Briefly Noted: Recommended Reads 8/29/21

Yesterday I recommended an article by Paul Gottfried,  The Emerging One-Party State. Today Emerald Robinson has an article at her Substack (H/T Ray So-Cal) that offers a bit of a contrast:

How The GOP Committed Suicide Trying to Stop Trump

America Has Never Been Closer to Uni-Party Rule

As you can see, each perceives our traditional two party system--traditional, but never actually envisioned by the Founders--as in danger of giving way to One Party Rule under the form of two parties. Robinson focuses on the GOP leaders--McConnell and McCarthy--and understandably so. The picture she paints is dark, and that's also understandable. I accept that. Gottfried sees possibilities for moving past the situation we find ourselves in, and I accept that, too. I see hope, especially, in the House, where the Representatives are in closer contact with the People.

See what you think.

Matt Welch today hits on another topic that we covered yesterday in the same post referenced with regard to Paul Gottfried: Christian Schools Vastly Outperforming Public Schools During COVID-19, According to New Survey of Parents.

I won't repeat the data here, but I do recommend Welch's article, which is written specifically from a New York City perspective:

Families Are Fleeing Government-Run Schools

Brooklyn elementary loses one-third of its student population and eight teachers, as the first 2021–22 enrollment numbers straggle in.

Briefly Noted: Israeli Booster Crashes Back To Earth?

Sooner or later the facts will catch up with the hype:

1/ They will spin this as hard as possible, but it is awful news. Up to 15 Israelis who are a week out from the third dose have already died? 88 are very sick?

Understand:

A) The denominator here will be in person-DAYS - that’s how little time has passed since boosters started. pic.twitter.com/dEAxROSsXs

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) August 22, 2021

Two Interesting Articles

 But I don't have time to summarize:

Former Pfizer VP: COVID vaccines pose ‘severe risk’ of infertility for women

There's a lot in here, so this is just a teaser:

Both Moderna’s and Pfizer’s mRNA vaccines use specialized nanoparticle lipids or lipoproteins as carriers for their main ingredient – unstable mRNA protein that causes cells to produce the notorious coronavirus spike protein and elicit an immune response. These are the molecules that required the extremely low temperatures to preserve stability of the lipid encasing the fragile mRNA.

Accumulation in reproductive organs

German researchers reported in their paper published nine years ago, “Accumulation of nanocarriers in the ovary: A neglected toxicity risk?,” that there is a “potential toxicity risk of all nanoscaled drug delivery systems” and an accumulation of different microscopic carrier molecules in rodent ovaries. Their research involved injection of lipid “nanocarriers,” including some with an ingredient common to both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s mRNA COVID vaccines: polyethylene glycol. 

I'm not a math guy. Malone recommends:

Estimating Vaccine-Induced Mortality, Part I

UPDATED: Can You Grok This?

Reality is delivering hammer blows to the Covid Regime narrative. Yesterday we briefly noted Alex Berenson updating on the situation in Israel. Berenson's conclusion on the data from Israel?

Covid has now reached its Tet moment. Anyone looking hard at the data can see the stark limits of the vaccines. Unfortunately, that group includes very few journalists. Almost no one yesterday pointed out what Bennett was really saying.

And of course our governments appear committed to this course and cannot admit the truth.

What’s going to make them? And how long will it take?

Today, in his understated way, Dr. Robert Malone is on fire. To appreciate what Berenson, yesterday, and Malone, today, are getting at, first check out this retweet:

UPDATED: Briefly Noted: Natural Immunity

You may have noticed a flurry of articles recently alleging that Vax immunity is superior to natural immunity. This is likely part of the pro-vax propaganda push. Dr. Robert Malone assembles informed response comments:

The WHO just posted this on facebook. The WHO cite no peer reviewed papers, data or evidence. I am providing the FB link also. https://t.co/IH18bipeEj pic.twitter.com/mhRjSmGCNy

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 16, 2021

Washington U in St Louis, the Cleveland Clinic, Rockefeller U, Emory U and just yesterday CSH, BMJ and Yale have studies that lead to the opposite conclusion. Recovery from Covid confers broader and more durable protection. The WHO post is misinformation.

