 5G and Virginia: The Technocratic Takeover No One Knows About Guest Bloggers: Jenny DeMarco & Doris Knick Virginians for Safe Technology Co-Founders Right now, the state of Virginia is rolling out a ONE Virginia Plan to “advance visible diversity, equity, and inclusion across state government.” This sounds great in theory, however the foundation of this plan is based on data mining and subjective “equity” scores for corporate and government institutions across the Commonwealth, and it’s using a dangerous technological infrastructure that will leave us all involuntarily exposed to harmful radiation via 4th Generation (4G LTE) and 5th Generation and beyond (5G+) wireless technology. It’s all set to kick off in George Washington’s boyhood home of Stafford County, where a newly formed state authority appointed a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to implement a “Smart City Living Testbed” without prior public knowledge. If all goes as planned, this “living testbed” will begin at the courthouse and eventually encompass the entire county. Are the members of Stafford County now considered living lab rats? The hope of Governor Northam and those who he’s appointed is that the Stafford County experiment creates a blueprint for counties across the state, however there are many issues with this, the first of which is the lack of consent from community members. Implementing 5G+ smart cities across the state is equivalent to mandating everyone in an entire county get injected with every CDC approved vaccine, without any prior knowledge, consent, or the ability to opt-out. To understand the scope of the 5G+ wireless implementation issue, you must first understand what 5G+ is: 5G+ is the next generation of wireless technology. It uses millimeter waves (mmWave), which are shorter and more intense than all previous generations, and is similar to the mmWave highband frequency directed energy weapons the military uses for crowd control. 5G+ signals don’t travel as far so small wireless transmission facilities (WTFs) will be installed in close proximity to or on homes, schools, businesses, parks, firehouses, in neighborhoods, etc. every several hundred feet. 5G+ uses pulsed radiation and can combine with existing 3G and 4G LTE towers and frequencies using a phased array signal, which exposes us to even more radiation from all directions. It requires millions of new 5G+ microtowers clustered closer to the ground, closer to homes and schools, and 40,000+ new transmitting satellites in low earth orbit that will use direct beam forming signals to connect to devices. The main promises of 5G+ are faster download speeds, a more secure network than previous wireless generations, no more wires, higher data capacity and supports the platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). These promises are a far stretch from the truth, which we will get into below.  However, if you’re interested in keeping your freedoms, there are three main concerns you may be alarmed to learn:
Let’s break each one of these concerns down in further detail: First, this smart city roll-out allows our data to be siphoned by our localities and handed over to private NGOs where it’s retained with essentially no oversight; it decreases private property values and takes away homeowners’ and public’s rights to deny placement of facilities/towers; it transfers all telecomm liability for the wireless telecomm facility (WTF) installation to the public or private owner of the property since telecoms are not insurable; and it sets the stage for tracking, tracing, and targeting the individual to create a behavior-based social equity score in multiple areas starting with the counties. Whew that’s a lot to digest, isn’t it? You may have noticed, counties and cities across the state are already using public land and right-of-ways to add WTFs on existing poles, lights, lamp posts, schools, government buildings and other infrastructure - many (most) times this is without informed consent of adjacent property owners. The FCC actually just streamlined this deployment process by amending it’s Over-the-Air Reception Device (OTARD) rule to “enable quick deployment of wireless, including 5G+, in neighborhoods — especially in rural areas — by removing any requirements for permit or notice and by preemption of state laws and local zoning laws, including homeowners association and deed restrictions.” (Children’s Health Defense, https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/5g-wireless-antennas-private-property/) Imagine purchasing a home, only to have a WTF placed on a lamppost or neighbor’s yard outside of your window the very next week. Being injured, forced to relocate - or in severe cases - driven into poverty and homelessness are very real possibilities now. Property values decrease by approximately 20% when these facilities are in close proximity to the home or right-of-way, and the biggest insurance companies in the world refuse to insure 5G+ infrastructure because they’re fire hazards, and a dangerous liability. And remember that “smart city living testbed” set to roll out in Stafford County? This is for the sole purpose of setting up a social equity score for us to be graded on, first at the county level, then eventually statewide. The “testbed” process is beginning by gathering public data from Stafford County Courthouse government complex via 5G+ technologies placed around the premise and transferring it to the Commonwealth Data Trust, which is made up of at least 13 member NGOs and government agencies. According to cit.org’s website, the county equity score will be based on nine categories: overall city/county score, child well-being, education quality, educational attainment, financial empowerment, neighborhoods, health and safety, policing, and court reform. How do you feel about being graded on your data? Those flashy 5G+ commercials blasting over our airwaves conveniently fail to mention all of this, plus the fact that this technology is designed to surveil, track, and trace all of us via our cell phones, wireless routers, smart devices, and even biometric sensor data technology. Biometric sensor data technology already can use nanotechnology (PEG2000-DMG), RFID chipping, ID2020, and quantum dot tattoos. In this technocratic tracking system, our personal data is the “new gold” and NGOs with access to it will get free reign to share it, sell it, or use it however they see fit. A solution to all of this is installing more fiberoptic cables underground. Fiberoptics are safer, more secure, provide a faster connection, and are better for the environment. Over the past three decades the telecommunications industry was supposed to be bringing fiberoptic cables for the internet to every home in America (just like copper telephone lines) using money from surcharges we were paying on every bill. However, the Telecomms never saw this through - even after they got paid as though they did - and then illegally reallocated the copper wireline money to this harmful 5G+ wireless infrastructure to make it look profitable when it wasn’t. The Irregulators Lawsuit granted each state the right to claim monies owed to them because Telecomms had mischarged expenses in cross subsidies and overcharged customers. To our knowledge, Virginia hasn’t bothered to claim our state’s share which could be estimated as much as two billion dollars. Right now Virginia’s sole focus is pushing 5G+ wireless broadband into our communities without even attempting to see the long term economic value added to infrastructure by fiberoptics. Continuing with wireless only brings more profits to the telecomms and higher monthly bills to us as the consumers. It’s difficult to get politicians on board for fiber optics because many are getting money from telecommunications lobbyists. Just like when politicians, physicians, and religious leaders take money from the pharmaceutical industry for encouraging vaccines, many of our politicians are getting rich off of funding and outside investments in big telecomm and giving away our protections in return.  https://www.cit.org/virginia-smart-community-testbed.htmlThis graphic is from CIT.org shows the process of gathering our public data and sharing it with the Commonwealth Data Trust (CDT) which currently has 13 members consisting of both NGO’s and government agencies. Second, there are absolutely no protections around where these 5G+ WTFs are placed, how many of these facilities can be within a certain area, who is liable for injury or loss due to the imminent involuntary exposure to constant high levels of pulsed radiation, and most importantly no one is monitoring the power or radiation levels coming off of these small and large cell facilities. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a Maximum Permissible Exposure Limit (MPEL) for power density strength for non-ionizing RF radiation emissions coming off of cell phone towers that is never publicly monitored anywhere. We’ll get into the health implications, but something that isn’t being addressed is the environmental impact of this technology and its contribution to greenhouse gasses. According to a Huawei white paper, 5G+ base stations use up to three-and-a-half times more energy than 4G LTE towers, and require millions of nodes versus the hundreds of thousands of towers of it’s predecessor. Considering greenhouse gasses are based on power consumption, 5G+ will release that much more carbon than previous generations and is projected to consume 20-percent of global electricity by 2025 when including all the devices worldwide.  If you were to call your local Board of Supervisors, County Planner, or Chief Technology Officer and ask who is monitoring the amount of radiation coming off of the cell phone towers and WTFs in your area, 100-percent of the time the answer would be “no one,” or possibly even, “Can you explain? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” If you are someone who values body sovereignty, you know that bodily integrity requires informed consent - and the right to refuse consent. With the implementation of 5G+, harmful non-consensual exposure to radiation is going to be unavoidable for all of us, if there are no infrastructure limits or MPEL monitoring placed on this 4G LTE and 5G+ equipment. On-going involuntary exposure to high levels of radiation (whether it’s ionizing or non-ionizing) causes biological damage at a cellular level. (There are more than 1,000 scientific studies conducted by independent researchers from around the world from the past 8 decades concerning the biological effects of RF radiation compiled here: BioInitiative report). In the average person this can create a slew of physical issues (see graphic below for symptoms), and feels like “assault and battery” to people who are sensitive to radiation frequencies. Electromagnetic sensitivity (EMS) is not recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Fair Housing Act (FHA). This means:
Not only is EHS not recognized under the ADA, but most in the medical field aren’t trained to recognize the side effects of microwave illness and the long list of physical, mental, and emotional issues wireless technology can create. There are thousands of people affected by Radiation Sickness or other ailments exacerbated by wireless technology that aren’t even aware of the cause. Most recently, the movie Generation Zapped exposed the ramifications of living with ever-increasing levels of radiation, while also acknowledging the benefits of wireless communications - but there is more to be done to have these harmful effects recognized by the medical establishment.  It’s no wonder the largest insurance authorities in the world such as Swiss Re and Lloyds of London have rated 5G+ and electromagnetic radiation as “high risk” and "high impact" and refuses to insure any of these cellular facilities. A report in 2019 by Swiss Re stated, “To allow for a functional network coverage and increased capacity overall, more antennas will be needed, including acceptance of higher levels of electromagnetic radiation. In some jurisdictions, the rise of threshold values will require legal adaptation. Existing concerns regarding potential negative health effects from electromagnetic fields (EMF) are only likely to increase. An uptick in liability claims could be a potential long-term consequence”. The insurance company cited other potential impacts such as significantly increased cyber exposure, property implications, social unrest, the rise in A.I., information security and national sovereignty concerns, and more. This begs the question, “if insurance companies won’t cover these facilities, who is responsible for them when they’re put up?” Since insurance companies won’t cover these facilities, it means the property owner is responsible for liability - even if it’s placed on your property without consent. Telecommunications companies and contractors have started paying individuals, cities, counties, businesses, and schools to place this equipment on their property, but very rarely are the insurance liability implications fully explained. Third, our children are the most vulnerable part of our population and at the most risk from wireless technology exposure, yet there are no safeguards protecting or teaching them how to mitigate the risks of this technology. This is about the health and safety of our kids; nothing is more important. COVID-19 has pushed our children onto wireless technology, and wireless technology into their schools, at an unprecedented rate. Yet, there are no regulations, efforts, or widespread campaigns ensuring they’re using wired devices when possible and wireless devices properly mitigate the cumulative damage that occurs with consistent exposure over time. In a recent legal case against the FCC, Dafna Tachover, Lawyer for Children’s Health Defense remarked, “The FCC seems willing, even anxious, to sacrifice thousands or even tens of millions of individually vulnerable children in the name of removing ‘barriers’ to wireless ‘deployment’.” This statement rings true here in Virginia, where WTF’s are being placed by playgrounds, in close proximity to schools, and even next to childcare centers throughout the state - as wireless routers, hotspots, and computers are now in nearly every classroom and even installed throughout school ceilings.  School boards receive millions of dollars a year from big players in the telecommunications industry, but claim they’re not sure how they can fund necessary safety measures when approached about protecting our children. Technology in education and safety are not mutually exclusive - we can advance while also making it safer for human exposure by hardwiring our devices and using fiber optics. Our children’s brains are still in the process of growing, their cognitive development and reproductive organs are in jeopardy. If we don’t do our due diligence and recognize wireless harms our kids will pay the price. There’s no telling the exact outcome of what this “generation zapped” will deal with after long term exposure to electromagnetic radiation, and parents should have the right to refuse constant exposure to bodily insult that threatens our lives and the lives of our children.  Finally, there are solutions and we’re working toward them right now.
At the moment we’re the only group in Virginia working to slow the deployment of 5G+ and educate citizens across the state on the dangers of 5G+ wireless technology and the impacts of it on our lives. Right now we’re working on legislation around actions the state can take to protect us all, raising awareness through our petition both with politicians and the public, educating people online and in person, and collaborating with other freedom-minded groups. There are a lot of issues we’re all worried about these days, but 5G+ wireless technology is what ties them all together. It’s the vehicle that allows everything about us to be known, bought, and sold - and it is the control mechanism the government would like to use to insert itself into every aspect of our lives. However, the more people who are aware of what is going on in our state, the issues with 5G+ wireless technology, and how they can implement safer habits with wireless technology - the more of a chance we have at disrupting this “smart” infrastructure statewide initiative. All of this and more are why organizations like National Health Federation, Americans for Responsible Technology, United Issues Reform, and Virginia Freedom Keepers are collaborating with Virginians for Safe Technology on educating you and protecting our safety and rights to safe and responsible technology. You can make a difference today by:
Find out more at VirginiansforSafeTech.org Copyright © Virginians for Safe Technology 2021 Additional Sources: https://wearetheevidence.org/ Wireless Technology Injured Advocacy Group https://www.5gcrisis.com/scientific-studies 5G+ Crisis https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/otard-judicial-stay-motion.pdf https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=52d76fb5-7915-485b-a3bb-277637a32a5f&fbclid=IwAR0l7mHcAa9VfXPBL-EVeoc_w4VmRZsSFsSKPEO5-UQ-uQUx8QjTLpUNJeY https://ethics.harvard.edu/files/center-for-ethics/files/capturedagency_alster.pdf (See Pg. 9) https://sites.google.com/site/understandingemfs/5g-IoT Cee Cee Doucett https://www.americansforresponsibletech.org/scientific-studies Americans for Responsible Tech https://mdsafetech.org/ Physicians for Safe Technology https://www.rfcafe.com/references/electrical/fcc-maximum-permissible-exposure.htm FCC Maximum Permissible RF Exposure Limits
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 The events of 2020 have shown us just how fragile our economy has become. America’s supply of everyday consumer good extends from factories in China, across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, through regional distribution centers, and finally to your local grocery store. A disruption anywhere along the supply chain could leave you and your family without critical supplies. The same is true of our food supply. In the past 150 years, America has moved away from a mostly self-sufficient agrarian society, capable of feeding itself to a consumer society dependent on corporate processed foods trucked in from massive plants across the country. Imagine the desperate scenario that would play out if those trucks stopped coming to resupply your local grocery store.
