wnd--2020-05-19--As North Carolina goes, so goes the nation?

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
While recently unloading the dishwasher , an old faded coffee mug caught my eye .
The mug emblazoned with “ Bush Country 2004 ” and “ My America !
” also displays a predominately red map of the USA .
The image , originally bright red ( but faded to pink after 16 years of washing ) , illustrates all the counties won by George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection campaign .
Conversely , counties won by his opponent , then-Massachusetts Sen. John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainly around the coasts with splotches sprinkled amid continuous stretches of red .
The mug reminds me of the vast electoral transformation that has occurred since 2004 .
For example , formerly “ ruby red ” Arizona , with 11 electoral votes , now ranks among the most hotly contested 2020 battleground states .
Arizona ?
Really ?
For longtime Republicans , that is almost unthinkable considering the state ’ s political history .
Starting with Richard Nixon ’ s reelection in 1972 , every GOP presidential candidate won the state up until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection magic .
After that blue blip , the Grand Canyon State stayed “ red ” from 2000 to 2016 .
Bush won 54.9 % of Arizona ’ s vote in 2004 — compared to Donald Trump in 2016 , who eked out a 48.7 % to 45.1 % victory over Hillary Clinton .
Now , RCP ’ s “ battleground ” poll average has former Vice President Biden leading President Trump by 4.4 percentage points .
If Trump loses Arizona , the GOP can point to an increase in Democrat-leaning Hispanic voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boom retirees , many of whom moved from east and west coast “ blue ” states for a lower cost of living ( and possibly better weather ) .
Perhaps with Arizona at center stage in 2020 , the state should be substituted into that old presidential election adage : “ As Ohio goes , so goes the nation.
” My “ Bush Country 2004 ” mug map is also a reminder that the GOP lost four reliably red states in the three presidential elections since Bush ’ s victory — Virginia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — with a combined total of 33 electoral votes .
Today , only the most die-hard Republican optimists predict that any of these states will swing back to red in 2020 .
Talk about predictions , here is a prescient one : In an interview on Feb. 23 , 2008 , the late Tim Russert , then host of “ Meet the Press , ” expressed that “ Virginia , New Mexico , Colorado , and Nevada will also be crucial this year as changing demographics make them more winnable for Democrats.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is precisely what happened .
Shown below are the four states with the percentage of vote that Bush won in 2004 — compared to Trump ’ s losing percentage in 2016 .
The states ’ electoral votes are also displayed in parentheses .
My question is : Where does the GOP go to “ find ” 33 once-reliable electoral votes ?
Fortunately for Trump , he found the answer in three of the formerly most reliable blue states with their combined total of 46 electoral votes .
Back in 2004 , the Bush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 ) , Michigan ( 16 ) , and Wisconsin ( 10 ) .
( Note that in 2004 , the three states ’ combined electoral vote total was 48 , with 21 for Pennsylvania , 17 for Michigan , and Wisconsin unchanged at 10 . )
To Trump ’ s credit , he bulldozed his way into the hearts and minds of white working-class voters with a message of nationalism and populism — barely winning all three states with a combined victory margin of just under 80,000 votes .
Meanwhile , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that once impenetrable “ blue wall ” now trends purple on a shaky red foundation .
The latest RCP battleground poll average has former Vice President Joe Biden leading in Pennsylvania by 6.5 percentage points , Michigan by 5.5 , and Wisconsin by 2.7 .
But at Team Trump , strong confidence prevails .
All the most ardent supporters I know are still in lockstep , saying , “ All the 2016 polls showed Hillary winning ” as they don battle gear .
With that thought in mind , I suggest relabeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to “ Gettysburg on steroids.
” All the “ blood ” and “ treasure ” both parties will politically expend equates to that horrific battle — far exceeding the ho-hum generic “ battleground ” states label .
Now I look southeast on my faded coffee mug map , stopping at North Carolina with its 15 electoral votes .
Bush won it handily with 56.1 % of the vote in 2004 .
I believe that North Carolina is underplayed as a decisive battleground state — overshadowed by Florida , “ the mother of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina is more significant than Wisconsin , but receives less national media attention , even with five additional electoral votes .
The Tar Heel State went red for seven straight presidential elections stretching from 1980 to 2004 .
Then , in 2008 , due to rapidly changing demographics and Barack Obama ’ s unique appeal to African American voters , he broke the GOP ’ s long stranglehold — narrowly winning by 49.7 % to 49.4 % over Sen. John McCain .
In the 2012 election , Mitt Romney brought the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a margin of 50.4 % to 48.4 % .
Four years later , in another squeaker , Trump defeated Clinton there 49.8 % to 46.2 % .
Currently , RCP ’ s poll average shows Trump and Biden virtually tied , but the last poll had Trump up by three percentage points .
Again , it bears repeating : On election night , watch this New South bellwether state because “ As North Carolina goes , so goes the nation.
” Finally , the message visually symbolized by my old “ Bush Country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fading.
” Remember that Bush won reelection in 2004 without Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin .
( See the 2000 election for the most dramatic example of a GOP presidential win without penetrating the blue wall . )
Bush ’ s “ mission accomplished ” was achieved in part because there were just enough solid red , leaning red and could-be-red states to forge a very narrow path to 270 .
That was in addition to a hard-fought , well-funded , strategically messaged , expertly managed and executed battle plan .
But on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Ohio .
If not for Bush ’ s slim 2.1 percentage point lead that won him 20 electoral votes , he — like his father — would have been a one-term president .
Instead , Bush stands as the last GOP president to be reelected .
( In six months , that could change . )
Speaking of tight , decisive Ohio races , the latest poll has Trump leading Biden within the margin of error .
Way too close for comfort after the president initially won the state by a whopping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red map fading ” means the muddy red road that Bush slogged along in 2004 is gone .
Trump ’ s only path to 270 is the aforementioned “ Gettysburg on steroids ” with a full-frontal charge into the blue wall and other major states that he barely won in 2016 — Florida by 1.2 percentage points , Pennsylvania by 0.7 , Michigan by 0.2 and North Carolina by 3.7 .
Then , when Arizona is tossed into the equation as a battleground , Trump ’ s electoral math — perilous well before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troubled .
Worse news of all for my fellow Republicans , and potentially the most earth-shattering in modern American political history , is the once bright red “ star ” on my mug map that has dimmed over Texas .
RCP lists the Lone Star State , with its game-changing 38 electoral votes , in the 2020 “ toss-up ” column .
Is Texas on tap to be the greatest of all battlegrounds ?
Even the RCP poll average has Trump and Biden tied within the margin of error .
In 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting group with the potential to shift major swing states blue .
The Pew Research Center found “ about 62 % identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party , while 34 % affiliate with or lean to the Republican Party.
” If Hispanic voters turn out in record numbers , as they did for the 2018 midterm elections , that means my formerly bright red and shiny mug could fade to barely pink after Nov. 3 , 2020 .
Now more than ever , my Grand Old Party and old mug need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , both will fade away .
Myra Adams is a media producer and writer with numerous national credits .
She served on the McCain Ad Council during the GOP nominee ’ s 2008 campaign and on the 2004 Bush campaign creative team .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Myra Adams
Real Clear Politics
While recently unloading the dishwasher, an old faded coffee mug caught my eye. The mug emblazoned with “Bush Country 2004” and “My America!” also displays a predominately red map of the USA. The image, originally bright red (but faded to pink after 16 years of washing), illustrates all the counties won by George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection campaign.
Conversely, counties won by his opponent, then-Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, are in blue, seen mainly around the coasts with splotches sprinkled amid continuous stretches of red.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The mug reminds me of the vast electoral transformation that has occurred since 2004.
For example, formerly “ruby red” Arizona, with 11 electoral votes, now ranks among the most hotly contested 2020 battleground states. Arizona? Really? For longtime Republicans, that is almost unthinkable considering the state’s political history.
Starting with Richard Nixon’s reelection in 1972, every GOP presidential candidate won the state up until 1996 — when Bill Clinton worked some reelection magic.
After that blue blip, the Grand Canyon State stayed “red” from 2000 to 2016. Bush won 54.9% of Arizona’s vote in 2004 — compared to Donald Trump in 2016, who eked out a 48.7% to 45.1% victory over Hillary Clinton.
Now, RCP’s “battleground” poll average has former Vice President Biden leading President Trump by 4.4 percentage points.
If Trump loses Arizona, the GOP can point to an increase in Democrat-leaning Hispanic voters, along with an influx of baby boom retirees, many of whom moved from east and west coast “blue” states for a lower cost of living (and possibly better weather).
Perhaps with Arizona at center stage in 2020, the state should be substituted into that old presidential election adage: “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.”
My “Bush Country 2004” mug map is also a reminder that the GOP lost four reliably red states in the three presidential elections since Bush’s victory — Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico — with a combined total of 33 electoral votes. Today, only the most die-hard Republican optimists predict that any of these states will swing back to red in 2020.
Talk about predictions, here is a prescient one:
In an interview on Feb. 23, 2008, the late Tim Russert, then host of “Meet the Press,” expressed that “Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada will also be crucial this year as changing demographics make them more winnable for Democrats.”
And starting in November 2008, that is precisely what happened.
Shown below are the four states with the percentage of vote that Bush won in 2004 — compared to Trump’s losing percentage in 2016. The states’ electoral votes are also displayed in parentheses.
Virginia (13) Bush: 53.8 –Trump: 44.4
Colorado (9) Bush: 51.7 – Trump: 43.3
New Mexico (5) Bush: 49.8 –Trump: 40
Nevada (6) Bush: 50.7 – Trump: 45.5
My question is: Where does the GOP go to “find” 33 once-reliable electoral votes?
Fortunately for Trump, he found the answer in three of the formerly most reliable blue states with their combined total of 46 electoral votes. Back in 2004, the Bush campaign only dreamed of winning Pennsylvania (20), Michigan (16), and Wisconsin (10). (Note that in 2004, the three states’ combined electoral vote total was 48, with 21 for Pennsylvania, 17 for Michigan, and Wisconsin unchanged at 10.)
To Trump’s credit, he bulldozed his way into the hearts and minds of white working-class voters with a message of nationalism and populism — barely winning all three states with a combined victory margin of just under 80,000 votes.
Meanwhile, with the election less than six months away, that once impenetrable “blue wall” now trends purple on a shaky red foundation.
The latest RCP battleground poll average has former Vice President Joe Biden leading in Pennsylvania by 6.5 percentage points, Michigan by 5.5, and Wisconsin by 2.7. But at Team Trump, strong confidence prevails. All the most ardent supporters I know are still in lockstep, saying, “All the 2016 polls showed Hillary winning” as they don battle gear.
With that thought in mind, I suggest relabeling the fight for the “blue wall” to “Gettysburg on steroids.” All the “blood” and “treasure” both parties will politically expend equates to that horrific battle — far exceeding the ho-hum generic “battleground” states label.
Now I look southeast on my faded coffee mug map, stopping at North Carolina with its 15 electoral votes. Bush won it handily with 56.1% of the vote in 2004.
I believe that North Carolina is underplayed as a decisive battleground state — overshadowed by Florida, “the mother of all swing states.” Consider electorally that North Carolina is more significant than Wisconsin, but receives less national media attention, even with five additional electoral votes.
Let’s review North Carolina’s revealing presidential voting history.
The Tar Heel State went red for seven straight presidential elections stretching from 1980 to 2004. Then, in 2008, due to rapidly changing demographics and Barack Obama’s unique appeal to African American voters, he broke the GOP’s long stranglehold — narrowly winning by 49.7% to 49.4% over Sen. John McCain.
In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney brought the state back to red — defeating Obama by a margin of 50.4% to 48.4%.
Four years later, in another squeaker, Trump defeated Clinton there 49.8% to 46.2%.
Currently, RCP’s poll average shows Trump and Biden virtually tied, but the last poll had Trump up by three percentage points.
Again, it bears repeating: On election night, watch this New South bellwether state because “As North Carolina goes, so goes the nation.”
Finally, the message visually symbolized by my old “Bush Country 2004” mug is “red map fading.” Remember that Bush won reelection in 2004 without Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. (See the 2000 election for the most dramatic example of a GOP presidential win without penetrating the blue wall.)
Bush’s “mission accomplished” was achieved in part because there were just enough solid red, leaning red and could-be-red states to forge a very narrow path to 270. That was in addition to a hard-fought, well-funded, strategically messaged, expertly managed and executed battle plan.
But on election night, it all came down to Ohio. If not for Bush’s slim 2.1 percentage point lead that won him 20 electoral votes, he — like his father — would have been a one-term president. Instead, Bush stands as the last GOP president to be reelected. (In six months, that could change.)
Speaking of tight, decisive Ohio races, the latest poll has Trump leading Biden within the margin of error. Way too close for comfort after the president initially won the state by a whopping margin of 8.1 percentage points.
“Red map fading” means the muddy red road that Bush slogged along in 2004 is gone. Trump’s only path to 270 is the aforementioned “Gettysburg on steroids” with a full-frontal charge into the blue wall and other major states that he barely won in 2016 — Florida by 1.2 percentage points, Pennsylvania by 0.7, Michigan by 0.2 and North Carolina by 3.7.
Then, when Arizona is tossed into the equation as a battleground, Trump’s electoral math — perilous well before the COVID-19 economic crisis — appears more troubled.
Worse news of all for my fellow Republicans, and potentially the most earth-shattering in modern American political history, is the once bright red “star” on my mug map that has dimmed over Texas.
RCP lists the Lone Star State, with its game-changing 38 electoral votes, in the 2020 “toss-up” column. Is Texas on tap to be the greatest of all battlegrounds? Even the RCP poll average has Trump and Biden tied within the margin of error.
In 2020, Hispanic voters will be the largest minority voting group with the potential to shift major swing states blue. The Pew Research Center found “about 62% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 34% affiliate with or lean to the Republican Party.”
If Hispanic voters turn out in record numbers, as they did for the 2018 midterm elections, that means my formerly bright red and shiny mug could fade to barely pink after Nov. 3, 2020.
Now more than ever, my Grand Old Party and old mug need an infusion of color — without it, both will fade away.
Myra Adams is a media producer and writer with numerous national credits. She served on the McCain Ad Council during the GOP nominee’s 2008 campaign and on the 2004 Bush campaign creative team.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]


