lewrockwell--2020-03-23--US Hopes Sanctions & Covid-19 in Iran Will Force Regime Change

Iran ’ s New Year celebration of Nowruz finds it weathering a perfect storm of US sanctions , low oil prices and Covid-19 .
The resulting humanitarian crisis may make it even more resilient , as Iranians rally around their government .
Iran is facing an existential crisis , brought on by a combination of economic , political and social emergencies which , when combined , threaten to bring the nation to its knees .
The United States has , over the years , sought to destabilize Iran in hopes that it would collapse from within , clearing the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current ‘ maximum pressure ’ campaign , built around stringent economic sanctions targeting virtually every aspect of the Iranian economy , is designed to not only bring Iran to the negotiating table , but to drive its leadership from power .
The chances of such an outcome today , however , are slim .
The Iranian government has proven itself to be quite resilient , and the very policies that the US is pursuing in Iran may turn out to be counterproductive , rallying Iranians around their embattled government .
How to Hide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 26.21 This is not to say that the domestic political situation inside Iran is ideal for the government–far from it .
The economic crisis in Iran brought on by US sanctions has led to a loss of confidence in the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani , leading to the election of a conservative parliamentary majority on February 21 .
The percentage of Iranians who actively participated in this election was around 42.5 percent , a nearly 20 percentage-point decline from the previous legislative election in 2016 .
The low electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence on the part of the Iranian people in their system of government .
In addition to crippling US sanctions , an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia , which began on March 9 , has gutted Iran ’ s already fragile economy , further testing the frayed relationship between the Iranian people and their government .
And if this wasn ’ t enough , Iran ’ s first case of coronavirus was detected on February 19 .
By March 20 about 20,000 Iranians were stricken with the disease , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Iranian health care system was being overwhelmed with patients , with no end in sight .
There was no hint of regime-change tinged animosity in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ’ s Nowruz address to the people of Iran , in which he declared that “ We are saddened to learn of the mounting deaths this virus has caused , particularly in Iran.
” Pompeo closed by noting that “ To support the recovery from this especially difficult time , our offer still stands to send humanitarian and medical assistance to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Brian Hook , the US Special Representative for Iranian Affairs , in a statement to reporters , provided a more accurate picture of Washington ’ s policy toward Iran .
“ Our policy of maximum pressure on the regime continues , ” Hook noted .
“ US sanctions are not preventing aid from getting to Iran.
” Responding to calls from China , Russia and elsewhere for the US to provide some sanctions respite for humanitarian relief from the devastating impact of the corona pandemic in Iran , Hook observed that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iranians offering assistance with coronavirus , but that this note “ was quickly rejected.
” But then Hook went on to blame Iran ’ s leadership for the coronavirus outbreak , saying that Tehran “ spends billions on terrorism and foreign wars ” and adding that if it had spent one-tenth of this money “ on a better health care system , the Iranian people would have been much better off.
” As bleak as the situation looks for the people of Iran , there is reason to believe that the Islamic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than when it entered .
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif hinted at this in a tweet sent out in the aftermath of Brian Hook ’ s press briefing .
“ [ The ] US administration gleefully takes pride in killing Iranian citizens on Nowruz , ” Zarif wrote , adding that the White House had taken its ‘ maximum ’ pressure ’ campaign “ to a new level of inhumanity with its utter contempt for human life.
” Zarif concluded by noting that “ Your policy will live in infamy .
Iran won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure ’ campaign has weakened the Iranian economy and eroded the confidence of the Iranian people in their government , by denying Iran access to humanitarian aid at the same time it is subjecting Iran to some of the most stringent economic sanctions ever , the US risks negating the impact of its policy by alienating an international community desirous of helping Iran recover from the coronavirus outbreak , and similarly rallying the Iranian people in support of their embattled government .
If this were to occur , it would be a fitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The statements , views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT .

Iran’s New Year celebration of Nowruz finds it weathering a perfect storm of US sanctions, low oil prices and Covid-19. The resulting humanitarian crisis may make it even more resilient, as Iranians rally around their government.
Iran is facing an existential crisis, brought on by a combination of economic, political and social emergencies which, when combined, threaten to bring the nation to its knees. The United States has, over the years, sought to destabilize Iran in hopes that it would collapse from within, clearing the way for a new pro-Western government. The current ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, built around stringent economic sanctions targeting virtually every aspect of the Iranian economy, is designed to not only bring Iran to the negotiating table, but to drive its leadership from power.
The chances of such an outcome today, however, are slim. The Iranian government has proven itself to be quite resilient, and the very policies that the US is pursuing in Iran may turn out to be counterproductive, rallying Iranians around their embattled government. How to Hide an Empire:... Daniel Immerwahr Buy New $26.21 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
This is not to say that the domestic political situation inside Iran is ideal for the government–far from it. The economic crisis in Iran brought on by US sanctions has led to a loss of confidence in the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani, leading to the election of a conservative parliamentary majority on February 21. The percentage of Iranians who actively participated in this election was around 42.5 percent, a nearly 20 percentage-point decline from the previous legislative election in 2016. The low electoral turnout was a clear-cut vote of no confidence on the part of the Iranian people in their system of government.
In addition to crippling US sanctions, an oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which began on March 9, has gutted Iran’s already fragile economy, further testing the frayed relationship between the Iranian people and their government. And if this wasn’t enough, Iran’s first case of coronavirus was detected on February 19. By March 20 about 20,000 Iranians were stricken with the disease, more than 1,400 of whom had died. The Iranian health care system was being overwhelmed with patients, with no end in sight.
There was no hint of regime-change tinged animosity in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Nowruz address to the people of Iran, in which he declared that “We are saddened to learn of the mounting deaths this virus has caused, particularly in Iran.” Pompeo closed by noting that “To support the recovery from this especially difficult time, our offer still stands to send humanitarian and medical assistance to the people of Iran.”
I join President @realDonaldTrump in wishing a happy, healthy, and prosperous #Nowruz to all who celebrate this tradition across the world. As Nowruz also symbolizes rebirth, may this year serve as an opportunity to refresh our commitments to health, hope, and renewal for all! pic.twitter.com/lPBEi1QRuX — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 19, 2020
Earlier this week, Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iranian Affairs, in a statement to reporters, provided a more accurate picture of Washington’s policy toward Iran. “Our policy of maximum pressure on the regime continues,” Hook noted. “US sanctions are not preventing aid from getting to Iran.”
Responding to calls from China, Russia and elsewhere for the US to provide some sanctions respite for humanitarian relief from the devastating impact of the corona pandemic in Iran, Hook observed that the US had sent a diplomatic note to the Iranians offering assistance with coronavirus, but that this note “was quickly rejected.” But then Hook went on to blame Iran’s leadership for the coronavirus outbreak, saying that Tehran “spends billions on terrorism and foreign wars” and adding that if it had spent one-tenth of this money “on a better health care system, the Iranian people would have been much better off.”
As bleak as the situation looks for the people of Iran, there is reason to believe that the Islamic Republic may emerge from this crisis stronger than when it entered. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif hinted at this in a tweet sent out in the aftermath of Brian Hook’s press briefing. “[The] US administration gleefully takes pride in killing Iranian citizens on Nowruz,” Zarif wrote, adding that the White House had taken its ‘maximum’ pressure’ campaign “to a new level of inhumanity with its utter contempt for human life.” Zarif concluded by noting that “Your policy will live in infamy. Iran won’t break.”
US administration gleefully takes pride in killing Iranians citizens on #Nowruz—our New Year. The White House takes its “maximum pressure” to a new level of inhumanity with its utter contempt for human life. Iran to US: Your policy will live in infamy. But Iran won’t break. pic.twitter.com/2xGWG8xxH8 — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) March 20, 2020
While the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign has weakened the Iranian economy and eroded the confidence of the Iranian people in their government, by denying Iran access to humanitarian aid at the same time it is subjecting Iran to some of the most stringent economic sanctions ever, the US risks negating the impact of its policy by alienating an international community desirous of helping Iran recover from the coronavirus outbreak, and similarly rallying the Iranian people in support of their embattled government. If this were to occur, it would be a fitting manifestation of the law of unintended consequences.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


lewrockwell--2020-03-23--Evidence Over Hysteria — COVID-19

Evidence Over Hysteria — COVID-19

After watching the outbreak of COVID-19 for the past two months , I ’ ve followed the pace of the infection , its severity , and how our world is tackling the virus .
While we should be concerned and diligent , the situation has dramatically elevated to a mob-like fear spreading faster than COVID-19 itself .
When 13 % of Americans believe they are currently infected with COVID-19 ( mathematically impossible ) , full-on panic is blocking our ability to think clearly and determine how to deploy our resources to stop this virus .
Over three-fourths of Americans are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our society through law and hysteria , not of infection or spreading COVID-19 to those most vulnerable .
The following article is a systematic overview of COVID-19 driven by data from medical professionals and academic articles that will help you understand what is going on ( sources include CDC , WHO , NIH , NHS , University of Oxford , Stanford , Harvard , NEJM , JAMA , and several others ) .
I ’ m quite experienced at understanding virality , how things grow , and data .
In my vocation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ growth hacking movement ” in Silicon Valley that specializes in driving rapid and viral adoption of technology products .
Data is data .
Our focus here isn ’ t treatments but numbers .
You don ’ t need a special degree to understand what the data says and doesn ’ t say .
Numbers are universal .
I hope you walk away with a more informed perspective on how you can help and fight back against the hysteria that is driving our country into a dark place .
You can help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are most vulnerable , who need our help .
Indian Personal Health ... Buy New $ 17.98 ( $ 0.36 / Count ) Note : The following graphs and numbers are as of mid-March 2020 .
Things are moving quickly , so I update this article twice a day .
Most graphs are as of March 20th , 2020 .
• Time lapsing new cases gives us perspective • On a per-capita basis , we shouldn ’ t be panicking • COVID-19 is likely to burn off in the summer • 93 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive aren ’ t • 1 % of cases will be severe • So what should we do ?
• People fear what the government will do , not infection • Don ’ t let them forget it and vote .