In these uncertain times, it’s never been more important for patriots and freedom lovers to be prepared. Whether it’s a biological weapons attack, natural disaster, economic disruption, or terrorism, crises do happen. Do you trust the government will be able to take care of you and everyone else when the next event strikes? Being free and independent people starts at home. The first step is to take control and custody of your most essential supplies: food, water, and energy. Having a 30-day supply of food is a prudent and affordable step that almost anyone can take. Several emergency food manufacturers like MyPatriotSupply offer kits of freeze-dried emergency food that will last in your pantry for 25 years. When it’s time to eat, all you need is boiling water. You might also consider starting a backyard of flock of laying hens or other small livestock that can feed your family in an emergency. Having a secure water supply is also essential. For those of you on an independent well and septic system, make sure you have a backup power supply. If your home is on city/county water service, consider adding rainwater collection barrels to your house as a backup water source. Rainwater can be easily filtered and processed using a desktop water filter like Berkey Water Filter and then used for drinking or cooking. If green algae builds up in the rainwater, just treat each 2 gallon filtered batch with ¼ teaspoon of regular chlorine bleach. Another option would be to use a WaterBOB device in your bathtub. This handy little product allows you to store up to 100 gallons of water in a clean plastic bladder to protect against a loss of or contamination of the public water supply. They key is to have physical custody of the resource before you need it. Finally, you need to have a secure power supply. So much of our modern lifestyle depends on electrical energy. Whether its refrigeration, air conditioning, electronic communication, or medical equipment, all of these things require electricity. Gas and propane generators are a convenient solution for short-term grid outages. For a long-term disruption, nothing provides greater security than an independent renewable energy solar + battery storage system, which you can learn more about here. The key is to get started now. Don’t worry about not being able to afford or acquire all of these items right away. If you commit to taking consistent incremental steps towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle, you will be much better prepared to survive the next event. About the author: Joe Ordia is the co-Founder of Solar Surge. Since beginning his career in the solar industry in 2012, Joe has helped more than 600 households achieve greater levels of energy independence by utilizing clean solar energy and battery storage technology. He is committed to getting as many households as possible to be self-sufficient and prepared to survive during a time of crisis. Joe is the author of Built to Survive, which is a guide for homeowners on how to setup their homes to be able to survive a loss of the electric grid. He is a licensed electrician and holds a Class A license for the construction of solar and wind energy facilities. Before founding his first technology company in 2000, Joe studied electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He, his wife Rachel, and their five children reside in Central Virginia. Joe is a follower and believer on the Lord Jesus Christ.  United States Armed Forces Use ‘Restrictions” to Compel COVID-19 Vaccination | Restrictions based on Information Bias & “Efficacy” Data | | the Law & Ethics | In a disturbing pattern across numerous United States Military Bases and other Department of Defense (DOD) Installations - military and civilian personnel are being ‘incentivized’ into taking the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) COVID-19 vaccines. The implied message is that ‘immunity’ is near 95% once ‘vaccinated’. These same agencies have failed to explain what the statistical results from the Moderna and Pfizer ‘vaccine’ trials actually mean. “Immunity” is not conferred once ‘fully’ ‘vaccinated’. The trial results demonstrated a 95% efficacy rate of symptom reduction. Moderna did not choose ‘death’, ‘hospitalization’, ‘cessation of transmission’ or ‘prevention of infection’ as their primary efficacy endpoint. Despite the information bias (seeking to report only positive percentages without context) in the reporting of the clinical trial outcomes, a range of misleading statements, deceptive marketing practices, manipulation, restrictions and peer pressure type measures are being applied to service members who do not take the COVID-19 vaccines. Some of these measures include restrictions on an otherwise healthy population such as restrictions on travel outside a state, limitations on leave approvals and other forms of civil liberties restrictions. Emotive messaging such as “Duty”, “Protect your Family” “#killthevirus” “#stopthespread” are just some examples of this pressure. Neither the Moderna or Pfizer products were approved based on any trial protocols or results that demonstrated that the ‘vaccine’ would prevent infection or prevent transmission. In other words, you can receive the COVID-19 ‘vaccine’ and can still become infected, still transmit and the only results, based on the clinical trials' own protocols, demonstrate that you may have a statistical chance at having “a” symptom reduction. The Bottom-Line Up Front Based on the actual clinical trial protocol and data submitted to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) --- ‘immunity’ --- was not a primary efficacy endpoint. Moderna did not choose ‘death’, ‘hospitalization’, ‘cessation of transmission’ or ‘prevention of infection’ as their primary efficacy endpoint. “Unreported absolute risk reduction measures of 0.7% and 1.1% for the Pfzier/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, respectively, are very much lower than the reported relative risk reduction results. Reporting absolute risk reduction measures and results is essential to prevent outcome reporting bias in evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.” Brown RB. Outcome Reporting Bias in COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Clinical Trials. Medicina. 2021; 57(3):199. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57030199 https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/57/3/199/htm “Immunity” will not be achieved via the statistical chance that one might have “a” symptom reduced should they develop the COVID-19 disease. The implications of directives, public messaging campaigns and other forms of information bias that have ensued are significant and without legal precedent. The Law There are numerous legal violations that may apply as they relate to the leaders, medical professionals and agencies engaged in deceptive advertising practices. These violations included (but are not limited to) the following: FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq., [re: deceptive medical advice] It is unlawful under the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq., to advertise that a product or service can prevent, treat, or cure human disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence, including, when appropriate, well-controlled human clinical studies, substantiating that the claims are true at the time they are made. As a result, every party promoting the use of this mRNA technology with the implied statement that ‘immunity’ or #killthevirus is conferred or that getting this mRNA technology will prevent COVID-19 is violating the FTC Act. There is no waiver of liability for deceptive practices (#killthevirus marketing, #preventthespread, ‘duty’) even in a state of emergency per FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq.. 21 CFR 50.23 et seq, the FDA informed consent for experimentation requires a review board constituted with members who have no financial interest in the outcome of the trialed technology. Further the EUA doesn’t waive consentrequirements. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.c fm?CFRPart=50&showFR=1&subpartNode=21:1.0.1.1.20.1 Of Note: (1) Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA): Illegal to Mandate Products Under EUA PCR testing and COVID vaccines are not fully licensed products. They are EUA products, (Decl. Varma ecf 19 P.43.) which by their very nature are legally considered investigational. As these are experimental medical products, it is unlawful and unethical to mandate either the RT-PCR test or any currently available COVID vaccine. Federal law confirms explicitly that an EUA product must be voluntary because the federal statute requires “the option to accept or refuse administration of the product.” US Bases in California: Mandating the RT-PCR and experimental COVID vaccines also violates California State law (CA Health & Safety Code § 24172). 10 Federal and State law on this matter rest on the first principle of the Nuremberg Code requiring that the human subject be “so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice without undue inducement or any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress or other forms of constraint or coercion.” Specific laws such as the US Federal Regulations, notably the National Research Act [Title II, Public Law 93-348], https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE- 88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg342.pdf#page=5 Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research [45 CFR 46] https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi- bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=83cd09e1c0f5c6937cd9d7513160fc3f&pitd=20180719& n=pt45.1.46&r=PART&ty=HTML and revisions of various regulations, rules, and laws ([21 CFR 50]https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=5 0&showFR=1&subpartNode=21:1.0.1.1.20.1 , [21 CFR 56]https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart =56 , [45 CFR 46 Subpart D] https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and- policy/guidance/special-protections-for-children/index.html [10 CFR 745]https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2011-title10-vol4/CFR-2011-title10-vol4- part745 , [45 CFR 46 Subpart B] https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi- bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=83cd09e1c0f5c6937cd9d7513160fc3f&pitd=20180719&n=pt45.1.46&r=PART&ty=HTML#sp45.1.46.b , [45 CFR 46 Subpart D] https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/guidance/special-protections-for- children/index.html specifically and permanently guarantee that all persons in the United States are entitled to exercise the right of informed consent to accept or to refuse to enroll in any medical experiment. Mandating products approved for emergency use violates federal and state law since Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) means the products are investigational and experimental. Federal and state law is very clear that mandates are illegal for EUA products. Both the RT-PCR test and all COVID vaccines are not FDA- approved; they are available under an EUA. 21 USCS § 360bbb-3 Authorization for medical products for use in emergencies. For those Air Forces Bases located in California: Mandating the RT-PCR and experimental COVID vaccines also violates California State law (CA Health & Safety Code § 24172).https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=241 72.&lawCode=HSC Federal and State law on these matters rest on the first principle of the Nuremberg Code requiring that the human subject be “so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice without undue inducement or any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress or other forms of constraint or coercion. Note, that while vaccine manufacturers may be shielded from liability by 42 USC 300aa-11 and 42 USC 300aa-22, other institutions are not protected. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42- section300aa-22&num=0&edition=prelim Examples of the USAF Vaccine Directives and Memorandums: 1.https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/Portals/18/documents/COVID- 19/PublicHealth_Directive_8.pdf?ver=DaGphMp7OKj6eyrOrmUsvg%3D%3D Colonel Anthony Mastalir, USAF recently signed, in part, the Directive that included the following: “Any person who refuses to comply or otherwise violates its provisions may be detained and turned over to military or civilian authorities. For military members, violations are punishable under the UCMJ. For all personnel, violations are punishable under the United States Code (USC), to include 18 USC 1001, 18 USC 1382, and 42 USC 271. Additionally, any personnel who fail to adhere to this memorandum or subsequent orders may be subject to debarment (denied access to the installation)”. 2.https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Fact- Sheets/Display/Article/2510975/public-health-directive-8/ Vandenberg, AFB included the following in their Directive: “This Directive is effective immediately, and applies to all military members of Vandenberg AFB regardless of location, as well as civilian employees, dependents, retirees, contractors, and any persons on the installations for any reason. Public Health Directives 1-7 are hereby rescinded and replaced by this Directive. The following measures are mandatory.” Travel. Please use discretion when making travel arrangements. Travel- related infections remain the most prevalent threat vector for the virus among the non-vaccinated population. i. Unofficial Travel (leave and pass). The local area for Vandenberg AFB is defined as San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County. However, effective immediately, fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from this local area definition and, therefore, may resume leave and pass processes consistent with unit policies and AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program. The Secretary of Defense STOP MOVEMENT guidance directs all military members must have Sq/CC or Director approval to travel outside the local area, whether on leave or on pass. Sq/CCs and Directors have the authority to determine when their approval is required for unofficial travel for fully vaccinated personnel. While civilian travel cannot be restricted, civilian employees should report to their supervisor and the MCC if they believe they were exposed toCOVID-19 during their travel. 3.https://www.altus.af.mil/Portals/46/2021-02- 23%2097%20AMW%20Policies%20%26%20Directives%20v16.pdf Matthew A. Leard, Colonel, USAF, Commander recently signed a memorandum for all Air Force personnel on Altus Air Force Base (AFB) Oklahoma that identified, in part, restrictions for those not vaccinated. The title of the memorandum “97 AMW Policies and Directives Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” included restrictions for those vaccinated and not vaccinated. “Vaccinated Personnel: Paragraph 2 of this policy applies only to those personnel who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and at least 5 days have passed since the receipt of the second dose. Paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10 of this policy do not apply to COVID19-vaccineated personnel, subject to the conditions in paragraph 2.d. All Personnel who have not received both doses of the vaccine are subject to paragraphs 3-10 below.” The memorandum goes on to put in place restrictions on those personnel who have not been vaccinated and also adds that “...vaccinated individuals may be required to provide proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to avail themselves of these policies for vaccinated personnel. Individuals who decline to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination will not be granted the privileges of paragraphs 2.a and are required to abide by paragraphs 3-10 ...”. 4.https://www.10af.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2501256/covid-19- vaccine-education/ Lt. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg, Surgeon General of the United States Air Force, made a number of misleading statements during her statements with the 59th Medical Wing. In the transcript, posted on its website a transcript of the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General’s there is a mandatory video briefing for airmen at the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. In the video, Lt. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg narrates several unsubstantiated statements about the safety of the COVID vaccine — and then conveys to airmen that it is their “duty” rather than their choice to take an experimental mRNA injection. Pressure. (Additional Details on her statements in Post Script.) Clinical Trial End-Points and the Data It is worth restating. Neither the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNtech clinical trial protocols were designed to test for the prevention of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and neither trial was designed to establish whether the ‘vaccines’ would prevent one from becoming infected. Stated differently, the majority of news outlets, and public health officials have touted a poorly understood 95% efficacy data point for both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech ‘vaccines’. There have been numerous ‘interpretations’ of the dataand numerous flawed assessments of what a ‘vaccine’ does and does not do specifically with regard to ‘immunity’. The mRNA technology used in the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech roll-out does not confer ‘immunity’ – rather the clinical trials were designed to determine symptom reduction. As an aside – but related - numerous traditional vaccinations do not prevent transmission of infection post vaccination. The Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTaP), Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR), the live Polio Vaccine https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/acip/safety-vaccines.htm are three such examples of ‘shedding’ post vaccination where numerous outbreaks of the disease, that the vaccination alleges to prevent, have been caused by the vaccine strain themselves. To reiterate this, more polio cases are now caused by the vaccine than by the wild virus as 4 African countries report them. Is the DOD ready to now restrict all personnel based on vaccine strain shedding? https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/poliomyelitis-vaccine-derived-polio Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted in October, 2020 the goal of COVID vaccines is to provide personal protection only, not to prevent death, or person to person transmission. Fauci said he and his colleagues would “settle for ... the primary endpoint to prevent clinically recognizable disease.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fauci-vaccines-will-only-prevent- symptoms-not-block-the-virus-195051568.html Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks stated “our trial will not demonstrate prevention of transmission, because ... you have to swab people twice a week for very long periods, and that becomes operationally untenable,” citing the need for a five-to-ten times longer trial length and even higher costs. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4037 [Read this statement again] Tal Zak tells BMJ that “...the trial is precluded from judging [hospital admissions], based on what is a reasonable size and duration to serve the public good here”. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4037 The Protocols Moderna Clinical Trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04470427 https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download#page=37 For the primary efficacy endpoint, the case definition for a confirmed COVID-19 case was defined as: At least two of the following systemic symptoms: Fever (≥38oC), chills, myalgia, headache, sore throat, new olfactory and taste disorder(s), or At least one of the following respiratory signs/ symptoms: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, OR clinical or radiographical evidence of pneumonia; and NP swab, nasal swab, or saliva sample (or respiratory sample, if hospitalized) positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR.” Pfizer/BioNtech Clinical Trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04368728 https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download?fbclid=IwAR3FNVjqWO1lmPCcskScF n4u-KWIyrD0NUQp6XRyq76dwhSVXYHgo-VVxqQ “For the primary efficacy endpoint, the case definition for a confirmed COVID-19 case was the presence of at least one of the following symptoms and a positive SARS-CoV-2 NAAT within 4 days of the symptomatic period: Fever; New or increased cough; New or increased shortness of breath; Chills; New or increased muscle pain; New loss of taste or smell; Sore throat; Diarrhea; Vomiting.” Digging deeper into the data: Source: Vaccines and Related Biological Advisory Committee, December 17, 2020 | FDA Briefing Document | Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine | https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download Table 21, page 34 (the frequency of solicited local adverse events) is used to critically review the data.  1. Table 21, page 34: There is an over representation of pain, erythema, swelling, lymphadenopathy.
In the COVID Symptoms Table: see https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download Additionally --- See Table 23, page 37 (frequency of solicited adverse events for specific COVID Symptoms): a. Fever: Dose One 105 in the vax group, 39 in the placebo. Dose Two b. Fever: 1,806 in the vax group, 38 in the placebo. c. Headache Dose One 4031 in the vax group, 3303 in the placebo d. Myalgia (a clinical protocol identified as the single most important symptom outside of respiratory) Dose One 2698 in the vax group, 1626 in the placebo ***Dose Two*** 6353 in the vax group, 1312 in the placebo. ***A NEAR FIVE-FOLD DIFFERENCE (GREATER) in the vaccine group than the placebo. **** Stated differently, you are nearly five times more likely to have a COVID-like Symptom from the Vaccine that from a placebo. The Denominator In both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech clinical trials, the number of symptoms culminates as a ‘case’. If one or more symptoms were solicited the data was used to inform the final results. However, the numbers (denominator) matter. The number of 170 ‘cases’ (Pfizer/BioNtech) and 196 ‘cases’ (Moderna) were used to generate the ‘efficacy’ result. The calculation or the denominator is important here. efficacy’ must be understood. As an example: Pfizer/BioNtech: 8 ‘cases’ in vaccine group 162 ‘cases’ in placebo group 8/162 = 5% 100%-5%= 95% Thus, the claim of 95% efficacious. ‘Relative Why the denominator matters. If one is to assess the absolute risk reduction (ARR) versus the relative risk reduction (all statistical assessments) the overall clinical trial denominator should be included. This must be understood. For those not familiar with the risk assessment protocols in clinical trials a review of the process is here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK63647/ The Other Questions of Ethics The issue of ethics and the question of the mechanisms of how the mRNA technology works must be included in this letter. Let’s be clear...it is not a Vaccine Throughout this letter the word ‘vaccine’ has been put in quotes. Why? Because in the words of the manufacturers themselves it is a gene therapy technology. Their words. The Moderna and Pfizer “alleged vaccine” trials have explicitly acknowledged that their gene therapy technology has no impact on viral infection or transmission whatsoever and merely conveys to the recipient the capacity to produce an S1 spike protein endogenously by the introduction of a synthetic mRNA sequence. Emphasis on the word ‘synthetic’. Therefore, the basis for any claims that there will be ‘immunity’ protections is moot in this case. There is no “general comfort, health, and prosperity,” derived from the ‘encouraged’ application of gene therapy on a population in which it has already induced pain, suffering, failure to perform activities of daily living...and death. Details of the mRNA Technology Platform From Moderna’s website https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/mrna- platform-enabling-drug-discovery-development “Recognizing the broad potential of mRNA science, we set out to create an mRNA technology platform that functions very much like an operating system on a computer. It is designed so that it can plug and play interchangeably with different programs. In our case, the ‘program’ or ‘app’ is our mRNA drug – unique mRNA sequence that codes for a protein”. Vaccine Adverse event Reporting System (VAERS) Data and the Ethics of compelling a population to assume a risk, up to and including Death. The Department of Defense, USAF Col. Leard other Senior Leaders, making statements not based in fact, are encouraged to look at the reporting and the VAERS data for the most current data on the adverse events. https://vaers.hhs.gov/ If you are not familiar with the steps needed to query the VAERS database the following:
As of February 12, 2021, the data indicates that there were 929 deaths, 1869 hospitalizations, 3451 urgent care visits, 2191 office related visits, 190 anaphylaxis, and 198 cases of Bell’s Palsy following inoculation. There have been over 15K adverse events in VAERS to include pulmonary embolism, pulmonary infarction, and myocarditis, pericarditis, or heart attacks. Per the CDC the claims of deaths (1170) received a COVID-19 vaccine. Countries around the world are reporting similar numbers. The European EudraVigilance Database, as of Feb 13th 2021 shows a total number of adverse reactions increased 45% while serious cases increased by 51%. http://www.adrreports.eu/en/search_subst.html?s=03 In the European database, there were over 10 thousand nervous systems disorders, 240 cardiac disorders and other grave adverse events. Across the United States, in some verified cases, deaths were reported within minutes to hours after receiving the injection. It is important to add that VAERS has traditionally represented approximately 1% of all adverse reactions. https://digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/docs/publication/r18hs017045- lazarus-final-report-2011.pdf There is (to date) and based on VAERS reporting alone a 4.10% rate of reactions to COVID-19 vaccinations, including deaths. Pregnancy Late-term Miscarriages and stillbirths, within hours of receiving the ‘vaccine’, are also reported in VAERS. In the limited rat studies (female Sprague Dawley CD rats) conducted by Moderna, the vaccine led to more pregnancy loss in rat studies (the only study done). Vaccinated rats lost 16% of pregnancies, double those that got the ‘placebo’ (another vaccine). (pg. 50-51/169) https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/assessment- report/covid-19-vaccine-moderna-epar-public-assessment-report_en.pdf Regrettably, none of these findings led to a full toxicology study yet based on incomplete and suppressed data, DOD is enabling its senior leaders to make unsubstantiated claims that the COVID-19 shot can be safely taken by pregnant women. Revisiting the pregnancy and safety issues. European drug regulators stated that Moderna never ran an adequate toxicological study on its COVID ‘vaccine in animals. In the limited and poorly designed ‘rat’ studies toxicity studies revealed “...hepatic alterations (increased liver weights, hepatocyte vacuolation, hypertrophy of Kupffer-cells, centrilobular degeneration, characterized by the presence of mixed inflammatory cell in sinusoids with single cell necrosis or degeneration of hepatocytes) and corresponding changes in clinical chemistry (statistically significant increases in AST, ALP, triglyceride, cholesterol, bilirubin, urea nitrogen) were frequently – but not consistently – observed”. “The product specific study 2308-123 was not conducted in GLP- compliance, and exhibits major procedural/methodological limitations. In principle these aspects would render this study inadequate for evaluation the repeated dose toxicity of mRNA-1272 to the extent recommended in relevant guidance on non-clinical development of vaccine products” and the studies it did submit showed serious hematological impact – yet the application went ahead anyway. Procedure No. EMEA/H/C/005791/0000 Pressure? The Department of Defense is now beyond the claims of information bias in reporting the trial results -- and has now moved into the realm of statements that would suggest significant pressure is being put on service members to take the‘vaccine. “Incentives” to regain permission to travel or other ‘liberties’ is in play! What does this mean for the Department of Defense? An mRNA synthetic strand (gene technology) does NOT fall within the definition of a biologic and falls well outside the federal regulation definition of “vaccine” in State statutes. Further, in the case of the trial outcomes – these products do not confer “immunity”. The pressure and messaging being used to induce personnel of the Armed Forces population to take a risk with the mRNA technology for the benefit of a liberty or a call to ‘duty’ for the ‘exchange’ of a reduction in restrictions is beyond the pale. Nowhere in the Department of Defense guidance has it been stipulated that pressure or incentives of ‘less restrictions’ are allowed and the medical ‘apartheid’ of personnel endorsed. Beyond the fact that mRNA is gene therapy technology – not vaccination – the encouragement of the leadership on the Altus AFB to gain a ‘pressured’ benefit post vaccination - must be challenged. The uptake of this medical device - an unproven medical countermeasure - is without any judicial precedent. “...must become unwell for the purpose of this medical experiment...and assume a personal risk from an indemnified pharmaceutical industry” No law has been passed that says that a healthy population must become unwell for the purpose of a medical experiment. For those that still fail to understand what it means to ‘...become unwell for the purpose of a medical experiment’ – look to the technology of the mRNA and the data used to describe the process. The mRNA will cause disease in the body – first – then the person’s immune system will generate a protein to attack the ‘disease’ that was generated in the body. Thus – you will become unwell as a part of the ‘incentivized’ statements being made by Lt. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg and the Altus Commander, among just a few of the DOD Leadership. To recap the actual language used in the mRNA submissions: “...The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. This allows cells to manufacture harmless fragments of viral proteins that the human body uses to build an immune response to prevent or fight subsequent, natural infection. When a person is given the vaccine, their cells will read the genetic instructions and produce fragments of the ‘spike protein', a protein on the outer surface of the virus which it uses to enter the body's cells, to replicate, and cause disease. The person's immune system will then treat this protein as foreign and produce natural defences — antibodies and T cells — against it.” https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_ 2466 Emerging Ethical Questions There is one other key ethical precedent that is emerging, unstated, yet simmering within a new precedent to afford those that have been vaccinated with additional liberties and those not with additional restrictions in order ‘achieve’ a statistical result of a symptom suppression should one become infected. Aside from the fact that there are legitimate personal religious, philosophical and medical concerns about the safety, efficacy and adverse events – there has been a new more insidious and emerging dilemma. A new question “...are we now setting a precedent to mandate the suppression of symptoms’ and are we now setting a binding precedent to restrict liberties based on flawed data interpretation? Is the Department of Defense, and our defense medical establishment taking a precarious step toward mandating (incentivizing or pressuring) someone to take medications or therapeutics for a symptom(s) of an illness or condition that they do not have? Is the DOD setting precedent with the trend for symptom reduction via a therapeutic, biologic, gene therapy technology and/or medications with known and unknown risks, to ensure a statistical chance at symptom suppression? How much longer will the DOD Leadership allow for the information bias in the reporting of the trial results to drive pressured and incentivized rewards? How far can this precedent extend? What other symptom ‘only’ prevention of illnesses will be treated via mandated medical prophylactic interventions? Any reasonable person should ask these questions. In Closing The Department of Defense has relied on information reporting bias to report the ‘benefits’ of ‘vaccination’ and is now resorting to forms of pressure and ‘incentives’ to compel compliance on the uptake of an untested gene therapy technology that is still in clinical trial status. Significant adverse events have already been documented – up to and including death. These actions are without legal precedent. In order to have a healthy debate, in the public square, with members and families of the Department of Defense, Veterans, caregivers and with our health care representatives, issues like the term effectiveness, efficacy, and ‘liberties’ gained post vaccination - plus mandates and medical ethics must be thoroughly communicated, debated and understood. The Department of Defense leadership must address the concerns raised in this letter. The statement by Col. Leard that “...five days post ‘vaccination’ after the second dose” being touted as a valid metric to be used to exempt personnel from certain restrictions is flawed and no ‘immunity’ is conferred. | 5 March 2021 | P .S. More Detail: Measures used by Lt. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg – Surgeon General of the Air Force. The video training starts with the following unsupported statement: “Research has shown more than 75% of Americans need to be vaccinated from COVID-19 in order for the U.S. to get back to normal.” In fact, there are zero published research studies that support Lt. Gen Hogg’s statement that 75% of Americans must be vaccinated for COVID. Historically, natural acquired immunity has indicated a needed 60% immunity of the median age groups of the bell curve to protect infants and elderly on the tails of an age distribution bell curve. The fact that just this year the WHO changed the definition of herd immunity is suspect (being legally challenged) and has been widely challenged across national and international scientific communities. Lt. Gen Hogg highlights that racial and ethnic minorities were included in the vaccine trials, and then she shares a shocking anecdotal testimonial that vaccinating in pregnancy is safe without any research on developmental and reproductive toxicity: “I was hesitant to receive the vaccine, but after talking to my OBGYN, I realized vaccinating was the safest option for myself and my little boy. You might see claims that the COVID-19 vaccine can make someone infertile, harm a developing fetus in the womb, make the immune system attack the placenta or hurt a baby who is breastfeeding from a recently vaccinated mother. There is no scientific reason to think any of these are true.” The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine FDA Fact Sheet does not demonstrate the vaccine is safe or low-risk in pregnancy. In fact, pregnant women were excluded from Pfizer’s vaccine trials. As the fact sheet states: “All pregnancies have a risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes;” “Available data on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine administered to pregnant women are insufficient to inform vaccine-associated risks in pregnancy;” and “Data are not available to assess the effects of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine on the breastfed infant or on milkproduction/excretion.” Under the medical ethics of “Do No Harm,” the UK advises against the COVID vaccine for pregnant women. In the U.S., the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) contains 17 reports of miscarriages after the COVID-19 vaccine, as of February 5, 2021. But by far the most inexcusable part of Lt. Gen Hogg’s presentation, which neither upholds the ethics of “Do No Harm” with pregnant women nor follows informed consent guidelines, is that a General Officer is using her position with undue influence, patriotic “pressure’ and emotional manipulation to persuade airmen that it is their duty to participate in a Phase 3 clinical trial of an experimental medical intervention: Military leaders are using messages, videos, personal photos, deployments, squad leader meetings and officer sensing sessions to persuade service members to take the new “vaccine”. As in earlier statements made by Col. Leard – they are also incentivizing the uptake with a promise of less restrictions based on zero clinical trial evidence. This reporting of misinformation and flawed data, and bias in favor of the new COVID-19 vaccine is evident by Lt. Gen Hogg’s statements regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Regrettably – like Col Leard the Air Force is now being represented by these personnel who are resorting to - in part – peer pressure and positions or authority when it comes to the uptake of the experimental gene therapy technology. Who takes responsibility for this? ANNEX What is the mRNA ‘vaccine’ This annex is provided to add additional detail to the topic of ‘gene therapy technology and the mRNA therapy. Numerous references will be provided in this letter to aid in your research. This is an open letter to you and Senior Leaders of the Department of Defense (DOD) who are actively promoting and encouraging the uptake of the mRNA-based technology. Any efforts to encourage the uptake of the mRNA medical device and technology must address the requirement to call mRNA for what it is and is not – namely – mRNA is not and should not be called a “vaccine”. A Closer Look at FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq., and Deceptive Labeling Practices When one is using terms with the intent to use deceptive medical advice the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq., applies. Both Pfizer and Moderna (and DOD) have been promoting what is alleged to be a ‘vaccine’. There is an attempt to suggest that with this ‘vaccine’ you will be immune from the pathogen. This is not the case with the mRNA technology. Both Pfizer and Moderna are, in point of fact, promoting a ‘gene-therapy’ technology yet deceptively using the term ‘vaccine’. Further, and to put this in the simplest terms, the mRNA medical device and technology is a synthetic fragment (being injected) and is used as a form of gene-therapy. Again, it is not a vaccine and promoting it as such does not serve the best interests of those seeking true and informed consent or for those seeking a means to seek compensation due to injuries from this experimental mRNA technology device. Key Terms
