolan agree 100 percent with me, just that he show a little humility when dealing with such issues. Men of various faiths and cultures have debated these ideas since the beginning and for Nolan to summarily toss it all aside and say a pox on all of you is disingenuous. By rejecting that God is our creator and we his creatures, Nolan lacks any basis for evaluating reality.

Having erred on the first point, he then falls short of understanding free will and what it is to be human. Truth is most people can’t wrap their minds around these ideas. So, while we might be entertained by the sandbox Jonathan Nolan is playing in, we will end up with just another entertainment show that ultimately tells us more about what Hollywood thinks than a critique of the dystopian future that he has created. Nolan may think he is making a veiled commentary on our world—which is what all good science fiction has been in the past—but I’m doubtful whether it will hold up well over time. Westworld is worth a look but I’m not sure it has enough in it to warrant many repeat visits to the Park. Maybe when the tale is completed, I will change my mind but right now it’s not encouraging.

Season 1 & 2 are 10 episodes each while season 3 is 8 episodes, the last of which will be broadcast in the next few hours.

My Feeling about Church Closures

To the Clergy in Hiding,

We are writing to you to express our concerns about the church’s unwillingness to hold any kinds of services or gatherings because of fear.

Embedded in both the history of the Christian Church and our country is the need, dare we say imperative, to meet.

As believers, if there is a crisis in our society then the best place that God’s people can be is in the Church. I’ve never heard of shepherds scattering their sheep as a strategy to protect them from the devil, the flesh, or the world. If you truly believe that Covid-19 rises to the level of an existential threat to our society then we should be before the throne of God begging for mercy not hiding in our homes waiting for the end.

Our country is based on a Constitution that holds freedom of worship and assembly in very high regard. From both a biblical and Constitutional point of view, giving up this right at the request of a civil magistrate is a dubious proposition; one which may be beyond the authority of a civil magistrate to either legally request or enforce; unless you believe that the Church is established and recognized by the State and not by God.

While I do know that certain Reformers did allow in dire situations for churches to be closed or not to meet such as war and pestilence, this was regarded as an extreme measure that might be invoked occasionally in a handful of communities. The idea that such an action could disband all worship in a land of almost 40 million souls or a country of 330 million would be incomprehensible to them.

Several weeks ago, when predictions were most dire and fear was at a high mark, most Churches did decide to suspend all activities. Whether we agree with this or not, it was done.

Later word went out that some Church leaders was considering small group gatherings where worship and Communion would be offered. As the appointed time drew near, the pastoral staff cancelled the proposal. I’m bringing this up because recently I heard clergy say that cancelling any small gatherings was the right call. One minister commented I couldn’t live with myself if I knew that someone had gotten sick as a result of gathering to worship in my congregation.

We cringed when we heard that. First, one could never know if anybody got sick from them in the first place. Covid-19 is the flu not Ebola. It takes up to two weeks to get the illness after exposure. Second, most people never even know they have the illness. Third, where is God in this. Some clergy were considering offering His Sacrament to His people and planning to take extreme precautions to boot but most bailed on the idea altogether.

Dear pastors, the only place the Bible talks about people getting sick from partaking of Communion is when they do so unworthily. A medical doctor one told us that even with a common cup, the transmittal of disease was almost unheard of in medical literature, if the common cup was lined with silver. I would think individual disposable cups would be even more sterile.

Next is the issue of “essential” or “nonessential” work. I was taught long ago that all labor—sacred or secular—is God’s calling on our lives. How does it feel to know that the civil authorities that you are allowing to direct the closure of your church are also calling your ministry “nonessential” and instruct you to remain closed indefinitely but these same magistrates call killing babies at the local Planned Parenthood “essential” work.

Staying home for the sake of “flattening the curve” is not about saving lives or preventing people from being exposed to Covid-19. Flattening the curve is just prolonging the infectious period so the healthcare system doesn’t get overwhelmed. Something which has not happened. Furthermore, many people that work in the healthcare field have lost their jobs or been furloughed as a result of the panic about Covid-19.