wnd--2020-05-19--Church-hating politicians vs. constitutional freedoms

Dr. Richard Land once called our country , `` the divided states of America . ''
How apt – especially when we survey the various responses to the coronavirus .
They are lessons in liberty and lessons in tyranny .
To paraphrase what a friend of mine wrote me recently , `` We have 50 real-world government examples of liberty or tyranny – 50 real-time experiments in whether state governments moved towards liberty ( as in Texas and South Dakota ) or absolute control ( as in California , Michigan and New York ) . ''
As a resident , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is doing a great job .
Nowhere can this contrast be better seen than in how the state authorities deal with churches versus how they deal with abortion , ordering churches closed while deeming Planned Parenthood and other abortionists `` essential services . ''
How fitting .
In her classic book , `` Godless , '' Ann Coulter postulates that abortion is the left 's `` sacrament . ''
The sacraments of the church are out .
The left 's new sacrament is in .
The most pro-abortion leaders are the ones who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedoms in their states .
This anti-religious spirit at work is exceedingly ironic because America was born as a religious nation .
In the Mayflower Compact , the Pilgrims explained their reason for coming to the New World : `` for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith . ''
Our First Amendment declares our first freedom – freedom of religion .
The founders stipulated there would be no national denomination and there would be no prohibition on the `` free exercise '' of religion .
They did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pestilence . ''
Indeed , Attorney General William Barr sides with the churches ( following social distancing guidelines , etc . )
in this conflict .
He said , `` There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights . ''
But many of the left today have used the pandemic crisis to try and shut down a lot of religious services : • The mayor of Kansas City , Missouri was demanding that churches hand over a list of anyone who attended any of their services .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sue , the city backed down .
• The governor of Illinois postulated that church services may need to be banned for a year .
This is the same governor who prohibited residents in his state from traveling – while apparently his wife vacationed in Florida .
• Overzealous administrators have sought to ban churches even from holding `` drive-in '' church services , which follow the mandates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
If your church parking lot permits , holding a drive-in service is a clever way to worship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastor would preach to the congregation in their cars though a low frequency on the FM radio dial .
But even in the Bible belt , such as in Kentucky and Mississippi , some overzealous administrators have tried to shut down such services .
First Liberty Institute has threatened lawsuits , and the cities have relented .
The Wall Street Journal ( May 12 , 2020 ) had an editorial entitled , `` Caesar , God and the Lockdowns , '' in which they note , `` A federal court ruling on religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The editorial talks about Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville , which held a modest Easter service – with some worshipers inside and others in the parking lot , hearing the service through a loudspeaker .
To harass the worshipers , notes the WSJ , `` The police took down license-plate numbers .
The church sued . ''
A panel on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the church : `` It 's not always easy to decide what is Caesar 's and what is God 's – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a pandemic .
… Why is it safe to wait in a car for a liquor store to open but dangerous to wait in a car to hear morning prayers ? ''
A new report out of Chicago over the weekend shows the lengths to which the anti-God forces will go .
Wirepoints observes that the mayor sought to punish a church , Philadelphia Romanian Church , to prevent it from holding services .
The report stated , `` On Sunday morning the tow trucks descended – not just on churchgoers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and on a private lot used by parishioners . ''
The pastor of the church said , `` The mayor is inciting hate against the church , which is very sad .
A lot of our members risked their lives to escape Communism , only to find it germinating in 2020 under Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago . ''
Lightfoot is so committed to abortion rights , she helped drive out of office one of the last Democratic , pro-life U.S. congressmen .
Wirepoints adds , `` It should also be a clarion call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how far the left will go to crush the faithful of all denominations . ''
Freedom-loving Americans can look at a map of the country and see how those on the left versus those on the right are delicately handling the crisis .
The abortion-loving , church-hating politicians stand in great contrast with their freedom-loving counterparts in the red states .