Immunity: Protection from an infectious disease. If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected. (4) Vaccine: A product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease. Vaccines are usually administered through needle injections, but can also be administered by mouth or sprayed into the nose. By the CDC definition and by Pfizer and Moderna’s own definition mRNA technology is not a vaccine. Or stated otherwise, immunity via mRNA technology is not conferred. Let’s be clear...it is not a Vaccine “This is mRNA packaged in a fat envelope that is delivered to a cell. It is a medical device designed to stimulate the human cell into becoming a pathogen creator. It is not a vaccine. To recap on the terms above, vaccines actually are a legally defined term under public health law; they are a legally defined term under CDC and FDA standards. And the vaccine specifically has to stimulate both the immunity within the person receiving it and it also has to disrupt transmission.” “...They (Moderna and Pfizer) have been abundantly clear in saying that the mRNA strand that is going into the cell is not to stop the transmission, it is a treatment. But if it was discussed as a treatment, it would not get the sympathetic ear of public health authorities because then people would say, “What other treatments are there?” The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Within the same Moderna filing, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 9, 2018, Moderna states “...Currently, mRNA is considered a gene therapy product by the FDA. Unlike certain gene therapies that irreversibly alter cell DNA and could act as a source of side effects, mRNA- based medicines are designed to not irreversibly change cell DNA; however, side effects observed in gene therapy could negatively impact the perception of mRNA medicines despite the differences in mechanism. In addition, because no product in which mRNA is the primary active ingredient has been approved, the regulatory pathway for approval is uncertain.” https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1682852/000119312518323562/d577473ds1.htm?s=03 It is also clear from this same SEC filing (pg.26) that Moderna is concerned with the use of the term ‘gene therapy’ and state, in part ‘...Some of our investigational medicines are classified as gene therapies by the FDA and the EMA, and the FDA has indicated that our investigational medicines will be reviewed within its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER. Even though our mRNA investigational medicines are designed to have a different mechanism of action from gene therapies, the association of our investigational medicines with gene therapies could result in increased regulatory burdens, impair the reputation of our investigational medicines, or negatively impact our platform or our business. It is a Technology per the CDHR Definition of a Device Lawyers “... refuse to stipulate in any conversations that this is in fact a vaccine issue. The only reason why the term is being used is to abuse the 1905 Jacobson case that has been misrepresented since it was written. And if we were honest with this, we would actually call it what it is: it is a chemical pathogen device that is actually meant to unleash a chemical pathogen production action within a cell. It is a medical device, not a drug because it meets the CDRH definition of a device. It is not a living system, it is not a biologic system, it is a physical technology - it happens to just come in the size of a molecular package.” For additional references, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the branch of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has the responsibility for approval of all medical devices https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/center-devices-and-radiological- health. To add to this discussion, it is important to consider that the ‘medical device’ definition is met when you consider that this is a nucleic acid sequence – not a viral fragment. (a) Identification. Synthetic cell and tissue culture media and components are substances that are composed entirely of defined components (e.g., amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts) that are essential for the survival and development of cell lines of humans and other animals. A Technology Platform From Moderna’s website https://www.modernatx.com/mrna-technology/mrna-platform-enabling- drug-discovery-development “Recognizing the broad potential of mRNA science, we set out to create an mRNA technology platform that functions very much like an operating system on a computer. It is designed so that it can plug and play interchangeably with different programs. In our case, the ‘program’ or ‘app’ is our mRNA drug – unique mRNA sequence that codes for a protein”. In Layman’s terms - A Mechanical Device For the layman tying to discern the core definition of mRNA technology the following: “ This is a mechanical device in the form of a very small packet of technology – being inserted into the human system to activate the cell to become a pathogen manufacturing site.” What does this mean for the Department of Defense and Possible Mandates? A layman’s summary: An mRNA synthetic strand is NOT within the definition of a biologic and falls well outside the FR definition of “vaccine” or “immunity” in State statutes. PostScript: Facebook Fact Checkers have taken issue with the legal definition of “Vaccine". In the Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905) case, the court was clear that a PUBLIC BENEFIT was required for a vaccine to be mandated. Neither Pfizer nor Moderna have proved a disruption of transmission. In Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), the court held that the context for their opinion rested on the following principle: The Moderna and Pfizer “alleged vaccine” trials have explicitly acknowledged that their gene therapy technology has no impact on viral infection or transmission whatsoever and merely conveys to the recipient the capacity to produce an S1 spike protein endogenously by the introduction of a synthetic mRNA sequence. Therefore, the basis for the Massachusetts statute and the Supreme Court’s determination is moot in this case.  The media dismisses any questioning of the lockdown measures as "conspiracy theory," but we are the final judge of how the authorities managed the COVID-19 response.
Guest Blogger: Nate Doromal is a MBA/MS and spends his time thinking about society. PART 1: The Weaponization of Conspiracy Theory During this time of COVID-19, the term "conspiracy theory" has been bandied about too casually by mainstream media sources. It is true, though, that we live in an "age of misinformation," a time when it is legitimately hard to tell what exactly is true and what isn't. But during this time, how do we make sense of the non-stop flood of contradictory COVID-19 information? And what do we make of alleged COVID-19 conspiracies? But seldom do the media acknowledge that "conspiracy theory" can become weaponized, the charge becoming a means to stifle free inquiry into a topic. Who decides between valid information versus misinformation? And who decides what distinguishes a conspiracy theory from real political or financial agenda? The mainstream media, often acting in concert with business or government, have decided it is their responsibility to be the official purveyors of news, the anointed ones to tell you what is authoritative versus what is not; and they have decided to tell you what stories constitute conspiracy theories. These COVID-19 conspiracies include:
So, as news consumers, how are we to know what to think when certain information is dismissed entirely as "conspiracy theory"? Sometimes a story is unfounded, but sometimes the story reveals wrongdoings are hiding behind the shadows. Before accepting the point of view of an author or a media authority, there are important questions that need to be considered. We present these questions in the form of a framework that can help you make sense of the charge of conspiracy theory. By using this framework, you will be able to distinguish between honest reporting and propaganda, and the better you will be able to voice your own commentary. It is the public's right to voice its concerns, and it is the citizen's duty to ensure the government serves the people. What is a Conspiracy?We need to carefully examine the meanings of the terms conspiracy and conspiracy theory to tease out their actual definitions from any loaded emotional connotations. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to conspire means to "to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement." More generally, a conspiracy then is an "agreement among conspirators." Then, finally, a conspiracy theory is "a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a conspiracy." It is worth keeping in mind Merriam-Webster's second definition, "to act in harmony toward a common end" - a conspiracy may not necessarily involve illegal activities. Often, there are motivations for conspiracy. These could include personal or economic gain, the advancement of ideology (for example, to advance the ideology of Communism or to spread democracy), or the belief that one's actions are best for society. It should be worth nothing that conspiracies happen all the time. One need not look far in the news to find such examples; numerous scandals have been reported in the media, i.e., the Enron Scandal, the Theranos Scandal, the Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme, and Facebook Data Privacy Scandal. In these cases, the events fit the definition of conspiracy: a group of people colluding in secret for economic gain. Each of these conspiracies was investigated and exposed by the mainstream media. The Weaponization of Conspiracy TheoryBeyond its logical definition, the term "conspiracy theory" has a negative connotation. It is not often acknowledged by those who use it that the term itself can be weaponized to prevent critical lines of inquiry of inconvenient truths in public. This weaponization can be observed in Wikipedia's definition, which explicitly states that the "appeal to a conspiracy is based on prejudice or insufficient evidence," but this is a tautological fallacy as the label of "conspiracy theory" impedes the necessary effort to gather the very evidence needed to determine whether the theory is substantiated or not. As author Jovan Byford states in his book Conspiracy Theories: A Critical Introduction, "'conspiracy theory' is not a neutral label used merely to describe a certain type of explanation. It is an evaluative term with significant pejorative connotations. To allude to an account as a 'conspiracy theory' is to make a judgment about its epistemic status; it is a way of branding an explanation untrue or insinuating that it is based on insufficient evidence, superstition or prejudice." Power-holders and establishment interests utilize the weaponization of "conspiracy theory" to shape narratives that benefit their collective interests. Sometimes these interests benefit from the status quo, and they resist changes from the public to change the status quo. Sometimes, in the Iraq War and Vietnam War, power interests benefit from building the case for necessity for predetermined actions they want to take. In both cases, power interests seek to stifle public inquiry into matters which affect their interests. An important use of power in society is creating narratives that the public believes, thereby creating a rational justification for the power that dominant interests or establishment interests hold their wield. Thus, the use of power builds on itself. The more people who believe in a given narrative, the more power it lends to those whose interests it serves. The weaponization of "conspiracy theory" plays an important role in scientific controversies, stifling legitimate but inconvenient scientific inquiry. Academic institutions, corporations, and existing scientists are often invested in current paradigms of scientific thinking. These players have an incentive to control narratives for their benefit. For example, they can protect existing revenue lines by exaggerating the benefits of medical treatments or drugs they offer, diminish the harms from certain medical treatments or drugs, or dismiss alternative non-pharmaceutical approaches to treating medical conditions. Even the label of "conspiracy theorist" can work as a form of character assassination that seeks to discredit scientists or independent researchers willing to explore or advocate for an alternative perspective. Being labeled as a "conspiracy theorist" can make it harder for a researcher to secure funding for their research. Since the term 'conspiracy theory' can be weaponized as a means to control your thinking, when confronted with it, you need the means to evaluate the information and distinguish honest reporting from propaganda." The following section presents a framework to help you do just that. PART 2: 6 Questions to Help You Assess Claims of Conspiracy Theory Typically, when confronted with the claim of a 'conspiracy theory' in the news media, the embedded message is that "we are the authorities, and we have done the thinking for you – just stop thinking about this now." To counter this, we need to apply our critical thinking, and the following framework can help. 1. Are there any uses of logical fallacies or rhetorical devices present in defending the "official narrative"?Critical to assessing credibility is to be aware of logical fallacies and rhetorical devices used to influence your beliefs:
Both of these are examples of the begging the question fallacy: if you do the prescribed actions, then you are "reasonable"; otherwise, you are not. These also fall under the ad hominem fallacy, as there is the implicit message that anyone who fails to take the given action is unreasonable. You should also be aware of "peer pressure" techniques to get you to conform to the dominant view. These can include the appeal to authority, and a similar variant, appeal to the consensus belief. Of course, the number of people who believe a given idea, even if a large majority, is not an actual indication of its truth. 3. Who benefits from the official narrative?The official narrative is the one that predominates in the mainstream discourse, propagated both by government officials and the mainstream media. It is useful to identity powerholders and/or establishment interests and imagines how they might benefit from the official narrative. For example, the defense industry is a player that benefits from the sale of munitions, and it has an incentive to lobby for continued investment in military technology. 4. How accurate is the portrayal of the alternative narrative, and whose interests are harmed by it?First, we must identify how accurately the alternative narrative is being portrayed. Sometimes, the alternative narrative is deliberately presented as a strawman to make the dominant narrative appear more favorable. For example, as will be examined later, the blaming of COVID-19 deaths on 5G technology is a strawman that attempts to hide legitimate concerns regarding 5G behind a more questionable charge. There is another variant to the strawman argument to be aware of. Oftentimes, there are various gradients or possibilities to an alternative narrative. One trick is to deliberately select the most extreme or implausible of these alternatives and focus solely on refuting that version. We will later examine a piece on the COVID-19 vaccine that utilizes this pattern. Second, we must judge whose interests are harmed by the alternative narratives and to what extent. When the harms of smoking were becoming more widely known, the tobacco companies had numerous financial incentives to deny or downplay these concerns. Similarly, health concerns about wireless technology would hurt the wireless market's growth and hurt the technology providers of such equipment. Some useful questions to consider are the following. How large in dollars is the market relevant to the dominant players' interests? Does the alternative narrative damage any existing revenue lines of existing players? Does the alternative narrative change the environment in a way that would hurt the existing players? And does the alternative narrative damage the ability of the existing players to influence society? 5. How credible is the alternative narrative?This is where you judge the alternative narrative's credibility by examining the actual arguments used to support their position. Weaponized pieces work by convincing you that the probability of the alternative narrative is so low that it cannot be reasonable. It helps to question the assumptions made by the piece and to clarify the limits of such assumptions. 6. How much questioning is permitted or how much intimidation is used against those that object to the official narrative?Biased pieces and propaganda pieces can be distinguished by their vitriol level aimed against those objecting to the official narrative. It is critical to ask yourself just how much the piece allows the reader to make their own judgment versus intimidating the reader into accepting the author's views. PART 3: 6 More Questions to Help You Assess Claims of Conspiracy Theory 7. If the official narrative were untrue, what paradigms would this invalidate?This is a useful exercise to judge the assumptions under which the official narrative is made. It is also useful for clarifying our assumptions regarding the state of reality. As an example, later on, we examine how the defense of the 5G technology assumes that non-ionizing radiation has no health effects, a critical assumption used to justify the label of "conspiracy theory." It is important to note that scientific and sociological beliefs exist within a paradigm, a set of thoughts and concepts about a given phenomenon. A paradigm is useful in clarifying reality, but it can blind us to observations that lie outside the paradigm's explanatory realm. 8. Is there a political or ideological agenda being served? If so, what is this agenda?We see increasingly that news and media organizations are blending reporting with editorializing, oftentimes with an ideological bent, such that it becomes difficult to get the facts. When you read a piece, it is up to you to separate fact from opinion and keep your mind attuned for potential political or ideological biases. A new but relevant ideology that is becoming increasingly common is the scientism ideology, the promotion of science in a way that over-glorifies it or discourages criticism of science's ability to deal with society's problems. This ideology leads to the situation where non-scientists blanketly accept any recommendations or conclusions by science without questioning the underlying reason behind them. An example of this would be the blanket acceptance by policymakers for COVID-19 lockdowns and widespread masking to deal with the pandemic without sufficient verification as to whether those recommendations met the stringent evidence-based criterion. Those propagating the scientism ideology are scientists, researchers, or companies who are vested in a particular viewpoint. An example of this mindset is pharmaceutical companies who attack natural remedies as lacking in evidence or who characterize their users as lacking in scientific literacy. 9. What financial interests or power agenda is served by those propagating the narrative?Furthermore, it is useful to question how those propagating narratives financially benefit or otherwise utilize the narrative to increase their power. Companies will promote their products, scientists will promote their research, and government institutions will promote their mission. These incentives create pressure to bias or tell only one side of the story. For example, incumbent news media organizations, part of the mainstream media, wish to be seen as the dominant authority for news information. Jeremy R. Hammond, in his article "Who Will Tell the Truth About the So-Called 'Free Press'?" writes, "The [New York] Times, in other words, wishes for the corporate media to preserve their oligopoly in determining what information the public should and should not be made aware of. The Times editors wish to preserve their leadership in determining for us what we should think about any given issue and to determine for us which issues we should regard as important." 10. Is the burden of proof applied equally for both sides?If one side makes evidence demands of the other side, it behooves that side to provide the same level of proof. It is suspicious when one side (often the more powerful side) tells us that the other side is wrong without providing suitable evidence. With scientific controversies, it is essential to examine the burden of proof criterion applied to both sides. Oftentimes, dominant players will cherry-pick the evidence used to justify their position while ignoring or discounting the evidence against their position. In doing so, incumbent players seek to move the burden of proof to those making the novel claims and then demand stringent evidential proof to uphold these claims. Any doubt that is cast is then claimed as a lack of evidence, and then the incumbent players assume that their position is the default one without having to provide any evidence to support it. 11. What first-hand evidence do we have for both sides?It is important to consult first-hand evidence, and sources regarding any commentary brought up to see if the logic is sound. It is vital when the dominant side relies upon its authority or power to make its case. Another thing to be aware of is that sometimes mainstream news sources will cite a source but misrepresent its meaning to advance a given narrative or ideology. This mistake happened with a New York Times article that made a case for the flu vaccine but deliberately ignored the modest conclusions over efficacy in an important source it cited, the Cochrane Collaboration. 12. How likely are "alternative paradigms" to be true?Author Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes, once remarked, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." When presented with two sides of a story, we must ascertain whether the dominant paradigm explains all of the observed phenomena. If it doesn't, and unanswered questions remain, we must consider the possibility that there may be some truth to the alternative paradigm. In summary, the above 12 questions help you to critically evaluate news and media stories and help you better sift through truth and falsehood. They are critical when dealing with claims of conspiracy theory. Remember that you, the reader of the piece, need to be the ultimate decider. PART 4: Critical Thinking about COVID-19 Conspiracies - Reuters’ “False claim: 5G networks are making people sick, not Coronavirus."Now we can apply the framework above to examine some COVID-related conspiracies that are discussed in the media. While the selected topics below do not form a complete list of COVID-related conspiracies, the same attack patterns show up in many pieces. By learning to recognize these patterns, it will make you a more critical reader. First, we will examine this Reuters piece, which attempts to debunk the belief that the COVID-19 cases are related to radiation from recently installed 5G infrastructure rather than the virus. The article ostensibly presents a strawman argument by positioning this claim as a binary representation; you either believe the deaths are from 5G or COVID-19, but not both. By substituting the more extreme position for a more moderate concern, the article attempts to hide or minimize legitimate concerns regarding 5G technology's biological effects. We must recognize that there are gradients of truth between two polarized positions and that we can do much for our understanding by reconciling these viewpoints. A more balanced question is: Is it possible that negative health effects from 5G could be contributing to the COVID-19 pandemic, or in a way that hinders full recovery? In answering this question, we can ask a more fundamental question: Does 5G exposure have negative health effects? This is a wholly legitimate question and, one would think, an important question that authorities should answer before the widespread deployment of 5G technology in society. The Reuters article tries to make the case that 5G is safe. It goes through its critical assumptions by presenting testimony from a list of authorities, including the World Health Organization, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and Marvin C. Ziskin, Professor Emeritus of Radiology and Medical Physics. The above authorities say that non-ionizing radiation, like the kind from 5G cellular technologies, is safe. There is a subtle application of appeal to authority and appeal to the consensus that occurs here. The quotation by Dr. Ziskin is worth examining: "I would add that there have been no health agency warnings about possible health risks of RF energy including millimeter waves at exposure levels that an average consumer would experience from communications technology. This is consistent with assessments of the issue by standards-setting groups such as IEEE and ICNIRP." Dr. Ziskin is essentially using his authority as a scientist to appeal to authority to other agencies. The author of the piece implies the following message:" What gives you the right to question 5G technology when such credentialed authorities say 5G is safe?" The question is an important one. We cannot be an expert on everything, so we often defer our thinking to scientists or other experts. We might ask ourselves a very plausible question: "isn't trusting the scientific authorities the best strategy for us, the public who are not well-versed in the science of a given topic?" However, often scientists and experts can disagree. Though open questions remain, articles like this present a dominant narrative or paradigm and then implicitly assert that these are the scientific consensus's beliefs. This begs the question – scientific consensus can only be arrived at after full examination of open questions and contrary data. And as we will see later, there is much contrary data that has not been considered. Furthermore, science only works when the scientific process is fair and unbiased. In appealing to scientific authority, it assumes the fairness of this process. However, we live in a time when conflicts of interest are pervasive, and, unfortunately, as the case with what happened with the biased science around the dangerous drug Vioxx, all too often, public safety is subordinated to industry interests. The public is an important check-and-balance for the fairness of the scientific process. Thus, in cases of new science and technology, especially ones that are pervasive in our lives, we have a right to hold authorities to a higher safety demonstration. Critical inquiry requires us to dig into the claims and assumptions of the authorities. In this case, we can break down their health claims according to the following assumptions:
Rather than accept these assumptions as fact, we can research the original article to find just what exactly are the actual objections to 5G as voiced by its various critics, who may themselves have pluralistic views. Certainly, this is the case with COVID-19 and 5G - there is a continuum of views on the possible association, ranging from none to possibly to fully. Only when we see the objections as voiced from multiple perspectives can we assess their validity and, subsequently, synthesize the information so that we can arrive at our own beliefs on the issue at hand. To help our thinking, we can dig into first-hand sources cited by both sides, including medical or research studies, or statistical data (resources like PubMed.gov or a fairer search engine like duckduckgo.com are helpful). Far too often, we content ourselves with surface-level thinking (such as scanning just the headlines or accepting the premises of material we already agree with) rather than examining if its source material supports the article's premises. It doesn't take much digging to learn that the Reuters piece's authors are seemingly ignorant of the latest news regarding criticism of 5G. First, under the auspices of the US National Toxicology Program, the US government conducted a study in which rats and mice were exposed to cellular radio frequencies, and any health effects were noted. Surprisingly to the researchers, the study found associations of tumor incidence in male rats when exposed to these energies. The study also found that there was evidence of DNA damage in the animals. Such a finding challenges the conventional understanding of the science regarding non-ionizing electromagnetic field radiation and challenges all three of the above assumptions. Regarding 5G radiation (which falls into the millimeter-wave definition), the National Toxicology Program stated: "scientists do not know if millimeter waves may cause toxicity in the skin and other human tissues. Since the NTP's studies have demonstrated that there is some interaction between RFR exposure at the tested frequencies and cancers of certain tissues, there is a need to understand the interaction between RFR and biological tissues and the factors that affect that interaction." If the question of safety regarding 5G radiation is still open, why doesn't the Reuters article acknowledge it? Surely, we should expect a higher standard from a "fact-checker," especially when public safety is concerned? Second, there is a tremendous amount of research regarding the negative biological effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic field radiation that go back over 50 years. The Reuters article does not acknowledge any of these studies, but instead, it cherry-picks the testimony used to justify its predetermined position. A report released by the Bioinitiative Working Group, a group composed of scientists, researchers, and public health policy professionals, citing hundreds of studies in the literature, reported: "In the last few decades, it has been established beyond any reasonable doubt that bioeffects and some adverse health effects occur at far lower levels of RF and ELF exposure where no heating (or induced currents) occurs at all; some effects are shown to occur at several hundred thousand times below the existing public safety limits where heating is an impossibility. " It is clear from looking at the Bioinitiative Working Group report that it collates and references a large body of research regarding health effects from radiofrequency radiation. It is a lie of omission that the Reuters article does not acknowledge this larger body of research, and instead, it bases its "fact-check" on a seemingly shallow treatment of the issue. This lie of omission thereby contributes to the illusory view that a scientific consensus exists. Finally, we ask the question, "Who benefits from the dominant narrative?" According to this industry analysis of the 5G market, the 5G services global market is very lucrative, reaching $41 billion and growing at 43.9% each year. The market players involved have a tremendous financial incentive to push the benefits of 5G technology while minimizing the public perception of any ill health effects. With such a lucrative market and pressure on the telecom industry from Wall St. to deliver earnings growth, there is the incentive for the industry to sponsor research that paints 5G technology in a favorable light. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the telecom industry does utilize its power to influence science; this study indicates that a significant number of studies on the health effects of mobile phone use are industry-sponsored and may be prone to sponsorship bias, the tendency for a study to reflect the interests of its funder. Upon deeper examination, this story presented as "conspiracy theory" is actually more akin to scientific controversy, a substantial debate among scientists on the science state. The occurrence of scientific controversy itself creates its own winners and losers among the established stakeholders. In such a case, the dominant interests have an incentive to weaponize conspiracy theory; inconvenient hypotheses are attacked to prevent inquiry that could damage vested interests. While it can become tempting to blame science for these problems and cast it aside, we actually need more science to escape this conundrum - we should think like scientists. We must put aside our preconceived notions, try to conceive the possibility that the other side might have a valid argument, and carefully weigh the scientific evidence on both sides of the argument. The greater the financial incentives, the higher standard is needed for objectivity. When examined in this light, with a more detailed examination of both sides, it becomes easier to see the logical biases and problems in the Reuters ostensible "fact-check." PART 5: Critical Thinking about COVID-19 Conspiracies - Snopes’ “Fact-check on the Origins of COVID-19”In this section, we'll examine this piece by Snopes, which attempts to debunk the hypothesis that COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and was accidentally released to the public. This hypothesis is termed the lab-origin hypothesis. Something critical worth noting immediately - the Snopes piece does not actually debunk the lab-origin hypothesis for COVID-19, but it argues that a natural origin for COVID-19 is more likely. But the article presents an authoritative tone, backed with seemingly scientific rhetoric, to give the impression that it has "debunked" the lab-origin hypothesis. To accomplish this smoke-and-mirrors effect, it relies heavily upon weaponization of "conspiracy theory." The Snopes article presents a biased characterization of the lab-origin hypothesis through several mechanisms. First, it presents a series of non-sequiturs that appear to be authoritative facts but have nothing to do with the lab-origin hypothesis's veracity. It states: "While SARS viruses have escaped from a Beijing lab on at least four occasions, no such event has been documented in Wuhan." The conclusion here is silly - just because viruses have escaped from other Chinese labs, it cannot happen in Wuhan. The non-sequiturs continue. The article states, "In two instances, this researcher properly self-quarantined either after being bitten or urinated on by a potentially infected bat, he told reporters." So, a researcher was bitten by a bat but took precautionary measures. Then the article states, "The paper also asserts without evidence that infectious waste was merely tossed out of the lab closer to the market as regular trash." So, we need better proof that the laboratory does indeed dispose of trash. These have nothing to do with disproving the lab-origin hypothesis but sound scientific while serving as distractions. The Snopes article continues with its biased characterization through its commentary on the interview between Dr. Joseph Mercola and lawyer Francis Boyle. Several ad hominem fallacies are used to discredit both these men; Mercola is termed as an "alternative medicine guru" without acknowledging his status as an osteopathic physician. Francis Boyle is termed a "lawyer with no formal training in virology" without acknowledging that he is a Harvard-trained lawyer