COVID-19

(This page has grown over the months with many details below. If you'd like only the summary, however, it would be this:

• The crisis is man-made

• The virus is weakening,

• Restrictions seem therefore increasingly inappropriate (with collateral damage exceeding damage of the virus itself, however sad that damage is. Good public policy alternatives have been suggested by credible groups of scientists and medical personnel, such as in the Barrington Declaration, and by other thoughtful non-political leaders such as Stanford Professor of Medicine Jay Bhattacharya. As such public policy approaches (balanced, proportional, with priority on protecting the most vulnerable without destroying us all) continue to be ignored, thoughtful people wonder what might we be missing, what remains unstated. 

• The virus may yet be useful for larger political purposes of consolidating power and control, particularly global governance. Weary though we are, it seems wise to remain alert and prepare.

• We are all in the battle, needing daily hope in the Lord our God. Helpful in my experience at a personal level is prioritizing a daily quiet time, as well as participating in small groups centered on mutual encouragement and growth in following Christ.) There is more, we can do but we should not do less. We need much inner strength to support our families and community. Let's stay strong together...

• Despite frustration, confusion, moral indignation or other emotions, we need to focus on what we can do more than on what we cannot do. Here are practical suggestions:

=====================================================

The virus is a bad one, no doubt, and it's indirect consequences are nearly beyond measure. When we've considered and debated the contentious question of origin of the corona virus, we may yet believe John F. Kennedy's oft repeated confidence: "Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings" or we may believe Albert Einstein's more modest assessment: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." Regardless, at our best and at minimum, we must begin with dignity, poise and grace: leadership exemplified by Queen Elizabeth in her brief early address here on BBC.

Additionally there is wisdom in realism about the nature of viruses, expressed briefly and well by Scott Morefield here (in print) and in more detail by Joe Rogan guest epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm here (podcast: https://digg.com/video/coronavirus-epidemiologist-interview).

If you are interested in more detail on the nature of viruses (which are not "small life forms" but small "bits of genetic code" helping us adapt to our environment) and the environmental factors affecting how this particular virus works, listen to this fascinating podcast with Dr. Zach Bush here.

Then, there is the matter of perspective. While statistics by nation vary, here is the picture from the land of my birth:

The Comparative Danger of Covid-19 for Canadians

In 2017, 276,689 died in Canada from all causes. (a typical year--.8% of our population)

Top 10 Causes of death in Canada in 2017 (Stats Canada)

Malignant neoplasms (cancer)                                                79,844

Diseases of the heart                                                             53,029

Accidents                                                                              13,894

Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke, etc.)                                  13,893

Chronic lower respiratory diseases (diseases of the lungs)       12,847

Influenza and pneumonia                                                           7,396

Diabetes                                                                                 6,882

Alzheimer's Disease                                                            6,675

Chronic liver disease                                                               3,245

Suicides                                                                                  4,157

Coronavirus Deaths in Canada (Nov 22, 2020)                                 11,170

Yet this figure tells only part of the story. Actually, 80% of covid deaths in Canada were among care home residents, some of which had substandard health conditions. Sadly, other seniors died of broken hearts, isolated from those they loved. That means that for those not living in care homes, the death toll was 20% of the Canadian total:

Non-care home Canadian deaths                                                     1,855 (Globe and Mail, Nov 21, 2020)

Your chance of dying from Covid in Canada then, if you are not in a care home, is less than .005% or 50 out of a million. In other words, you are 8 times more likely to die from an accident and 3 1/2 times more likely to die from Alzheimer's disease.

In Canada, the median age of those who died of Covid is 81. One person under 20 has died from Covid in Canada. So, the chance of school age children dying of Covid-19 is about 1 out of 38 million.

Such realism leads further to natural basics such as:

Remember your immune system - its amazing!

Yet you can strengthen your natural immune system with natural supplements:

• Garlic

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin C

• Natural sunlight providing vitamin D. Covid patients with low levels of vitamin D (below 20dg/ml) are 10 times more likely to degenerate into critical condition than those with levels above 30 dg/ml. To bring it up you can take 5000 units/day and take magnesium to help absorb the vitamin D. People with naturally dark skin, while benefiting from natural protection from the sun, also absorb less vitamin D and therefore benefit especially from a protective dose of 5,000 iu/day of vitamin D.

• Oil of Oregano at the first sign of illness

• Chloroquine and quercetin (a bioflavanoid) draw zinc into the cells. 

• Zinc, when drawn into the cells, reduces replication of the virus.

A friend has gathered additional information on natural remedies which help strengthen our immune system at www.thetruthmovement.net/covid and shares his story of overcoming covid-19: www.thetruthmovement.net/how-i-beat-the-virus.

Treatments using existing medications:

Doctors report positive treatment using existing medications. Surprisingly these are resisted while more expensive new drugs are developed. Click here for details.

Concerns within the Medical community:

Increasingly medical professionals are resisting censorship of science in the interests of political objectives. For example, visit https://worlddoctorsalliance.com/ https://childrenshealthdefense.org/

Due to mainstream media censorship new platforms also are being formed to enable continuation of the long established medical concept of "informed consent." Since informed consent required information, and information is not available in an environment of censorship, platforms such as https://brandnewtube.com/ emerge.

Lockdown: What did Sweden learn? What did we learn? If we learned nothing, is it a mistake or a crime? Dennis Prager on the question here.

Mike Yeadon, immunologist and Pfizer research scientist on how current testing ignores T-cell immunity justifying restrictions which are no longer actually needed, in fact doing more harm overall than the virus itself: here.

Infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and have signed the Barrington Declaration https://gbdeclaration.org/ 

Vaccine: many wait for the "silver bullet." Be aware that:

• No vaccine is effective for everyone. Flu vaccines help about 40% of those who receive them, even if the flu vaccine that year actually targets the strain of flu that becomes predominant. Remember also that no vaccine has yet been developed for the common cold viruses, many of which are rooted in the same corona family as covid-19. Even then, when a vaccine is trotted out with claims of broad effectiveness,

• The experimental vaccine uses technology (nanobots and RNA) never before used in the history of medicine. This mass medical experiment will be conducted, not on animals or volunteers but on you and your children, without prior long term animal testing, over the protests of many in the medical community.

• The vaccine can and will be made into a marker of political compliance. This will be indicated by making it mandatory and/or removing basic human rights from those who do not comply. So "fear and force" become the tools where propaganda fails.

Masks: Masks have become a bit of a symbol of scientific debate. Here is some of the case against universal masking:

Visit https://www.mercola.com/ or click here for studies on the effectiveness of masks.

Danish study here

Then there's the issue of "mask mouth." See New York Post.

Observations of a thoughtful, normal guy here.

The role of government in my view is to advance the flourishing of society using the least control necessary. Politics however tends to be enlarged simply into the art of power. Unfortunately Covid-19 provides such opportunity for goals of larger government, more power and centralized universal control.

Then sadly, if we cannot muster medical realism, we seem to be left with political opportunism, ineptitude, if not outright malfeasance as expressed early by Heather Mac Donald's in her reflections here. Dennis Prager gives a vitally needed larger historical perspective on why the current political opportunism is more dangerous than most know.

Wall Street Journal suggests regardless of vaccine little will change (those in the covid business will prosper and governments will continue their appetite for unlimited power).

And political opportunism is wider than any national expression.

Globalism: The UN's Agenda 21 preceded Covid-19 but fear of the virus and the collateral damage produced by restrictions are useful to it's purpose of a "global reset."

Watch this 25 min. video from Remnant News on a gathering in Davos, Switzerland in January 2020 where the global "reset" plan was promoted - there was only one country which stood against it: https://youtu.be/sb9jRqgDOJ8. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano wrote this open letter to that national leader regarding what is at stake.

        Place that into the context of Agenda 21...

UN Agenda 21 - overview

Even the first few pages of preamble  gives a sense of the global control sought...

https://stovouno.org/2020/02/19/agenda-21-and-how-it-plays-out/

 

UN Agenda 21 - details

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_CONF.151_26_Rev.l_Vol.%20l_Agenda.pdf

Canada:

I'm a Canadian. Here is a 123 page doc outlining Canada's plans...
https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/12885/IDL-12885.pdf?sequence=1

Agenda 2030

There has been pushback so now Agenda 2030 uses language meant to be less frightening https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf

One dictatorship ruling every part in the world - what could possibly go wrong? The ruling elite of the utopia - like all previous mass social experiments in Marxism - would be nice people, wouldn't they? George Orwell saw the spirit of those aspiring to such rule in his classic novel 1984. Have you read it lately?

Geneva Convention: Remember the Geneva Convention? Prisoners of war are not to be isolated, lied to, treated as if they are sick if they are not, have freedom of thought.

Why are we, who are not prisoners of war, being treated by our own governments in ways that violate the Geneva Convention?

What now? More than ever, we look to God Almighty for salvation, strength and perspective.

What can we do? Here are some practical suggestions:

Spiritual growth:

In a season when COVID-19 challenges the things we’ve held as secure; our health, employment, bank account, health care system, freedom to go where we wish, our very emotional stability, we are pressed to ask, what then is our ultimate security? In ways far beyond armchair discussion, Jesus Christ invites us to trust our ultimate security to him.

Spiritual deepening begins with taking time to hear God's invitation deeply: "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). The best way to begin is by giving the first hour of your day to a "quiet time.

The Church, in all it's forms, can be a powerful resource.  If you are a church leader click here.

This entire site has been developed to help you follow Christ in a challenging world. Explore it's menu for a wide range of resources.

Mental resilience: 

My parents survived 5 years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. As I child I remember many stories of the danger and stress involved. (I've posted some of their memoirs here (my father) and here (my mother). During this time they developed practices for mental health. For example, my mother's family made the commitment to speak about the war occupation for an hour a day (6-7 pm) and the rest of the day lived as normally as possible.

John Mark Comer of Bridgetown Church in Portland OR suggests these daily practices to remain healthy in body, mind and spirit:

Quiet reading and prayer, BEFORE you look at your phone, and without it

Create a way of being grateful

Physical Exercise - our bodies are important

Do something you enjoy - hobby, music, gardening, reading, new skill - keep your mind active

Connect relationally with at least one person outside your household

Limit news intake

Limit escapist behaviors (TV, food, alcohol, apps on phones, games etc)

Eric Barker, a secular blogger, offers his "How To Be Resilient: 5 Secrets To Mental Toughness (Pandemic Edition)" here. (The author normally calls himself an atheist, though he makes an exception in this post, e.g. "COVID-19 is not The Black Death. (Thank god.)"

Don't limit your input to a single stream of voices. Seek the truth.

Stay healthy. Don't go overboard but a few basics go a long way.

Schooling for our children:

If covid closing of schools wasn't enough reason to home-school, watch:

Voddie Baucham Jr. - The Children of Caesar Part 1

Voddie Baucham Jr. - The Children of Caesar Part 2

Home-schooling has been around longer than the alternatives and making a resurgence. More...

For those in the classroom, Catholic schools offer these resources. Check here

Lobbying:

Asking politicians for balance between human rights and safety. In Canada, Preston Manning offers a good model in letter to the Justice Minister printed in the National Post.