thestream--2020-09-04--C.S. Lewis Didn’t Trust the Government (To Go Away)

C.S .
Lewis ’ s ideal citizen isn ’ t the ideal from the schoolbooks .
The one from the schoolbooks is all serious and respectful .
Lewis ’ s is the guy who laughs and says “ Sez who ?
” “ A playfully intransigent attitude to authority , ” he said , “ is our chief protection against England becoming a servile state.
” He ’ s talking about the ideal citizen of a democracy , who knows the world well enough to resist a government doing too much .
He explains : “ A mild pleasure in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to be too much interfered with , is a valuable brake on reckless planning and a valuable curb on the meddlesomeness of minor officials.
” Lewis worried about the Home Guard in World War II .
He joined it himself , because his country needed men to guard the homeland .
He would march around with a heavy gun in the middle of the night and go to endless training and drills , as long as it was needed .
But he worried that once people got used to it , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d worry about lockdown and mask requirements today .
He wouldn ’ t object to them , but he ’ d worry that the government will keep them a lot longer than it needs to .
Lewis wrote those words in 1944 , when he was really annoyed by life in wartime Britain .
They appear in Present Concerns , a book published long after he died that has most of his more political articles in it .
He was most annoyed by all the people who got to tell everyone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , he wrote that “ the danger of the present situation is that our Masters have now been multiplied.
” As a soldier in World War I , he had complained like all the other soldiers about the bossy “ brass hats ” and MPs .
Now , “ it is our Masters in Civil Defence , in the Home Guard , and so forth.
” He worried the “ Masters ” won ’ t go away when the war ’ s over .
“ Those who wish for whatever reason to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary will certainly say they are doing so in the interests of security.
” Bossy people will always have a good-sounding reason for continuing to boss people around .
It ’ s too good a gig for some people .
He makes up a character called Mr. Mares-Neste ( haha ) .
“ He will be , I think , a retired businessman who , having few brains , finds the time hanging heavy on his hands , and , being a bore , is the greatest nonentity in his neighborhood.
” It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis , which shows how annoyed he was .
“ We see Mr. Mares-Nest rising , say , in the Home Guard , ” Lewis continues .
“ We see how endless and useless parades , which are an unspeakable nuisance to his more intelligent neighbors , are a perfect godsend to Mares-Neste : here is something to do , here is self-importance .
We see him doing things which no officer in the real army would be allowed to do.
” “ Democracy , ” Lewis concludes , “ demands that little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seriously .
It dies when it is full of little men who think they are big themselves.
” As it happened , the government disbanded the Home Guard in early December 1944 .
That worry didn ’ t come true .
But the danger didn ’ t go away .
Lewis wasn ’ t any happier after the war , when the new Labour government socialized the economy and kept war-time rationing going .
He called the chancellor of the exchequer ( their equivalent of our secretary of the treasury ) “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years later , just before he died , he wrote bitterly of a new Labour government coming in “ with all the regimentation , austerity and meddling which they so enjoy.
” He complains in an newspaper article published in 1958 that “ rulers have become owners.
” It ’ s called “ Is Progress Possible ?
” and appears in God in the Dock .
“ We are less their subjects than their wards , pupils , or domestic animals .
There is nothing left of which we can say to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our whole lives are their business.
” The Government That Doesn ’ t Go Away Lewis wasn ’ t a libertarian .
His views were subtler and more complex than that .
He understood the need for government .
He saw that government would always be an oligarchy and that experts often knew what needed to be done .
To an extent that makes most Americans uncomfortable , he believed in social hierarchy .
He accepted Aristotle ’ s idea that some people were fit only to be slaves , for example .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ might well think you one of those people .
But he knew that anyone in power will be tempted to abuse it .
It ’ s a constant theme of his .
He talks about it in The Abolition of Man , for example .
There he knocks down hopeful visions of science changing the world for the better by noticing that it is fallen men who do science .
“ What we call Man ’ s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least once invoked Lord Acton ’ s famous line , “ Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
” That ’ s why he praised the man with the “ playfully intransigent attitude to authority.
” And that ’ s why he believed in democracy .
“ I am a democrat because I believe in the fall of man , ” he wrote .
Most people believe in it because they think man good enough to govern .
Lewis disagreed .
“ Mankind is so fallen that no man can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellows.
” If Aristotle thought some men should be slaves , “ I see no men fit to be masters.
” He knew that once some men had tasted mastery , they wouldn ’ t give it up easily .
Not just the Mares-Nestes of the world , but people far more powerful than they .
It starts small and reasonably , as with Home Guards and masks .
We have to make sure it stays small and limited and temporary .

C.S. Lewis’s ideal citizen isn’t the ideal from the schoolbooks. The one from the schoolbooks is all serious and respectful. Lewis’s is the guy who laughs and says “Sez who?”
“A playfully intransigent attitude to authority,” he said, “is our chief protection against England becoming a servile state.” He’s talking about the ideal citizen of a democracy, who knows the world well enough to resist a government doing too much. He explains: “A mild pleasure in ragging [teasing], a determination not to be too much interfered with, is a valuable brake on reckless planning and a valuable curb on the meddlesomeness of minor officials.”
Lewis worried about the Home Guard in World War II. He joined it himself, because his country needed men to guard the homeland. He would march around with a heavy gun in the middle of the night and go to endless training and drills, as long as it was needed. But he worried that once people got used to it, they’d keep doing it.
He’d worry about lockdown and mask requirements today. He wouldn’t object to them, but he’d worry that the government will keep them a lot longer than it needs to.
Lewis Really Annoyed
Lewis wrote those words in 1944, when he was really annoyed by life in wartime Britain. They appear in Present Concerns, a book published long after he died that has most of his more political articles in it.
He was most annoyed by all the people who got to tell everyone else what to do. A few months later, he wrote that “the danger of the present situation is that our Masters have now been multiplied.” As a soldier in World War I, he had complained like all the other soldiers about the bossy “brass hats” and MPs. Now, “it is our Masters in Civil Defence, in the Home Guard, and so forth.”
For more on what C.S. Lewis would say about our lives today, see C.S. Lewis Knows How to Deal With Disaster.
He worried the “Masters” won’t go away when the war’s over. “Those who wish for whatever reason to keep their fellow-citizens regimented longer than is necessary will certainly say they are doing so in the interests of security.” Bossy people will always have a good-sounding reason for continuing to boss people around.
It’s too good a gig for some people. He makes up a character called Mr. Mares-Neste (haha). “He will be, I think, a retired businessman who, having few brains, finds the time hanging heavy on his hands, and, being a bore, is the greatest nonentity in his neighborhood.” It’s an unusually cruel description for Lewis, which shows how annoyed he was.
“We see Mr. Mares-Nest rising, say, in the Home Guard,” Lewis continues. “We see how endless and useless parades, which are an unspeakable nuisance to his more intelligent neighbors, are a perfect godsend to Mares-Neste: here is something to do, here is self-importance. We see him doing things which no officer in the real army would be allowed to do.”
“Democracy,” Lewis concludes, “demands that little men should not take big ones too seriously. It dies when it is full of little men who think they are big themselves.”
The Ongoing Danger
As it happened, the government disbanded the Home Guard in early December 1944. That worry didn’t come true. But the danger didn’t go away.
Lewis wasn’t any happier after the war, when the new Labour government socialized the economy and kept war-time rationing going. He called the chancellor of the exchequer (their equivalent of our secretary of the treasury) “the nursery governess of England.” A few years later, just before he died, he wrote bitterly of a new Labour government coming in “with all the regimentation, austerity and meddling which they so enjoy.”
He complains in an newspaper article published in 1958 that “rulers have become owners.” It’s called “Is Progress Possible?” and appears in God in the Dock. “We are less their subjects than their wards, pupils, or domestic animals. There is nothing left of which we can say to them, ‘Mind your own business.’ Our whole lives are their business.”
The Government That Doesn’t Go Away
Lewis wasn’t a libertarian. His views were subtler and more complex than that. He understood the need for government. He saw that government would always be an oligarchy and that experts often knew what needed to be done. To an extent that makes most Americans uncomfortable, he believed in social hierarchy. He accepted Aristotle’s idea that some people were fit only to be slaves, for example. Before you agree, remember that Lewis might well think you one of those people.
But he knew that anyone in power will be tempted to abuse it. It’s a constant theme of his. He talks about it in The Abolition of Man, for example. There he knocks down hopeful visions of science changing the world for the better by noticing that it is fallen men who do science. “What we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.”
Lewis at least once invoked Lord Acton’s famous line, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That’s why he praised the man with the “playfully intransigent attitude to authority.”
And that’s why he believed in democracy. “I am a democrat because I believe in the fall of man,” he wrote. Most people believe in it because they think man good enough to govern. Lewis disagreed. “Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows.” If Aristotle thought some men should be slaves, “I see no men fit to be masters.”
He knew that once some men had tasted mastery, they wouldn’t give it up easily. Not just the Mares-Nestes of the world, but people far more powerful than they. It starts small and reasonably, as with Home Guards and masks. We have to make sure it stays small and limited and temporary.
David Mills is a senior editor of The Stream. After teaching writing in a seminary, he has been editor of Touchstone and the executive editor of First Things. He edits the site Hour of Our Death. He edited a book on C. S. Lewis titled The Pilgrim’s Guide.


