australiannationalreview--2020-06-12--Senate approves subpoenas of Obama officials in Russian collusion probe

A Senate committee approved subpoenas Thursday for more than 50 mostly Obama-era officials in a dramatic escalation of the investigation into origins of the Trump-Russia collusion probe .
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham , a South Carolina Republican who is wielding the subpoena power , said the move will finally put on the hot seat top officials , including former FBI Director James B. Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe .
“ Comey and McCabe and that whole crowd — their day is coming , ” Mr. Graham said .
Others targeted for subpoenas are former National Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief John O. Brennan , former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch , former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates , Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and FBI officials Lisa Page , Peter Strzok , James Baker and Bill Priestap .
The panel ’ s politically charged inquiry has the potential to rewrite the Russia collusion narrative that until recently dominated Washington and colored voters ’ views of the Justice Department and the Obama administration , in which presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden served as vice president .
Democrats said the investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump ’ s political enemies as the campaign season heats up .
“ Never has a chairman devoted the full weight of this committee ’ s resources to pursue a wholly partisan investigation after being prompted by a presidential campaign , ” said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy , Vermont Democrat and a panel member .
The committee ’ s probe also is a response to public pressure from Trump supporters who are frustrated with the lack of accountability for top officials at the FBI and Justice Department who publicly pushed the unsubstantiated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election dogged Mr. Trump since he took office and fueled Democrats ’ charges that he occupies the Oval Office illegitimately .
Most of Mr. Trump ’ s term was conducted under the cloud of special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s Russia investigation , which failed to dig up evidence of collusion or charge any Trump allies on charges related to conspiring with Russia .
His supporters think it was a political hit job orchestrated by Democrats with the help of a deep state .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ granted Mr. Graham the authority to subpoena individuals for documents and testimony about the origins of the Russia probe .
Mr. Graham has the power to subpoena “ any current or former executive branch official or employee involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation , ” the name of the FBI ’ s investigation into alleged ties to the Trump campaign and Russia .
He also has the authority to subpoena individuals involved in the dissemination of a report by former British spy Christopher Steele , who compiled a salacious but unverified opposition-research dossier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign .
Fusion GPS founder Glenn R. Simpson and Nellie Ohr are expected to receive subpoenas for their roles in commissioning and distributing the dossier .
Republicans contend that mounting evidence suggests the Russia probe was not on the up and up .
A report last year by the Justice Department inspector general found multiple errors and omissions in the FBI ’ s application for a court order to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page .
The omissions , which included potentially exculpatory evidence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Page was a political target by anti-Trump officials in the FBI before and after the election .
Mr. Graham also wants to probe the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn , who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador .
The Justice Department moved this year to dismiss the case after spending roughly two years prosecuting it .
The department said the FBI did not have a sufficient basis to interview Flynn because it sought to close the case after failing to uncover wrongdoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat , accused Mr. Graham of going over “ ground that has already been covered.
” In a bid to upend the subpoena vote , Democrats sought to add a series of amendments to compel testimony and documents from Mr. Trump ’ s allies .
Among the individuals Democrats want to be subpoenaed are former Trump fixer Michael Cohen , former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort , Mr. Trump ’ s son-in-law Jared Kushner , attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and Flynn .
The amendments were defeated easily in a series of party-line votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning down every single relevant witness tells us and tells the world this is an irrelevant investigation , ” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin , Illinois Democrat .
Mr. Graham clapped back that Trump associates were heavily scrutinized in the Mueller probe .
“ I don ’ t understand why you would want to do the Mueller investigation all over again after we ’ ve spent 2½ years and $ 25 million doing it , ” said Mr. Graham .
“ I ’ m sorry it didn ’ t turn out the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us .
Now we are going to look at what happened and the misconduct involved and hold people accountable.
” Under committee rules , Mr. Graham can not issue a subpoena unilaterally .
The committee chairman can issue a subpoena only with the consent of the ranking member or a committee vote .
Democrats said the granting of subpoena power to one person violated the committee ’ s bipartisan spirit .
They accused Mr. Graham of trying to grant himself “ unilateral subpoena authority.
” “ The resolution would give the chair sole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without any agreement from the ranking member of any committee to vote on any specific subpoena , ” said Dianne Feinstein of California , the ranking Democrat on the committee .
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted last week to authorize subpoenas from individuals associated with the Russia probe .
It is not clear how the two committees will work together with similar investigations and subpoenas .

By – The Washington Times
A Senate committee approved subpoenas Thursday for more than 50 mostly Obama-era officials in a dramatic escalation of the investigation into origins of the Trump-Russia collusion probe.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is wielding the subpoena power, said the move will finally put on the hot seat top officials, including former FBI Director James B. Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
“Comey and McCabe and that whole crowd — their day is coming,” Mr. Graham said.
Others targeted for subpoenas are former National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper, former CIA chief John O. Brennan, former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and FBI officials Lisa Page, Peter Strzok, James Baker and Bill Priestap.
The panel’s politically charged inquiry has the potential to rewrite the Russia collusion narrative that until recently dominated Washington and colored voters’ views of the Justice Department and the Obama administration, in which presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden served as vice president.
Democrats said the investigation is a fishing expedition intended to smear President Trump’s political enemies as the campaign season heats up.
“Never has a chairman devoted the full weight of this committee’s resources to pursue a wholly partisan investigation after being prompted by a presidential campaign,” said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat and a panel member.
The committee’s probe also is a response to public pressure from Trump supporters who are frustrated with the lack of accountability for top officials at the FBI and Justice Department who publicly pushed the unsubstantiated collusion accusations.
Accusations of collusion with Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election dogged Mr. Trump since he took office and fueled Democrats’ charges that he occupies the Oval Office illegitimately.
Most of Mr. Trump’s term was conducted under the cloud of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, which failed to dig up evidence of collusion or charge any Trump allies on charges related to conspiring with Russia.
Mr. Trump calls the Russia probe a “hoax.”
His supporters think it was a political hit job orchestrated by Democrats with the help of a deep state.
In a party-line vote, Republicans on the panel granted Mr. Graham the authority to subpoena individuals for documents and testimony about the origins of the Russia probe.
Mr. Graham has the power to subpoena “any current or former executive branch official or employee involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” the name of the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties to the Trump campaign and Russia.
He also has the authority to subpoena individuals involved in the dissemination of a report by former British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled a salacious but unverified opposition-research dossier against Mr. Trump funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.
Fusion GPS founder Glenn R. Simpson and Nellie Ohr are expected to receive subpoenas for their roles in commissioning and distributing the dossier.
Republicans contend that mounting evidence suggests the Russia probe was not on the up and up.
A report last year by the Justice Department inspector general found multiple errors and omissions in the FBI’s application for a court order to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
The omissions, which included potentially exculpatory evidence, have raised questions about whether Mr. Page was a political target by anti-Trump officials in the FBI before and after the election.
Mr. Graham also wants to probe the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
The Justice Department moved this year to dismiss the case after spending roughly two years prosecuting it. The department said the FBI did not have a sufficient basis to interview Flynn because it sought to close the case after failing to uncover wrongdoing.
Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, Hawaii Democrat, accused Mr. Graham of going over “ground that has already been covered.”
In a bid to upend the subpoena vote, Democrats sought to add a series of amendments to compel testimony and documents from Mr. Trump’s allies.
Among the individuals Democrats want to be subpoenaed are former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and Flynn.
The amendments were defeated easily in a series of party-line votes.
“The fact that you are turning down every single relevant witness tells us and tells the world this is an irrelevant investigation,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat.
Mr. Graham clapped back that Trump associates were heavily scrutinized in the Mueller probe.
“I don’t understand why you would want to do the Mueller investigation all over again after we’ve spent 2½ years and $25 million doing it,” said Mr. Graham. “I’m sorry it didn’t turn out the way people liked, but it is behind us. Now we are going to look at what happened and the misconduct involved and hold people accountable.”
Under committee rules, Mr. Graham cannot issue a subpoena unilaterally. The committee chairman can issue a subpoena only with the consent of the ranking member or a committee vote.
Democrats said the granting of subpoena power to one person violated the committee’s bipartisan spirit. They accused Mr. Graham of trying to grant himself “unilateral subpoena authority.”
“The resolution would give the chair sole authority to issue literally hundreds of subpoenas without any agreement from the ranking member of any committee to vote on any specific subpoena,” said Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted last week to authorize subpoenas from individuals associated with the Russia probe. It is not clear how the two committees will work together with similar investigations and subpoenas.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-13--How did a human rights abuser end up running the WHO – and how is he still there?

In 1348 , the Black Death killed between 30 to 50 % of the entire population of Britain .
In one of the greatest health crisis to affect the world since then who was selected as the person to lead the global effort to fight COVID-19 ?
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus .
Tedros should never have nominated for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organisation .
Having nominated , however , no one should have voted for him .
Having been elected he should have had the decency and humanity to declare that he was unfit for such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he still serves .
It is not only his dreadful performance during the COVID-19 crisis that makes him unfit for office ( although that is grounds alone ) but it is his period as a minister in the Ethiopian government between 2005 and 2016 that should disqualify him from any international office .
Back in the 1980s , the Ethiopian People ’ s Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF ) was a union of a number of political parties including the Tigray People ’ s Liberation Front ( TPLF ) .
