The 2022 YTD Mass Shooting Narrative Lie

Stanford University MSA Data Project identifies a mass shooting when three or more persons are shot at one location, at the same time, excluding the shooter. Organized crime, gangs and drug war shootings are also excluded as mass shootings.

The narrative that mass shootings are out of control and increasing every year is media hype. This narrative is not only wrong, it's dangerous. People don't fear good people with a gun they fear bad people with a gun. If we take guns away from good people, then the only people with guns will be bad people... Right?

Think about the most powerful weapon in history. The nuclear bomb which can kill millions in a flash. And yet, American's don't fear Great Britain, France or Israel who all possess nukes? Why? They are the good guys.

Some in America want only the government to have guns which would no doubt massively reduce gun violence! The problem with that is history and what eventually happens given enough time. 

People have been killing people since the first caveman clubbed his neighbor to death. During the 20th Century the ability to kill increased exponentially and tragically more than 100 million people were murdered at the hands of "their" government. Mao, Stalin and Hitler win the gold, silver and bronze. 

The founding fathers knew that a well regulated Militia was necessary to the security of a free state. One could reasonably argue that gun ownership is essential to our Democracy aka Constitutional Republic.

So what about the widely quoted 250+ mass shootings so far this year? Well that's just BS being pushed by every Democrat, some Republicans and most of the media. Simply put it's NOT true. 

"22 weeks into the year, America has already seen at least 246 mass shootings" Insider

"233 mass shootings have happened so far in 2022" The Hill

"US has seen more than 200 mass shootings in 2022" News Nation

"From Uvalde to Buffalo and now Maryland, there's been 254 mass shootings in 2022" Herald Mail

These headlines are just a sample from the last 30 days. It's just media bull and if you're willing to spend 15 minutes looking at the data you can figure this out for yourself. Typically Wikipedia sucks when it comes to anything political but in this case they nail it. If you apply the FBI's or Stanford Universities definition of a mass shooting to all shootings listed for 2022 there have been 10 "mass shootings" not 250.

In some cases seemingly one death would qualify as a mass shooting. In the past the data required multiple deaths. So why the change? That's easy, the Left wants ONLY the government to have guns and if a few bad guys also have them and use them on the unarmed then that's just the price we all pay to reduce mass shootings in America. It seems the illusion of safety, the gun free school zones, etc... are what the left craves when reality is screaming just the opposite!

Actually even these mass shooting numbers are inflated. Mother Jones adds a very important qualifier to their calculations. To be counted as a mass shooting it must be in a public place and indiscriminate. Now you're getting at the real number which in 2021 totalled six mass shootings that resulted in 43 deaths. Compare that to millions of potential (I would say inevitable given enough time) deaths if you disarm America and I'm a little less sad about the loss of life. It's tragic but it always makes me wonder why the 16,000+ gun related homicides each year hardly receive any national coverage. Don't those victims have families?

Note: I'm absolutely OK with raising the age to possess any "Semi-Automatic" weapon to 21 or even 25 IF underage possession would automatically be charged as a felony and a minimum of one year in prison. You're underage and get caught with a semi-automatic weapon you're going to prison for a year. Run public service ads, prosecute these kids and maintain a website with the picture of every young person arrested, when, where and how and I can only conclude gun crime will plummet in the inner-city. 

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Afterthought: Sometimes I randomly stumble onto something that makes me ponder. Did Ben Franklin yell out: "A Democracy, if you can keep it."? No he did not but the Left knows words have power which is why their "Narrative" is "Democracy" versus "Republic". I wish the Democrats and the media would remember that America is a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC which is very different than a democracy. 

Learn About Guns Before You Ban Them

It's so obvious that most anti-gun activist, politicians and members of the media know basically nothing about guns. From the "Gun Show Loophole" false narrative, the lie that the "Assault Weapons Ban" in the 1994 Crime Bill worked to "journalists" going on and on about the "kick" of the AR-15. The disconnect between knowledge, reality and rhetoric is deeply troubling.

However, as of late a few suggestions by the left have resonated with me. Specifically, increasing the age limit to own a semiautomatic weapon. Kids typically have to pass a basic safety class to fire a gun let alone own one. I for one still proudly have my Minnesota issued gun safety sew-on badge. I don't know why but it seams firearms safety training coupled with live firing seems to drastically reduce the odds a person will become a criminal, let alone a mass shooter. 

In addition the study of gun deaths in the US versus European countries is pretty conclusive... Guns are part of the problem but unfortunately we would have to confiscate all guns to reduce gun deaths commensurate to that of Europe. Only if private gun ownership was illegal will gun involved crimes and suicide deaths drop to what other Western countries experience.

When an an elected official talks about the "AK-15", ghost guns, multiple rounds in a split second, AR-15 round being multiple times faster than other rounds, etc... those with any military background or gun knowledge just roll their eyes. Passion without knowledge is wasted and counter productive but it doesn't stop the Left from spewing nonsense. Without basic gun knowledge the ability to influence gun owners with anti-gun arguments falls upon death ears.

I believe the five rights enshrined by the 1st Amendment are worth fighting for and the 2nd Amendment gives the people the ability to do so. It's seems basic, but it's kinda a big duh the founding fathers understood this and the order of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights isn't happenstance.

It's important to put death and tragedy into context. Tragically this year over 100,000 people will overdose and die. Another 40,000 will die in car crashes. Sadly 6,000 vets will kill themselves for reasons we are just now starting to understand. Finally, on average each day 42 people will be murdered with a gun. 

There are over 136,000 schools, colleges and universities in America and every year a few of these "soft" targets are attacked and on average a dozen or so innocent students and teachers will loose their lives. It's all very sad but the public seemingly forgets the 500+ that die tragically EVERYDAY in America.

Things to TRY as a nation:

- We might raise the age to own a semi-automatic weapon to 21 or even 25.

- Maybe make it a felony with a minimum of one year in prison for anyone under 25 to possess a semi-automatic weapon.

- Absolutely change "Gun Free Zone" laws to allow concealed carry by those with state issued concealed carry permits.

 

- How about increasing training and add actual range time in order to obtain a conceal weapons permit for those without prior police or military experience.

Obviously gun free zones haven't work and I would argue they have actually backfired and created killing zones. Concealed carry requires finger prints, back ground checks, mental health checks and training. Banning these people from schools, movie theaters, etc... has been a resounding failure and yet the sound of gun free zones makes people feel safe? Bad guys don't give a crap about gun free zones. This is beyond obvious but ignored by the Left and liberals who don't know better.

Here is the rub. It's clear to me the left is more concerned with the optics and maintaining this issue into the midterm elections while paying lip service to their base. The Right is paranoid of the slippery slope we all witnessed in 2020. Fifteen days to flatten the curve my ass... Never again!