who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989. The biased term "pseudoscientific internet personalities" is used as an attack. Satisfied with its attack on Dr. Mercola and Francis Boyle, the Snopes piece then refutes the possibility of the lab-origin COVID hypothesis by citing a Nature paper and an accompanying commentary by National Institute of Health director Francis Collins in which a different virus with a spike-binding protein adaption similar to the one used by SaRs-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) was found in pangolins. The Nature paper argues that natural evolutionary mechanisms could have led to the actual SaRs-CoV-2 virus. The Nature paper also makes the argument that the SaRs-CoV-2 genome has no traces of genetic manipulation. It isn't hard to see that the Nature paper's hypothesis doesn't necessarily debunk the lab-origin hypothesis of COVID-19. It is a blatant attempt to present another hypothesis and make a persuasive case that it is the most probable of possible COVID-19 origin accounts. Neither does the article acknowledge that scientists have the means to genetically alter viruses in ways that leave no traces of manipulation. The key question remains, is the natural origin hypothesis for COVID-19 the more likely cause? The Snopes article would like us to believe that science has settled the question for us via an appeal to the scientific consensus. But we should first consider the following question, do we have all the evidence we need to decide one way or the other? It is glaring that the Snopes article engages in several lies of omission by failing to discuss material info that would influence our judgment regarding what is plausible versus not. By cherry-picking the facts and arguments that it wants, the Snopes piece tries to influence our beliefs in a way to accept its conclusion. First, the Snopes article fails to discuss the gain-of-function research (a kind of research that increases the virulence of pathogens to infect different species, including humans) that was being done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the fact that the research was specifically being done on coronaviruses from bats, and the fact that the NIH was instrumental in funding this research. Second, our own government appears complicit in the Wuhan gain-of-function research. The Washington Times reported in April 2020 that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was given $3.7 million under the auspices of Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, via the organization EcoHealth Alliance, to perform this gain-of-function research. Later on, a Stat News article reported, "EcoHealth had previously established a partnership with a virology laboratory in Wuhan, China — the city where the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have begun — under the terms of a five-year grant from the NIH. That grant was due to run through 2024 but was abruptly canceled in April." Regarding the sudden cancellation of this grant, Stat News stated: "Earlier this summer, the NIH told EcoHealth its grant could be restored if the organization met a number of prerequisites, including securing access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for U.S. investigators, and a virus sample from Wuhan — conditions the organization is unlikely to be able to meet." There appears to be a reluctance by the government players even to entertain an investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In a similar vein, the Snopes article dodges any notion of investigation or verification of its assumptions — the lab-origin hypothesis cannot be touched. Third, regarding the plausibility of an escape of a pathogen from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, it is interesting to know that government officials raised safety concerns in 2018. According to Washington Post, "Two years before the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the world, U.S. Embassy officials visited a Chinese research facility in the city of Wuhan several times and sent two official warnings back to Washington about inadequate safety at the lab, which was conducting risky studies on coronaviruses from bats." It is quite strange that the Snopes piece would overlook these safety concerns and these other material facts, all of which can change our likelihood assessment of SaRs-Cov-2 origin quite a bit. Shouldn't we at least wonder about the potential for accidental release of such a virus and whether or not it is related to the SaRs-Cov-2 virus? Given the controversial nature of gain-of-function research, might the NIH have quietly decided to cancel the grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to prevent further inquiry? All in all, the quick media dismissal of the lab origin hypothesis is suspicious. The non-profit U.S. Right to Know commented on this premature dismissal: "To date, there is not sufficient evidence to definitively reject either zoonotic origin or lab-origin hypotheses. We do know, based on published research articles and U.S. federal grants to the EcoHealth Alliance for funding WIV's coronavirus research, that WIV stored hundreds of potentially dangerous SARS-like coronaviruses, and performed GOF experiments on coronaviruses in collaboration with U.S. universities, and there were biosafety concerns with WIV's BSL-4 laboratory." It becomes all the more suspicious given evidence that the public scientific support for a natural origin for COVID-19 appears to have been orchestrated from within EcoHealth Alliance. U.S. Right to Know reported that "a statement in The Lancet authored by 27 prominent public health scientists condemning 'conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin' was organized by employees of EcoHealth Alliance." It is important to ask who benefits from the dominant narrative offered here. First, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who, as NIAID director, has the power to approve the funding dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, would want his role in the affair to be downplayed. Second, pharmaceuticals and vaccine developers can make use of gain-of-function research to develop new vaccines. Third, might the US military have interests in such research? During an interview with Dr. Mercola, Francis Boyle, a lawyer who has for decades argued against the use of bioweapon technology, stated that the U.S. government spent $100 billion on biological warfare programs from September 11, 2011, up until October 2015. Though attacked in the Snopes article, the point stands that the military would be interested in gain-of-function research. Francis Boyle stated in the interview, "As for the CDC, it has been involved in every … BSL-4 biological warfare death science you could possibly imagine … It's a matter of public record that during the Reagan administration, the CDC and the American Type Culture Collection sent 40 shipments of weapons-grade biological warfare agents to Saddam Hussein in Iraq, in the hope and expectation that he would weaponize these agents and use them against Iran…" To rule out the lab-origin hypothesis, an actual investigation would have to be done on the Wuhan Institute of Virology. But to date, no such investigation has been done. It would seem strange that any inquiry into COVID-19 is dismissed as "conspiracy theory." Is it possible that government authorities want to stifle any questioning of COVID-19 origins to avoid drawing attention to gain-of-function research and its use in our government's bioweapons development efforts? Should gain-of-function research that allows better infectivity of infectious disease in humans even be done? Activists like the Organic Consumers Association do not think so. They are actively calling for a global ban on gain-of-function experimentation, citing its potential for causing another global pandemic. Vested government and scientific interests have an incentive to limit citizen inquiry to prevent damage to its interests. Whatever the origins of COVID, the weaponization of "conspiracy theory" hinders such citizen inquiry and transparency. Citizens can play an important role in judging whether authorities are adhering to moral and ethical guidelines. PART 6: Critical Thinking about COVID-19 Conspiracies - Chicago Tribune’s "No, COVID-19 vaccines don't contain Satan's microchips (and other scary conspiracy theories aren't true either)"With COVID-19 vaccination being deployed across the country, there is a spat of media stories regarding COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies, purportedly to increase vaccine uptake. This Chicago Tribune article is one such piece, and, likewise, it can be examined using the discussed framework. Like the other pieces, this piece exemplifies the strawman argument. Rather than presenting the actual concerns that most people have regarding the vaccine, it presents a series of deliberately extreme views (i.e., the COVID-19 vaccine will contain Satan's microchips, and the COVID-19 vaccine will spread COVID), and then knocks them down, claiming triumph in the end. First, the language used in the article is weaponized to divert from real concerns. The public's concerns are termed "vaccine fabrications" and "misinformation" without separating the actual concerns from the scientific inaccuracies. Moreover, the public's concerns are deliberately painted as "extreme views" of a minority "anti-vaccine" group. This is a sophisticated use of the ad hominem fallacy; it uses indirect mockery to attack those with concerns while pressuring the reader to diminish their own concerns regarding the vaccine. The term "anti-vaccine" is a deliberate attempt to use language to create an us-versus-them mentality. It utilizes social pressure to discourage an individual from holding views that would place them in a purported minority group without acknowledging just how common these concerns are. Ironically, rather than being a minority, the majority of the populace seems to be questioning the vaccine. The article itself laments the fact that "only 47% of Americans plan to get the vaccine." Similarly, the term "Satan's microchip" is weaponized language and an ad hominem fallacy used to mock and diminish digital vaccination surveillance concerns. The article fails to mention that the term refers to a real technology unveiled by Bill Gates in partnership with MIT to store vaccination records in a "quantum dot" below the skin. This "quantum dot" technology is akin to an implantable microchip - it encodes information and is stored below the individual's skin. We ourselves must ask the important question that the article does not: "what are the actual concerns of those who are questioning the COVID-19 vaccine?" And, according to the Wall Street Journal, this leading concern is the question of vaccine safety. While normally, a given vaccine can take up to a decade to develop, Operation Warp Speed launched the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in around 8 months, releasing it under FDA Emergency Use Authorization in 8 months under and using a novel mRNA technology that will utilize the human body's own cells to develop the antigen. This fact makes it more akin to gene therapy than a traditional vaccine. Second, the safety testing for the COVID-19 vaccine does not address long-term health effects. Is there the possibility for long-term health effects from the novel mRNA technology? More generally, should novel medical technology be held to a higher standard of safety? According to Tal Brosh, head of the Infectious Disease Unit at Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital, when asked about COVID vaccine safety, acknowledged that "there are unique and unknown risks to messenger RNA vaccines, including local and systemic inflammatory responses that could lead to autoimmune conditions." Given the novelty of the mRNA technology, doesn't the public have a right to question novel gene therapy applied in the context of preventing infectious diseases? Shouldn't the regulators apply a higher standard of safety study before rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine at warp-speed? Third, the Chicago Tribute piece does not acknowledge the serious adverse effects observed in COVID vaccine safety trial participants. A number of the phase 3 trials, including Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, were stopped when participants experienced serious adverse effects. The vaccine manufacturers themselves warn that a certain proportion of people taking the vaccine would experience some adverse effects, including flu-like symptoms like muscle aches and fever. Organizations like Children's Health Defense have sounded the warning that there are acknowledged problems in the vaccine safety assessment methodology. These are problems that the Chicago Tribune piece does not comment on. Some of these problems include the lack of testing vaccines against an inert, saline placebo, short observational periods that do not capture long-term effects of vaccination, and lack of individual safety studies regarding ingredients within vaccines, including mercury, aluminum, and PEG, which scientists say could be responsible for some of the severe allergic reactions in COVID-19 vaccine recipients. Finally, the article does not acknowledge another important question: who decides if the risk/benefit calculation is worth taking a vaccine? The article seems to presuppose that the calculation has been made for us and that a "rational" person would take the vaccine. But is this the case for everyone? An assessment of benefits from the vaccine depends critically upon the amount of risk that the individual faces from COVID-19. Given that the CDC's data indicates that risk profiles from COVID-19 vary dramatically depending on age and pre-existing conditions, presenting uniform benefit to the populace is not entirely accurate. And what of the risks from the vaccine? As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign rolls out across the nation already, there are many reported cases of vaccine injuries. Journalist Sharyl Attkisson reported that, as of Dec. 19, more than 5000 individuals had experienced a "health impactful" event, roughly 2.3% of COVID-19 vaccine recipients. There are reports of untimely deaths not too long after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine (such as the death of a Florida doctor several weeks post-vaccine receipt) and over a hundred reports of emergency room visits post-vaccine receipt. Shouldn't the public have the right to know of COVID-19 vaccine injuries and to take them into account in a risk/benefit calculation as to whether to take the vaccine? Shouldn't a person be free to choose the right decision for themselves and have all data to do so? There are fundamentally complex issues here that the Chicago Tribute piece glosses over. The COVID vaccine decision is a multi-faceted one that resists oversimplification. Regarding Bill Gates' "quantum dot" implantable technology, at a time when surveillance is pervasive in our lives, shouldn't we, the public, have the right to question the moral and ethical implications of such technology? Moreover, what right does the Chicago Tribute have to question the validity of religious views of those against widespread digital-tagging of the populace? Given the bias in media-reporting on the COVID-19 vaccine, the fundamental question is whether or not people have the final say as to whether to take the vaccine. In articles like these, the "correct" decision has already been decided for the reader and the American public. These articles serve as propaganda for the agenda of public health, government officials, and by extension, the pharmaceutical industry that manufactures vaccines. The weaponization of "conspiracy theory" seeks to make crucial medical decisions for us and seeks to limit our free inquiry and critical thinking, crucial considering we ourselves bear the long-term costs of those decisions. Conspiracy Inquiry – Calling Power into AccountCrucial to democracy is the public's perception that the system is fair, transparent and that the concerns of the minority are discussed in the public sphere. The propaganda that uses the weaponization of "conspiracy theory" is an attempt to control public opinion and, in the long-run, ultimately harms democracy. We now live in the age of information overload, a time when we are bombarded with advertisements, marketers trying to get our attention to push our beliefs in one way or another. While the Internet has given us amazing amounts of information at our fingertips, power authorities have an overt incentive to control that information and our perceptions surrounding it. Propaganda is right before our eyes. Yet it often goes by different names, for example, public relations, fake news, fact-checks, etc. Even our search engines manipulate search results to drive ideology. One of the most effective forms of propaganda is the weaponization of "conspiracy theory." The weaponization of "conspiracy theory" favors the power holders, who use their power to create and define the dominant narratives promulgated in society, which then creates a self-justifying loop for their power. Inconvenient narratives are too often termed "conspiracy theory" to prevent unwanted, intrusive inquiry. It now falls to the individual to ascertain the veracity of a news article. We should be wary and avoid seeing conspiracy at every turn. To do so would lead us down paranoia and further exacerbate the tribalism that is affecting America. This is where the above framework can help us critically think through the media messages we are presented with. We should be willing to apply the same questions to our thinking, and we should uphold the same standard for the burden of proof to both sides. How can democracy thrive when overt propaganda is used to limit the thinking of the public? When our societal views are so polarized, we should rightly question just how much the authorities and power holders allow us to exercise dissent and our intellectual opinion-making. When transparency is lacking, we must demand it. Where information is omitted, we must point it out. And when authorities tell us we cannot think a certain way, we must make a stand to express our thoughts. This is how we end up with a stronger democracy with greater equality for all. T.W. Scullion iiiAs the COVID 19 pandemic began to accelerate in the early spring of 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, advised Americans against wearing masks. On February 17, 2020 he stated the "danger of getting coronavirus now is just minisculely low.” In the same interview, Fauci stated why masks were ineffective: "A mask is much more appropriate for someone who is infected and you're trying to prevent them from infecting other people than it is in protecting you against infection. If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn't really do much to protect you. And for example, people start saying, should I start wearing a mask? Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask."(1) Clearly changing his mind about the leakage of the mask, five months later in an interview with Business Insider's Grace Panetta, Fauci did a full reversal of his previous statement (July 16, 2020): "When it became clear that we could get the infection...by asymptomatic carriers who don't know they're infected, that made it very clear that we had to strongly recommend masks," (2) A question that many are asking is what changed about the leakage? If the leakage rendered the masks ineffective in February, why would they suddenly be effective in July? Fauci also added that, "cloth masks and homemade masks were as good as masks that you would buy from surgical supply stores"(2) yet many of the face masks manufacturers have written warnings on the side of the boxes that state the opposite of their efficacy.  what about the n95 masks? According to the above CDC document/poster, a N95 Respirator is tight-fitting and has "minimal leakage" and filters out "out at least 95% of airborne particles including large and small particles.” But how small of a particle? According to USA TODAY's Eric Litke: "N95 masks actually have that name because they are 95% efficient at stopping particles in their least efficient particle size range — in this case those around 0.3 microns." (4) In that same article, Lisa Brosseau, a retired professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who spent her career researching respiratory protection, stated: “Breathing and talking generate particles around 1 micron in size, which will be collected by N95 respirator filters with very high efficiency”. (5) Seeing that the filtering effects are much better with this type of mask, a more common sense approach to mandating masks for health would be requiring N95 masks. If this is what the "science" says, why isn't every doctor and nurse in every hospital or nursing home wearing a N95 mask? It doesn't make sense looking at the mask mandate from an epidemiological point of view, so are the mask mandates about something else? Is it about the government seeing to what extent they can infringe on your liberties? Or about how far they can control the average citizen before he or she protests? The following information on correct use of medical masks derives from the practices in health-care settings:
You may not agree with those questioning the "ineffectiveness" of wearing a mask but what if the World Health Organization (WHO) said it? According to a WHO document on mask usage for COVID-19, "Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices." If that were not enough, the WHO admonishes us that these facial coverings "increase the risk of transmission associated with the incorrect use and disposal of masks."(7) Still not convinced? A 2010 systematic review, published in the journal Epidemiology & Infection entitled "Face masks to prevent transmission of influenza virus: a systematic review" (8) found little supporting evidence. The review states: "In conclusion there remains a substantial gap in the scientific literature on the effectiveness of face masks to reduce transmission of influenza virus infection. While there is some experimental evidence that masks should be able to reduce infectiousness under controlled conditions, there is less evidence on whether this translates to effectiveness in natural settings. There is little evidence to support the effectiveness of face masks to reduce the risk of infection." (8) asymptomatic spreaders?Once COVID-19 became a pandemic, the big fear surrounding wearing masks touted by the CDC was what were labeled as "asymptomatic spreaders". Asymptomatic carriers are people who have no symptoms of the virus who are not only carrying it but also spreading it. This group also includes pre-symptomatic people, who had contracted COVID-19 but had not progressed to the stage of feeling sick and showing the classic symptoms of the virus. After this information was publicized ad nauseam to the public for the first several months of the pandemic, the World Health Organization announced news in June 2020 that expunged that fear: The head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said during a daily press conference that the transmission of COVID-19 by asymptomatic carriers is "very rare" (9). can masks actually harm you?I would like to preempt the answer to that question by telling you about a group of doctors who researched several pandemics, including the most devastating one of the last century: the 1918 Spanish influenza. These scientists examined lung tissue sections obtained during 58 autopsies and reviewed pathologic and bacteriologic data from 109 published autopsy series that described 8,398 individual autopsy investigations. Their conclusions? "The majority of deaths in the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic likely resulted directly from secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by common upper respiratory-tract bacteria. Less substantial data from the subsequent 1957 and 1968 pandemics are consistent with these findings. If severe pandemic influenza is largely a problem of viral-bacterial copathogenesis, pandemic planning needs to go beyond addressing the viral cause alone (e.g., influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs). Prevention, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment of secondary bacterial pneumonia, as well as stockpiling of antibiotics and bacterial vaccines, should also be high priorities for pandemic planning." (10) This research was conducted in 2008 and one of the doctors who authored the paper was Anthony S. Fauci. Despite taking part in writing this paper, from the multiple interviews I have read or heard from Dt. Fauci, I have not heard him state one time that antibiotics should be stockpiled to treat secondary bacterial infections! I did see a video made by doctors from Italy at the height of COVID-19 crisis claiming that secondary bacterial infections were primarily responsible for killing people, and that antibiotics were essential to saving lives. The video was taken down, and this information seemingly disappeared from the Internet, so I can no longer cite a website as proof. Right now you may be asking, "but what does that have to do with wearing masks?" Do you know what type of an environment is conducive to bacterial growth? A warm, moist, environment, like the environment around your face after several hours of wearing a mask. Leopoldo Segal, MD, director of the Lung Microbiome Program, associate professor of medicine at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and member of NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center said: "The lungs were long thought to be sterile, but we now know that oral commensals--microbes normally found in the mouth--frequently enter the lungs due to unconscious aspirations," (11) Not only do your lungs expel carbon dioxide as waste, but they also can expel microbes. With a mask on these microbes are obstructed from leaving the body, allowing them to collect and even flourish in this warm, moist environment created around your mouth and nose. Rather than expelling these microbes into the surrounding air, you are collecting them and creating a bacterial biome around your face. This ultimately leads to rebreathing the microbes (or bacteria) that your body tried to expel, "causing an enrichment of oral commensals” in the lungs (A micro-organism that lives continuously on, or in certain parts of, the body, without causing disease, but may cause disease if they gain access to parts of the body other than their normal habitat. ). The result? Segal and colleagues showed that the presence of microbes in the lungs can activate an inflammatory response, leading to lung cancer pathogenesis. (12) Not only is the efficacy of a mask questionable at best, masks also create a bacterial biome around the face that can lead to an inflammatory response and even lung cancer. Dentists in New York City are warning their patients about health issues caused by the prolonged use of masks. A dentist and co-founder of One Manhattan Dental, Rob Ramondi, said 50% of his patients are suffering from negative health issues due to mask-wearing: “We’re seeing inflammation in people’s gums that have been healthy forever, and cavities in people who have never had them before. About 50% of our patients are being impacted by this, [so] we decided to name it ‘mask mouth’" (13) Dr. Ramondi's partner at One Manhattan Dental, Dr. Marc Sclafani, spoke of even more serious consequences of "mask mouth", telling the New York Post: “Gum disease — or periodontal disease — will eventually lead to strokes and an increased risk of heart attacks” (14) So now let's couple the findings of a propensity for prolonged mask use to cause periodontal disease, with a study conducted in Qatar on 568 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February and July of 2020. Professor Mariano Sanz of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, one of the authors, said that oral bacteria in patients with periodontitis can be inhaled and infect the lungs. He continued: “This may contribute to the deterioration of patients with COVID-19 and raise the risk of death. Hospital staff should identify COVID-19 patients with periodontitis and use oral antiseptics to reduce transmission of bacteria” (15) The results of this study are very sobering to the mask mandated public: "The chances of death for COVID-19 patients with gum disease was 8.81 times higher than others, while the chances of ending up in intensive care or on a ventilator were 3.54 and 4.57 times greater, respectively." (16) The human body is designed to take in oxygen as well as expel both carbon dioxide, microbes, and other waste products freely, without an obstructive barrier that collects the body's expelled microbes and saves them for re-inhalation. The body is also built to react to microbes in the environment which keeps one's immune system strong. Unfortunately there are those who have compromised immune systems who may not be able to go out into the public without some protection--but they must temper their decision with the knowledge that prolonged mask use may be just as dangerous as the corona virus--lung cancer, stroke, heart attacks can be just as deadly. Ultimately I believe that wearing a mask should be a personal decision based on each person's health and age, and not a government mandate. the (faux) fear factorFinally, I cannot neglect to expose the fear factor caused by the artificial elevation of the death rates from COVID-19. Have you been frightened into submission to the mask mandates because of the COVID-19 mortality rates? What if the CDC rates are misrepresenting the truth? The New York Post revealed an overlooked fact from the CDC itself: The CDC itself caused a stir at the end of August 2020 by estimating that the virus directly caused only 6 percent, or now just over 11,000 of the 187,000 attributed deaths. Most of these deaths were in the elderly. (17) Furthermore, in groundbreaking peer-reviewed research, the watchdog group All Concerned Citizens, in a statement to the National File, stated: “Most notably, the CDC illegally enacted new rules for data collection and reporting exclusively for COVID-19 that resulted in a 1,600% inflation of current COVID-19 fatality totals.” (18) This same group has petitioned the Department of Justice to take litigatory action against the CDC for their misrepresentation of the death totals from COVID-19. Even the test results, admitted by the CDC, are inaccurate. In answer to the question “What do your results mean?” on the CDC website, the response states: "A positive test result shows you might have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold." (19) In conclusion, in light of real scientific studies and not the political rhetoric, I would urge people to consider the effects of prolonged mask usage leading to health problems. When considering mandates, it’s also important to keep in mind that many doctors, including Dr. Fauci, have said that masks are ineffective in preventing you from catching COVID-19. Given the size of the virus, I thought the analogy of how much protection cloth or surgical masks provide given by an Oregon doctor was fitting: "It's like putting a chain link fence around your yard to keep out the mosquitoes." sources:1 'Danger of getting coronavirus now is just minusculely low', USA TODAY, Feb. 17, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/02/17/new-coronavirus-what-dont-we-know-dr-anthony-fauci-q-a-opinion/4790996002/ (Accessed March 7, 2021)
2 Fauci says he doesn't regret telling Americans not to wear masks at the beginning of the pandemic, Grace Panetta, Business Insider, July 16, 2020. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fauci-says-he-doesnt-regret-telling-americans-not-to-wear-masks-at-the-beginning-of-the-pandemic/ar-BB16P84e (Accessed March 7, 2021) 3 Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on: Peter Navarro, [by] Peter Navarro, USA TODAY, July 15, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2020/07/14/anthony-fauci-wrong-with-me-peter-navarro-editorials-debates/5439374002/ (Accessed March 7, 2021) 4, 5 Fact check: No, N95 filters are not too large to stop COVID-19 particles, Eric Litke, USA TODAY, June 11, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/11/fact-check-n-95-filters-not-too-large-stop-covid-19-particles/5343537002/ (Accessed March 7, 2021) 6 Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in health care settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, World Health Organization, Jan 29, 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330987/WHO-nCov-IPC_Masks-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (Accessed March 8, 2021) 7 Advice on the use of masks in the community, during homeware and in health care settings in the context of the novel coranavirus outbreak. January 29, 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330987/WHO-nCov-IPC_Masks-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (Accessed March 7, 2021) 8 Face masks to prevent transmission of influenza virus: a systematic review, B J Cowling 1, Y Zhou, D K M Ip, G M Leung, A E Aiello, Epidemiology & Infection, Jan 22, 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20092668/ (Accessed March 8, 2021) 9 WHO Says Asymptomatic Spread Of Coronavirus 'Very Rare,' But Experts Raise Questions, Matt Perez, Forbes, Jun 8, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/06/08/who-says-asymptomatic-spread-of-coronavirus-very-rare-but-experts-raise-questions/?sh=a35b62943d01 (Accessed March 8, 2021) 10 Predominant Role of Bacterial Pneumonia as a Cause of Death in Pandemic Influenza: Implications for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, David M.. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Anthony S. Fauci, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 198, Issue 7, 1 October 2008, Pages 962–970, https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/198/7/962/2192118 (Accessed March 8, 2021) 11, 12 Presence of microbes in the lung can modulate lung cancer pathogenesis, Reviewed by Emily Henderson, AZO Life Sciences, Nov 12,2020. https://www.azolifesciences.com/news/20201112/Presence-of-microbes-in-lung-can-activate-immune-response-to-modulate-lung-cancer-pathogenesis.aspx (Accessed March 8, 2021) 13, 14 Dentists say 'mask mouth' can cause serious health complications, including strokes, Andrew Mark Miller, Washington Examiner, Aug 7, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mask-mouth-dentists-warn-prolonged-use-of-masks-leading-to-poor-oral-hygiene (Accessed March 8, 2021) 15, 16 COVID-19 patients with gum disease 9 times more likely to die, study says, Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post, February 8, 2021. https://nypost.com/2021/02/08/covid-19-patients-with-gum-disease-more-likely-to-die-study/ (Accessed March 8, 2021) 17 Here’s how the media is misreporting COVID-19’s death toll in America, Jay W. Richards, Douglas Axe and William Briggs, New York Post, October 17, 2020. https://nypost.com/2020/10/17/how-the-media-is-misreporting-covid-19s-death-toll-in-america/ (Accessed March 8, 2021) 18, 19 Busted: CDC Inflated COVID Numbers, Accused of Violating Federal Law, Patrick Howley, National File, March 8, 2021. https://nationalfile.com/busted-cdc-inflated-covid-numbers-accused-of-violating-federal-law/ (Accessed March 8, 2021)  Guest Blogger: Nate Doromal is a MBA/MS and spends his time thinking about society.