thestream--2020-09-04--When a Liberal Plays God

When a Liberal Plays God

A few months ago , the governor of New York gave an interview about the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths .
He said , “ Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus .
God did not stop the spread of the virus.
” It ’ s remarkable that in such a short statement Andrew Cuomo managed to give two wrong answers to the question of how God acts in human affairs .
The worst thing about that ?
His wrong answers make someone other than God into God .
Cuomo ’ s first wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone accomplished everything .
His second wrong answer was his belief that he knows what God is doing ( or not doing ) in this crisis .
God intervenes in human affairs , but the way He does it is not always obvious .
God typically makes use of indirect causes to advance His will .
He uses the actions of people ( for good and for ill ) as well as natural events .
We may not see Him working , but He ’ s always there .
Not for the governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pope Benedict once spoke of “ a Promethean vision of the human being.
” That vision — which is Cuomo ’ s vision — insists that man “ is the absolute author of his own destiny.
” In Greek mythology , the giant Prometheus created humanity from clay .
He then stole the fire of the gods ( a symbol for knowledge ) and gave it to humanity , thus founding civilization .
But having fire , men forgot their dependence on the gods .
They tried to become like gods themselves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem with Cuomo ’ s prometheanism ?
What ’ s the problem with him telling the world “ We did it .
God didn ’ t ” ?
It means everything depends on us .
We have no hope for any help from outside .
Even worse , we blind ourselves to what is really going on , because we refuse to see that God is working .
The governor should contemplate Psalm 127 : “ Unless the Lord builds the house , those who build it labor in vain .
Unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the watchman stays awake in vain.
” Things will always go wrong without God , especially when we put ourselves in His place .
Those who prefer a more secular source might consider Shelley ’ s poem “ Ozymandias.
” The poem begins with a traveller telling about a broken statue he saw in the desert .
Then : And on the pedestal , these words appear : “ My name is Ozymandias , King of Kings ; Look on my Works , ye Mighty , and despair !
” Nothing beside remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wreck , boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away .
I suggest we follow the example of the wisest public official we have ever had : Abraham Lincoln .
Throughout the Civil War , he contemplated deeply on why it had come about and what it meant for America .
He also struggled with the problem of how to discern God ’ s will in the catastrophic conflict .
His Second Inaugural Address is a profound reflection on the mystery of God ’ s providence : Both sides of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read the same Bible and pray to the same God , and each invokes His aid against the other .
… The prayers of both could not be answered .
That of neither has been answered fully .
The Almighty has His own purposes.
” A little later in the address , he expresses his trust in God ’ s goodness .
Even when we do not get what we want , God is good .
“ Fondly do we hope , fervently do we pray , that this mighty scourge of war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
We have no idea why God has allowed this plague to happen .
But Lincoln ’ s advice is to trust in God ’ s inscrutable wisdom , especially when it doesn ’ t make sense to us in our suffering .
So what should we do ?
Lincoln ’ s answer — and God ’ s — is that we should devote ourselves to the tasks at hand , trying to do His will as best we can .
We do this particularly by serving the weak and vulnerable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Lincoln said : “ with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right , let us strive on to finish the work we are in , to bind up the nation ’ s wounds , to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan , to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
” The governor should be less like Prometheus and more like Lincoln .
Humans can and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find a cure for the disease and a vaccine to prevent it .
We should thank God daily for the brilliance of our medical and scientific workers , and the courage of all the caregivers .
But that doesn ’ t mean our behavior alone stopped the virus .
( If it did . )
It doesn ’ t mean that God had nothing to do with it .
The ultimate solution to this crisis is always in God ’ s hands .
He will act in our best interests — according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and way .
We may never understand them .
We can only be faithful .
To put it in the most plain terms , we should follow the advice that is often attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola : “ Pray as though everything depended on God ; act as though everything depended on you.
” Edward Mechmann is director of public policy for the Archdiocese of New York .
Before coming to the archdiocese , he worked as a state and federal prosecutor .
He ’ s written an introduction to Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Human Person .
The Human Life Review gave him its “ great defender of life ” award in 2018 .
His first article for The Stream was Condolences to Pro-Life Democrats .
This article is a version of one that appeared on the public policy office ’ s blog and is used with permission .

A few months ago, the governor of New York gave an interview about the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. He said, “Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus.”
It’s remarkable that in such a short statement Andrew Cuomo managed to give two wrong answers to the question of how God acts in human affairs. The worst thing about that? His wrong answers make someone other than God into God.
Prometheus’ Folly
Cuomo’s first wrong answer was his belief that human effort alone accomplished everything. His second wrong answer was his belief that he knows what God is doing (or not doing) in this crisis. God intervenes in human affairs, but the way He does it is not always obvious. God typically makes use of indirect causes to advance His will. He uses the actions of people (for good and for ill) as well as natural events. We may not see Him working, but He’s always there.
Not for the governor. He’s a promethean. Pope Benedict once spoke of “a Promethean vision of the human being.” That vision — which is Cuomo’s vision — insists that man “is the absolute author of his own destiny.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
In Greek mythology, the giant Prometheus created humanity from clay. He then stole the fire of the gods (a symbol for knowledge) and gave it to humanity, thus founding civilization. But having fire, men forgot their dependence on the gods. They tried to become like gods themselves. Things went wrong.
What’s the problem with Cuomo’s prometheanism? What’s the problem with him telling the world “We did it. God didn’t”? It means everything depends on us. We have no hope for any help from outside. Even worse, we blind ourselves to what is really going on, because we refuse to see that God is working.
The governor should contemplate Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Things will always go wrong without God, especially when we put ourselves in His place. Those who prefer a more secular source might consider Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias.” The poem begins with a traveller telling about a broken statue he saw in the desert. Then:
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Lincoln’s Example
I suggest we follow the example of the wisest public official we have ever had: Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the Civil War, he contemplated deeply on why it had come about and what it meant for America. He also struggled with the problem of how to discern God’s will in the catastrophic conflict.
His Second Inaugural Address is a profound reflection on the mystery of God’s providence: Both sides of the conflict, he said, “read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. … The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”
A little later in the address, he expresses his trust in God’s goodness. Even when we do not get what we want, God is good. “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away,” he says.
Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Trust in God
We have no idea why God has allowed this plague to happen. But Lincoln’s advice is to trust in God’s inscrutable wisdom, especially when it doesn’t make sense to us in our suffering. So what should we do?
Lincoln’s answer — and God’s — is that we should devote ourselves to the tasks at hand, trying to do His will as best we can. We do this particularly by serving the weak and vulnerable. And working for peace and justice.
As Lincoln said: “with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Prometheus v. Lincoln
The governor should be less like Prometheus and more like Lincoln. Humans can and will do the best we can to find a cure for the disease and a vaccine to prevent it. We should thank God daily for the brilliance of our medical and scientific workers, and the courage of all the caregivers.
But that doesn’t mean our behavior alone stopped the virus. (If it did.) It doesn’t mean that God had nothing to do with it.
The ultimate solution to this crisis is always in God’s hands. He will act in our best interests — according to His purposes and in His own time and way. We may never understand them. We can only be faithful. To put it in the most plain terms, we should follow the advice that is often attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Pray as though everything depended on God; act as though everything depended on you.”
Edward Mechmann is director of public policy for the Archdiocese of New York. Before coming to the archdiocese, he worked as a state and federal prosecutor. He’s written an introduction to Catholic social teaching called God, Society and the Human Person. The Human Life Review gave him its “great defender of life” award in 2018. His first article for The Stream was Condolences to Pro-Life Democrats. This article is a version of one that appeared on the public policy office’s blog and is used with permission.