Dr. Richard Land once called our country, "the divided states of America." How apt – especially when we survey the various responses to the coronavirus. They are lessons in liberty and lessons in tyranny.
To paraphrase what a friend of mine wrote me recently, "We have 50 real-world government examples of liberty or tyranny – 50 real-time experiments in whether state governments moved towards liberty (as in Texas and South Dakota) or absolute control (as in California, Michigan and New York)." As a resident, I would add: Florida's leadership is doing a great job.
Nowhere can this contrast be better seen than in how the state authorities deal with churches versus how they deal with abortion, ordering churches closed while deeming Planned Parenthood and other abortionists "essential services."
How fitting. In her classic book, "Godless," Ann Coulter postulates that abortion is the left's "sacrament." The sacraments of the church are out. The left's new sacrament is in. The most pro-abortion leaders are the ones who are most cracking down on real constitutional freedoms in their states.
This anti-religious spirit at work is exceedingly ironic because America was born as a religious nation. In the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims explained their reason for coming to the New World: "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Our First Amendment declares our first freedom – freedom of religion. The founders stipulated there would be no national denomination and there would be no prohibition on the "free exercise" of religion. They didn't add, "except in times of pestilence."
Indeed, Attorney General William Barr sides with the churches (following social distancing guidelines, etc.) in this conflict. He said, "There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights."
But many of the left today have used the pandemic crisis to try and shut down a lot of religious services:
The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri was demanding that churches hand over a list of anyone who attended any of their services. When Mat Staver and Liberty Counsel threatened to sue, the city backed down.
The governor of Illinois postulated that church services may need to be banned for a year. This is the same governor who prohibited residents in his state from traveling – while apparently his wife vacationed in Florida.
Overzealous administrators have sought to ban churches even from holding "drive-in" church services, which follow the mandates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
If your church parking lot permits, holding a drive-in service is a clever way to worship the Lord together. Usually, the pastor would preach to the congregation in their cars though a low frequency on the FM radio dial.
But even in the Bible belt, such as in Kentucky and Mississippi, some overzealous administrators have tried to shut down such services. First Liberty Institute has threatened lawsuits, and the cities have relented.
The Wall Street Journal (May 12, 2020) had an editorial entitled, "Caesar, God and the Lockdowns," in which they note, "A federal court ruling on religious liberty is a lesson to governors."
The editorial talks about Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville, which held a modest Easter service – with some worshipers inside and others in the parking lot, hearing the service through a loudspeaker.
To harass the worshipers, notes the WSJ, "The police took down license-plate numbers. The church sued."
A panel on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the church: "It's not always easy to decide what is Caesar's and what is God's – and that's assuredly true in the context of a pandemic. … Why is it safe to wait in a car for a liquor store to open but dangerous to wait in a car to hear morning prayers?"
A new report out of Chicago over the weekend shows the lengths to which the anti-God forces will go. Wirepoints observes that the mayor sought to punish a church, Philadelphia Romanian Church, to prevent it from holding services. The report stated, "On Sunday morning the tow trucks descended – not just on churchgoers, but on residents and everybody else, and on a private lot used by parishioners."
The pastor of the church said, "The mayor is inciting hate against the church, which is very sad. A lot of our members risked their lives to escape Communism, only to find it germinating in 2020 under Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago." Lightfoot is so committed to abortion rights, she helped drive out of office one of the last Democratic, pro-life U.S. congressmen.
Wirepoints adds, "It should also be a clarion call to the churches across the city as to how far the left will go to crush the faithful of all denominations."
Freedom-loving Americans can look at a map of the country and see how those on the left versus those on the right are delicately handling the crisis. The abortion-loving, church-hating politicians stand in great contrast with their freedom-loving counterparts in the red states.


wnd--2020-05-19--VA chief rebuts 'phony' study descrediting 'Trump drug'

Responding to what he called inaccurate media reporting , Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie criticized a widely cited study of veterans that concluded treating COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine was unsafe .
Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon during a Cabinet meeting at the White House , Wilkie said the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have been using hydroxychloroquine for 65 years for diseases such as malaria , lupus and rheumatoid arthritis .
`` On any given day , the VA uses 42,000 doses of this drug , '' he said .
Trump caused an uproar Monday afternoon when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking hydroxychloroquine every day for the past couple of weeks as a preventative measure against the coronavirus .
Wilkie emphasized that the study in question was not conducted by the VA as has been widely reported .
As WND has reported , it was a `` UVA '' study , short for the University of Virginia .
`` Researchers took VA numbers and they did not clinically review them , '' Wilkie said .
`` They were not peer reviewed .
They did not even look at ... the various comorbidities that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had . ''
The researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine said they found that more patients who took hydroxychlorquine died than those who did n't .
Renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Stephen Smith – who has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a `` game changer , '' reporting success among his patients – has called the Virginia study a `` sham . ''
But after Trump 's news conference Monday , Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto pointed to the results of the UVA study as cause for alarm , telling viewers people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have the virus will die if they follow the president 's example .
On Tuesday , however , the VA secretary emphasized that he received clear instructions from the president `` to preserve and protect life . ''
`` Those of us who have had a military life -- some of us around this table -- we 've been taking this drug for years , '' he said of hydroxychloroquine .
`` And what we did when this virus first hit us was to every means necessary to help preserve life , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to knock down the story that this is somehow the VA going back on what the president told us to do , which was to use every means possible to protect and preserve the lives of our veterans , '' he said .
Wilkie pointed out that New York Democratic Gov .
Andrew Cuomo asked for `` tens of thousands of doses '' of hydroxychloroquine for `` frontline workers . ''
See the remarks Tuesday by Wilkie , Azar and Trump : Wilkie had been asked by President Trump to respond after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was taking hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic when the FDA has advised that it not be used outside of a hospital setting .
Trump said that is not what he had been told , calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar for input .
Azar pointed out that hydroxychloroquine has been approved by the FDA for decades for treatment of malaria , lupus and RA '' Once a drug has been approved and on the market , a doctor can prescribe it for `` off-label '' purposes , which are `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet on the label , '' he explained .
Azar referenced the `` right to try '' legislation passed under Trump 's leadership that allows experimental therapies with existing drug regimens .
The HHS secretary noted that many studies of hydroxychloroquine have been done later in the progression of COVID-19 .
He said his agency is still working on controlled studies earlier in the progression of the disease in mild to moderate cases .
Calling the study on veterans `` phony , '' Trump said the patients reviewed were `` extremely sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or diabetes .
He pointed to `` great studies '' on the drug from Italy , France , Spain , the U.S. , and other countries .
The president emphasized that taking the drug as a prophylactic is a `` line of defense '' against the virus that is `` very inexpensive '' but must be done in consultation with a doctor .
`` I think it gives you an additional level of safety , '' he said .
`` But you can ask many doctors who are in favor of it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless they have hydroxy . ''
Trump quipped that it 's `` gotten a bad reputation only becaue I 'm promoting it . ''
`` So obviously I 'm a very bad promoter , '' he said .
`` If anybody else were promoting it , they would say this is the greatest thing ever . ''
Earlier Tuesday , Trump said that along with vaccines , many therapies are in the works , including a `` cure . ''
`` They are working on a cure , and we have more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said .
The infectious disease expert Smith argued in an April 28 interview with Fox News ' Laura Ingraham that in the University of Virginia study , not one dosage was listed of hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin and `` not one person in that paper saw one COVID patient . ''
Published in the medRxiv online depository , the study was not peer-reviewed .
It analyzed the medical records of 368 male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at Veterans Health Administration medical centers who died or were discharged by April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were given hydroxychloroquine in addition to the usual care died compared to 11 % who received routine care alone , the study concluded .
But only three of the researchers were physicians and all of them were trained in ophthalmology , Smith argued .
`` It 's a sham .
It 's a shame on UVA , '' he said .
`` I sent an email to the dean of the medical school at UVA .
I have not heard back from them .
It is an embarrassment that UVA allows this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' In early April , a poll of 6,200 physicians in 30 countries found hydroxychloroquine to be the best drug available to treat COVID-19 .
At the same time , Smith declared he had seen 100 % success in his treatment of 72 seriously ill COVID-19 patients with hydroxchloroquine and azithromycin .
`` I think this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic , '' he said in an April 1 interview with Ingraham .
`` I 'm very serious . ''
Cavuto : 'This will kill you' On Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying it found that `` those with vulnerable conditions , respiratory conditions , heart ailment , they died . ''
He also pointed to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of 1,438 individuals in the New York City area who were patients in 25 different hospitals in March .
It found no statistical difference between treatment with hydroxychloroquine and no treatment .
Another study in Manhattan showed the same .
The Fox News host insisted the Virginia study on veterans `` was n't a loaded politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test on patients there , and those who took it in a vulnerable population , including those with respiratory or other conditions , they died , '' he said .
`` I want to stress again , they died , '' said Cavuto .
`` If you are in a risky population here , and you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus , or in a worse case scenario you are dealing with the virus , and you are in this population , it will kill you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not stress enough .
This will kill you . ''
Cavuto then interviewed Dr. Bob Lahita , the chairman of medicine at St. Joseph University Hospital , who said he was surprised by Trump 's statement .
The physician said he and his colleagues used it two and a half months ago on patients who were very ill , `` and we saw absolutely no effect . ''
However , Cavuto then spoke to another physician , Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat , who said she thought it was `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the drug as a `` prophylactic preventative measure '' after members of his administration tested positive for the virus .
She cautioned that people who have `` underlying cardiac arrhythmia '' should be careful , using it only if they are `` on their death bed '' as a last resort .
The doctor has personally prescribed hydroxychloroquine to many of her patients .
`` For some of them , they said it helped tremendously , '' she said , while for others `` it did n't make much of a change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ consult one 's doctor .
`` It 's not going to be good for everyone , but it may be beneficial and potentially lifesaving for others , '' she said .
Nesheiwat said physicians should have hydroxychloroquine `` in their tool box '' along with another drug approved for FDA emergency use amid clinical trials , remdesivir , `` while we wait for a vaccine to become approved and for other drugs to get on the market . ''
'Doctors like me out in the real world' The hot-button issue came up at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony of ousted federal vaccine official-turned whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright .
Trump noted Monday that Bright signed off on the FDA 's emergency use of hydroxychloroquine .
However , Bright said in his whistleblower complaint that he opposed the use of the drug for COVID-19 while Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar sought an `` expanded use protocol . ''
Bright said the emergency-use authorization was a compromise .
At the hearing , two lawmakers who are physicians , Reps. Michael Burgess of Texas and Larry Bucshon of Indiana , said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported success treating patients with protocols of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin , and sometimes zinc .
`` They are recording significant benefits if it is used early enough in the course , '' Burgess said .
Bright testified to the committee Thursday he became aware of `` the anecdotal reports '' of hydroxychloroquine 's efficacy with COVID-19 but said it has n't shown in randomized studies `` an overwhelming level of evidence that it has benefit . ''
Bucshon , however , noting he is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon who has been in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors `` across the country will use drugs off-label in a circumstance where they do n't have or they do n't see a viable alternative . ''
He acknowledged the need for double blind studies , but `` in this situation , I think a little bit of understanding and leeway from the federal government is in order . ''
`` We do want to ensure the safety , '' he said , but hydroxychloroquine `` has been proven safe for many , many years in appropriate doses . ''
He acknowledged it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used properly .
`` But when states tried to stop doctors from using [ hydroxychloroquine ] , there was such a backlash they had to back away from it , because the physicians in the community wanted to use it , '' Bucshon said .
`` So doctors like me out in the real world , if things are working , even anecdotally , they 're not going to wait for the government bureaucracy to approve it , '' he said .
`` This is why doctors are using it . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it should be used for COVID-19 , he said , but lives are on the line now .
`` If two years from now we have the studies , and we say , 'Hey , that stuff really would have worked , and the government stopped that from being used , ' if I was the family of a person that was stopped from getting hydroxychloroquine , I 'd be pretty mad , '' the Indiana lawmaker said .

