The battle of the masks.

I do wear a mask--although there's no evidence that a bandana folded on an angle and tied behind my head then pulled up over my nose (2 layers of cloth) will protect me from anything except the flying bugs I meet on my morning walks. I passed 3 men running on the lakefront path this morning, splattering as they went. I read the research. What I see is that medical quality/grade masks worn properly, fitting tightly by medical staff are somewhat effective in blocking viruses, but those made for the general public offer very little protection, plus they cause us to touch our faces more. Nor have I read of any effort to make medical masks for the general public available even though all the experts agree those for the general public are next to useless.

Here's the statement on the box of my most recent purchase of washable, reusable 100% cotton masks, breathable, with adjustable nosepiece. "Not recommended for use in a surgical setting or where significant exposure to liquid, bodily or other hazardous fluids may be expected." "Shall not be used in a clinical setting where the infection risk level through inhalation exposure is high." Then in teeny-tiny print there is something about Covid. First, it has, "not been FDA cleared or approved." Then on the next line, "This product has been authorized by FDA under an EUA (emergency use authorization) for use by HCP as PPE to help prevent the spread of infection of illness in healthcare setting and by the general public to help slow the spread of the virus during the Covid19 pandemic." And then it cites section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 360bbb-3(b)(1) unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.

Meanwhile it has been a very useful method to keep Americans fighting amongst each other, even here in peaceful idyllic Lakeside, instead of taking back their country, churches, and freedoms.

Also, you can do your own research.  Don’t take my word for it. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

A world from Bill

We went to high school “together,” although I don’t think we ever spoke.

“The Republican party still has not learned they did not win.  Trump won.  With out Trump they would just be the looser party who spends all their time bitching at the Dems in office.  That is all the Republican party did after Reagan left office. Republicans just talk and get nothing done.  That is why Trump has been so refreshing.  He gets things done in a big way. A big example, talker and no action guy is Lindsey Graham.  The entire press including Fox news is on the war path to rid of Trump.  I have said for years if you want to see the USA  in 20 or 30 years, just look at France.  If Biden wins you will see France immediately as Biden has been forced to support the far left as that is all the Dems have left.  And make no mistake the American voter is not very well informed as they will not spend the effort to understand..  I was always amazed at the European voters.  They seemed to really understand all the issues.  I just could not agree with them on their goals. It is very possible that Biden wins.  If you want to see chaos it will be a real eye opener.  You will not recognize the country in less than four years, “

Dark money for Biden

“A staggering $5.7 million—96 percent—of the $5.9 million bankrolling Victory 2020, a new pro-Biden super PAC, came from a single leftist “dark money” donor: the Sixteen Thirty Fund. The Sixteen Thirty Fund is the lobbying wing of the $635 million empire run by Arabella Advisors, according to its FEC filings.

It’s a startling revelation for a group used to operating in nearly total anonymity, but for anyone familiar with the Sixteen Thirty Fund it’s par for the course for the Left’s best-kept secret.

Last year we broke the story on the secretive, half-billion-dollar nonprofit network run by Arabella Advisors, a little-known consulting firm in DC run by Clinton administration alum Eric Kessler. Our report The Shadow Over America went even deeper—exposing the now $635 million behemoth’s roots in the infamous ACORN and its vast reach in American politics.

Sixteen Thirty is the tip of the spear in the Left’s anti-Trump “resistance.” It spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and has poured rivers of money into left-wing activist groups—with almost no reporting by the media until our exposé revealed the nearly 15-year-old scheme.”

https://capitalresearch.org/article/arabella-advisors-dark-money-backs-biden-expect-even-more/? Capital Research Center

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/09/17/unmasked-secretive-arabella-advisors-really-behind-grassroots-protest-movement-opposing-trumps-judicial-nominees/ Breitbart

https://www.influencewatch.org/for-profit/arabella-advisors/

“Several election-focused PACs received large sums from Sixteen Thirty, according to FEC filings. The pro-Biden Unite the Country PAC, liberal operative David Brock's American Bridge PAC, and a joint fundraising venture between the two groups hauled in a combined $11.4 million from the fund last month. Priorities USA Action, the largest Democratic super PAC, received $3.5 million. The Black PAC, a progressive group focused on black voter turnout, received $2.25 million from the dark money entity—nearly all of the $2.5 million the committee raised in June.”

https://freebeacon.com/2020-election/dark-money-network-conceals-20-million-in-liberal-election-spending/ Free Beacon

Evidence for cloth masks? Not much

I’m still looking for peer-reviewed research that recommends universal face mask use by the general public using non-medical grade masks.  Doesn’t seem to be any.  Only suggestions for more research.

