On the indispensable role of asking questions and holding the State to account:
Not everyone is happy with various government lockdown and shutdown measures as States seek to deal with corona. Many have been critical of numerous matters, such as over-the-top shutdown measures, the erosion of freedoms, the devastation to our economies, the very real negative impact of these lockdowns, and the ugly culture of spying and snitching that has arisen.
As just one quite ugly example of the last item, consider this from the US: “Neighbor sends nasty ‘stay at home’ note to woman who leaves the house. Turns out woman is a 911 dispatcher.” You can see the ugly note that was sent to her here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/neighbor-nasty-note-911-dispatcher
There have been countless cases of this where we are simply repeating what routinely took place in Hitler’s Germany, the Soviet Union, and Communist Eastern Europe – or what still occurs every day in Communist China and North Korea. This is utterly shocking. This is getting out of control – far too much fear and panic-mongering.
Thankfully there are many folks quite concerned about this. Using imagery from Star Wars, you might say that we have a corona rebel alliance: those who are willing to question the official narrative; those who are willing to swim upstream; and those who are prepared to take the heat.
Many have been speaking out about various legitimate concerns such as inordinate State powers, draconian lockdown measures, restrictions on liberty, economic devastation, and the loss of health and life that those stringent measures are bringing.
Consider just a few names. In America we have various voices speaking out, such as evangelical Todd Starnes, Christian Dinesh D’Souza, Protestant Tucker Carlson, Catholic Matt Walsh, Jewish Ben Shapiro, Jewish Pamela Geller, Jewish Dennis Prager and others who are clearly and consistently sounding the alarm.
In Australia we have folks like the agnostic Andrew Bolt, evangelical Augusto Zimmermann, evangelical John Anderson, Catholic Cory Bernardi, and, well, myself – among others. And in the UK we have the Anglican Peter Hitchens, the agnostic (?) Katie Hopkins, and the atheist Brendan O’Neill also regularly asking hard questions about what is happening.
Now I have mentioned the religion – or lack thereof – of these folks for at least two reasons: one, note that people of all different stripes have deep-seated concerns about these lockdowns. So they can’t just be pigeonholed into one belief or ideology.
But two, notice how many Jewish folks there are who are so very alarmed at the rise and rise of authoritarian Statism. Um, maybe they have a very good reason to fear all this. Maybe they have had some very real experiences of this just 80 years ago. Maybe they are far more alert to the inherent dangers here than so many of the rest of us are.
Why am I writing this?
As one who has a lot of readers and followers and critics both here and on the social media, I am quite aware that plenty of folks strongly disagree with me, think I am way over the top, and believe that I should just sit down and shut up. After all, if the State thinks something is good for me, I should just accept it and not complain or question.
But I also know that there are many people who have similar views to mine. Many have made it quite clear that they support the stance I have been taking on this issue over the past few months. And many will never comment publicly on this site, but they do tell me privately that they are glad I am speaking out as I am.
So I guess this piece is as much for them as it is for me. It is so very easy to get discouraged and want to quit. You feel like a lone voice, and that everyone is against you. So knowing that many others do agree with you can help you to keep on keeping on.
Let me share from a new column by conservative English commentator and Christian Peter Hitchens. He too has been feeling the heat of late and has been quite discouraged. What he writes has encouraged me to at least know that I am not alone, and his opening words might be of help to you as well:
Why do I bother? For six weeks now I have been saying that the Government’s policy on Covid-19 is a mistake. Most people do not agree with me, and many are angry with me for saying so. Others, bafflingly, don’t care about the greatest crisis I have seen in my lifetime, and regard the debate as a spectator sport.
Let me say it again: the coronavirus is not as dangerous as claimed. Other comparable epidemics have taken place with far less fuss, and we have survived them. The death rate is lower than the Government believed. It passed its peak in this country on April 8, well before the crazy measures introduced by the Government on March 23 could possibly have affected matters. The actions we are taking against it are gravely out of proportion and will destroy the lives of thousands and the prosperity and health of millions. This is not life versus money. It is life versus life.
It has not been much fun fighting this. In fact, it has been exhausting and dispiriting. I feel as if I am in a nightmare where I can see a terrible danger approaching but when I cry out in warning, nobody can hear me. Can’t you see? I yell in the dream. If you don’t defend your most basic freedom, the one to go lawfully where you wish when you wish, then you will lose it for ever.
And that is not all you will lose. Look at the censorship of the internet, spreading like a great dark blot, the death of Parliament, the conversion of the police into a state militia? Aren’t you alarmed by the creation of a creepy cult of state-worship, celebrated every Thursday night – in a country where church services and normal public gatherings are banned? When did you last hear an anti-government voice on the BBC, now little more than a servile state broadcaster?