— TrueNorth (@xwill100) August 16, 2021

The height of absurdity was when they asked us to believe that a synthetically generated “piece” of the virus could somehow trigger “better” immunity than exposure to the entire thing. Israel reaches a slightly different conclusion:https://t.co/tIPQQfLV6l

— Alex Fields | MVP | ITProMentor.com (@vanvfields) August 16, 2021

Here we're nothing if not fair and balanced, so if you prefer to get your views from sports coaches:

Ron Rivera speaks out against COVID vaccine misinformation. pic.twitter.com/h8tWHHeHCN

— Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 16, 2021

UPDATE: Imagine what Ron Rivera would say about the likes of Alex Berenson. Then again, imagine Berenson caring (h/t Mikeyinfl). Vietnam vets/history buffs are free to weigh in:

It's a good day for Vietnam analogies

Welcome to the Tet Offensive phase of The War on Covid

...

This spring, Israel’s experience seemed to validate the success of the vaccines. Now it’s a cautionary tale, ...

Unfortunately since then the data has gotten much worse.

The number of serious cases has risen almost 30-fold since late June. Roughly 60 percent of those people are fully vaccinated.

Yet the vaccine fanatics refuse to admit the depth of Israeli the crisis. Instead they continue to point out that per-person rates of serious illness are higher in the unvaccinated elderly.

They are correct, but they’re leaving out a key fact. Over 90 percent of Israelis over 70 have been vaccinated, suggesting that many of the remainder have not received vaccinations because they are too frail to do so. ...

Thus the relative numbers matter much less than the absolute numbers and trend. And the absolute trend is awful.

...

The researchers examined Pfizer vaccine-generated antibodies in more than 200 people and found that on average they fell to undetectable levels about 6.5 months after the first shot - or roughly five after they reach full vaccination.

In other words, the Israel failure is happening right on schedule. Vaccine protection lasts months, not years. (Four months, give or take, since protection is limited the first month and likely negative the first week or two.)

Thus Bennett’s desperate call for a third shot. But although the booster does seem to produce new antibodies, neither the Israeli government nor Pfizer nor anyone else can know whether it will reduce infections or deaths, either temporarily or permanently. NO ONE HAS CONDUCTED ANY CLINICAL TRIALS TO DETECT THESE ENDPOINTS OR TO EXAMINE THIRD SHOT SIDE-EFFECTS IN ANY DETAIL. (I looked at this issue last week in a different Substack.)

...

Covid has now reached its Tet moment. Anyone looking hard at the data can see the stark limits of the vaccines. Unfortunately, that group includes very few journalists. Almost no one yesterday pointed out what Bennett was really saying.

And of course our governments appear committed to this course and cannot admit the truth.

What’s going to make them? And how long will it take?

Covid Roundup 8/14/21

Four items of interest.

First, Karl Denninger expands on some matters that--as I understand it--commenter Mikeyinfl has been talking up lately:  Well, ****.... In the excerpt that follows I present the technical part that KD quotes first, then go to KD's explanation of the significance. As I understand it, the significance is that ADE--Antibody-Dependent Enhancement is a very real thing with the Dread Delta. The result is that the Dread Delta is able to actually leverage vaccine originated antibodies for its own purposes:

Explanations

Two recent tweets from Dr. Robert Malone shed light on two matters that have puzzled some.

Question: Why do you people resist experimental gene therapy injections? Malone indicated yesterday that resistance appears to arise from information. So this tweet explains that:

This is key. The most hesitant are the most educated. https://t.co/foi5At4kdJ

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 8, 2021

Question: Why are we hearing so little about adverse effects from the gene therapy injections? Especially, for example, from some very heavily injected countries? It seems the Pfizer--for one--enters into contractual agreements with governments that protect Pfizer not only from liability but even from adverse publicity:

This is key to understanding "what the heck is going on". Apparently in Israel, I am told by Israeli scientist, the agreement between Pfizer and the government is that no adverse events from the vax are to be disclosed for a minimum of 10 years. https://t.co/aLcLUpVQHP

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 8, 2021

Information security expert on revealed Pfizer agreements: ‘There’s good reason Pfizer fought to hide the details of these contracts’

Excerpts from the contract boilerplate--it may differ from country to country in the details, but the basics remain pretty much the same. While the term "adverse effects" doesn't appear below, I think it's probably reasonable to assume that the Israeli scientist who spoke with Malone understands the thrust of the confidentiality agreement.

