Further Thoughts on the Passing Corona Scene

My latest ruminations on the corona craziness:

Here is a collection of random reflections on the corona crisis, some older, some newer.

*****

According to the latest government figures, 2.7 million Australians are now unemployed or underemployed due to the corona lockdowns. But the alarmists told us that to worry about this meant we were ‘putting profit ahead of people’. There were 600,000 Australian job losses in April alone.

Here are a few hard questions: How many businesses will never reopen? How many mental health cases will we have because of this? How many suicides will occur because of this economic devastation? Yet the corona alarmists and panic-merchants insisted we MUST have complete lockdowns: ‘If it saves just one life…’

Incredibly, one guy on the social media just replied to my words above as follows: “It is awful, but we need the lockdown. And we need It to stay until it is more under control. Accept the fact that we’ll be in recession, caused by event beyond our control.”

What!? More under control? What in the world does that mean? Everyone stay home for many more months on end? It already IS under control. And no, this recession was not caused by something “beyond our control”. It was specifically brought about by government actions. The State deliberately caused this economic collapse by overreacting to fearmongering “experts” and fake, hyper-inflated numbers.

I for one am really over all this selective moral outrage. ALL lives matter. All fatalities count.  We should be seeking to minimise them all, and not artificially emphasise just one.

*****

The situation in the rest of the world is just as bad – even worse. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times spoke of “The economic devastation wrought by the pandemic could ultimately kill more people than the virus itself”. The piece says in part:

The economic devastation the pandemic wreaks on the ultra-poor could ultimately kill more people than the virus itself. The United Nations predicts that a global recession will reverse a three-decade trend in rising living standards and plunge as many as 420 million people into extreme poverty, defined as earning less than $2 a day.

As for the 734 million people already there, the economic tsunami will make it harder for them to ever climb out. “I feel like we’re watching a slow-motion train wreck as it moves through the world’s most fragile countries,” said Nancy Lindborg, president of the nonprofit U.S. Institute of Peace and former head of the Ebola task force at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Hunger is already rising in the poorest parts of the world, where lockdowns and social distancing measures have erased incomes and put even basic food items out of reach. The U.N. predicts the coronavirus could push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020. World Vision, an international Christian aid organization, warns that 30 million children are at risk of dying.

“I want to stress that we are not only facing a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe,” said David Beasley, executive director of the U.N.’s World Food Program. While the virus has already hammered many developed nations, which are now taking cautious steps to reopen their economies, it has yet to peak in many of the world’s poorest countries, meaning the economic devastation there could drag on longer. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-05-11/more-than-a-billion-people-escaped-poverty-in-the-last-20-years-the-coronavirus-could-erase-those-gains

*****

Let me repeat once again, the actual numbers (versus the hype, the rubbery figures, the reckless projections, the baseless modelling, and all the alarmism and fear-mongering) are STILL the only things that matter here. So I once again must present the real numbers:

-There are 25.5 million Australians
-There are 6989 confirmed cases of corona
-6297 Australians have recovered
-The recovery rate of closed cases is 98.46%
-98 Australians have died
-The nation is still largely in lockdown

As I said over 5 weeks ago (on April 6 to be precise):

When this crisis passes, Australia may – at current rates – have had well under 10,000 cases of the virus, and perhaps 100 deaths. Time will tell. But if this is more or less how things will pan out, there will be at least two views on this:

-The government will say, “See, we told you these draconian lockdown and shutdown measures were needed – it worked!”
-Others will say, “See, it was nowhere near as bad, so all these draconian lockdown and shutdown measures really were not needed.”

The truth may never be fully known, but might lie somewhere between the two. However, as we seek to be wise about proper health and safety measures, we also need to be wise – very wise – about Statism and Big Brother in action. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/04/06/police-states-and-the-corona-clampdown/

*****

Healthy people are around 99.998 per cent safe from dying from COVID-19. The at-risk group basically includes the elderly, those with pre-existing conditions, with obesity, with blood conditions, and so on. Isolating such people is sensible – locking down an entire nation is not.