Responding to what he called inaccurate media reporting, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie criticized a widely cited study of veterans that concluded treating COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine was unsafe.
The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have been using hydroxychloroquine for 65 years for diseases such as malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, Wilkie told reporters Tuesday afternoon during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
"On any given day, the VA uses 42,000 doses of this drug," he said.
Trump caused an uproar Monday afternoon when he revealed to reporters he's been taking hydroxychloroquine every day for the past couple of weeks as a preventative measure against the coronavirus.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Wilkie emphasized that the study in question was not conducted by the VA as has been widely reported. As WND has reported, it was a "UVA" study, short for the University of Virginia.
"Researchers took VA numbers and they did not clinically review them," Wilkie said. "They were not peer reviewed. They did not even look at ... the various comorbidities that the patients who were referenced in that study had."
The researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine said they found that more patients who took hydroxychlorquine died than those who didn't. Renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Stephen Smith – who has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a "game changer," reporting success among his patients – has called the Virginia study a "sham."
Should hydroxychloroquine be used to help battle coronavirus? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 98% (323 Votes) 2% (8 Votes)
But after Trump's news conference Monday, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto pointed to the results of the UVA study as cause for alarm, telling viewers people in the "risky population," or who have the virus, will die if they follow the president's example.
On Tuesday, however, the VA secretary emphasized that he received clear instructions from the president "to preserve and protect life."
"Those of us who have had a military life -- some of us around this table -- we've been taking this drug for years," he said of hydroxychloroquine.
"And what we did when this virus first hit us was to every means necessary to help preserve life," he said.
"So I want to knock down the story that this is somehow the VA going back on what the president told us to do, which was to use every means possible to protect and preserve the lives of our veterans," he said.
Wilkie pointed out that New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked for "tens of thousands of doses" of hydroxychloroquine for "frontline workers."
See the remarks Tuesday by Wilkie, Azar and Trump:
'I'm a very bad promoter'
Wilkie had been asked by President Trump to respond after a reporter asked the president why he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic when the FDA has advised that it not be used outside of a hospital setting.
Trump said that is not what he had been told, calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar for input.
Azar pointed out that hydroxychloroquine has been approved by the FDA for decades for treatment of malaria, lupus and RA.
"Once a drug has been approved and on the market, a doctor can prescribe it for "off-label" purposes, which are "indications that are not yet proven and not yet on the label," he explained.
Azar referenced the "right to try" legislation passed under Trump's leadership that allows experimental therapies with existing drug regimens.
The HHS secretary noted that many studies of hydroxychloroquine have been done later in the progression of COVID-19. He said his agency is still working on controlled studies earlier in the progression of the disease in mild to moderate cases.
Calling the study on veterans "phony," Trump said the patients reviewed were "extremely sick people" near death with heart problems or diabetes.
He pointed to "great studies" on the drug from Italy, France, Spain, the U.S., and other countries.
The president emphasized that taking the drug as a prophylactic is a "line of defense" against the virus that is "very inexpensive" but must be done in consultation with a doctor.
"I think it gives you an additional level of safety," he said. "But you can ask many doctors who are in favor of it. Many frontline workers won't go there unless they have hydroxy."
Trump quipped that it's "gotten a bad reputation only becaue I'm promoting it."
"So obviously I'm a very bad promoter," he said. "If anybody else were promoting it, they would say this is the greatest thing ever."
Earlier Tuesday, Trump said that along with vaccines, many therapies are in the works, including a "cure."
"They are working on a cure, and we have more than one doing it, and very advanced," he said.
See Trump's remarks Monday:
The infectious disease expert Smith argued in an April 28 interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham that in the University of Virginia study, not one dosage was listed of hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin and "not one person in that paper saw one COVID patient."
Published in the medRxiv online depository, the study was not peer-reviewed. It analyzed the medical records of 368 male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at Veterans Health Administration medical centers who died or were discharged by April 11.
About 28% of patients who were given hydroxychloroquine in addition to the usual care died compared to 11% who received routine care alone, the study concluded.
But only three of the researchers were physicians and all of them were trained in ophthalmology, Smith argued.
"It's a sham. It's a shame on UVA," he said. "I sent an email to the dean of the medical school at UVA. I have not heard back from them. It is an embarrassment that UVA allows this thing to be called a study."
In early April, a poll of 6,200 physicians in 30 countries found hydroxychloroquine to be the best drug available to treat COVID-19.
At the same time, Smith declared he had seen 100% success in his treatment of 72 seriously ill COVID-19 patients with hydroxchloroquine and azithromycin.
"I think this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic," he said in an April 1 interview with Ingraham. "I'm very serious."
"It's a game-changer. An absolute game-changer."
Cavuto: 'This will kill you'
On Monday, Cavuto cited the University of Virginia study, saying it found that "those with vulnerable conditions, respiratory conditions, heart ailment, they died."
He also pointed to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of 1,438 individuals in the New York City area who were patients in 25 different hospitals in March. It found no statistical difference between treatment with hydroxychloroquine and no treatment. Another study in Manhattan showed the same.
The Fox News host insisted the Virginia study on veterans "wasn't a loaded politically one."
"It was a test on patients there, and those who took it in a vulnerable population, including those with respiratory or other conditions, they died," he said.
"I want to stress again, they died," said Cavuto.
"If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus, or in a worse case scenario you are dealing with the virus, and you are in this population, it will kill you," he said. "I cannot stress enough. This will kill you."
Fox News's Neil Cavuto is stunned by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine: "If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment ... it will kill you. I cannot stress enough. This will kill you." pic.twitter.com/e6D5alfAgc — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 18, 2020
Cavuto then interviewed Dr. Bob Lahita, the chairman of medicine at St. Joseph University Hospital, who said he was surprised by Trump's statement.
The physician said he and his colleagues used it two and a half months ago on patients who were very ill, "and we saw absolutely no effect."
However, Cavuto then spoke to another physician, Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, who said she thought it was "very smart" for Trump to take the drug as a "prophylactic preventative measure" after members of his administration tested positive for the virus.
She cautioned that people who have "underlying cardiac arrhythmia" should be careful, using it only if they are "on their death bed" as a last resort.
The doctor has personally prescribed hydroxychloroquine to many of her patients.
"For some of them, they said it helped tremendously," she said, while for others "it didn't make much of a change."
She said it's best to consult one's doctor.
"It's not going to be good for everyone, but it may be beneficial and potentially lifesaving for others," she said.
Nesheiwat said physicians should have hydroxychloroquine "in their tool box" along with another drug approved for FDA emergency use amid clinical trials, remdesivir, "while we wait for a vaccine to become approved and for other drugs to get on the market."
'Doctors like me out in the real world'
The hot-button issue came up at a House hearing last Wednesday featuring the testimony of ousted federal vaccine official-turned whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright.
Trump noted Monday that Bright signed off on the FDA's emergency use of hydroxychloroquine. However, Bright said in his whistleblower complaint that he opposed the use of the drug for COVID-19 while Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar sought an "expanded use protocol." Bright said the emergency-use authorization was a compromise.
At the hearing, two lawmakers who are physicians, Reps. Michael Burgess of Texas and Larry Bucshon of Indiana, said they had heard from many doctors who have reported success treating patients with protocols of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, and sometimes zinc.
"They are recording significant benefits if it is used early enough in the course," Burgess said.
Bright testified to the committee Thursday he became aware of "the anecdotal reports" of hydroxychloroquine's efficacy with COVID-19 but said it hasn't shown in randomized studies "an overwhelming level of evidence that it has benefit."
Bucshon, however, noting he is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon who has been in health care for 30 years, said doctors "across the country will use drugs off-label in a circumstance where they don't have or they don't see a viable alternative."
He acknowledged the need for double blind studies, but "in this situation, I think a little bit of understanding and leeway from the federal government is in order."
"We do want to ensure the safety," he said, but hydroxychloroquine "has been proven safe for many, many years in appropriate doses."
He acknowledged it can lead to cardiac arrhythmias if not used properly.
"But when states tried to stop doctors from using [hydroxychloroquine], there was such a backlash they had to back away from it, because the physicians in the community wanted to use it," Bucshon said.
"So doctors like me out in the real world, if things are working, even anecdotally, they're not going to wait for the government bureaucracy to approve it," he said.
"This is why doctors are using it."
The data eventually will show whether or not it should be used for COVID-19, he said, but lives are on the line now.
"If two years from now we have the studies, and we say, 'Hey, that stuff really would have worked, and the government stopped that from being used,' if I was the family of a person that was stopped from getting hydroxychloroquine, I'd be pretty mad," the Indiana lawmaker said.


wnd--2020-05-19--'Until it's safe' means 'never'

'Until it's safe' means 'never'

In a recent `` Fireside Chat , '' my weekly talk show on the PragerU platform , I commented on society 's increasing fixation on being `` safe . ''
The following is a condensed version of what I said : We have a meme up at PragerU : `` 'Until it 's safe ' means 'never . '
'' The pursuit of `` safe '' over virtually all other considerations is life-suppressing .
This is true for your own individual life , and it is true for the life of a society .
I always give the following example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel for decades , and for all those decades , people have called my radio show to say , `` Dennis , I would so love to visit Israel , but I 'm just going to wait until it 's safe . ''
And I 've always told these people , `` Then you 'll never go . ''
And sure enough , I 've gone there over 20 times , and they never went .
I have never led my life on the basis of `` until it 's safe . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wear a seat belt whenever I 'm in a car because the chances are overwhelming that in a bad accident , a seat belt can save my life .
But I get into the car , which is not 100 % safe .
You are not on earth to be safe .
You are on earth to lead a full life .
I do n't want my epitaph to be , `` He led a safe life . ''
It 's like another epitaph I do n't want : `` He experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The nature of this world is such that if you aim for 100 % safety and no pain , you do n't live .
I have visited 130 countries , some of which were not particularly safe .
Safe , as in `` no risk , '' does n't exist .
Accepting there are degrees of safety and balancing risk with reward are part of the reason I 've led a rich life .
I 'll give a personal example .
I started teaching myself to conduct an orchestra when I was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ periodically for much of my adult life .
As a guest conductor , I raise funds for orchestras , as I did two years ago at the Disney Concert Hall , where I conducted a Haydn symphony with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra .
Now , I rarely get nervous .
But the first time I conducted , I was so nervous I was actually dripping sweat onto the score – and it was only a rehearsal .
What I did was not play it safe .
Playing it safe would have meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to conduct .
All of life confronts you with this question : Are you going to take risks or play it safe ?
If you play it safe , you do n't get married .
If you play it safe , you do n't have kids .
There are real risks in getting married ; there are real risks in having children .
Take the issue of the word `` safe '' on campuses .
`` Safe '' is used to suppress freedom of thought : `` If we have a conservative speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space ' where we can avoid feeling discomfort from exposure to ideas we do n't like . ''
A conservative speaker comes to campus and some students go to a `` safe space '' where they 're given Play-Doh , hot chocolate and stuffed animals .
I 'm not joking .
That 's what they do at some colleges – for people who are 18 and older .
That 's why Adam Carolla and I named our movie about free speech `` No Safe Spaces '' ( which you can and should watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become a dirty word .
I rarely use it in the context of living life .
It 's one of the reasons I 'm a happy person and have led a full life .
I 'm thinking of a trivial example , but life is filled with trivial examples .
Most of life is not major moments .
If I am at a restaurant and my fork or knife falls , I pick it up and use it .
They rush over to give me a new one , like I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fork from the floor .
My view is there 's no reason to come over .
The fork fell on the floor .
What did it pick up – diphtheria ?
Am I going to get pancreatic cancer from a fork that fell ?
I 'm not troubled by these things .
`` Safe '' is going to suppress your joy of life .
When I was 21 years old , I was sent to the Soviet Union to smuggle in religious items for Soviet Jews and to smuggle out names of Jews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was n't safe .
I was in a totalitarian state , smuggling things in and out .
But it was one of the most important things I 've done in my life .
Not to mention a life-transforming experience .
Before I went , I told my father about my plans .
We both knew it was n't safe .
I 'll never forget what my father said : `` Dennis , I spent two and a half years on a Navy ship in World War II , fighting in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks for a month . ''
Yes , he was worried .
But this was a man who , despite having a wife and child , enlisted in the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II .
He was an officer on a troop transport ship , a prime target of the Japanese .
He was n't safe .
The World War II generation has been dubbed `` the greatest generation . ''
Part of what made them great was the last thing they would ever ask was , `` Is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead a good and full life , you can not keep asking , `` Is it safe ? ''
Those at college promoting `` safe spaces '' are afraid of life , and they want to make you afraid of life .
We 're going crazy on the safe issue .
It is making police states .
That 's my worry : In the name of safety , many Americans are dropping all other considerations .
`` Is it safe ? ''
should n't be the overarching element in your life .
Pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And use it .
Postscript : Some left-wing media cited the remarks about picking up a fork ( transcribed above word-for-word ) in order to smear me and the message .
The Daily Beast led with this mendacious headline : `` Dennis Prager Licks Dirty Forks To Show COVID Who 's Boss . ''
And the Daily Mail offered its attack with this headline : `` Right-Wing Radio Host Dennis Prager Boasts About Using Dirty Forks From Restaurant Floors in His Latest Rambling Message Downplaying Dangers of Coronavirus That Has Now Killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my talk was about `` being safe , '' not the coronavirus .
Please read my last column about truth and the left .

In a recent "Fireside Chat," my weekly talk show on the PragerU platform, I commented on society's increasing fixation on being "safe." The following is a condensed version of what I said:
We have a meme up at PragerU: "'Until it's safe' means 'never.'"
The pursuit of "safe" over virtually all other considerations is life-suppressing. This is true for your own individual life, and it is true for the life of a society.
I always give the following example: I have been taking visitors to Israel for decades, and for all those decades, people have called my radio show to say, "Dennis, I would so love to visit Israel, but I'm just going to wait until it's safe." And I've always told these people, "Then you'll never go." And sure enough, I've gone there over 20 times, and they never went.
I have never led my life on the basis of "until it's safe." I do not take ridiculous risks. I wear a seat belt whenever I'm in a car because the chances are overwhelming that in a bad accident, a seat belt can save my life. But I get into the car, which is not 100% safe.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
You are not on earth to be safe. You are on earth to lead a full life. I don't want my epitaph to be, "He led a safe life." It's like another epitaph I don't want: "He experienced as little pain as possible."
The nature of this world is such that if you aim for 100% safety and no pain, you don't live. I have visited 130 countries, some of which were not particularly safe. Safe, as in "no risk," doesn't exist. Accepting there are degrees of safety and balancing risk with reward are part of the reason I've led a rich life.
I'll give a personal example. I started teaching myself to conduct an orchestra when I was in my teens. I have conducted orchestras periodically for much of my adult life. As a guest conductor, I raise funds for orchestras, as I did two years ago at the Disney Concert Hall, where I conducted a Haydn symphony with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra.
Now, I rarely get nervous. But the first time I conducted, I was so nervous I was actually dripping sweat onto the score – and it was only a rehearsal.
What I did was not play it safe. Playing it safe would have meant I wouldn't have accepted the invitation to conduct.
All of life confronts you with this question: Are you going to take risks or play it safe? If you play it safe, you don't get married. If you play it safe, you don't have kids. There are real risks in getting married; there are real risks in having children.
Take the issue of the word "safe" on campuses. "Safe" is used to suppress freedom of thought: "If we have a conservative speaker on campus, we need a 'safe space' where we can avoid feeling discomfort from exposure to ideas we don't like." A conservative speaker comes to campus and some students go to a "safe space" where they're given Play-Doh, hot chocolate and stuffed animals. I'm not joking. That's what they do at some colleges – for people who are 18 and older.
That's why Adam Carolla and I named our movie about free speech "No Safe Spaces" (which you can and should watch at NoSafeSpaces.com).
"Safe" has become a dirty word. I rarely use it in the context of living life. It's one of the reasons I'm a happy person and have led a full life. I'm thinking of a trivial example, but life is filled with trivial examples. Most of life is not major moments. If I am at a restaurant and my fork or knife falls, I pick it up and use it. They rush over to give me a new one, like I am flirting with death if I take the fork from the floor. My view is there's no reason to come over. The fork fell on the floor. What did it pick up – diphtheria? Am I going to get pancreatic cancer from a fork that fell? I'm not troubled by these things.
"Safe" is going to suppress your joy of life.
When I was 21 years old, I was sent to the Soviet Union to smuggle in religious items for Soviet Jews and to smuggle out names of Jews who wanted to escape the Soviet Union.
It wasn't safe. I was in a totalitarian state, smuggling things in and out. But it was one of the most important things I've done in my life. Not to mention a life-transforming experience.
Before I went, I told my father about my plans. We both knew it wasn't safe. I'll never forget what my father said: "Dennis, I spent two and a half years on a Navy ship in World War II, fighting in the Pacific. So, you can take risks for a month."
Yes, he was worried. But this was a man who, despite having a wife and child, enlisted in the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II. He was an officer on a troop transport ship, a prime target of the Japanese. He wasn't safe. The World War II generation has been dubbed "the greatest generation." Part of what made them great was the last thing they would ever ask was, "Is it safe?"
If you want to lead a good and full life, you cannot keep asking, "Is it safe?" Those at college promoting "safe spaces" are afraid of life, and they want to make you afraid of life.
We're going crazy on the safe issue. It is making police states. That's my worry: In the name of safety, many Americans are dropping all other considerations.
"Is it safe?" shouldn't be the overarching element in your life. Pick the fork up. Wipe it off. And use it.
Postscript: Some left-wing media cited the remarks about picking up a fork (transcribed above word-for-word) in order to smear me and the message. The Daily Beast led with this mendacious headline: "Dennis Prager Licks Dirty Forks To Show COVID Who's Boss." And the Daily Mail offered its attack with this headline: "Right-Wing Radio Host Dennis Prager Boasts About Using Dirty Forks From Restaurant Floors in His Latest Rambling Message Downplaying Dangers of Coronavirus That Has Now Killed 88,000 Americans." As is obvious, my talk was about "being safe," not the coronavirus. Please read my last column about truth and the left.