Covid-19: What is the evidence for cloth masks?

BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1422 (Published 07 April 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1422 

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1422

“A preprint of a rapid systematic review has assessed the current evidence on respiratory illnesses and the use of face masks (mainly surgical paper masks) in community settings.4 The paper, yet to be peer reviewed, included 31 studies, of which 12 were randomised controlled trials. The researchers reported that “wearing facemasks can be very slightly protective against primary infection from casual community contact, and modestly protective against household infections when both infected and uninfected members wear facemasks.” However, they said that many of the studies “suffered from poor compliance and controls.”

They concluded, “The evidence is not sufficiently strong to support widespread use of facemasks as a protective measure against covid-19. However, there is enough evidence to support the use of facemasks for short periods of time by particularly vulnerable individuals when in transient higher risk situations.”

Commenting on these findings, Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said, “There is only very limited evidence of the benefits of wearing face masks by the general public, no evidence that wearing them in crowded places helps at all, and no evidence at all yet related to covid-19 . . . The authors also acknowledge that mass face mask wearing by the public would likely cause shortages among people who genuinely need protective equipment—healthcare workers on the front line in our hospitals.” “  Another researcher in virology says if the aerosal droplet hits the weave instead of a hole, there is some protection.

Washington Post lied and was sued

A huge victory for equal justice under the law. "Hate" hoaxes, Fake News and false narratives must stop. After marching for life on a winter day, Catholic teenagers were intentionally framed by Leftist group(s) and media using decontextualized video. It was immediately promoted by Washington Post, Sojourners and many repeaters. Nick's lawyers filed a defamation suit for $250 million. It is one of six suits against media. Final settlements are undetermined. No more lying. Justice matters. Every human life matters to God.”   (Kelly Monroe Kullberg)

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-washington-post-to-pay-covington-student-nick-sandmann-after-250-million-lawsuit?

It is the fear that endangers us

“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (Psalm 91:5-6)

“We have been through tough flu seasons before without shutting down the country. I remember in 1968 — a terrible year for many reasons — the Hong Kong Flu was raging; 100,000 Americans died from the flu that year. My grandfather was a doctor and warned us about it, but neither the country nor the world shut down. The sick were isolated; the vulnerable were given heightened protection. I remember seeing “Quarantine” signs on the doors of some of the houses in my neighborhood. If someone had the flu, the entire household was ordered to stay inside for two weeks, and that very visible sign was placed on the front door. Meanwhile, the healthy went about their work, and life continued. Yes, the death toll was high, but everyone understood that life had to go on. Years ago, there were so many dangerous illnesses to be afraid of — cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, polio. It takes courage to live, and people of the time had that courage.

In the current pandemic, which is admittedly severe, we have quarantined the healthy along with the sick, the resilient along with the vulnerable. Crippling fear has seized so many people, and at some point, fear begins to feed on itself. We have shut down our economy, depriving many of their livelihoods and of the dignity that comes from working, from using their talents and from providing for their families.” https://m.ncregister.com/blog/msgr-pope/be-not-afraid?

And I remember the polio seasons of the 1940s and 1950s. I remember the Asian Flu of 1957.  The healthy were not crippled and locked inside. Why did people in a less safe time react more bravely?

Bill DeBlasio is an open Communist

NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio claims it's OK to quote Karl Marx, and says the business community doesn't matter so much, that he's concerned about the "working" people. Who do those people work for, other than the government? Restaurant owners--working people. Theater owners--working people. Hotel owners--working people. Tour companies--working people. Sports teams--working people.

In the early days of the Soviet Union, Lenin killed the Kulaks--if you even owned a cow, you were part of the bourgeoisie capitalist crowd. When Russia ran out of food, he blamed the lazy Kulaks. That's what DeBlasio is doing to the formerly great NYC.

https://nypost.com/2020/07/24/de-blasio-quotes-communist-karl-marx-in-nyc-radio-interview/

“Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, said that de Blasio “suggests that the business community somehow does not represent working people, which is an ideological position and not an accurate representation of our city’s highly diverse private sector.”

“This crisis is a moment to bring the people of New York together, not to divide them,” said Wylde, whose organization represents businesses that collectively employ 1.5 million New Yorkers.

Jay Martin of the Community Housing Improvement Program, which represents 4,000 building owners, accused de Blasio of having “done nothing to improve the living conditions of tens of thousands of [public-housing] residents.”