And then can you not see the strangling of the prosperity on which everything we hold dear is based? I mentioned the other day to a hard-working small business owner that a shop well known to me was down to ten per cent of its normal takings. ‘Lucky him!’ exclaimed the businessman, ‘I have had no income at all for weeks, and I have no hope of any. But I am still having to pay my rent and power bills, and interest on my loans.’ https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2020/05/peter-hitchens-were-destroying-the-nations-wealth-and-the-health-of-millions.html
Of course I am quite aware that I and Peter and the others mentioned here might be totally wrong on all these things. We are not omniscient nor infallible. Neither are our critics. So I will keep reading, thinking and asking questions. I will try to follow the evidence where it leads. And if need be, I will change course when that is required.
In closing I must once again repeat: it is a tragedy when people suffer and die from a virus. But it is also a tragedy when people suffer and die as a result of draconian lockdown policies that hammer economies and result in hardships, poverty, depression and suicide. All lives matter here.
Afterword
I could have said this at the outset, but I have realised that somewhere at least I would need to say the obvious. For any squeamish Christians out there who think I am preaching dangerous stuff, let me assure you that 1 Samuel 15:23a does not have anything to do with what I am saying here. That verse of course says this: “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.”
The context is Saul’s rebellion against the Lord and God’s rejection of him as king. Yes, there is a sinful sort of rebellion that reacts against God and his laws, and is based fully on selfish human autonomy. That of course is NOT what I am referring to here when I somewhat humorously talk about a ‘rebel alliance’.
As should be clear, I am referring to those who rightly will ask hard questions, seek to hold the government to account, and act as watchmen on the wall. These are all essential characteristics of the concerned Christian. There is nothing virtuous or Christlike in blindly living in subservience to State dictates and taking a ‘my government right or wrong’ stance.
I resonate with what you have said as where I live the Sanctuary Lifestyle Village in Drouin, have shut down everything quite unnecessarily. We are not allowed to use the gym on our own. The cinema on our own. The pool on our own. The library on our own. Two of you the tennis court. Two of you the BBQ. The outdoor seating one to a seat. And you are not allowed to have one visitor.
Definitely draconian measures and a power grab. But we still have to pay for all this.
Thank you, Bill. You are a voice of reason and encouragement in this crazy situation we have had forced on us, by authorities acting far beyond their boundaries. I am with you, I am praying for you, I’m still asking the hard questions, and I will not give in, or give up. God bless you!
Many thanks Jan.
The letter you mention illustrates where some of our society is at. Person claims to be a “neighbour” but has no idea what the person does.
(Confession, that’s me too btw).
Where do I go to sign up to the rebel army. I see the fear in the people’s eyes when you speak with them. I don’t think this is going to change any time soon. People are now so brainwashed that they are terrified of even just talking to you normally. Being hearing impaired, going into a shop it’s almost impossible to hear the shop assistant replying to your questions from 6 feet away because of the noise in the background.
Are they afraid for me or of me, I wonder. How long before things go back to normal? Will they ever or are we so thoroughly brainwashed now that every person we meet is toxic. Well the media and the “health” ministers have done a great job.
My suspicion with this whole CCP Virus has been growing now for sometime. The Jury is still out, but I’m more and more alarmed at what I hear and see happening around us without debate or critical analysis – simply a “shut-up and obey” mentality. We should all remember that the ‘final days’ government relies on garnering power through people’s (including Christian’s) blind submission. So good on you Bill – keep questioning and airing concerns …
Thanks Peter.
Bill,
Seems these draconian measures in Australia have had some success in keeping down the deathtoll and numbers of those contracting the virus, but the hardship caused to individuals and to the national economy is going to take further lives and the livelihoods of millions.
I don’t know the answer and the following may need checking more carefully than I have attempted, but it suggests there are no easy solutions and we should at least learn from history.
The following article may be written with ‘an agenda’ to scare, certainly a couple of lines give that impression.
From “This day in history” website –
On September 28, 1918, a Liberty Loan parade in Philadelphia prompts a huge outbreak of Spanish flu in the city. By the time the pandemic ended, an estimated 20 million to 50 million people were dead worldwide.
Influenza is a highly contagious virus that attacks the respiratory system and can mutate very quickly to avoid being killed by the human immune system. Generally, only the very old and the very young are susceptible to death from the flu. Though a pandemic of the virus in 1889 had killed thousands all over the world, it was not until 1918 that the world discovered how deadly the flu could be.