If you listen closely to what the civil authorities in California are saying, you’d learn that the church will be shut down for most if not all of the summer. The idea that come May 15th, we all go back to the way it was is not going to happen. In southern California, they have already cancelled large gatherings, like church, for the rest of the year, regardless of whether this action is warranted or not.

If you want to obey the spirit of the closure and still get the church back up and running, then you need to get the entire staff tested for Covid-19 antibodies and then put people to work. Start opening the church and quit waiting for permission.

Depending on which studies you look at, and where they were done, many millions of people in the United States have already recovered from the Corona virus. Given the timeline that this illness has been active in California and your occupation, you likely had it several months ago anyway.

The point is that folks get it, they recover, and life goes on. Which circles back to the fear issue again. We’ve heard a lot from scared and fearful people in our congregations. Sadly, most pastors are right there with them. We, as Christians, are commanded not to fear but to hold fast to Christ. For God has not given us a spirit of fear…

Dear pastor, who lives and who dies is God’s decision and always has been. When your time is up, it won’t matter if you wear a face mask and gloves or nothing at all.

How is it that in ages past great men and women left the comfort of their homes and went to work with the sickly and diseased. We as Christians should not fear men or microbes but only almighty God. Whether David Livingston, Mother Teresa, Eric Liddell, or any of the rest, these folks trusted God for their safety and went about his work. I don’t understand why American pastors can’t do likewise.

Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

It just seems to us that we can stand for Christ, worship our God as he has commanded, and still show deference and respect to the elderly and at risk in our midst.

Is Fox News lying?

The primary article that I will be quoting today is hidden behind a pay firewall at the financially troubled SacBee however I copied and pasted the title and found an archived copy on the Internet.

Activists sue Fox News for spreading coronavirus lies. Should Devin Nunes be worried?

I wish to look at a few parts of the clearly labeled opinion piece by Bee editor Gill Duran. I wish to look at it in terms of his accusations and what we know now as opposed to when he posted it a mere two weeks ago on April 10th.

Much of this is a hit piece on Congressman Devin Nunes. I guess nobody at the Bee’s Fresno outlet was equipped to take on the Congressman, Fox News, and the First Amendment so they had to import a heavy hitter from outside of the area.

The setup of the article basically this:

Yet the Republican congressman continues to downplay the coronavirus threat in his regular Fox News appearances. Now, an activist group is suing Fox for its campaign to mislead viewers about the virus.

Ok, so a Congressman (Devin Nunes) says something people in the other party don’t believe and therefore they must sue to silence him. Clearly no Constitutional issues with this logic.

Also, we learn that the Liberal group is suing Fox News “for its campaign to mislead viewers about the virus.” Please note that the word campaign implies that Fox News is purposely setting out to mislead their viewers about the severity of the Corona virus. (This also implies that the mainstream media are truth tellers and anyone espousing a different point of view is thus a liar.)

As proof for this thesis, the author invokes the Orange Man as his star witness.

A week ago, Nunes went on Fox News to blast Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to slow the virus’ spread. Nunes labeled California’s dramatic measures as “overkill.” This happened on the same day that the Trump administration said COVID-19 could kill 240,000 Americans.
Even President Donald Trump is urging Americans to stay home, but Nunes appears to think the pandemic is a joke.

OK, so the model generated by Bill Gates and company—that has never been right throughout the epidemic—proves Fox is lying. Boy, at the time that assertion was thin, and now it is ridiculous.

Oh, the logic is something like this:
Orange Man quotes the current model (which Dr. Fauci approved of). Nunes challenges said model when he appeared on Fox (as have Hannity and others). By challenging the orthodoxy of the model which Trump also quotes as authoritative, Nunes and Fox are guilty of journalistic heresy. Implied is that Fox News viewers are ill informed and mind-numbed robots (since they are conservatives). If viewers believe what they see on Fox, they will surely die. Thus, Nunes and Fox have blood on their hands and need to be held accountable. Clearly Liberals must defend the masses from Fox and conservatives. That in a nutshell is the alleged basis of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit by the Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics says “defendants acted in bad faith to willfully and maliciously disseminate false information denying and minimizing the danger posed by the spread of the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which is now recognized as an international pandemic.”