During the first few weeks of this crisis we were all flying blind, so yes, we accepted that some strict measures were needed. And fair enough. But soon thereafter it became quite clear that many of these draconian lockdown measures were not needed. Yet far too many governments dragged their feet for far too long. Victoria’s Dan Andrews’ Labor Party is a classic case in point – they are still drunk on power and control.

*****

When I compare corona deaths with, say, annual influenza deaths, the point of course is NOT to imply that all viruses and diseases are identical. Instead, my point should be obvious: we have all sorts of things that cause large scale fatalities, whether heart attacks, cancer, the flu, car crashes, and so on, yet governments do not react the same way.

Governments are not banning car driving or cigarette smoking. They are not shutting down the nation every winter during the flu season, etc. It is the selective moralising that I am highlighting here, and the glaring inconsistencies in State responses.

*****

All those demanding that we stay in lockdown while chewing out those who want to go to work need to cease and desist. At the very least, they need to declare their hand: are they still getting a nice cushy guaranteed income, as they denounce those seeking to find some income to feed their families?

And the same with those politicians (be they premiers or governors or mayors, etc) who insist on the nation and the economy staying in lockdown. They really should readily forego all their salaries for as long as they demand it of the rest of us mere peons.

Moreover, when the State can tell you – and insist upon – what is “essential activity,” it is quickly becoming a Police State. ALL workers are essential. And as various governments start opening things up, I continue to be greatly puzzled – and alarmed – that while cafes and restaurants are allowed to reopen, while sporting events are being given the green light, and while various businesses get the nod, far too often we are still being told that churches must not reopen. Hmm, what is all that about? Explain the logic of that. Or is it just more obvious anti-Christian bigotry?

*****

Far too many people have fully succumbed to panic, to fear, and to hysteria. Why do I suspect that if and when antichrist appears, so many of these fearful and servile sheeple – including far too many Christians – will be the first to flock around him? Yes it really is that serious! Fear and panic among the citizenry is always ideal for every dictator and tyrant – folks are so much easier to control and manipulate when they are in a constant condition of fear and uncertainty.

The corona alarmists are basically the same as the climate alarmists: they run on fear, feelings and fanaticism. Evidence and data do not seem to matter to them. And both groups believe that only more Big Brother Statism can save us. They are part of the problem to be honest.

*****

The lust for ever more power and control is too strong a temptation for most leaders. So many of them have utterly relished this corona crisis to become little tinpot dictators. And it is rather appalling when the statists kindly start handing back a few freedoms they have ripped from the people in the first place, expecting us to be so very grateful. Sorry, but I gotta stick with the Gipper, Ronald Reagan, on this one: “We the people tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us.”

*****

As I have said so often now, the two things that have bothered me the most about the corona crisis are these: 1) the ease and speed in which governments have shut down entire nations; and 2) the ease and speed in which the masses simply accepted all this – with no questions asked. I am not sure which is worse, but both have utterly shocked and alarmed me. If all this is just a dry run for a real deal shutdown of the nations, this whole thing has been a dream run.

*****

The simple truth is, corona alarmism and lockdown fanaticism have likely done far more harm than the virus has or will.

*****

An 8-minute video well worth watching and sharing – comedy and satire that pushes the truth about corona alarmism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcUAG6t5aN8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1r3MM9Xy4kx6dMqumdOxG15sLD3GRvWhN4uAOy7yM-t5APPjjDCPU-LyQ

*****

And a 2-minute video which does more of the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfGAktuU93s&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0z3uMfmyZPcIqTPfls11QZsr2Ea5-MEaC6LonQN4JpiGsDFBntei8zOTs

*****

This guy seems to talk some sense! https://vision.org.au/radio-show/20twenty/government-biblical-balance/

[1588 words]

23 Replies to “Further Thoughts on the Passing Corona Scene”

  1. Fear is a liar. Every time they open their mouths & lie about the Chinese virus they justify their lust for power and insult our intelligence.

    Fear not [most quoted passage in the Bible]

    The one way we will pull through this is our faith & not bowing to fear.

  2. Hello once again Bill
    I give thanks for your continued steadfastness and dedication to your calling in The Lord.
    Matthew 24 verse 4 & Mark 13 verse 5 have been on my mind through this whole saga.
    Staggering how many have been deceived.
    I still read you first Bill
    God Bless you
    Mark Bryant

  3. Thank you, I needed this reminder. It is easy to get swept up in the hype and the flawed reasoning and simply go along with it all without actually stopping to look at the consequences.

  4. Thanks Bill for speaking out about all these Lockdown orders and you’ve really nailed the topic. I think you will be on TV next, if not already. A lot of our govt leaders are definitely Godless so we need to pray for Godly leaders but then the Godless goats won’t like them so it never ends till Christ’s return – who is going to rule with a rod of iron, Isaiah 11:4, but for the right reasons.

    At the moment I don’t think the sheeples in Michigan USA like the Stay-at-home orders – our local newspaper published this the-sun.com/news/830127/michigan-fight-doll-noose-neck/
    Police officers interviewed both sides and there were no injuries or arrests made. I don’t think this Democratic Governor will last long as I heard from a relative that this lady tried to stop President Trump getting hydroxychloroquine approved as a drug to help people affected by the virus. (One voting Democratic lady praised President Trump for telling people to use it as she said it saved her life – it was on Faithwire). I think, however, the drug has to be administered early for it to stop the virus. Also this Michigan Governor stopped people buying seeds to grow food in their garden, and other things like paint to paint their houses, but you could buy marijuana and she deemed abortion an essential service. Now she is getting a backlash from the sheeples, I wonder why?

  5. The COVID-19 epidemic has been compared to the Spanish Flu’ epidemic which raged around the world from 1918 to 1919. A contributing factor in mortality rate in that epidemic in some parts of the world was the use of Aspirin at dosage levels that were higher than the now accepted therapeutically safe dosage rates! For more see: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic#section_9 .

    It is easy to see why the present pandemic is an attractive starting-point for conspiracy theories: The economic collateral damage has been immense – something which would be a major consideration in any case of a deliberate covert biological assault on the world’s populations. That the pandemic has also coincided with significant locust plagues in East Africa and Pakistan is also an interesting fact.

    It is right to raise the issue of state encroachments on legitimate personal liberties: When a micro-organism becomes a tool for state repression in the name of “public safety,” have we gone “a bridge too far” in the wrong direction?

  6. Hi Bill
    Just read your latest thoughts on the c19 situation . I’m embarrassed to say I had not realised how lightly affected Australia is . On the speedometer leaderboard you’re 51st , I’m afraid I had not scrolled down that far. UK is fourth just recently overtaken by Russia . I can certainly understand your perspective better , very difficult to accept a lockdown with just 7,000 cases and 100 deaths over a 2 month period. As you say we can never know what would have been but even so , in light of the economic figures you gave thing look , shall we say , a little ” unbalanced”.
    Here in the UK , things are a little more difficult to judge . We are now down to just 500 deaths a day with about 3,500 new cases a day , a big improvement and as I’m sure you know Boris is moving to slowly reopen the economy .
    On a personal note things are returning to normal at my hospital , all c19 hdu and itu patients can now be accommodated on the itu , so our you is now outside the red zone and is functioning as the temporary general itu . This means I am no longer needed and have returned to my peaceful retirement . I’m ashamed to confess that in the event of a “second wave ” I will not volunteer again , itu , especially in these circumstances , is a young man’s job . I’m just not physically up to it.
    ( I’m also on chemo , and supposed to be shielding , and a friend has threatened to “grass me up ” if I volunteer again !)
    Last point related to shielding . It may well be ,in retrospect, that shielding the vulnerable would have been a better strategy , especially perhaps in your country . I’m the UK however we have 8.5 million over 70 , 4.7 million diabetics , 7.4 million with heart disease. Big overlap between these groups of course. I find it hard to believe that our government , which has failed so spectacularly in other respects , could provide for so many people.
    The carnage in our care homes is a national disgrace .
    Anyway , all the very , very best . (Lot less worried for you from the c19 point of view since I looked at the numbers !)

  7. Thanks again Nigel. Glad you are coming around a bit in terms of understanding where i have been coming from. Yes we must save lives from coronavirus. But as I have been saying all along, we need to also save lives from the direct results of austere lockdown policies: mass unemployment, mental health problems, starvation, suicide, etc. All lives matter, and a balanced response is needed. Yes, early on we were flying blind, so most governments took pretty stern steps, and fair enough. But it soon became apparent that this may not be the world’s worst virus, and that yes, a change of course was very much needed. Some have now changed course, thankfully, but some are still dragging their feet. So yes, in many places things certainly have been rather ”unbalanced” as you say. And thanks again for your service during these tough times.

  8. Is it worth mentioning that 29% of fatalities are from cruise ships – principally the Ruby Princess, a further 27% are from aged-care facilities – principally Newmarch House, and if going by age, 86% have been amongst the over 70 crowd? Given the very limited death stats claims about saving lives are incredibly disingenuous – why isn’t abortion or vehicular incidents or … worth equal economic devastation and sacrifice?

    This may help: (https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers)

    On a slightly different note there’s an interesting article in the Christian Post saying that 3,000 churches in California will be opening for Pentecost Sunday (31st May) irrespective of what the government decrees: https://www.christianpost.com/news/3000-calif-churches-vow-to-reopen-on-pentecost-sunday-regardless-of-gov-orders.html

    Governor Newsom has suggested that churches may be reopened in the 3rd or 4th stage, but that could be anywhere from weeks to months away – California is still 1st stage with the 2nd stage being the gradual re-opening of some lower-risk workplaces and public spaces. If churches are prohibited until stage 4 that could mean a permanent ban as phase 4 is currently conditional on a coronavirus vaccine which may or may not ever eventuate.

  9. If you look at American Thinker articles about Fauci you will understand the depth of deception and evil in this 79 year old government political Democrat hack, now de facto President of America, and his failed background and fraudulent behaviour in the past and present hysterical acceptance of British Niall Fergusion and his way off models, and be very afraid. One by Peter Chowka announcing that Trump is on the cusp of delivering ….at warp speed by the military …a vaccination for all Americans 500 million syringes mandated by the government. (Revelation 13?)

    The visual of Fauci in a mask standing behind Trump made me think he looked prepared to do the final lobotomy brain operation on the President!

    Please everyone here watch the full movie documentary VAXXED this is no conspiracy but careful and factual information. PM Morrison will no doubt follow Trumps mass compulsory vaccination. He has already threatened Rugby players “no jab, no play”? This lockdown social isolating destruction of the Economies of the West has been a mass unscientific delusional panic catastrophe and we are all caught up in it whether we like it or not! God help us.

  10. I never in a million years thought that I would say this about a President whom I campaigned for until I damn near dropped, but Mr. Trump has gone around the bend with this Coronavirus hysteria. Whether he is getting disastrous advice from those around him or he is losing his own marbles, this determination to dig in his heels and redouble his allegiance to Fascist Fauci in the face of overwhelming contradictory virology evidence is a clear indication that the leader I supported with every ounce of my being is no longer capable of rationally leading the country. MANDATORY vaccinations forced upon the population by the military?! What about this proposal does NOT frighten you? Flu vaccines are unreliable at best and quite dangerous at worst. Who in his right mind would propose such a thing? Mr. Trump has lost an enormous amount of credibility amongst his silent supporters over this issue – not among the Do-or-Die Trumpers who troll websites like this one, determined to slap down and insult any voices that dissent from blind allegiance to All Things Trump – but from those of us – Conservative, Christian, Veterans, Older – who are committed to principles over persons – who are appalled by Trump’s over-the-top reaction to a phony pandemic – and who classify ourselves as Independents. Our ranks are thinning in his support and – depending upon who the Democrat presidential candidate will finally be (It will NOT be Joe Biden) – Trump will lose more votes than he can afford to lose if he is to win in November. His ardent supporters are very vocal and out-in-front with their support, but many, many more of us who eschew their in-your-face style are now dealing more with Trump’s substance than his style, and, to our dismay, his substance is faltering. We will certainly not vote Democrat; we simply will not vote at all. And if Trump continues this foolish course with this grossly over-rated virus, his loss will be on his own head. He can NOT say he wasn’t warned. The mans Achilles Heel truly is his arrogance and his consequent refusal to accept warnings. Of course, the first warning should be this: When you find that you’ve dug yourself into a hole, STOP DIGGING! But I fear that this advice may be too late for Mr. Trump. Like the hero in some ancient Greek tragedy, his own hubris has destroyed him. This is truly heartbreaking.

    The above is a comment at the American Thinker article by Peter Barry Chowka. It sounds incredible sincere and sad and contains my observations and feeling but I would revise that Trumps Achilles Heel is his germaphobia. I also thought Trump would easily see through the fake Fauci and scarf woman Brix.

  11. Surely Trump is not as far off the mark regarding this “China Virus” as you seem to suggest…

    Consider the following insightful article concerning the origins of the COVID-19 crisis:

    This article merely confirms and clarifies earlier allegations about an artificial ( ie human) origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic…

    Whether “Deliberate” (as a Chinese bio-weapon)?; or”Accidental” (but seemingly involving more than just China anyway)?

    Surely there is a” Tower of Babel” aspect of this Pandemic Tribulation!

    And was not this kind of crisis prophesied by Our Lady of Fatima back in 1917?

    Shalom

    Neil Coup.

  12. Dear Bill,

    Thank you for the article. I think the blanket media coverage given to the plight of Italy and the cruise ships at the beginning was the trigger for the fear and panic perpetuated here by the MSM. To some extent it was understandable.However, Australia is NOT Italy and our media, leaders and medical personal were also inexperienced in dealing with something like this. Looking back it can be argued that they over-reacted because I think the economic and social effects of the lock downs are going to be far worse and with us for a lot longer. I think a lot of the panic was due to the fear of our hospitals being over whelmed

    The MSM is responsible for a lot of the fear and panic and they are still using fear tactics. One channel showed a family in the UK mourning the loss of their elderly husband and father saying they don’t know how he got the virus as he only went out a couple of times to the shops.

    I’ll bet the MSM won’t be so keen to show the suffering as a result of the economic effects of the severe lock downs which has all but destroyed most Western economies because they won’t want to admit that they resorted to sensationalism about the virus. They will be congratulating themselves on how well they have performed and will continue to kow tow to the communist government of China and accuse all those who believe that an enquiry into the cause of the virus is needed of being conspiracy theorists

  13. Many church leaders seem to be in survival, maintenance mode. Responding to the situation online with messages about using the opportunity to shine, to love your neighbor, and also to encourage and reinforce safe hygiene and social distancing measures. There seems to be little or no spiritual discernment as to the ‘root causes’ of this virus and then some sort of revelation of what God might require from us to stop this epidemic. It is increasingly obvious that God is being squeezed out of our society, e.g. I just read about a missing verse with Christian message of our national anthem https://christiantoday.com.au/news/what-a-stanza-.html , this is just one example.
    I am quietly wondering how much worse do things need to get? What else might have to happen before His people deal with the sins in our land on our watch? Andrea Williams of Christian Concern has some insightful comments about inadequate ‘Christian’ response https://christianconcern.com/comment/the-church-must-repent-of-being-just-another-club/

    What happened to the ‘R’ word? Why is repentance hardly preached now. I checked out a few sermons online over Easter (about 9). I am baffled because it was mostly not mentioned at all. About 3 churches did- but it was not actually explained , I only noticed one sermon that actually spelled it out in any clear way.
    What is happening? Is it assumed that church people understand about repentance? Or is it becoming offensive and risky to preach it? I am seriously wondering what is going on?

  14. I suggest that you follow the line of thought of Cardinal Raymond Burke (in particular) at the current 2020 (virtual) “Rome Life Forum” (with Free registration).
    Cardinal Burke links the COVID-19 Pandemic “Tribulation” to the Universally applicable Message of St. Mary at Fatima in 1917: “Repent, Repent, Repent!” and Pray, Pray, Pray…!
    Surely it can’t be morally right for the United States to seek to develop an anti-COVID-19 vaccine using aborted foetal tissue, for example?
    It is certainly not only China that is blameworthy for the predicament now facing the entire world.
    I call this dire situation the “Tower of Babel” aspect of the COVID-19 Pandemic…

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