Chinese Wuhan update – another massive spike 1970 new deaths. Despite what I hear from the media new cases are also on the rise. There was a rather large dip but it was only a dip. Now the pattern seems to be three days before a spike and not two. The pattern broke and not for the better.
One more thing… thus far this virus is sweeping through highly populated areas. Well, duh, what would anyone expect? I do not think rural areas are going to escape. A “second wave”, so to speak will hit those of us in flyover country. I doubt if this wave will be as bad due to the extraordinary precautions we are taking. My last venture into town revealed most people wearing masks and avoiding contact. How will this affect the outcome?
My thought this morning: Well… there goes our cognitive bias. Much has written about this cognitive bias thing. The actual term is a specific named bias i.e. “normalcy bias” – meaning of course – nothing changes. As someone who tends to resist change at all costs, I know, much to my chagrin, everything changes all the time. Still we like to delude ourselves with the idea of sameness. Well now all of that is out the window. Everything is changing right before our eyes. The question now is – how will we deal with it?
Last night I watched some dodo – I’m sure he is one of the “important” dodos – tell the world this virus thing is going to keep us locked down for 18 – eighteen – months.. Yeah. No. I don’t see that happening. Already we are going stir crazy as a nation. It is not so bad for me as I can write and such. I have more stuff to do than ever before. Too bad none of it seems to pay a nickel.
If it is true this virus is not going away anytime soon, then I think we, as a nation, will make the decision to move on. Already there are calls to get back to work. Already I see stirrings of “let’s get this thing over with!” In my mind’s eye I see a soldier under sniper fire saying “Aw HELL!” and running straight at the threat.
While I’d love to see us stand together in town halls and county seats to tell the controllers to stuff it, I doubt such a thing will happen – not at this time. What I can see is open defiance – for lack of a better term. One story cites what they call a “Rebellion” by a local sheriff who refuses to stop citizens for “disobeying” orders to stay home.
Yesterday I tweeted about AG Barr asking Congress to allow suspension of the Constitution. He should know better. Neither Congress nor anyone else has the authority to suspend the Law of the Land. Such an action has a name and the name is treason. Likewise the controllers have zero authority to order citizens to stay home. They just don’t. They can ask. They can plead. They can beg. They cannot order. No such provision exists in our Constitution, nor should it. The entire idea of self-governing is to leave the final decisions up to us. And this is what I can see happening.
Already, we’ve seen a few who refuse to kneel. It is a trickle. There will be more. Soon it will be a flood. Will the virus spread because of this? Probably it will. Now the “experts” are suggesting there is no stopping this virus. If this is the case we have a choice – live out our days in poverty and fear – something like the second coming of the dark ages or chuck it and move on with our lives. I suspect we will choose the latter.
Taking all of this into consideration, the very things we are doing to prevent or at least mitigate this pandemic may well prolong it. If the bug swept through the nation as it did in parts of Italy and New York, it would surely take a huge toll but then it would be essentially over. Yes, reinfection is a possibility but if it is, then it will be either way. Unless the virus is totally eradicated, then it will continue to plague us. While we can sit and wait for someone to come up with an effective treatment, no one can guarantee if or when this will happen.
God bless,
Andy