Folks, I just want to look at the last phrase of this paragraph because I keep hearing it over and over from those on the Left. “…COVID-19… is now recognized as an international pandemic.” Somehow the fact that Covid-19 is a pandemic is the trump card (no pun intended) of the Left. It seems that in the Liberal lexicon “pandemic” is a big word meaning “its gonna kill all ya’ll.”

Sorry guys. Nice try but no cigar. Pandemic means that this Corona virus is in a lot of places all at once. Declaring it a pandemic is not a commentary on whether said microbe is lethal to the existence of humanity.

But the author has more to say:

For months, Fox’s hosts have downplayed the coronavirus, denying that it poses a serious threat and casting the pandemic as a Democratic ploy to undermine Trump. Guests like Nunes have mocked public health orders to slow the virus’ spread.
Now, Fox may face consequences.

While two weeks ago, the author might have believed this (I’m being very charitable) does he believe it now? Clearly, the virus was much more widespread than initially reported—as skeptics at the time said it was—and therefore Covid-19 is much less lethal than initially reported. In the early days of the panic, there were reports that about 4 to 5 percent of those infected would die and in those over age 70, up to 18 percent would not recover. Remember, “Italy was only two weeks ahead of us…?”

Again equating “threat” and “pandemic” is not the same thing. Also, “flattening the curve” is a measure not to keep anyone from getting sick but designed to prevent overwhelming the healthcare system which again never happened. As my wife likes to point-out, it’s the same number of people under the curve.

Here are two more paragraphs to ponder:

Ecarma reports that Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman said on MSNBC that Fox insiders felt “real concern…that their early downplaying of the coronavirus actually exposes Fox News to potential legal action by viewers who maybe were misled and actually have died from this.”

“The misinformation that reaches the Fox News audience is a danger to public health,” wrote a group of over 100 American journalism professors in an open letter to Murdoch and Fox. “Indeed, it is not an overstatement to say that your misreporting endangers your own viewers.”

Noticed the logic of the argument, Fox viewers didn’t panic as much as viewers of the Liberal media, therefore, Fox has killed people? How does any business other than Planned Parenthood thrive by killing their customers?

Towards the conclusion of this piece by a highly compensated editor of the McClatchy flagship newspaper, we read:

Can COVID-19 victims successfully sue Fox “News” for its consistent stream of misinformation about the coronavirus?

Again, I don’t subscribe to cable but I do read the Fox News website which features many points of view, something not usually found anywhere else in mass media, and I would not describe Fox’s Covid-19 coverage as a “campaign” or monolithic or predetermined. I think they generally do a better job of separating fact from emotion. On this topic, I think they are very inconsistent in their point of view. I find their radio news coverage to be different than their website or even their high dollar opinion/entertainment programs.

As Johnnie Does said here yesterday, affirmation or information?

Pandemic Panic

Folks, I’ve been having trouble for the last two months with the Liberal fixation on the idea of Corona being a pandemic. Clearly H1N1 was much worse than Corona and we didn’t shutdown anything. Is it the typical Liberal hypocrisy that Sean Hannity loves to rail about or the old saying, “ignorance is bliss?” Or something else?

I think the underlying issue is something more primal. I think the Liberal folks are panicking more because they fear death and the thought of dying, especially in a seemingly random and unknowable way. People are treating Corona as if it were a biblical plague.

Liberals think this life is all that there is. No Heaven or Hell, just this. I think Corona has hit a nerve in these folk’s souls. Think Pascal’s God shaped vacuum.

On the other hand, I’m not worried about it and neither is my wife. The wife asserts that she already had it in January or very early February and based on her occupation and symptoms, she probably did. Whether it’s been thru our family or not, I’m not worried. Folks, stuff like this is God’s department not mine. If I get it, I get it. If I don’t, then that’s life. I just need to trust in God and not be bothered about Corona. Jesus told us not to fear what kills the body but he who kills the body and casts your soul into hell. That’s the one you need to fear.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Yes, I am conscience to keep more space between me and elderly people, but I will shake hands with anybody that is willing. I don’t fear others or hoard food and supplies. When shopping, I take what I need, just like I always do. My staff here at the blog and I are in agreement that this whole thing is a function of people watching the 24/7 news cycle and our current situation is not based in reality. Most changes to my life, as a result of Covid-19, have been forced on me by others reacting out of their fears and are not by my own choosing.