wnd--2020-05-19--Contact tracing? No thanks

Contact tracing? No thanks

First a Dallas hair salon owner was imprisoned for opening her store to earn a living .
Next Texas has signed a $ 295 million contract for `` contact tracing , '' by which law-abiding citizens will have to submit to monitoring about when , where and with whom they have been .
While this sounds like a dark episode in the history of the communist Soviet Union or China , it is being promoted by Democratic governors today on a massive scale never accepted in the United States .
It even extends into liberty-conscious , conservative Texas .
Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the conservative Freedom Caucus , pointed out on the floor of the House that contact tracing would `` allow big tech companies to surveil '' citizens and `` then turn that accumulated information over to the government . ''
Republican state legislators and Rudy Giuliani have likewise criticized the proposals for vast contact tracing .
Yet Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott , ambitious to run for president in 2024 , is imposing government tracking and monitoring of Texans under the pretense of combating coronavirus .
He could conquer the virus by lifting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HCQ ) , but instead wants to find out who and where lawful Texans privately visited .
Far from helping society return to normal activities , contact tracing would terrify everyone into staying at home even more than they have already been .
Everyone would have to think twice about whether a visit to someone might end up in a government database , or result in a mandatory unwanted 14-day quarantine .
This would also encourage more people to snitch on their neighbors , reporting on their daily movements .
The society of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under widespread contact tracing , even if promoted as merely being voluntary .
Lying to government agents is a crime in many jurisdictions , so those who are accosted by a contact tracer but do not disclose every person they visited in the last week could be prosecuted .
Then citizens would face conviction for protecting people they do not want to be harassed by a visit from a contact tracer , who might himself be spreading the virus .
Contact tracing is an approach supported by George Soros , the billionaire leftist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has donated heavily for open borders , which exacerbates the spread of unwanted viruses in the United States .
The real goal of the contact tracing is to use COVID-19 as a pretext to monitor the whereabouts of every American , perhaps through our smartphones , and take away our liberties .
Republican political candidates will be tracked and leaks of their private information to the media would be inevitable under this scheme , while Democrats such as Joe Biden are given a pass on their far greater misconduct .
Child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take children away from parents who have COVID-19 , or who have been in contact with anyone who might have the virus .
Contact tracing means that a visit to your home by a neighbor who later tests positive for the virus could result in forced quarantine for your merely having opened your front door to him .
Texas Gov .
Abbott 's contract is with a federally funded contact tracing firm , MTX Group , about which he failed to consult the conservative Texas Legislature before obligating the state .
MTX Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees in Texas , including case investigators , epidemiologists , and contact tracers .
Meanwhile , regulators in Texas and other states continue to block access by residents to HCQ , the same medication President Trump has successfully taken for more than a week to protect against COVID-19 .
In most states , including Texas , Trump would not have been able to fill his doctor 's prescription for this medication due to liberal interference .
The FDA , as misled by the pro-vaccine bureaucrat Rick Bright , Ph.D. , continues to prohibit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 million doses of HCQ unless the patient is first hospitalized and a clinical trial is unavailable .
President Trump 's successful use of this medication would not be permitted from the stockpile maintained under these senseless FDA regulations imposed by anti-Trump bureaucrats .
The conservative , can-do approach is to conquer a virus by treating it early and in a preventive manner , while the defeatist liberal approach is to ration resources while asserting government control over law-abiding residents .
Gov .
Abbott could follow the successful example of Republican Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ available and kept businesses and beaches largely open .
Gov .
Abbott has instead sharply restricted access to HCQ and closed businesses for prolonged periods , resulting in the imprisonment of a salon owner .
The $ 295 million that Abbott is spending on contact tracing could have purchased HCQ treatments for half of the entire state of Texas , to reopen the state without the need for oppressive monitoring .

First a Dallas hair salon owner was imprisoned for opening her store to earn a living. Next Texas has signed a $295 million contract for "contact tracing," by which law-abiding citizens will have to submit to monitoring about when, where and with whom they have been.
While this sounds like a dark episode in the history of the communist Soviet Union or China, it is being promoted by Democratic governors today on a massive scale never accepted in the United States. It even extends into liberty-conscious, conservative Texas.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, pointed out on the floor of the House that contact tracing would "allow big tech companies to surveil" citizens and "then turn that accumulated information over to the government." Republican state legislators and Rudy Giuliani have likewise criticized the proposals for vast contact tracing.
Yet Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ambitious to run for president in 2024, is imposing government tracking and monitoring of Texans under the pretense of combating coronavirus. He could conquer the virus by lifting unjustified restrictions on access to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), but instead wants to find out who and where lawful Texans privately visited.
Far from helping society return to normal activities, contact tracing would terrify everyone into staying at home even more than they have already been. Everyone would have to think twice about whether a visit to someone might end up in a government database, or result in a mandatory unwanted 14-day quarantine.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
This would also encourage more people to snitch on their neighbors, reporting on their daily movements. The society of narcs sought by liberals would grow worse under widespread contact tracing, even if promoted as merely being voluntary.
Lying to government agents is a crime in many jurisdictions, so those who are accosted by a contact tracer but do not disclose every person they visited in the last week could be prosecuted. Then citizens would face conviction for protecting people they do not want to be harassed by a visit from a contact tracer, who might himself be spreading the virus.
Contact tracing is an approach supported by George Soros, the billionaire leftist who has been funding numerous liberal causes. He has donated heavily for open borders, which exacerbates the spread of unwanted viruses in the United States.
The real goal of the contact tracing is to use COVID-19 as a pretext to monitor the whereabouts of every American, perhaps through our smartphones, and take away our liberties. Republican political candidates will be tracked and leaks of their private information to the media would be inevitable under this scheme, while Democrats such as Joe Biden are given a pass on their far greater misconduct.
Child Protective Services bullies will be authorized to take children away from parents who have COVID-19, or who have been in contact with anyone who might have the virus. Contact tracing means that a visit to your home by a neighbor who later tests positive for the virus could result in forced quarantine for your merely having opened your front door to him.
Texas Gov. Abbott's contract is with a federally funded contact tracing firm, MTX Group, about which he failed to consult the conservative Texas Legislature before obligating the state. MTX Group will soon have a staff of 4,000 employees in Texas, including case investigators, epidemiologists, and contact tracers.
Meanwhile, regulators in Texas and other states continue to block access by residents to HCQ, the same medication President Trump has successfully taken for more than a week to protect against COVID-19. In most states, including Texas, Trump would not have been able to fill his doctor's prescription for this medication due to liberal interference.
The FDA, as misled by the pro-vaccine bureaucrat Rick Bright, Ph.D., continues to prohibit any use of the federal stockpile of 100 million doses of HCQ unless the patient is first hospitalized and a clinical trial is unavailable. President Trump's successful use of this medication would not be permitted from the stockpile maintained under these senseless FDA regulations imposed by anti-Trump bureaucrats.
The conservative, can-do approach is to conquer a virus by treating it early and in a preventive manner, while the defeatist liberal approach is to ration resources while asserting government control over law-abiding residents. Gov. Abbott could follow the successful example of Republican Gov. DeSantis in Florida, who made HCQ available and kept businesses and beaches largely open.
Gov. Abbott has instead sharply restricted access to HCQ and closed businesses for prolonged periods, resulting in the imprisonment of a salon owner. The $295 million that Abbott is spending on contact tracing could have purchased HCQ treatments for half of the entire state of Texas, to reopen the state without the need for oppressive monitoring.