The most likely origin of the 1918 flu pandemic was a bird or farm animal in the American Midwest. The virus may have traveled among birds, pigs, sheep, moose, bison and elk, eventually mutating into a version that took hold in the human population. The best evidence suggests that the flu spread slowly through the United States in the first half of the year, then spread to Europe via some of the 200,000 American troops who traveled there to fight in World War I. By June, the flu seemed to have mostly disappeared from North America, after taking a considerable toll.
Over the summer of 1918, the flu spread quickly all over Europe. One of its first stops was Spain, where it killed so many people that it became known the world over as the Spanish flu. The Spanish flu was highly unusual because it seemed to affect strong people in the prime of their lives rather than babies and the elderly. By the end of the summer, about 10,000 people were dead. In most cases, hemorrhages in the nose and lungs killed victims within three days.
As fall began, the flu epidemic spiraled out of control. Ports throughout the world usually the first locations in a country to be infected–reported serious problems. In Sierra Leone, 500 of 600 dock workers were too sick to work. Africa, India and the Far East reported epidemics. The spread of the virus among so many people also seems to have made it even more deadly and contagious as it mutated. When the second wave of flu hit London and Boston in September, the results were far worse than those from the previous flu strain.
Twelve thousand soldiers in Massachusetts came down with the flu in mid-September. Each division of the armed services was reporting hundreds of deaths each week due to flu.
Philadelphia was the hardest-hit city in the United States. After the Liberty Loan parade (celebrations to promote government bonds that helped pay for the Allied cause in Europe) on September 28, thousands of people became infected. The city morgue, built to hold 36 bodies, was now faced with the arrival of hundreds within a few days. The entire city was quarantined and nearly 12,000 city residents died. Overall, in the United States, five out of every thousand people fell victim to the flu.
In the rest of the world, the death toll was much worse. In Latin America, 10 out of every thousand people died. In Africa, it was 15 per thousand and in Asia it was as high as 35 per thousand. It is estimated that up to 20 million people perished in India alone. Ten percent of the entire population of Tahiti died within three weeks. In Western Samoa, 20 percent of the population died. More people died from the flu than from all of the battles of World War I combined.
It is time to learn new ways, to use the technologies God has provided for these times and to make the changes in our personal lives that will bring us closer to Him and help us hear him, because surely He is calling out to us NOW.
Thanks Harry.
Peter Collignon an infectious diseased prof at ANU is well worth following on twitter. Made the point that NZ has faired no better than us despite a more aggressive lockdown. But all hail St Jacinda anyway!
Victoria is now the Police State with those not allowed to leave their home even to fish or play golf or go for a drive. Schools still closed and parents openly struggling to ‘educate’ their children on top of their other commitments. One woman had surgery but told she can not send her child to school – doesn’t qualify as a good enough reason. State leader drunk with power and unwilling to lift restrictions despite no medical evidence indicating increased risk of virus if children were in school. Many feeling isolated and anxiety levels up with the continued harsh lock down laws. This is Australia. This is a democracy. This is not China. Feels like it is though. Time to band together and take back our freedom.
Yes quite right Cheryl.
Bill, you’re a voice of reason. I share many of your concerns, and I find the near uniformity of the response in the West to be confusing, frustrating, and, sometimes, downright scary.
Hi, Bill. Absolutely nailed this. When critical thinking skills go out the window, and it seems like they have with regard to the many people who have boarded the train, smiling and waving as it chugs down the track to the “promised showers and new change of clothes”, willingly and completely without question, sadly symbolically repeating history. When the shutdowns were first implemented with the “essential” and “nonessential” labels, my immediate reaction was “So, who is determining what is essential? Who has the right to make that call and upon what factual basis are they doing so? On what factual basis are they claiming that dental cleanings, chiropractic treatments and many other procedures are deemed now nonessential, when normally a necessity for good health? Maybe for a short time, in high risk areas, but requiring this weeks upon weeks across the board is illogical and not founded. Since exposure was supposed to be the issue, initially, why were Mom and Pop shops, with a handful of customers shut down, but huge stores with a mega customer base still “allowed” to be open? The logic was missing and very few people were asking questions. The official narrative was completely swallowed, without any thought past the next bite. Fear was and is still leading the masses. I understand the initial caution, but the critical thinking skills should have been in use immediately and recognition of glaring inconsistencies acknowledged early on. This could have thrown the breaks on the speeding train toward the showers. So much time has passed now and the economic virus has spread way worse than the Coronavirus ever could, causing irreversible damage to the financial system and society as a whole. Our freedom and safety have been traded for the lie of the propaganda. The dependency on government support and the banking system is now being realized. I believe when “they” roll out phase 2, it will be beyond horrific. To gain ultimate control, the world wide “mandatory” vaccine, which contains a tracking system, will be portrayed as the only way to beat the spread of the virus. Will the people of the world, roll up their sleeves and stretch out their arms to be injected without question as to the credibility of the effectiveness of the vaccine? Sadly, yes. Right before they step off the train and head to the showers. As Christ followers, He is our hope. We know the delusion is coming but we can still sound the alarm, convincing some to jump off the train.
