Drifting Fate

Good day! Some of you may wonder why I've been silent about this stage of COVID-19 and Obamagate. For a few reasons... First, the spectacle of Obamagate is so great that it makes me wonder what they are trying to draw our attention away from? Well, Obamagate is DOA.   Fox News is reporting that Barr says Obama and Biden, both whose hands are as dirty as it gets, will not be investigated for the "Russian probe", aka the attempted coupe d'etat to take down a duly elected official, the official being no less than the President himself.  This on top of Fast and Furious to gut the Constitution, the weaponization of the IRS, Benghazi, false birth certificates, seeding tens of thousands of leftist immigrants into cities across the USA to change their cultures, and so many other things which came out of the Obama years, who can remember them all?  They thought they were above the law, and it appears they were correct. This speaks of cowardice of the first order ...

I'm linking this article from Tim Challies , an interview with a doctor friend of his who specializes in ventilation and is on the front lines of COVID-19 treatment. It contradicts some of what I've read and supports some, but I leave it here not because I've changed my mind on the issues surrounding the present unpleasantness but to offer a more well rounded view. I present it with only one comment, and that is that the doctor says the number of deaths is more important than the death rate.  This is foolishness and probably goes to show why doctors are so poor with business decisions.  If I have 30 deaths in a village of 60 people, that is one thing, but if I have 30 deaths in Tokyo, that is an entirely different situation. After reading the article, my feelings remain the same - refuse a ventilator and instead request high level of oxygen and time.  Of course, it goes without saying that I'm no doctor (as if it would matter if I were as there is no medical co...

The blog, Truth and Lies About the Corona Virus , is a bit long, but it's essential reading, especially for those of your gripped in fear of the disease or on the fence about what to do next. Read it and share it.  I'm not going to post the text here - too long, but have provided the link and encourage everyone to read it.

This "quarantine" was intended to "flatten the curve".  Mission accomplished.  Now, get out of our way so we can fix the damage done by you, the politician. It was never about making sure no one ever caught the virus.  In fact, for herd immunity to work, the majority of people need to be exposed and build anti-bodies against the contagion.  We are prolonging the inevitable by keeping people locked down and businesses closed.  Once everything opens, there will be a spike in COVID-19 cases, and that is OK. The greatest threat to America and the world right now is not the virus, it is the transfer of power from the people to the politicians.  It's transferring because we are all obeying orders which are schizophrenic (release murders and put paddle boarders in jail) and downright illegal (where does the Constitution list who is "essential" and who is not?). Historically and Biblically, the sick were quarantined while the healthy went about the busin...

China, amidst strong world condemnation for falsifying the number of deaths in Wuhan, recently released new numbers. The amount dead almost doubled, but considering this is the epicenter of the pandemic, less than 4,000 deaths in a city of 11,000,000, it’s still hardly credible. Either they are still lying (very possible), or its just more evidence of extreme over reaction on everyone’s (ok, not Sweden’s) part. Let's pretend for the moment the numbers a real, in Wuhan, 4.6% of the population caught the virus. Of those. 7.7% died.  But that means the death rate to the overall population is currently .035%. Meanwhile, South Korea reports that about 2% of those who had COVID-19 test positive a second time within a month of initial recovery. They say these people are not nearly as contagious as an initial case and the only some show even mild symptoms. While doctors are choking teenagers for not properly social distancing, the world actually seems to be handling this pretty wel...

The following is from the "Come and Make It" blog, which I know nothing about, and found it following links, so who knows how I got there. Anyway... I obviously have a connection to the Philippines through my wife, but it’s also an interesting window on a number of levels: 1) They have traditionally been very pro-America due to being a protectorate as a result of the Spanish-American War and having been treated and well educated to Western standards. 2) They are an Asian nation who is 2nd World, so they are a good gauge for the entire region, much better than industrialized, 1st World Japan 3) The current president is a train wreck authoritarian which helps us gauge how such an approach works on American ideals.  In one word, “Beware”. 4) They are fighters.  While primarily a blade culture, they have fairly loose gun laws for citizens and aren’t afraid about personal repercussions when it comes to making a point and standing up for what is right.  This is...

The hardest times are ahead of us - health, political, social, and for some mental.  Calls to suicide hotlines have grown exponentially by all accounts. Our years of handing out participation trophies has gained us hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of citizens who cannot handle negative news or hard times. I recently listened to a podcast where an expert talked about how difficult times literally build mental strength.  Each time we go through difficult or stressful events, chemicals are released in our brain to deal with it; the more incidents, the more our brain becomes hardwired to deal with difficulty. It goes a long way towards explaining why people from poor, agrarian backgrounds so often become some of our best soldiers, sailors, and Marines.  The horror of war is something easier for them to roll with, giving them vital mental and emotional resources to deal with the issues at hand instead of spending them on accepting the difficult environment they fi...

Thomas Massie, Republican representative from Kentucky, has been attacked by the Left and Right for simply asking representatives to do what we send them to Washington, D.C., to do - formally vote on the $2,000,000,000,000 corona virus "stimulus" bill.  You know, the one where they give you back your own money and ask to be congratulated for it. All Rep. Massie did was follow the Constitution.  It really was a telling moment.  For decades, the Left has been accused of seeing the Constitution as an impediment to what they want to do, not a guide.  Now, we see the same holds for the corporate Right as well. Even so-called conservatives are making fun of those who question the government's right and ability to do things such as close businesses and limit travel.  In places like Rhode Island and Florida, it has literally been, "Where are your papers?", you know, the WWII joke that was always made when totalitarianism came up. As someone pointed out, the Foundi...

Viruses flourish throughout our world, some infect us and do bad things when they do, most just look at us a go, "Meh", and keep on walking by. When a virus mutates enough to make the jump from an animal to a human we have things like the "Swine Flue" and "H1N1". But, what does it mean when a virus which affects humans begins to infect our dogs and cats ?  I really don't know.  I'm not sure I've heard of such a jump before.  Our systems are so different that such a jump isn't common.  And, yet, a cat and two dogs have tested positive for COVID-19, assumed to have caught it from their owners. It feels, and I know that's a bad word, but it's the right word, it feels like this just puts another nail in the coffin of this being a naturally occurring virus.  With complete certainty and zero facts, hold on - I'm going full progressive, I'm just going to say that this is now officially a bio-weapon.  Oh, sure, DNA stu...

This morning, numbers came out from Italy and China.  Surprisingly, they were very similar.  Mortality rates are low until the 60's at which point they climb precipitously, upwards of 20%+. However, a bit of caution must be maintained when we look at these numbers.  First, Italy was barely hanging on economically and was expected to be one of the falling dominoes of the EU.  Their health care, socialized, of course, was pretty much being held together with bubblegum and hope.  China, manufacturer to the world, has never realized population-wide health care which came anywhere near to Western standards. China is a closed country and while we can only guess how they have treated their corona virus patients, we know life is cheap within those borders and we have no reason to believe that an overstressed system was when those standards would change. Multiple reports have come out of Italy that the dramatic lack of ventilators meant anyone over 60 was literally...

Yesterday morning, Italy released new numbers as reported by Fox News . You can do the math, but it comes out to a 9% mortality rate, much higher than the rest of the world. In fact, somewhere else on the interwebz, where exactly I can't remember, think it was BBC, reported a world wide death rate that comes out to about 4%.  That is much higher than has been modeled, but a few things are going on here from what I can see. First, Italy's health system appears to be overwhelmed with people being triaged and wheeled into corners to die without any medical care.  Those are the stories which are coming out, and these numbers are on the heels of videos coming out of Italy saying the media is under-reporting (of all things) the severity of the illness. This brings up stories of the Spanish Flu and how the death rates from the same contagion today would be lower now simply due to the care, rest, fluids, and sanitation we can provide in a modern society... or can we?  Ita...

Happy Saint Patricks day to everyone! The upside to the virus panic is that the roads are amazingly clear on my morning commute and this will probably be one of the safest St Patricks days ever to be on the streets of America. Not much has changed policy wise in the last 24 hours, but here is an article written by Allen West which is a breath of fresh air amongst all of the doomsdayers out there - seriously, every single news article is about the corona virus.  Admittedly, having a bio-weapon loose on the globe is of concern, but you just know there are strings being pulled about other serious issues while America is distracted by all the talk of illness and quarantines. In Mr. West's article, he talks about managing fear and not letting it control us.  He's right.  As an example he uses the routing of the Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union troops were led in a bayonet charge by General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin, a true example of a citizen so...

It's difficult to call something dated when it's only three days old, but here we are... Still, I think this article about 8 Key Facts You Should Know about the Corona Virus from Friday, March 13th is worthwhile reading. Fact #7 - "Symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath."  Or, for me, Wednesday. I've been approached by a few people about security and safety during this time and the reality is that mass panic levels generated from a pandemic are beyond the scope of most people who study self-defense, myself included.  But, since we have to face it, we might as well plan knowing what we know. Apply the basics:  lock your doors and windows, doors all the time, doors and windows at night no matter how nice the weather.  Pay attention to what your dog is doing.  Never, ever open your security door to an unknown person or even a known person who seems to be making up excuses to be there.  Neighbors will turn on neighbors if supplies run...

There is so much unknown at this time. The panic level is off the charts.  Panic is never a good response to anything, but the rise of it can lead us to reasoned action.  So, how much of the underlying emotion leading to this panic is justified? I do believe the MSM has been yelling "Fire" in crowded theater.  But, we're not even sure there is smoke yet. It has already been a wild, disastrous ride economically and many are going to find themselves between a rock and a hard place.  I'm no socialist, but I hope apartment landlords and bank mortgage managers allow some grace while we get through this.  Sending families by the thousands out onto the streets because they lived paycheck to paycheck is not in the best interest of this country. Here is a link of the David Harris Jr show interviewing Gary Heavin , a health care expert.  It's long at an hour, but I won't bury the lead:  he said this could be worse than the Spanish Flu due to the incubati...

I'm not the biggest Joe Rogan fan but I will say that he does an excellent job with his guest selection. This is a link to an interview with Michael Olsterholm who is an infectious disease "detective." As of today, WHO has called COVID-19 a pandemic, which really isn't a surprise to anyone.  With international flights and a two-week incubation period during which people are highly contegious, this has been the plot of many a thriller book and movie. Gloves and masks are essentially worthless.  No vaccine anytime soon.  What about pre-emptive self-quarantines?  Yes, if you can afford to do it and you are older.  Closing schools is actually counterproductive as children really aren't catching COVID-19, a good thing, and then you're going to be pulling parents, many of whom work in the medical field out of circulation, a bad thing. From a business standpoint, we are in for a world of hurt.  Our economy relies on off-shore production of medical su...

I recently came down with the flu, and when I say "down", I mean down and out, O-U-T. It was he worst pain from the flu that I have ever had, bar none.  When I coughed, I thought the front of my skull was coming off. Fortunately, I made it to the doctor quickly and was put on Tamiflu, which I believe is shortening the course of the disease. I say all of this as a preamble to what the nurse told me as she handed me an extra mask, "Here, you'll need this, we're already at a national shortage." Ironically, my wife, who also has the flu, works in a medical office and had a patient who said she had been exposed to the corona virus.  The woman was overreacting, but the timing was classic and the degree of suffering made one think. It's been much talked about how China will lose much industrial and manufacturing capability due to the effects of COVID-19.  Similar to the United States, much of China's economic might is in small and medium businesse...