thestream--2020-09-04--This Week at War: On the Front Lines

This Week at War: On the Front Lines

A seventh American warrior has died during the military ’ s war on COVID-19 .
Military.com reported on Thursday that U.S. Army Reserve Sgt .
1st Class Clifford Gooding , 58 , of Gulfport , Florida , was added to the Department of Defense ’ s running tally of coronavirus deaths .
The 27-year Army veteran , who passed away on August 28 , was “ full of life and [ had an ] amazing personality , ” said the fallen soldier ’ s friend , James Johnson , as quoted by Military.com .
The site added that Sgt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wife , Rosana , and several children.
” Please pray for all who knew and loved this American hero .
As of Thursday afternoon , there were 38,424 coronavirus cases inside military ranks , with 575 hospitalizations and 23,011 recoveries .
Seven dependent deaths have also been reported by the Pentagon , along with 5,133 cases , 121 hospitalizations and 3,147 recoveries .
Last week , The Stream reported on the passing of a California National Guard member , who became the military ’ s sixth COVID-19 death .
The tragedy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being taken by the valiant men and women of the National Guard as pandemic response efforts continue across the country .
In Florida , National Guard troops are donating convalescent plasma in addition to their dangerous daily duties .
In Michigan , National Guard troops are helping ensure that all seasonal food and agricultural workers are being tested for COVID-19 “ within 48 hours of entering the state.
” In Nevada , the National Guard is setting up testing sites not only in population centers like Las Vegas and Reno , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Esmeralda .
“ It ’ s important to test populations like this that don ’ t have quick access to medical care , ” Nevada Air National Guard 1st Lt. Hannah Barrera said .
“ They are in an interesting scenario where they have a lot of transient traffic .
They absolutely can be exposed.
” We are eternally grateful to the heroes of the National Guard for stepping forward during this war on coronavirus .
All of us at The Stream are praying for the families of the fallen and those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
May God bless all of our nation ’ s protectors .
By all accounts , the National Guard has also done a magnificent job helping state and local authorities recover from Hurricane Laura , which made landfall last week on the Gulf Coast .
Before the storm , the National Guard assisted in evacuating thousands of at-risk residents and pets as well as clearing roads and bridges .
All across Louisiana and Texas since the hurricane hit , members of the National Guard have been busy handing out food and supplies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to the brave men and women of the National Guard for always stepping up to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters .
Along with police officers , firefighters and first responders , nobody does more to keep our communities safe .
Two American heroes are on the verge of being recognized with the Medal of Honor for heroic acts that occurred a decade apart in Iraq .
U.S. Army Sgt .
Maj. Thomas “ Patrick ” Payne will receive the nation ’ s highest military award from President Trump on next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Associated Press .
James LaPorta reports that the U.S. Army Ranger helped save the lives of approximately 70 hostages being held by ISIS in the northern Iraqi town of Huwija in 2015 .
U.S. Army Sgt .
1st Class Alwyn Cashe was killed in Iraq in 2005 , but his ultimate sacrifice has not been forgotten .
Late last week , Defense Secretary Mark Esper recommended that President Trump upgrade the already legendary soldier ’ s posthumous Silver Star to the Medal of Honor .
Sgt .
1st Class Cashe would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive the medal as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Having helped immigrant Medal of Honor recipient Flo Groberg tell his incredible story of courage , I hope Sgt .
1st Class Alwyn Cashe is also recognized for sacrificing his own life to rescue fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle .
I look forward to President Trump hopefully presenting the Medal of Honor to this fallen hero ’ s family .
While Portland has been in the news for all the wrong reasons , here is a positive story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by civil unrest .
A group of Oregon National Guard soldiers returned to Portland on Wednesday after a deployment to the Middle East .
They were greeted by family and friends who missed them dearly .
Welcome home , warriors !
Thank you for your service to our country .
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream .
He is co-author of Three Wise Men , Brothers Forever , 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes .
Follow Tom on Twitter @ TSileo and The Stream at @ @ @

War on COVID-19
A seventh American warrior has died during the military’s war on COVID-19.
Military.com reported on Thursday that U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Clifford Gooding, 58, of Gulfport, Florida, was added to the Department of Defense’s running tally of coronavirus deaths. The 27-year Army veteran, who passed away on August 28, was “full of life and [had an] amazing personality,” said the fallen soldier’s friend, James Johnson, as quoted by Military.com.
The site added that Sgt. 1st Class Gooding is survived by “a wife, Rosana, and several children.” Please pray for all who knew and loved this American hero.
Army Reservist Is 7th Service Member to Die of COVID-19 https://t.co/GNU0KKoxJ9 — Military.com (@Militarydotcom) September 3, 2020
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 38,424 coronavirus cases inside military ranks, with 575 hospitalizations and 23,011 recoveries. Seven dependent deaths have also been reported by the Pentagon, along with 5,133 cases, 121 hospitalizations and 3,147 recoveries.
Last week, The Stream reported on the passing of a California National Guard member, who became the military’s sixth COVID-19 death. The tragedy is a stark reminder of the great risks being taken by the valiant men and women of the National Guard as pandemic response efforts continue across the country.
In Florida, National Guard troops are donating convalescent plasma in addition to their dangerous daily duties. In Michigan, National Guard troops are helping ensure that all seasonal food and agricultural workers are being tested for COVID-19 “within 48 hours of entering the state.” In Nevada, the National Guard is setting up testing sites not only in population centers like Las Vegas and Reno, but in the state’s least populated county of Esmeralda.
“It’s important to test populations like this that don’t have quick access to medical care,” Nevada Air National Guard 1st Lt. Hannah Barrera said. “They are in an interesting scenario where they have a lot of transient traffic. They absolutely can be exposed.”
We are eternally grateful to the heroes of the National Guard for stepping forward during this war on coronavirus. All of us at The Stream are praying for the families of the fallen and those who have tested positive for the disease. May God bless all of our nation’s protectors.
Hurricane Laura
By all accounts, the National Guard has also done a magnificent job helping state and local authorities recover from Hurricane Laura, which made landfall last week on the Gulf Coast.
Before the storm, the National Guard assisted in evacuating thousands of at-risk residents and pets as well as clearing roads and bridges. All across Louisiana and Texas since the hurricane hit, members of the National Guard have been busy handing out food and supplies, clearing debris and restoring power.
Photo of the Day: Tech Sgt. Joshua Blossom, of the @LANationalGuard, removes disconnected power lines from downed trees in Lake Charles in the wake of Hurricane Laura. https://t.co/FvE6jg8vx8 pic.twitter.com/ZXE9kkzpsI — National Guard (@USNationalGuard) September 2, 2020
Thank you to the brave men and women of the National Guard for always stepping up to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Along with police officers, firefighters and first responders, nobody does more to keep our communities safe.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
War on Terrorism
Two American heroes are on the verge of being recognized with the Medal of Honor for heroic acts that occurred a decade apart in Iraq.
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas “Patrick” Payne will receive the nation’s highest military award from President Trump on next week’s 9/11 anniversary, according to the Associated Press. James LaPorta reports that the U.S. Army Ranger helped save the lives of approximately 70 hostages being held by ISIS in the northern Iraqi town of Huwija in 2015.
Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe could be the first African American recipient of the Medal of Honor for combat valor in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cashe suffered fatal burns while bursting into a burning vehicle to save the lives of fellow soldiers in Iraq.https://t.co/IBqVjkiyYf — Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) August 30, 2020
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe was killed in Iraq in 2005, but his ultimate sacrifice has not been forgotten. Late last week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper recommended that President Trump upgrade the already legendary soldier’s posthumous Silver Star to the Medal of Honor. Sgt. 1st Class Cashe would become the first African-American service member to receive the medal as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Having helped immigrant Medal of Honor recipient Flo Groberg tell his incredible story of courage, I hope Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe is also recognized for sacrificing his own life to rescue fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle. I look forward to President Trump hopefully presenting the Medal of Honor to this fallen hero’s family.
Coming Home
While Portland has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, here is a positive story from a city that remains partially besieged by civil unrest.
A group of Oregon National Guard soldiers returned to Portland on Wednesday after a deployment to the Middle East. They were greeted by family and friends who missed them dearly.
Welcome home, warriors! Thank you for your service to our country.
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is co-author of Three Wise Men, Brothers Forever, 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on Twitter @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-09-04--Military Photo of the Day: A Hornet Buzzes Hawaii

An F/A-18 Hornet recently takes off from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii .

An F/A-18 Hornet recently takes off from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.
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thestream--2020-09-03--Vote Which America You Want — the Antifa Crybully Arsonist’s, or Kyle Rittenhouse’s