I am becoming more and more disappointed with Christians in my family, circle and church who seem to think it more holy to do nothing in the face of such tyrannical lockdown measures, the erosion of our God-given rights, and the resulting stripping of our economy. I don’t understand their complacency. I don’t understand their willingness to compromise our freedoms. I don’t understand their lack of courage.
I don’t understand it either Vicki.
Me too I have been praying a long time for Australia to repent like I did 40 years ago but nothing seems to change. The church is made of different people but was have the same goal. Unity is essential denominations must stop contesting LOVE is Paramount. The Body of Christ has imploded & will not change unless we get rid of all pride. (we are THE Philadelphia Church)? ha ha.
Another video which may be over the top in spots buy features a great lecture on Hitlers Austria by an 87yo Austrian woman Kitty Werthmann.
Bill, the biggest question is Why? You and I are probably close to the same age. Some person on facebook asked me sarcastically if I had ever been through a pandemic before because I wont wear a mask and although I have been social distancing I haven’t been afraid to go to stores or talk to them. I couldn’t remember and the reason I couldn’t remember is back in 68/69 we had one but there was no where near the panic and fear. Never heard the word pandemic. Woodstock went on, life went on. 100,000 dead in the States and over a million worldwide. Life went on. It affected folks in their 60s and older. Sound familiar. Were we brighter or stronger? Did we have a media that presented issues but were not in a rush to create bloody headlines and unneeded panic. I am stuck with a very liberal abortion minded governor who is dragging this out for an agenda. I know it and many others know it. Over 85 per cent of our death toll are the elderly in assisted livings (bless their souls, I hope they knew Jesus) but yet this heartless governor keeps abortion clinics murdering and the state shut down. Keep asking the questions Bill because I am. And I don’t believe what they are saying. I am an ex accountant. I could make the numbers look good or look bad. I am skeptical of the numbers. Garbage in and garbage out.
Thank you for speaking up Bill. It is indeed baffling that so few public figures are asking questions in the face of these arbitrary and illogical restrictions on our freedoms. Several ordinary folk I know are asking them but what can individuals like us do? We can’t even hold a protest outside Parliament House! What recourse to we have?!
Bill, you can add me to the corona rebel alliance. What people don’t want to seem to realize (or too blinded to see) is how easily so many became lemmings to the government due to all of this hype and just nonsense.
There are some victories
California Police STAND DOWN After Marine Vet Challenges Their Integrity
SARS-CoV-2 is God’s gift to tyrants great and small. We are caught in a bind. By catching Covid-19 but experiencing no symptoms we may pass it on to someone who will die from it. If we have to be nursed or looked after when symptoms do develop, the people charged with this duty, having no PPE, must put their lives at risk for us. Suppose we do rebel (“rebel alliance”) how do we as individuals deal with this bind?
Thank God for Andrew Bolt. He is the best commentator in this country by far and he has been consistent throughout in his criticism. Also I think Christians should not down load that awful app. Maybe it’s harmless even if you need it to eat out. Maybe.
A resounding YES Bill! You are a voice amongst very few crying out in the wilderness. We are also extremely concerned with these draconian laws being implemented on such a wide scale. It seems that people have become complacent (almost comatose) and or fearful in a way that it’s like we’re living in a communist dream or should I say nightmare!
Be encouraged and stay strong Bill . Do not be silent – there are many of us praying and standing with you believing for Divine intervention as we humble ourselves and pray.
This household very much appreciates your wise counsel.
Praying for you daily – many, many blessings – Evelyn & Graeme
Many thanks Evelyn and Graeme.
The darkness spreads like FEAR with LIES no-one can hear all sense is twisted!
Also remember that we have through education been teaching people to trust the government and that the government is benevolent and helpful. “Nanny loves you and wants what is best for you trust her”. We have had at least 25 years of basically teach blind obedience so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that so many act like sheep or lemmings.
I lived through the 1957 pandemic flu. Both my sister and I were sick in bed when my brother died because of complications of the flu. Because we were running a fever we were not allowed to go to the funeral, were looked after by the neighbour AND her children kept our attention off the loss in our bedroom.
