Open (More or Less) Post on Covid 167

[ecosophia]

We are now in the fourth year of these open posts. When I first posted a tentative hypothesis on the course of the Covid phenomenon, I had no idea that discussion on the subject would still be necessary more than three years later, much less that it would turn into so lively, complex, and troubling a conversation. Still, here we are. Crude death rates and other measures of collapsing public health are anomalously high in many countries, but nobody in authority wants to talk about the inadequately tested experimental Covid injections that are the most likely cause; public health authorities government shills for the pharmaceutical industry are still trying to push through laws that will allow them to force vaccinations on anyone they want; public trust in science is collapsing; and the story continues to unfold.

So it's time for another open post. The rules are the same as before: 

1. If you plan on parroting the party line of the medical industry and its paid shills, please go away. This is a place for people to talk openly, honestly, and freely about their concerns that the party line in question is dangerously flawed and that actions being pushed by the medical industry and its government enablers are causing injury and death on a massive scale. It is not a place for you to dismiss those concerns. Anyone who wants to hear the official story and the arguments in favor of it can find those on hundreds of thousands of websites.

2. If you plan on insisting that the current situation is the result of a deliberate plot by some villainous group of people or other, please go away. There are tens of thousands of websites currently rehashing various conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 outbreak and the vaccines. This is not one of them. What we're exploring is the likelihood that what's going on is the product of the same arrogance, incompetence, and corruption that the medical industry and its wholly owned politicians have displayed so abundantly in recent decades. That possibility deserves a space of its own for discussion, and that's what we're doing here. 
 
3. If you plan on using rent-a-troll derailing or disruption tactics, please go away. I'm quite familiar with the standard tactics used by troll farms to disrupt online forums, and am ready, willing, and able -- and in fact quite eager -- to ban people permanently for engaging in them here. Oh, and I also lurk on other Covid-19 vaccine skeptic blogs, so I'm likely to notice when the same posts are showing up on more than one venue. 

4. If you plan on making off topic comments, please go away. This is an open post for discussion of the Covid epidemic, the vaccines, drugs, policies, and other measures that supposedly treat it, and other topics directly relevant to those things. It is not a place for general discussion of unrelated topics. Nor is it a place to ask for medical advice; giving such advice, unless you're a licensed health care provider, legally counts as practicing medicine without a license and is a crime in the US. Don't even go there.

5. If you don't believe in treating people with common courtesy, please go away. I have, and enforce, a strict courtesy policy on my blogs and online forums, and this is no exception. The sort of schoolyard bullying that takes place on so many other internet forums will get you deleted and banned here. Also, please don't drag in current quarrels about sex, race, religions, etc. No, I don't care if you disagree with that: my journal, my rules. 

Please also note that nothing posted here should be construed as medical advice, which neither I nor the commentariat (excepting those who are licensed medical providers) are qualified to give. Please take your medical questions to the licensed professional provider of your choice.

With that said, the floor is open for discussion.

Comments

Re: Mask Mandates Have Returned

[(Anonymous)]

^^^THIS THIS THIS

"In the USA, if the business is open to the public, such as a shop or a restaurant, by law, they have to acommodate you, and if you say, "I have a medical condition that exempts me from wearing a mask," they have no legal right to even ask you what that medical condition might be. Period. They also cannot discriminate against you for religious reasons, and you can claim it is against your religious beliefs to mask the face God gave you. "

You summarized my approach. I also hate public confrontation but know it's a slippery slope and if they win on masks, 2021 mandates are a hop, skip, and jump away (and they'll do it just as gleefully).

I do take all my business away from anyone requiring it that I know about BUT if I'm surprised by a mandate somewhere, I invoke the "medical exemption". I do it politely and offer no explanations or further fight, just say the magic words and go about my business. There have been a few white knuckle moments where my knees were shaking as I knew they were sending bad vibes my way but luckily, I know a place where people talk about how to combat such things. :)

I have learned "medical exemption" are the magic words no good bureaucrat/crybully can fight. This includes on other issues such as smartphone creep in society (I'm a non-smartphone user).

A business or government agency requires you to access their services by QR code? I say "medical exemption please, I need a print option", one appears in short order. (They know this and have backups ready in many cases.) It also fights low level lenocracy BS. You need me to follow that silly rule? I'll need a 'reasonable accommodation per the ADA (other magic words) to do it another way - thanks'! You do not have to disclose the reason or offer any further explanation.

When I was travelling in 2021, I learned there are all sorts of legal loopholes for medical conditions and a legit medical condition is "anxiety" and no paperwork or formal diagnosis is needed per government definitions in such loopholes. So my reasoning is "Your BS causes me anxiety, so I am medically exempt". But I'm a contrarian and while I have no big victories, I keep poking at the BS.

Karmically, I do feel bad for the small businesses that have to deal with this minefield. It's one of the reasons I sell things online and can't even dream of having a brick and mortar store. But if lenocracy is the fight (and I include mask bullies in this overall BS), this is what I've got. I also go out of my way to support businesses and entrepreneurs on the fringes who are also clearly tired of the bureaucracy to even it out for the times I'm intentionally a stinker.