‘Purchaser acknowledges…the long-term effects and efficacy of the Vaccine are not currently known and that there may be adverse effects of the Vaccine that are not currently known.

...

“‘Purchaser hereby agrees to indemnify, DEFEND AND HOLD HARMLESS Pfizer, BioNTech (and) their Affiliates…from and against any and all suits, claims, actions, demands, losses, damages, liabilities, settlements, penalties, fines, costs and expenses…’

...

“Confidentiality, part 1: ‘Each Recipient shall safeguard the confidential and proprietary nature of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information with at least the same degree of care as it holds its own confidential or proprietary information of like kind’:

...

“Confidentiality, part 2: ‘Recipient shall disclose Confidential Information only to such of its Representatives who have a need to know such Confidential Information to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement’:

...

“‘The provisions of this Section 10 (Confidential Information) shall survive the termination or expiration of the this Agreement for a period of ten (10) years’:

And etc.

Briefly Noted: Covid Catchup

I really do want to keep this brief. I'm very much aware that life on planet earth is pretty much all about Covid now--certainly in the developed world. It's not just about health. It's very much--very, VERY much--about politics. Still, it's hard not to feel a bit burned out at times. The basics are known. As Dr. Robert Malone said over the weekend, none of what has happened has come as a surprise because the science behind it all is pretty much old hat stuff.

Still, here are a few notes to keep us up to date.

Zerohedge, despite it's other merits as an aggregator of news and views that are hard to get otherwise, has been pretty much rooting for the vaxxes. Today, however, they're running a worthwhile post:

'Experts' Move The Goalposts, Declare Herd Immunity Threshold Now 90% Due To Delta

No surprise here, either. Of course liberals move the goal posts--it's right out of the Left playbook. All goals and markers for herd immunity have been met so ... move the goal posts! Keep this thing going.

Rather than quote extensively from the post, I'll simply paste in a graph that should absolutely scream "herd immunity" at you:

Next, tell me if this seems weird to you. It's something I picked up from TGP:

Briefly Noted: What Side Of History Would This Be?

If you're like me, you probably get really ticked off every time you hear some knucklehead talking about being on the right/wrong side of history. However, interesting questions arise regarding how to tell which side of history a given example of human behavior actually is. For example, DC is making history even as we speak/read/write, but which side is it on?

Washington, DC, murders surpass coronavirus deaths in July by nearly 3-to-1 ratio

The number of homicides in Washington, D.C., surpassed coronavirus deaths in the city by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio in July as the nation’s capital continues to grapple with an uptick in murders. 

...

The statistic comes as Washington, D.C., recorded 100 homicides by July 10 – the earliest the city has hit that number since 2003.  

The D.C. Police Union claimed the average date over the past 10 years when the city usually hits 100 homicides is Oct. 25.  

In 2019 and 2018, the city hit 100 homicides in August, but the city reached the mark on July 12 in 2020, according to WTOP News. 

As of July 30, there were 113 homicides in Washington, D.C., this year to date, compared to 108 last year, data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows. 

Fox News has reached out to the MPD and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office for comment. 

So puzzling.

UPDATED: Malone Does Italy

I just finished watching a very interesting hour and a quarter interview with Dr. Robert Malone. The interview is in English, but was done for an Italian audience, so it has Italian subtitles. As you can imagine, with an hour and a quarter in hand, the interview covers a lot of ground. It mostly features Malone doing the talking. He've very thorough, very careful to qualify every statement that needs qualifying, but is also quite forthright at times. It's perhaps one of the most in depth discussions of Covid available.

I found his explanation of the Spike Protein's relationship to the vaccines quite enlightening, so I've done a transcript of most of that portion. From there I give a summary of some other highlights--but I couldn't cover everything. If you go on to watch the video yourself, you'll realize it's fairly dense.