Lastly, school shootings are beyond heinous but has anyone pondered they may in fact be the price we collectively pay to prevent even a greater loss of life measured in the MILLIONS. Think Mao, Stalin, Hitler and the carnage we are witnessing in Ukraine. 

Far fetched? Maybe, but it's been said:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known, is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well taught lessons of how they and their lifetime must do the same and if you and I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America where men were free." Ronald Reagan, January 5th, 1967 

Gun Control Yet Again...

It's been about 24 hours since the last school shooting and sleazy politicians have again gone into overdrive with no end in sight which of course will likely include sending out fundraising emails addressing the shooting. 

I just watched President Biden's address to the nation which started off amazingly but then President Biden is "telepromptered" into angry Joe and democratic talking points. 

A crazy Bernie Sanders supporter guns down the Republican softball team and very few comments are made linking the shooter to the Left and there were no calls for gun control but every time the shoe is on the other foot it's like someone shook the crazy tree.

Of course every single mass shooting is sad. They are all bad, but this one was exceptionally bad in location, number of injured and killed and very young age of most victims. Truly it's a crime that will go down in history as one of the worst.

As usual, from the very start CNN got so many things wrong that I wonder if facts even matter to them any more. From an expert being interviewed saying there is no reason why anyone should be able to go into a gun store and walk out with a gun to CNN declaring the shooter purchased two assault rifles. 

For starters there are many reasons why waiting to buy a gun could be a bad thing. You find out your EX is going to kill you... Clearly waiting for 10 days could be deadly. You get beat up by your boyfriend and you know a restraining order is absolutely meaningless to someone planning on killing you. There are lots or times when waiting to buy a gun isn't a good thing.

Furthermore, the main stream media is so ignorant when it comes to anything gun related so here is a refresher:

- The Assault Rifle is what the military and swat teams use. Think pull the trigger and the gun fires until the magazine is empty. Most of these guns have single shot and bust mode selection as well. This weapon is NOT legally available to the general public. I can't remember when a 'legally" acquired assault rifle was used in a crime, let alone a mass shooting.

- The Semi Automatic Rifle is what you can purchase in most states. It some cases it looks exactly like the assault rifle but looks have nothing to do with lethality. Think one trigger pull equals one bullet. 

- The Assault Weapon is a made up term that has very little to do with functionality and nothing in common with the rate of fire of an assault rifle. It's truly a made up term. Adding a pistol grip or a mounting rail makes the gun look "mean" but it doesn't make it more deadly than the same gun with a wood stock and standard trigger mount.

Besides that absolute lie that shootings went down when the "Federal Assault Weapons Ban" of 1994 was passed (which was not renewed in 2004 because it didn't reduce gun crimes) the left just doesn't comprehend the 2nd Amendment was never about hunting. One would think the ongoing war in Ukraine would demonstrate to the left just how bad things can get when a population isn't armed.

I'm going to suggest something that may seem horrific to some but it's based on raw numbers. The loss of life that we experienced as a nation yesterday might just be the price we pay to avoid millions of deaths in the future. Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Tojo, Pol Pot, Leopold II, Ismail Enver Pasha, etc... These "leaders" killed well over 100,000,000 people. Had the populations they attacked been armed the results would have been undoubtedly different. 

So here is my take away. Before you start marching in the streets demanding that all guns be banned (a move that I have to admit would absolutely reduce gun deaths especially suicides in America) know your basic gun terms. Don't lie that the Federal Assault Weapons Bad reduced anything. Make sure you know what a round is and that a magazine holds rounds. That limiting the number of rounds a magazine can hold limits the number of ready rounds available for the good guys. The bad guys don't care about magazine limits and will carry multiple magazines while the good guy typically has just what's in their gun.

If our elected leadership wants to harden the nations 136,000+ schools, colleges and universities I would support this but in the mean time how about repealing local, state and federal laws that prohibit licensed concealed carry in schools. Very few mass shootings happen where people are armed. Have you ever heard about a mass shooting at a gun range? How about Utah's State Capitol?

PS  Let's not forget that all lives matter. Today 284 American's will die from a drug overdose and 118 will not survive their auto accident. I would argue most of those deaths are just as tragic and will rip apart those families lives for decades. Those families will suffer in silence with few noticing their loss. 

Freedom to Peacefully Protest

Last fall the State of Maine cut down one of my favorite little trees trying to grow out of a rock outcropping. For years I watched that little tree struggle to survive and it's death during COVID-19 was so sad. In protest I just planted a replacement. I didn't torch a police precinct, smash windows or help burn down a city block but still I felt empowered by my personal protested!

During the 1st months of the lockdowns my wife and I had entire beaches, hikes, etc... to ourselves. We saw animal life like never before and it was amazing. To avoid arrest we carried signs that if questioned we would show government officials we were protesting government mandates. Protesting government overreach is our God give right as Americans. Getting outside in the fresh air and sun made so much sense to anyone with a shred of scientific background. Unfortunately, most government officials and the woke class didn't  recognize this as healthy and some still don't which boggles my mind  

Arresting surfers, mom's at football games, taking golfers into custody, dragging a dad out of a park for playing catch with his daughter, etc... This was all insane and we as a people just watched and put up our hands. What's wrong with us?

Never again. The government has proven over and over they are out of control, collectively void of common sense and incapable of admitting or learning from obvious mistakes. Even worse those in power seemed to revel in gaslighting those who question them.

I'm hopeful that we as a nation have learned our lesson and the tree of freedom is once again growing!

Update... The kids of the friend who helped me plant the tree have named it - Rebel Tree. They also put solar powered Christmas lights on it last year. REBEL TREE!

Biden Killed Oil

On his 1st day in office President Biden started the ball rolling by killing the exploration and development of ANWR and cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline by executive order.

Candidate Biden said there would be no place for fossil fuels in his administration and that's one campaign promise he has lived up to and then some.

These actions crushed the oil industry in real terms but more importantly the chilling of fossil fuel investing within Wall Street is staggering. It's just too risky to invest billions into an industry when contracts and laws can be wiped away by Presidential edict. 

Killing Keystone XL was lawful but totally unprecedented. The impact studies were done, the government's environmental zealots signed off (twice!) and the State Department approved the project under two Administrations. Contracts were underway, people had relocated, kids had started school and billions of economic activity were underway only to be stopped with the stroke of pen day one.

Killing ANWR by administrative decree reversed part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that specifically honors the agreements we made with Alaska starting in 1960. Yes I'm talking about the Eisenhower Administration. Like so many historical treaties with indigenous peoples, America once again pulled the plug and screwed them over.

Joe Biden will go down in history as the man who single handedly killed American energy independence in the early 2020's and inadvertently funded Russia's war against Ukraine. Without a doubt this was completely self inflicted, orchestrated and unnecessary as our nation continues to embrace renewable energy.

Furthermore, Europe once again has to make a decision. Can they trust Putin? Will he shut off their natural gas during the cold of winter or will they deal with the United States who seemingly can arbitrarily changes policy potentially every four years?

FDA Limits J&J Vaccine

FDA puts strict limits on the use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccination. You should not take it if you're younger than 18. You should only take it if you can't take the other vaccines.

Essentially the only people who should take the J&J vaccine are those older than 18 who can't take the other two... for medical reasons?

Medical reasons?

This is the first time I've heard a government official hint that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are anything but 100% safe for everyone. How times change once the narrative no longer serves a purpose.

Will natural immunity be recognized next?

Don't hold your breath.

Elizabeth Warren is Shocked and Angry?

Elizabeth Warren is right "We have reached the cumulation of what Republicans have been fighting for, angling for decades..." How crazy is it for anyone to be so angry at something at least half of the country wants to see changed. Something that has been in the works for literally decades.

According to Ted Cruz 6% of Americans support abortion up until birth. However, further polling indicates only 19% of Americans support abortion in the third trimester. It's so obvious that the far left, those aligned with the abortion on demand at anytime, the 6% of the population are absolutely in control of the Democratic party.

The vast majority of Americans agree that late term abortions are morally abhorrent. That said the bulk of Americans believe abortion should be safe, legal and rare. How rare is really the issue. The Catholic church and the far right absolutely believe life begins at conception which is obviously true in that babies are born. That said, scientifically it's tough to argue that a lump of cells is sentient. However, four out of five Americans believe abortion should not be allowed in the third trimester.

So the argument is what should be done in the 2nd trimester. When does the fetus feel pain? When is the fetus aware? When is the fetus viable? When does the fetus become sentient? 

The bottom line when does the fetus become a person?

These questions are debatable and something the country needs to figure out. Clearly Row v. Wade has not settled this argument. I think it makes sense to send this question back to the states and let the states figure this out. Again, it's impossible to argue Row v. Wade was a good decision. Based on recent laws allowing abortion up to the moment of birth in New York on it's face it would seem it was a bad decision and should be reconsidered.

Facts to ponder:

- Late term abortions are not rare. Roughly 10,000 are performed every year in the United States.

- Since Row v. Wade the total number of abortions in the United States equals the current population of Australia and Canada combined.

- Only a fraction of Americans support abortion just prior to birth but that fraction equals 15,000,000 people and they are very loud and a political force.

- 29% of Adult Americans believe life starts at conception.

- Only seven countries allow abortion after 20 weeks: North Korea, Vietnam, China, Canada, Netherlands, Singapore and the United States

Charlie Kirk's 2000 Mules True The Vote Interview

Dear John,

Regarding the media and what's going on; you make a good point... Sometimes I can pull off unplugging for a few weeks and I can honestly say I'm happier.

That said, I think there is something about my personality that can't stand cognitive dissonance. When you're being told something but your gut says that's just not right it drives many people crazy.

I was dating a wonderful woman going on two years when things got weird. So weird I broke up with her. Two weeks later the "weirdness" moved in and set up house and everything made sense. A few months later they broke up and we got back together for another year and finally we both had had enough and she ended the relationship for good. A while later she married the "weirdness" and divorced him soon there after. Everything happens for a reason and I'm now very happy with my wonderful new wife and wish the one that needed "weirdness" in her life all the best.

Just saying... our brains know stuff we don't understand?

On April 6th, 2022 Arizona's AG released his preliminary report of their states 2020  election and the various issues that the State Senate requested be investigated. Why this took so long I have no idea. Why no one in the MSM is talking about this blows me away. Maybe AZ had a clean election in 2020 but this report makes it absolutely clear that if the election was clean it wasn't because AZ's election processes was followed.

You should read it with an open mind and ask yourself... Is the "narrative" that this report is really all about Arizona's AG running for governor correct or is there something going on in various Arizona counties?

How many people worked on this report?

Why after so long is it still preliminary?

Personally I want election day to be election day. If for some reason you can't vote on election day then of course you can vote absentee. However, absentee ballots should make up only a small percentage of the vote and be counted only when there is a chance they could possibly make a difference. Furthermore, I would be okay making voting a national holiday or require companies to give voters either the 1st half or the 2nd half of the day off. But this election "season" voting is bullshit and weeks and weeks of voting needs to stop! Last Presidential cycle millions of Americans votes were cast before the 1st debate and I think it's obvious that ballot harvesting operations "banked" thousands of votes before November.

I know Wisconsin's 2020 voted was screwed up to such an extent it was just one Wisconsin Supreme Court judge's vote away from being tossed out completely.

I'm pretty sure Georgia's 2020 vote had significant irregularities and the evidence that Arizona's election could have been messed with was clearly documented by Arizona's AG.

I've read a lot about what happened in Philadelphia and the 14th amendment case that wasn't heard (not my words but Clarence Thomas') and it looks like Detroit and other liberal cities had serious issues as well.

If you give a shit about the possibility that the 2020 election might have been rigged (besides BS articles like suckers and losers, a working vaccine not announced, social media's shadow suppression of news sharing between friends, Hunter Biden's laptop and 50+ intelligence experts lying, the virus coming from nature, etc...) take a moment and read this?

Charlie Kirk 2000 Mules True The Vote Interview Summary

When the MSM announced in just days the 2020 election was the most secure, the most fair, an example of democracy in action, the most free in our countries entire history, the best in the know universe, etc... My cognitive dissonance kicked into overdrive.

Elon Musk's Free Speech?

Only time will tell if Elon Musk will be able to change the trajectory of free speech in America. Also there are no guarantees that his version of free speech will align with what our founding fathers believed. That said, I'm hopeful that Elon's purchase of Twitter is the beginning of the end of the Lefts takeover of this country.

From polling that is seemingly always slanted in one direction to story after story eventually being corrected in to what conservatives have been saying for months or years. One thing that is no longer deniable, because the media is actually saying it, they are biased beyond belief. There are few signs that journalism will ever "become" nonpartisan again which is fine as long as you're not making stuff up.

Note: Historically journalism been partisan but making up stories from thin air to damage your opponent is something although not entirely new has become common place.

I've never meet Elon Musk but in 2014 I was very lucky to meet a handful of SpaceX's inner circle and tour the Hawthorne rocket factory. I was massively impressed with both the people and the facility and this gives me great hope that a 50 year old, South Africa immigrant is the right person to restore freedom of speech in America. A fundamental freedom of our founding which seemingly is the proverbial Kryptonite to the Left.

Are Climate Agreements Working?

I've been asking my liberal friends to come up with a few climate, population, energy, etc... predictions that have come true. I would love to know about one prediction 40 years ago that came true.

While looking for my own personal Coelacanth I was confronted with the results of nearly 50 years of climate agreements. Conservatives focus on results while the left is more concerned with how things seem or feel. This is a fundamental difference in how we see the world which I've written about in the past.

It doesn't take a degree in climate science to quantify how ineffective climate agreements have been in curbing rising CO2 emissions. I looks like there have been 22 climate agreements thus far but we are supposed to believe that the 23 climate agreement will be the one that makes a difference. I think it's fair to call it what it is... A freaking bull shit clown show and might just be one of the best excuses to meet up with like minded people so you feel like you are making a difference every few years. "Alright, everybody it's time to board your private jets and go home."

The World is NOT Melting?

The world is not melting... Yet? 

First of all it's sheer insanity to believe returning CO2 to the Earth's atmosphere is going to turn the planet into Venus or make it uninhabitable. There are cities near the equator that have greater populations than entire northern countries. How many people make plans to visit northern cities during the winter? Some yes, but really don't we all try to go south and suck up some sun and get warm? 

The Carboniferous (the creation of Earth's coal) period lasted 60 million years and changed the planets CO2 level from roughly 1,500 ppm to about 350 ppm. When a young person cries and tells you that humankind (aka YOU) is destroying the planet and will soon make it uninhabitable look them in the eye and ask if they know commercial green houses use CO2 generators to raise CO2 levels to over 1,500 ppm during the day? That since the 60's the Earth has been greening? The lack of CO2 becomes dangerous to nearly all plant life when it falls below 250 ppm? That there are theories that one factor that leads to continental glacial ice sheets is the reduction of CO2 to the point most plant life on Earth dies.

Every one that I know believes CO2 is bad. If it's so bad then why do greenhouses spend money to INCREASE their CO2 levels? Why has NASA been documenting the greening of the planet for years? 

Carbon Dioxide Fertilization Greening Earth, Study Finds

Of course facts don't matter. You tell someone that the Earth is NOT over populated and they look at you like you're a nut. When you show them that 90% of the Earth's population lives in the Northern Hemisphere the look on their face is as close to Bull Shit as you can get. Man has essentially populated only half of the planet and as a pilot I can tell you there is so much emptiness it's hard to imagine anyone even seriously mentioning over population. 

So back to CO2 and predictions that have been made regarding it's 33% (ish) increase since 1950. Yes CO2 has increased from about 300 ppm to 400 ppm (ish) and we are being lead to believe that this increase is responsible for the warming that has happened in the last 70 or so years. 

Yes the Earth is warming. Saying that doesn't mean I buy into all the predictions that have been made of which I'm still looking for one that actually happened as predicted. Do you know of any that have panned out? Any scientist worth anything will embrace being proven wrong and learning something new is what scientist love... Not so much when it comes to climate change.

I know the Earth has been warming because for the last 450 years (ish) sea levels have been rising roughly 8 inches per 100 years and the rate of increase hasn't changed. 

Why use sea level rise to document warming? 

That's an entirely different blog post but essentially sea level is an excellent proxy that can't be easily manipulated. Developing one temperature for the entire planet is fraught with manipulation. Some of which are easy to spot like starting your warming graphs for the United States after the dust bowl but others such as the "normalization" of temperature readings are more insidious.

Another proxy that can be used is Artic Sea ice which we all know is radically decreasing and will soon disappear I say sarcastically. Of course those predictions were made 40 years ago and have come and gone but getting it wrong doesn't matter.

Has the Artic been ice free in the past?

Absolutely, so like a blind squirrel finding a nut, eventually these ice free predictions will come true, just not on the time scale "scientist" have predicted and likely not due to CO2 which I'm confident has been greening the Earth for over 50 years. It's quite possible human intervention and the release of sequestered CO2 has been a good thing as the atmosphere was becoming dangerously low in CO2. 

Honestly, I wish that more people would focus on cleaning up other pollution that is wreaking havoc on our planet from heavy metals in our water, plastics in the ocean or Africa burning anything and everything so they can to cook and heat their homes.  

Follow the black line... 

I'm Not a Medical Expert But... Covid-19 Sucks!

I'm not a medical expert so you should NOT listen to anything I have to say about anything medical... right?

If somebody who's very ill and/or elderly with many health issues had Covid and dies: The death is due to Covid. And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated.

If somebody who's elderly and/or with many health issues gets vaccinated and dies: The death is deemed to be definitely not due to the vaccine, by people who have no idea whether it was or not: don't even ask (even though scientists say the vaccine can sicken the frail and/or elderly and/or exacerbate their conditions). And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated. You're a conspiracy theorist if you wonder how many people die after vaccination of conditions that could be linked to vaccination.

If somebody who's elderly and/or with many health issues gets vaccinated and still gets Covid and dies: The death is somehow due to the Covid part of the equation and not the vaccine part of the equation by people who have no idea what the true contributors were. And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated.

If somebody who's healthy gets vaccinated and gets Covid and doesn't get very sick: They would have gotten much much sicker or even died if they hadn't been vaccinated (even though there is no way to know that, and even though scientists and CDC say most unvaccinated people who get Covid with have few or mild symptoms and recover with no significant effects). And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated.

If somebody who's healthy gets vaccinated and gets Covid and becomes pretty ill: They would have gotten much much sicker or even died if they hadn't been vaccinated (even though there is no way to know that, and even though scientists and CDC say most unvaccinated people who get Covid with have few or mild symptoms and recover with no significant effects). And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated.

If somebody gets vaccinated and dies of heart attack, stroke, fall, cancer or other causes: The death is definitely not due to the vaccine; don't even ask. It's due to their genetics or preexisting conditions (even though scientists say vaccination can aggravate genetic or preexisting conditions). And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated. You're a conspiracy theorist even if you wonder how many people die after vaccination of conditions that could have been exacerbated by vaccination.

If somebody gets vaccinated and dies months later: The death is definitely not due to the vaccine (even though scientists say side effects caused by vaccines can manifest months or years after vaccination). And it proves how important it is to get vaccinated.

Why is this so important? As long as pharma interests keep people from asking logical questions, the vaccines will be less likely to be improved to harm fewer people, and we will sacrifice the health and lives of susceptible people that could be cautioned against their use in their current formulation if the risk for them is high.

Furthermore people are smarter than the narratives assume. Because the narratives make no logical sense, it destroys confidence in our public health officials and vaccine system, doing great potential harm to public health.

Written By: SHARYL ATTKISSON

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Anyone who thinks they understand what's really going on with Covid and is buying the "Everyone should get vaccinated and boosted" narrative needs to spend some time on the OPEN VARES website.

This site asks for no donations and is NOT funded by special interest groups. It just mines the CDC's VARES databased for information. The CDC VARES database is REALLY hard to work with and the OPENVARES website is wonderful. Between you and me it's likely I'm the only one of us who has entered a reaction into the VARES database and I can tell you with absolute certainty that this database is not being filled with bogus data and I totally believe the studies which indicate reactions are massively underreported. Best case VARES is capturing 10%. Worst case it's capturing 2% and my best guess it's reporting about 5% of all reactions.

If 10% of reactions are being reported then there have been about 20 million reactions to the vaccine and likely 269,000 deaths associated with the shot just in the United States. I know this sounds crazy but wasn't it crazy when we all believed the government telling us to lock down for 15 days to flatten the curve? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me... Right?

FYI, as of October 2021 the NIH believes the vaccines have saved 140,000 people.

I bet you thought the vaccine had saved many more lives? I know I sure did!

This is not a freaking conspiracy... This is just looking at the VARES database data and getting info from government websites.

Once again I got vaccinated and recommended that all of my friends, who don't have a medical reason not to get vaccinated, get vaccinated. I got COVID and based on the science that existed prior to the politicization of science I'm NOT getting boosted unless a booster is required by the government for me to live free.

I think is beyond BULLSHIT what our government has done in the name of science these last two years. Through 1789-1790 (ish) our fledgling country was experiencing a massive Small Pox outbreak. Small Pox is as contagious as Covid and 30% of those who contracted the virus back then died. It's insane that the government has taken so many authoritarian actions against it's citizens, such as lock downs of the healthy, etc... when you consider when the Constitution was written and ratified.

"Under Reporting" is one of the main limitations of passive surveillance systems, including VAERS. The term, underreporting refers to the fact that VAERS receives reports for only a small fraction of actual adverse events." CDC WEBSITE

Hunter Biden's Laptop and the MSM Disinformation Campaign

Here's some news that I've known since before the the last election that the MSM is now just admitted is true.

UPDATE 4/10/2022 The Washington agenda now involves damage control or more likely taking out Hunter and possibly his father. Stay tuned as this is going to get nasty.

The NY Times has finally admitted that Hunter Biden's laptop was NOT Russian disinformation. 

I guess those 50 intelligence experts just got it wrong. Kinda like the 17 intelligence agencies that concluded the Russians interfered with the 2016 election to help Trump. Everyone in the MSM conveniently forgets that James Clapper testified under oath only the FBI, CIA and the NSA concluded the Russians interfered with our election. Of course the FBI and CIA both hated Trump and got caught trying to get rid of him and the NSA (I'm just guessing) actually was the agency spying on Trump the candidate and Trump the President.

If you think the laptop isn't a big deal then let me offer this up. The NY Post is our nation's oldest paper and they were effectively censored just before the 2020 election with maybe the biggest actual political story in a generation and this censorship more than likely changed the outcome of the election.

Anyone who had a following that retweeted the NY Post Hunter Biden laptop story was banned from Twitter, Facebook, etc... I could only tell ten people at a time and then my sharing was shut down and the links I sent deleted. Then there was shadow banning which drove traffic down to a trickle and was absolutely used in the last half of 2016 against Trump and again in 2020.

"For the post-election survey, "The Polling Company" interviewed 1,750 Biden voters in seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, six of which (excluding North Carolina) were called for Biden. The voters were asked about their knowledge of eight news stories, all of which the liberal media had downplayed or censored."

The survey concluded that 17% of voters would not have supported Biden had they known about these stories before voting. When thoughtful people say the election was rigged they are not talking about dead people voting, trucks full of ballots or computer software switching votes. They are talking about damaging stories being suppressed to help Biden and being made up and spread to hurt Trump.

When Vice President Biden refuted the legitimacy of the laptop during the first Presidential debate the fact checkers backed him up. How is that even possible? How could they conclude the laptop was false without seeing it? Did any of the 50 intelligence experts seen it? The entire MSM said it was Russian disinformation with no further information and the liberal, leftist and some of the conservative electorate just bought it hook like and sinker. The President to this day has not corrected the record and even now perpetuates the lie.

It goes on and on and there are people to this day who absolutely believe the laptop is bogus and more than likely Russian disinformation. The Big Guy getting 10% had nothing to do with the Joe Biden. We didn't have to worry about Celtic being mentioned (Joe Biden's secret service code name) in the emails. Bottom line Vice President Biden and President Biden was not aware of his son's business dealings in Ukraine, China or Russia.

Turns out the laptop directly ties Joe Biden to his families grift machine, their shared bank account(s), their shared credit card(s) and Hunter paying for some of dad's bills.

Lastly if you think all of this is BS then look at what was being said about the laptop before the 2016 election to what we know now. Crazy the narrative was exactly opposite of reality.

Lift Sanctions on American Oil

How about lifting sanctions on the American oil industry? Seriously, ponder all the things the government has done to make America fossil fuel deplorable.

If any country did what the Biden Administration heaped upon the American oil industry it would be considered sanctions. Instead of buying Russian oil let's lift our own self-imposed sanctions on the American Fossil Fuel Industry.

What the Administration, American companies, banks and Wall Street have voluntarily done to reduce american energy production is as stupid as defunding the police. 

In less than a year the Biden Administration and its sycophants have crushed America's energy independence. We are now begging OPEC and Russia to pump more. No matter how you slice it that's just freaking stupid!

Why in the hell are we buying Russian oil? It's widely reported that 60% of Russia's economy comes from oil and gas sales. Not only are these petrodollars used to buy weapons, Putin's threats to cut off natural gas to our allies during the winter is a weapon unto itself. When oil pays for weapons and our allies are winter natural gas hostages, it doesn't make any sense to shut down America production no matter what level you support the Green New Deal.

When the United States is the only country that massively reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, how does Russian oil shipped to the United States make any sense?

No doubt the "adults" are in charge, unfortunately they have dementia.

Georgia Ballot Boxes and The Big Lie

According to Main Stream Media (MSM) and the Democratic party the "BIG LIE" is President Trump and Republicans refusing to accept the 2020 defeat by blaming their loss upon widespread voter fraud. 

However, we now know that the Georgia's Secretary of State is interested in missing ballot box custody documents for thousands of votes in the Fulton Country Area. There is no doubt that election workers will be fired and it's looking like Fulton County's next election will be conducted by the state of Georgia, not local officials. I'm positive that more voting irregularities will come to the surface and I'm looking at what "True the Vote" is undertaking. 

This makes me ponder what to call a two plus year, $40 million dollar investigation into the Trump campaign colluding with Russia and specifically Vladimir Putin. That investigation hobbled a newly elected President and has produced nothing. Yet it's perfectly clear millions of American's not only believe but absolutely know President Trump colluded with the Russians. The Russian Hoax continues to this day but it's not the "Big Lie"?

Mark Zuckerberg spent about $419 million dollars (easily the largest dark money contribution in history) to ensure people in high density areas of the country, mostly swing states, could have easy access to vote in the 2020 Presidential election. This mostly included giving grants to non-partisan election officials who used the funds to register millions on new voters. To get ballots to these new voters. To hold special "vote in the park" events. To put up a few thousand ballot drop boxes. To get out the vote and when the absentee votes came back missing signatures, addresses, etc... To cure those ballots.

The big lie is the bulk of this was done in states that mattered and in areas that would increase the democratic vote. It's hard to argue that getting more people to register and vote is a bad thing but when done is "specific" areas the 14th amendment, which clearly states that all American's are to be treated equally, is violated. You can't discriminate on who is helped to vote based on race, religion, sex or political affiliation. 

To me the "Big Lie" is the media and Democratic talking heads stating over and over just days after the election, based on no factual evidence that the 2020 election was the "most secure in history." Trump’s own officials say 2020 was America’s most secure election in history. Knowing full well that it takes months if not years to dig into potential election irregularities. Yet the talking heads concluded unanimously there were no significant problems with the election in months if not days. However, the Left just couldn't let their efforts go unrecognized. Molly Ball's Time Magazine article spelled out exactly how the left highjacked the 2020 election. 

To me this is NOT about dead people voting. It's not about felons voting. It's not about people voting twice, truck loads of ballots showing up or computer programs switching votes. That's a narrative that's designed to be the shinny object. The real issues were Hunter Biden's laptop being labeled Russian disinformation. The Atlantic's "Suckers and Losers" story that was soundly debunked but will lived on for many voters until they die. The suppression of news, social media and the shadow banning that became so obvious when emails and text messages didn't go through while Facebook and Twitter limited the number of "friends" you could reach.

It's crazy that so many stories banned by social media before the 2020 election have now been proven true. What's next? When will the America people realize that there are coordinated efforts to control what they can learn and how they vote. The 2020 election was NOT the most secure in history and the facts will continue to come out to show this. What will happen to those responsible for "stealing" this election remains to be seen but if history repeats not much of anything. If history repeats those that coordinated the lies will be rewarded with high level government positions in the Biden Administration.

Never in history has a sitting President gained a staggering 11,231,497 votes from one election to the next and and lost.

Vaccinations are 90% Effective?

As of Monday four cities in Maine are back to wearing masks indoors. I went looking for reasons why and I saw this in the Portland paper with zero push back.

"Vaccinations are 90% effective at keeping those with Omicron out of hospitals..."

What?

People tend to believe what they read in their trusted local paper and this headline would indicate that if you get Omicron you have a 10% chance if ending up in the hospital. Of course you should wear a mask! OMG people must be dying like crazy... "Bring out your dead." 

The problem is this isn't remotely true and sadly we may never actually know the numbers because we still don't know how many people have been infected. We don't know the "N".

A virus that you need a test to figure out if you have it still bogles my mind. Our elected leaders of today are the kids who dropped out of science, avoided calculus like the plague and took communication and political science classes. These are the people who see headlines and don't understand the basic reality that 10% of those infected with Omicron are NOT ending up in the hospital.

If you think I'm off base one only has to pull up comments from the Supreme Court classifying CO2, a gas that is essential to all life living on the dry surface of Earth, as a pollutant. More recently we have Sonia Sotomayor who recently claimed "We have over 100,000 children, which we've never had before, in serious condition, and many on ventilators."

Cloth masks, social distancing, masking outside, two weeks to flatten the curve, lack of therapeutics, lock downs of the healthy and seeing pictures of kids running cross country wearing masks have never made any sense.

It's that simple... Our leaders majored in communication, political science or became lawyers. To them the ability to interpret data is like asking me about subject verb agreement... It's just smoke and mirrors.

January 6th Armed Insurrection

Here is something I've come to understand... News articles that don't allow comments are not worth reading. Which begs the question why doesn't my blog allow comments? I really need to rethink allowing comments.

Anyway, I totally disagree with the universal main stream media's claim that there was an armed insurrection on January 6th. This is totally freaking bullshit and anyone with a smidgen of critical thought knows this. Furthermore, I will remember January 6th, 2022 as the day President Biden lost the last morsel of my support and goodwill:

"Go back to that day. What do you see? This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection." President Joe Biden - January 6th, 2022.

Has any January 6th armed person been identified? Were any firearm arrests made that day? Did anyone bring a gun into the Capital? What about a knife? If so who are these armed people? Where are their pictures? Their stories would be plastered on every front page in the country. Their stories would fill countless "A" blocks for CNN, MSNBC for months, if not years. 

Furthermore, claims that flagpole "spear" points represent weapons is demonstrably false. If this was factual then government buildings across this country need to be disarmed immediately.

Bottom line, Attorney General Merrick Garland's Justice Department has not charged a single person with anything close to insurrection (Update... a year after the event a handful of people have now been charged with insurrection... It's laughable) treason or sedition and the FBI has testified that no guns were seen let alone confiscated on the capital grounds that day. Furthermore, the FBI made it clear during Congressional testimony that January 6th was not coordinated.

Unless you have been living under a rock only one bullet was fired on January 6th, 2021. This bullet stuck down a 5' 2", 115 lb. unarmed woman as she was climbing through a window killing her within minutes. The shot was fired into her neck while three officers in riot gear were within arms reach behind her. It's shear luck that none of them were hit.

Immediately after the shot video shows the shooter fleeing... Since when do police officers involved in a shooting leave the scene?

Take a few moments and let this sink in. I'm a Trump voter not a Trump supporter and until January 6th, 2022 I've always prided myself in my unwavering support of our elected officials regardless of politics. Joe Biden has finally and irrevocably lost my support.

My fellow Americans the truth is important and it makes me sad when someone spins basic facts to such a degree that the truth is unknowable. For example, when two Supreme Court Justices, two of the smartest people on the planet, demonstrate they don't understand basic factual data regarding Covid-19 and are about to rule on vaccine mandates it's a sign things have gone way too far. Our "ruling" class are making important decisions devoid of basic facts. There is little doubt that unless something is done this is not going to end well.