After watching the outbreak of COVID-19 for the past two months, I’ve followed the pace of the infection, its severity, and how our world is tackling the virus. While we should be concerned and diligent, the situation has dramatically elevated to a mob-like fear spreading faster than COVID-19 itself. When 13% of Americans believe they are currently infected with COVID-19 (mathematically impossible), full-on panic is blocking our ability to think clearly and determine how to deploy our resources to stop this virus. Over three-fourths of Americans are scared of what we are doing to our society through law and hysteria, not of infection or spreading COVID-19 to those most vulnerable.
The following article is a systematic overview of COVID-19 driven by data from medical professionals and academic articles that will help you understand what is going on (sources include CDC, WHO, NIH, NHS, University of Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, NEJM, JAMA, and several others). I’m quite experienced at understanding virality, how things grow, and data. In my vocation, I’m most known for popularizing the “growth hacking movement” in Silicon Valley that specializes in driving rapid and viral adoption of technology products. Data is data. Our focus here isn’t treatments but numbers. You don’t need a special degree to understand what the data says and doesn’t say. Numbers are universal.
I hope you walk away with a more informed perspective on how you can help and fight back against the hysteria that is driving our country into a dark place. You can help us focus our scarce resources on those who are most vulnerable, who need our help. Indian Personal Health... Buy New $17.98 ($0.36 / Count) (as of 01:00 UTC - Details)
Note: The following graphs and numbers are as of mid-March 2020. Things are moving quickly, so I update this article twice a day. Most graphs are as of March 20th, 2020.
Best,
Aaron Ginn
Table of Contents
Total cases are the wrong metric Time lapsing new cases gives us perspective On a per-capita basis, we shouldn’t be panicking COVID-19 is spreading Watch the Bell Curve A low probability of catching COVID-19 Common transmission modes COVID-19 is likely to burn off in the summer Children and Teens aren’t at risk Strong, but unknown viral effect What about asymptomatic spread? 93% of people who think they are positive aren’t 1% of cases will be severe Declining fatality rate So what should we do? Start with basic hygiene More data Open schools Open up public spaces Support business and productivity People fear what the government will do, not infection Expand medical capacity Don’t let them forget it and vote.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-03-23--The Cat Leaves the Bag

The Cat Leaves the Bag

Hysterical headlines today – Sunday , March 21 – about the number of Americans supposedly identified as having been infected with Coronavirus .
The modifier supposedly used because the tests being used to identify the virus are of dubious reliability .
But , regardless – 25,493 as of today .
A big number , banner-headlined across the Internet .
But there ’ s another number you have to look for , which isn ’ t being banner-headlined around the Internet .
That ’ s how many Americans have supposedly died from WuFlu so far .
The modifier added – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is not known whether it was the WuFlu that killed all these people or old age/underlying infirmity pushed over the edge by what would otherwise have just been a nasty cold .
It is not a big number .
.
.
relative to the other number .
See the graph accompanying this article , which is not the product of a “ conspiracy ” web site but rather using data compiled by Johns Hopkins , widely accepted to be a reputable source for medical data .
Indian Personal Health ... Buy New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) While the number of people infected – or supposedly identified as being infected – has indeed gone up , the number of people dying ( see here for data regarding that ) has not gone up proportionately .
About 60 people more are reported dead over the past 24-48 hours as opposed to many thousands of people newly tallied as Corona-infected .
This is really important – and very good – news .
The overwhelming majority of people who get sick from this bug do not appear to be dying from this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife dead ?
Is Idris Elba on a ventilator ?
How about the Orange Man himself , who shook hands with ( apparently ) Corona Carriers at the CPAC conference about a week or so ago .
Where are the people doubling over in the streets , coughing up blood ?
The stacks of bodies , “ overwhelming ” the system .
Which indicates strongly this is nonsense .
But historically unprecedentedly , catastrophically dangerous nonsense .
A pandemic of fear is being used in exactly the same way that fear of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chimp and his accomplices to bum ’ s rush a terrified country – and a poltroonized Congress – into raping the civil liberties and due process firewalls that had previously protected Americans from legalized abuse by the government ( and its corporate accomplices ) via midnight passage of the conveniently ready “ Patriot ” Act .
The Best of Eric Peters

Hysterical headlines today – Sunday, March 21 – about the number of Americans supposedly identified as having been infected with Coronavirus. The modifier supposedly used because the tests being used to identify the virus are of dubious reliability. But, regardless – 25,493 as of today. A big number, banner-headlined across the Internet.
But there’s another number you have to look for, which isn’t being banner-headlined around the Internet.
307.
That’s how many Americans have supposedly died from WuFlu so far. The modifier added – and italicized – to emphasize the fact that it is not known whether it was the WuFlu that killed all these people or old age/underlying infirmity pushed over the edge by what would otherwise have just been a nasty cold.
But regardless, 307.
It is not a big number . . . relative to the other number. See the graph accompanying this article, which is not the product of a “conspiracy” web site but rather using data compiled by Johns Hopkins, widely accepted to be a reputable source for medical data. Indian Personal Health... Buy New $17.98 ($0.36 / Count) (as of 01:00 UTC - Details)
Note that the “death curve” isn’t.
While the number of people infected – or supposedly identified as being infected – has indeed gone up, the number of people dying (see here for data regarding that) has not gone up proportionately. About 60 people more are reported dead over the past 24-48 hours as opposed to many thousands of people newly tallied as Corona-infected.
This is really important – and very good – news.
The overwhelming majority of people who get sick from this bug do not appear to be dying from this bug. Are Tom Hanks and his wife dead? Is Idris Elba on a ventilator? How about the Orange Man himself, who shook hands with (apparently) Corona Carriers at the CPAC conference about a week or so ago. Where are the people doubling over in the streets, coughing up blood? The stacks of bodies, “overwhelming” the system.
None such.
Which indicates strongly this is nonsense. But historically unprecedentedly, catastrophically dangerous nonsense. A pandemic of fear is being used in exactly the same way that fear of “terrrsts” was used by the loathsome Chimp and his accomplices to bum’s rush a terrified country – and a poltroonized Congress – into raping the civil liberties and due process firewalls that had previously protected Americans from legalized abuse by the government (and its corporate accomplices) via midnight passage of the conveniently ready “Patriot” Act.

Read the Whole Article
The Best of Eric Peters


lewrockwell--2020-03-23--Coronavirus and the Gates Foundation

Coronavirus and the Gates Foundation

Arguably , no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .
From sponsoring a simulation of a coronavirus global pandemic , just weeks before the Wuhan outbreak was announced , to funding numerous corporate efforts to come up with a novel vaccine for the apparently novel virus , the Gates presence is there .
What does it actually entail ?
We must admit that at the very least Bill Gates is prophetic .
He has claimed for years that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are not prepared for it .
On March 18 , 2015 Gates gave a TED talk on epidemics in Vancouver .
That day he wrote on his blog , “ I just gave a brief talk on a subject that I ’ ve been learning a lot about lately—epidemics .
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a tragedy—as I write this , more than 10,000 people have died.
” Gates then added , “ As awful as this epidemic has been , the next one could be much worse .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a disease—an especially virulent flu , for example—that infects large numbers of people very quickly .
Of all the things that could kill 10 million people or more , by far the most likely is an epidemic.
” That same year , 2015 , Bill Gates wrote an article for the New England Journal of Medicine titled , “ The Next Epidemic : Lessons from Ebola.
” There he spoke of a special class of drugs that “ involves giving patients a set of particular RNA-based constructs that enables them to produce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a very new area , it is promising because it is possible that a safe therapy could be designed and put into large-scale manufacture fairly rapidly .
More basic research as well as the progress of companies like Moderna and CureVac could eventually make this approach a key tool for stopping epidemics.
” Moderna and CureVac both today receive funds from the Gates Foundation and are leading the race to develop an approved COVID-19 vaccine based on mRNA .
MedPride Powder-Free N ... Buy New $ 13.22 ( $ 0.13 / @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact is something that Gates and his well-endowed foundation have spent years preparing for .
In 2017 during the Davos World Economic Forum , Gates initiated something called CEPI , the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations , together with the governments of Norway , India , Japan , and Germany , along with the Wellcome Trust of the UK .
Its stated purpose is to “ accelerate the development of vaccines we ’ ll need to contain outbreaks ” of future epidemics .
He noted at the time that “ One promising area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in genomics to map the DNA and RNA of pathogens and make vaccines.
” We will return to that .
By 2019 Bill Gates and the foundation were going full-tilt boogie with their pandemic scenarios .
He made a Netflix video which made an eerie imaginary scenario .
The video , part of the “ Explained ” series , imagined a wet market in China where live and dead animals are stacked and a highly deadly virus erupts that spreads globally .
Gates appears as an expert in the video to warn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could come along that would kill millions of people , a pandemic is our greatest risk.
” He said if nothing was done to better prepare for pandemics , the time would come when the world would look back and wish it had invested more into potential vaccines .
That was weeks before the world heard about bats and a live wet market in Wuhan China .
In October , 2019 the Gates Foundation teamed up with the World Economic Forum and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to enact what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involving some of the world ’ s leading figures in public health .
It was titled Event 201 .
As their website describes it , Event 201 simulated an “ outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to pigs to people that eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person , leading to a severe pandemic .
The pathogen and the disease it causes are modeled largely on SARS , but it is more transmissible in the community setting by people with mild symptoms.
” In the Event 201 scenario the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brazil , spreading through low-income regions and ultimately explodes into an epidemic .
The disease is carried by air travel to Portugal , the USA and China and beyond to the point no country can control it .
The scenario posits no possible vaccine being available in the first year .
“ Since the whole human population is susceptible , during the initial months of the pandemic , the cumulative number of cases increases exponentially , doubling every week.
” The scenario then ends after 18 months when the fictional coronavirus has caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is beginning to slow due to the decreasing number of susceptible people .
The pandemic will continue at some rate until there is an effective vaccine or until 80-90 % of the global population has been exposed.
” As interesting as the prescient Gates-Johns Hopkins Event 201 fictional scenario of October , 2019 may be , the list of panelists who were invited to participate in the imaginary global response is equally interesting .
Among the selected “ players ” as they were called , was George Fu Gao .
Notably , Prof. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Disease Control and Prevention since 2017 .
His specialization includes research on “ influenza virus interspecies transmission ( host jump ) … He is also interested in virus ecology , especially the relationship between influenza virus and migratory birds or live poultry markets and the bat-derived virus ecology and molecular biology.
” Bat-derived virus ecology… Prof. Gao was joined among others at the panel by the former Deputy Director of the CIA during the Obama term , Avril Haines .
She also served as Obama ’ s Assistant to the President and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the players at the Gates event was Rear Admiral Stephen C. Redd , Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
The same CDC is at the center of a huge scandal for not having adequate functioning tests available for testing cases of COVID-19 in the USA .
Their preparedness was anything but laudable .
Rounding out the group was Adrian Thomas , the Vice President of scandal-ridden Johnson & Johnson , the giant medical and pharmaceutical company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at J & J including developing vaccines for Ebola , Dengue Fever , HIV .
And there was Martin Knuchel , Head of Crisis , Emergency & Business Continuity Management , for Lufthansa Group Airlines .
Lufthansa has been one of the major airlines dramatically cutting flights during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis .
All this shows that Bill Gates has had a remarkable preoccupation with the possibility of a global pandemic outbreak he said could be even larger than the alleged deaths from the mysterious 1918 Spanish Flu , and has been warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or more .
What the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also has been involved in is funding development of new vaccines using bleeding-edge CRISPR gene-editing and other technologies .
Gates Foundation money is backing vaccine development on every front .
Inovio Pharmaceuticals of Pennsylvania received $ 9 million from the Gates-backed CEPI , Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations , to develop a vaccine , INO-4800 , which is about to test on humans in April , a suspiciously rapid time frame .
In addition Gates Foundation just gave the company an added $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ device for intradermal delivery of the new vaccine .
In addition Gates Foundation monies via CEPI are financing development of a radical new vaccine method known as messengerRNA or mRNA .
Dukal DUK 900610 Refle ... Buy New $ 17.50 They are co-funding the Cambridge , Massachusetts biotech company , Moderna Inc. , to develop a vaccine against the Wuhan novel coronavirus , now called SARS-CoV-2 .
Moderna ’ s other partner is the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) , a part of the National Institutes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NIAID is Dr Anthony Fauci , the person at the center of the Trump Administration virus emergency response .
Notable about the Fauci-Gates Moderna coronavirus vaccine , mRNA-1273 , is that it has been rolled out in a matter of weeks , not years , and on February 24 went directly to Fauci ’ s NIH for tests on human guinea pigs , not on mice as normal .
Moderna ’ s chief medical adviser , Tal Zaks , argued , “ I don ’ t think proving this in an animal model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this to a clinical trial.
” Another notable admission by Moderna on its website is the legal disclaimer , “ Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements : …These risks , uncertainties , and other factors include , among others : … the fact that there has never been a commercial product utilizing mRNA technology approved for use.
” In other words , completely unproven for human health and safety .
Another biotech company working with unproven mRNA technology to develop a vaccine for the COVID-19 is a German company , CureVac .
Since 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation to develop its own mRNA technology .
In January the Gates-backed CEPI granted more than $ 8 million to develop a mRNA vaccine for the novel coronavirus .
Add to this the fact that the Gates Foundation and related entities such as CEPI constitute the largest funders of the public-private entity known as WHO , and that its current director , Tedros Adhanom , the first WHO director in history not a medical doctor , worked for years on HIV with the Gates Foundation when Tedros was a government minister in Ethiopia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practically no area of the current coronavirus pandemic where the footprints of the omnipresent Gates are not to be found .
If that is to the good of mankind or grounds to be worried , time will tell .
The views of the authors do not necessarily coincide with the opinion of the editorial board .

Arguably, no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From sponsoring a simulation of a coronavirus global pandemic, just weeks before the Wuhan outbreak was announced, to funding numerous corporate efforts to come up with a novel vaccine for the apparently novel virus, the Gates presence is there. What does it actually entail?
We must admit that at the very least Bill Gates is prophetic. He has claimed for years that a global killer pandemic will come and that we are not prepared for it. On March 18, 2015 Gates gave a TED talk on epidemics in Vancouver. That day he wrote on his blog, “I just gave a brief talk on a subject that I’ve been learning a lot about lately—epidemics. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a tragedy—as I write this, more than 10,000 people have died.” Gates then added, “As awful as this epidemic has been, the next one could be much worse. The world is simply not prepared to deal with a disease—an especially virulent flu, for example—that infects large numbers of people very quickly. Of all the things that could kill 10 million people or more, by far the most likely is an epidemic.”
That same year, 2015, Bill Gates wrote an article for the New England Journal of Medicine titled, “The Next Epidemic: Lessons from Ebola.” There he spoke of a special class of drugs that “involves giving patients a set of particular RNA-based constructs that enables them to produce specific proteins(including antibodies).Although this is a very new area, it is promising because it is possible that a safe therapy could be designed and put into large-scale manufacture fairly rapidly. More basic research as well as the progress of companies like Moderna and CureVac could eventually make this approach a key tool for stopping epidemics.” Moderna and CureVac both today receive funds from the Gates Foundation and are leading the race to develop an approved COVID-19 vaccine based on mRNA. MedPride Powder-Free N... Buy New $13.22 ($0.13 / Count) (as of 12:02 UTC - Details)
2017 and Founding of CEPI
A global flu-like pandemic in fact is something that Gates and his well-endowed foundation have spent years preparing for. In 2017 during the Davos World Economic Forum, Gates initiated something called CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, together with the governments of Norway, India, Japan, and Germany, along with the Wellcome Trust of the UK. Its stated purpose is to “accelerate the development of vaccines we’ll need to contain outbreaks” of future epidemics. He noted at the time that “One promising area of vaccine development research is using advances in genomics to map the DNA and RNA of pathogens and make vaccines.” We will return to that.
Event 201
By 2019 Bill Gates and the foundation were going full-tilt boogie with their pandemic scenarios. He made a Netflix video which made an eerie imaginary scenario. The video, part of the “Explained” series, imagined a wet market in China where live and dead animals are stacked and a highly deadly virus erupts that spreads globally. Gates appears as an expert in the video to warn, “If you think of anything that could come along that would kill millions of people, a pandemic is our greatest risk.” He said if nothing was done to better prepare for pandemics, the time would come when the world would look back and wish it had invested more into potential vaccines. That was weeks before the world heard about bats and a live wet market in Wuhan China.
In October, 2019 the Gates Foundation teamed up with the World Economic Forum and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to enact what they called a “fictional” scenario simulation involving some of the world’s leading figures in public health. It was titled Event 201.
As their website describes it, Event 201 simulated an “outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to pigs to people that eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person, leading to a severe pandemic. The pathogen and the disease it causes are modeled largely on SARS, but it is more transmissible in the community setting by people with mild symptoms.”
In the Event 201 scenario the disease originates at a pig farm in Brazil, spreading through low-income regions and ultimately explodes into an epidemic. The disease is carried by air travel to Portugal, the USA and China and beyond to the point no country can control it. The scenario posits no possible vaccine being available in the first year. “Since the whole human population is susceptible, during the initial months of the pandemic, the cumulative number of cases increases exponentially, doubling every week.”
The scenario then ends after 18 months when the fictional coronavirus has caused 65 million deaths. “The pandemic is beginning to slow due to the decreasing number of susceptible people. The pandemic will continue at some rate until there is an effective vaccine or until 80-90 % of the global population has been exposed.”
Event 201 Players
As interesting as the prescient Gates-Johns Hopkins Event 201 fictional scenario of October, 2019 may be, the list of panelists who were invited to participate in the imaginary global response is equally interesting.
Among the selected “players” as they were called, was George Fu Gao. Notably, Prof. Gao is director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention since 2017. His specialization includes research on “influenza virus interspecies transmission (host jump)… He is also interested in virus ecology, especially the relationship between influenza virus and migratory birds or live poultry markets and the bat-derived virus ecology and molecular biology.” Bat-derived virus ecology…
Prof. Gao was joined among others at the panel by the former Deputy Director of the CIA during the Obama term, Avril Haines. She also served as Obama’s Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. Another of the players at the Gates event was Rear Admiral Stephen C. Redd, Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The same CDC is at the center of a huge scandal for not having adequate functioning tests available for testing cases of COVID-19 in the USA. Their preparedness was anything but laudable.
Rounding out the group was Adrian Thomas, the Vice President of scandal-ridden Johnson & Johnson, the giant medical and pharmaceutical company. Thomas is responsible for pandemic preparedness at J&J including developing vaccines for Ebola, Dengue Fever, HIV. And there was Martin Knuchel, Head of Crisis, Emergency & Business Continuity Management, for Lufthansa Group Airlines. Lufthansa has been one of the major airlines dramatically cutting flights during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
All this shows that Bill Gates has had a remarkable preoccupation with the possibility of a global pandemic outbreak he said could be even larger than the alleged deaths from the mysterious 1918 Spanish Flu, and has been warning for at least the past five years or more. What the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also has been involved in is funding development of new vaccines using bleeding-edge CRISPR gene-editing and other technologies.
The Coronavirus Vaccines
Gates Foundation money is backing vaccine development on every front. Inovio Pharmaceuticals of Pennsylvania received $9 million from the Gates-backed CEPI, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, to develop a vaccine, INO-4800, which is about to test on humans in April, a suspiciously rapid time frame. In addition Gates Foundation just gave the company an added $5 million to develop a proprietary smart device for intradermal delivery of the new vaccine.
In addition Gates Foundation monies via CEPI are financing development of a radical new vaccine method known as messengerRNA or mRNA. Dukal DUK 900610 Refle... Buy New $17.50 (as of 12:02 UTC - Details)
They are co-funding the Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech company, Moderna Inc., to develop a vaccine against the Wuhan novel coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2. Moderna’s other partner is the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Head of NIAID is Dr Anthony Fauci, the person at the center of the Trump Administration virus emergency response. Notable about the Fauci-Gates Moderna coronavirus vaccine, mRNA-1273, is that it has been rolled out in a matter of weeks, not years, and on February 24 went directly to Fauci’s NIH for tests on human guinea pigs, not on mice as normal. Moderna’s chief medical adviser, Tal Zaks, argued, “I don’t think proving this in an animal model is on the critical path to getting this to a clinical trial.”
Another notable admission by Moderna on its website is the legal disclaimer, “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: …These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: … the fact that there has never been a commercial product utilizing mRNA technology approved for use.” In other words, completely unproven for human health and safety.
Another biotech company working with unproven mRNA technology to develop a vaccine for the COVID-19 is a German company, CureVac. Since 2015 CureVac has received money from the Gates Foundation to develop its own mRNA technology. In January the Gates-backed CEPI granted more than $8 million to develop a mRNA vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
Add to this the fact that the Gates Foundation and related entities such as CEPI constitute the largest funders of the public-private entity known as WHO, and that its current director, Tedros Adhanom, the first WHO director in history not a medical doctor, worked for years on HIV with the Gates Foundation when Tedros was a government minister in Ethiopia, and we see that there is practically no area of the current coronavirus pandemic where the footprints of the omnipresent Gates are not to be found. If that is to the good of mankind or grounds to be worried, time will tell.
The views of the authors do not necessarily coincide with the opinion of the editorial board.