The TPLF itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of EPRDF with the help of Eritrean People ’ s Liberation Front ( EPLF ) they overthrew the marxist government run by dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam and installed another Marxist government led by Meles Zenawi .
Mengistu fled Addis Ababa in May 1991 and was granted asylum by Robert Mugabe .
Of course he was .
In 2006 , Mengistu was found guilty of genocide by the High Court in Ethiopia .
The TPLF itself has been listed as a terrorist organisation in the Global Terrorism Database since 1976 when it was first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hostage-taking .
Born in 1965 , Tedros obtained a degree in Biology from an Ethiopian University in 1986 .
Tedros then appears to have worked as a health official when Mengistu was in power but left Ethiopia to study in England where he obtained a Masters of Science in Immunology in 1992 , then a PHD in Community Health at the University of Nottingham in 2000 .
It is unclear when he joined the TPLF but it is inconceivable he wasn ’ t a member by the time he became Health Minister in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros had served as one of the top 9 politburo members of the TPLF for many years .
Tedros was always an inappropriate candidate for the top job at the WHO given the appalling human rights record of the Ethiopian government during his period as a senior minister .
A review of the Annual Reports of Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) and Amnesty International for those 11 years makes disturbing reading .
Perhaps for his entire period as health and foreign affairs minister Tedros may have been oblivious to the contents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his country but it beggars belief that for 11 years he was either unaware of human rights abuses or indifferent to them .
Certainly , some of the international donors to Ethiopia should regret that they continued to aid Ethiopia during this period without sufficiently pressuring the Government on these abuses .
These donors included the US , UK and , of course , China .
Combining the reports of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty for the years 2005-2016 , one finds shocking domestic crimes either engineered by the Government of which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by them .
In searches of many articles , reports , reviews and other materials covering Ethiopia between 2005 and 2016 there is not a single reference to Tedros objecting to the behaviour of the Government controlled army or police .
There is not a single reference him condemning any human rights abuse or the crackdown on dissidents or Opposition members .
There is no reference to him objecting to the imprisonment of journalists or the shutting down of the voices of human rights advocates .
In fact , there was no reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting as a willing conspirator in the crimes against humanity committed by the Ethiopian government of which he was a senior minister for 11 years .
In 2006 , the reports refer to campaigns of repression and brutality in many parts of the country by security forces and civil officials .
Seventy-six Opposition politicians and journalists amongst others were arrested .
Independent newspapers and their editors reported harassment and intimidation and faced criminal charges because of their reporting .
Torture and imprisonment ( including of school children ) by the authorities of one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extrajudicial killings and rapes conducted by Ethiopian military forces in Gambella State in 2003 saw the government take “ no meaningful action to address [ these ] widespread atrocities.
” Alleged executions and torture in the East of Ethiopia could not be investigated because the military restricted access to the region .
The reports for 2007 aren ’ t any better .
HRW notes : “ Government forces committed serious human rights abuses including rape , torture and village burnings during a campaign against Ethiopian rebels in [ the ] Eastern Somali region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to attacks by the Ogaden National Liberation Front , an opposition group , Government security forces responded by “ razing entire villages , carrying out public executions , raping and harassing women and girls , arbitrarily arresting , torturing and sometimes killing suspects in military custody and forcing thousands to flee their homes.
” In January , a 10th-grade student died after police beatings and two high-school students were shot dead .
In March , security officials allegedly executed 19 men and a 14-year-old girl .
Amnesty includes in its 2007 report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2008 , Amnesty said “ Government forces were responsible for mass arrests , torture , rape and extrajudicial executions in a continuing conflict with an armed ( opposition ) group .
Thousands of government opponents were detained without trial.
” HRW reported ‘ Ethiopian military forces have continued to commit war crimes and other serious abuses with impunity in the course of counterinsurgency campaigns… ‘ Local opposition groups were crippled and in April elections the ruling party and its associates won more than 99 % of all constituencies .
The Government also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights work .
In April government soldiers working in Mogadishu in support of the Somali government raided a mosque and killed 21 people , seven of whom had their throats cut .
By 2008 Chinese investment in Ethiopia had risen to more than US $ 350M up from US $ 10M 5 years earlier .
In 2009 , HRW stated that the human rights trajectory is ‘ deteriorating ’ .
The opposition leader was imprisoned .
Laws made human rights work impossible .
Acts of dissent became acts of terrorism under new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described as ‘ among the most restrictive of any comparable law anywhere in the world ’ .
Prisoners faced torture in police and military custody .
Government soldiers who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity were not held to account by the government , and rarely investigated but not surprisingly an August 2008 inquiry into the behaviour of the armed forces found no serious abuses took place .
In its 2009 report , Amnesty said “ Ethiopian troops fighting insurgents in Somalia in support of the Transitional Federal Government committed human rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war crimes .
Government forces attacked a mosque in Mogadishu killing 21 men , some inside the mosque .
On 22 May in absentia , four Ethiopian pilots were sentenced to death for seeking asylum whilst training in Israel in 2007 .
In the 2010 parliamentary elections , the EPRDF won 99.6 % of the vote .
Hundreds of political prisoners remained in jail , however after 22 months in jail , the opposition leader , Birtukan Midekssa was freed although in December 2009 the United Nations had determined that her detention was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to HRW ‘ Hundreds of other Ethiopians have been arbitrarily arrested and detained and sometimes subjected to torture and other ill-treatment… Torture and ill-treatment have been used by Ethiopia ’ s police and other members of the security forces to punish a spectrum of perceived dissenters….
’ ‘ Very few incidents of torture have been investigated promptly and impartially , much less prosecuted… Ethiopian military and other security forces are responsible for serious crimes in the Somali region , including war crimes , but… no credible efforts have been taken by the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crimes.
’ Newspapers were closed and editors fled the country out of fear .
Fifteen other journalists fled the country .
The Voice of America was jammed as was Deutsche Welle .
In 2011 things hadn ’ t improved .
‘ Hundreds of Ethiopians… were arbitrarily arrested and detained and remain at risk of torture and ill-treatment , said HRW .
More than 200 opposition supporters were arrested .
Numerous journalists were arrested and accused of treason .
In August , an Amnesty International delegation was expelled from Ethiopia .
Tedros must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2011 he was the first non-American to receive the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award .
The role of Tedros as Health Minister between 2005 and 2012 brought him much praise for the work he did which led to a reduction in mortality rates for HIV and malaria although it is alleged that three cholera outbreaks while he was Health Minister were reclassified as diarrhoea to avoid international embarrassment .
In 2012 prime minister Meles passed away but things didn ’ t improve .
Thirty journalists and opposition members were convicted of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arbitrary arrests , detentions and beatings .
Several of Ethiopia ’ s most reputable human rights activists fled the country due to threats .
Two journalists were jailed for fourteen years .
One was later reduced to five years .
Another journalist was sentenced to 18 years in jail .
However , two Swedish journalists jailed in 2011 to eleven years in prison were released in September along with more than 1950 other prisoners as part of an amnesty to celebrate the Ethiopian new year .
In March , a government-backed paramilitary force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed nine other villagers over an incident in a village in Raqda .
In April Ethiopian soldiers arrested many young men and committed torture , rape and other abuses against scores of villagers while attempting to extract information following an attack on a local farm according to HRW .
In 2013 ‘ Hopes that Ethiopia ’ s new leadership would pursue human rights reforms following Prime Minister Meles Zenawi ’ s death in August 2012 have been shattered ; there was no tangible change in policy in 2013 ’ said HRW .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protestors and arbitrary detention continued .
Access to legal counsel was often denied .
Human rights groups have either removed ‘ human rights ’ from their mandates or have dramatically scaled down operations .
Webpages and blogs are often jammed or blocked .
Protests by Muslims result in the arrest of journalists covering such demonstrations.
” No doubt as a result of their sterling human rights record Ethiopia was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2012 .
Ethiopia served a three-year term but despite their long and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-elected in 2016 for another three years .
The .
Council ’ s Charter requires it to promote and protect human rights around the world however this is the body that since its inception in 2006 has passed more motions condemning Israel than all other countries in the world combined .
In 2013 the Africa Report recorded that Tedros had become one of the three “ influential newcomers ” within the TPLF following the death of prime minister Meles .
In 2014 , the UNHRC in its Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia condemned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to repressive domestic legislation allowing arbitrary arrests and curtailing free expression .
Members of opposition parties continued to be arrested .
Dozens of journalists fled the country .
The owners of six newspapers were charged after a period of harassment against their publications .
Domestic and international calls were regularly monitored by the Government .
Up to 1.5 million rural villagers were planned to be relocated ‘ to improve their access to basic services ’ although such relocations were accompanied by beatings , arbitrary arrests and other forms of violence .
Ethiopia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offence punishable with up to fifteen years in prison according to HRW .
In its 2014/15 report , Amnesty noted that torture took place in local police stations… regional prisons and military camps .
Torture methods included burning and electric shocks .
Amnesty also reported that in the three years ending 2017 security forces had killed at least 800 protestors .
In 2015 the EPRDF won all 547 seats in the May elections .
A truly remarkable result .
Opposition parties could not hold rallies and many of their organisers were arrested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ seven and 22 years each after protesting against government interference in their religious affairs .
The Somali regional state paramilitary police force ‘ continued to commit serious human rights abuses ’ , ‘ according to HRW .
