News Weakly - 8/7/21

Tell Me Again
Fauci says "Things are going to get worse" because of the delta variant, but "mostly among the unvaccinated." Over against the next story where Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly, vaccinated in April, tested positive for COVID. And one study reported that 75% of their delta variant cases occurred in fully-vaccinated subjects. And in Los Angeles over 25% of new COVID cases are among fully-vaccinated people. Tell me again about the wonders of this vaccine. Why should we believe the science when science doesn't?

It's Not a Slippery Slope Argument When it Comes True
Rapper DaBaby (Who thinks up names like that?) was dropped from performing at Lollapalooza and the Governor's Ball because of "a litany of vile and homophobic remarks" at a previous festival. "Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love." This sort of thing is normal these days and most of us can understand the rationale. However, consider the ramifications, the direction, the consequences. Who gets to decide what is "vile"? Who gets to decide what is "allowed speech" and ... what is not? Today it's a "homophobic" or "racist" or "sexist" or a more generic "offensive" version. When does "Jesus loves you" fall into the same category? (Hint: In some circles it already does.) When does "what you said" have major repercussions like loss of status, loss of income, loss of job, loss of freedom, etc.? The same line of reasoning that got DaBaby ejected from performing can get anyone else ejected from anything else when something else is no longer allowed to be classified as "diverse, inclusive, respectful, or loving." Who will make those determinations? (Hopefully not the current reigning "nonjudgmental, inclusive" crowd.)

Interesting Approach
Wuhan, China, plans to test its entire population of 11 million for COVID because of a "spike" -- seven local infections among migrant workers. Makes some sense, I suppose. Rather than arbitrarily putting a populace in lockdown, find out who is sick and deal with it. Nah! That kind of reasoning would never fly in a "free" nation like ours.

Classic Title Bout
Perhaps you're not aware of Title 42. Title 42 allows the government to expel migrants based on their threat of passing COVID. The American Civil Liberties Union (a misnomer if I've ever heard one in this case) is suing to end protecting Americans against imported COVID while the CDC seeks to extend the policy over COVID concerns. Who will win -- the ACLU or the CDC? Who will finish in first place -- "perceived rights" or science? Let's get ready to rumble!

AMA: "Do NOT Trust the Science."
According to the AMA, "Sex designation, as collected through the standard form and included on the birth certificate, refers to the biological difference between males and females." Right. Got it. Makes sense. Thanks. "Today, the majority of states (48) and the District of Columbia allow people to amend their sex designation on their birth certificate to reflect their individual gender identities ..." Okay, wait, we know the difference between "sex" (biological) and "gender" (social). So now 48 states allow people to substitute their preferred social designation for their unalterable biological designation? The AMA must be outraged. They are. The AMA will advocate for the removal of sex as a legal designation on the public portion of the birth certificate. See? That makes sense. Hey, this way no one will officially be male or female so sexism and sexual harrassment and separate "men's" and "women's" facilities or teams and all that will go away ... right?

Can They Do That?
Congress wouldn't do it. The president wouldn't do it. So the CDC has stepped in and issued an order halting evictions. Seriously, can they do that? On what authority? What else can they order? In all this COVID falderal they didn't order a thing, but they can tell landlords they can't evict renters? I guess the CDC feels like it has come into its own in power. Next, the CDC is going to raise taxes ... you know ... for health reasons.

Another Slippery Slope Slipped
I told you last week to expect increasing pressure to force people to get the vaccine. I told you to expect to lose freedoms. "My body; my choice" only works in the approved application ... this isn't it. So New York City now has a requirement that if you want to go do anything -- restaurants, gyms, entertainment, etc. -- you'll need proof of vaccine. Chicago looks like they will, too. And, of course, no end of private companies (e.g., Microsoft and CNN, etc.) are, too. "We're not mandating the vaccine," they might say, "you don't have to. You just can't interact with normal life if you don't." Stepping closer and closer to 1984. (See "Orwellian". Seriously.)

Consensus ... Not
In a rare event, the CDC and the FDA issued a joint statement that said, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," apparently as a clarification to Dr. Fauci's claim that the vaccinated will likely need a booster. In order to clear that up, Mitt Romney interpreted that to mean the U.S. needs to "move even faster" to provide booster shots while the WHO called for a moratorium on boosters. Got it. I love it when science offers a clear, coherent answer. Apparently this is not one of those times.

At It Again
The coronavirus has been around a long time. The current nightmare is SARS-CoV-2 -- COVID-19. But SARS-CoV isn't new. And even now we have new variants on SARS-CoV-2. What makes a virus mutate? According to medical experts, viruses mutate for three primary reasons. One is simple error. Literally a copy error in its DNA. Another is in response to variations in immune systems. Finally, there is the creation of a vaccine. This is why Dr. Fauci is warning that a strain worse than delta might emerge "unless there is a significant increase in vaccinations." Wait ... didn't we just see that vaccinations cause mutations? In fact, isn't that why we have to get a different flu shot every year? One more puzzling question. How much terrorizing is too much terrorizing?

Good News, Bad News
The report is out that Apple plans to scan iPhones for images of child sexual abuse. We agree, of course, that child sexual abuse is horrendous and doing more is good but is this the approach we want? What else will be deemed egregious enough to warrant this kind of blatant abuse of privacy? The Bible warns, "Be sure your sins will find you out." Apple is working to make that a reality. Of course, defining "sins" will be, necessarily, vague.

If A, Then Bee
Seems reasonable. Experts are warning of the dangerous new "Cuomo" variant. It is particularly dangerous to young women and potentially fatal to the elderly. Then, in light of the AMA's push to remove one's biological sex from a birth certificate, makes sense that the next reasonable step would be to remove all unique identifiers for a more inclusive birth certificate. From another source, Dr. Fauci is suggesting that a COVID booster might be necessary for those vaccinated who haven't died yet. And isn't it ironic that Biden recommended that Cuomo should resign?