Covid-19 is a tiny blip on the pandemic scale. Lots of people have had it and most of them never even missed a day’s work. OK, they didn’t miss work until their governor took their job away. Why this guy from the Bee thinks its Armageddon is a mystery.

Final Thoughts

Oh, per today’s news, 20 percent of New York City residents have had the Corona virus.

One of every five New York City residents tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus, according to preliminary test results described by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, suggesting the virus had spread far more widely than known.
The results also provided the tantalizing prospect that many New Yorkers who never knew they had been infected — possibly as many as 2.7 million, the governor said — had already encountered the virus and survived. Cuomo also suggested the death rate was far lower than believed.
1 in 5 New Yorkers may have had COVID-19, antibody tests described by Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggest

So, two weeks after the rant in the Bee, Fox News and Congressman Nunes have been vindicated in their skepticism for like the millionth time in the last week. Oh, and the vindication is also coming from CNN and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Gov. Gavin Newsom during Wednesday’s daily news briefing said he has called upon coroners and medical examiners to “go back as far as December” and perform autopsies on others who may have died from COVID-19 complications before the spreading coronavirus was detected in the state, “to ultimately guide a deeper understanding of when this pandemic really started to impact California directly.”
Coronavirus killed in California earlier than known. Newsom wants to re-examine more deaths

California looking for Covid-19 deaths back to December, now that’s news, at least to liberals.

The facts are that statistically speaking, Covid-19 is very contagious but rarely fatal.

CNN is Right and other Covid-19 Mysteries

Note to readers: Nope, I haven’t been sneaking a sip of the wife’s Fireball whiskey stash in our freezer. No, it’s more like when the stopped clock is right twice a day. But, nevertheless, it happened and it’s a big deal.

Buckle-up cable news viewers because CNN has officially destroyed the CDC narrative of the Covid-19 timeline. Sorry 90-day guy but you lose again. Here’s the story.

New autopsy results show coronavirus killed two Californians in early and mid-February — up to three weeks before the previously known first US death from the virus.
These deaths now stand as the country’s first two attributed to the novel coronavirus, a development that may change the understanding of how early the virus was spreading in the country, health experts told CNN Wednesday.
Two deaths in Northern California’s Santa Clara County happened February 6 and February 17, the county said in a news release Tuesday.
The previously understood first coronavirus death happened in Kirkland, Washington, on February 29.
Two Californians Died Of Coronavirus Weeks Before Previously Known 1st US Death

Ok, let’s break this down for those of you that need this in small bites.

CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has maintained that the first Covid-19 death in the United States was on February 29. CNN’s report is that this is untrue.

Santa Clara County’s earliest death is now confirmed as February 6th. The person who died did not go to China or any other country; therefore, he was infected here in California. With an incubation rate of about two weeks, this person was exposed to Covid-19 in mid-January by someone else in California. If you trace back, then this unknown person must have been exposed to Covid-19 in early January or late December. Thus claims of cases in California during January and February—which are confirmed by antibody testing—are confirmed also by this person’s death.

It is safe to conclude that Covid-19 was spreading beyond China in December. This agrees with other media reports this week that Covid-19 began spreading in China during a timeframe between mid-September and late November.

Last thought is why check for Corona virus where it is presupposed not to exist? Stanford researchers must be making a difference in Santa Clara County. Thanks to whoever went above and beyond the conventional wisdom in search of the truth.

We are gratified that CNN has proven yet again that we are Really Right.

Covid-19 is a Classic Hydra

Oh, while we’re bragging, take a look at this story that confirms what I said yesterday that there will be no vaccine for this virus—or rather family of viruses.

