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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021_7_31 SSchumacher COVIDFrom:Stephen Schumacher Subject:Left and Right Should Unite to Stop Censorship Date:Saturday, July 31, 2021 4:01:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. http://solmaker.com/public/LeftAndRightShouldUniteToStopCensorship.jpg Excellent new think-piece from former Clinton adviser Naomi Wolf and Bush administrator LoriRoman warning about "actual censorship from techmoguls who are doing the dirty work of governmentto skirt the plain meaning of theConstitution. All censorship is troubling, butthe recent suppression of medical information isoutrageous. ... This collusion between theprivate sector and government is indicative ofAmerica's freefall into fascism. It seems to gounnoticed by public officials, but it's obviousto the American people, who are resorting tousing abbreviations and code words to avoidcensorship on important medical data, mainstreampolitical ideas, and the Constitution itself." This is a hot-button issue for me and others inPort Townsend, who have been censored on thesesubjects for the past year by the Leader andPeninsula Daily News in apparent collusion withmembers and staff of the Jefferson County Board of Health.https://www.porttownsendfreepress.com/2021/02/20/of-covid-testing-misinformation-and-censorship/ And today, Twitter has censored renowned former NYTimes investigative journalist Alex Berensonfor at least a week in retaliation against hisreporting about health news, specifically datadrawn from the Pfizer "vaccine" clinical trials:http://solmaker.com/public/TwitterCensorsBerenson.png Berenson has other outlets, including his burgeoning "Unreported Truths" news site onSubstack, where the cream of old-schooljournalists have collected as an increasinglysubservient MSM hemorrhages quality reporting,losing sight of George Orwell's dictum that"Journalism is printing what someone else doesnot want printed. Everything else is public relations."http://solmaker.com/public/JournalismIsPrintingWhatSomeoneElseDoesNotWantPrinted-Orwell.jpg So Berenson will be okay - but will we, as censorship progressively chokes off dialog anddissent? Neither do things look good forTwitter, as it shoots itself in the foot by alienating half its audience.https://www.theepochtimes.com/quit-complaining-about-twitter-and-quit-already_3926512.html Berenson has been on fire the past few days as he sensed Twitter preparing to close him down, so below are some recent gems, followed by findingsthat the CV "vaccine" loses effectiveness afterjust 10 weeks and news of the CDC abandoning thefraudulent PCR test that fuels casedemics,concluding with more from Wolf about neo-fascist censorship dangers. ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1421124668010999811 Alex Berenson We are near a crossroads. Either governmentsadmit the vaccines have huge flaws and cannot bemandated. And lockdowns have failed and areincompatible with freedom. And we all simply mustlive with Covid going forward - Or we wind up ina dark place politically AND medically. I realize this will require a very painful coursecorrection. But the alternative is SO MUCH WORSE. ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1419977276494684163 <https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson>Alex Berenson 1/ HOLD ON HERE FOLKS What if they’re notvaccines? I don't mean in the conspiracy sense. Imean LEGALLY. If they’re therapeutics, no one canbe forced to take them. Not without an individualcourt order and finding of incompetency. 2/ AND THESE MRNAs LOOK LESS LIKE VACCINES EVERYDAY. They don't act mechanistically like othervaccines. They don't confer lifetime or long-termimmunity like nearly all other vaccines.https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/jul/vaccine-antibody-levels-start-wane-around-2-3-monthsThey don't appear to reduce transmission significantly like nearly all other vaccines.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/health/covid-cdc-delta-masks.html 3/ At best they reduce disease severity. THAT’S WHAT THERAPEUTICS DO. So how are they - legally -vaccines? Because they use your immune system toattack disease? That’s how half of new cancerdrugs work. AND IF THEY’RE NOT VACCINES YOU DON’T - EVER - HAVE TO TAKE THEM. 4/ Against medical advice: it’s a thing.Somewhere there’s a lawyer good enough to makethis argument. Is a judge brave enough to hear it? ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1421143594870714370 <https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson>Alex Berenson<https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson> From a data junkie a lot smarter than the ones at CDC. It’s not the variant, it’s the lack of vaccine protection. [Data junkie's email to Berenson:] Some interesting stuff in here. It's prettyclear vaccines never did protect the high riskall that well - which is where all the deathsare. That's more inline with Israel data I compiled months ago. They say Delta "likely" cause more severeillness. I don't see any evidence of that(India/UK), indeed the stark opposite. It's muchless. India IFR [Infection Fatality Rate] fromDelta was exceptionally low ~ 0.05% and given theUS has so much natural immunity there is littleconcern. In the UK adjust CFR was 30% of Alphawhich itself was 65% of original. SO IFR isabout 75%-80% lower in unvaxxed persons. On more transmissible: I don't really see thateither or not to a meaningful degree. R0 [a mathterm indicating a disease's contagiousness] inIndia was around 3 at the peak. If it was higherthen IFR is even lower than my meagerestimate. I think they are confusing the factthat Delta is easily evading vaccines for increased transmissibility. ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420839456228118535 Alex Berenson The pivotal clinical trial for the Pfizer Covidvaccine shows it does nothing to reduce theoverall risk of death. ZERO. 15 patients whoreceived the vaccine died; 14 who receivedplacebo died. The end. The trial blind is brokennow. This is all the data we will ever have. Six Month Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccinehttps://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.28.21261159v1.full.pdf https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420894935876882435 Alex Berenson They should throw the hand in cause they ain'tgot no spades. They won't, though. You arewitnessing the greatest bluff in our lifetimes.Three barrels and it might get through.https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/vaers-cdc-vaccinated-spread-covid-serious-vaccines-injuries-surge/ A Buffalo Replying to AlexBerenson Did they end the trial by vaccinating the placebo group? Alex BerensonThey sure did. ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420505173022158849 <https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson>Alex Berenson<https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson> 1/ In case you didn't notice: the mRNA vaccinesare now BY FAR the highest annual selling andmost profitable product in the history of BigPharma. Pfizer is expecting $33.5 billion invaccine sales and almost $10 billion in profits THIS YEAR. 2/ But unless I’m mistaken that hugelyunderstates the real profits and margin becausePfizer is calculating its profits AFTER the 50/50split with<https://twitter.com/BioNTech_Group>BioNTech_Group.. In other words, the companies will actually splitabout $20 billion in profits on the $33.5 billion in sales. 3/ Doin' good by doin' well, amirite? ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420073682806976519 Alex Berenson Pandemic of the unvaccinated lol. Iceland, wherenearly the ENTIRE adult population is fullyvaccinated, is setting daily records for newinfections, mostly among the vaccinated.Hospitalizations are not up yet. It would be stunning if they don't rise soon. https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420078410785857541 1/ Meanwhile, back to Iceland for a minute. The country is a vaccinators' paradise. 90% of people40-70 and 98% (!) of those over 70 are fullyvaccinated. On June 26, it abolished all lockdownrules. "Thank you for this joint struggle," the Health Minister said. 2/ The good times lasted not even a month.Iceland has already imposed new restrictions -and is warning they could last years - as in, upto 15 years, per the country's top epidemiologist. Because vaccines work!https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2021/07/22/segir_takmarkanir_geta_varad_naestu_arin/ 3/ The real question: are the adults of Iceland - having submitted to near-complete vaccination -going to accept new restrictions? And if so, why did anyone bother? ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1420966650174705664 Jack Posoblec - Jul 92 White House chatter is that lockdowns for deltavariant all but a done deal. Virtually all bluestates are cooperating with WH / CDC. They’reaiming for late 2nd week of August, per WH official Alex Berenson I have no idea if this is right or not - but if it is and the high-vaccine blue states shut and the low-vaccine red ones don't, what will people conclude about the vaccines? ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1421142405445824517 The New York Times - Jul 29 Breaking News: The Delta variant is as contagiousas chickenpox and may be spread by vaccinatedpeople as easily as the unvaccinated, an internalC.D.C. report said. https://nyti.ms/376u8mv Alex Berenson Because vaccines work! Hey, maybe the NYTimesshould be banned for giving you dis information ---https://twitter.com/mn_suburbia/status/1420945822565404674 Alex Berenson The last line of this story, a quote from a "vaccine expert":"It's hard to do, but I think we have to becomecomfortable with coronavirus not going away."https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/ Beachin' Replying to AlexBerenson What the h*** happened? How did the narrativejust massively shift in what seems like 1 day? <https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson>Alex Berenson Don't know. Maybe the data are now so bad theycan't be ignored and folks inside CDC are showingspine. Or they're truly terrified of a Marek's scenario.https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/oqesje/the_marek_scenario_vaccine_addiction_apocalypse/Or the union pushback showed them they can't vaccinate everyone. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2021/07/29/americas-largest-postal-worker-union-has-thoughts-about-vaccine-mandates-n2593280 Don't know. But it does feel like the truth is getting out. ---https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson/status/1421107693901778947 <https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson>Alex Berenson<https://twitter.com/AlexBerenson> Hey, lookie, Australia is bringing the army toenforce its quarantine as part of its “plan tofreedom.” Can’t wait for the first “freedom shooting”! https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-under-strict-new-lockdown-rules-cases-soar-2021-07-29/ Australian soldiers to help with virus checks as PM sets plan to freedom Byron KayeSwati Pandey - July 30, 20214:06 AM PDT Tables marked with caution tape to prevent people from sitting are seen in an empty city centre mall during a lockdown to curb the spread of acoronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak inSydney, Australia, July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott * Daily cases fall for first time in nearly a week * Military called to help enforce lockdown * PM says 80% vaccination rate needed before reopening bordersSYDNEY, July 30 (Reuters) - Australian soldierswill help to enforce coronavirus isolation ordersin the hard-hit city of Sydney, police said onFriday, as resentment seethed in some communitiesover new curbs to stem the highly contagious Delta variant. Prime Minister Scott Morrison held out hope ofbetter times with a four-stage plan back tofreedom but said 80% of adults would have to bevaccinated before the border can begin to open. Sydney's five million people are under a strictstay-at-home order because of a worrying surge ofnearly 3,000 infections since the middle ofJune.<https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-under-strict-new-lockdown-rules-cases-soar-2021-07-29/> Authorities have this week outlined even tighter restrictions for some worst-affected suburbs, including mandatory testing and mask-wearing outdoors. From Monday, some 300 army personnel will helppolice go door to door to ensure people who havetested positive are isolating, New South Walespolice commissioner Mick Fuller told a news conference. ... Australia had handled the coronavirus crisis muchbetter than many other developed countries, withjust over 34,000 cases and fewer than 1,000deaths. But it has been achieved that largely bysealing its border to all but a trickle of people since the pandemic began. ... "They've got no other ideas than to bring in themilitary as a last resort because they're lostfor answers on issues they created," said SteveChristou, mayor of the Cumberland area, where 60%of its 240,000 residents were born overseas. "They are a poor community, they are a vulnerablecommunity, and they don't deserve these lockdownsor these extended and harsh measures," he said in a telephone interview. People in the western suburbs have been told tostay within 5 km (3 miles) of home and have avirus test every three days in order to beallowed to do essential work outside the area. Police have also been given powers to close businesses breaking the rules. With anger rising, the prime minister set out a four-stage escape route to freedom. Australia is now in phase A, or the suppressionphase of the plan, with large parts of thecountry plunging in and out of lockdowns to stampout the virus, Morrison told a news conference. Phase B would be reached when 70% of adults arevaccinated, which Morrison said would meangreater freedoms and special rights for theinoculated. He did not specify a timeframe butsaid phase B could be reached by Christmas. "Lockdowns in phase B are less likely, but they are possible," he said. Morrison said the border would be graduallyreopened in phase C of the plan, when 80% of adults have been vaccinated. "We are vaccinating the nation, and that enablesthe nation to be able to move forward ... to thetypes of freedoms that we're seeking," he said. ---https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/jul/vaccine-antibody-levels-start-wane-around-2-3-months Vaccine antibody levels start to wane at around 2-3 months University College London - 22 July 2021 Total antibody levels appear to start decliningfrom as early as six weeks after completevaccination and can reduce by more than 50% over10 weeks, according to new data from UCL’s Virus Watch study. These findings were consistent across all groupsof people regardless of age, chronic illnesses or sex. The findings, published as a research letter* inThe Lancet, include data from over 600 people andshow antibody levels are substantially higherfollowing two doses of the Pfizer vaccine thanafter two doses of the AZ vaccine. They are alsomuch higher in those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors highlight that although the clinicalimplications of waning antibody levels are notyet clear, some decline was expected and currentresearch shows that vaccines remain effective against severe disease. For Pfizer, antibody levels reduced from a medianof 7506 U/mL at 21–41 days, to 3320 U/mL at 70 ormore days. For Astra Zeneca, antibody levelsreduced from a median of 1201 U/mL at 0–20 days to 190 U/mL (67–644) at 70 or more days. Dr Maddie Shrotri (UCL Institute of Health Informatics) said: “The levels of antibodyfollowing both doses of either the Astra Zenecaor Pfizer vaccine were initially very high, whichis likely to be an important part of why they areso protective against severe COVID-19. “However, we found these levels droppedsubstantially over the course of 2 -3 months. Ifthey carry on dropping at this rate, we areconcerned that the protective effects of thevaccines may also begin to wear off, particularlyagainst new variants; but we cannot yet predict how soon that might happen.” Professor Rob Aldridge (UCL Institute of HealthInformatics) explained: “When we are thinkingabout who should be prioritised for booster dosesour data suggests that those vaccinated earliest,particularly with the Astra Zeneca vaccine, arelikely to now have the lowest antibody levels. Our findings support recommendations from theJoint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation(JCVI) that adults who are clinically vulnerable,those aged 70 years or over, and all residents ofcare homes for older adults should be prioritisedfor booster doses. In addition, those who werevaccinated with the Astra Zeneca vaccine,including most care home residents, are likely tohave much lower antibody levels than thosevaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, so this mayalso need to be considered when deciding whoshould be prioritised when boosters are rolled out.” The authors note that limitations of the datainclude a small sample size for some groups andthe fact that each individual only contributedone sample, so they cannot yet confirm howquickly antibody levels drop for each individual,or whether these would continue to drop or reacha stable level over the next few months. Theyalso note different people will have differentlevels of immunity depending on the virusneutralising ability of their antibodies as wellas their T-cell responses; and even whenmeasurable antibody levels are low there islikely to be continuing immune memory that could offer long-term protection. Further research will be important to establishif there is an antibody level threshold neededfor protection against severe disease. Theauthors will continue to collect and analyse datafrom a larger number of participants, followingantibody levels in individuals over a longer period of time. --- https://www.dailyveracity.com/2021/07/27/the-cdc-is-abandoning-the-pcr-test/ The CDC is Abandoning the PCR Test <https://www.dailyveracity.com/author/vincentjames_/>by Daily Veracity Staff - July 27, 2021 According to a recent<https://archive.is/NxUoz>announcement on the CDC’s website, at the end of the year, they willbe recommending the abandoning of the PCR testand urging that clinical laboratories and testingsites use other FDA-approved alternatives. “After December 31, 2021, CDC will withdraw therequest to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ofthe CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel, the assayfirst introduced in February 2020 for detectionof SARS-CoV-2 only. CDC is providing this advancenotice for clinical laboratories to have adequatetime to select and implement one of the many FDA-authorized alternatives.” “In preparation for this change, CDC recommendsclinical laboratories and testing sites that havebeen using the CDC 2019-nCoV RT-PCR assay selectand begin their transition to anotherFDA-authorized COVID-19 test,” the announcement reads. According to a recent<https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-urges-labs-covid-tests-025958593.html>Yahoo News report, the CDC