Read these excerpts and summaries for what they're worth.

Sterilizing And Non-Sterilizing Vaccines

I've come up with a decent article that explains the difference between these types of vaccines, and it plays directly into what's going on currently with all the talk of the Dread Delta, viral loads, and so forth.

First the link:

Coronavirus: few vaccines prevent infection – here’s why that’s not a problem

Not a problem? That's the nub. It is a problem--for some vaccines. Including the gene therapy medications that have been repurposed as Covid vaccines.

Let's start with some excerpts that lead into the current situation:

... it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you getting infected too. The latter is known as “sterilising immunity”. With sterilising immunity, the virus can’t even gain a toehold in the body because the immune system stops the virus entering cells and replicating.

There is a subtle yet important difference between preventing disease and preventing infection. A vaccine that “just” prevents disease might not stop you from transmitting the disease to others – even if you feel fine. But a vaccine that provides sterilising immunity stops the virus in its tracks.

In an ideal world, all vaccines would induce sterilising immunity. In reality, it is actually extremely difficult to produce vaccines that stop virus infection altogether. Most vaccines that are in routine use today do not achieve this.

It has now been confirmed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Covid 'vaccines' are non-sterilizing. They do not prevent infection, but hopefully prevent the disease--or a serious instance of the disease. We also now know that these 'vaccines', as was to be expected from non-sterilizing vaccines, do not prevent the vaxxed individuals from infecting others. The CDC wants us to believe that this is a new development with the Dread Delta, but many experts regard this as doubtful.

CDC Attempts Damage Control Through The WaPo

Last night an article came out in the WaPo, presumably to complement the damaging admissions that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has made regarding the high viral loads that asymptomatic vaxxed persons are carrying--and presumably spreading. My impression last night hasn't been changed by anything I've seen this morning: this is damage control. For what it's worth, here's a link--and note the emphasis on "messaging" rather than on, say, "getting the data out":

‘The war has changed’: Internal CDC document urges new messaging, warns delta infections likely more severe

The internal presentation shows that the agency thinks it is struggling to communicate on vaccine efficacy amid increased breakthrough infections

Note, too, that the key assertion in the messaging--that the Dread Delta is "likely more severe"--is ... likely not true, except in defined demographics. The real story that CDC doesn't want released is that these problems were likely caused by this ill considered gene therapy experiment. More on both points below, but issuing administrative diktats ordering people to participate in a medical experiment, but without the backing of scientific data, is in itself a form of messaging that speaks volumes.

Robert Malone has offered a series of tweets this morning that dissect the CDC narrative that's being peddled via the Bezos WaPo. I've taken the liberty of reformatting these tweets a bit for readability--including correcting some typos:

Briefly Noted: Dems Declare War On Their Base

Progs are nothing if not enthusiastic practitioners of scorched earth tactics. Yesterday the Zhou regime declared war on its political base--minority voters, especially blacks. Monica Showalter has details in a data rich article this morning: Biden to force vaccines on federal workforce -- blacks, minorities hardest hit. 

Of course the Dems have been trying to propagate the myth that it's Trump voters who are resisting the gene therapy injections, but that's not totally true. In point of fact, by far the most vax resistant demographic in America is black Americans--I've seen estimates as low as 9% for vaxxed blacks, followed relatively closely by Hispanics. Apparently most Progs haven't been paying attention to any of this and simply expect minorities to accept orders from Chairman Zhou and fall into line. Perhaps the behavior of the government teachers unions have deluded them.

Yesterday we got the first rumblings that this isn't going to be the case. The Postal Workers union reacted immediately to Zhou's vax ukase with a forthright statement that it was none of his business and that postal workers--disproportionately black--could decide for themselves. Said the union leadership:

it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent

Breaking Covid News 7/29/21

We start with several interesting tweets from Dr. Robert Malone. His tweets and links can be somewhat cryptic--intended, I think, for a more professional audience, an audience attuned to his field. Still, there is matter of interest for all of us.