lewrockwell--2020-03-23--Huge Chunk of Yellowstone National Park, the Size of Chicago, Is ‘Breathing’ In And Out Due to Magma

Huge Chunk of Yellowstone National Park, the Size of Chicago, Is ‘Breathing’ In And Out Due to Magma Trapped Underneath the Surface

An area the size of Chicago in Yellowstone National Park has been inflating and deflating by several inches over the past decade The Norris Geyser Basin , the oldest , hottest and most dynamic thermal area in the park , was observed to rise 5.9 inches each year from 2013 to 2015 – an unusual event that left researchers baffled .
Now , using satellite radar and GPS data , experts have determined the ground deformation was caused by magma intrusions trapped below the basin ’ s surface .
As magma made its way to the surface , the pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an erratic pulsating effect , according to National Geographic .
This is the first time the scientific community has been able to track an entire episode of magma intrusion , which they say is a common occurrence throughout Yellowstone .
Yellowstone National Park sits in the northwest region of Wyoming and is home to bursting geysers , steam vents and bubbling pools .
Super Volcano : The Tic ... Breining , Greg Best Price : $ 1.77 Buy New $ 2.99 At 3,472 square miles , the park is larger than the states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most of the land is in Wyoming , but some of the park spills over into Montana and Idaho .
Below the park is a ‘ supervolcano ’ that scientists believe last erupted some 640,000 years ago , but the new study shows there is still magma flowing beneath the surface .
The uplift at Norris Geyser first began in 1996 , but came to halt between 2013 and 2014 after a magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck the area .
Following the natural event , the ground started to sink back to its natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rise began again in 2016 and continued two years after – researches believe it has paused for now .
Dan Dzurisin , one of the study authors , wrote in the study : ‘ Modeling…suggests the 1996–2004 uplift was caused by an intrusion of magma about 14 km [ 8.7 miles ] beneath Norris.
’ ‘ When magma intrudes the crust it cools , crystallizes , and releases gases that had been dissolved in the melt .
‘ Gas escape lowers pressure in the magma , causing the surface to subside… But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impermeable layer of rock , causing the kind of rapid uplift seen at Norris from late 2013 until the [ magnitude ] 4.9 earthquake in March 2014.
’ ‘ It seems likely the quake created microfractures that allowed gases to escape upward again , resulting in subsidence that ended in 2015 .
‘ The third uplift episode from 2016 to 2018 suggests rising gases became trapped again , this time at a slightly shallower depth.
’ Dzurisin also noted in the study that this type of activity is common throughout the park and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Newsweek reported .

An area the size of Chicago in Yellowstone National Park has been inflating and deflating by several inches over the past decade
The Norris Geyser Basin, the oldest, hottest and most dynamic thermal area in the park, was observed to rise 5.9 inches each year from 2013 to 2015 - an unusual event that left researchers baffled.
Now, using satellite radar and GPS data, experts have determined the ground deformation was caused by magma intrusions trapped below the basin's surface.
As magma made its way to the surface, the pressure pushed rocks above it up and created an erratic pulsating effect, according to National Geographic.
This is the first time the scientific community has been able to track an entire episode of magma intrusion, which they say is a common occurrence throughout Yellowstone.
Scroll down for video
The Norris Geyser Basin was observed to rise by 5.9 inches per year from 2013 to 2015. Now, using satellite radar and GPS data, experts have determined the ground deformation was caused by magma intrusions trapped below the basin's surface
Yellowstone National Park sits in the northwest region of Wyoming and is home to bursting geysers, steam vents and bubbling pools.
At 3,472 square miles, the park is larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
Most of the land is in Wyoming, but some of the park spills over into Montana and Idaho.
Below the park is a 'supervolcano' that scientists believe last erupted some 640,000 years ago, but the new study shows there is still magma flowing beneath the surface.
As the magma made its way to the surface, the pressure pushed the rocks up above it and created an erratic pulsating effect
The uplift at Norris Geyser first began in 1996, but came to halt between 2013 and 2014 after a magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck the area.
Following the natural event, the ground started to sink back to its natural depth.
However, data shows that the rise began again in 2016 and continued two years after – researches believe it has paused for now.
Dan Dzurisin, one of the study authors, wrote in the study: 'Modeling...suggests the 1996–2004 uplift was caused by an intrusion of magma about 14 km [8.7 miles] beneath Norris.'
'When magma intrudes the crust it cools, crystallizes, and releases gases that had been dissolved in the melt.
'Gas escape lowers pressure in the magma, causing the surface to subside... But rising gases can become trapped under an impermeable layer of rock, causing the kind of rapid uplift seen at Norris from late 2013 until the [magnitude] 4.9 earthquake in March 2014.'
'It seems likely the quake created microfractures that allowed gases to escape upward again, resulting in subsidence that ended in 2015.
'The third uplift episode from 2016 to 2018 suggests rising gases became trapped again, this time at a slightly shallower depth.'
Dzurisin also noted in the study that this type of activity is common throughout the park and does not send off any alarm bells, Newsweek reported.
'For the first time, we've been able to track an entire episode of magma intrusion, degassing, and gas ascent to the near-surface. For those in the know, like you, that's awesome—not alarming,' he explained.
These finding have also led researches to clues about Steamboat Geyser's (pictured) increase in activity over the past two years. It 47 times this year – compared to the 32 times in 2018
These finding have also led researches to clues about Steamboat Geyser's increase in activity over the past two years.
'Frequent eruptions of Steamboat Geyser since March 2018 are likely a surface manifestation of this ongoing process,' reads the study.
'Hydrothermal explosion features are prominent in the Norris Geyser Basin area, and the apparent shallow nature of the volatile accumulation implies an increased risk of hydrothermal explosions.'
The Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming erupted 47 times this year – compared to the 32 times in 2018.
Scientists speculated that the eruptions are related to heavy snows in Yellowstone, which created more groundwater to feed geysers and hot springs.
Steamboat has the accolade as the world's largest geyser but is somewhat overshadowed by the fame and popularity of Old Faithful in the national park.
Scientists speculate that the eruptions are related to heavy snows in Yellowstone, which created more groundwater to feed geysers and hot springs. Steamboat broke a record in August when it erupted for the 33rd time
Erin White, Yellowstone National Park's hydrologist, told NPR: 'In the 1960s, there was another period where there were more than 20 eruptions per year.'
'Prior to that, there were dormant periods of more than 50 years.'
Steamboat – which can shoot water more than 300 feet into the air - broke a record in August when it erupted for the 33rd time.
And just when experts thought it could not get any better, the geyser shot off 14 more times, bringing the total number of eruptions this year to 47, according to the US Geological Survey.
Prior to this year's record the giant geyser had laid dormant, which is why scientists have been baffled by its recent numerous bursts of hot water and steam.
The Steamboat Geyser is located at Yellowstone National Park in the north-west area of Wyoming


lewrockwell--2020-03-24--The Current Coronavirus Pandemic Is Likely Caused By More Than One Pathogen, and There Is a Missing