“He talks about a Marxist utopia and demonizes the very businesses that fund his progressive pet projects, while many of his constituents live without hot water because of his incompetence,” Martin said.”

Remembering our “golden” past of the 1950s

It’s interesting that even liberals who see everything in the 21^st century as dark, racist and the fault of the GOP, can think of the 50s-60s in Mt Morris, Illinois (or Oregon, or Polo, or Columbus, Ohio) as a time of a golden era. I read a lot of blogs, and that misty, foggy view is common among 70-80 year olds. My husband whose high school was larger in acres and people than Mt. Morris, thinks the same thing. Of course, it’s not true; go through your high school annuals and you’ll see people who were white, but were marginalized because they were fat, or ugly, or low intelligence or unathletic or who never got the help they needed or who dropped out of school after 7^th or 8^th grade at age 16 or 17.

(I think this is 1954, confirmation class Trinity Lutheran for 1957 graduates) 

The U.S. in 2020 is so much less racist, less unfair, with more opportunity and ladders to success for the poor than we enlightened folk of the 50s could have ever imagined. We had devoted, but poorly paid teachers, and today the average hourly wage for a public school teacher is over $67/hour—far more than accountants, architects, librarians, farmers, and muffler repairmen. And statistically, there are far fewer poor and marginalized all over the world. Unfortunately, there’s something about being human – enough is never enough. We’re greedy and ungrateful to God for all he supplies. Slavery is also a bigger trade in the 21^st century than it was in the 18^th yet, U.S. and Europe are expected to take the blame for what happened 300 years ago. Life will never be fair. Some things at the micro-level are better, but the macro tells a more ominous story. And people still use the specter of slavery to grab power as well as to build your smart phone.

The U.S. federal social statistics are difficult to read because they always move the goal, but in 1959, families in poverty in the U.S. were 20.8%, and families headed by women were 49.4% (that was a much smaller numerical figure then). In 2018, the last year for compiled stats, poverty for families was 9.7% and for families head by women 26.8%. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-people.html The federal government aid has done a lot to dismantle the economic model of the family, but a lot of economic aid is poured into that mistake, and the female headed households are not the victims they used to be, despite the gap. And as I’ve noted before, I still remember the first time I saw a black man in a TV series (Bill Cosby, I Spy) and the first time I saw a black man as a retail clerk in a major chain (Penney’s, Champaign, IL, early 1960s).

So let’s keep some perspective. And watch for the power grabs of today, much of it happening very quickly in the fog of the pandemic.

Conspiracy, plan or coincidence—the results are the same

This piece in quotes below is circulating the internet, or being reported in a variety of ways. I didn't write it--not sure if there is an author or just an editor/compiler. Is it a plan, or just a perfect storm? We’ve seen what the “stand down” orders have done to down town Columbus, Ohio. We know someone on the CPD and get the inside story. Those businesses will probably never return. We’ve seen the recent uptick in national unemployment and the drop in all the good signs and indicators as people were ready to reopen. You probably don’t believe in conspiracies, but does it matter if this was planned or just a freak accident of history? Does it really matter if Big Tech and Big Entertainment are being controlled by a Master Puppeteer and have gone completely WOKE? By only listening to ONE narrow field in medicine (public health) our government leaders from top to bottom from Republican to Democrat to Libertarian have played into the hands of the totalitarians, whoever they are. Yesterday we cancelled the reception planned for after the memorial/interment of ashes for our son Phil here at Lakeside, a summer Chautauqua community. The service was open air, but the reception was to be inside a large hall adequate for social distancing. Yet, most of our friends and neighbors, in the 70-80s age group, many with health challenges, are still too intimidated by the scare stories to even leave their cottages.

"The US Population is 330,000,000 and in 5 months the number of deaths [from Covid19] was 130,000. The number of deaths as a percent of the population is 0.03939 %, compared to the number of cancer cases diagnosed in 2019 (1,762.450) and 607,000 deaths.

This doesn’t seem far fetched because it is happening before our eyes.

A very well-orchestrated plan, or an unimaginable set of events that just fell into place ... with the United States front and center. You tell me!!

Scare people with a virus, force them to wear masks and place them in quarantine.

Count the number of deaths every second of every day, in every News Headline. By the way, ninety-nine and eight-tenths of the people who get the virus, recover. About one to two-tenths of one percent who get the virus, die. Most of them have other medical problems. Did you catch that ? Less than 1/2 of a percent die.

Close businesses = 35,000,000+ instantly unemployed.

Remove entertainment and prohibit Recreation; Closing parks, gyms, bars, restaurants, sports.

No dating. No touching. Isolate people. Dehumanize them.

Close Temples and Churches, prohibit worship. Create a vacuum and let depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and desperation set in.

Then... ignite hatred and civil unrest, creating Civil War.

Empty the prisons because of the virus and fill the streets with criminals.

Send in Antifa to vandalize property, as if they are freedom fighters. Undermine the law, Riot, Loot and Attack all Law Enforcement, but tell the government to order a stand-down.

Then... Defund Law Enforcement and abolish Police. We are all being played by those who want to destroy America! This is how you destroy a Nation from within and in a very short order. Will it work, I guess that depends on you and me."

To mask or not to mask

I keep looking for research on the safety and efficacy of the masks used by the general public. This isn't it, but it's the best we've got. This is observational, not clinical, and it is for health care workers, not you and me. The article even says, "in the absence of data" [for the masks worn by the public] this will have to do. It also is one of the few articles (it's an editorial, not research) that says there are 2 purposes--one is it protects the wearer. Which is why I wear a mask. Why is no one putting together a study on the masks the general public uses? It couldn't be that difficult. There are all sorts of fabrics, thickness, filters, countries of origin (including China!). So far, it is observational, anecdotal, and opinion. Many states are making policy on this issue, and people are having fights. Let's do the research!,

In Ohio, the governor has now mandated masks outside our residences.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2768532?

The hypocrisy of the Left

The epicenter of the deaths and infection rate of coronavirus is NY and NJ. Both governors and Mayors have discriminated against religious groups and small businesses to favor a Marxist group, Black Lives Matter (BLM doesn't deny this). Mayor DeBlasio claimed 400 years of American racism was more important than religious services for Jews and Christians or upset store owners losing their livelihood. Gov. Phil Murphy was probably worse, congratulating BLM activists as being in a different orbit than nail salon owners. Their hypocrisy is not only sickening, it demonstrates horrible government over reach.

And even other states and cities not hit as hard by this virus have pastors and priests who cowered in fear and let their churches be designated non-essential. Again, government over reach and the public's lack of knowledge about the constitution.

Biden and China

"China and the US are now in a true cold war situation for years to come. If Biden is elected it will be China as supreme in a few years. Russia and the EU are now sideshows. The entire geopolitical set of relations and interactions for the world will never be the same after the pandemic. The next few years are most likely to be chaotic and potentially violent, as China tries to gain advantage, and as the newly poverty stricken wage war or terrorism, or other disruptions." (from an investment newsletter, 7/19/20)

Read that. Now read it again. Do you really want to vote for Biden given his fondness for and softness on China and with so many in his party rioting in the streets protesting capitalism and chasing after Communism?

Where did all this divisiveness and anger come from? Academe.

Got problems? Look at academe. Every protest you see today--race, gender, homophobia, gaps--all begin in academe. She warned us with this book in 2018, it was oozing and boiling then and most of us ignored it or laughed at the snowflakes. It's also affecting how the Covid19 virus is being handled.

https://youtu.be/l9URgeqIF-o

MS-13

The racism charges against Trump loomed large when he accused MS-13 gang members of being scum and thugs. I think it was Pelosi who defended them. She confused them with her Mexican gardeners (they are Honduran). Because of Covid and the general hate Trump news 24/7, I missed this. "The president also reported that, during his first term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported over 16,000 gang members and arrested over 2,000 members of MS-13.” If you don't feel safer now, you get your level 3 "Hate-Trump" patch for your brown shirt. Next, your black Antifa uniform. Why the Left want more gang members in the U.S., I don't know.

"President Trump and U.S. officials with the Department of Justice, including Attorney General Bill Barr, held a press conference Wednesday in the Oval Office announcing the arrests of dozens of high-level members of the gang known as “MS-13.”

General Barr revealed “Project Vulcan” as a sting operation which was launched as part of President Trump’s directive to “destroy MS-13” which Barr labeled “a death cult.” "

https://thehayride.com/2020/07/trump-admin-announces-arrests-of-high-level-ms-13-gang-members/?

Bye-bye freedom of speech—The Cancel Culture

So you don't believe in the Cancel Culture run amok? You think it isn't happening? How about Cancel People? Here's a list, and I don't know this site or the one she quotes. Most of these are liberals (or appear to me to be that), or so low on the totem pole they shouldn't matter. One emergency room doctor in Ohio was dismissed after publicly speculating about why blacks have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. Another was accused of "white privilege." Some work for liberal organizations or media and are accused in purges of racist ideas or statements. The Leftists take over, they eat their own.

https://elizabethjnickson.com/2020/06/27/list-of-people-canceled-in-post-george-floyd-antiracism-purges/

Where are the names and public funerals for these black lives?