In 2016 , the last year of Dr Tedros ’ reign as foreign minister , HRW reported that Ethiopian security forces cracked down on… largely peaceful demonstrations , killing more than 500 people ’ in the regions of Oromia and Amhara .
In August over 100 people were killed at protests in Amhara and Oromia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ never investigated .
More journalists were arrested and websites blocked .
In response to killings in Oromia and Amhara , the government-run and euphemistically named ‘ Ethiopia Human Rights Commission ’ concluded that the use of force by security forces ‘ Was proportionate to the risk they faced from protestors ” , contrary to available evidence according to HRW .
In 2016 , the International Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Ethiopia was amongst Africa ’ s leading jailer of journalists .
Then British Foreign Secretary , Philip Hammond warned Tedros in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Ethiopia given that an Ethiopian born English citizen was on death row simply because he was a member of the opposition parties .
So , it ’ s not hard to understand why in 2017 Tedros would appoint the late president of Zimbabwe , Robert Mugabe as a Goodwill Ambassador for the WHO given his own appalling human rights record .
A fellow traveller you might say .
As The Australian has previously reported , Tedros ultimately withdrew Mugabe ’ s nomination under international pressure .
Tedros ’ close relations with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the current COVID-19 pandemic are no surprise .
UN records show that during his period as Director-General of the WHO Chinese contributions rose from approximately US $ 23m in 2016 to US $ 38m in 2019 to a promised US $ 57m in 2020 .
China was also a great donor to Ethiopia where donations rose from US $ 345,000 in 2000 to US $ 44m in 2017 allegedly for food and refugee programs .
If there was any doubt about the crimes against its own people committed by the Ethiopian government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 11 years , they were put beyond doubt by the current Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in June 2018 .
Ahmed told parliament that previous Ethiopian governments had sanctioned the torture of its political prisoners .
He admitted that Ethiopian security forces had tortured people in the past and used terrorist tactics to stay in power .
He made the obvious admission “ that this is unconstitutional ” to use force to stay in power which should be considered terrorism .
Ahmed ’ s more liberal approach to ruling Ethiopia including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposed by Tedros ’ old party the TPLF which has now refused to join new Prosperity Party Government after 28 years in power .
What culpability does a Senior Minister have for the criminal acts of the Government he serves ?
Is it possible that a senior minister such as Tedros could be blissfully unaware for a whole eleven years that his government had potentially committed war crimes and/or human rights abuses ?
But this is an inconceivable proposition .
No doubt appalled by what he must have known was happening in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then asylum ?
Or did his actions prove that there is only one conclusion to be reached which is that Tedros not only knew of these atrocities but accepted them , did nothing to prevent them and is therefore culpable for them ?
Politically speaking , things seem to be improving in Ethiopia .
Freedoms and reforms are being introduced under Prime Minister Ahmed .
The one thing we do know is that few governments could be as bad as the one Tedros served in for 11 years before the global community decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the WHO .
Tedros should never have been elected Director-General of the WHO .
He should have actually been charged for crimes against the Ethiopian people as was the former Leader Colonel Mengistu along with his associates .

By Michael Kroger
In 1348, the Black Death killed between 30 to 50% of the entire population of Britain. In one of the greatest health crisis to affect the world since then who was selected as the person to lead the global effort to fight COVID-19? Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Tedros should never have nominated for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organisation. Having nominated, however, no one should have voted for him. Having been elected he should have had the decency and humanity to declare that he was unfit for such an office. Alas, however, he still serves.
It is not only his dreadful performance during the COVID-19 crisis that makes him unfit for office (although that is grounds alone) but it is his period as a minister in the Ethiopian government between 2005 and 2016 that should disqualify him from any international office.
Back in the 1980s, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was a union of a number of political parties including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF itself was founded in 1975 and as part of EPRDF with the help of Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) they overthrew the marxist government run by dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam and installed another Marxist government led by Meles Zenawi. Mengistu fled Addis Ababa in May 1991 and was granted asylum by Robert Mugabe. Of course he was. In 2006, Mengistu was found guilty of genocide by the High Court in Ethiopia. The TPLF itself has been listed as a terrorist organisation in the Global Terrorism Database since 1976 when it was first found to be engaging in kidnapping and hostage-taking.
Born in 1965, Tedros obtained a degree in Biology from an Ethiopian University in 1986. Tedros then appears to have worked as a health official when Mengistu was in power but left Ethiopia to study in England where he obtained a Masters of Science in Immunology in 1992, then a PHD in Community Health at the University of Nottingham in 2000. It is unclear when he joined the TPLF but it is inconceivable he wasn’t a member by the time he became Health Minister in 2005. It was later reported that Tedros had served as one of the top 9 politburo members of the TPLF for many years.
Tedros was always an inappropriate candidate for the top job at the WHO given the appalling human rights record of the Ethiopian government during his period as a senior minister. A review of the Annual Reports of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International for those 11 years makes disturbing reading.
Perhaps for his entire period as health and foreign affairs minister Tedros may have been oblivious to the contents of these reports and to what was happening in his country but it beggars belief that for 11 years he was either unaware of human rights abuses or indifferent to them. Certainly, some of the international donors to Ethiopia should regret that they continued to aid Ethiopia during this period without sufficiently pressuring the Government on these abuses. These donors included the US, UK and, of course, China.
Combining the reports of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty for the years 2005-2016, one finds shocking domestic crimes either engineered by the Government of which Tedros was a senior minister or ignored by them.
In searches of many articles, reports, reviews and other materials covering Ethiopia between 2005 and 2016 there is not a single reference to Tedros objecting to the behaviour of the Government controlled army or police. There is not a single reference him condemning any human rights abuse or the crackdown on dissidents or Opposition members. There is no reference to him objecting to the imprisonment of journalists or the shutting down of the voices of human rights advocates. In fact, there was no reference whatsoever to Tedros doing anything other than acting as a willing conspirator in the crimes against humanity committed by the Ethiopian government of which he was a senior minister for 11 years.
In 2006, the reports refer to campaigns of repression and brutality in many parts of the country by security forces and civil officials. Seventy-six Opposition politicians and journalists amongst others were arrested. Independent newspapers and their editors reported harassment and intimidation and faced criminal charges because of their reporting. Torture and imprisonment (including of school children) by the authorities of one local state were reported. Atrocities including extrajudicial killings and rapes conducted by Ethiopian military forces in Gambella State in 2003 saw the government take “no meaningful action to address [these] widespread atrocities.” Alleged executions and torture in the East of Ethiopia could not be investigated because the military restricted access to the region.
The reports for 2007 aren’t any better. HRW notes: “Government forces committed serious human rights abuses including rape, torture and village burnings during a campaign against Ethiopian rebels in [the] Eastern Somali region [of Ethiopia].” In response to attacks by the Ogaden National Liberation Front, an opposition group, Government security forces responded by “razing entire villages, carrying out public executions, raping and harassing women and girls, arbitrarily arresting, torturing and sometimes killing suspects in military custody and forcing thousands to flee their homes.” In January, a 10th-grade student died after police beatings and two high-school students were shot dead. In March, security officials allegedly executed 19 men and a 14-year-old girl. Amnesty includes in its 2007 report that female genital mutilation remained widespread.
In 2008, Amnesty said “Government forces were responsible for mass arrests, torture, rape and extrajudicial executions in a continuing conflict with an armed (opposition) group. Thousands of government opponents were detained without trial.” HRW reported ‘Ethiopian military forces have continued to commit war crimes and other serious abuses with impunity in the course of counterinsurgency campaigns… ‘Local opposition groups were crippled and in April elections the ruling party and its associates won more than 99% of all constituencies. The Government also introduced legislation that would criminalise most independent human rights work. In April government soldiers working in Mogadishu in support of the Somali government raided a mosque and killed 21 people, seven of whom had their throats cut. By 2008 Chinese investment in Ethiopia had risen to more than US$350M up from US$10M 5 years earlier.
In 2009, HRW stated that the human rights trajectory is ‘deteriorating’. The opposition leader was imprisoned. Laws made human rights work impossible. Acts of dissent became acts of terrorism under new laws. New civil society laws were described as ‘among the most restrictive of any comparable law anywhere in the world’. Prisoners faced torture in police and military custody. Government soldiers who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity were not held to account by the government, and rarely investigated but not surprisingly an August 2008 inquiry into the behaviour of the armed forces found no serious abuses took place.
In its 2009 report, Amnesty said “Ethiopian troops fighting insurgents in Somalia in support of the Transitional Federal Government committed human rights abuses and were reported to have committed war crimes. Government forces attacked a mosque in Mogadishu killing 21 men, some inside the mosque. On 22 May in absentia, four Ethiopian pilots were sentenced to death for seeking asylum whilst training in Israel in 2007.
In the 2010 parliamentary elections, the EPRDF won 99.6% of the vote. Hundreds of political prisoners remained in jail, however after 22 months in jail, the opposition leader, Birtukan Midekssa was freed although in December 2009 the United Nations had determined that her detention was in breach of international law. According to HRW ‘Hundreds of other Ethiopians have been arbitrarily arrested and detained and sometimes subjected to torture and other ill-treatment… Torture and ill-treatment have been used by Ethiopia’s police and other members of the security forces to punish a spectrum of perceived dissenters….’ ‘Very few incidents of torture have been investigated promptly and impartially, much less prosecuted… Ethiopian military and other security forces are responsible for serious crimes in the Somali region, including war crimes, but… no credible efforts have been taken by the Government to investigate or prosecute those responsible for the crimes.’
Newspapers were closed and editors fled the country out of fear. Fifteen other journalists fled the country. The Voice of America was jammed as was Deutsche Welle.
In 2011 things hadn’t improved. ‘Hundreds of Ethiopians… were arbitrarily arrested and detained and remain at risk of torture and ill-treatment, said HRW. More than 200 opposition supporters were arrested. Numerous journalists were arrested and accused of treason. In August, an Amnesty International delegation was expelled from Ethiopia.
Tedros must have done well as Health Minister because in 2011 he was the first non-American to receive the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award.
The role of Tedros as Health Minister between 2005 and 2012 brought him much praise for the work he did which led to a reduction in mortality rates for HIV and malaria although it is alleged that three cholera outbreaks while he was Health Minister were reclassified as diarrhoea to avoid international embarrassment.
In 2012 prime minister Meles passed away but things didn’t improve. Thirty journalists and opposition members were convicted of terrorist acts. Protests by Muslims saw arbitrary arrests, detentions and beatings. Several of Ethiopia’s most reputable human rights activists fled the country due to threats. Two journalists were jailed for fourteen years. One was later reduced to five years. Another journalist was sentenced to 18 years in jail. However, two Swedish journalists jailed in 2011 to eleven years in prison were released in September along with more than 1950 other prisoners as part of an amnesty to celebrate the Ethiopian new year.
In March, a government-backed paramilitary force executed 10 men in their custody and killed nine other villagers over an incident in a village in Raqda. In April Ethiopian soldiers arrested many young men and committed torture, rape and other abuses against scores of villagers while attempting to extract information following an attack on a local farm according to HRW.
In 2013 ‘Hopes that Ethiopia’s new leadership would pursue human rights reforms following Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s death in August 2012 have been shattered; there was no tangible change in policy in 2013’ said HRW. They went on: “The beating of protestors and arbitrary detention continued. Access to legal counsel was often denied. Human rights groups have either removed ‘human rights’ from their mandates or have dramatically scaled down operations. Webpages and blogs are often jammed or blocked. Protests by Muslims result in the arrest of journalists covering such demonstrations.”
No doubt as a result of their sterling human rights record Ethiopia was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2012.
Ethiopia served a three-year term but despite their long and scandalous human rights record, they were re-elected in 2016 for another three years. The. Council’s Charter requires it to promote and protect human rights around the world however this is the body that since its inception in 2006 has passed more motions condemning Israel than all other countries in the world combined.
In 2013 the Africa Report recorded that Tedros had become one of the three “influential newcomers” within the TPLF following the death of prime minister Meles.
In 2014, the UNHRC in its Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia condemned it for violating international standards in relation to repressive domestic legislation allowing arbitrary arrests and curtailing free expression. Members of opposition parties continued to be arrested. Dozens of journalists fled the country. The owners of six newspapers were charged after a period of harassment against their publications. Domestic and international calls were regularly monitored by the Government. Up to 1.5 million rural villagers were planned to be relocated ‘to improve their access to basic services’ although such relocations were accompanied by beatings, arbitrary arrests and other forms of violence. Ethiopia’s criminal code made same-sex relations an offence punishable with up to fifteen years in prison according to HRW.
In its 2014/15 report, Amnesty noted that torture took place in local police stations… regional prisons and military camps. Torture methods included burning and electric shocks. Amnesty also reported that in the three years ending 2017 security forces had killed at least 800 protestors.
In 2015 the EPRDF won all 547 seats in the May elections. A truly remarkable result. Opposition parties could not hold rallies and many of their organisers were arrested. Eighteen Muslim protestors were jailed to between seven and 22 years each after protesting against government interference in their religious affairs. The Somali regional state paramilitary police force ‘continued to commit serious human rights abuses’, ‘according to HRW.
In 2016, the last year of Dr Tedros’ reign as foreign minister, HRW reported that Ethiopian security forces cracked down on… largely peaceful demonstrations, killing more than 500 people’ in the regions of Oromia and Amhara. In August over 100 people were killed at protests in Amhara and Oromia. Many acts of torture and rape were never investigated. More journalists were arrested and websites blocked. In response to killings in Oromia and Amhara, the government-run and euphemistically named ‘Ethiopia Human Rights Commission’ concluded that the use of force by security forces ‘Was proportionate to the risk they faced from protestors”, contrary to available evidence according to HRW.
In 2016, the International Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Ethiopia was amongst Africa’s leading jailer of journalists. Then British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond warned Tedros in a meeting that Britain would re-examine its relationship with Ethiopia given that an Ethiopian born English citizen was on death row simply because he was a member of the opposition parties.
So, it’s not hard to understand why in 2017 Tedros would appoint the late president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe as a Goodwill Ambassador for the WHO given his own appalling human rights record. A fellow traveller you might say. As The Australian has previously reported, Tedros ultimately withdrew Mugabe’s nomination under international pressure.
Tedros’ close relations with the Chinese Communist Government which have become transparent during the current COVID-19 pandemic are no surprise. UN records show that during his period as Director-General of the WHO Chinese contributions rose from approximately US $23m in 2016 to US $38m in 2019 to a promised US $57m in 2020. China was also a great donor to Ethiopia where donations rose from US $345,000 in 2000 to US $44m in 2017 allegedly for food and refugee programs.
If there was any doubt about the crimes against its own people committed by the Ethiopian government that Tedros served as a senior minister for 11 years, they were put beyond doubt by the current Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in June 2018. Ahmed told parliament that previous Ethiopian governments had sanctioned the torture of its political prisoners. He admitted that Ethiopian security forces had tortured people in the past and used terrorist tactics to stay in power. He made the obvious admission “that this is unconstitutional” to use force to stay in power which should be considered terrorism. Ahmed’s more liberal approach to ruling Ethiopia including the release of political prisoners has been strongly opposed by Tedros’ old party the TPLF which has now refused to join new Prosperity Party Government after 28 years in power.
What culpability does a Senior Minister have for the criminal acts of the Government he serves? Is it possible that a senior minister such as Tedros could be blissfully unaware for a whole eleven years that his government had potentially committed war crimes and/or human rights abuses? But this is an inconceivable proposition. No doubt appalled by what he must have known was happening in his country, did he contemplate resignation and then asylum? Or did his actions prove that there is only one conclusion to be reached which is that Tedros not only knew of these atrocities but accepted them, did nothing to prevent them and is therefore culpable for them?
Politically speaking, things seem to be improving in Ethiopia. Freedoms and reforms are being introduced under Prime Minister Ahmed. The one thing we do know is that few governments could be as bad as the one Tedros served in for 11 years before the global community decided to promote him. Shame on the members of the WHO.
Tedros should never have been elected Director-General of the WHO. He should have actually been charged for crimes against the Ethiopian people as was the former Leader Colonel Mengistu along with his associates.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-13--Tucker Carlson: We were lied to about coronavirus and the mass lockdowns. Here’s the proof

Millions of Americans remain subjected to unprecedented restrictions on their personal lives , their daily lives , their family ’ s lives .
The coronavirus lockdowns continue in many places .
You may not know that because it gets no publicity , but it ’ s true .
And if you ’ re living under it , you definitely know .
TRUMP BLASTS ‘ RADICAL LEFT ’ DEMS IN SEATTLE , SAYS ‘ DOMESTIC TERRORISTS ’ TAKE HOLD OF CITY As a result of this , tens of millions of people are now unemployed .
A huge number of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many thousands of small businesses are closed and will never reopen .
More Americans have become dependent on drugs and alcohol , seeing their marriages dissolve , and become clinically depressed .
Some of them delayed their weddings .
Others were banned by the government from burying their loved ones in funerals .
Some Americans will die of cancer because they couldn ’ t get cancer screenings , some unknown number have taken their own lives in despair .
Others have flooded the streets to riot because bottled up rage and frustration take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down the United States and denying our citizens desperately needed contact with one another is hard to calculate .
But the cost has been staggering .
The people responsible for doing all of this , say they have no regrets about it .
We faced a global calamity , they say .
COVID-19 was the worst pandemic since the Spanish flu .
That flu killed 50 million people .
We had no choice .
We did the right thing .
That ’ s what they ’ re telling us .
Is it true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just because the truth always matters , but because the credibility of our leaders is at stake here .
This is the biggest decision they have made in our lifetimes .
They were able to make it .
They rule because we let them .
Their power comes from us .
So the question , now and always is , are they worthy of that power ?
That ’ s not a conversation they want to have .
And right now , they don ’ t have to have that conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mesmerized by the woke revolution underway outside .
They just created a separate country in Seattle .
Huh ?
We ’ ll bring you the latest on that .
But we do think it ’ s worth four minutes taking a pause to assess whether or not they were in fact lying to us about the coronavirus and our response to it .
And the short answer is this : Yes , they were definitely lying .
As a matter of public health , we can say conclusively the lockdowns were not necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
And here ’ s the most powerful evidence : States that never locked down at all — states where people were allowed to live like Americans and not cower indoors alone — in the end turned out no worse than states that had mandatory quarantines .
The state you probably live in .
The states that locked down at first but were quick to reopen have not seen explosions of coronavirus cases .