A new study in China has found that the novel coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different variations.
The results showed that medical officials have vastly underestimated the overall ability of the virus to mutate, in findings that different strains have affected different parts of the world, leading to potential difficulties in finding an overall cure.
Coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different strains new study finds

More than 30 different mutations were detected, of which 19 were previously undiscovered.

“Sars-CoV-2 has acquired mutations capable of substantially changing its pathogenicity,” Li wrote in the paper.
The team discovered that some of the mutations could lead to functional changes in the virus’ spike protein, the South China Morning Post reported. Spike protein is the protein that the coronavirus uses to attach itself to human cells.

Li ‘s team infected cells with COVID-19 strains carrying different mutations, of which the most aggressive strains were found to generate as much as 270 times as much viral load as the weakest strains. The aggressive strains also killed the human cells the fastest.
The results indicated “that the true diversity of the viral strains is still largely underappreciated,” Li wrote.
The study could have future implications on the treatment of coronavirus, as several different strains have been found throughout the world. The United States, which has the world’s worst death toll at 42,897, and 799,515 overall cases, has been struck by different mutations.
New York, which itself had the worst death rate in the US, and the eastern coast show a strain of coronavirus similar to that found in Europe, whereas the western US has shown similarities with strains found in China.
Coronavirus has so far been treated in hospitals worldwide as one disease and patients receive the same treatment regardless of the strain. It has been suggested by the team at Zhejiang University that defining mutations in different regions may change the way we approach combating the virus.

Note that Covid-19 in New York is a different strain than that found in California, bet you didn’t know that. Perhaps this is why you can have Coivid-19, be pronounced cured and then get it again? Or do antibodies stop all variations? Oh the depths that we could plumb on this topic…

CA to Test Asymptomatic People

Our last told ya, is this story about California planning to test people by risk of exposure and not symptoms.

California public health officials say local authorities should test people for the coronavirus in “high risk settings” even if they don’t have symptoms, a change aimed at health care workers, prisoners and the homeless.
State officials believe the new guidelines are the first in the country to prioritize testing for people who don’t have symptoms. Until Monday, California followed guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that only those with symptoms should be prioritized for testing.
California Recommends Coronavirus Virus Tests For Some With No Symptoms

Please note that California is breaking with CDC guidelines to test this group of people. The article is mute on whether testing asymptomatic people will be done via antibody testing but that will eventually follow.

Thoughts on Herd Immunity and Re-opening America

Folks more and more evidence is coming forth that the party line on Covid-19 is BS. Now that a flurry of antibody tests are hitting the market, the government is loosing control of the narrative. It used to be popular to say that facts are stubborn things…but only if you stop watching 24/7 news and pay attention to them.

Folks the trendline is unanimous and unmistakable, Covid-19 is just another flu. It has spread like crazy and not affected most people. I am aware that I’m not using “herd immunity” in the textbook definition of the word but I’m using the term to make the point that a huge number of people have “been there, done that” without any harm. Covid-19 has infected at least five percent of everyone in the country and in some populations, maybe as many as half.

Boston, MA

We in California have heard our Governor express concern for the homeless. Look at the statistics of homeless people in Boston.

A small cluster of coronavirus cases at a Boston homeless shelter prompted broadscale testing at the facility, and officials were shocked by the results.
Of nearly 400 people tested at the Pine Street Inn earlier this month, 146 people tested positive for the virus. None of those who tested positive showed symptoms, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin “actively looking into” the results.
“It was like a double knockout punch. The number of positives was shocking, but the fact that 100% of the positives had no symptoms was equally shocking,” said Dr. Jim O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
Nearly 150 people without symptoms test positive for coronavirus at homeless shelter

Oh, 146 of 400 is 36.5 percent positive for Covid-19 with no symptoms.

Los Angeles

An estimated 320,000 adults in Los Angeles County may have been infected with coronavirus, according to preliminary results of a study that suggests the illness is far more widespread than current testing shows and the death rate is much lower.
The study conducted April 10-11 by the county and the University of Southern California estimated that approximately 4.1% of the county’s adult population of 8 million has antibodies to the virus. When adjusted for margin of error, the infection rate ranged from 2.8% to 5.6%, or about 220,000 to 440,000 adults.
Los Angeles study suggests virus much more widespread

The novel coronavirus has infected roughly 4.1 percent of the population in California’s Los Angeles County, suggesting the region’s outbreak is far more widespread than previously thought, between 28 and 55 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, new research shows, echoing the findings of a similar study elsewhere in the state.
However, the new data, if accurate, also indicates that the coronavirus death rate in L.A. County, the most populous in the country, is lower than initially predicted.
L.A. County Study: Coronavirus Outbreak Up to 55 Times More Widespread, Less Deadly than Predicted

As I’ve shown over the last few days, many places that have tested for Covid-19 antibodies show about 36 percent of the sampled population has been infected and recovered.

Thoughts on Vaccine

So, will the antibody tests help speed-up reopening businesses and getting back to our normal life? I’m currently skeptical on this. If you listen to Governor Newsom and other governors in his political party, they keep holding out the narrative that things won’t go back to normal until there is a vaccine for Covid-19. Such thinking is tilting at windmills. Here’s my proof.

Me: When was the last time that you got the cold vaccine?

You: Never!

Me: Really? Why not?

You: Because there isn’t such a thing.

Me: Exactly my point.

The governors are holding out for something that may never exist in the real world. A few questions need to be asked.

Is this virus really worth developing a vaccine?

If so, does everyone need it?

Will side effects be worse that the disease?

On this question, I am being serious. Back in our history, when some strain of swine flu was a thing, a new shiny vaccine came out that was fast-tracked and untested but given to the masses with an “everybody needs to have it urgency.” Well, my aunt was one of the first to get it. As a result of receiving the vaccine, she experienced paralysis and other side effects for about ten days. Knowing this, do you still want to be first for the Covid-19 vaccine?

Other note on side effects, the government will indemnify (grant immunity of product liability) to whoever gets the contract to manufacture and distribute said vaccine, if one is ever created. So, if the vaccine has side effects including death, you have no legal recourse. Do you still want to be the Guinea pig and get it first?

Re-Opening California

From the snippets of Governor Newsom’s press conferences that I’ve listen to lately, he plans to maintain status quote—hiding in place and business closures thru at least June. Can we really afford such a shutdown? Yes, he uses weasel words but a shutdown thru May is a certainty and June is looking like more of the same. Truly the cure is far worse than the disease.

With such timidity, this guy will squander any hopes of running for the White House and being a serious contender. Gavin needs to show leadership instead of hiding behind unelected public health officials. And please don’t fall for the line that “if it saves just one life…”all you need to blow-up that sentimental BS is remember that the churches are closed and Planned Parenthood is open for killing—even via mail order.

Oh, as of last week, the State of California is unwilling to recognize any antibody tests as valid for diagnostic or statistical purposes. In short, they want to ignore their existence or validity because it hurts their narrative. However, once they find a way to use such testing to political advantage look for this policy to flip on a dime. Given the magnitude of what’s happening, its bad when the FDA is out in front of the states claiming to be the leaders of the best academic and research schools in the nation.

As Newsom ponders what to do, here’s one for you to ponder. What if Apple or some other tech giant says, we’re moving to Austin to work until California decides to reopen then we’ll evaluate our options? Does a Hollywood studio dare to re-open in Vancouver because they can’t work in California? Do you see what a problem this is? Many jobs can be moved where they’re wanted. Being in California is nice but not a necessity for many.

If you live in California, New York, Massachusetts, or some other liberal state just remember that those deciding your fate now are in government because they couldn’t succeed in the private sector. Figuring how to un-ring the bell and get America working is a tough knot for those in a political party that thinks the government exists to create jobs.

Herd Immunity Example #3

Yep, here is third study in a third area of the country showing once again that a large portion of the population has had Covid-19 and most never knew it. This one from Chicago.