Important analysis
1) #boomerdisease
2) COVID is getting less lethal
3) therefore vaccine justification even more tenuous outside of high risk groupshttps://t.co/po8n5YCI7V

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) July 29, 2021

This is simple enough. #2 and #3 are the points he's making. Covid is getting less lethal--as expected based on all standard virology--so what's with this big vax the world campaign? 

Study- Those previously infected are at increased risk of side effects when they take vaccine
"prior COVID-19 infection was associated with increased risk of any side effect" as well as "increased risk of severe side effects, leading to hospital care."https://t.co/jv6rMM5wMy

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) July 29, 2021

I assume Malone wants us to draw some conclusion from this. My conclusion is, if you've been previously infected getting vaxxed makes no sense--and that's outside of the fact that a vax gives no additional protection against the disease, because you've already got that if you've had a prior infection. No, the reason it makes no sense is because it's risky. 

There's an additional problem: How do we know who's been previously infected? Does that mean, actually having the disease, symptomatically? There is data to suggest--based on antibody studies--that twice as many people have encountered Covid as have been diagnosed. Coercing vaxxing among the general population means you'll be coercing a large group of people--quite a few millions--who don't need the injection under any rationale but who will be at higher risk from taking it. Ethical problem here? Bonus issue: What about those who have been fully vaxxed and now could be persuaded to take a booster?

The Dread Delta--The Excuse 'Teachers' Have Been Looking For?

Randi Weingarten let it slip--reopening 'schools' ain't a done deal:

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten was ripped after hedging on whether or not U.S. schools would reopen in the fall during a Wednesday interview on MSNBC.

While having previously recommended that fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed guidance following the spread of the new Delta variant of the virus, announcing that vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors and suggesting universal masking in schools.

Weingarten called the guidance a "curveball," before suggesting that school reopenings this fall are not a done deal.

"So the bottom line is, we're going to keep kids safe, we're going to keep our members safe, we're going to try to open up schools, and we're going to move through this political battlefield," Weingarten said.

Critics picked up on her comment about the reopening of schools because it sounded like backpedaling from when she argued in May that "we can and we must reopen schools in the fall."

You just knew--and I've been saying this--the government teachers would be looking for any excuse to keep government 'schools' closed.

In some areas there has been a significant migration of families to private schools. Meanwhile, reports are that home schooling is projected to double. Parents are fed up, kids probably are, too.

I'm in favor of shutting the government 'schools' down.

UPDATED: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

H/T FR:

I shoulda known this would be from the Babylon Bee:

CDC Now Recommends Wearing A Seat Belt Even When You’re Outside The Car

ATLANTA, GA—The CDC has issued brand new recommendations regarding the wearing of seat belts. Health experts there are now recommending people wear a seat belt, even when outside the car.

...

When pressed regarding what gives the CDC authority to comment on seat belt usage, they clarified that these were simply recommendations based on the latest scientific research, for the sake of public health. When further asked how exactly a seat belt that's not anchored to anything can protect anyone, they replied with a statement saying "SHUT UP IT'S SCIENCE!"

...

News/Not News?

You be the judge.

The other day, in the post regarding the Dr. McCullough interview, I suggested that the findings that appeared to associate specific vaccines with specific variants might be a signal that ADE (Antibody Dependent Enhancement) might be occurring. For example, the Dread Delta variant appears to be associated with the Sinovac vaccine, whereas the new Epsilon variant in California is associated with Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J. By "associated with" I mean that these vaccines promote the variants or mutations by pushing the virus to mutate in a particular direction. It's a bad thing--you prefer to have random mutations, which tend in a more benign direction. This is how Wikipedia explains ADE, just to refresh your recollection:

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), sometimes less precisely called immune enhancement or disease enhancement, is a phenomenon in which binding of a virus to suboptimal antibodies enhances its entry into host cells, followed by its replication.^[1][2] ADE may cause enhanced respiratory disease and acute lung injury after respiratory virus infection (ERD) with symptoms of monocytic infiltration and an excess of eosinophils in respiratory tract.^[3] ADE along with type 2 T helper cell-dependent mechanisms may contribute to a development of the vaccine associated disease enhancement (VADE), which is not limited to respiratory disease.^[3] Some vaccine candidates that targeted coronaviruses, RSV virus and Dengue virus elicited VADE, and were terminated from further development or became approved for use only for patients who have had those viruses before.