is suggesting that labsstock clinics with kits that can test for boththe<https://www.foxnews.com/category/health/infectious-disease/coronavirus>coronavirus and the<https://www.foxnews.com/category/health/respiratory-health/cold-and-flu>flu as the “influenza season” draws near. For months journalists have been pointing outmassive flaws in the PCR test, and how this hasled to inflated case and death counts. In August of last year, The New York Timespublished an<https://archive.is/o/sGp6w/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html>article stating that as many as 90% of COVID-19 tests inat least three states were not indicative ofactual active infection. The tests wereapparently picking up viral debris incapable ofcausing infection or being transmitted becausethe cycle threshold (Ct) of the PCR testing they were using, amplified the sample too many times. Experts that were interviewed at the time said a cycle threshold of around 30 was mostappropriate, but for months labs in the UnitedStates were using a Ct of around 40. At the request of the New York Times, a New YorkState laboratory, analyzed the results of itsJuly tests and found 794 positive tests with a Ctof 40, but with a cycle threshold of 35,approximately half of those PCR tests would no longer be considered positive. In November of 2020, an appeals court in Portugal<https://www.zerohedge.com/political/portuguese-court-rules-pcr-tests-unreliable-quarantines-unlawful>ruled that the PCR test is not a reliable test forcoronavirus and that any enforced quarantinebased on those test results is unlawful. A September 2020<https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa1491/5912603>study from the Infectious Diseases Society of America,found that at 25 cycles of amplification, 70% ofPCR test positives were not actually cases sincethe virus cannot be cultured, it’s dead. By 35cycles, 97% of the positives are non-clinical. Dr. Fauci seemingly knew this in July when he<https://archive.is/o/sGp6w/https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2020/11/09/dr-fauci-told-the-truth-about-covid-19-tests-in-july-and-has-been-misleading-the-public-ever-since-n1131938>said that “tests with a Ct above 35 were likelypicking up viral debris or dead virus.” Accordingto<https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/72/11/e921/5912603>scientific studies, tests with cycles even at a Ct of 35,virus samples that could replicate is very low. On January 20th of 2021, within an hour of JoeBiden being inaugurated, the WHO sent out a<https://archive.is/Z5i5i>notice to clinical lab professionals using the PCR test, calling on them to adjust cycle thresholds. “WHO guidance Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2states that careful interpretation of weakpositive results is needed (1). The cyclethreshold (Ct) needed to detect the virus isinversely proportional to the patient’s viralload. Where test results do not correspond withthe clinical presentation, a new specimen shouldbe taken and retested using the same or different NAT technology.” “Most PCR assays are indicated as an aid fordiagnosis, therefore, health care providers mustconsider any result in combination with timing ofsampling, specimen type, assay specifics,clinical observations, patient history, confirmedthe status of any contacts, and epidemiological information,” the notice read. Polices like lockdowns, mask mandates, and closures of schools and businesses are driven bythe reported numbers of cases and deaths. The current scientific consensus based on<https://www.dailyveracity.com/2021/06/26/massive-new-study-confirms-lockdowns-did-not-reduce-mortality-and-may-have-caused-excess-mortality/>dozens of scientific studies is that lockdowns,especially in the US, had no link whatsoever to reduced mortality. A<https://www.dailyveracity.com/2021/06/26/massive-new-study-confirms-lockdowns-did-not-reduce-mortality-and-may-have-caused-excess-mortality/>newer study from the University of California and Randfound that the lockdowns didn’t save lives, andmay have actually resulted in more deaths than if no lockdowns happened at all. The researchers said: “We failed to find that countries or U.S. statesthat implemented shelter-in-place policiesearlier, and in which shelter-in-place policieshad longer to operate, had lower excess deathsthan countries-and U.S. states that were slowerto implement shelter-in-place policies. We alsofailed to observe differences in excess deathtrends before and after the implementation of[shelter-in-place] policies based onpre-shelter-in-place COVID-19 death rates.” A deadly combination of exponentially<https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4095>increased suicides,<https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/07/01/coronavirus-drug-overdose/>drug