A phlebotomist working at Roseland Community Hospital said Thursday that 30% to 50% of patients tested for the coronavirus have antibodies while only around 10% to 20% of those tested have the active virus.
Sumaya Owaynat, a phlebotomy technician, said she tests between 400 and 600 patients on an average day in the parking lot at Roseland Community Hospital. Drive-thru testing is from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. each day. However, the hospital has a limited number of tests they can give per day.
Owaynat said the number of patients coming through the testing center who appear to have already had coronavirus and gotten over it is far greater than those who currently have the disease.
“A lot of people have high antibodies, which means they had the coronavirus but they don’t have it anymore and their bodies built the antibodies,” Owaynat told Chicago City Wire.
Antibodies in the bloodstream reveal that a person has already had the coronavirus and may be immune to contracting the virus again.
If accurate, this means the spread of the virus may have been underway in the Roseland community – and the state and country as a whole – prior to the issuance of stay at home orders and widespread business closures in mid-March which have crippled the national economy.
Roseland Hospital phlebotomist: 30% of those tested have coronavirus antibody

Also, in the article is this mention of a fourth study in Germany that agrees with the three in the US that I have cited over the last week.

A recent study of 1,000 people in the Heinsberg District of Bonn, Germany found that 15% of the population had contracted the virus, many unknowingly and without symptoms.
Of those, only 0.37% died from COVID-19, a figure much lower than those previously cited.

Folks, the stay at home order is a failure and this virus is way less dangerous than advertised by the experts—of course basing actual public policy on data from China has been one of the big failures of this whole exercise.

Let’s reopen America for business.

More Proof of Herd Immunity: 1/3 Already Had it

Around a third of participants in a Massachusetts study tested positive for antibodies linked with coronavirus, according to researchers.
The Mass. General study took samples from 200 residents on the street in Chelsea, MA. Participants remained anonymous and provided a drop of blood to researchers, who were able to produce a result in ten minutes with a rapid test.
Sixty-four of the participants tested positive – a “sobering” result, according to Thomas Ambrosino, Chelsea’s city manager.
“We’ve long thought that the reported numbers are vastly under-counting what the actual infection is,” Ambrosino told the Boston Globe. “Those reported numbers are based on positive COVID-19 tests, and we’re all aware that a very, very small percentage of people in Chelsea and everywhere are getting COVID-19 tests.”
He added: “Still, it’s kind of sobering that 30 percent of a random group of 200 people that are showing no symptoms are, in fact, infected.”
One third of participants in Massachusetts study tested positive for coronavirus

Ok, so one in three random people in Chelsea, MA test positive for Corona, so what does the city manager conclude? “It’s all the more reason for everyone to be practicing physical distancing.”

Dude, this guy isn’t a medical person, he’s a bean counter and budget nerd; and therefore, he concludes exactly the opposite of what he should. If one third of everybody has had it, we know three things:

Corona (Covid-19) is not the boogeyman that people claim is.
It’s not nearly as lethal as the regular flu and its also unstoppable.
Lots of people already had it and never knew it.

Remember, flattening the curve is not about stopping the infection, its prolonging it over a period of time to lessen the impact on the medical system so we don’t overload the acute care centers of hospitals—something which has not happened anywhere in this country.

Folks, the so-called experts cried “wolf” and the political class listened and shutdown the economy for nothing. Think what would have happened if all the gloom and doom forecasts of Y2K were listened too instead of ignored and this is what would have happened twenty years ago (albeit only for a week not months on end.)

We got played. Period. Let’s get America working again.

Herd Immunity Gets Boost from Stanford Research

Folks, first for context, please check-out this infographic of every pandemic in recorded history. Covid-19 is literally a blip on the screen. For those of you that remember astronomy, think how many planets the size on Mercury can you cram into the sun?

This headline tells you that something is wrong with the 24/7 news coverage (as if we needed any further proof).

Coronavirus antibody testing finds Bay Area infections may be 85 times higher than reported: researchers

A team of researchers in California found that the number of coronaviruses cases in one county may actually be up to 85 times higher than the what health officials have tallied, and say their data may help better estimate the virus’ true fatality rate.