The Current Coronavirus Pandemic Is Likely Caused By More Than One Pathogen, and There Is a Missing Antidote

The reality is , most of the cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection have been diagnosed without confirmation by laboratory testing .
And so , doctors end up finding what they are looking for – – COVID-19 .
The singular mind-set of modern medicine continues to be practiced today .
COVID-19 fits a script that was created prior to this current epidemic .
That is because they want to develop a single-component vaccine and inoculate the entire planet at one time ( the dream of a billionaire philanthropist ) .
So , better get sick to make his dream come true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine makers were reportedly making a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine long before the first outbreak in China .
Similarly , most virologists collectively believe the Spanish flu of 1918 was caused by an influenza virus , with some level of certainty , maybe H5N1 .
By the way , the US had a population of 103 million at the time and an estimated 550,000 Americans died of the Spanish flu , which is ~ a 0.5 % death rate ( half of one percent ) .
Today the US has a population hovering around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate would result in 1,625,000 deaths .
But let ’ s recall , 1918 was an era before chlorinated water ( eradicated cholera , typhoid and dysentery ) , and before nutrient-fortified foods .
But we also have more older adults ( 12+ million over age 80 ) , the primary at-risk group for COVID-19 mortality .
Pure Encapsulations - ... Buy New $ 20.30 ( $ 0.17 / Count ) So , let ’ s test your logic .
Maybe you can a think a little less narrowly than doctors do .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing tennis shoes and gets hit by a car and dies , and when we study this type of accident , we find 83.5 % of kids who die in pedestrian accidents were wearing tennis shoes .
Then it is obvious the tennis shoes were a causal factor in these deaths , right ?
Obviously , that is flawed reasoning .
The tennis shoes were involved ( associated with ) these deaths but not causal .
This type of flawed reasoning is precisely what is going on today with the COVID-19 fiasco .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease .
And doctors with blinders on .
Demographers at UC Berkeley went back and analyzed the facts surrounding the 1918 Spanish flu .
They found the age group that was the primary target and the male/female composition of deaths fit the diagnosis of tuberculosis , not influenza .
They claim tuberculosis along with influenza were behind the many millions of deaths , not H5N1 influenza alone .
So molecular biologists dug into the Alaskan permafrost to obtain samples from human bodies of the flu strains in circulation in 1918 and determined they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu as well as swine strains .
But that didn ’ t answer why the 1918 epidemic was so virulent , nor did it answer why young males were its predominant victims .
The above profile more aptly fits the epidemic now underway in Italy where younger immigrants ( age 18-44 ) are dying of what obviously is not COVID-19 but tuberculosis that was latent and erupted due to low vitamin D blood levels from the cold winter weather and the fact these migrants were dark-skinned and don ’ t synthesize vitamin D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But in Italy we also have massive death among the very old .
This is explained by age and health habits , with many 80+ year-old Italians being wine drinkers and smokers , destroyers of the immune system .
Here is the chart showing the death rate of males in 1920 , two years after the Spanish flu pandemic .
Chart interpretation : male death rate for tuberculosis plunged in 1920 because the flu had vanished .
Americans had developed antibodies to the flu .
So demographers think TB and influenza interacted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier to contract the flu .
In other words , a non-singular understanding of the 1918 pandemic .
In the words of UC Berkeley demographers : The UC Berkeley demographers go on to say : GNC Vitamin D-3 2000 IU Buy New $ 14.99 ( $ 0.08 / Count ) Now that current singular mind-set approach ( one disease , one pathogen ) to the current COVID-19 pandemic needs to be brought into question .
We don ’ t want to figure out this deadly infectious disease 100 years later like the UC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save lives today .
So , let ’ s continue in our pursuit of a multi-factorial cause of the current pandemic .
We know there are no trademark clinical features of COVID-19 infection .
That is why diagnosis is so difficult .
COVID-19 tests are notoriously inaccurate .
Unreliable tests are used to confirm COVID-19 coronavirus .
Confronting the new coronavirus infection known as coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) is challenging and requires excluding patients with suspected COVID-19 who actually have other diseases .
Due to unreliable tests for COVID-19 and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with in rapid physical decline , symptomology is paramount in hospital diagnosis .
In December of 2019 a lower respiratory tract ( lung ) illness accompanied by fever of unknown origin was reported in a cluster of patients in Wuhan , China .
Because of prior outbreaks of coronavirus infections in China , coronaviruses were initially suspected and a newly mutated strain was identified that human populations had no immunity towards .
This infectious disease was coined COVID-19 and is usually diagnosed by symptomology ( dry cough , fatigue , muscle aches , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( fluid in the lungs ) and an accompanying ground-glass appearance in the lungs being a hallmark sign .
There are two symptoms of interest that pertain to COVID-19 : The hallmark , but not universal , sign – – – of COVID-19 are opacities in the lower lungs that appear like ground glass in a lung scan .
These opacities represent fluid in the lung space which prevents oxygen from being transferred to hemoglobin in red blood cells , resulting in shortness of breath .
Ground-glass opacities were reported in up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pneumonia .
Patients with extensive ground-glass opacity ( greater than 50 % ) are more likely to experience a longer hospital stay suffer acute respiratory failure than those with less ground-glass opacity .
Here is what ground-glass opacities look like in a lung scan ( inside red boxes ) .
Ground glass opacities are linked to use of toxic and non-toxic drugs .
More than 600 drugs known to cause lung toxicity .
Many of the drugs used in the hospital to treat infectious lung diseases are toxic to the lungs !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The more medicine doctors prescribe the more likely you run into one of these hundreds of lung-toxic drugs .
The appearance of ground-glass lung opacities are far more likely among blacks who characteristically have lower vitamin D levels than Caucasians , and are less common in summer months when sunshine vitamin D levels are higher , and is 4.3 times more likely among individuals with vitamin D deficiency .
This is just one reason why hospitalization should be avoided at all cost .
Another reason is to avoid treatment errors and antibiotic resistant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because hospital rooms are dark caves where sun-starvation induces vitamin D deficiency .
All patients with suspected infectious lung disease should be screened for vitamin D deficiency upon hospital admission .
This isn ’ t being done .
Vitamin Energy Shots u ... Buy New $ 44.95 ( $ 0.94 / Fl Oz ) • Crackling sounds in the lungs are the second symptom of interest .
By definition , cracklesare the clicking , rattling , or cracklingnoises that may be made by one or both lungs of a human with a respiratory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only with a stethoscope ( “ auscultation ” ) .
You can hear crackles in an online video .
Crackle sounds in the lungs are not specific for any particular infectious disease but they are widely associated with…… vitamin B1 deficiency .
Here is the evidence : • Patients with beriberi ( vitamin B1 – – thiamine ) deficiency are known to have crackle sounds in their lungs .
• The World Health Organization lists lung crackles in the lower lungs as sign of thiamine deficiency .
B1 deficiency is also known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed on water pills ( diuretics ) to control blood pressure with no regard for the fact this class of drugs deplete vitamin B1 .
• Infections were reported among 35 of 68 patients who had pneumonia .
Infection may be the presenting manifestation of vitamin B1 deficiency .
• Cases of pneumonia were frequently reported in prisoner of war camps when beriberi developed .
• A 73-year old man with beriberi breathing had crackles in both lungs which resolved with vitamin B1 therapy .
• Vitamin B1 helps to limit the growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Patients with tuberculosis are more likely to have low vitamin B1 blood levels .
• One published scientific report refers to thiamine ( B1 ) as a “ super antibiotic.
” Nicotine and alcohol use deplete essential nutrients like vitamin B1 and vitamin C. In China , 68 % of men are smokers and 46 % drink alcohol .
What may be missed by acute care physicians is that fever with pneumonia among some patients may not be induced by a germ but may be induced by a vitamin B1 deficiency that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperature by the hypothalamus in the brain .
Thiamine deficiency can result in high fever .
Vitamin B1 injections may eradicate infections .
A fever accompanied by vitamin B1 malnutrition may emanate from dysfunction of the hypothalamus in the brain with accompanying lack of nitric oxide , a transient gas in the blood circulation needed to quell infections .
Many coronavirus-infected patients are alcoholics .
Alcohol induces vitamin B1 deficiency .
In many cases of pneumonia no bacterial or viral infection is identified .
Vitamin B1 therapy should be a standard therapy for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history of alcohol or tobacco consumption should call for vitamin D testing upon hospital admission .