I'm not a scientist, so I'm not in a position to say that ADE plays into the rise of the various variants. However, here's a tweet by Dr. Robert Malone. He's citing data reporting from the Israeli Ministry of Health. As I read his tweet, he's suggesting that the data may be signaling that ADE is a factor:

Spike This!

Important spike protein news out today. Keep two things in mind: 1) The Covid spike protein is a known pathogen; and 2) it's supposed to disappear from the body in about 2 weeks. At least that was the official story. Also, you don't want spike protein persisting in monocytes, but ... here's a highly technical abstract that talks about exactly that. Malone comments re this article:

Recommend that you pay attention  to this.  Same group as the new data on presence of spike in the same monocyte population in vaccinated asymptomatics.

The point is ultimately about spike caused inflammation and the damage that inflammation causes to all sorts of parts of the body. This is why the idea of using gene therapy to trick human cells into producing unknown quantities of spike proteins is so dodgy. 

The idea was that that whole process would wind down in about two weeks, but we've been finding out differently. Woops! If this study shows spike protein in vaxxed people circulating 5 months after being injected, now you understand why they're finding (as Peter McCullough reported) vax damage nine months after the injection. Which is apparently after the injection has lost most or all of its "effectiveness" anyway. But not its "side effectiveness."

OK, so this: 

Briefly Noted: Covid Testing, 'Trust' In Science, More

Yesterday there were reports out that the CDC is phasing out the PCR test for use in Covid testing. The PCR test is what fueled the casedemic and is known to be an inappropriate tool. Its inventor, recently deceased, publicly stated that it isn't a diagnostic tool and only increases false positives. You can read all about those problems here: Why Is The CDC Quietly Abandoning The PCR Test For COVID? Key paragraph:

So, in summary, with regard to our current "casedemic", positive tests as they are counted today do not indicate a “case” of anything. They indicate that viral RNA was found in a nasal swab. It may be enough to make you sick, but according to the New York Times and their experts, probably won’t. And certainly not sufficient replication of the virus to make anyone else sick. But you will be sent home for ten days anyway, even if you never have a sniffle. And this is the number the media breathlessly reports... and is used to fearmonger mask mandates and lockdowns nationwide...

So what gives? Well ... there's this:

CDC Declares PCR Tests Must Go Immediately After George Soros, Bill Gates Buy COVID-19 Test Manufacturer

The CDC's decision could potentially increase the value of the company acquired by Bill Gates and George Soros

Forbes explains that Global Access Health (GAH) is a joint initiative between “The Soros Economic Development Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” and explains that Mologic Ltd is “best known today for the deep-nostril technology used to deliver rapid COVID-19 tests.” The partnership between Gates and Soros to buy this company was announced on Monday, July 19, and the CDC’s decision to phase out PCR tests was announced Saturday, July 24.

Over the weeked the WSJ ran an interview with science writer Matthew Ridley:

How Science Lost the Public’s Trust

From climate to Covid, politics and hubris have disconnected scientific institutions from the philosophy and method that ought to guide them.

The article, as usual, is behind a subscription wall, but Dr. Robert Malone helpfully provides the general idea. It's unexceptional, except that the growing distrust in science is increasingly spreading from a relative handfull of cognoscenti to the general public. Malone writes:

Briefly Noted: Today In Covid

Today we'll briefly compare information coming out of the UK and Israel with the official US narrative regarding where we stand with the Covid Panic.

First from the UK:

Either 60% or 40% of currently hospitalized Covid patients were fully vaccinated

That's my made-up title, but the real subtitle says it all:

Even the implied 40% figure affirms a worldwide trend showing high rates of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among the ‘fully vaccinated.’

A worldwide trend--except in the US? That's if you're one of those people who believes the regime's media narrative. According to that narrative, the US is totally setting that worldwide trend on its ear. The article closes with this wet blanket for the regime narrative: