As has become standard for legislative mandates passed by Congress, this measure is disturbingly short on details. What we do know is that the “safety” device must “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”
Everything about this mandatory measure should set off red flares.
First, use of the word “passively” suggests the system will always be on and constantly monitoring the vehicle. Secondly, the system must connect to the vehicle’s operational controls, so as to disable the vehicle either before driving or during, when impairment is detected. Thirdly, it will be an “open” system, or at least one with a backdoor, meaning authorized (or unauthorized) third-parties can remotely access the system’s data at any time.
WELCOME WAGON: I’ve been blogging, and blogging, and blogging about how someone should do this, and eventually decided I was going to have to take a more active hand. So I’ve been talking with the folks at FEE, the Foundation for Economic Education, whose excellent stuff I link regularly. Then result is the Fresh Start States initiative, which seeks to educate transplants from blue to red states not to vote for the policies that ruined their old homes. I’ve donated to this initiative myself and hope some of you will.
Will the city be changing its name to Odiadelphia?
DISPATCHES FROM KILLADELPHIA: Temple University Student Fatally Shot in Broad Daylight as Philadelphia Breaks Homicide Record. “Philadelphia has recorded at least 506 homicides this year, making 2021 the deadliest year on record in the city. ‘We are deeply saddened by the death of Samuel Collington, and strongly condemn this and any acts of violence in our city,’ a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said. ‘We grieve every life lost to violence, and we’re heartbroken for Samuel’s friends and family as they cope with this unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, the Temple University community, and his colleagues in the City Commissioners’ Office.’”
In a sense, I can’t believe I’m writing this article. From a scientific perspective, this issue has been firmly settled. The answer is very clearly “NO!”. And yet, if I google “is saturated fat unhealthy?”, then seven of the top nine results proclaim with great certainty that “yes, it is”.
Here’s what the NHS says to people living in the UK: “Too much saturated fat … Read more
I am not blogging much due to some overwhelming work circumstances in my real life. However, I cannot believe the reaction of world leaders racing to institute the most onerous of restrictions on citizens based on the reports that a new COVID variant merely exists.
Fauci went on national TV this morning, subject to the usual adoring media attention and softball kid glove treatment, to discuss what has been labelled the Omicron variant (apparently selected because it is not the name of a Chinese leader and because it is an anagram for "moronic"). If Fauci were a real scientist he would have said something like this:
Respiratory viruses mutate all the time -- that is in fact why we have to create a new flu vaccine every year and why those vaccines often suck (because these mutations are hard to predict in advance). We have known about the Omicron variant for like a week. We have zero data on its transmissibility or the seriousness of its symptoms. Since I don't believe anyone has died of it, we of course have no data on death rates, though preliminary reports form the South African virologists who first identified the variant are that most symptoms have been mild.
Our general expectation is that all respiratory viruses will mutate, and in general they mutate towards more transmissibility but less serious symptoms. The history of COVID has seen a variety of variants, none of which have proven to be any more dangerous than the last. Upticks recently in cases counts which have been blames on Delta are more likely just reflective of the seasonal pattern of this virus (all respiratory viruses show a seasonal pattern).
Looking back, most of the panic around the Delta variant was misplaced, as the variant appears to be --despite early overwrought fears -- no more deadly than other variants and no more or less transmissible to the vaccinated. We shall observe Omicron over the coming weeks to see if any new responses are required as we develop actual data (rather than general fears) about the variant, but early hopes are that the virus may have mutated so much that it is less likely to send people to the hospital or to the grave.
Regarding mandates, Fauci stated that lockdowns and a federal vaccination requirement should be the focus of overcoming the omicron variant.
“Everything is on the table,” responded Fauci during a separate media appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
He added, “This is a clarion call … If you’re not vaccinated, get vaccinated. If you’re fully vaccinated, get boosted. Get the children vaccinated also. We now have time. Thank goodness that the South Africans … were completely transparent.”
Fauci also appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation to discuss critics of his expertise dealing with COVID, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Apart from dubbing himself the face of science, Fauci diverted the conversation to the January 6 event at the Capitol to questionably stick it to Cruz.
Because most published studies on viral transmissibility and deadliness typically base their findings on one week of anecdotal data, as well as arguments about the political activities of Senators from Texas. That's clearly science, and all you morons that do not have a house on Martha's Vineyard just need to obey.