You get to pick this November .
The Democrats have done us a favor .
Like a poker player holding four aces in his hand and a loaded gun in his pocket , they ’ ve laid all their cards on the table .
They are for virtually decriminalizing same-sex pedophilia .
No , seriously .
Click here to read about the bill , which just passed in the California legislature .
It would free many same-sex molesters who abused kids of the duty to register as sex offenders .
Glance below to see Nancy Pelosi posing at a Pride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind that Kamala Harris , who could soon be a faint heartbeat from the Oval Office , refused to prosecute pedophile priests as San Francisco D.A .
Not even those who trash and burn police stations , private businesses , and whole neighborhoods .
Mayor after mayor in blue city after blue city has left Antifa and BLM rioters out of jail without any bail , to get on planes and go trash other cities .
And in some cases kill people .
Where local officials demanded bail , Joe Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to imprison Americans who defend themselves from rioters as guilty of first-degree murder .
They ’ re for Abortion Right Up Through and Even After Birth .
In lockstep with other Democrats , Kamala Harris voted that children who survive abortion attempts may be killed or left to die .
And that party intends to make us taxpayers pay for this cruel procedure .
Nancy Pelosi , who claimed that “ as a Catholic ” abortion “ rights ” are “ sacred ” to her , promised to hack out the Hyde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party ’ s Policies Help Produce a Different Kind of Citizen But issues are so … abstract .
In the long run , we vote for people .
Just as God wouldn ’ t mean much to most of us if He hadn ’ t become incarnate — Julian the Apostate couldn ’ t sell Solar Monotheism — we need political choices to take on flesh and bone .
In one sense this election is between Joe Biden and Donald Trump .
And about the thousands of people whom they and their teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Supreme Court to FBI director , from the Education Department to the Bureau of Veteran Affairs .
But in another sense it ’ s not .
Trump is pretty old , and Biden ’ s practically senile .
Neither one in himself incarnates America ’ s future , the kind of person our nation hopes to produce , which its policies would reward or punish .
So maybe we ought to look to instead to younger people .
To those who in their lives and choices sum up the difference between our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as emblems .
Each marks one path our nation could follow , as it approaches this crossroad .
Each is a young man from the Midwest .
WBAY in Wisconsin offers a picture of this young Biden supporter and “ peaceful protester ” : A Neenah man had a flamethrower , smoke grenades and fireworks during a demonstration in Green Bay Saturday night , according to police and prosecutors .
Matthew Banta , 23 , is charged with obstructing an officer and two counts of felony bail jumping .
The criminal complaint says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent Antifa member who incites violence in otherwise relatively peaceful protests.
” Police say he ’ s known as “ Commander Red.
” A responding officer says he saw four individuals walking towards a protest with baseball bats .
One man was wearing a metal helmet with goggles and military-style gear with multiple pouches , and was carrying an Antifa flag .
When the officer pulled his squad car in front of the group , they ran away .
The officer caught Banta , who was carrying the flag , and says Banta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began crying.
” He accused the officer of lying on him ; the officer replied nobody was on him .
There ’ s your Biden man , in a nutshell .
This is the kind of person whom Democrat mayors have been turning loose nationwide .
He perfectly embodies the “ cry-bully ” character type that the left has been cultivating on campuses nationwide .
For starters by labeling conservative or Christian claims that students find challenging as “ violent ” or “ micro-aggressions ” that make the poor dears “ feel unsafe.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ little snowflakes to take up arms and “ punch a Nazi , ” which they define as anyone who supports President Trump .
Do that for long enough , you get a country full of little would-be arsonists , who curl up in fetal balls and cry when police take their flamethrowers .
I ’ ve written about Kyle Rittenhouse here before .
If you still subject yourself to the MSM , you probably have heard that he is a member of a “ white supremacist militia ” who “ opened fire on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s why he ’ s in jail charged with first degree murder .
None of that has any truth in it , especially not those charges .
In fact , Kyle Rittenhouse is something closer to the Good Samaritan in the Gospel , who saw a man victimized by thieves and went to help him , while Levites and Pharisees passed by .
Rittenhouse saw on TV the vicious assaults on business owners by rioters in the neighboring city , Kenosha .
So he went there to try to help .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding back rioters .
He literally wielded a fire-extinguisher ( not a flamethrower ) putting out fires they ’ d set .
As a volunteer EMT , he offered first-aid to injured protesters .
And he yes , held a rifle in whose use he ’ d become proficient , to discourage violent mobs from attacking people ’ s livelihoods — including a gas station some wanted to burn .
Had they succeeded , the inferno could have consumed an entire neighborhood .
Then several criminals , one of them a sex offender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gun , another swung a skateboard at Kyle as he lay on the ground .
And Kyle kept his cool .
He shot his attackers , didn ’ t hit any bystanders , then marched up to try to surrender to the police .
You Get to Pick Do you want an America that churns out more young men like Kyle Rittenhouse ?
Or more men like Matthew Banta ?

You get to pick this November. The Democrats have done us a favor. Like a poker player holding four aces in his hand and a loaded gun in his pocket, they’ve laid all their cards on the table.
They are for virtually decriminalizing same-sex pedophilia.
No, seriously. Click here to read about the bill, which just passed in the California legislature. It would free many same-sex molesters who abused kids of the duty to register as sex offenders. Glance below to see Nancy Pelosi posing at a Pride march with its sponsor. Keep in mind that Kamala Harris, who could soon be a faint heartbeat from the Oval Office, refused to prosecute pedophile priests as San Francisco D.A.
The Rev. Nancy Pelosi, S.J., and sponsor of the bill at SF Pride. https://t.co/QXK3ER83dB pic.twitter.com/xMTcaZfZD9 — Joseph Sciambra @ The Sons of St. Joseph (@sonsofstjoseph) September 2, 2020
They Refuse to Prosecute Rioters.
Not even those who trash and burn police stations, private businesses, and whole neighborhoods. Mayor after mayor in blue city after blue city has left Antifa and BLM rioters out of jail without any bail, to get on planes and go trash other cities. And in some cases kill people. Where local officials demanded bail, Joe Biden’s campaign staff posted it. But Democrats want to imprison Americans who defend themselves from rioters as guilty of first-degree murder.
They’re for Abortion Right Up Through and Even After Birth.
In lockstep with other Democrats, Kamala Harris voted that children who survive abortion attempts may be killed or left to die. And that party intends to make us taxpayers pay for this cruel procedure. Nancy Pelosi, who claimed that “as a Catholic” abortion “rights” are “sacred” to her, promised to hack out the Hyde Amendment in all future budgets.
Each Party’s Policies Help Produce a Different Kind of Citizen
But issues are so … abstract. In the long run, we vote for people. Just as God wouldn’t mean much to most of us if He hadn’t become incarnate — Julian the Apostate couldn’t sell Solar Monotheism — we need political choices to take on flesh and bone.
In one sense this election is between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. And about the thousands of people whom they and their teams will choose to appoint, from the U.S. Supreme Court to FBI director, from the Education Department to the Bureau of Veteran Affairs. But in another sense it’s not. Trump is pretty old, and Biden’s practically senile. Neither one in himself incarnates America’s future, the kind of person our nation hopes to produce, which its policies would reward or punish.
Liberal pundits have been encouraging young snowflakes to take up arms and “punch a Nazi,” which they define as anyone who supports President Trump. Do that for long enough, you get a country full of little would-be arsonists, who curl up in fetal balls and cry when police take their flamethrowers.
So maybe we ought to look to instead to younger people. To those who in their lives and choices sum up the difference between our political parties. Let these people serve as emblems. Each marks one path our nation could follow, as it approaches this crossroad. Each is a young man from the Midwest.
Antifa Soldier Matthew Banta, 23.
WBAY in Wisconsin offers a picture of this young Biden supporter and “peaceful protester”:
A Neenah man had a flamethrower, smoke grenades and fireworks during a demonstration in Green Bay Saturday night, according to police and prosecutors. Matthew Banta, 23, is charged with obstructing an officer and two counts of felony bail jumping. The criminal complaint says Banta “is known to be a violent Antifa member who incites violence in otherwise relatively peaceful protests.” Police say he’s known as “Commander Red.” … A responding officer says he saw four individuals walking towards a protest with baseball bats. One man was wearing a metal helmet with goggles and military-style gear with multiple pouches, and was carrying an Antifa flag. When the officer pulled his squad car in front of the group, they ran away. The officer caught Banta, who was carrying the flag, and says Banta “dropped into the fetal position and began crying.” He accused the officer of lying on him; the officer replied nobody was on him.
There’s your Biden man, in a nutshell. This is the kind of person whom Democrat mayors have been turning loose nationwide. He perfectly embodies the “cry-bully” character type that the left has been cultivating on campuses nationwide. For starters by labeling conservative or Christian claims that students find challenging as “violent” or “micro-aggressions” that make the poor dears “feel unsafe.” Liberal pundits have been encouraging these little snowflakes to take up arms and “punch a Nazi,” which they define as anyone who supports President Trump. Do that for long enough, you get a country full of little would-be arsonists, who curl up in fetal balls and cry when police take their flamethrowers.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Good Samaritan Kyle Rittenhouse, 17
I’ve written about Kyle Rittenhouse here before. If you still subject yourself to the MSM, you probably have heard that he is a member of a “white supremacist militia” who “opened fire on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters.” That’s why he’s in jail charged with first degree murder. None of that has any truth in it, especially not those charges.
In fact, Kyle Rittenhouse is something closer to the Good Samaritan in the Gospel, who saw a man victimized by thieves and went to help him, while Levites and Pharisees passed by. Rittenhouse saw on TV the vicious assaults on business owners by rioters in the neighboring city, Kenosha. So he went there to try to help. He joined up with other citizens who were holding back rioters. He literally wielded a fire-extinguisher (not a flamethrower) putting out fires they’d set. As a volunteer EMT, he offered first-aid to injured protesters.
And he yes, held a rifle in whose use he’d become proficient, to discourage violent mobs from attacking people’s livelihoods — including a gas station some wanted to burn. Had they succeeded, the inferno could have consumed an entire neighborhood.
Then several criminals, one of them a sex offender, charged him. One fired a gun, another swung a skateboard at Kyle as he lay on the ground. And Kyle kept his cool. He shot his attackers, didn’t hit any bystanders, then marched up to try to surrender to the police.
You Get to Pick
Do you want an America that churns out more young men like Kyle Rittenhouse? Or more men like Matthew Banta?
Vote accordingly.


thestream--2020-09-04--Are African Americans Truly Warming up to Trump?