“The most important implication of these findings is that the number of infections is much greater than the reported number of cases,” the researchers wrote, in a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study. “Our data imply that, by April 1 (three days prior to the end of our survey) between 48,000 and 81,000 people had been infected in Santa Clara County. The reported number of confirmed positive cases in the county on April 1 was 956, 50-85-fold lower than the number of infectious predicted by this study.”

Folks look at this paragraph in the story.

“This probably aligns with what overall national exposure may be, on order of about 5 percent once we do wide serology,” he tweeted on Friday. “Santa Clara was a hot spot and I would have expected exposure to be higher. Overall we’re probably diagnosing 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 infections.”

The current US population is north of 330 million, thus using the study’s conservative number of 5 percent national exposure, this translated to about 17 million people in the US have had Corona. These stats are based on numbers from 3 weeks ago (April 1) so presumably that number would be higher now.

Thus, this whole economic shutdown is overblown, and the Covid-19 fatality rate would be less than the common flu.

Thoughts on Bail-out Bucks and other Oddities

OK, who besides me finds it weird that April 15th is almost like any other day—except for the fact that the government is giving people money tax-free for no reason except they watch cable/satellite news and believe what they’re told. I know tax protestors have advocated for a system where April 15th would be just be another day but somehow, I don’t think this socialist scheme is what they had in mind.

Also, is it me or did you notice that Democrat governors want to keep their states shutdown for many more months while Republican governors are beginning to open their states and rev-up their businesses? Folks, the latest draconian directives from Sacramento and Los Angeles are exactly the opposite of what we need—no surprise there except these folks need a stream of other people’s money to keep the utopian/socialist dream alive.

For example, today Los Angeles County leaders proclaimed that all 12 million plus people must wear a face covering or not be allowed outside of their homes for the next several months (Actually, at this point, it was indefinitely). Are they adopting Sharia Law or something just as wacky? Imagine Southern California with no sporting events, amusement parks, concerts, or other gatherings—including churches? Yet apparently, none of this is allowed thru at least the summer. In other words, no tourists allowed, and the locals will be punished to boot. FYI: Disney is bleeding 30 million a day in lost revenue and this could drive them into insolvency.

Did you read Newsom’s restart plan yesterday, talk about tilting at windmills? Remember, in terms of fatalities, Covid-19 is not as bad as the average flu season and the mortality rate might be even lower if the numbers coming out now hold true. Its as far from Spanish Flu, Black Plague, and Ebola as you can get. Yet, our governor wants to make it as difficult as possible for us to get back to work.

I have to agree with those that say Covid-19 went thru California before anyone—except maybe Trump—was even paying attention. At the same time Dr. Fauci and other were saying it was no big deal (late January), Covid-19 was going thru California like wildfire. Yep, in the timeframe of late January and into February, it was everywhere, so by the time social distancing and all the rest were in vogue in March, most of us had already had it. The biggest trigger to the spread was those celebrating Chinese New Year in later January. People returning home from China spread this virus worldwide and simultaneously. (Plus, I think it was here before then anyways.)

There is no way New York could be the epicenter in the United States. Ground zero was California; but earlier. Now that antibody tests are coming online, we will have the opportunity to see if I’m right. I have friends being tested now that think they had it in early February. I think my wife and son had it during that time as well. This is herd immunity. When enough people in a population develop immunity to the disease, a disease can’t easily spread to new people because it runs out of hosts.

Folks, Garvin Newsom’s Presidential aspirations are riding on how he deals with restarting California. If other states recover before we do, he’s toast on the national stage. I think he’s listening to the wrong people and will muff this up. Newsom’s linking our fate with Oregon and Washington is not a bright idea. The good side is that his leadership failure in California will be used to protect the rest of the nation from his failed ideas in 2024.

One last random thought. Does 4/20 seem like an odd day to restart education in our part of California? Hitler’s birthday, Columbine anniversary, and make pot legal day. Also, I think the Sith Lord is celebrating another birthday.

Folks, I hardly watch any television but seeing the behavior of those that do is always a treat. The insanity I witness (and overhear) at work and in the grocery store check-out line is breathtakingly uninformed.