All of this is the opposite of what they said would happen with great confidence .
The media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Ozarks and Ocean City , Md .
— places where the middle class dares to vacation .
But those deaths never happened .
In the end , the Wuhan coronavirus turned out to be a dangerous disease , but a manageable disease , like so many others .
Far more dangerous were the lockdowns themselves .
For example , in New York , Pennsylvania , New Jersey , and Massachusetts , panicked and incompetent governors forced nursing homes to accept infected coronavirus patients , and as a result , many thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is all a remarkable story , but it ’ s going almost entirely uncovered .
The media would rather tell you why you need to hate your neighbor for the color of his skin .
The media definitely don ’ t want to revisit what they were saying just a few weeks ago , when they were acting as press agents for power-drunk Democratic politicians .
Back then , news anchors were ordering you to stop asking questions and obey .
Chris Cuomo , CNN anchor : All right , so while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be , right , if they ’ re not out protesting like fools — they ’ re not happy about being told to stay home .
Staying home saves lives .
And the rest of us should be staying at home for our mothers and the people that we love , and to keep us farther apart , will ultimately bring us closer together in this cause .
Oh , if you love your mother , you will do what I say .
It turns out cable news anchors don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memorial Day arrived in May , and some states started to reopen .
Millions of grateful Americans headed outdoors for the first time in months , and the media attacked them for doing that .
They called them killers .
Swimming with your kids , they told us , was tantamount to mass murder .
Claire McCaskill , MSNBC political analyst : Frankly , a lot of the people in those crowds — they thought they were , you know , standing up for what the president believes in and that is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this .
Robyn Curnow , CNN host : Look at this .
I mean , this is kind of crazy , considering we ’ re in the middle of a global pandemic .
I mean , as one person quipped , you know , that ’ s curving the curve .
That ’ s not flattening it .
Don Lemon , CNN anchor : Massive crowd of people crammed together , as if it were just an ordinary holiday weekend despite the risks of a virus that has killed more than 98,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposite of a MENSA meeting .
Has that much dumbness been captured on tape ever ?
The last clip you saw was from May 25th .
That was just over two weeks ago .
“ Ninety eight thousand people are dead .
How dare you leave your house ?
You don ’ t work in the media .
You ’ re not essential.
” But it didn ’ t take long for that message to change completely .
In fact , it took precisely five days .
Here ’ s the same brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a week later .
He is no longer angry , you ’ ll notice , about Americans going outside .
As long as they are rioting and burning and not doing something sinful , like swimming with their children , he is delighted by it .
Lemon : And let ’ s not forget , if anyone is judging this — I ’ m not judging this , I ’ m just wondering what is going on .
Because we were supposed to figure out this experiment a long time ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is how : the Boston Tea Party .
Rioting .
So don ’ t — do not get it twisted and think that , oh , this is something that has never happened before .
And then this is so terrible , and where are we in these savages and all of that .
This is how this country was started .
Yes , don ’ t judge .
This is how this country was started — by looting CVS and setting fire to Wendy ’ s .
Of course , you took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew Cuomo ‘ s brother must have been in the same history class because he had the same reaction .
Chris Cuomo : America ’ s major cities are filled with people demanding this country be more fair , more just .
And please , show me where it says that protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful .
Because I can show you that outraged citizens are the ones who have made America what she is and led to any major milestones .
They are here to yell , criticize , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no duty to check their outrage .
Wow .
So , one minute they were mass murderers for going outside .
Now , they ’ re Sam Adams .
They ’ re patriots .
They ’ re American heroes .
If all of this seems like a pretty abrupt pivot , fret not .
Rioting is not a health risk as long as it helps the Democratic Party ’ s prospects in the November election .
Rioting will not spread the coronavirus .
Sounds implausible , but we can be certain of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-described public health officials signed a letter saying so .
They announced that the Black Lives Matter riots are a vital contribution to public health .
In effect , they ’ re an essential medical procedure .
But that doesn ’ t mean you get to go outside .
You don ’ t .
Thanks to coronavirus , you do not have the right to resume your life , and if you complain about that , it ’ s “ white nationalism.
” That was their professional conclusion .
Does a single American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course not .
It is too stupid even for CNN to repeat , so they mostly ignored it .
That ’ s an ominous sign if you think about it .
It means these people are done trying to convince you , even to fool you .
They ’ re not making arguments , they ’ re issuing decrees .
They think they can .
They no longer believe they need your consent to make big decisions to run the country .
Once the authority stops trying to change your mind , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve decided to use force — and they have .
During the lockdowns , people whose loved ones died were not allowed to have funerals for them .
Think about that .
It ’ s hard to think of anything crueler , but it happened to a lot of people .
They claimed it was necessary .
It was not necessary .
And we know that because now that a man has died whose death is politically useful to the Democratic Party , the authorities have given him three funerals and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or consider King County , Wash — that ’ s where Seattle is .
Restaurants in King County are operating at just 25 percent capacity .
That ’ s the law now .
Nonessential businesses are allowed just 15 percent capacity .
The effect of that is economic disaster .
Most small businesses run on very small margins .
They can ’ t survive for long , and in fact , many have failed .
What should they do ?
They should join Antifa , obviously , because in King County , Wash. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do .
They have taken over an entire six-block section of downtown Seattle , and that ’ s fine with health authorities .
There is no social distancing required .
They ’ re essential .
Are you getting the picture ?
Is it adding up to a message ?
Yes , the message is we were played .
We were all played .
Corrupt politicians scared us into giving up control over the most basic questions in our lives .
At the same time , they gave more power to their obedient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of us trapped at home and censored online .
In other words , they used a public health emergency to subvert democracy and install themselves as monarchs .
How were they able to do this ?
The sad truth is , they did it because we let them do it .
We believed them , therefore , we obeyed them .
If there ’ s anything good to come out of this disaster , it ’ s that none of us will ever make that mistake again .

By Tucker Carlson | Fox News
Millions of Americans remain subjected to unprecedented restrictions on their personal lives, their daily lives, their family’s lives.
The coronavirus lockdowns continue in many places. You may not know that because it gets no publicity, but it’s true. And if you’re living under it, you definitely know.
TRUMP BLASTS ‘RADICAL LEFT’ DEMS IN SEATTLE, SAYS ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ TAKE HOLD OF CITY
As a result of this, tens of millions of people are now unemployed. A huge number of them have no prospects of working again. Many thousands of small businesses are closed and will never reopen. More Americans have become dependent on drugs and alcohol, seeing their marriages dissolve, and become clinically depressed.
Some of them delayed their weddings. Others were banned by the government from burying their loved ones in funerals. Some Americans will die of cancer because they couldn’t get cancer screenings, some unknown number have taken their own lives in despair. Others have flooded the streets to riot because bottled up rage and frustration take many forms.
The cost of shutting down the United States and denying our citizens desperately needed contact with one another is hard to calculate. But the cost has been staggering.
The people responsible for doing all of this,say they have no regrets about it. We faced a global calamity, they say. COVID-19 was the worst pandemic since the Spanish flu. That flu killed 50 million people.
We had no choice. We did the right thing. That’s what they’re telling us. Is it true?
The answer to that question matters, not just because the truth always matters, but because the credibility of our leaders is at stake here. This is the biggest decision they have made in our lifetimes. They were able to make it. They rule because we let them. Their power comes from us.
As a matter of public health, we can say conclusively the lockdowns were not necessary.
So the question, now and always is, are they worthy of that power? That’s not a conversation they want to have. And right now, they don’t have to have that conversation because all of us are distracted and mesmerized by the woke revolution underway outside.
They just created a separate country in Seattle. Huh? We’ll bring you the latest on that. But we do think it’s worth four minutes taking a pause to assess whether or not they were in fact lying to us about the coronavirus and our response to it.
And the short answer is this: Yes, they were definitely lying.
As a matter of public health, we can say conclusively the lockdowns were not necessary. In fact, we can prove that. And here’s the most powerful evidence: States that never locked down at all — states where people were allowed to live like Americans and not cower indoors alone — in the end turned out no worse than states that had mandatory quarantines. The state you probably live in.
The states that locked down at first but were quick to reopen have not seen explosions of coronavirus cases. All of this is the opposite of what they said would happen with great confidence.
The media predicted mass death at places like Lake of the Ozarks and Ocean City, Md. — places where the middle class dares to vacation. But those deaths never happened. In the end, the Wuhan coronavirus turned out to be a dangerous disease, but a manageable disease, like so many others. Far more dangerous were the lockdowns themselves.
For example, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, panicked and incompetent governors forced nursing homes to accept infected coronavirus patients, and as a result, many thousands died, and they died needlessly.
This is all a remarkable story, but it’s going almost entirely uncovered. The media would rather tell you why you need to hate your neighbor for the color of his skin. The media definitely don’t want to revisit what they were saying just a few weeks ago, when they were acting as press agents for power-drunk Democratic politicians.
We were all played. Corrupt politicians scared us into giving up control over the most basic questions in our lives. At the same time, they gave more power to their obedient followers, like Antifa, while keeping the rest of us trapped at home and censored online.
Back then, news anchors were ordering you to stop asking questions and obey.
Chris Cuomo, CNN anchor: All right, so while most Americans are staying inside — or should be, right, if they’re not out protesting like fools — they’re not happy about being told to stay home. Staying home saves lives.
And the rest of us should be staying at home for our mothers and the people that we love, and to keep us farther apart, will ultimately bring us closer together in this cause.
Our collective conscientious actions — staying home.
Oh, if you love your mother, you will do what I say. It turns out cable news anchors don’t make very subtle propagandists.
And then Memorial Day arrived in May, and some states started to reopen. Millions of grateful Americans headed outdoors for the first time in months, and the media attacked them for doing that. They called them killers.
Swimming with your kids, they told us, was tantamount to mass murder.
Claire McCaskill, MSNBC political analyst: Frankly, a lot of the people in those crowds — they thought they were, you know, standing up for what the president believes in and that is not to care about the public safety part of this.
Robyn Curnow, CNN host: Look at this. I mean, this is kind of crazy, considering we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.
I mean, as one person quipped, you know, that’s curving the curve. That’s not flattening it.
Don Lemon, CNN anchor: Massive crowd of people crammed together, as if it were just an ordinary holiday weekend despite the risks of a virus that has killed more than 98,000 people.
Boy that montage was the opposite of a MENSA meeting. Has that much dumbness been captured on tape ever?
The last clip you saw was from May 25th. That was just over two weeks ago. “Ninety eight thousand people are dead. How dare you leave your house? You don’t work in the media. You’re not essential.”
But it didn’t take long for that message to change completely. In fact, it took precisely five days.
Here’s the same brain dead news anchor you just saw less than a week later. He is no longer angry, you’ll notice, about Americans going outside. As long as they are rioting and burning and not doing something sinful, like swimming with their children, he is delighted by it.
Lemon: And let’s not forget, if anyone is judging this — I’m not judging this, I’m just wondering what is going on. Because we were supposed to figure out this experiment a long time ago. Our country was started because — this is how: the Boston Tea Party. Rioting.
So don’t — do not get it twisted and think that, oh, this is something that has never happened before. And then this is so terrible, and where are we in these savages and all of that. This is how this country was started.
Yes, don’t judge. This is how this country was started — by looting CVS and setting fire to Wendy’s. Of course, you took American History. You knew that.
Andrew Cuomo‘s brother must have been in the same history class because he had the same reaction.
Chris Cuomo: America’s major cities are filled with people demanding this country be more fair, more just.
And please, show me where it says that protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful. Because I can show you that outraged citizens are the ones who have made America what she is and led to any major milestones.
They are here to yell, criticize, blame, and shame.
Citizens have no duty to check their outrage.
Wow. So, one minute they were mass murderers for going outside. Now, they’re Sam Adams. They’re patriots. They’re American heroes.
If all of this seems like a pretty abrupt pivot, fret not. Rioting is not a health risk as long as it helps the Democratic Party’s prospects in the November election. Rioting will not spread the coronavirus.
Sounds implausible, but we can be certain of that, because last week, hundreds of self-described public health officials signed a letter saying so. They announced that the Black Lives Matter riots are a vital contribution to public health. In effect, they’re an essential medical procedure.
But that doesn’t mean you get to go outside. You don’t. Thanks to coronavirus, you do not have the right to resume your life, and if you complain about that, it’s “white nationalism.” That was their professional conclusion.
Does a single American believe any of that? No, of course not. It is too stupid even for CNN to repeat, so they mostly ignored it. That’s an ominous sign if you think about it. It means these people are done trying to convince you, even to fool you.
They’re not making arguments, they’re issuing decrees. They think they can. They no longer believe they need your consent to make big decisions to run the country. Once the authority stops trying to change your mind, even by deceit, it means they’ve decided to use force — and they have.
During the lockdowns, people whose loved ones died were not allowed to have funerals for them. Think about that. It’s hard to think of anything crueler, but it happened to a lot of people. They claimed it was necessary. It was not necessary. And we know that because now that a man has died whose death is politically useful to the Democratic Party, the authorities have given him three funerals and not a word about a health risk.
Or consider King County, Wash — that’s where Seattle is. Restaurants in King County are operating at just 25 percent capacity. That’s the law now. Nonessential businesses are allowed just 15 percent capacity. The effect of that is economic disaster. Most small businesses run on very small margins. They can’t survive for long, and in fact, many have failed.
What should they do? They should join Antifa, obviously, because in King County, Wash., Antifa can do whatever Antifa wants to do. They have taken over an entire six-block section of downtown Seattle, and that’s fine with health authorities. There is no social distancing required. They’re essential.
Are you getting the picture? Is it adding up to a message? Yes, the message is we were played. We were all played. Corrupt politicians scared us into giving up control over the most basic questions in our lives. At the same time, they gave more power to their obedient followers, like Antifa, while keeping the rest of us trapped at home and censored online.
In other words, they used a public health emergency to subvert democracy and install themselves as monarchs. How were they able to do this? The sad truth is, they did it because we let them do it. We believed them, therefore, we obeyed them.
If there’s anything good to come out of this disaster, it’s that none of us will ever make that mistake again.


australiannationalreview--2020-06-13--Covid Hysteria and the Groomers of the Virus Patrol

Dr. Fauci and the Scarf Lady are not the only Virus Patrol miscreants spreading the Covid Hysteria and thereby empowering the authorities to keep suffocating everyday economic life and personal liberty in America .
In fact , there is a whole camarilla of current and former health officials , purported disease experts , all-purpose talking heads and other Washington apparatchiks who continue to appear on mainstream media , peddling the hoary tale that coronavirus is some kind of horror flick monster : It purportedly just keeps springing from its Lockdown grave – whack-a-mole fashion – the instant officialdom relaxes its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ groomers ” of Big Pharma , and their job is to keep public fears on the boil so that the demand for high-priced treatments , cures and preventative vaccines becomes overwhelming .
And given that the Covid is now rapidly succumbing to the exhaustion of its infection cycle and the summertime sun , their exact current mission is one of bridging the gap .
That is , finding and publicizing local outbreaks and “ hot spots ” during the months just ahead so that the Virus Patrol will remain in full control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid makes its forecasted second wave rebound during next fall ’ s flu season .
After all , they desperately need these hot spots to keep the aggregate narrative alive because it is visibly collapsing by the day .
Back in early May , for instance , the NYT breathlessly carried a leaked study from the Trump Administration that projected a massive surge of new infections and a near doubling of daily death rates by early June relative to levels than extant : Needless to say , that one went down the memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Memorial Day ) .
As of June 10 , in fact , actual daily averages for the month to date were : – 20,694 new cases per day , representing a 17 % decline , not an 8X increase ; In other words , these Washington modelers ( this one was prepared by FEMA ) couldn ’ t hit the broadside of a barn with the antiaircraft guns Chairman Kim uses to dispatch his adversaries .
So to keep the Covid-Hysteria alive , they send out the hot spot “ groomers ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ groomers is Dr. Scott Gottlieb , who was the Donald ’ s first FDA commissioner and is an alleged pedigreed “ conservative ” with a berth at the American Enterprise Institute to burnish his numerous sinecures with Big Pharma .
Gottlieb is also a CNBC regular , and yesterday , sitting astride a screen crawler which read “ Texas reports second day of record hospitalizations ” , he was busy promulgating the “ hot spot ” news about two red states , whose merely semi-craven GOP governors have belatedly attempted to get their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peddling a pimple on the elephant ’ s ass because , apparently , cable TV audiences generally and bubble vision ’ s especially , were born yesterday .
That is , they are infantile victims of recency and confirmation biases and will apparently believe anything served up in a context-free modality .
The truth is , there is nothing worrisome whatsoever going on in Arizona and Texas beyond the fact that the coronavirus started its inexorable spread in these interior states later than on the East and Left coasts , and is therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But as of June 8 , the count of infected cases and WITH Covid deaths in Arizona stood at 27,678 and 1,047 , respectively .
Those figures a hot spot do not make , nor do they offer any reason for not getting the state ’ s boot-heel off the economy ASAP .
Relative to the USA as a whole and the New York epicenter , Arizona ’ s figures per 100,000 population compare as follows as of June 8 : In other words , Arizona ’ s mortality rate is less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 % of that for New York .
So why is it a worrisome “ hot spot ” by the lights of Virus Patrol shills like Gottlieb ?
Indeed , the WITH-Covid mortality rate in Arizona stands at nearly rock bottom , clocking in at at just one-fifth to one-half of the mortality rates in much as European Christendom .
To wit , current rates per 100,000 include : But when context doesn ’ t matter , of course , any pimple can be depicted as a large boulder .
Thus , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly soaring , suggesting that the state has jumped the gun letting its citizens out of house arrest too soon .
In fact , during the first 8 days of June , Arizona reported 7,742 new cases – a figure which is sharply higher than the 2,189 new cases reported for the last eight days of April , for example .
But that gain is entirely a function of the testing rate and then some .
Thus , during the June 1 to June 8 span , the state reported 62,825 new tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % .
By contrast , during April 22 to April 30 the state reported only 15,185 new tests ( one-fourth of the June figure ) , implying an infection rate of 14.4 % .
So the state is testing a lot more , as it has been instructed to do by Washington , and such accelerated testing is generating a falling infection rate !
And that ’ s not the half of it .
By now there are more than enough antibody tests of different US populations to be reasonably certain that in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 7.38 million that there have been far more infected cases than the 27,678 cases reported through June 8 .
Generally , antibody tests show infection rates of 5-20 % in the general population , which would imply total cases – most of which remained asymptomatic or resulted in mild illnesses – of between 370,000 and 1.5 million for Arizona .
So , actually , higher reported cases daily may mean nothing at all as to the current status of the virus among the population .
More likely , it actually means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovered after the fact ; it ’ s stale , irrelevant old news , not an alarming new development , to say nothing of evidence of a hot spot .
Indeed , the latter is a meaningless but loaded term , honed for TV talking points , but is incapable of conveying any meaningful information about context at all .
That is , the real test is how does what ’ s happening with the coronavirus now compare with year-in-and-year-out illness , hospitalization , disease and mortality trends ?
Self-evidently , you do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens under house arrest and destroy the livelihoods of millions of workers and tens of thousands of small businesses on account of a bad run of seasonal illnesses that leaves more people than usual home in bed or even heading to the hospital for treatment .
To the contrary , this whole Lockdown Nation thing is about the modern equivalent of the Black Death – the presence of a virulent killer that can takedown the young , the old , the healthy , the sick and all categories between with equal alacrity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support that Grim Reaper notion in the data , and most especially not the “ hot spot ” flavor of the week in Texas and Arizona .
The mortality rate from all causes for Arizona for the four months from January through the end of April ( latest available ) is shown below .
Naturally , the total mortality rate surmounts the cause of death attribution and coding issues ; and it means that unless these total death rates are significantly elevated from the norm , then nothing unusual – or at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on .
On a per 100,000 basis , the Arizona ’ s total mortality rates for the first four months of the year have been as follows : The above does not indicate the Black Plague at loose .
The tiny elevation in 2020 relative to the previous four years is just statistical noise !
Moreover , there is no new signal coming out of this “ noise ” owing to the higher testing and infection rates being reported in recent days .
Again , the evidence for that is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalization rates , among others .
Between March 23 and June 1 , Arizona consistently reported new WITH-Covid hospitalization cases of between 40 and 60 per day on a statewide basis .
During June 3 through June 8 , however , the number of new hospitalizations daily has dwindled to 34 , 19 , 17 , 10 , 4 and 5 , respectively .
The last few days , in fact , have had the lowest new hospitalizations since before the Donald ’ s malpracticing doctors triggered the Covid Hysteria on March 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep trotting out the hoary old claim that the hospitals are in danger of being overrun with new cases – per the crawler on the screen yesterday during Gottleib ’ s appearance on bubble vision .
Alas , it never happened previously in Arizona and is not remotely in danger of happening now .
Even during the peak of new hospitalizations between April 20 and May 8 , the utilization rate of hospital intensive care beds rose from 72 % to 78 % and has remained at that level ever since .
Finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s WITH-Covid mortality data show the same dramatic skew toward the elderly , as is true with the rest of the country .
Fully 77 % of the Covid deaths in Arizona have been among the 65 and older population , which comprises just 17 % of the state ’ s overall population .
That fact alone , of course , militates strongly against the across-the-board stay-at-home and general quarantine orders in the first place .
The Arizona WITH-Covid mortality rate through June 9 breaks out as follows by age cohorts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 55 years old driving to the Scottsdale Fashion Mall would have had a greater chance of being killed in an auto accident than being felled by the Covid : With respect to Texas , it ’ s the same story .
There is no “ hot spot ” , period .
Its reported cases and deaths through June 8 are actually far lower than those for Arizona and in the sub-basement relative to the overall USA figures , to say nothing of the nursing-home based disaster-data reported for New York and New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected cases in Texas amounts to 256 per 100,000 or 68 % of the Arizona rate , 42 % of the overall USA rate and just 13 % of the rate of infected cases among the New York state population .
Likewise , the WITH-Covid mortality rate through June 8 in Texas was 6.2 per 100,000 .
That ’ s just 43 % of the Arizona rate , 19 % of the USA average and only 5 % of the New York state rate .
So Texas isn ’ t remotely a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning about reopening too soon , and is actually a thundering rebuke of the entire Lockdown Nation narrative .
That is , Texas was late and tepid about the lockdown , and among the first to begin “ reopening ” in early May .
Yet its reported infected case rate of 256 per 100,000 is just 10 % of the real “ hot spot ” rate of 2,477 per 100,000 in the five boroughs of New York City ; and its mortality rate of 6.2 per 100,000 population is just 3 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 rate .
So for crying out loud , with that kind of yawning gap and rock bottom absolute level , what is this clown , Scott Gottlieb , doing on bubble vision warning about Covid dangers in Texas ?
Answer : He ’ s grooming the sheeples in order to keep the Killer Covid narrative alive and the money and legal immunities flowing to the drug companies chasing cures and vaccines .
It goes without saying , course , that the alleged surge in new cases reported in Texas during recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Arizona .
Yes , new cases reported during June 1 to June 8 averaged 1,416 per day or about 61 % higher than the rate of 877 per day reported for April 22 to April 30 .
Except , the number of new tests also rose by about 60 % from 113,500 to 168,500 , leaving the infected rate virtually unchanged at a very low 6.7 % .
Again , if you want to talk “ hot spots ” , try New York City .
The the infected rate per test has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bronx , for example .
So the question recurs .
Why are people like Scott Gottlieb out pimping the Killer Covid story in the face overwhelming evidence that it it nothing of the kind .
Perhaps , it might be noted that Gottlieb went straight from medical school to various jobs at the FDA before becoming commissioner in 2017 , and then heading out the revolving door to Pfizer ’ s Board of Directors in May 2019 .
And , yes , here ’ s the list of the top five firms being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race for a Covid vaccine , which may or may not happen , but whether safe or not will be of no never-mind to Big Pharma .
After all , Washington has already indemnified them against lawsuits ; pretty much guaranteed that they can name their charge per dose ; and will be doing all it can to make getting a tap on the arm from one or more of the Big Pharma competitors a mandatory duty of citizenship .
Call it what you will , but don ’ t call it honest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still another blow to the idea of limited government and personal liberty .
The five companies are Moderna , a Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm , which Dr. Fauci said he expected would enter into the final phase of clinical trials next month ; the combination of Oxford University and AstraZeneca , on a similar schedule ; and three large pharmaceutical companies : Johnson & Johnson , Merck and Pfizer .
Each is taking a somewhat different approach .

By David Stockman
Dr. Fauci and the Scarf Lady are not the only Virus Patrol miscreants spreading the Covid Hysteria and thereby empowering the authorities to keep suffocating everyday economic life and personal liberty in America.
In fact, there is a whole camarilla of current and former health officials, purported disease experts, all-purpose talking heads and other Washington apparatchiks who continue to appear on mainstream media, peddling the hoary tale that coronavirus is some kind of horror flick monster: It purportedly just keeps springing from its Lockdown grave – whack-a-mole fashion – the instant officialdom relaxes its quarantine edicts.
Call these people the “groomers” of Big Pharma, and their job is to keep public fears on the boil so that the demand for high-priced treatments, cures and preventative vaccines becomes overwhelming. And given that the Covid is now rapidly succumbing to the exhaustion of its infection cycle and the summertime sun, their exact current mission is one of bridging the gap.
That is, finding and publicizing local outbreaks and “hot spots” during the months just ahead so that the Virus Patrol will remain in full control of policy and the narrative until the Covid makes its forecasted second wave rebound during next fall’s flu season.
After all, they desperately need these hot spots to keep the aggregate narrative alive because it is visibly collapsing by the day.
Back in early May, for instance, the NYT breathlessly carried a leaked study from the Trump Administration that projected a massive surge of new infections and a near doubling of daily death rates by early June relative to levels than extant:
As President Trump presses for states to reopen their economies, his administration is privately projecting a steady rise in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths over the next several weeks. The daily death toll will reach about 3,000 on June 1, according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times, a 70 percent increase from the current number of about 1,750. The projections, based on government modeling pulled together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, forecast about 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month, up from about 25,000 cases a day currently. The numbers underscore a sobering reality: The United States has been hunkered down for the past seven weeks to try slowing the spread of the virus, but reopening the economy will make matters worse.
Needless to say, that one went down the memory hole ages ago (i.e. around Memorial Day). As of June 10, in fact, actual daily averages for the month to date were:
– 827 deaths per day, representing a 53% decline, not a 70% increase;
– 20,694 new cases per day, representing a 17% decline, not an 8X increase;
In other words, these Washington modelers (this one was prepared by FEMA) couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with the antiaircraft guns Chairman Kim uses to dispatch his adversaries. So to keep the Covid-Hysteria alive, they send out the hot spot “groomers”.
On of the most mendacious of these groomers is Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who was the Donald’s first FDA commissioner and is an alleged pedigreed “conservative” with a berth at the American Enterprise Institute to burnish his numerous sinecures with Big Pharma.
Gottlieb is also a CNBC regular, and yesterday, sitting astride a screen crawler which read “Texas reports second day of record hospitalizations”, he was busy promulgating the “hot spot” news about two red states, whose merely semi-craven GOP governors have belatedly attempted to get their economies back in business:
When you look at hotspot regions like Arizona and Texas, they have to be concerned, particularly areas around Houston right now. They could lose control of this very quickly,” says @ScottGottliebMD on balancing re-opening with public health.
We call bullshit!
Gottlieb was peddling a pimple on the elephant’s ass because, apparently, cable TV audiences generally and bubble vision’s especially, were born yesterday. That is, they are infantile victims of recency and confirmation biases and will apparently believe anything served up in a context-free modality.
The truth is, there is nothing worrisome whatsoever going on in Arizona and Texas beyond the fact that the coronavirus started its inexorable spread in these interior states later than on the East and Left coasts, and is therefore cresting slightly later, as well.
But as of June 8, the count of infected cases and WITH Covid deaths in Arizona stood at 27,678 and 1,047, respectively. Those figures a hot spot do not make, nor do they offer any reason for not getting the state’s boot-heel off the economy ASAP.
Relative to the USA as a whole and the New York epicenter, Arizona’s figures per 100,000 population compare as follows as of June 8:
– Infected cases Arizona: 375;
– Infected cases USA: 596;
– Infected cases New York: 1,963
– WITH Covid deaths Arizona: 14.2;
– WITH-Covid deaths USA: 32.3;
– WITH-Covid deaths New York: 126.0;
In other words, Arizona’s mortality rate is less than half of the US average and only 11% of that for New York. So why is it a worrisome “hot spot” by the lights of Virus Patrol shills like Gottlieb?
Indeed, the WITH-Covid mortality rate in Arizona stands at nearly rock bottom, clocking in at at just one-fifth to one-half of the mortality rates in much as European Christendom. To wit, current rates per 100,000 include:
– Belgium: 83.1;
– United Kingdom: 60.2;
– Spain: 58.0;
– Italy: 56.3;
– Sweden: 47.5;
– France: 44.9;
– Netherlands: 35.3;
– Arizona: 14.2;
But when context doesn’t matter, of course, any pimple can be depicted as a large boulder. Thus, the number of new cases in Arizona is allegedly soaring, suggesting that the state has jumped the gun letting its citizens out of house arrest too soon.
In fact, during the first 8 days of June, Arizona reported 7,742 new cases – a figure which is sharply higher than the 2,189 new cases reported for the last eight days of April, for example.
But that gain is entirely a function of the testing rate and then some. Thus, during the June 1 to June 8 span, the state reported 62,825 new tests, implying an infection rate of 12.3%.
By contrast, during April 22 to April 30 the state reported only 15,185 new tests (one-fourth of the June figure), implying an infection rate of 14.4%.
So the state is testing a lot more, as it has been instructed to do by Washington, and such accelerated testing is generating a falling infection rate!
And that’s not the half of it. By now there are more than enough antibody tests of different US populations to be reasonably certain that in a state like Arizona with a population of 7.38 million that there have been far more infected cases than the 27,678 cases reported through June 8.
Generally, antibody tests show infection rates of 5-20% in the general population, which would imply total cases – most of which remained asymptomatic or resulted in mild illnesses – of between 370,000 and 1.5 million for Arizona.
So, actually, higher reported cases daily may mean nothing at all as to the current status of the virus among the population. More likely, it actually means that what is already there is being slowly discovered after the fact; it’s stale, irrelevant old news, not an alarming new development, to say nothing of evidence of a hot spot.
Indeed, the latter is a meaningless but loaded term, honed for TV talking points, but is incapable of conveying any meaningful information about context at all. That is, the real test is how does what’s happening with the coronavirus now compare with year-in-and-year-out illness, hospitalization, disease and mortality trends?
Self-evidently, you do not empower the state to put its citizens under house arrest and destroy the livelihoods of millions of workers and tens of thousands of small businesses on account of a bad run of seasonal illnesses that leaves more people than usual home in bed or even heading to the hospital for treatment.
To the contrary, this whole Lockdown Nation thing is about the modern equivalent of the Black Death – the presence of a virulent killer that can takedown the young, the old, the healthy, the sick and all categories between with equal alacrity.
But, again, there is nothing to support that Grim Reaper notion in the data, and most especially not the “hot spot” flavor of the week in Texas and Arizona.
The mortality rate from all causes for Arizona for the four months from January through the end of April (latest available) is shown below.
Naturally, the total mortality rate surmounts the cause of death attribution and coding issues; and it means that unless these total death rates are significantly elevated from the norm, then nothing unusual – or at least worthy of drastic quarantine policies–is actually going on.
On a per 100,000 basis, the Arizona’s total mortality rates for the first four months of the year have been as follows:
– 2016: 293;
– 2017: 277:
– 2018: 297;
– 2019: 285:
– 2020: 301;
The above does not indicate the Black Plague at loose. The tiny elevation in 2020 relative to the previous four years is just statistical noise!
Moreover, there is no new signal coming out of this “noise” owing to the higher testing and infection rates being reported in recent days. Again, the evidence for that is in the state’s own published data on hospitalization rates, among others.
Between March 23 and June 1, Arizona consistently reported new WITH-Covid hospitalization cases of between 40 and 60 per day on a statewide basis.
During June 3 through June 8, however, the number of new hospitalizations daily has dwindled to 34, 19, 17, 10, 4 and 5, respectively.
The last few days, in fact, have had the lowest new hospitalizations since before the Donald’s malpracticing doctors triggered the Covid Hysteria on March 13.
So, hot spot my eye!
In this connection, they also keep trotting out the hoary old claim that the hospitals are in danger of being overrun with new cases – per the crawler on the screen yesterday during Gottleib’s appearance on bubble vision.
Alas, it never happened previously in Arizona and is not remotely in danger of happening now. Even during the peak of new hospitalizations between April 20 and May 8, the utilization rate of hospital intensive care beds rose from 72% to 78% and has remained at that level ever since.
Finally, it is worth noting that Arizona’s WITH-Covid mortality data show the same dramatic skew toward the elderly, as is true with the rest of the country. Fully 77% of the Covid deaths in Arizona have been among the 65 and older population, which comprises just 17% of the state’s overall population.
That fact alone, of course, militates strongly against the across-the-board stay-at-home and general quarantine orders in the first place.
The Arizona WITH-Covid mortality rate through June 9 breaks out as follows by age cohorts. That is to say, anyone under 55 years old driving to the Scottsdale Fashion Mall would have had a greater chance of being killed in an auto accident than being felled by the Covid:
Deaths Per 100,000 population:
– <20 years: 0.1;
– 20-44 years: 2.1;
– 45-54 years: 7.5;
– 55-64 years: 14.9;
– 65+ years: 66.3;
With respect to Texas, it’s the same story. There is no “hot spot”, period.
Its reported cases and deaths through June 8 are actually far lower than those for Arizona and in the sub-basement relative to the overall USA figures, to say nothing of the nursing-home based disaster-data reported for New York and New Jersey.
That is, the number of infected cases in Texas amounts to 256 per 100,000 or 68% of the Arizona rate, 42% of the overall USA rate and just 13% of the rate of infected cases among the New York state population.
Likewise, the WITH-Covid mortality rate through June 8 in Texas was 6.2 per 100,000. That’s just 43% of the Arizona rate, 19% of the USA average and only 5% of the New York state rate.
So Texas isn’t remotely a “hot spot” or some kind of warning about reopening too soon, and is actually a thundering rebuke of the entire Lockdown Nation narrative.
That is, Texas was late and tepid about the lockdown, and among the first to begin “reopening” in early May.
Yet its reported infected case rate of 256 per 100,000 is just 10% of the real “hot spot” rate of 2,477 per 100,000 in the five boroughs of New York City; and its mortality rate of 6.2 per 100,000 population is just 3% of New York City’s 196 per 100,000 rate.
So for crying out loud, with that kind of yawning gap and rock bottom absolute level, what is this clown, Scott Gottlieb, doing on bubble vision warning about Covid dangers in Texas?
Answer: He’s grooming the sheeples in order to keep the Killer Covid narrative alive and the money and legal immunities flowing to the drug companies chasing cures and vaccines.
It goes without saying, course, that the alleged surge in new cases reported in Texas during recent days is just as bogus as the claims about Arizona.
Yes, new cases reported during June 1 to June 8 averaged 1,416 per day or about 61% higher than the rate of 877 per day reported for April 22 to April 30. Except, the number of new tests also rose by about 60% from 113,500 to 168,500, leaving the infected rate virtually unchanged at a very low 6.7%.
Again, if you want to talk “hot spots”, try New York City. The the infected rate per test has run north of 20% in the Bronx, for example.
So the question recurs. Why are people like Scott Gottlieb out pimping the Killer Covid story in the face overwhelming evidence that it it nothing of the kind.
Perhaps, it might be noted that Gottlieb went straight from medical school to various jobs at the FDA before becoming commissioner in 2017, and then heading out the revolving door to Pfizer’s Board of Directors in May 2019.
And, yes, here’s the list of the top five firms being supported by billions from Washington in the race for a Covid vaccine, which may or may not happen, but whether safe or not will be of no never-mind to Big Pharma.
After all, Washington has already indemnified them against lawsuits; pretty much guaranteed that they can name their charge per dose; and will be doing all it can to make getting a tap on the arm from one or more of the Big Pharma competitors a mandatory duty of citizenship.
Call it what you will, but don’t call it honest capitalism. And chalk it up as still another blow to the idea of limited government and personal liberty.
The five companies are Moderna, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm, which Dr. Fauci said he expected would enter into the final phase of clinical trials next month; the combination of Oxford University and AstraZeneca, on a similar schedule; and three large pharmaceutical companies: Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer. Each is taking a somewhat different approach.