I get the sense that rightward movement is occurring in the African American community .
This is more than anecdotal .
It ’ s not random .
It is for good reason .
At least since the ’ 60s , the Democrats have had a lock on the black vote , which they ’ ve nurtured and protected like leftists guard their copies of The Communist Manifesto .
Their conquest was cynical in its inception and has grown more so through the years .
You ’ ve probably read President Lyndon Johnson ’ s overtly racist remarks concerning his support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1965 Voting Rights Act — remarks that are in such poor taste I won ’ t repeat them here .
Suffice it to say that Johnson allegedly bragged his support would secure African American allegiance to Democrats for decades to come .
Even those who unconvincingly dispute Johnson ’ s despicable statements don ’ t deny that he habitually used racist language .
Johnson must have known what he was doing , though I doubt that the Democrats ’ monopoly on the black vote is based solely on the misperception that Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ civil liberties .
Democrats have also shrewdly cultivated the fiction that only they care about the economic plight of minorities .
More recently , they ’ ve gone further and portrayed Republicans as not just indifferent but affirmatively racist .
This slander is a special kind of evil , violating on a grand scale the Mosaic Commandment against bearing false witness — and causing immeasurable damage to race relations .
In some cases , Republican policies have been easy for Democrats to mischaracterize .
Republicans have historically opposed excessive welfare programs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they believe that fostering long-term dependency on government is devastating to the recipients and to society overall because it diminishes the work ethic and human dignity , and sabotages the nuclear family .
Democrats have often depicted principled conservative opposition to these programs as evidence of their lack of compassion and outright racism .
A more modern version of this smear is Democrats ’ attributing Republican support for a border wall to their racism .
If they ’ re racist toward blacks , they ’ re surely racist toward Mexicans — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look like them.
” If anything borders on racist , it ’ s this constant pandering and condescension toward minorities .
The suggestion is that they ’ re incapable of helping themselves and benevolent politicians must do it for them .
Opposition to voter ID laws is a perfect example .
Why isn ’ t it offensive to suggest that minority voters will be disadvantaged if required to present legal identification at the polling place ?
This is a modern case of what some call “ the soft bigotry of low expectations.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s worse is many Democrats assume the minority vote is a given .
It ’ s no secret that in national elections , Democrats depend on the overwhelming majority of black votes .
The failing — and thus , less circumspect — Joe Biden cavalierly displayed this presumption when he said if blacks don ’ t vote for him over President Donald Trump , they “ ain ’ t black.
” Some seemed shocked at Biden ’ s remark ; others dismissed it as just another instance of weird Joe shooting off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This attitude is not unique to Biden .
The left has been treating black conservatives like second-class citizens for years .
From Condoleezza Rice to Clarence Thomas to Thomas Sowell to Walter Williams to Larry Elder , conservative blacks have been egregiously mistreated and dehumanized by those , ironically , who claim to be the most egalitarian and least racist .
But as I said , it seems a movement is underway in which African Americans are increasingly rejecting the Democrats ’ identity politics and exploitation and treatment of them as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rhetoric eventually rings hollow if it doesn ’ t match reality .
President Trump ’ s economic policies objectively resulted in historically low records of black unemployment and a real increase in their standard of living .
Disingenuous denials of these facts are not lost on African Americans .
There ’ s something else going on as well : the torching of our cities , the movement to defund the police and the overall breakdown of law and order .
Democrats are miscalculating if they assume minorities are less desirous of safe streets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll showed that 64 % of Americans worry about “ cop shortage and public safety , ” and “ Blacks ( 67 % ) are the most concerned about public safety where they live , compared to 63 % of whites and 65 % of other minority Americans.
” Yet Democrats , until recent polling began to scare them , conspicuously refused to denounce the violence .
I am encouraged when I see Candace Owens and countless other young black conservatives courageously standing against the narrative that has been shoved down our throats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged that former outspoken Democratic attorney Leo Terrell offered to campaign for President Trump in all the swing states between now and the election , saying the Democratic Party no longer represents him or the interests of the black community .
I am heartened by a YouTube video of four upbeat young black men with MAGA hats saying that the rioters don ’ t speak for them , that they don ’ t want to be treated as victims , that they appreciate American liberty and enthusiastically support President Trump .
I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump among blacks .
Even apart from the election , ideological diversity is immensely gratifying .
For too long , the Democratic Party has taken for granted the African American vote .
We shall see if it comes to regret that in November .
David Limbaugh is a writer , author and attorney .
His latest book is Guilty by Reason of Insanity : Why the Democrats Must Not Win .
Follow him on Twitter @ davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com .

I get the sense that rightward movement is occurring in the African American community. This is more than anecdotal. It’s not random. It is for good reason.
At least since the ’60s, the Democrats have had a lock on the black vote, which they’ve nurtured and protected like leftists guard their copies of The Communist Manifesto. Their conquest was cynical in its inception and has grown more so through the years.
The Shrewd Democrats
You’ve probably read President Lyndon Johnson’s overtly racist remarks concerning his support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act — remarks that are in such poor taste I won’t repeat them here. Suffice it to say that Johnson allegedly bragged his support would secure African American allegiance to Democrats for decades to come. Even those who unconvincingly dispute Johnson’s despicable statements don’t deny that he habitually used racist language.
Johnson must have known what he was doing, though I doubt that the Democrats’ monopoly on the black vote is based solely on the misperception that Democrats have been the sacred guardians of blacks’ civil liberties. Democrats have also shrewdly cultivated the fiction that only they care about the economic plight of minorities.
A Special Kind of Evil
More recently, they’ve gone further and portrayed Republicans as not just indifferent but affirmatively racist. This slander is a special kind of evil, violating on a grand scale the Mosaic Commandment against bearing false witness — and causing immeasurable damage to race relations.
In some cases, Republican policies have been easy for Democrats to mischaracterize. Republicans have historically opposed excessive welfare programs. While supporting some level of safety net, they believe that fostering long-term dependency on government is devastating to the recipients and to society overall because it diminishes the work ethic and human dignity, and sabotages the nuclear family.
Democrats have often depicted principled conservative opposition to these programs as evidence of their lack of compassion and outright racism. A more modern version of this smear is Democrats’ attributing Republican support for a border wall to their racism. If they’re racist toward blacks, they’re surely racist toward Mexicans — and everyone else who “doesn’t look like them.”
Democrats are the Racists
If anything borders on racist, it’s this constant pandering and condescension toward minorities. The suggestion is that they’re incapable of helping themselves and benevolent politicians must do it for them. Opposition to voter ID laws is a perfect example. Why isn’t it offensive to suggest that minority voters will be disadvantaged if required to present legal identification at the polling place? This is a modern case of what some call “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
As insulting as that is, what’s worse is many Democrats assume the minority vote is a given. It’s no secret that in national elections, Democrats depend on the overwhelming majority of black votes. The failing — and thus, less circumspect — Joe Biden cavalierly displayed this presumption when he said if blacks don’t vote for him over President Donald Trump, they “ain’t black.”
Some seemed shocked at Biden’s remark; others dismissed it as just another instance of weird Joe shooting off his harmless mouth again.
Nonsense. This attitude is not unique to Biden. The left has been treating black conservatives like second-class citizens for years. From Condoleezza Rice to Clarence Thomas to Thomas Sowell to Walter Williams to Larry Elder, conservative blacks have been egregiously mistreated and dehumanized by those, ironically, who claim to be the most egalitarian and least racist.
Blacks are Rejecting the Democrats’ Identity Politics
But as I said, it seems a movement is underway in which African Americans are increasingly rejecting the Democrats’ identity politics and exploitation and treatment of them as part of a group rather than as individuals.
Rhetoric eventually rings hollow if it doesn’t match reality. President Trump’s economic policies objectively resulted in historically low records of black unemployment and a real increase in their standard of living. Disingenuous denials of these facts are not lost on African Americans.
There’s something else going on as well: the torching of our cities, the movement to defund the police and the overall breakdown of law and order. Democrats are miscalculating if they assume minorities are less desirous of safe streets than everyone else. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 64% of Americans worry about “cop shortage and public safety,” and “Blacks (67%) are the most concerned about public safety where they live, compared to 63% of whites and 65% of other minority Americans.” Yet Democrats, until recent polling began to scare them, conspicuously refused to denounce the violence.
Blacks Standing Against the Democrats’ Narrative
I am encouraged when I see Candace Owens and countless other young black conservatives courageously standing against the narrative that has been shoved down our throats since the ’60s. I am encouraged that former outspoken Democratic attorney Leo Terrell offered to campaign for President Trump in all the swing states between now and the election, saying the Democratic Party no longer represents him or the interests of the black community. I am heartened by a YouTube video of four upbeat young black men with MAGA hats saying that the rioters don’t speak for them, that they don’t want to be treated as victims, that they appreciate American liberty and enthusiastically support President Trump. I am thrilled about polls reporting double-digit support for Trump among blacks.
Even apart from the election, ideological diversity is immensely gratifying. For too long, the Democratic Party has taken for granted the African American vote. We shall see if it comes to regret that in November.
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM


thestream--2020-09-04--Lies and Deception: Twin Fuel for the Climate Doomsday Engine