I'm waiting to see the names and funerals of the 3 teens killed in Columbus, OH, week-end of July 14 announced nationally, because, their black lives mattered too. Will white liberals show up to show compassion and support for their families? In fact, one 15 year old (the only name I could find) was the son of someone killed in gun violence when he was a baby. Our mayor Ginther is verbally suggesting less violence is the answer, yet in actions, supporting the looting and burning by having police stand down. Such a wimp. Look at this sweet face. Probably wouldn't put a toddler in a time out chair. 

BLM is a Marxist Organization

A dialogue is not the intention of BLM, the organization. It is a Marxist group, organized by black radical feminists and now controlled by whites, with the usual shout them down and humiliate reasonable people until they submit.

Got a virtue signaling sign in the yard? Look out. They know the softies. Have you attended a "non-violent protest" in the last few weeks? Honey, you've been had. There are hundreds of examples over the last 100 years on what happens to people who submit. 100,000,000 killed by their own governments.  Fascism and Communism and flip sides of the same coin.  You can’t get a piece of dental floss between them.

These people are totalitarians. They are already taking out the first layer of "liberals" and "independents" who dare to have a non-anarchist opinion, or who question who has taken over the Democrat Party. God help the people who think all lives matter, or who think they have a right to cover the graffiti which BLM and the mayor smeared on city owned streets.

Academe loves mindfulness (Hinduism)

Ohio State University pays for and supports "mindfulness," another word for Hinduism blended with various other eastern techniques and healthiness methods to control stress. That's not unusual--it's a fad in most of academe. Why aren't other religions represented? Where's that "separation" of church and state that liberals love to honor? Oh, it's not a church? Good. Then you should have no problem with OSU staff teaching the Rosary, or Litany of the Hours or using Luther's writings on the Psalter. Maybe if an awkward position on the floor were incorporated they would qualify? Those rich sources are also relaxing, but they are mind filling rather than emptying. Content matters. Christians need to speak up--they've declared our churches non-essential, don't let them override our devotional practices.

"JamesCare for Life Presents Mindfulness in Motion, an 8-week research-based program combining guided mindfulness meditation, community sharing, gentle yoga-inspired stretches and relaxing music. This course, developed by Dr. Maryanna Klatt, has been shown to significantly improve perceived stress, resilience, and quality of sleep for cancer survivors."

The gaslighting of a nation

The whole nation was united in the Floyd case, before the rioting and looting. So we know something is afoot there. The Left does not want us to be unified on anything, especially not a race issue. That said, there was also no evidence that Floyd's take down and death were based on race. It's what we were told--from every source. If the cop had been black or Floyd white, I suppose some trouble makers might have screamed, "Police Brutality," or take a knee, but the racism charge would have slid off the table. After a day or two, it would have been business as usual. Same drug user committing same crime, and a cop's knee on the neck of perp. Nor do we have all the information--just a slice of a video. Now all we have are pundits, politicians and priests all soberly denouncing racist cops while also pushing the alarms to encourage tearing up cities.

Folks, is there a term for national gaslighting?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting

From little to big, from narrow to wide, from thin to fat, from minor to major, from cold to hot, from bright to dim, from friend to foe, from known to unknown

It is all such a mess. I’m as angry at the insignificant as I am the overwhelming.  When I look at my church website I see no order or sense, only glitz and programs I don’t care about. When I walk down the street I see a carelessly tossed empty can or sandwich wrap.  When I open the refrigerator I see nothing healthy or life promoting, just crumbs and crap. When I put on a shirt, it doesn’t fit, is the wrong color, or I didn’t notice a spot when I hung it in the closet. When I pull up my mask, I can’t breathe, and don’t really think they block anything.

And then there are the invading termites, ants and armies in our culture wanting to tear it all down from Confederate statues to language to schools with silly yard signs in our 99.9% white community. The world wide pandemic has our churches closed has become political and an economic crisis that makes the president’s enemies happy, rubbing their hands with glee at our suffering. The FBI swamp creatures knew the dossier was phony even before the misery of the impeachment disaster. Millions of school children will lose another year and do-gooders will accept grants to study the “gap.” All forms of sexuality have been normalized by our so-called “conservative” Supreme Court as our nation spits in the face of history and God.

Yes, it all looks like my church website or empty refrigerator, little or big.