My state governor’s draconian restrictions announced last night prompt me to write today.
She has forbidden private families from Thanksgiving gatherings
with more than 2 households, on penalty of $200 and $1000 fines and possible
imprisonment. No indoor gatherings AT
ALL of more than 2 families, or 10 people.
Shut down high school sports and in-person school. Shuttered restaurants and entertainment
venues entirely. All for 3 weeks, and it’ll
likely be extended beyond that. But the
Lions and college sports can play. Daycares will remain open. Religious
services are exempt from penalties. Throughout
the press conference, she danced between urging and persuasion, and the language
of these as “orders” and “laws.”
Feel free to correct any factual errors in this summary. I’m a bit strong in my wording below, but
also welcome your feedback.
My thoughts:
1.
It is a clear overreach on the part of the civil government
to forbid family gatherings. Freedom of
assembly is a specific first amendment right in our Constitution. The proper word for this is authoritarianism
and tyranny, regardless of the legitimacy of the public health threat. This is the epitome of a nanny state in which
we are all wards, not free citizens. I
would be fine with medical advisories, even if given from their view of the
virus, not mine (see #2). But talk to us
like we are adults and free citizens, not minors who need to be “allowed” some
things, and “closed” to others. Issue
information and statistics objectively, not selectively to fit your narrative
(see 2.a. next). That is your job. Instead, you seem to be learning from the
national media to curate and present the facts in a way that fits only your
agenda. When such overreach is clear, a
Christian is not bound by Romans 13, to obey whatever orders are given. Rather, civil disobedience (or disregarding
orders, or appealing to a lower magistrate) is a way for citizens to point our
government, which is “of the people,” to their properly limited authority.
2. There are at least two differing views
of the virus, BOTH supported by science
a.
First is the one you hear in the news every day, and what my governor is acting on. It says each new case, each new “outbreak”
(defined as a handful of cases!) is a preventable travesty. If only we were
all wearing masks, 200,000 people wouldn’t have died! 200,000 more won’t die! Don’t expose yourself to Covid, or you’re
doomed!
b. The other view says each Covid case is a largely necessary and mostly UN-preventable necessity to building herd immunity to Covid. Even after we have a vaccine, herd immunity, a biological fact of life, will still be the goal to stem Covid's effects on us. Key fact: testing the population for antibodies has shown that 50 times more people have had Covid (without even knowing it) than there are confirmed cases. (Source: Imprimis article by Stanford Professor of Medicine). This means the risk of Covid hospitalizing, scarring, or killing you is 50 times lower than we think. Google the Great Barrington Declaration for more. The media reports every bizarre and rare case of child abuse that happens, so now parents don’t dare let their children out of their sight. Child trafficking is real, but helicopter parenting isn't the answer. The same is happening with Covid. It is a real threat, but helicopter governing isn't a good response. We think Covid is everywhere and always lethal/dangerous, when actually, many of the people you live and work with have already had it, and it's usually innocuous. The objective stats and numbers rank the danger of Covid to us nowhere near a bubonic plague to flee, or to cancel Christmas or church over.
c. The first view is psychologically compelling, because we all WANT
desperately to believe that we can by our actions manage and control this virus. So we latch on to things like masks,
vaccines, and other mitigation. Not
because of the science, but because we want to believe we can stop the spread
by our choices. It’s like a cancer
patient changing his diet to fight cancer.
Not gonna help much. We ought not
radically alter our society to be just a tiny bit safer. Let the vulnerable and their relatives make
that decision, don’t foist it on the whole society.
d. Most/all of the news you hear only gives you the first view (a. above), assumes it, and presses it on you every day. They imply you must be a fringe, selfish psychopath to resist restrictions. Have you simply assumed they must be right, and not considered that the second view may be true? Do you realize they are pressuring us to comply like repressive Communist governments want their people to behave?
e.
A majority of our state legislature holds the
second view, yet the governor did not take it into account AT ALL in setting
her policy.
f.
This is an easy win for those on the left
seeking to expand the role of government.
Climate change has been a harder presenting cause, to achieve an expansion
of government’s role and spending. But
Covid has made it much easier to assert and assume government control of
everyday life. People are used to it now, and meekly comply like sheeple, when they should be outraged at the
tyranny. Businesses will follow
along. Small business doesn’t have the
resources to resist and big corporations have been overtaken by woke
culture. We have become a fascist
society without realizing it (government controlling business). All while rejecting the president who we CALLED a fascist, but who resisted these policies.
3.
What
we know about Covid
a.
I’ve heard from some of you, the tragic first-hand
accounts in hospitals, the stories of severe after-effects from COVID. I believe them, and it’s nothing to sneeze
at, pun intended. But other anecdotes
reveal many confirmed cases with NO symptoms and a full and complete recovery. Our denomination’s leader and 2 family
members got Covid, had mild symptoms, and are recovering. At our small church we have worshiped in
person for 6 months now without masks, and have no Covid cases yet. When we get one, I’m not going to freak out.
b. Tesla's Elon Musk recently tested the test by testing himself 4
times in one day – the result was 2 positive and 2 negative, showing the
uncertainty of the test. “Confirmed case”
is an oxymoron.
c.
Politicians that want more restrictions are talking
like hospitals are already overrun again.
They are not. They are fuller
than they were a month ago, yes. But hospital
stays are shorter. Staff have been
around the block once, and know better what to do. We don't need the same draconian shutdowns to prevent the health system being over-capacity.
d.
Covid can be more or less lethal/damaging than
the flu, depending on what age you are. Of
course, we should be more careful to not spread germs and practice better
hygiene. But to shut down social life for this is like refusing to fly because
some planes crash. No, not even that. It’s like outlawing flying for everyone,
because some planes crash.
4. Covid’s unpredictability is what scares us. It can scare doctors and scientists most of all, who crave understanding and control of their environment. So they are the most willing to propose radical steps to get control. (Witness Dr. Fauci.) Politicians lack the courage to set policy that accounts for other factors. I do see my governor accounting for economic factors now, unlike in March, in keeping daycares and some businesses open. That’s a good step. But to cancel family life at the holidays instead is cruel and disproportionate.
Not because I’m selfish and want my holiday parties, and don't care if I give people Covid unknowingly. No, I believe I understand the epidemiology rationale behind canceling, and I reject it. Either way, families should have the freedom to decide whether to take that risk or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment