Pondering

Santa Clara County in California has been putting pressure on Calvary Chapel San Jose for daring to hold worship services during the pandemic.

We now know the efforts to suppress Christian worship were a flagrant violation of the First Amendment, as determined by the Supreme Court in multiple rulings. See end of this discussion for list of posts describing the rebukes from the Supreme Court. (If you want to see the results when ideologues write feeble legal briefs, I heartily encourage you to read the dissents from the Supreme Court’s rulings.)

The county levied plenty of fines and a temporary injunction against the church. Previous article describing Calvary Chapel San Jose’s efforts to exercise their first amendment right to free expression of religion:

• 11/13/20 – Continued pressure on churches in California to restrict worship as strip clubs open their doors in San Diego under protection of First Amendment.

Since my post back in November 2020, we have learned the county was allegedly conducting surreptitious surveillance on the church during the pandemic. A neighboring church allegedly assisted with the surveillance. Fines issued by the county have been dismissed at the appellate level.

Now the church has filed suit against the county for their surveillance. They are standing up for the rights of all Christians to gather in worship.

This discussion is posted here on Nonprofit Update blog, as well as Outrun Change, because this affects the freedom of many in this audience.

By the way, if you see an above average amount of ridicule and sarcasm in this post, it is here in the hope that out-loud, belly laughter directed at officials will encourage said officials to reconsider their foolish ways. Supreme Court rulings don’t seem to have had that effect yet.

3/16/23 – The Christian Post – California church denies working with gov’t officials to surveil lockdown-defying Calvary Chapel

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So many of my posts during the pandemic pointed out the elite in political, public health, entertainment, and media worlds flagrantly ignored the Covid restrictions they demanded we little people follow.

In a moment I will describe conclusions by the British Parliament that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was lying through his teeth when he spoke to them trying to rationalize away the weekly social events he held for his staff.

I’ve been wondering for two years why so many elitists were so flagrant in their covid violations. I have developed several hypothesis with increasing level of severe implications.

First possibility, all these folks are flaming hypocrites who believe they are above having to comply with the rules everyone else is forced to follow. They speak soberly of the dangers and risks of Covid along with the steps everyone must absolutely take to protect loved ones and neighbors. Yet they won’t lower themselves to follow those rules.

More seriously:

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There are many things you could not say in public two or three years ago, all of which are now safe to say. Here is a starting point of the list of things you can now talk about in the open:

• Masks don’t work.
• Natural immunity works. (next post)
• The virus came from a lab leak. (upcoming post)

There is a disturbing pattern emerging, which further corrodes credibility of the entire public health sector.

A slow trickle of news reports are showing that lots of the crazy, coo-coo bird, nutzo, conspiracy theory wackiness from two or three years ago was actually correct. Turns out my wacko friends who were saying these things were right.

Masks don’t work.

Previously discussed this study as covered by a couple of other reports:

• 2/12/23 – Research shows no identifiable benefit from wearing masks.

From the New York Times (!), an opinion piece from Brett Stevens:

2/21/23 – Brett Stevens opinion in The New York Times – The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?

Article cites a study which analyzed 78 research reports, all of which were randomized control trials. Researchers say those little paper masks we were wearing for so long made little or no difference. They can find no evidence for positive impact.

How about those expensive N-95 masks? Same thing. No impact.

What about those studies which did show masks made a difference which were cited as proof positive that anyone who disagreed mask efficacy was a Neanderthal?

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The Covid vaccination is 95% effective against infection.

That is what we were told by every public health official and media outlet in order to persuade us to get the shots.

95%.

It has been so effective we should get a booster. And another booster. And now there is a brand new fifth booster, because the previous four worked so well.

This is the first in a series of posts explaining the effectiveness statements were not only false, but were known to be false at the time.

We start with a survey of how incredibly effective the vaccine has been in 2022:

CDC director

10/31/22 – Center for Disease Control – Update on CDC Director and COVID-19 – I cannot describe this more lastingly than merely quoting the straight line offered by the CDC press release:

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It is imperative we remember what our political, public health care, and education leaders did to us and our children during the Covid shutdowns. Please remember what their sycophantic worshippers in most media outlets did as well.

Remember the economic, social, and educational damage they caused.

Remember the devastation to our spiritual, physical, and emotional health.

Remember especially those religious leaders who were thrilled to close churches, stop communion, and end fellowship. Some leaders tried to minister to their flock while they reluctantly followed mandatory government dictats. Some faithful pastors decided today is not the day for prison.

Others however, were thrilled to aggressively follow every whim of political and health-sector officials whose visible desire was to shut down worship.

My family worshipped in a church where local leadership was quite pleased to shut down tight. Regional and national leadership was oh so ready to bend the knee.