Almost everyone in the scientific community affirms that climate is changing .
However , not everyone in the scientific community holds to the view that we are headed for doomsday .
How then did climate fear-mongering gain so much momentum in the past two decades ?
It is because the climate doomsday narrative is hinged upon two critical aspects that keep its engines running : lies and deception .
The most commonly used claim by climate doomsayers is that the future is doomed because of climate change .
But how credible is it ?
Scientists can not predict the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t take my word for it .
That ’ s what the United Nations ’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) candidly said back before climate alarmists succeeded in its complete capture .
In its 2001 Third Assessment Report , the IPCC expressly said , “ The climate system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system , and therefore the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.
” While many may claim that it is possible to forecast long-term future temperatures , none of the scientists ’ forecasting methods has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predict global temperature changes accurately .
Claims about an uninhabitable future have their origins in computer climate models , which are used to predict future climate — exactly what the IPCC once said couldn ’ t be done .
But these models have been woefully wrong , failing consistently .
Between 1979 and 2014 , the computer climate models used for framing most of the current climate policies failed to reflect real-world temperatures .
Scientists say this failure is linked to biases in how the models calculate surface temperature , “ simulating an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases , the models showed 10 times more warming than actual observations .
Even the most advanced and recent climate models , known as CMIP6 , are faulty , exaggerating the warming well beyond actual observation .
And these are the models currently being used by the United Nations to frame their guidelines by which policymakers are expected to frame policy to mitigate climate change or adapt to it .
Environmental economist and statistician Dr. Ross McKitrick , one of the authors of these recent studies , says that “ until the modeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the economics and policymaking communities are justified in assuming future warming projections are overstated , potentially by a great deal depending on the model.
” Errors will always occur in science and policy .
But repeated errors , with unusual resistance to correction , accompanied by the refusal to acknowledge the errors , indicate underlying intentions to promote an agenda instead of science .
That is exactly what the climate doomsayers have been doing .
Besides deceiving the masses about the future , doomsayers also mislead them about the present .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risen to unprecedented levels , and that the world is being destroyed because of it .
The doomsayers point to extreme weather events like hurricanes , forest fires , and floods .
But the IPCC ’ s special climate report in 2018 states that “ there is only low confidence regarding changes in global tropical cyclone numbers under global warming over the last four decades.
” Instead , it reports a “ decreasing trend in the global number of tropical cyclones and/or the globally accumulated cyclonic energy.
” Indeed , as Dr. Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Rightful Place of Science : Disasters and Climate Change , extreme weather events of all sorts have not increased in either number or intensity because of global warming .
When data fail them , doomsayers resort to deception using carefully selected images to further their agenda .
A typical deception technique involves the use of a grim-looking image of a popular species , where its deplorable condition is attributed to climate change .
In 2018 , the video of a starving polar bear became popular after doomsayers claimed it as the victim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.5 billion views .
But it was later found that the videographer , ignoring healthy bears , scouted for a sick bear , and even waited for its condition to deteriorate before filming it , so as to make it a perfect propaganda tool for climate alarmism .
National Geographic went on record to apologize , saying it “ went too far in drawing a definitive connection between climate change and a particular starving polar bear in the opening caption of our video about the animal.
” The actual status of polar bears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media have been telling .
Global polar bear numbers have increased since 2005 , and , despite low summer sea ice levels , the bears continue to thrive , putting to rest all the grim predictions about their survival .
The list of lies and deception used by doomsayers is a long one .
One wonders what agenda they pursue that makes them think such deception is excusable .
Vijay Jayaraj ( M.Sc.
, Environmental Science , University of East Anglia , England ) , is a Research Contributor for the Cornwall Alliance @ @ @ @ @ @

Almost everyone in the scientific community affirms that climate is changing. However, not everyone in the scientific community holds to the view that we are headed for doomsday.
How then did climate fear-mongering gain so much momentum in the past two decades? It is because the climate doomsday narrative is hinged upon two critical aspects that keep its engines running: lies and deception.
Deception About the Future
The most commonly used claim by climate doomsayers is that the future is doomed because of climate change. But how credible is it?
Scientists cannot predict the state of the future climate. Don’t take my word for it. That’s what the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) candidly said back before climate alarmists succeeded in its complete capture.
In its 2001 Third Assessment Report, the IPCC expressly said, “The climate system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.”
While many may claim that it is possible to forecast long-term future temperatures, none of the scientists’ forecasting methods has proven so far to be able to predict global temperature changes accurately.
Claims about an uninhabitable future have their origins in computer climate models, which are used to predict future climate — exactly what the IPCC once said couldn’t be done. But these models have been woefully wrong, failing consistently.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Between 1979 and 2014, the computer climate models used for framing most of the current climate policies failed to reflect real-world temperatures. Scientists say this failure is linked to biases in how the models calculate surface temperature, “simulating an unrealistically large global warming.” In some cases, the models showed 10 times more warming than actual observations.
Even the most advanced and recent climate models, known as CMIP6, are faulty, exaggerating the warming well beyond actual observation. And these are the models currently being used by the United Nations to frame their guidelines by which policymakers are expected to frame policy to mitigate climate change or adapt to it.
Environmental economist and statistician Dr. Ross McKitrick, one of the authors of these recent studies, says that “until the modeling community finds a way to fix it, the economics and policymaking communities are justified in assuming future warming projections are overstated, potentially by a great deal depending on the model.”
Errors will always occur in science and policy. But repeated errors, with unusual resistance to correction, accompanied by the refusal to acknowledge the errors, indicate underlying intentions to promote an agenda instead of science. That is exactly what the climate doomsayers have been doing.
Lies About the Present
Besides deceiving the masses about the future, doomsayers also mislead them about the present. They claim that global average temperature has already risen to unprecedented levels, and that the world is being destroyed because of it.
The doomsayers point to extreme weather events like hurricanes, forest fires, and floods. But the IPCC’s special climate report in 2018 states that “there is only low confidence regarding changes in global tropical cyclone numbers under global warming over the last four decades.” Instead, it reports a “decreasing trend in the global number of tropical cyclones and/or the globally accumulated cyclonic energy.”
The list of lies and deception used by doomsayers is a long one. One wonders what agenda they pursue that makes them think such deception is excusable.
Indeed, as Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. documents extensively in his book The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change, extreme weather events of all sorts have not increased in either number or intensity because of global warming.
Trickery by Imagery
When data fail them, doomsayers resort to deception using carefully selected images to further their agenda. A typical deception technique involves the use of a grim-looking image of a popular species, where its deplorable condition is attributed to climate change.
In 2018, the video of a starving polar bear became popular after doomsayers claimed it as the victim of climate catastrophe. The video garnered 2.5 billion views. But it was later found that the videographer, ignoring healthy bears, scouted for a sick bear, and even waited for its condition to deteriorate before filming it, so as to make it a perfect propaganda tool for climate alarmism.
National Geographic went on record to apologize, saying it “went too far in drawing a definitive connection between climate change and a particular starving polar bear in the opening caption of our video about the animal.”
The actual status of polar bears is starkly different from what the mainstream media have been telling. Global polar bear numbers have increased since 2005, and, despite low summer sea ice levels, the bears continue to thrive, putting to rest all the grim predictions about their survival.
The list of lies and deception used by doomsayers is a long one. One wonders what agenda they pursue that makes them think such deception is excusable.
Vijay Jayaraj (M.Sc., Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, England), is a Research Contributor for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.


thestream--2020-09-04--No, Stephen A. Smith, the Hiring of Steve Nash is Not ‘White Privilege’