overdose, homicide,<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210119113215.htm>alcohol consumption, calorie consumption, delayed cancerscreenings, spousal abuse, tuberculosis, and more occurred. According to<https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210210/child-suicides-rising-during-lockdown>data, there was a steep rise in suicidal ideation, particularly among the young. “We’ve seen an upsurge in really bad suicideattempts,” and the pandemic is likely behind thatincrease, said Dr. Taranjeet Jolly, an adult andpediatric<https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/guide-to-psychiatry-and-counseling>psychiatrist at Penn State Health’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. In just one Las Vegas school district, over<https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/535598-las-vegas-to-push-reopening-schools-amid-surge-in-student-suicides?rl=1>a dozen students committed suicide, causing the district to reopen schools early. The PCR tests were also used in patients who died and were later categorized as a COVID death. This is another issue on top of the <https://www.dailyveracity.com/2021/04/16/medical-examiner-the-covid-death-number-is-a-lie/>already flawed categorizations in general. According to the<https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), morethan 600,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. But scientific reports have come to light thatsuggests COVID-19 death counts may bedramatically inflated, which sows public doubt,confusion, and less trust in the government. Countless coroners have come forward to expresstheir concern on how officials are recording their covid deaths. A<https://www.foxnews.com/health/california-county-cuts-covid-death-toll>California county recently cut its death toll by around 25%after determining that some deaths were not a“direct result” of the<https://www.foxnews.com/health>virus. The county previously included deaths of anyone infectedwith the virus, regardless of whether COVID-19was a direct or contributing cause of death. According to a new report from the<https://www.freedomfoundation.com/covid-19/wa-lowers-covid-19-deaths-by-200-investigation-suggests-its-still-too-high/>Freedom Foundation, the same thing occurred in Washington state. As the report notes, “Since the start of thepandemic, [the Washington State Department ofHealth (DOH)] has attributed to COVID-19 thedeath of any person who tested positive for COVID-19 before their death. In May of 2020, the Freedom Foundation reportedhow this method resulted in the inclusion ofdeaths clearly unrelated to COVID-19. Afteradmitting that it was attributing even deathscaused by things like gunshot wounds to COVID-19,DOH claimed it would take steps to clean up itsreporting process. However, the DOH has yet toimplement the necessary changes to ensure a more accurate count. One coroner from Colorado<https://www.kmov.com/news/colorado-coroner-calling-out-how-state-classifies-covid-19-deaths/article_297e3550-4131-11eb-9f01-ffe3e11d0f46.html>called attention to the way the state health departmentis classifying some deaths. The coroner, BrendaBock, says half of their deaths related toCOVID-19 were people who died of gunshot wounds. “These two people had tested positive for COVIDbut that’s not what killed them,” she said. “The gunshot wound killed them.” Bock said it’s simple in this case – the gunshot wound was the cause of death. The ‘Worst Flu Season in Decades’ During the beginning of the year, nearly allmajor media outlets reported that the world wasin store for possibly the worst flu season onrecord. On January 3, CNN<https://archive.is/U6NUa>reported on Dr Fauci’s warning that the United States was “on track forthe worst flu season in decades.” While Fauci was warning about one of thedeadliest flu seasons in decades, the rest of themedia were telling Americans not to worry aboutCoronavirus, and that the flu would be far moredeadly this year. The Los Angeles Times<https://archive.is/d4WyE>advised not to fear the Coronavirus, because ”for Americans the flu is amuch bigger threat and more widespread.” In early February, USA Today<https://archive.is/j1xfs>wrote that “the coronavirus is scary, but the flu is deadlier andmore widespread.” During the same time, theWashington Post<https://archive.is/vZzak>declared “Get a Grippe America, the Flu is a Much Bigger Threat Than Coronavirus.” But how did the United States go from the startof the “worst flu season in decades,” toinfluenza cases and deaths<https://archive.is/UXeJ6>nosediving by 98 percent across the globe? The explanation that cases of influenza nosedivedsimply because much of the world’s populationwere donning masks, while at the same time casesof the coronavirus surge, is completelyinconsistent and a nonsensical conclusion, to say the least. The 2017-2018 flu season was so bad, hospitalswere<https://time.com/5107984/hospitals-handling-burden-flu-patients/#:%7E:text=The%202017%2D2018%20influenza,surgeries%2C%20to%20name%20a%20few.