wnd--2020-05-19--Communist China's horrific human rights abuses

Editor 's note : This is the second part of a two-part interview with East Turkistan Prime Minister-in-exile Salih Hudayar .
Read Part 1 .
We 've seen that no man , or country , lives alone in this world .
And the view of the future is oft seen in the actions of those oppressors who currently exert their will and presence on others .
We continue our look at the invasion , oppression and torture of a free people at the hands of a dictatorial , domineering China .
Again , our thanks to Prime Minister Salih Hudayar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the lives of the East Turkistan Uyghurs .
Ron Boat : China 's history of human rights abuses is well-documented and certainly relevant here .
It 's known for its labor camps , prisons and violent concentration camps .
Are the ones in your own country to detain and punish your own people , or are they for people brought in from other areas of China ?
How many of these facilities exist in your nation ?
Salih Hudayar : According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute , since 2016 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` reeducation '' concentration camps across East Turkistan , which hold over 3 million Uyghurs , Kazakhs , Kyrgyz , Uzbeks and other Turkic peoples .
Several hundreds of new prisons were also built across East Turkistan holding several million people .
China claims these facilities are for `` reeducation , '' but really its to collectively punish our people and prevent East Turkistan 's independence as defined in China 's 2019 defense strategy whitepaper .
People in the camps and prisons are being tortured , raped , sterilized , and many prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also several dozen massive labor camps run by the Bingtuan ( Paramilitary Production Corp ) , which was set up in 1954 to colonize East Turkistan .
RB : We 've heard reports of China 's weapons testing , biological violations , religious incarcerations , organ harvesting , abortion misuse and others .
What other human rights abuses have there been in general or against the Uighurs themselves ?
SH : Aside from nuclear testing , mass internment , organ harvesting and abortions , the Chinese government has been coercing Uyghur and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a bid to eradicate the future of our nation 's existence .
Over 500,000 Uyghur and other Turkic children have been forcibly separated from their families and sent to state-run orphanages and boarding schools to be culturally and politically indoctrinated as loyal Chinese citizens .
Hundreds of thousands if not millions of our youth have been forcibly transferred to Chinese provinces , especially more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic , to be used as slave labor in factories producing shoes for Nike , Skechers , Adidas and clothing for H & M @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , consumer electronics for Apple , LG , Huawei and so forth .
At the same time the Chinese government is settling thousands of Chinese settlers into East Turkistan on a daily basis .
RB : Are there any major issues China feels threatened by and therefore feels the need to control your people , or is it strictly an invasion and occupational issue ?
SH : As defined in China 's national defense strategy , it 's all about preventing East Turkistan 's independence .
China is threatened that majority of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence , thus it is strictly an issue of a genocide resulting from invasion , occupation and colonization .
RB : China has also been accused of violations of the Biological Weapons Convention ( BWC ) with its development of `` dual-use '' biological applications .
Is the COVID-19 pandemic an example of this , and how can a dual-virus program really have more than one intended use ?
Is this going on in your area as well as Wuhan ?
SH : China has not been transparent in relation to COVID-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the origins of this pandemic and the initial spread of the disease .
An example is their threat of economic ramifications ( made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang ) if the Australian government continues to pursue such an inquiry .
It is very much the responsibility of and in the best interest of China to cooperate with the international community on understanding where COVID-19 came from and hence how to prevent another of these pandemics in the future .
By cooperating , they can then prove the world wrong if this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be an indication that they indeed have something to hide as to how this pandemic started ; if they have no concerns in this regard then they will be happy to cooperate with the international community on a transparent and independent inquiry .
RB : We know that your area is rich in oil and other natural resources .
Has China exercised its control to confiscate these resources ?
They 've certainly demonstrated their force against your country for what they claim are `` environmental abuses . ''
SH : Absolutely .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country in terms of natural and mineral resources such as oil , natural gas , gold , silver , uranium , jade , iron , copper , tungsten , and coal , the people of East Turkistan live in extreme poverty .
All the rich and fertile areas of East Turkistan have been exclusively occupied by the Chinese colonists .
The people of East Turkistan do n't receive any of the wealth that our own land produces ; instead its robbed by China , and the Chinese government uses that wealth that empowers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the day-to-day living conditions for your people , what are those major issues that oppress them , that make life less enjoyable and productive than they would like and deserve ?
SH : The fact that we lost our independence and the freedoms that come with it is something that makes life less enjoyable and unproductive for us .
It almost makes life meaningless for us .
On a daily basis , the people of East Turkistan are constantly harassed , abused and humiliated by the Chinese occupation forces and Chinese colonists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people as `` enemies of the state and people '' and treats us as if we are not even human .
No one is able to travel outside of our neighborhood without hitting a checkpoint .
There 's not being able to worship at all , not being able to learn our history and language , being forcibly married off to Chinese men , having our children forcibly separated , and not knowing when the oppression will end and when and if we will be reunited with our family members .
These are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
RB : There are many beautiful areas in your country with its flowing rivers and green valleys , mountains and colorful plains .
Professor Takada Jun has revealed that the Chinese government carried out 46 surface nuclear tests from 1964 to 1996 .
And you say that much of your country has been destroyed ( specifically your largest lake , Lop Nur region ) by China 's presence including this nuclear testing .
Are we to believe that their nuclear testing has caused 750,000 deaths ?
What have you or your people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
SH : In 1928 Lop Nor lake covered over 3,100 square kilometers ( 1,200 square miles ) , but due to Chinese constructions of dams in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s , along with nuclear testing in the area , the lake ultimately dried up .
China conducted a total of 46 nuclear tests of which 18 were conducted underground The total yield of those conducted above ground was 16,420 kilotons with the largest single test being 4,000 kilotons .
Dr. Takada Jun estimates that some 750,000 deaths have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear tests with other tests and the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , which totaled 34 kilotons and killed anywhere from 129,000 to 226,000 people .
… The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War founded that the estimates of radioactivity that was released across the entire region was roughly 48 kg of pulverized plutonium .
Inhalation or ingestion of one-millionth of a gram can cause damage to the kidneys , as well as liver or lung cancer .
The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) and the Comprehensive Test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states that the doses recorded in cities close to the test site in Lop Nor are high enough to cause malformations and cancers in babies which were confirmed in the 1998 British Documentary titled `` Death on the Silk Road . ''
East Turkistan has the highest mortality rate of all the 28 provinces and regions under the control of Communist China .
For more information on the East Turkstan Government in Exile visit : https : //east-turkistan.net/ .
Salih Hudayar is a Uyghur American activist born in East Turkistan and raised in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement ( ETNAM ) .
He is currently pursuing a Masters in National Security Studies at the American Military University .
Follow him on Twitter @ SalihHudayar .
Ron Boat is a veteran and corporate marketing and media producer/writer for his own production company .
He also writes social commentary and interviews with top military , intelligence and government officials .
He can be contacted through [ email protected ] .

By Ron Boat
Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part interview with East Turkistan Prime Minister-in-exile Salih Hudayar. Read Part 1.
We've seen that no man, or country, lives alone in this world. And the view of the future is oft seen in the actions of those oppressors who currently exert their will and presence on others.
We continue our look at the invasion, oppression and torture of a free people at the hands of a dictatorial, domineering China. Again, our thanks to Prime Minister Salih Hudayar for his time in highlighting this blight on the lives of the East Turkistan Uyghurs.
Ron Boat: China's history of human rights abuses is well-documented and certainly relevant here. It's known for its labor camps, prisons and violent concentration camps. Are the ones in your own country to detain and punish your own people, or are they for people brought in from other areas of China? How many of these facilities exist in your nation?
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Salih Hudayar: According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, since 2016, the Chinese government has built over 1,300 so-called "reeducation" concentration camps across East Turkistan, which hold over 3 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and other Turkic peoples. Several hundreds of new prisons were also built across East Turkistan holding several million people. China claims these facilities are for "reeducation," but really its to collectively punish our people and prevent East Turkistan's independence as defined in China's 2019 defense strategy whitepaper. People in the camps and prisons are being tortured, raped, sterilized, and many prisoners' organs are being harvested. There are also several dozen massive labor camps run by the Bingtuan (Paramilitary Production Corp), which was set up in 1954 to colonize East Turkistan.
Organ Harvesting, Forced Abortions, Labor Camps
RB: We've heard reports of China's weapons testing, biological violations, religious incarcerations, organ harvesting, abortion misuse and others. What other human rights abuses have there been in general or against the Uighurs themselves?
SH: Aside from nuclear testing, mass internment, organ harvesting and abortions, the Chinese government has been coercing Uyghur and other Turkic women to marry Chinese men in a bid to eradicate the future of our nation's existence. Over 500,000 Uyghur and other Turkic children have been forcibly separated from their families and sent to state-run orphanages and boarding schools to be culturally and politically indoctrinated as loyal Chinese citizens.
Hundreds of thousands if not millions of our youth have been forcibly transferred to Chinese provinces, especially more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be used as slave labor in factories producing shoes for Nike, Skechers, Adidas and clothing for H&M, Gap, Zara and many others, consumer electronics for Apple, LG, Huawei and so forth. At the same time the Chinese government is settling thousands of Chinese settlers into East Turkistan on a daily basis.
RB: Are there any major issues China feels threatened by and therefore feels the need to control your people, or is it strictly an invasion and occupational issue?
SH: As defined in China's national defense strategy, it's all about preventing East Turkistan's independence. China is threatened that majority of the East Turkistan's people will push for independence, thus it is strictly an issue of a genocide resulting from invasion, occupation and colonization.
RB: China has also been accused of violations of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) with its development of "dual-use" biological applications. Is the COVID-19 pandemic an example of this, and how can a dual-virus program really have more than one intended use? Is this going on in your area as well as Wuhan?
SH: China has not been transparent in relation to COVID-19 in remaining oppositional to an independent inquiry regarding the origins of this pandemic and the initial spread of the disease. An example is their threat of economic ramifications (made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang) if the Australian government continues to pursue such an inquiry. It is very much the responsibility of and in the best interest of China to cooperate with the international community on understanding where COVID-19 came from and hence how to prevent another of these pandemics in the future. By cooperating, they can then prove the world wrong if this allegation is not true. Their resistance may be an indication that they indeed have something to hide as to how this pandemic started; if they have no concerns in this regard then they will be happy to cooperate with the international community on a transparent and independent inquiry.
RB: We know that your area is rich in oil and other natural resources. Has China exercised its control to confiscate these resources? They've certainly demonstrated their force against your country for what they claim are "environmental abuses."
SH: Absolutely. Despite East Turkistan being a very rich country in terms of natural and mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, gold, silver, uranium, jade, iron, copper, tungsten, and coal, the people of East Turkistan live in extreme poverty. All the rich and fertile areas of East Turkistan have been exclusively occupied by the Chinese colonists. The people of East Turkistan don't receive any of the wealth that our own land produces; instead its robbed by China, and the Chinese government uses that wealth that empowers China and its people.
RB: In the day-to-day living conditions for your people, what are those major issues that oppress them, that make life less enjoyable and productive than they would like and deserve?
SH: The fact that we lost our independence and the freedoms that come with it is something that makes life less enjoyable and unproductive for us. It almost makes life meaningless for us. On a daily basis, the people of East Turkistan are constantly harassed, abused and humiliated by the Chinese occupation forces and Chinese colonists. The Chinese government has declared our people as "enemies of the state and people" and treats us as if we are not even human. No one is able to travel outside of our neighborhood without hitting a checkpoint. There's not being able to worship at all, not being able to learn our history and language, being forcibly married off to Chinese men, having our children forcibly separated, and not knowing when the oppression will end and when and if we will be reunited with our family members. These are among the issues that oppress us constantly.
RB: There are many beautiful areas in your country with its flowing rivers and green valleys, mountains and colorful plains. Professor Takada Jun has revealed that the Chinese government carried out 46 surface nuclear tests from 1964 to 1996. And you say that much of your country has been destroyed (specifically your largest lake, Lop Nur region) by China's presence including this nuclear testing. Are we to believe that their nuclear testing has caused 750,000 deaths? What have you or your people locally observed to support reporting these activities?
SH: In 1928 Lop Nor lake covered over 3,100 square kilometers (1,200 square miles), but due to Chinese constructions of dams in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, along with nuclear testing in the area, the lake ultimately dried up. China conducted a total of 46 nuclear tests of which 18 were conducted underground The total yield of those conducted above ground was 16,420 kilotons with the largest single test being 4,000 kilotons. Dr. Takada Jun estimates that some 750,000 deaths have been caused by nuclear testing after comparing the nuclear tests with other tests and the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which totaled 34 kilotons and killed anywhere from 129,000 to 226,000 people. …
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War founded that the estimates of radioactivity that was released across the entire region was roughly 48 kg of pulverized plutonium. Inhalation or ingestion of one-millionth of a gram can cause damage to the kidneys, as well as liver or lung cancer. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), states that the doses recorded in cities close to the test site in Lop Nor are high enough to cause malformations and cancers in babies which were confirmed in the 1998 British Documentary titled "Death on the Silk Road." East Turkistan has the highest mortality rate of all the 28 provinces and regions under the control of Communist China.
For more information on the East Turkstan Government in Exile visit:https://east-turkistan.net/.
Salih Hudayar is a Uyghur American activist born in East Turkistan and raised in Oklahoma. He is the founder of the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM). He is currently pursuing a Masters in National Security Studies at the American Military University. Follow him on Twitter @SalihHudayar.
Ron Boat is a veteran and corporate marketing and media producer/writer for his own production company. He also writes social commentary and interviews with top military, intelligence and government officials. He can be contacted through [email protected].