We Love to Fly and it Shows

It's been two years since I've flown Delta and now I remember why I stopped flying with them.

No it wasn't the bombastic overweight Indian fellow who talked too loudly and way too much on the PA system and in person which makes one wonder was this an episode of undercover boss?

No it wasn't the overhead light for 42C that after a few minutes got hot and then flickered. I really wanted to read my Christmas book but I feared I or a fellow passenger would be triggered in to a full grand mall seizure if I did.

No it wasn't the 83 degree average temperature during the last half of the flight which makes me ask why I didn't strip down to my v-neck t-shirt. My light weight, 100% Egyptian cotton, dress shirt with sleeves rolled up felt like a full fledge Minnesota ugly Christmas sweater.

Was it the 8 hour flight (120 knot headwinds) with two "drink" rounds accompanied by gold fish or biscotti that made this flight unbearable? No beer, no mixed drinks, no box lunch... nothing but none alcoholic drinks, goldfish and biscotti?

The airlines have clearly used the Pandemic to end the "customer experience" albeit shitty as it had become over the last few decades. Gone are hot towels, drinks, warm meals and a microwaved cookie. Food service is and has always been an economical looser for the airlines but it makes the experience bearable. I'm at the point in my life that I can afford to upgrade but why bother as it doesn't look any better up front. 

What about the flight attendants? I saw one that seemed to enjoy her job. Yes just one. Not including the Indian guy who liked his job WAY to much and reminded me of my friend Doug on steroids most of the flight attendants (post pushing the "drink" cart) sat behind curtains playing with their phones.

Some how the airlines don't understand that cabin class flyers are their future business and 1st class customers. Have the airline CEOs collectively forgotten the Happy Meal? Their future profit centers are being aborted in their 40s and 50s. My wife, who is a crazy seasoned traveler said this might be her last long haul flight. She seriously is pondering cancelling our return leg and renting a car. A car? She would rather drive cross country than fly Delta?

So what is the real reason our Delta flight sucked? One thing is for sure... The masks have got to go. 

The government is slowly crushing our humanity. Instead of masks of questionable value (two out of four airline CEOs said they are essential stupid) how about taking everyone's temperature at security and actually keep sick people out of the airport and thus not flying next to me? 

Duh?

Furthermore, taking temperatures shouldn't stop with the pandemic. How many times have you flown next to or near someone obviously sick? We all have and that needs to stop. Trip insurance should become mandatory and a fever at security or a note from your doctor should be enough to invoke coverage with no questions asked.

Last but not least the 757-200 with it's 3x3 seating configuration should be retired in the United States. No doubt some foreign airlines would love to have them but Americans are just too big. At 6' 3" and 260 lbs I'm happy with all Airbus models and even what Southwest flies but I'm never going to be happy on a 757 unless I'm in front. It's so clear Airbus has the edge and the 757-200 either needs to reconfigure or be sold to nations with predominantly skinny people.

So our airports suck, the planes suck, the inflight experience sucks and yet airlines are back to flying millions of people each day. Does that mean America sucks?

So there you go... Our flight was just really bad. However, it doesn't come close to a 28 hour flight in a military cargo jet, freezing you ass off with yellow ear plugs and little fuzzy blue blanket but it was surprisingly close.

My one takeaway would be utilize temperature checks instead of masks. Make that argument, organize the resistance and get this changed. Remember the FAA for all practical purposes works for airlines why not for once use regulatory capture for good?

Lastly I guess Delta earned one greatful thanks from me... At least I didn't end up ducktaped to my seat sipping apple juice through a straw.

Kids Shouldn't Be Vaccinated

Kids not getting the shot seems obvious but clearly it's not. Before I try to explain the obvious let me be clear, kids should get almost all the modern vaccines required for babies, children, adolescents and if appropriate as college bound young adults.

That said, parents must do their own research and decide on each and every shot. They should try to spread them out and absolutely make sure your baby/child/adolescent is 100% healthy before they get any inoculation or vaccine. 

For example does a baby girl or a baby boy who is not going to be circumcised really need the vitamin K shot? Does a baby living in rural America really need the Hepatitis B shot? Does your not sexually active, lesbian 17 year old daughter need the HPV vaccine? Does your college bound son need the Chickenpox vaccine if they already had Chickenpox?

Okay so lets agree that vaccines are one of, if not the greatest medical advancement in the history of mankind. They have saved millions of lives and given so many a better standard of living. But what about the Covid-19 vaccine for kids?

So far since the beginning of the pandemic approximately 400 children have died of Covid-19. According to multiple sources (the CDC hasn't published squat) the vast majority of those deaths had other serious comorbidities in play. Essentially, kids don't get sick and die from Covid-19 and when they catch the bug most don't even know and statistically everyone but the already very sick, survive.

Undoubtedly, Covid-19 is less deadly to children than influenza and should be treated the same as the seasonal flu. The idea we should vaccinated our children to protect them is dumb. To vaccinate children to protect others is just as dumb because it's clear now the vaccine doesn't prevent spread and the effectiveness appears to significantly drop in as little as three months going to 50% in six months.

There are approximately 75 million children under the age of 19 in America. Why are we even considering injecting them with a still arguably untested vaccine that may or may not be abled to save some of the 400 young lives already lost to Covid-19?

Did Sweden Get Covid Wrong?

I've been going on and on with a good friend regarding Covid. We both have gotten the shot and I'm guessing we both will get the booster. It's a no brainer for people our age... greater than 50.

That's pretty much where our agreement ends. I'm looking at deaths and ages and have concluded Covid is a non-issue for kids. Statistically as close to zero chance of death as life can give you. After 30 it really starts making sense to get the shot that is unless you have natural immunity. If you're 40 or older, even in good health, getting the shot makes solid sense.

Then there is the VARES data base which we are being told by the MSM is totally worthless. Don't even bother looking at it. Kinda crazy saying something the federal government spends millions on every year is worthless. Makes you wonder why the government bothers.

Sometimes the story is actually what's not being reported. Remember how the MSM went after the Swedish government because they were killing people by the thousands with their approach and policies? Now? Crickets...

A few things have crystallized this for me:

#1 Why are vaccinated people so afraid of the unvaccinated?

#2 Why haven't we heard anything about Sweden for months?

#3 Why is Rand Paul the only politician that keeps pointing out natural immunity is being ignored when it's clearly better than the all of the freaking vaccines?

#4 Why are we firing nurses who have been in the trenches for going on 21 months for not getting vaccinated... Even if they already had Covid?

Covid-19 is Dead To Me

Last week I volunteered at the Great Maine Airshow. From people working the gates to local organizations selling ice cream and beer the show needs a few hundred volunteers.

They need folks who fill the planes smoke tanks, move planes around, move the performers around, deal with flat tires, jump starts, deal with the influx of little planes who fly into a show to avoid the crowded roads, etc...

Loading smoke oil and helping move planes was my gig. Moving a plane that cost a few million takes a lot of people to ensure zero issues. 

The 1st day we worked the flight line and the next day we worked the pit... It was very cool because we get so close to so many unique planes and awesome pilots.

We had one flat tire the first day and three planes that wouldn't start (acrobat planes have really small batteries) the next. I met the Lucas Oil and T-33 pilot and got to know the parents of a world champion freestyle aerobatic pilot. Got their son to take a picture of our crew... Too funny.

My COVID-19 observation at the airshow... Unscientifically my guess is 1 in 500 adults wore a mask.

Clearly people in Maine are sick of being afraid, they are sick of masks and they sick of being told what to do expecially when the script they are being told keeps changing. They've had enough of the panic porn that the media has been feeding them for going on two years. 

I've come to a conclusion... You're not going to like it... Until the death rate from Covid matches the normal U.S. daily death rate of roughly 7,500 I'm not going to bother talking about this anymore. Statistically, it's not killing kids and the odds of Covid taking out someone who is healthy, like the finger of God, is so low it's not even something to bother with.

Talking about kids dying of Covid is the equivalent of global warming alarmists discussing how bad methane is... FYI,  atmospheric methane is measured in parts per billion and if you're talking about this causing hurricanes you are barbecuing the shark you landed and killed while jumping.

Screw the media and screw the Chinese who knew about this Virus in the Fall of 2018. They knew that it spread human to human when they said it didn't. The Chinese government stopped all domestic flights from Wuhan but continuing them internationally. If this isn't a smoking gun what is!

I'm done... I refuse to to discuss this further and will wait to see what history writes about this most despicable chapter in our national history.

PS  Last gasp... My math... Let's go big.
600,000 deaths thus far. I use this number to offset the deaths WITH Covid so hospitals get extra money.

Roughly half of all deaths are over 79 years old with serious comorbidities. Aka foot in the grave. Most people do know we all eventually die right?

So now we are down to 300,000 deaths.

The bulk of these deaths are over 50 with serious medical issues. If you're morbidly obese with diabetes, kidney failure, cancer, etc... and get Covid the odds are you will still likely survive... Seriously, it's crazy how many really sick people survive Covid.

What blows me away is how perfectly healthy people get it and die... Sometimes in days.
The humane genome is crazy and it's likely something that our ancestors survived is helping many today. Maybe it's like how 1/10 of Northern European males are essentially immune from Aids.

Furthermore, it's possible that some young healthy people, who are seemingly randomly struck down are actually not healthy. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Heart disease kills more Americans every year than COVID-19 has killed in the last 20 months. Many people have no idea they are ticking time bombs. How's your heart?

Sorry to say this but when your 85 year old mother dies of COVID it's sad but not a tragedy. When a healthy 40 year old, with three kids, dies that sucks but it happens all the time due to accidents, health issues and other causes.

So I'm down to roughly 150,000 people dead in the United States that shouldn't have died AND their deaths are tragic.

My point...

331,000,000 Americans
150,000 tragic deaths
150,000/331,000,000 
150/331,000
15/33,100
1.5/3,310

0.0004531722

So far we have "tragically" lost 1 out of every 4,500 Americans. 

That said, how many lives have been ruined in the short term or permanently by the government's response to the virus? How many more lives could have been saved if we spent the Covid trillions on other health issues, the homeless, food distribution, Crime, heart disease, etc...? 

How many Americans have list faith in their government, government agencies, their elected officials? What is the long term cost of the loss of that confidence to our nation?

Martin Luther King was a Republican?

Thelander for Congress

Bath, Maine and it's August 28th. The days are getting shorter, the ragweed is in full bloom and a former Navy SEAL takes aim at seven term Congresswoman Pingree. The Maine Maritime Museum meeting room is packed and if there is any doubt that Ed is a politician, that was removed the moment he started talking.

I always knew Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, but today I learn that Martin Luther King not only gave his "I Have a Dream speech" on August 28th, he too was a Republican? Turns out there are many scholars who believe MLK was a Republican. Who knew?

Ed hit on so many topics that Republicans once embraced: from school choice, to the national debt, to legal immigration, to border security, to invoking the ghost of Reagan's "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". His talking points were not all popular with the crowd, but you knew he was sincere.

Although it didn't get the applause he wanted, Edwin made a solid point about the national debt. When the debt broke $10 trillion it was huge news and a grim milestone. When the debt surpassed $20 trillion, the nation barely noticed and now with the debt surpassing $30 trillion, it's a subject not discussed in polite society and I'm the only one quietly clapping.

Economists once argued the debt away saying it's just a fraction of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thanks to the pandemic and progressive spending, that fraction now exceeds 100% of our GDP while the government's ability to "print money" without any serious political pushback continues unabated. It's as though the common sense paradigm of not spending more than you make has been brutality beat up and is bleeding out internally.

Ed, in a good way, is different. For starters, he's humble, which normally isn't something associated with politicians. My hope is the voters of Maine's 1st Congressional District will see the choice they have, side by side, and realize our nation is desperate for leaders, not politicians who take action by forming committees.

Ed is not a shiny political diamond in the rough. He's not even a lump of coal. He's something totally different. His speech was slow and hinting to more going on behind those keen eyes. I've been around politicians for over 20 years. From State Reps, Members of Congress, to the Governor of Virginia. When retired Navy Chief Thelander looks at the crowd there is no doubt this is someone on a mission. He's not running to get out the vote for Governor LePage and drain Democrat resources. He's running to win and the next 437 days are going to be interesting. 

PS A few hours after his announcement, I had the honor of meeting Edwin's father at our flying club BBQ (yes, Ed's a pilot). His dad is amazing and it turns out Mr. Thelander (Sr), his son (Ed) and I all have something in common. We loved playing football and all three of us played offensive guard - a position that requires smarts, toughness and quickness. Ed has all three of those attributes in abundance and he is going to need everything he has to retire Maine's Chellie Pingree, the Minnesota girl turned 30-year career politician... Dontchaknow.

3,000 Die Each Year from...

The CDC estimates that every year 48 million Americans get sick from food borne illness. Of those who get sick 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

To put things into perspective since the start of the pandemic fewer than 3,000 young people under the age of 30 have died of COVID. We do not know how many of those deaths involved seriously comorbidities. 

Apparently the CDC doesn't think parents are interested in knowing how many healthy young people are actually dying from the virus.