>treating patients in tents. No lockdown was everconsidered at all, despite tens of thousands of deaths. The 2017-2018 epidemic was sending people tohospitals and urgent-care centers<https://time.com/5105929/why-is-the-flu-so-bad-2018/>in every state, and medical centers were respondingwith extraordinary measures: asking staff to workovertime, set up triage tents, restricting friends and family visits, and canceling elective surgeries. “We are pretty much at capacity, and the volume is certainly different from previous fluseasons,” said Dr. Alfred Tallia, professor andchair of family medicine in New Brunswick, New Jersey at the time. ----https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-clinton-adviser-naomi-wolf-big-tech-bans-leading-to-self-censorship_3925987.html Former Clinton Adviser Naomi Wolf: Big Tech Bans Leading to Self-Censorship By<https://www.theepochtimes.com/author-zachary-stieber>Zachary Stieber and <https://www.theepochtimes.com/author-jan-jekielek>Jan Jekielek July 30, 2021 The growing number of people banned from Big Techplatforms is leading to a wave ofself-censorship, journalist<https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-naomi-wolf>Naomi Wolf says. Wolf<https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-clinton-adviser-naomi-wolf-banned-from-twitter-over-covid-19-vaccine-claims_3847905.html>was banned by Twitter last month for allegedlysharing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Wolf told The Epoch Times that her account wasfrozen after she posted a video of her husbandreading the resume of Dr. Ralph Baric, whoreceived U.S. government funding to conduct gainof function research. She was banned afteruploading a press release from Oregon Sen. KimThatcher’s bill that would ban vaccine passports and mask mandates. “To me, if we've gotten to a point where a gianttech company, or even a little company, issilencing people who are providing first-handsourcing for major, major news stories, orreading press releases from elected officials,that’s like not America anymore,” Wolf said onThe Epoch Times’“<https://www.theepochtimes.com/naomi-wolf-on-censorship-vaccine-passports-and-the-reversal-of-my-body-my-choice_3925296.html>American Thought Leaders,” adding that she believes she broke no rules. <https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-twitter>Twitter’s statement that the ban stemmed from spreadingmisinformation is damaging to Wolf’s career andshe accused the company of “singling out citizensand smearing them baselessly.” Wolf <https://www.theepochtimes.com/liberal-author-censored-by-twitter-and-youtube-after-questioning-fauci-considers-suing_3889747.html>joined former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit againstBig Tech companies earlier this month. Twitter has not responded to requests for comment. Further, Wolf, a former adviser to ex-PresidentBill Clinton, believes the ongoing purge ofvoices that dissent from the dominant form ofthought on COVID-19 and other issues, and thewarnings some users receive before gettingbanned, is resulting in a climate ofself-censorship and is reminiscent of emerging totalitarian societies. “I’m Jewish, I’m allowed to say this, theytotally did things like this in Germany, when itwas still a fragile democracy. Like creating veryvague laws, that if you broke the rules, you werein big trouble. But you could never really knowwhat was going to trigger that breaking of the rules,” she said. Wolf said the “chilling effect” her ban has hadon other journalists is evident because some have reached out to her about it. “I’ve gotten so many emails from other reporterssaying, ‘I really admire you, I’m so sorry youwere de-platformed.’ And when I would say ‘well,can you say that publicly?’ They universally said‘I would, but I’m really afraid of beingde-platformed.’ And I’ve seen the self censorshipthat has gone on in the wake of some high-profilede-platforming of journalists,” she said. “I want us to remember what it means to beAmerican. In America, right, there is nopoliceman telling you what feelings areappropriate or not appropriate. And I fear­yes,they’re a private platform, they can do what theywant­but when the government uses our tax dollars<https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-administration-pushes-social-media-companies-to-combat-covid-19-misinformation_3903450.html>to send a message that these tech companies will dotheir bidding and will target their enemies ortheir critics, in a way that chills debate.They’ve got around the First Amendment, andthey've gotten around the Constitution, and that’s what we should look at.”