COVID-19 to elections 2020

With the House passage of Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's $ 3 trillion Heroes Act , COVID-19 policy has now officially transformed into presidential politics 2020 .
Let 's recall that prior to the crisis , the nation appeared quite pleased with the leadership President Donald Trump was providing .
The economy was growing at a brisk pace , with job creation robust and unemployment rates at historic lows .
In February , Gallup 's monthly measure of national satisfaction hit 45 % , the highest since 2004 .
During former President Barack Obama 's eight years , it hovered between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national satisfaction index dropped to 30 % .
The latest for May creeped up to 32 % .
Coronavirus politics really has telescoped the core debate that was going on in the country before it .
Are we a nation driven by government or by people ?
The theme of President Trump 's 2016 campaign was draining the Washington swamp and returning America to its citizens , and he had been governing – tax cuts , deregulation – true to this theme , with great results .
COVID-19 has taken things in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was any alternative .
The question is : What now ?
Drilling down further into the Gallup satisfaction poll , we find that practically all the drop has been with Republicans .
Before the crisis , satisfaction among Republicans was at 80 % .
Now it 's 48 % .
Among Democrats , there has been hardly any change .
From April to May , the percentage of Republicans saying the coronavirus is the most important problem facing the country dropped from 47 % to 35 % .
Among Democrats , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in April and 45 % in May .
The number of Republicans saying the economy/jobs is the most important problem increased from 13 % in April to 17 % in May .
Among Democrats , again there was practically no change : 6 % in April and 7 % in May .
It seems clear that Republicans are restless to start returning the country to freedom and Democrats are happy to leave leadership with government .
Pelosi 's Heroes Act is responding to this .
We 're already in uncharted territory regarding government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deficits were news .
Back in 2018 , a group of leading scholars from Stanford University 's Hoover Institute – including former Secretary of State George Shultz , former Council of Economic Advisers Chair Michael Boskin and former Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor – authored a piece in The Washington Post titled `` A Debt Crisis is on the Horizon . ''
They warned of the dangers of the deficit increasing from $ 800 billion to a trillion and national debt increasing from $ 15 trillion to $ 20 trillion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fiscal 2020 deficit will be $ 3.7 trillion .
This was recently updated by Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute with an estimate of $ 4.2 trillion .
Riedl projects deficits for the next 10 years averaging almost $ 2 trillion per year .
He estimates national debt reaching $ 41 trillion by 2030 , or 128 % of our gross domestic product .
Despite these mind-boggling figures , Nancy Pelosi wants to serve up to the nation another $ 3 trillion in spending , including a trillion to bail out states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above unemployment insurance , a new round of cash payments to individuals – including payments to undocumented workers – billions in housing assistance , etc .
We 're at the fork in the road , and this fork will define presidential politics in 2020 .
Has government done the major part of its thing to help us get through the coronavirus crisis , or are we going to keep moving to a new welfare state and socialist America ?
Sentiments gleaned from the polls show the Republicans are ready to start turning things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heroes Act says it all .
Government or freedom ?
This is the question pointing to November .

With the House passage of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's $3 trillion Heroes Act, COVID-19 policy has now officially transformed into presidential politics 2020.
Let's recall that prior to the crisis, the nation appeared quite pleased with the leadership President Donald Trump was providing.
The economy was growing at a brisk pace, with job creation robust and unemployment rates at historic lows.
In February, Gallup's monthly measure of national satisfaction hit 45%, the highest since 2004. During former President Barack Obama's eight years, it hovered between 20% and 30%.
Then the coronavirus hit.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The national satisfaction index dropped to 30%. The latest for May creeped up to 32%.
Coronavirus politics really has telescoped the core debate that was going on in the country before it.
Are we a nation driven by government or by people?
The theme of President Trump's 2016 campaign was draining the Washington swamp and returning America to its citizens, and he had been governing – tax cuts, deregulation – true to this theme, with great results.
COVID-19 has taken things in the opposite direction.
Shutdown policies and massive government action returned focus to government.
Few would argue that there was any alternative.
The question is: What now?
Drilling down further into the Gallup satisfaction poll, we find that practically all the drop has been with Republicans.
Before the crisis, satisfaction among Republicans was at 80%. Now it's 48%. Among Democrats, there has been hardly any change.
From April to May, the percentage of Republicans saying the coronavirus is the most important problem facing the country dropped from 47% to 35%. Among Democrats, there was practically no change: 46% in April and 45% in May.
The number of Republicans saying the economy/jobs is the most important problem increased from 13% in April to 17% in May. Among Democrats, again there was practically no change: 6% in April and 7% in May.
It seems clear that Republicans are restless to start returning the country to freedom and Democrats are happy to leave leadership with government.
Pelosi's Heroes Act is responding to this.
We're already in uncharted territory regarding government.
Prior to this crisis, trillion-dollar deficits were news.
Back in 2018, a group of leading scholars from Stanford University's Hoover Institute – including former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Council of Economic Advisers Chair Michael Boskin and former Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor – authored a piece in The Washington Post titled "A Debt Crisis is on the Horizon." They warned of the dangers of the deficit increasing from $800 billion to a trillion and national debt increasing from $15 trillion to $20 trillion.
The Congressional Budget Office now estimates that the fiscal 2020 deficit will be $3.7 trillion.
This was recently updated by Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute with an estimate of $4.2 trillion. Riedl projects deficits for the next 10 years averaging almost $2 trillion per year. He estimates national debt reaching $41 trillion by 2030, or 128% of our gross domestic product.
Despite these mind-boggling figures, Nancy Pelosi wants to serve up to the nation another $3 trillion in spending, including a trillion to bail out states, extending the $600 weekly benefit above unemployment insurance, a new round of cash payments to individuals – including payments to undocumented workers – billions in housing assistance, etc.
We're at the fork in the road, and this fork will define presidential politics in 2020.
Has government done the major part of its thing to help us get through the coronavirus crisis, or are we going to keep moving to a new welfare state and socialist America?
Sentiments gleaned from the polls show the Republicans are ready to start turning things back to individuals.
Democrats? The Heroes Act says it all.
Government or freedom? This is the question pointing to November.