One of the interesting things we have seen over the last 2 years is that there are a group of largely apolitical people who are ready on a moments notice to race to the scene of a protest or riot and join in and loot. Similarly, there are political leaders today who jump at the slightest chance to layer more restrictions on their citizens at the slightest excuse. This was a headline several days ago, when there was absolutely no way on Earth any of these politicians knew if this new variant was dangerous or not.
Update: Wow, the NY Times is going soft. I received this bit of rationality and reasonableness in my Times morning brief this morning, from David Leonhardt:
The public reaction to new Covid-19 variants has followed a familiar cycle. People tend to assume the worst about two different questions — whether the variant leads to faster transmission of the Covid virus and whether it causes more severe illness among infected people.
The first of those worries came true with the Alpha and Delta variants: Alpha was more contagious than the original version of the virus, and Delta was even more contagious than Alpha. But the second of the worries has largely not been borne out: With both Alpha and Delta, the percentage of Covid cases that led to hospitalization or death held fairly steady.
This pattern isn’t surprising, scientists say. Viruses often evolve in ways that help them flourish. Becoming more contagious allows a virus to do so; becoming more severe has the potential to do the opposite, because more of a virus’s hosts can die before they infect others.
It is too soon to know whether the Omicron variant will fit the pattern. But the very early evidence suggests that it may. Unfortunately, Omicron seems likely to be more contagious than Delta, including among vaccinated people. Fortunately, the evidence so far does not indicate that Omicron is causing more severe illness...
Absent new evidence, the rational assumption is that Covid is likely to remain overwhelmingly mild among the vaccinated (unless their health is already precarious). For most vaccinated people, Covid probably presents less risk than some everyday activities.
Good! Almost two years too late, but it is good to see at least one corner of the media dialing down the panic knob. Unfortunately, what you do not yet see in the high-profile media is them taking the obvious step -- if they really believe this, then why aren't they calling out political leaders for their rapid over-reactions to Omicron?
The United States has the 13th highest COVID-19 death rate relative to population. Many different factors shaped death rates in the pandemic. But there’s one uncomfortable reason that the U.S. likely experienced more COVID-19 deaths that has largely been ignored because it’s politically incorrect.
Out-of-control obesity rates and the “body positivity” movement predating the pandemic have left the U.S. population disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 compared to other countries. The U.S. ranks No. 12 in obesity worldwide, one of the highest rates among developed countries. One study found that 90% of worldwide COVID-19 deaths occurred in countries with high obesity rates.
The history of the American Revolution isn’t the only thing the New York Times is revising through its 1619 Project. The “paper of record” has also taken to quietly altering the published text of the project itself after one of its claims came under intense criticism. . . . Whatever the exact occasion for the changes, the Times did not disclose its edits or how they obscured one of the most controversial claims in the entire 1619 Project. They simply made the problematic passages disappear, hoping that nobody would notice.
I'm guessing that commenting on these items gets you installed on a terrorist watch list.
FEDERAL REGISTER SWAMPED BY MANDATE OPPONENTS: Proposed federal regulations are required to be published in the Federal Register in order to give the public an opportunity to express their approval. or disapproval. Most such postings are on obscure issues and so get a dozen or maybe 100 comments.
Once in a while, though, a rule is proposed that sparks a public outcry. Such is the case with His Fraudulency’s OSHA-enforced vaccine mandate on private businesses. More than 68,000 mostly negative comments were received by the Federal Register by Tuesday. By contrast, a related proposed rule that was published in July received less than 500 comments, according to Rachel Glaszer of the Heritage Foundation.
We keep hearing about “strain on our hospitals” sounding “alarm bells” because they are “nearing capacity” — because COVID-19. By instituting “temporary” indoor mask orders, we will “ease the burden” on hospitals.
Yes, COVID-19 hospitalizations are a contributing factor. However, things like the “elective procedures” backlog — singlehandedly created by government — are by far the biggest drivers.
Early Monday morning, my dad had a long-anticipated double-knee replacement surgery. While his recovery will be a long haul, the surgery itself went well and he will expertly tackle the physical therapy. My father is one of a growing number of Coloradans who are getting important medical treatment before the end of the year — often previously delayed by government edict.
