19 Replies to “The Two F’s: Fear vs. Freedom”

  1. If Rubin’s simplistic “culture of fear vs freedom” thesis had any truth to it, then the COVID-19 death rates in North and South Dakota (each at 175 deaths per 100K pop) wouldn’t be nearly triple California’s (68 per 100K).

    Try harder.

    1. I put about the same amount of faith in the “science” of COVID as I do Global warming. It’s all crap. Taiwan, pop. 24 million, shut down its border with China in January and has had SEVEN deaths from Covid, none since May. Daily life continues.

      1. South Dakota’s economy has little exposure to the hardest hit industries (leisure/hospitality, travel services, transportation and warehousing, oil and gas), so their economy took a relatively small hit. N. Dakota has greater exposure to oil and gas and transport @;$ warehousing, so their increase in unemployment was actually close to California’s (7-8% range). Ultimately, though, all three states saw declines in real GDP between Q1 and Q2 of around 28-31%.

        Every state’s economy is wrecked — that was inevitable, because there’s a global pandemic, and every state’s economy is ultimately connected to each other’s. Degree of impact has more to do with industry mix than political ideologies per se.

    2. Right, you had to scroll way down the list to find two states with populations of less than a million before you found some that matched the death rates of the locked-down cringing cowering blue state shitholes.

      Good work superstar.

      1. OK, then — four most populous states: NY is at 195 deaths per 100K, Florida’s at 109 deaths per 100K, Texas is at 100 deaths per 100K, and California’s at 68 deaths per 100K.

        Try explaining that pattern via a simplistic “freedom versus fear” framework.

        1. No, you explain how the top death rates are all blue state shitholes, if lockdowns, mask mandates, and cowering in place are so effective.

    3. In 2019 there was no COVID-19: the total number of deaths in US was 2,854,838.
      Total deaths in 2020 stands at 2,835,533 including ‘raging catastrophic’ COVID-19 deaths.

      So, where are the piles of millions of dead from COVID, genius? All smoke and mirrors.

      1. More disinformation spread via social media and conservative blogs.

        “2,835,533” is the CDC’s provisional death count as of Dec 22, 2020, not its total for the year. The final tally won’t be known for months, but as the CDC is still waiting to compile many state-level death certificate filings, it will assuredly be over 3 million. Many if not most of those will be non-COVID-related, but current estimates is that 50-65% of total excess US mortality for this past year is directly attributable to COVID infections.

  2. Doug you are in a bubble if you have not experienced the great divide that is taking place, that Dave clearly defines. His comparison was valid.
    I have brainwashed siblings that refused to talk to me over Christmas because I am not cowering in fear like they are. I dared to send a link about Frontline Doctors to one sib that I was on talking terms with…was promptly told …do not send any more info.
    We just saw the evidence from our overpaid pious hypocritical politicians that this is not about the illness, this is about control.

    1. I have brainwashed siblings that refused to talk to me over Christmas because I am not cowering in fear like they are.

      My elderly aunt in B. C. is like that as well. She’s been sending me all sorts of links and videos which have the same message: the virus is DANGEROUS, so shut up, do as you’re told, and wear your mask….. or else.

      Then again, she also believes that Biden legitimately won the election and that it was better to chuck out that crook Christy Clark and let that incompetent dictator Horgan run the province.

      1. Well she’s right about some things.

        Christy Clark wasn’t called Christy Crook for no reason.

        1. Amen. Crusty and her pack of gangsters were no more ‘free enterprisers’ than the current FedLibs. And like the FedLibs, they had no problem with helping themselves and their friends to taxpayers’ money. Just ask Coleman, de Jong, Campbell, etc.

    2. Bluetech, I too have experienced the “no thanks” from one of my brothers, when I have sent him credentialed stories. He has morphed into a SJW, advocating for masks, lockdowns and any other CBC driven nonsense. Even changed his FB picture to a BLM flag. Youngest and I have been researching, following the trends and un-reported news of AGW for years. We are considered tinfoil hat wearers. Problem is, it is all coming true.
      A great divide is happening, wonder how it’s going to shake out?

  3. Going to jail with a lovely Canadian woman because we set to close on a couchsurfing love seat would be a real thrill,
    So would Punching out a PM on a lockdown vacation.

  4. There was a study released out of France in November which analyzed the data from 188 countries…..these are the results.

    “Results: Higher Covid death rates are observed in the [25/65°] latitude and in the [−35/−125°] longitude ranges. The national criteria most associated with death rate are life expectancy and its slowdown, public health context (metabolic and non-communicable diseases (NCD) burden vs. infectious diseases prevalence), economy (growth national product, financial support), and environment (temperature, ultra-violet index). STRINGENCY OF THE MEASURES SETTLED TO FIGHT PANDEMIA, INCLUDING LOCKDOWN, DID NOT APPEAR TO BE LINKED WITH DEATH RATE.

    Conclusion: Countries that already experienced a stagnation or regression of life expectancy, with high income and NCD rates, had the highest price to pay. THIS BURDEN WAS NOT ALLEVIATED BY MORE STRINGENT PUBLIC DECISIONS. INHERENT FACTORS HAVE PREDETERMINED THE COVID-19 MORTALITY: understanding them may improve prevention strategies by increasing population resilience through better physical fitness and immunity.”

    In other words, the determinant wasn’t the stringency of measures introduced to try to contain the virus, but rather those areas hardest hit had the biggest “fuel load” for the deaths. So of course, had long term care, seniors residences, etc., been more successfully fully locked down (as opposed to certain politicians insisting that Wuhan virus patients were returned to such facilities), the death rates could have been massively reduced.

    And if one takes a look at the data available on-line, you can see that yourself. The ONLY other way to have dealt with the virus was how Taiwan did it. Taiwan didn’t believe China for one second and was ringing the alarm bells…but the world was put back to sleep by the corrupt W.H.O. Taiwan actually closed their border on Dec 31, 2019….and they had among the LOWEST stringency on the planet. But once the virus is deep into the population, quite frankly, there is no stopping it.

    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.604339/full#SM2

  5. Surprised no one mentioned Cuomo looks like a f’in Ghoul.

    Guess when your possessed, your looks go down hill real fast.

    It’s the new look !
    That Guy.

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