Shock, horror. Philosophy of the time was that it was a good idea to “catch” it and be done with it.
Wasn’t so good when dad got the mumps together with his daughters but he survived under mum’s tender love and care.
Bless you Bill. Your courage is much appreciated.
I finally got it. May the Force be with you. His Force.
Thanks Dick.
Peter Hitchins’ remark, “Aren’t you alarmed by the creation of a creepy cult of state-worship, celebrated every Thursday night ?”, refers to everyone in Britain, standing on their doorstep, every Thursdays, at 8.00pm precisely and begin clapping for five minutes, when it stops as abruptly as it began.
Here are homosexual Stephen Fry and Prince William who wines and dines transsexual , transgenders and other exotic creatures of the night at Kensington palace, beginning the CLAP ( and I don’t mean gonorrhea). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuVdwEWrNkw https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=hUQ0xNE18vs&feature=emb_logo
Here is Stephen Fry in 2012, along with Boris Johnson and all the other leaders of political parties falling over themselves to the kiss the hand and hold the royal nightshirt of the gods and goddesses of sexual perversion. https://youtu.be/kILwL0iwG6U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3JQ92QrC0o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTsXoNkiY3g
Dr Muge Cevik also points out much of the research shows transmission is far more likely among sustained close gatherings not casual outdoors encounters. Hence the lockdown may be counterproductive.
Dear Bill. We are indeed fortunate to have people as vigilant as yourself about our hard won freedoms. It is really needed. I also thank God for the other brave souls too. As I have said before the Holy Spirit blows where it will in search of Truth.
I was shopping for light bulbs today and was anxious not to end up with the wrong ones so I asked a man passing by in the same aisle for some advice. I could sense he was a bit hesitant in stopping to talk to me but he did so keeping a safe distance. I thanked him for his help. However, I couldn’t help thinking that because of the government and media overreaction to the corona virus society has lost something very valuable. There is a tangible sense of fear and a lack of trust in the population which wasn’t there before and that is really sad. I don’t know if we will ever get it back again.
So glad I’ve found this website and I completely agree with all you have to say Bill, for some reason I can’t stop myself from reading the garbage on the msm websites and become aghast by the diatribe used in their so called articles. Journalism this is not.
Question; what are your thoughts on this Australian government app Covid Safe? I myself and family refuse to give up our freedom of choice, and say to say no thanks ScoMo.
Thanks again for all your efforts
Mathew King Central Qld
Many thanks indeed Mathew. I discuss the app here:
I resonate with what you have said as where I live the Sanctuary Lifestyle Village in Drouin, have shut down everything quite unnecessarily. We are not allowed to use the gym on our own. The cinema on our own. The pool on our own. The library on our own. Two of you the tennis court. Two of you the BBQ. The outdoor seating one to a seat. And you are not allowed to have one visitor.
Definitely draconian measures and a power grab. But we still have to pay for all this.
Thank you, Bill. You are a voice of reason and encouragement in this crazy situation we have had forced on us, by authorities acting far beyond their boundaries. I am with you, I am praying for you, I’m still asking the hard questions, and I will not give in, or give up. God bless you!
Many thanks Jan.
The letter you mention illustrates where some of our society is at. Person claims to be a “neighbour” but has no idea what the person does.
(Confession, that’s me too btw).
Where do I go to sign up to the rebel army. I see the fear in the people’s eyes when you speak with them. I don’t think this is going to change any time soon. People are now so brainwashed that they are terrified of even just talking to you normally. Being hearing impaired, going into a shop it’s almost impossible to hear the shop assistant replying to your questions from 6 feet away because of the noise in the background.
Are they afraid for me or of me, I wonder. How long before things go back to normal? Will they ever or are we so thoroughly brainwashed now that every person we meet is toxic. Well the media and the “health” ministers have done a great job.
My suspicion with this whole CCP Virus has been growing now for sometime. The Jury is still out, but I’m more and more alarmed at what I hear and see happening around us without debate or critical analysis – simply a “shut-up and obey” mentality. We should all remember that the ‘final days’ government relies on garnering power through people’s (including Christian’s) blind submission. So good on you Bill – keep questioning and airing concerns …
Thanks Peter.
Bill,
Seems these draconian measures in Australia have had some success in keeping down the deathtoll and numbers of those contracting the virus, but the hardship caused to individuals and to the national economy is going to take further lives and the livelihoods of millions.
I don’t know the answer and the following may need checking more carefully than I have attempted, but it suggests there are no easy solutions and we should at least learn from history.
The following article may be written with ‘an agenda’ to scare, certainly a couple of lines give that impression.
From “This day in history” website –
On September 28, 1918, a Liberty Loan parade in Philadelphia prompts a huge outbreak of Spanish flu in the city. By the time the pandemic ended, an estimated 20 million to 50 million people were dead worldwide.
Influenza is a highly contagious virus that attacks the respiratory system and can mutate very quickly to avoid being killed by the human immune system. Generally, only the very old and the very young are susceptible to death from the flu. Though a pandemic of the virus in 1889 had killed thousands all over the world, it was not until 1918 that the world discovered how deadly the flu could be.
The most likely origin of the 1918 flu pandemic was a bird or farm animal in the American Midwest. The virus may have traveled among birds, pigs, sheep, moose, bison and elk, eventually mutating into a version that took hold in the human population. The best evidence suggests that the flu spread slowly through the United States in the first half of the year, then spread to Europe via some of the 200,000 American troops who traveled there to fight in World War I. By June, the flu seemed to have mostly disappeared from North America, after taking a considerable toll.
Over the summer of 1918, the flu spread quickly all over Europe. One of its first stops was Spain, where it killed so many people that it became known the world over as the Spanish flu. The Spanish flu was highly unusual because it seemed to affect strong people in the prime of their lives rather than babies and the elderly. By the end of the summer, about 10,000 people were dead. In most cases, hemorrhages in the nose and lungs killed victims within three days.
As fall began, the flu epidemic spiraled out of control. Ports throughout the world usually the first locations in a country to be infected–reported serious problems. In Sierra Leone, 500 of 600 dock workers were too sick to work. Africa, India and the Far East reported epidemics. The spread of the virus among so many people also seems to have made it even more deadly and contagious as it mutated. When the second wave of flu hit London and Boston in September, the results were far worse than those from the previous flu strain.
Twelve thousand soldiers in Massachusetts came down with the flu in mid-September. Each division of the armed services was reporting hundreds of deaths each week due to flu.
Philadelphia was the hardest-hit city in the United States. After the Liberty Loan parade (celebrations to promote government bonds that helped pay for the Allied cause in Europe) on September 28, thousands of people became infected. The city morgue, built to hold 36 bodies, was now faced with the arrival of hundreds within a few days. The entire city was quarantined and nearly 12,000 city residents died. Overall, in the United States, five out of every thousand people fell victim to the flu.
In the rest of the world, the death toll was much worse. In Latin America, 10 out of every thousand people died. In Africa, it was 15 per thousand and in Asia it was as high as 35 per thousand. It is estimated that up to 20 million people perished in India alone. Ten percent of the entire population of Tahiti died within three weeks. In Western Samoa, 20 percent of the population died. More people died from the flu than from all of the battles of World War I combined.
It is time to learn new ways, to use the technologies God has provided for these times and to make the changes in our personal lives that will bring us closer to Him and help us hear him, because surely He is calling out to us NOW.
Thanks Harry.
Peter Collignon an infectious diseased prof at ANU is well worth following on twitter. Made the point that NZ has faired no better than us despite a more aggressive lockdown. But all hail St Jacinda anyway!
Take a look at Peter Collignon (@CollignonPeter): https://twitter.com/CollignonPeter?s=09
Thanks for that Damien.
Victoria is now the Police State with those not allowed to leave their home even to fish or play golf or go for a drive. Schools still closed and parents openly struggling to ‘educate’ their children on top of their other commitments. One woman had surgery but told she can not send her child to school – doesn’t qualify as a good enough reason. State leader drunk with power and unwilling to lift restrictions despite no medical evidence indicating increased risk of virus if children were in school. Many feeling isolated and anxiety levels up with the continued harsh lock down laws. This is Australia. This is a democracy. This is not China. Feels like it is though. Time to band together and take back our freedom.
Yes quite right Cheryl.
Bill, you’re a voice of reason. I share many of your concerns, and I find the near uniformity of the response in the West to be confusing, frustrating, and, sometimes, downright scary.