Must everything be about race ?
Can nothing be about merit ?
Can owners of a sports franchise no longer hire the person they believe is best qualified without making it into an issue of race ?
I ’ m talking here about the claim of the popular ( and controversial ) sports commentator Stephen A. Smith that the hiring of NBA great Steve Nash to coach the Brooklyn Nets can only be explained on the basis of “ White privilege.
” To be sure , Smith loves Nash as a person and has the highest respect for him as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is he criticizing Nash , who was a greatly loved player during his long career .
Smith even thinks that Nash will do a great job as coach .
But since Nash has no coaching experience and there are other , experienced Black coaches who were passed over , then Nash ’ s hiring can only be attributed to “ White privilege.
” With all respect to Smith ’ s sporting acumen , his argument is without merit .
Where is the White Privilege ?
First , the NBA is a Black-dominated sport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s best basketball players are Black .
Men like Michael Jordan and LeBron James have been the faces of the league for decades , and it is not uncommon to see 10 Black players on the court at any one time .
( For those not familiar with basketball , that would mean that every player on the court would be Black . )
Second , it is not just Black players who are dominant , but Black NBA studio analysts dominate the airwaves .
I ’ m thinking of men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barkley and others who moved on to TV commenting after finishing their successful playing careers .
Shaq and Barkley are joined by Kenny Smith — the three of them Black — to interact with Ernie Johnson ( who is White ) on NBA on TNT .
Others who fill in include Chris Webber and Grant Hill , both of them Black .
So , viewers are used to enjoying a game dominated by Black stars and then analyzed by Black former players .
Where is the White privilege when it comes to hiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrast with some of the other major sports , NBA coaches have hardly been shut out .
It ’ s true that the number of Black NBA coaches dropped from a high of 14 in 2012-2013 to 8 at the beginning of the playoff season .
( That number is now down to 5 . )
But why must this be judged on race , as if the league has seen an increase in “ White privilege ” since 2013 ?
Wouldn ’ t it be equally wrong to accuse the league of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the players are Black ?
To put this in context , the first Black head coach in the NBA was none other than the legendary Bill Russell back in 1966 .
Yes , 1966 , just three years after the historic March on Washington and Dr. King ’ s “ I Have a Dream ” speech .
Yet already , the NBA had a Black head coach .
To suggest that Nash ’ s color was the deciding factor in his hire is to regress by decades .
And does anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are driven by a desire to win , make money , and have a successful franchise , would fire a winning Black coach in favor of a losing White coach ?
But Smith is not alone in raising questions .
Nash the 16th to Become NBA Head Coach Without Coaching Experience Writing in Yahoo Sports , Vincent Goodwill noted that , “ At the intersection of relationship , privilege , Black grievances and an ugly history of NBA coaching hires sits … Steve Nash ?
“ On Thursday , the Brooklyn Nets made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fame point guard with two MVPs yet zero days on a coaching sideline , seemingly a prerequisite for most coaches — especially Black coaches.
” This echoes Smith ’ s argument , namely , that there were other , Black candidates with plenty of coaching experience , yet they were passed over in favor of a White man with no coaching experience .
But what about all the White candidates with plenty of coaching experience who were passed over ?
Do they not count ?
And what about other players — both Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as head coaches without prior coaching experience ?
According to Dan Feldman at NBC Sports , “ Since the league ’ s last player-coach ( Dave Cowens with the 1978-79 Celtics ) , 16 people have become NBA head coaches without prior coaching experience.
” The first of the 16 , Paul Silas , hired in 1980 , was Black .
So were NBA greats like Magic Johnson ( 1994 ) , Doc Rivers ( 1999 and still coaching ) , Isiah Thomas ( 2000 ) , Mark Jackson ( 2011 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s father was Black , his mother White ) , and Derek Fisher ( 2014 ) .
So much for Nash ’ s hiring being a glaring example of racial favoritism .
More Likely Reasons for the Hiring Decision To Goodwill ’ s credit , he wrote , “ It ’ s clear the Nets made this hire with one player in mind : Kevin Durant .
… Durant appears to want Nash , and Nash , revealing coaching has been a secret desire after years of denying interest , wanted in.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top 5 players ( Durant ) moves to a new team ( the Nets ) and has a good working relationship with a potential coach , you bump that coach to the top of the line .
All the more is this the case when Nash already had a great reputation as a mentor and teacher .
Surely Smith knows this too .
In keeping with that understanding , Magic Johnson tweeted , “ Last year Steve Nash was working with Kevin Durant at the Lakers facility and I could see that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With Steve ’ s basketball IQ , he really knows what it takes for players to go to the next level.
” More bluntly , and with obvious reference to the criticisms against Nash ’ s hiring , former player Richard Jefferson tweeted , “ Derek Fisher , Jason Kidd all got jobs right away because of 20 years of HIGH LEVEL BBall IQ .
Please don ’ t question Steve Nash ’ s hire or make this about anything else.
” Exactly .
To read anything more into this is to inflame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are already raging out of control .
Not only so , but when false charges are raised , they detract from true concerns that should be addressed .
( For those who don ’ t know me , I actually wrote an article in January of this year , agreeing with Tony Dungy that the NFL might be overlooking potential Black head coaches . )
Should Nash prove an excellent hire , this proves nothing about Whiteness ( any more than Durant ’ s basketball mastery proves something about Blackness ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ business move .
Let ’ s leave it at that .
Dr. Michael Brown ( www.askdrbrown.org ) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program .
His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads : Will We Pass the Trump Test ?
Connect with him on Facebook , Twitter or YouTube .

Must everything be about race? Can nothing be about merit? Can owners of a sports franchise no longer hire the person they believe is best qualified without making it into an issue of race?
I’m talking here about the claim of the popular (and controversial) sports commentator Stephen A. Smith that the hiring of NBA great Steve Nash to coach the Brooklyn Nets can only be explained on the basis of “White privilege.”
To be sure, Smith loves Nash as a person and has the highest respect for him as a basketball player. In no way is he criticizing Nash, who was a greatly loved player during his long career. Smith even thinks that Nash will do a great job as coach.
But since Nash has no coaching experience and there are other, experienced Black coaches who were passed over, then Nash’s hiring can only be attributed to “White privilege.”
With all respect to Smith’s sporting acumen, his argument is without merit.
Where is the White Privilege?
First, the NBA is a Black-dominated sport, as a large percentage of the world’s best basketball players are Black. Men like Michael Jordan and LeBron James have been the faces of the league for decades, and it is not uncommon to see 10 Black players on the court at any one time. (For those not familiar with basketball, that would mean that every player on the court would be Black.)
Second, it is not just Black players who are dominant, but Black NBA studio analysts dominate the airwaves. I’m thinking of men like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley and others who moved on to TV commenting after finishing their successful playing careers. Shaq and Barkley are joined by Kenny Smith — the three of them Black — to interact with Ernie Johnson (who is White) on NBA on TNT. Others who fill in include Chris Webber and Grant Hill, both of them Black.
What about other players — both Black and White — who were previously hired as head coaches without prior coaching experience?
So, viewers are used to enjoying a game dominated by Black stars and then analyzed by Black former players. Where is the White privilege when it comes to hiring NBA TV analysts?
Third, in contrast with some of the other major sports, NBA coaches have hardly been shut out. It’s true that the number of Black NBA coaches dropped from a high of 14 in 2012-2013 to 8 at the beginning of the playoff season. (That number is now down to 5.) But why must this be judged on race, as if the league has seen an increase in “White privilege” since 2013? Wouldn’t it be equally wrong to accuse the league of “Black privilege” since about 70 percent of the players are Black?
To put this in context, the first Black head coach in the NBA was none other than the legendary Bill Russell back in 1966. Yes, 1966, just three years after the historic March on Washington and Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Yet already, the NBA had a Black head coach. To suggest that Nash’s color was the deciding factor in his hire is to regress by decades.
And does anyone really think that these owners, who are driven by a desire to win, make money, and have a successful franchise, would fire a winning Black coach in favor of a losing White coach?
But Smith is not alone in raising questions.
Nash the 16th to Become NBA Head Coach Without Coaching Experience
Writing in Yahoo Sports, Vincent Goodwill noted that, “At the intersection of relationship, privilege, Black grievances and an ugly history of NBA coaching hires sits … Steve Nash?
“On Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets made the stunning hire of a Hall of Fame point guard with two MVPs yet zero days on a coaching sideline, seemingly a prerequisite for most coaches — especially Black coaches.”
This echoes Smith’s argument, namely, that there were other, Black candidates with plenty of coaching experience, yet they were passed over in favor of a White man with no coaching experience.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
But what about all the White candidates with plenty of coaching experience who were passed over? Do they not count?
And what about other players — both Black and White — who were previously hired as head coaches without prior coaching experience?
According to Dan Feldman at NBC Sports, “Since the league’s last player-coach (Dave Cowens with the 1978-79 Celtics), 16 people have become NBA head coaches without prior coaching experience.”
The first of the 16, Paul Silas, hired in 1980, was Black. So were NBA greats like Magic Johnson (1994), Doc Rivers (1999 and still coaching), Isiah Thomas (2000), Mark Jackson (2011), Jason Kidd (2013; Kidd’s father was Black, his mother White), and Derek Fisher (2014).
So much for Nash’s hiring being a glaring example of racial favoritism.
More Likely Reasons for the Hiring Decision
To Goodwill’s credit, he wrote, “It’s clear the Nets made this hire with one player in mind: Kevin Durant. … Durant appears to want Nash, and Nash, revealing coaching has been a secret desire after years of denying interest, wanted in.”
So, when one of the games top 5 players (Durant) moves to a new team (the Nets) and has a good working relationship with a potential coach, you bump that coach to the top of the line. All the more is this the case when Nash already had a great reputation as a mentor and teacher. Surely Smith knows this too.
In keeping with that understanding, Magic Johnson tweeted, “Last year Steve Nash was working with Kevin Durant at the Lakers facility and I could see that they had a really good working relationship. With Steve’s basketball IQ, he really knows what it takes for players to go to the next level.”
A Meritless Argument that Inflames Tensions
More bluntly, and with obvious reference to the criticisms against Nash’s hiring, former player Richard Jefferson tweeted, “Derek Fisher, Jason Kidd all got jobs right away because of 20 years of HIGH LEVEL BBall IQ. Please don’t question Steve Nash’s hire or make this about anything else.”
Exactly. To read anything more into this is to inflame tensions and divisions at a time when they are already raging out of control. Not only so, but when false charges are raised, they detract from true concerns that should be addressed. (For those who don’t know me, I actually wrote an article in January of this year, agreeing with Tony Dungy that the NFL might be overlooking potential Black head coaches.)
Should Nash prove an excellent hire, this proves nothing about Whiteness (any more than Durant’s basketball mastery proves something about Blackness).
It simply proves to be a savvy business move. Let’s leave it at that.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.


thestream--2020-09-04--How to Cripple a State for its Own ‘Good’ — Gavin Newsom’s Painful Prescription for California