Remember those religious leaders who bowed down to Caesar (first century AD), or the Emperor (1500s), or the governor (today). Also remember those whose focus was bowing to Christ instead of Caesar, the Emperor, or the governor.

(This discussion cross-posted to my other blogs because it is time to stand for religious and political freedom.)

A recent thread on Twitter compiled a partial list of what these leaders did. Please remember.

Part 1:

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Now that Covid infection rates have collapsed in the United States, our political and public health ‘leaders’ are backtracking on the steps they took which caused so much damage.

Before they take credit for a virus variant running its course and fading away, we need to be pay attention to all those who caused trauma by their actions and who had their thumb on the scales when quantifying the impact of the virus.

Articles for your consideration today:

• CDC “accidentally” overcounted Covid deaths.
• Massachusetts overcounted Covid deaths by including deaths from any cause whatsoever if a person had an infection diagnosis within 60 days prior to death.
• An incomplete list of people and organizations who owe us profuse apologies for the damage they have caused.

3/18/22 – Reuters – CDC reports fewer COVID-19 pediatric deaths after data correction – CDC reduced their tally of deaths caused by Covid by 72,277. This includes 416 pediatric fatalities.

That is a 24% drop in the number of children they count as having died because of Covid. With the revised tally of 966,575 deaths in total that means they reduced the total count by 7.5%.

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With the speed at which restrictions are disappearing we will shortly see our alleged leaders claiming credit for their victory in defeating the pandemic.

In advance of those headlines, here are a number of reports to keep in mind: articles on adverse medical consequences, increasing supply chain disruption, and flaming hypocrisy from flagrant hypocrites:

• Leaked information from military’s medical database shows severity of adverse effects from vaccinations.
• In England, the vaccinated are getting sicker at higher rates than the unvaccinated.
• In New York state the double jab is a mere 12% effective for young children.
• Police officers moving to the Inland Empire area of California to escape vaccination dictats.
• Train robberies are a thing in Los Angeles.
• Weapon thefts are part of those train robberies.
• Backups at US ports are spreading.
• School board in New York blows off masks while schoolchildren suspended for doing the same.
• Masks optional for SAG awards and mandatory for schoolchildren.

When you see the declarations of victory by our rulers in political office, overlords in the public health sector, and our betters in news media, remember what they did.

Remember what happened.

Remember who took away 18 months or 2 years of your child’s education. 

Remember who cratered the economy and caused the supply shortage we see every day. 

Remember who generated the Carter-era rate of inflation we see all around us.

Remember.

Adverse health impacts.

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Now is the time to put these prediction into print.

Introduction to this series is here.

The predictions are here.

Why now?

I’ve been writing about the devastation caused by the shutdowns for just under 2 years. Have been mulling over these predictions for well over a year.

Why didn’t I post these thoughts a year ago?

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How much harm was caused by government reaction to the pandemic? I will put into print my predictions of what we eventually learn of the damage willfully caused by the federal and state governments.

Introduction to this series is here.

Concluding comments are here.

Over the last two years reports have surfaced here and there hinting at the following predictions. In the next few months more reports will emerge.

It will take honest, serious researchers years before statistically valid research provides solid evidence for these predictions. Strong, verifiable, reproducible proof will emerge with time.

I predict that in a decade or two there will be a consensus throughout the country that the government reaction to the coronavirus pandemic was the worst, most destructive government policy in U.S. history.

Seven predictions follow:

1 – Government response caused more deaths as measured by years-of-life-lost than deaths prevented by the government response as measured by years-of-life-lost.

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It is time to lay down my predictions about what we will eventually conclude about the damage caused by the government reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.

It will take time, but we will eventually prove government actions caused horrible damage. We will quantify the destruction willfully inflicted.

The predictions are here.

Concluding comments are here.

Since April 2020 I have been writing about the damage caused by the economic shutdown imposed by federal and state governments. Over 200 posts on this blog point out the economic, political, social, educational, and medical damage directly caused by government action.

I started writing in early April 2020 calling out the danger of lockdowns with my first direct complaint on 4/26/20 about the damage caused by government actions.

To lay down my first marker, here is the headline and first paragraph from back in late April 2020:

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I don’t know how any comedian can possibly develop new jokes when competing against the silly, silly people in the public health community. And FEMA.

(Updates at end of article describing laughter that is emerging around the ol’ internet.)

The mental giants, the phenomenal geniuses at FEMA have the following advice to survive the fallout of a nuclear explosion:

Most importantly, after the explosion, please do get indoors.

Then go the basement or interior of the building.

That’s sound advice so far.

And then?

Well, then you should

“Stay away from the outer walls and roof. Try to maintain a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who are not part of your household. If possible, wear a mask if you’re sheltering with people who are not a part of your household. Children under two years old, people who have trouble breathing, and those who are unable to remove masks on their own should not wear them.” (emphasis added)

Well, good.

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Mask mandates are going away everywhere. It is almost as if a memo went out over the weekend of February 5, 2022 to all the people who have had their boot firmly planted on our face that they should switch to sneakers.  

I’ll leave it for you to consider what has caused this radical change in ‘science’ over one weekend.

Regardless of the cause, the floodgate opened.

Consider articles describing what has happened this week:

• California will lift the blanket indoor mask mandate.
• New Jersey, Oregon, Connecticut, and Delaware do the same.
• Nevada joins in.
• Los Angeles County slightly relaxes their mask requirements.
• Eight counties in the Bay Area will lift their mask mandate.

Almost fell out of my chair reading one comment in the San Francisco Chronicle article discussed below. Unidentified public health officials are arriving at a conclusion which was achieved by dozens of other states approximately 23 months ago. I will quote the article, because otherwise you would think I’m imagining this:

“…officials say they plan to ease away from legal mandates to dictate behavior and instead trust individuals to make their own health decisions, including whether and when to wear masks.”

Wow. Only took two years to make that realization. I guess that’s better than never.

Until this month, a trust-the-public attitude was prohibited, with penalty of banishment from the public square for anyone who held such a radical, heretical concept. After the weekend, trusting people to make their own decisions is suddenly acceptable.

The New Jersey and Nevada governors also made previously-heretical comments.

More details:

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Ridicule is effective in discussing the flaming hypocrites who hold power and ignore the rules they demand, demand, we follow.

I’m not great at sarcasm and ridicule. Takes lots of effort to gather the minimal ridicule you see on this blog. I certainly cannot generate as much humor as the loons we have in office.

Any smidgeon of humor I could muster is overshadowed by the hilarity of their dead-pan rationalizations.

(How do they hide the giggles such comments would cause? Only stand up comics have that level of skill.)

Yes, as you already guessed, I am talking about California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

First, we had British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claiming he did not know the afterhours office parties with lots of drinking were a violation of the Covid rules that no more than two people could get together in private. His laughable excuse was nobody told him those drinking parties were a violation of the Covid rules that no more than two people could get together in private.

His defense is that as an experienced politician he lacked the intellectual capacity to apply the rules to scheduled, weekly, after-hours drinking parties. 

It has since emerged that two of the booze-it-up shindigs now under criminal investigation were in his private residence at 10 Downing Street.

I cannot make up ridicule stronger than just citing his comments.

And now!

Now we have Gov. Newsom and Mayor Garcetti. They are comedic geniuses. There is no way I can keep up with them.

They appeared in separate photos posted online by Magic Johnson. In one photo, Mayor Garcetti was joined by San Francisco Mayor London Breed. More photos have emerged showing Mr. Johnson with a variety of lesser elite elitists.

Of course, none of them were wearing a mask while at SoFi Stadium during the NFC championship game. Everyone at the stadium was required by both stadium rules and Los Angeles County rules to have a mask on every moment except when actively eating and drinking.

Their excuses? I could never dream up something as entertaining as their straight face explanations.

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The foolishness of those who think they rule over you and me is growing week by week. The poor behavior, bad decision-making, and ill intent of those who think they have power is becoming more obvious.

The situation in the Oakdale, California school system is an emerging story. It has developed this week and the situation is deteriorating by the day. Might want to check online for current developments.

RedState – 2/4/22 – California High School “Barricaded” Unmasked Students in Unheated School Gym – What can we call this other than stupidity? Perhaps criminal? Perhaps deserving of a week in jail for every child abused?

The educational wizards in the Oakdale, California schools have implemented the cold treatment for students who will not submit to the mask diktat.

On day one, an eight-year-old and another child who showed up at school without a mask were put outside in the 43° weather, unsupervised by any adult, told to do their school work outside. Did I mention the near freezing temperature?

The cold treatment goes downhill from there.

Update 2/4/22: New report claims a school employee turned the heat down. It was not a case of just not turning the heat on. A staff person intentionally removed heat when children were barricaded in the gym.

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An astounding outbreak of common sense has appeared in Europe, spreading especially to all the countries of Scandinavia, I am pleased to report.

England has already lifted restrictions. Countries finding common sense, then letting their people out from under the jackboot of Covid restrictions include:

• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Finland
• Norway
• Sweden

I do hope this emergence of rational thought visible in northern Europe is the beginning of a worldwide outbreak of common sense over the next few weeks.

More details:

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