Hi, Bill. Absolutely nailed this. When critical thinking skills go out the window, and it seems like they have with regard to the many people who have boarded the train, smiling and waving as it chugs down the track to the “promised showers and new change of clothes”, willingly and completely without question, sadly symbolically repeating history. When the shutdowns were first implemented with the “essential” and “nonessential” labels, my immediate reaction was “So, who is determining what is essential? Who has the right to make that call and upon what factual basis are they doing so? On what factual basis are they claiming that dental cleanings, chiropractic treatments and many other procedures are deemed now nonessential, when normally a necessity for good health? Maybe for a short time, in high risk areas, but requiring this weeks upon weeks across the board is illogical and not founded. Since exposure was supposed to be the issue, initially, why were Mom and Pop shops, with a handful of customers shut down, but huge stores with a mega customer base still “allowed” to be open? The logic was missing and very few people were asking questions. The official narrative was completely swallowed, without any thought past the next bite. Fear was and is still leading the masses. I understand the initial caution, but the critical thinking skills should have been in use immediately and recognition of glaring inconsistencies acknowledged early on. This could have thrown the breaks on the speeding train toward the showers. So much time has passed now and the economic virus has spread way worse than the Coronavirus ever could, causing irreversible damage to the financial system and society as a whole. Our freedom and safety have been traded for the lie of the propaganda. The dependency on government support and the banking system is now being realized. I believe when “they” roll out phase 2, it will be beyond horrific. To gain ultimate control, the world wide “mandatory” vaccine, which contains a tracking system, will be portrayed as the only way to beat the spread of the virus. Will the people of the world, roll up their sleeves and stretch out their arms to be injected without question as to the credibility of the effectiveness of the vaccine? Sadly, yes. Right before they step off the train and head to the showers. As Christ followers, He is our hope. We know the delusion is coming but we can still sound the alarm, convincing some to jump off the train.
I am becoming more and more disappointed with Christians in my family, circle and church who seem to think it more holy to do nothing in the face of such tyrannical lockdown measures, the erosion of our God-given rights, and the resulting stripping of our economy. I don’t understand their complacency. I don’t understand their willingness to compromise our freedoms. I don’t understand their lack of courage.
I don’t understand it either Vicki.
Me too I have been praying a long time for Australia to repent like I did 40 years ago but nothing seems to change. The church is made of different people but was have the same goal. Unity is essential denominations must stop contesting LOVE is Paramount. The Body of Christ has imploded & will not change unless we get rid of all pride. (we are THE Philadelphia Church)? ha ha.
Another video which may be over the top in spots buy features a great lecture on Hitlers Austria by an 87yo Austrian woman Kitty Werthmann.
Bill, the biggest question is Why? You and I are probably close to the same age. Some person on facebook asked me sarcastically if I had ever been through a pandemic before because I wont wear a mask and although I have been social distancing I haven’t been afraid to go to stores or talk to them. I couldn’t remember and the reason I couldn’t remember is back in 68/69 we had one but there was no where near the panic and fear. Never heard the word pandemic. Woodstock went on, life went on. 100,000 dead in the States and over a million worldwide. Life went on. It affected folks in their 60s and older. Sound familiar. Were we brighter or stronger? Did we have a media that presented issues but were not in a rush to create bloody headlines and unneeded panic. I am stuck with a very liberal abortion minded governor who is dragging this out for an agenda. I know it and many others know it. Over 85 per cent of our death toll are the elderly in assisted livings (bless their souls, I hope they knew Jesus) but yet this heartless governor keeps abortion clinics murdering and the state shut down. Keep asking the questions Bill because I am. And I don’t believe what they are saying. I am an ex accountant. I could make the numbers look good or look bad. I am skeptical of the numbers. Garbage in and garbage out.
Thank you for speaking up Bill. It is indeed baffling that so few public figures are asking questions in the face of these arbitrary and illogical restrictions on our freedoms. Several ordinary folk I know are asking them but what can individuals like us do? We can’t even hold a protest outside Parliament House! What recourse to we have?!
Bill, you can add me to the corona rebel alliance. What people don’t want to seem to realize (or too blinded to see) is how easily so many became lemmings to the government due to all of this hype and just nonsense.
There are some victories
California Police STAND DOWN After Marine Vet Challenges Their Integrity
SARS-CoV-2 is God’s gift to tyrants great and small. We are caught in a bind. By catching Covid-19 but experiencing no symptoms we may pass it on to someone who will die from it. If we have to be nursed or looked after when symptoms do develop, the people charged with this duty, having no PPE, must put their lives at risk for us. Suppose we do rebel (“rebel alliance”) how do we as individuals deal with this bind?
Thank God for Andrew Bolt. He is the best commentator in this country by far and he has been consistent throughout in his criticism. Also I think Christians should not down load that awful app. Maybe it’s harmless even if you need it to eat out. Maybe.
A resounding YES Bill! You are a voice amongst very few crying out in the wilderness. We are also extremely concerned with these draconian laws being implemented on such a wide scale. It seems that people have become complacent (almost comatose) and or fearful in a way that it’s like we’re living in a communist dream or should I say nightmare!
Be encouraged and stay strong Bill . Do not be silent – there are many of us praying and standing with you believing for Divine intervention as we humble ourselves and pray.