Are we as vulnerable to Covid as public health authorities want us to believe? Instead of focusing on our weakness, we should be focusing on becoming more resilient and antifragile. The message of our fragility is everywhere. We are told, “you’re fragile - don’t go out, stay inside, and follow the rules. Presume you're already sick and that you caught the virus.” There it is again. You're weak and fragile. The message is reinforced on nearly every news network. Thus, Covid has made the holidays challenging. What was normally a chance to celebrate and enjoy with friends and family can turn divisive as strong feelings arise among the various parties just how serious Covid-19 is. Such discussions can get heated and it can undermine the spirit of the very holidays that bring us together. In various states in America, governors have placed stringent restrictions upon the celebration of holidays, going so far as to dictate how long our celebrations can be and how many people can participate.. Any rebuttal, however grounded in rigorous science, that does not conform to their narrative is suppressed. Just do what we say because you're fragile - be obedient, and everything will be fine. Their “we’re here to protect you” messaging is perhaps the most disturbing as it reinforces our alleged weakness. Through repetition, they slowly erode confidence in our strength and increase our dependence upon them. Thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, observed, “This is the tragedy of modernity: as with neurotically overprotective parents, those trying to help are often hurting us the most.” The worst danger of the Covid pandemic is that we lose faith and forget our strength and power. We were always a resilient people, both individually and as a community. Covid has shown us the need to utilize our strengths to become more resilient, more antifragile in the face of stress and trying circumstances. We do not have to listen to the fear messages of the authorities and take them as fact. We can choose to take an antifragile mindset with regards to Covid. Nassim Taleb explains, “Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty.” How much should we fear Covid-19?Something that has become clear with the Covid-19 data is that the overall health status of the individual is an important marker for how serious a Covid-19 infection can become. An examination of the CDC data indicates that age matters a lot regarding the infection fatality rate and the odds of dying from Covid-19:
It might be helpful too to view the above data in terms of survivability rates to allow people to put their fears into context.
When viewed this way, it becomes easier to see that in the vast majority of Covid cases, we will recover from the infection and gain immunity to Covid-19. To be clear, and as stated earlier, our health status influences our health outcomes. The CDC has found that the presence of pre-existing conditions that can markedly affect the severity of the Covid-19 infection. Some of these pre-existing conditions include type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and smoking. The CDC data indicates that only 6% of people that died from Covid-19 were without pre-existing conditions – the average person dying had 2.6 pre-existing conditions. This data makes it clear that our health choices matter a lot. Rather than focusing on our weaknesses, we should be focusing on our strengths and what we can control. Facing the Reality of Covid-19 Head-onThe most important lesson from Covid-19 is that the vast majority of us are surviving Covid-19 without the medical intervention of the authorities. According to CDC estimates, the number of cumulative Covid-19 cases in America may be approaching 100 million. Rather than suggesting that Covid is running rampant, it is a testimony to the strength and wisdom of our body’s immune systems. Developed over millions of years of evolution, our immune systems are truly marvelous, protecting us from a wide variety of pathogens and emerging more resilient with each encounter. According to Dr. Andrew Weil: “Whenever the immune system deals successfully with an infection, it emerges from the experience stronger and better able to confront similar threats in the future. Our immune system develops in combat. If at the first sign of infection, you always jump in with antibiotics, you do not give the immune system a chance to grow stronger.” The authorities have tried to convince us that we are fragile glass creatures when the data indicates otherwise. Dr. Michael Greger, the author of How Not to Die and the website nutritionfacts.org, states: “I continue to be amazed by our bodies' ability for self-repair. Our bodies want to be healthy if we would just let them. That's what these new research articles are showing: Even after years of beating yourself up with a horrible diet, your body can reverse the damage, open back up the arteries-even reverse the progression of some cancers. Amazing! So it's never too late to start exercising, never too late to stop smoking, and never too late to start eating healthier.” Dr. Greger’s research shows how premature deaths can be avoided by simple changes in diet and lifestyle. But you might object to the above by pointing out that there are millions of vulnerable people in the populace who have those pre-existing conditions or are immune-compromised. You or a direct loved one might be in one of these vulnerable categories. The message I have for you is this: do not forget your strength. There may be people right now who are suffering from Covid, but do not forget the power of your actions to strengthen yourself, no matter how small. It does not help anyone in the world to diminish your strength. Covid-19 is not going away. Despite prolonged lockdowns and widespread mask mandates, Covid-19 is still present in our society and cases continue throughout the country. Even the much-discussed Covid-19 vaccine is not a panacea; authorities say it will not prevent transmission and there are outstanding safety concerns amongst the leading Covid-19 vaccine candidates. The key lies in making ourselves stronger. Focusing on Strengths and the Antifragile MindsetTruth be told, we can make our bodies stronger, our immune systems more powerful, and can even reverse chronic pre-existing conditions. It’s never too late to take the steps to improve your health and make yourself more resilient to infectious diseases like Covid-19. There are numerous things we can do to support our immune systems. The importance of diet and proper nutrition comes up time and time again in the literature on immune system functioning.
There are supplements too that can help increase the resilience of our immune systems against Covid.
Related to diet, there have been recent advances in the knowledge of the gut microbiome and its effect on the immune system, including modulating autoimmune conditions such as allergy, asthma, and primary or acquired immune deficiencies. Research indicates that probiotic foods like kefir have effects that can boost the immune system. Exercise is of crucial importance to immune system health. According to research, moderate exercise can boost and mobilize our white blood cells of the immune system. Studies have shown that adults that exercise have significantly fewer upper respiratory infections than those that don’t. Additionally, exercise when combined with dietary changes, is a powerful tool to fight obesity. This can reduce the number of pre-existing conditions associated with Covid-19, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, and coronary artery disease. Even the simple act of proper breathing can have powerful effects on the immune system. A study done in which participants were trained in yogic breathing showed that the participants had elevated levels of natural killer cells after 12 weeks of practice. There are also numerous testimonials for the power of the Wim Hof Breathing Method to positively influence the immune system, which has been validated in ground-breaking empirical research. Perhaps one of the most powerful ways to affect the immune system is to have a positive mental attitude. Spiritual teacher Frederick Lenz said: “The most powerful force to maintaining a good immune system is the power of positive thinking and not allowing yourself to be unnecessarily drained emotionally by worries and fears.” John Hopkins reports that a positive attitude is associated with improved outcomes across a myriad of health conditions, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and brain tumors. A study has shown that being optimistic can have a strong effect on the immune system – increased optimism has been shown to lead to a stronger cell-mediated immunity response. Spirituality and faith too can have powerful effects in becoming antifragile and weathering tough times. There is much research to associate the practice of religion and health, with studies reporting lower mortality rates in those that attend frequent religious services. There also is new research to indicate there the ties between spirituality and immune system health. The most important to remember is that the power to deal with Covid-19 was always in your hands. You have always had the means and ability to make yourself stronger and more resilient. It is your choice and yours alone to improve your diet, to consume more fruits and vegetables, to exercise, to get more sunshine, to reach out and connect with your community, and to learn more about the functioning of your own body. Towards a New Paradigm for Health When presented with Covid fear-based messaging from the media warning us of “rampant cases” and “possible deaths,” we can choose to tune in elsewhere. When faced with the fears of our friends and family, we can acknowledge their fears and show them how they are much stronger than they believe. Covid-19 has shown us that it is high time for a new paradigm in public health, one that acknowledges and empowers the participants in the community, one that recognizes their inherent strength. For far too long has public health and medicine made infectious disease the foremost study of its focus, while forgetting the power of the individual and the importance of his or her health choices. A new integrative mindset is needed for public health in the 21st century, one that incorporates greater systems and complexity thinking. Our bodies are not a discrete set of parts that function on their own. We are an integrated system that thrives within our environment and within this complex system of systems we thrive. With this mindset, the little choices we make in our lives matter a lot when compounded over time. In this mindset, we are first-hand participants in health as opposed to being seen as mere fragile potential carriers of the disease. We are far more than just our genetics and our environment – our intentions, thoughts, beliefs, and actions matter a lot. I’ll finish with a final thought by Nassim Taleb regarding the antifragile mindset: “Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire. Likewise, with randomness, uncertainty, chaos: you want to use them, not hide from them. You want to be the fire and wish for the wind.” Let us make ourselves and our people strong.  Virginia Freedom Keepers is a grassroots organization that rallies communities and empowers individuals to be active guardians of their right to informed consent. Informed consent is a patient-to-provider discussion regarding the risks, benefits, and alternatives to any given procedure or intervention followed by the right to decline said medical product or procedure without fear of repercussion. Although often overlooked, informed consent involves having a full picture of how a medical product will affect you as a unique individual with the recognition that not all of us will react the same to a given product or environment. The bio-individuality of each person is contributed to by background, ethnicity, diet, environmental exposure and endless other attributes. This unique dynamic that creates the individual does not suspend for a medical product. No medical product is one size fits all and will thus have a unique particular experience for each person. The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest association of medical professionals that works to create standardized ethics, care and the betterment of public health. The AMA formally declares in their medical ethics opinion that informed consent is fundamental in areas of law and ethics and that “Patients have the right to receive information and ask questions about recommended treatments so that they can make well-considered decisions about care.” Informed consent per the American Medical Association“The process of informed consent occurs when communication between a patient and physician results in the patient’s authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention. In seeking a patient’s informed consent (or the consent of the patient’s surrogate if the patient lacks decision-making capacity or declines to participate in making decisions), physicians should:
Patient bill of rights and visStandardized informed consent procedures regarding recommended vaccinations was established in the National Vaccine Injury Act. This Act resulted in common handouts, or the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) most parents are familiar with given at routine pediatric appointments. According to the Centers for Disease Control “A VIS or Vaccine Information Statement is a document, produced by CDC, that informs vaccine recipients – or their parents or legal representatives – about the benefits and risks of a vaccine they are receiving.” The VIS provides generic information about commonly acknowledged reactions. The VIS statements are required to contain concise understandable information and must also include information about the Vaccine Injury Compensation program. The guidance from the AMA , along with other definitions of informed consent, leave the standard VIS lacking to meet the basic criteria that is ethically necessary for a patient to make a fully informed choice. The standardized VIS offers vague information on the most commonly acknowledged reactions while leaving out many other serious reported adverse reactions, and is not clear and direct on essential information. Virginia freedom keepers guidelines for informed consentIn order to provide true informed consent we believe it is imperative to disclose the following;
sources:Informed consent. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/informed-consent
TITLE 42- The Public Health and Welfare (1987, December 27). Retrieved from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2010-title42/pdf/USCODE-2010-title42-chap6A-subchapXIX-part2-subpartc-sec300aa-26.pdf Patient bill of rights (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2021 from https://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/participate/pat ientinfo/legal/bill_of_rights.html Electronic supporting for public health- Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from https://digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/docs/publication/r18hs017045-lazarus-final-report -2011.pdf OVERVIEW OF LEGISLATUREThe Virginia Legislature consists of the Governor, the House of Delegates and the Senate. The House of Delegates has 100 elected officials and the Senate has 40 elected officials. The district boundaries for the delegates are different than those for the senate.  Currently the democratic party holds the majority in all areas of the Virginia legislature. In the last election cycle approximately 30% of all of the elected representatives ran unopposed. The House of Delegates are elected every two years while the Senate and Governor are elected every four years. Session and special sessions The Virginia legislature is a part time legislature which meets yearly from January until March. In the event of pertinent issues arising, a special session can be called where they meet to address specific issues predetermined by the Governor. Recently in both regular and special sessions the number of bills each elected official can bring forth has been limited. How a Bill becomes a Law New bills can originate from many sources. These bills typically include paid lobbyists, special interest groups, local governments, constituents and various individuals or stakeholders.
Once a Bill is drafted it is assigned to a committee. There are fourteen committees in the house and eleven committees in the senate. These committees are all headed by the “Chair” who is appointed to lead the committee. The Chair determines which bills are heard and sets the decorum of the committee. In committee a bill can be tabled, which means it is “paused’ and will not move forward. If it is not tabled, it may be voted on. Iif the vote favors the bill, the bill moves to the full floor for a vote from all the members in that division of the legislature. If the bill is passed it will wait until crossover when it will be assigned to a committee on the side of the legislature. Crossover is when all the bills that have been passed on one side of the legislature (House or Senate) move to the other side, where the committee and voting process starts again. All bills move over on the same date. If the Bill is amended in any way, it is sent back to the originating side to be voted on again. The bill must pass by vote in both the Senate and the House written and amended in the exact same manner. If the bill were to be tabled or fail in committee, the patron can discharge the bill and bring it to the full floor for a vote. Once the Bill has passed both houses it goes to the Governor. The Governor can do one of three things - 1) sign and it will become law, 2) veto and it dies, or 3) amend it. If the bill is amended it is sent back to the legislature to be passed again in both houses with the amendments.  27. That’s how many years it took for the United States government to ban DDT for agricultural use.
27 years is how long the American people were exposed to a chemical that was later found to cause a wide variety of health problems including cancer, infertility, miscarriages, nervous system damage, liver damage, and more. |
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