As with numerous states last year, Colorado put the kibosh on most “elective procedures” to limit hospital visits. These weren’t just cosmetic surgeries; they included cancer screenings, cardiovascular procedures, orthopedic surgeries, and many more that help with pain, prevent long-term medical issues and improve quality of life.
Let’s be real: Unelected public health bureaucrats and Gov. Polis forced countless Coloradans to delay critical medical procedures. Now, in recent months, patients have been going in. The hospital backlog is finally being exposed.
The Law of Unintended Consequences always gets the last, bitter laugh.
The penal code defines looting as “theft or burglary…during a ‘state of emergency’, ‘local emergency’, or ‘evacuation order’ resulting from an earthquake, fire, flood, riot or other natural or manmade disaster.”
To some, the distinction may be small, but Lorenzo Boyd, PhD, Professor of Criminal Justice & Community Policing at the University of New Haven, and a retired veteran police officer, emphasized that words matter.
“Looting is a term that we typically use when people of color or urban dwellers are doing something. We tend not to use that term for other people when they do the exact same thing,” said Boyd.
“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidily defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we’re not far from that point. But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there’s no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It’s merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won’t be any need even for that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect. Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak,” he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. “Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?”
A federal judge should not accept a proposal by Project Veritas to appoint a special master after FBI agents raided homes linked to the journalism group, U.S. government lawyers argued in a court filing on Friday.
After agents executed search warrants on several homes linked to Project Veritas, including a residence of founder James O’Keefe, the group’s lawyers asked a judge to appoint a special master, or a retired judge, to sift through material seized by federal agents and separate out certain files.
Agents seized cell phones and other electronic devices from O’Keefe and two former Project Veritas journalists earlier this month, according to court documents.
The raids were motivated by the apparent belief that the group committed crimes in its handling of a diary said to be penned by Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden. Project Veritas says it was given the diary last year, but passed it onto law enforcement when it could not verify its authenticity.
“The extraordinary actions taken by the government, most significantly the use of search warrants to seize news gathering materials from journalists, appear to be founded on the premise that the diary does belong to Ashley Biden. That fact, however, does not warrant the exercise of federal criminal authority to investigate and punish journalists who merely obtained the diary and possessed it temporarily,” lawyers for the group wrote in a motion to the court.
Even more troublesome, there were no limits imposed in the search warrants on the government’s access to material it seized, lawyers said, which enables it to access privileged material, whistleblower material, and material about news investigations.
“The appointment of a special master to review the seized materials is necessary to protect core First Amendment interests and attorney-client privileged information,” they added.
Forget a special master. We need a special prosecutor to investigate the FBI’s behavior in this case.
And here are the 60-day death rates, by vaccination status:
Compare these to the 60-day raw death numbers, by vaccination status:
The vast majority of deaths are in the vaccinated. I will never tire of typing that Corona mortality risk is highly concentrated in the very old and the very sick. Most people—even most 80 year-olds—are not all that likely to die of Corona. If you can get vaccines to the greater part of the oldest and the sickest, your efficacy statistics will look more like those provided by the UKHSA. If you do a bad job of getting vaccines to the oldest and the sickest, you’ll end up with a far greater proportion of deaths in the unvaccinated.
T. Coddington, creator of many useful Corona dashboards, provides a special dashboard to visually explore the evolution of the UKHSA vaccine surveillance statistics over time. Explore it here:
The crack Reuters factcheckers, who are so proud of their high-level factchecking that they remain totally anonymous, declare this to be “false” because
the columns showing the rates … have not been removed, but moved elsewhere. They now appear in a table on page 20 … that compares the rates of infection, hospitalisation and death alongside each other.
This is next-level absurdity, even for the dubious enterprise of factchecking. Nobody is saying that the UKHSA removed the columns with the relative rates. We are saying that they removed the chart which illustrated the data in the columns. This is important, because humans are overtly visual creatures; raw numbers are good but harder to understand quickly, and they can’t be shared as easily. This is why I redraw the missing graph for you every week. Daily Sceptic are also very open about the fact that the data itself is still in the UKHSA reports. In the factchecked post they even use this data to continue their plot of the ongoing vaccine fade in Britain.
I Numero