This household very much appreciates your wise counsel.
Praying for you daily – many, many blessings – Evelyn & Graeme
Many thanks Evelyn and Graeme.
The darkness spreads like FEAR with LIES no-one can hear all sense is twisted!
Also remember that we have through education been teaching people to trust the government and that the government is benevolent and helpful. “Nanny loves you and wants what is best for you trust her”. We have had at least 25 years of basically teach blind obedience so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that so many act like sheep or lemmings.
I lived through the 1957 pandemic flu. Both my sister and I were sick in bed when my brother died because of complications of the flu. Because we were running a fever we were not allowed to go to the funeral, were looked after by the neighbour AND her children kept our attention off the loss in our bedroom.
Shock, horror. Philosophy of the time was that it was a good idea to “catch” it and be done with it.
Wasn’t so good when dad got the mumps together with his daughters but he survived under mum’s tender love and care.
Bless you Bill. Your courage is much appreciated.
I finally got it. May the Force be with you. His Force.
Thanks Dick.
Peter Hitchins’ remark, “Aren’t you alarmed by the creation of a creepy cult of state-worship, celebrated every Thursday night ?”, refers to everyone in Britain, standing on their doorstep, every Thursdays, at 8.00pm precisely and begin clapping for five minutes, when it stops as abruptly as it began.
Here are homosexual Stephen Fry and Prince William who wines and dines transsexual , transgenders and other exotic creatures of the night at Kensington palace, beginning the CLAP ( and I don’t mean gonorrhea).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuVdwEWrNkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=hUQ0xNE18vs&feature=emb_logo
Here is Stephen Fry in 2012, along with Boris Johnson and all the other leaders of political parties falling over themselves to the kiss the hand and hold the royal nightshirt of the gods and goddesses of sexual perversion.
https://youtu.be/kILwL0iwG6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3JQ92QrC0o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTsXoNkiY3g
David Skinner UK
I mentioned at the end of this article how we need to have a biblical understanding of the state. My new piece looks at this further: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/05/05/christianity-and-the-state/
Rebels with a cause
Dr Muge Cevik also points out much of the research shows transmission is far more likely among sustained close gatherings not casual outdoors encounters. Hence the lockdown may be counterproductive.
https://twitter.com/mugecevik
Dear Bill. We are indeed fortunate to have people as vigilant as yourself about our hard won freedoms. It is really needed. I also thank God for the other brave souls too. As I have said before the Holy Spirit blows where it will in search of Truth.
I was shopping for light bulbs today and was anxious not to end up with the wrong ones so I asked a man passing by in the same aisle for some advice. I could sense he was a bit hesitant in stopping to talk to me but he did so keeping a safe distance. I thanked him for his help. However, I couldn’t help thinking that because of the government and media overreaction to the corona virus society has lost something very valuable. There is a tangible sense of fear and a lack of trust in the population which wasn’t there before and that is really sad. I don’t know if we will ever get it back again.
How about this collection of churches challenging the authorities and being partially successful:
https://pulpitandpen.org/2020/05/05/pastors-put-illinois-gov-on-notice-with-fiery-declaration-were-opening-may-10-no-matter-what/
Thanks Thaddeus.
Beware of Small People with Authority
https://www.theaquilareport.com/beware-of-small-people-with-authority/
So glad I’ve found this website and I completely agree with all you have to say Bill, for some reason I can’t stop myself from reading the garbage on the msm websites and become aghast by the diatribe used in their so called articles. Journalism this is not.
Question; what are your thoughts on this Australian government app Covid Safe? I myself and family refuse to give up our freedom of choice, and say to say no thanks ScoMo.
Thanks again for all your efforts
Mathew King Central Qld
Many thanks indeed Mathew. I discuss the app here:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/04/27/on-corona-tracking-apps/
Hi Thaddeus anyone with experience with a HOA knows this! These dictatorships are everywhere!
A video to watch quickly featuring Dr Judy Mikovics who was jailed and lost her job by speaking up about corruption. She cites Dr Fauci and others as totally corrupt. This video is being actively censored. https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/watch/plandemic-part-1-dr-judy-mikovits_WtI2RQjupp9lcRO.html
Hi Bill,
It’s worse than most people think:
“Metalhead” DARPA Robot Enlisted by Police to Enforce Social Distancing
https://www.activistpost.com/2020/05/metalhead-darpa-robot-enlisted-by-police-to-enforce-social-distancing.html?utm_source=Activist+Post+Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddea97e9ba-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b0c7fb76bd-ddea97e9ba-388387388