The reality is, most of the cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infection have been diagnosed without confirmation by laboratory testing. And so, doctors end up finding what they are looking for – – COVID-19. The singular mind-set of modern medicine continues to be practiced today. COVID-19 fits a script that was created prior to this current epidemic. That is because they want to develop a single-component vaccine and inoculate the entire planet at one time (the dream of a billionaire philanthropist). So, better get sick to make his dream come true (NOT!). Somehow, vaccine makers were reportedly making a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine long before the first outbreak in China.
Similarly, most virologists collectively believe the Spanish flu of 1918 was caused by an influenza virus, with some level of certainty, maybe H5N1.
By the way, the US had a population of 103 million at the time and an estimated 550,000 Americans died of the Spanish flu, which is ~ a 0.5% death rate (half of one percent). Today the US has a population hovering around 325 million and a 0.5% death rate would result in 1,625,000 deaths. But let’s recall, 1918 was an era before chlorinated water (eradicated cholera, typhoid and dysentery), and before nutrient-fortified foods. But we also have more older adults (12+ million over age 80), the primary at-risk group for COVID-19 mortality. Pure Encapsulations - ... Buy New $20.30 ($0.17 / Count) (as of 02:54 UTC - Details)
Logic test
So, let’s test your logic. Maybe you can a think a little less narrowly than doctors do. If a youngster runs across the road wearing tennis shoes and gets hit by a car and dies, and when we study this type of accident, we find 83.5% of kids who die in pedestrian accidents were wearing tennis shoes. Then it is obvious the tennis shoes were a causal factor in these deaths, right? Obviously, that is flawed reasoning. The tennis shoes were involved (associated with) these deaths but not causal. This type of flawed reasoning is precisely what is going on today with the COVID-19 fiasco. We have bumbling politicians managing a major disease. And doctors with blinders on.
What caused the 1918 flu pandemic?
Demographers at UC Berkeley went back and analyzed the facts surrounding the 1918 Spanish flu. They found the age group that was the primary target and the male/female composition of deaths fit the diagnosis of tuberculosis, not influenza. They claim tuberculosis along with influenza were behind the many millions of deaths, not H5N1 influenza alone.
So molecular biologists dug into the Alaskan permafrost to obtain samples from human bodies of the flu strains in circulation in 1918 and determined they were closest to avian strains of the flu as well as swine strains. But that didn’t answer why the 1918 epidemic was so virulent, nor did it answer why young males were its predominant victims.
Age specific death rates for influenza and pneumonia combined, 1917-18. Males (solid line); females (dotted line).
The above profile more aptly fits the epidemic now underway in Italy where younger immigrants (age 18-44) are dying of what obviously is not COVID-19 but tuberculosis that was latent and erupted due to low vitamin D blood levels from the cold winter weather and the fact these migrants were dark-skinned and don’t synthesize vitamin D in their skin as Caucasians do.
But in Italy we also have massive death among the very old. This is explained by age and health habits, with many 80+ year-old Italians being wine drinkers and smokers, destroyers of the immune system.
Here is the chart showing the death rate of males in 1920, two years after the Spanish flu pandemic.
Chart interpretation: male death rate for tuberculosis plunged in 1920 because the flu had vanished. Americans had developed antibodies to the flu.
So demographers think TB and influenza interacted in 1918. Demographers think TB rendered it easier to contract the flu. In other words, a non-singular understanding of the 1918 pandemic.
In the words of UC Berkeley demographers:
“We conjecture that many influenza deaths in 1918 took place among the tuberculous—persons with clinical disease or latent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. That the 1918 influenza virus, known to be atypical, should interact pathologically with M. tuberculosis seems likely… Excess male flu mortality is consistent with the differential incidence of TB by sex. The fact that flu deaths had a mode in the 25–34 age group is also strongly indicative of a TB interaction; TB is a disease of adulthood, not of old age.”
The UC Berkeley demographers go on to say:
“…The link between influenza and TB may include a third pathogen. Tuberculosis infection causes lung cavities to form, which become a breeding ground also for non-TB bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus. This would have had the effect of priming tuberculous individuals for S. aureus superinfection in the event of co-infection with influenza.”
GNC Vitamin D-3 2000 IU Buy New $14.99 ($0.08 / Count) (as of 02:54 UTC - Details) Now that current singular mind-set approach (one disease, one pathogen) to the current COVID-19 pandemic needs to be brought into question. We don’t want to figure out this deadly infectious disease 100 years later like the UC Berkeley demographers did, we want to save lives today.
So, let’s continue in our pursuit of a multi-factorial cause of the current pandemic.
We know there are no trademark clinical features of COVID-19 infection. That is why diagnosis is so difficult. COVID-19 tests are notoriously inaccurate. Unreliable tests are used to confirm COVID-19 coronavirus.
Confronting the new coronavirus infection known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is challenging and requires excluding patients with suspected COVID-19 who actually have other diseases. Due to unreliable tests for COVID-19 and the need to rapidly diagnose and treat patients with in rapid physical decline, symptomology is paramount in hospital diagnosis.
In December of 2019 a lower respiratory tract (lung) illness accompanied by fever of unknown origin was reported in a cluster of patients in Wuhan, China. Because of prior outbreaks of coronavirus infections in China, coronaviruses were initially suspected and a newly mutated strain was identified that human populations had no immunity towards. This infectious disease was coined COVID-19 and is usually diagnosed by symptomology (dry cough, fatigue, muscle aches, fever, with chest x-rays revealing pneumonia (fluid in the lungs) and an accompanying ground-glass appearance in the lungs being a hallmark sign.
There are two symptoms of interest that pertain to COVID-19:
1st symptom
The hallmark, but not universal, sign – – – of COVID-19 are opacities in the lower lungs that appear like ground glass in a lung scan. These opacities represent fluid in the lung space which prevents oxygen from being transferred to hemoglobin in red blood cells, resulting in shortness of breath.
Ground-glass opacities were reported in up to 86.1% of 101 COVID-19 coronavirus cases of pneumonia. Patients with extensive ground-glass opacity (greater than 50%) are more likely to experience a longer hospital stay suffer acute respiratory failure than those with less ground-glass opacity.
Here is what ground-glass opacities look like in a lung scan (inside red boxes).
Ground glass opacities are linked to use of toxic and non-toxic drugs. More than 600 drugs known to cause lung toxicity. Many of the drugs used in the hospital to treat infectious lung diseases are toxic to the lungs! Sedatives and tranquilizers may induce pneumonia. The more medicine doctors prescribe the more likely you run into one of these hundreds of lung-toxic drugs.
The appearance of ground-glass lung opacities are far more likely among blacks who characteristically have lower vitamin D levels than Caucasians, and are less common in summer months when sunshine vitamin D levels are higher, and is 4.3 times more likely among individuals with vitamin D deficiency.
This is just one reason why hospitalization should be avoided at all cost. Another reason is to avoid treatment errors and antibiotic resistant bacteria that live in hospitals. And because hospital rooms are dark caves where sun-starvation induces vitamin D deficiency. All patients with suspected infectious lung disease should be screened for vitamin D deficiency upon hospital admission. This isn’t being done. Vitamin Energy Shots u... Buy New $44.95 ($0.94 / Fl Oz) (as of 02:54 UTC - Details)
2nd symptom
Crackling sounds in the lungs are the second symptom of interest. By definition, cracklesare the clicking, rattling, or cracklingnoises that may be made by one or both lungs of a human with a respiratory disease during inhalation. They are heard only with a stethoscope (“auscultation”). You can hear crackles in an online video.
Crackle sounds in the lungs are not specific for any particular infectious disease but they are widely associated with…… vitamin B1 deficiency. Here is the evidence:
Nicotine and alcohol use deplete essential nutrients like vitamin B1 and vitamin C. In China, 68% of men are smokers and 46% drink alcohol.
What may be missed by acute care physicians is that fever with pneumonia among some patients may not be induced by a germ but may be induced by a vitamin B1 deficiency that results from loss of control of body temperature by the hypothalamus in the brain. Thiamine deficiency can result in high fever. Vitamin B1 injections may eradicate infections. A fever accompanied by vitamin B1 malnutrition may emanate from dysfunction of the hypothalamus in the brain with accompanying lack of nitric oxide, a transient gas in the blood circulation needed to quell infections.
Many coronavirus-infected patients are alcoholics. Alcohol induces vitamin B1 deficiency. In many cases of pneumonia no bacterial or viral infection is identified. Vitamin B1 therapy should be a standard therapy for any patient with lung disease and a history of alcohol or tobacco consumption should call for vitamin D testing upon hospital admission.


lewrockwell--2020-03-24--Who Will Count the Cost?

Who Will Count the Cost?

If the dream is won Though everything is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost This will be long .
Read through to the end , or at least be sure to read the end .
It will make you sad .
John Mauldin has written two pieces on the coronavirus in the last few days – including a mid-week letter , the first I ever remember receiving from him in more years than I can remember ; let ’ s call these his dream regarding a national response .
Coronavirus Is Not an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
March 19 , 2020 The Real Crash : Americ ... Schiff , Peter D. Best Price : $ 3.00 Buy New $ 9.55 It is the radical action that will cause the depression ( well that , and all of the money pumping of the last decade ) , not the virus .
I am guessing that by “ C , ” he means coronavirus .
It would be better if he thought of “ C ” as the vitamin .
Along with sunshine , vitamin D-3 , and zinc , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu than any governmental lockdown .
Says the man who for a decade or more has made a great living blasting government deficits as the big risk to society .
Actually , it will cost about $ 20 trillion per year , because that is what it will take to replace the now comatose US GDP .
We will pay the price of whatever the governments ( federal and states ) want to incur ; but who will count the cost in lives destroyed – not just disrupted – by the draconian measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter , The Beacons Are Lit , March 20 , 2020 ( the reference is to the lighting of the beacons in the film version of Tolkien ’ s Lord of the Rings : Return of the King ( video ) : We will answer like madmen , consumed by a mad disease .
Mauldin points to his experts , for example : Because only crazed liberals have reason to expand bureaucratic power , so I guess this guy is OK ?
Because conservatives are not known to act like crazed liberals ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant to confer credibility , Mauldin has been asleep ever since Robert Taft left this world and the Senate at the same time .
Mauldin is talking like a crazed liberal .
If you disagree with him , it isn ’ t because you see things or interpret facts differently than him ; it is because you “ don ’ t get it.
” Still !
I am surprised that he didn ’ t drop a “ let ’ s get on the right side of history , you deplorables ” somewhere in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong about that decision ( just as we were wrong about Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan , Syria , the war on drugs , the war on poverty , the war on the family , etc.
, etc.
, etc. )
.
Every major traumatic and cataclysmic event in the United States in my lifetime – and for decades before – is due to a lie or false narrative .
He is willing to pay the price ( actually , to force you to pay the price ) ; the cost to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No problem .
The government can print the money .
Just ask Mauldin : For everyone !
Now , do the math : no one is working ; therefore , nothing is being produced and no taxes are being paid .
At the same time , everyone must be subsidized .
There is no way to square this circle – it is impossible .
Who will do the subsidizing ?
Not with digits , but with real goods and services ?
He goes on to show a chart – the relative debt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as large as what is being projected now , as we are projected to pass the WWII peak even this year ) and he notes that “ we ” handled it .
But did we ?
We reneged on gold , we suffered debilitating price inflation with economic stagflation , we created bubbles and busts that made a mockery of saving and investing .
And this was with the wind at our sails of being the only country that came out of that war virtually unscathed .
We enjoy no such luxury today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of hourly workers employed is already down 39 % from the average in January .
That ’ s just two months .
What happens when this is halved again – as it likely will ?
What happens when many of those people never again find a comparable job – as they likely won ’ t ?
We know what happened in the aftermath of 2008-09 – a dramatic increase in suicide , opioid dependency , and a malaise in what was once a reasonably robust and vibrant middle-class .
This he calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the math.
” He is using this tactic to browbeat us into joyfully paying the price , yet ignoring the real-world cost for those so affected .
I am reminded of the line : “ Whom the [ dear ] gods would destroy they first make mad.
” Yes , they do .
Let me be clear .
The US was headed this way before the virus .
The deflationary ( for asset prices ) depression was already baked in the cake , given the central bank reactions dating back to every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This virus is merely being hyped as the pretext for it – so blame can be diverted from central banks and the governments that enable these .
This will be combined with a consumer price inflation : lots of “ money , ” no one productive .
Yes , irony ( as Mauldin notes ) in that it was the Fed that made this mess , and irony ( as I note ) that Mauldin has ( on and off ) chided them for it .
It seems they finally found his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mauldin ’ s brain .
We must let bygones be bygones : We have to help everyone ?
Everyone has to help everyone ?
Feed them with what ?
Produced by whom ?
These shuttered resources and skills can ’ t be turned on overnight .
No one is producing when everyone is socially-distanced out of productive employment .
Here a trillion , there a trillion , everywhere a trillion-trillion .
Old MacDonald had a farm , e-i-e-i-o .
In addition to “ absolutely ” having to help the airlines , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , microbreweries and restaurants , hair salons , and a hundred thousand other small businesses need to survive in order to hire people when we reach the other side.
” Who is the “ we ” that can help when all of the “ we ” is in need of help ?
You can ’ t eat digits .
This is when you can safely conclude that a previously rational man has lost his marbles .
It is impossible – absolutely , completely , fundamentally impossible – for the United States government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fast .
It is impossible-squared when wishing for both .
You want more evidence ?
He is right .
It ’ s not hard .
It ’ s impossible .
I am laughing at you as well .
I am crying for the country ( and for others close to you – more below ) .
Well , this is true .
Because of the insane reaction to this virus – policies that were not even implemented in some of the “ successful ” countries .
Talk about callous and arrogant .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out ” until your experts decided to crush him .
Anyway , why pick on “ small ” businesses ?
Where was ( and is ) this attitude for big businesses – in 2008 and today ?
What dolt would buy such bonds , given that Mauldin now desires deficits to go to infinity and beyond ?
Don ’ t worry , he has a plan .
Of course , it is not allowed for the Fed to buy such bonds directly ( rules are rules , after all…except when you have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ omelet ) , so… Sell to the Fed , in case you missed the implication .
Trillions in infinite quantitative easing on the Fed ’ s balance sheet .
How an Economy Grows a ... Schiff , Andrew J .
Best Price : $ 1.99 Buy New $ 7.20 He happily leaves the door open for the little guy to get in on this action .
So…let ’ s see : I can buy a $ 100 bond and make a quick buck ; Bill Gates , George Soros , and Warren Buffett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a quick $ 100 million .
Sounds OK by me – just one more way that the wealthy can leverage the system .
Further…WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER INVEST IN ANYTHING ELSE EVER AGAIN ?
Why didn ’ t this work since 2008 ?
Jobs and GDP grew far slower than did the deficits .
Can this go on indefinitely ?
Mauldin didn ’ t used to think so ; apparently , he believes it today .
And , for the icing on Mauldin ’ s dystopian cake : Oh , just implant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already .
Download software updates as necessary .
You can see when a man of principle is a man of no principles .
How many things does he hate saying , or does he laugh about saying , or does he think he never would have said , or does he find ironic ?
He also advocates full-blown National Guard , lockdowns , stopping of all flights ( except for food and medicine ) , etc .
There is a reason to have principles : in order to prevent us from going into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep our bearings in times of stress .
Mauldin has learned to resist anything but temptation .
There is nothing conservative about this , no matter how many so-called “ conservatives ” Mauldin parades in front of his readers .
This is very sad…and it is a story that will soon enough be repeated hundreds-of-thousands of times – where the cost paid by those who suffer Mauldin ’ s recommendations will be far greater than the risks Mauldin wants to avoid .
In his final paragraph , Mauldin writes : This is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bless your daughter , John .
God damn those who think like you do .
You are damning us all to this .
You can tell by my tone that this entire subject is upsetting to me .
I am living with personally seeing thousands of people lose their jobs , knowing that for many of them they will never have similar employment .
I saw this personally as well in 2008 , it will be significantly worse this time .
Who will pay for the millions of lives destroyed ?
It won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his daughter , obviously ) .
As a result of 2008-09 , I dealt with the murder-suicide of a friend and his wife – a once strong and proud man , humiliated by not being able to find employment .
How many times have I heard : it is better to over-react than to under-react ?
No , it isn ’ t .
it is only better for those who have the luxury of over-reacting .
Those like John Mauldin .
There are too many articles by too many experts with too many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being forced upon us .
It is unforgiveable that Mauldin does not at least expose these to his audience and address the points .
You know , articles from flakes like this guy : He will probably lose his job soon , socially-distanced from productive employment .
This whole thing is sickening , and criminal .
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If the dream is won
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price
But we will not count the cost
– Bravado, Rush
This will be long. Read through to the end, or at least be sure to read the end. It will make you sad.
John Mauldin has written two pieces on the coronavirus in the last few days – including a mid-week letter, the first I ever remember receiving from him in more years than I can remember; let’s call these his dream regarding a national response.
Coronavirus Is Not an Emergency. It’s a War. March 19, 2020
Without radical action (some of which is already happening, some places, but not enough), this pandemic could cost many lives and potentially launch an economic depression. I am not exaggerating when I say this. I really mean it.
The Real Crash: Americ... Schiff, Peter D. Best Price: $3.00 Buy New $9.55 (as of 12:25 UTC - Details) It is the radical action that will cause the depression (well that, and all of the money pumping of the last decade), not the virus.
…we have to treat this situation not as an emergency, but as a battle that could turn into a war. World War C.
I am guessing that by “C,” he means coronavirus. It would be better if he thought of “C” as the vitamin. Along with sunshine, vitamin D-3, and zinc, it will do far more to alleviate this flu than any governmental lockdown.
Bluntly, this is going to cost more than a few trillion dollars.
Says the man who for a decade or more has made a great living blasting government deficits as the big risk to society. Actually, it will cost about $20 trillion per year, because that is what it will take to replace the now comatose US GDP.
We will pay the price of whatever the governments (federal and states) want to incur; but who will count the cost in lives destroyed – not just disrupted – by the draconian measures put in place?
From his second letter, The Beacons Are Lit, March 20, 2020 (the reference is to the lighting of the beacons in the film version of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (video):
Today in the real world, we also face a dark, implacable, powerful foe. It is a microscopic virus that we now know is a threat, a very serious one. We in the United States have just seen the beacons. The warning travelled not just a few hundred miles but around the world: from China and Korea, to Italy and Spain, and now here. The beacons are lit. How will we answer?
We will answer like madmen, consumed by a mad disease.
Mauldin points to his experts, for example:
Dr. Scott Gottlieb is not some crazed liberal. He is a physician and public health expert who was appointed FDA commissioner by President Trump.
Because only crazed liberals have reason to expand bureaucratic power, so I guess this guy is OK?
Note, both of those were on the reliably conservative WSJ editorial page.
Because conservatives are not known to act like crazed liberals? If these “conservative” characteristics are meant to confer credibility, Mauldin has been asleep ever since Robert Taft left this world and the Senate at the same time.
I’m saying this strongly because as recently as this week, I’m still hearing from lots of readers who don’t get it. I won’t give examples.
Mauldin is talking like a crazed liberal. If you disagree with him, it isn’t because you see things or interpret facts differently than him; it is because you “don’t get it.” Still! I am surprised that he didn’t drop a “let’s get on the right side of history, you deplorables” somewhere in here.
The US lost 2,996 lives on September 11, 2001. We thought that was enough to go to war.
And “we” were wrong about that decision (just as we were wrong about Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on the family, etc., etc., etc.). Every major traumatic and cataclysmic event in the United States in my lifetime – and for decades before – is due to a lie or false narrative.
The measures we must take to save lives necessarily mean shutting down large parts of our consumer-driven economy. People are losing jobs and businesses are losing revenue.
He is willing to pay the price (actually, to force you to pay the price); the cost to those whose lives will be destroyed is irrelevant. No problem. The government can print the money. Just ask Mauldin:
We need to sustain the economy for however long it takes to beat down the virus. That’s going to mean massive fiscal stimulus spending—multiple trillions of dollars’ worth. We are going to have to do for everyone the kind of things we have long done for natural disaster victims—emergency grants, subsidized loans, exemptions from rules, and more.
For everyone! Now, do the math: no one is working; therefore, nothing is being produced and no taxes are being paid. At the same time, everyone must be subsidized. There is no way to square this circle – it is impossible. Who will do the subsidizing? Not with digits, but with real goods and services?
How will we pay for it? There are several ways but they all involve massive government debt and deficits that will shock us.
He goes on to show a chart – the relative debt levels after WWII were large (not as large as what is being projected now, as we are projected to pass the WWII peak even this year) and he notes that “we” handled it.
But did we? We reneged on gold, we suffered debilitating price inflation with economic stagflation, we created bubbles and busts that made a mockery of saving and investing. And this was with the wind at our sails of being the only country that came out of that war virtually unscathed. We enjoy no such luxury today.
He shows another chart – the percent of hourly workers employed is already down 39% from the average in January. That’s just two months.
San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburg, New York, and San Jose currently have the greatest reduction in hours worked, down by more than 50% in each city on Tuesday.
What happens when this is halved again – as it likely will? What happens when many of those people never again find a comparable job – as they likely won’t? We know what happened in the aftermath of 2008-09 – a dramatic increase in suicide, opioid dependency, and a malaise in what was once a reasonably robust and vibrant middle-class.
Sidebar: A hotel exec friend who runs 125 hotels has let 90–95% of the staff go. Literally tens of thousands. There are 54,000 hotels in the country. Do the math. Another friend handles the backroom for 2,200 dentists. 80% have shut down as they can’t get the masks and other things they need. There are 100,000 dentists with an average employment of maybe 10 people. Minimum 500,000 employees, plus dentists, without income. Average income per employee is $50,000. Dentists are critical but they have to have the basic gear to do it.
This he calls a “sidebar.” Mauldin should “do the math.” He is using this tactic to browbeat us into joyfully paying the price, yet ignoring the real-world cost for those so affected.
There are literally hundreds of examples. Dear gods…
I am reminded of the line: “Whom the [dear] gods would destroy they first make mad.” Yes, they do.
Let me be clear. The US is facing a deflationary depression. One cannot have the economic impacts we are seeing and think they will magically go away when the virus does. That’s not how economics and business work. (Emphasis in original)
Let me be clear. The US was headed this way before the virus. The deflationary (for asset prices) depression was already baked in the cake, given the central bank reactions dating back to every “crisis” since at least 1987. This virus is merely being hyped as the pretext for it – so blame can be diverted from central banks and the governments that enable these.
This will be combined with a consumer price inflation: lots of “money,” no one productive.
I am calling for significant quantitative easing or whatever you want to call it. I get the irony in that.
Yes, irony (as Mauldin notes) in that it was the Fed that made this mess, and irony (as I note) that Mauldin has (on and off) chided them for it. It seems they finally found his weak spot – the virus has infected Mauldin’s brain.
We must let bygones be bygones:
But we have to deal with the situation as it is today. And today, much of our country is under stress and wondering how they’re going to feed their families. How do they pay their rent? Electric bills? 100 other items? Some of us can individually help our family and friends, but collectively we need to step in and help everyone.
We have to help everyone? Everyone has to help everyone?
Feed them with what? Produced by whom? These shuttered resources and skills can’t be turned on overnight. No one is producing when everyone is socially-distanced out of productive employment.
Spending even a few trillion dollars to protect everyone’s income during the lockdown period isn’t crazy at all. I think it is the best option available. And we need to do the same for our business so they will be there when we get through this.
Here a trillion, there a trillion, everywhere a trillion-trillion. Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o.
In addition to “absolutely” having to help the airlines, we have to help “Hotels, cruise ships, microbreweries and restaurants, hair salons, and a hundred thousand other small businesses need to survive in order to hire people when we reach the other side.”
Who is the “we” that can help when all of the “we” is in need of help? You can’t eat digits.
Of course, we have to be smart about how we do this. We also have to be fast. Speed trumps everything. (emphasis in original)
This is when you can safely conclude that a previously rational man has lost his marbles. It is impossible – absolutely, completely, fundamentally impossible – for the United States government to be smart or for it to be fast. It is impossible-squared when wishing for both.
You want more evidence?
Fortunately, we can save companies and jobs without rewarding executive incompetence. It’s really not hard. We can save our economy without turning socialist. That’s not hard, either.
He is right. It’s not hard. It’s impossible.
We could be talking $4–$5 trillion. Everyone knows that I have been a deficit hawk and a scold on debt for over 40 years. I am the anti-Paul Krugman. Except right now, in this particular situation, I think Paul Krugman and I would agree. (I am seriously laughing at myself as I write that.) The stimulus that is being talked about today is not enough. It must be more. Much, much more.
I am laughing at you as well. I am crying for the country (and for others close to you – more below).
…a lot of jobs that existed pre-crisis are simply not going to come back in any viable form post-crisis.
Well, this is true. Because of the insane reaction to this virus – policies that were not even implemented in some of the “successful” countries.
We cannot keep a small business going beyond a certain point. Pick a number. Three months? Six months? At some point if you as a business owner can’t figure it out, you have to lose government support.
Talk about callous and arrogant. The small business owner had it “figured out” until your experts decided to crush him. Anyway, why pick on “small” businesses? Where was (and is) this attitude for big businesses – in 2008 and today?
I suggest that since we are blowing out the budget anyway, why not sell a few trillion dollars of 100-year, 1% bonds and use the entire proceeds on infrastructure projects over the next four years.
What dolt would buy such bonds, given that Mauldin now desires deficits to go to infinity and beyond? Don’t worry, he has a plan. Of course, it is not allowed for the Fed to buy such bonds directly (rules are rules, after all…except when you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet), so…
Why can’t the Fed offer a 1% profit to anyone who would buy that bond and sell almost immediately?
Sell to the Fed, in case you missed the implication. Trillions in infinite quantitative easing on the Fed’s balance sheet. How an Economy Grows a... Schiff, Andrew J. Best Price: $1.99 Buy New $7.20 (as of 11:05 UTC - Details)
He happily leaves the door open for the little guy to get in on this action. So…let’s see: I can buy a $100 bond and make a quick buck; Bill Gates, George Soros, and Warren Buffett can buy $10 billion bonds and make a quick $100 million. Sounds OK by me – just one more way that the wealthy can leverage the system.
Further…WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER INVEST IN ANYTHING ELSE EVER AGAIN?
What that does is put people back to work—people whose jobs are no longer viable.
Why didn’t this work since 2008? Jobs and GDP grew far slower than did the deficits. Can this go on indefinitely? Mauldin didn’t used to think so; apparently, he believes it today.
And, for the icing on Mauldin’s dystopian cake:
I’ll bet you between Facebook, Google, SAP, and other Silicon Valley computer wizards, they could come up with a way to identify need and connect with the US Treasury to make sure checks go out.
Oh, just implant the chip and get it over with already. Download software updates as necessary.
Conclusion
I hate saying this. I truly do. But we may be in a period like at the end of WW2 where the Fed controlled the entirety of the yield curve.
You can see when a man of principle is a man of no principles. How many things does he hate saying, or does he laugh about saying, or does he think he never would have said, or does he find ironic? He also advocates full-blown National Guard, lockdowns, stopping of all flights (except for food and medicine), etc.
There is a reason to have principles: in order to prevent us from going into funny-farm mode; to ensure that we keep our bearings in times of stress. Mauldin has learned to resist anything but temptation. There is nothing conservative about this, no matter how many so-called “conservatives” Mauldin parades in front of his readers.
Epilogue
This is very sad…and it is a story that will soon enough be repeated hundreds-of-thousands of times – where the cost paid by those who suffer Mauldin’s recommendations will be far greater than the risks Mauldin wants to avoid. In his final paragraph, Mauldin writes:
As I was doing the last-minute edit, I find my daughter Amanda, who lost both her jobs yesterday, is in the hospital as she lost all feeling on her right side. In the CT scan now. Stress as her husband just went back to school and she was the primary breadwinner with two young girls? This stuff is all too real…
And the publisher adds:
(Publisher’s Note: I am sad to inform you that as we were preparing this letter for publishing, we learned that Amanda has suffered a stroke. John, our thoughts and prayers are with you, Amanda, and your entire family. –Ed D’Agostino)
This is what Mauldin wishes for all Americans. God bless your daughter, John. God damn those who think like you do. You are damning us all to this.
My Final Thoughts
You can tell by my tone that this entire subject is upsetting to me. I am living with personally seeing thousands of people lose their jobs, knowing that for many of them they will never have similar employment. I saw this personally as well in 2008, it will be significantly worse this time.
Who will pay for the millions of lives destroyed? It won’t be Mauldin (except for his daughter, obviously). As a result of 2008-09, I dealt with the murder-suicide of a friend and his wife – a once strong and proud man, humiliated by not being able to find employment.
How many times have I heard: it is better to over-react than to under-react? No, it isn’t. it is only better for those who have the luxury of over-reacting. Those like John Mauldin.
There are too many articles by too many experts with too many facts that call into question this narrative being forced upon us. It is unforgiveable that Mauldin does not at least expose these to his audience and address the points. You know, articles from flakes like this guy:
In an analysis published Tuesday, Stanford’s John P.A. Ioannidis — co-director of the university’s Meta-Research Innovation Center and professor of medicine, biomedical data science, statistics, and epidemiology and population health — suggests that the response to the coronavirus pandemic may be “a fiasco in the making” because we are making seismic decisions based on “utterly unreliable” data. The data we do have, Ioannidis explains, indicates that we are likely severely overreacting.
He will probably lose his job soon, socially-distanced from productive employment.
This whole thing is sickening, and criminal.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
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