C.S .
Lewis had sharp words for those he called “ moral busybodies.
” These are the sort of people who assume they know the best medicine for others and are eager to administer it , even by force .
“ Those who torment us for our own good , ” wrote Lewis , “ will torment us without end , for they do so with the approval of their conscience.
” As a California native who , after years away , returned to the Golden State last year , I find myself on the receiving end of Governor Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on where you are , you may be thinking I shouldn ’ t complain .
I disagree .
You may well have it worse , but as much as we dislike complaining , this is one of those times when we need to speak up .
According to California ’ s new “ Blueprint for a Safer Economy , ” counties are assigned to one of four tiers based upon the assessed health risk to residents .
Color codes make the whole thing look pretty .
At a quick glance , it might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tighter restrictions ; lower risk means looser restrictions .
Sure .
But when you examine the details , the whole thing starts to take on a scary , dystopian flavor .
Most disturbingly , Newsom has avoided a green-light , all-is-well , you-can-resume-your-lives tier altogether .
It ’ s not there .
Normal just vanished in a poof of political smoke !
As he put it : “ We don ’ t believe that there is a green light , which says go back to the way things were or back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nit-picking about colors here .
Governor Newsom is actually using his elected powers to prevent the people who elected him from resuming their lives as normal .
In order for a county to qualify for gold-tier status in the Golden State , it must have fewer than one new COVID-19 case per day per hundred thousand residents on a sustained basis , and less than 2 % of tests must come back positive .
I ’ ll challenge the reasonableness of these criteria in a moment .
First , let ’ s consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ minimal risk ” counties .
How close will he let them come to life as usual ?
Not very close .
According to the official document , places of worship , movie theaters , restaurants , gyms and fitness centers are all restricted to 50 % of capacity , and professional sports can ’ t have live audiences .
This permanent purgatory is the best-case scenario !
No path to normal !
After half a year of crippling burden , Newsom wants this to be the sustained level of burden even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus .
No one should stand for this .
Comparably disturbing is the fact that both swab tests and antibody tests for COVID-19 have reported false positive rates in excess of the declared 2 % -positives criterion .
The rate of false positives for the swab test can be as high as 5 % , and for the antibody test it has been reported to be 4 % .
This means that virus-free California counties can expect to fail Newsom ’ s gold standard simply because the tests aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What makes all of this more painful is that there isn ’ t actually a virus threat that calls for such extreme measures in the first place .
Newsom ’ s tiers are based entirely on cases and test results , as though being found to have COVID-19 were a death sentence .
As we all know by now , it isn ’ t .
Because most people who get COVID-19 do just fine ( many don ’ t even know they have it ) , the actual threat to public health ought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but by the frequency of hospitalizations and deaths .
By these metrics , the general population of California has no cause for alarm .
The number of COVID patients in intensive care units per hundred thousand residents is down to around three , having peaked at around six in late July .
With hospital stays averaging around a week , this means that for every hundred thousand Californians , fewer than one per day is being admitted to an ICU because of COVID-19 , on average .
And in a state where about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a normal day , the number of daily deaths being attributed to COVID-19 is down to about 0.25 per hundred thousand — and falling .
Add to this picture the fact that these deaths are mostly among elderly people in poor health , and the cause for panic evaporates .
People are dying because that ’ s what happens to us all , eventually .
A fraction of these people are dying with complications from respiratory disease because , again , that ’ s what happens to us , eventually .
Think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re Missing the Point The cause for alarm here is not the virus but the misuse of political power .
The press is equally guilty for stirring fear where there is no cause for it .
They switched their obsession from deaths to cases as soon as it became hard to scare people with rapidly dropping death rates .
And they consistently focus on individual tragic cases , which are indeed tragic , while neglecting the big picture .
People I respect have taken the view that we should tolerate these measures as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re missing the point .
This isn ’ t about masks or restaurants .
It ’ s about government intrusion .
It ’ s about moral busybodies with the power to impose their view of how things ought to be on people who have no say in the matter .
This is about the emergency loophole that has suddenly turned so many governors and mayors into tyrants .
It doesn ’ t take much imagination , or much reading of history , to see how this new mode of governance could go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Land of the free ?
Not if this government overreach continues .
Douglas Axe is Maxwell Professor of Molecular Biology at Biola University , director of Biologic Institute and co-author , with William Briggs and Jay Richards , of the forthcoming book , The Price of Panic : How the Tyranny of Experts Turned a Pandemic Into a Catastrophe .
Follow him on Twitter @ DougAxe .

C.S. Lewis had sharp words for those he called “moral busybodies.” These are the sort of people who assume they know the best medicine for others and are eager to administer it, even by force. “Those who torment us for our own good,” wrote Lewis, “will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their conscience.”
As a California native who, after years away, returned to the Golden State last year, I find myself on the receiving end of Governor Newsom’s latest COVID prescription. Depending on where you are, you may be thinking I shouldn’t complain. I disagree. You may well have it worse, but as much as we dislike complaining, this is one of those times when we need to speak up.
According to California’s new “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” counties are assigned to one of four tiers based upon the assessed health risk to residents. Color codes make the whole thing look pretty. At a quick glance, it might even seem reasonable: higher risk means tighter restrictions; lower risk means looser restrictions. Sure.
But when you examine the details, the whole thing starts to take on a scary, dystopian flavor.
The Brave New Normal
Most disturbingly, Newsom has avoided a green-light, all-is-well, you-can-resume-your-lives tier altogether. It’s not there. Normal just vanished in a poof of political smoke! As he put it: “We don’t believe that there is a green light, which says go back to the way things were or back to the pre-pandemic mindset.”
I’m not nit-picking about colors here. Governor Newsom is actually using his elected powers to prevent the people who elected him from resuming their lives as normal. In order for a county to qualify for gold-tier status in the Golden State, it must have fewer than one new COVID-19 case per day per hundred thousand residents on a sustained basis, and less than 2% of tests must come back positive.
Newsom’s tiers are based entirely on cases and test results, as though being found to have COVID-19 were a death sentence. As we all know by now, it isn’t.
I’ll challenge the reasonableness of these criteria in a moment. First, let’s consider what Newsom has in mind for these “minimal risk” counties. How close will he let them come to life as usual?
Not very close. According to the official document, places of worship, movie theaters, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers are all restricted to 50% of capacity, and professional sports can’t have live audiences. This permanent purgatory is the best-case scenario! No path to normal! After half a year of crippling burden, Newsom wants this to be the sustained level of burden even in counties where there’s no sign of the virus.
No one should stand for this.
Numerical Madness
Comparably disturbing is the fact that both swab tests and antibody tests for COVID-19 have reported false positive rates in excess of the declared 2%-positives criterion. The rate of false positives for the swab test can be as high as 5%, and for the antibody test it has been reported to be 4%. This means that virus-free California counties can expect to fail Newsom’s gold standard simply because the tests aren’t accurate enough to let them pass!
That’s ridiculous.
What makes all of this more painful is that there isn’t actually a virus threat that calls for such extreme measures in the first place. Newsom’s tiers are based entirely on cases and test results, as though being found to have COVID-19 were a death sentence. As we all know by now, it isn’t.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Because most people who get COVID-19 do just fine (many don’t even know they have it), the actual threat to public health ought to be assessed not by case counts but by the frequency of hospitalizations and deaths. By these metrics, the general population of California has no cause for alarm. The number of COVID patients in intensive care units per hundred thousand residents is down to around three, having peaked at around six in late July. With hospital stays averaging around a week, this means that for every hundred thousand Californians, fewer than one per day is being admitted to an ICU because of COVID-19, on average.
And in a state where about two of every hundred thousand residents die on a normal day, the number of daily deaths being attributed to COVID-19 is down to about 0.25 per hundred thousand — and falling. Add to this picture the fact that these deaths are mostly among elderly people in poor health, and the cause for panic evaporates. People are dying because that’s what happens to us all, eventually. A fraction of these people are dying with complications from respiratory disease because, again, that’s what happens to us, eventually.
Think the Restrictions are Tolerable? You’re Missing the Point
The cause for alarm here is not the virus but the misuse of political power.
The press is equally guilty for stirring fear where there is no cause for it. They switched their obsession from deaths to cases as soon as it became hard to scare people with rapidly dropping death rates. And they consistently focus on individual tragic cases, which are indeed tragic, while neglecting the big picture.
This isn’t about masks or restaurants. It’s about government intrusion. It’s about moral busybodies with the power to impose their view of how things ought to be on people who have no say in the matter.
People I respect have taken the view that we should tolerate these measures as the “new normal.” But they’re missing the point. This isn’t about masks or restaurants. It’s about government intrusion. It’s about moral busybodies with the power to impose their view of how things ought to be on people who have no say in the matter. This is about the emergency loophole that has suddenly turned so many governors and mayors into tyrants.
It doesn’t take much imagination, or much reading of history, to see how this new mode of governance could go very badly wrong in a hurry. Land of the free? Not if this government overreach continues.
Douglas Axe is Maxwell Professor of Molecular Biology at Biola University, director of Biologic Institute and co-author, with William Briggs and Jay Richards, of the forthcoming book, The Price of Panic: How the Tyranny of Experts Turned a Pandemic Into a Catastrophe. Follow him on Twitter @DougAxe.