When Every Death Is a Morality Play

 

One of the worst parts of the pandemic was its timing. Had it occurred at any time other than an election year things may have been remarkably different. It may not have been done in a conspiratorial manner, but it was universally accepted that part of the story was going to be told to maximize Covid-19’s political impact.

Every failure point had to be framed as being due to Donald Trump’s incompetence, therefore every death from the disease was going to be portrayed as a preventable human tragedy. Trump did not follow the science and now these people are dead. And we will tell you each of their stories, every single one as an individual morality play and all with the same moral: Trump kills.

Then something happened. Operation Warp Speed actually produced three “vaccines.” I use that word in quotes because they are not vaccines as we traditionally understood them, but rather an artificially produced prophylactic trick. The introduction of this “miracle” was delayed until after the election lest the news impact voting in Trump’s favor.

But there is a problem. Now that Biden (or whoever is really in charge) is ensconced in the White House, how do you dismiss deathly reactions to the vaccines as insignificant when you’ve already established that every single death is a moral tragedy? Take these two stories:

“Unvaxxed mother other of two, 35, dies of Covid, urges others to get vaccinated with dying breath”

“Mother of three, 35, dies of stroke after second jab, husband says she was forced to take vaccine”

Two deaths, two widowers, all motherless children. If every death is a moral failing, how does one make a case that the latter is more insignificant than the former?

If Trump had won, it would have been so much easier. “See, the vaccines don’t work! Trump’s incompetence forced these to market too quickly! It’s all Trump’s fault because he is ignorant of science! Everybody knows it takes a minimum of six years to get a vaccine safely to market! The idiot!” So all they can do is downplay the adverse reactions and pretend they don’t exist.

This has happened before. As we gear up to vaccinate children and adolescents, Saskatchewan-based blogger Kate McMillan reminds us of the great Canadian Blood Scandal. At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, public health officials in Canada ignored the evidence that HIV and Hepatitis C were rampant in the medical blood supply chain and they weren’t doing enough to screen it out. Journalist Vic Parsons watched as his son David, a hemophiliac, first learned that he was HIV-positive in 1986 at the tender age of 15.

In a review of Parson’s book, Bad Blood, the Canadian Encyclopedia contains this passage:

Safety was second to budget trimming, Parsons contends. Turf wars buried scientific data that alerted blood agencies to potential dangers. Hemophiliacs, who became the miners’ canaries of the blood system, were themselves self-destructively passive. At every turn, writes Parsons, “eyes were shut to mounting evidence, until it was too late.”

And so McMillan asks the following, “Should it come to pass – say in five years time – that there’s a spike in leukemia, rare cancers, autoimmune disease or other long term side effects in these children that no one could have foreseen (because no one did long term trials) — what’s the game plan?

“I mean, surely there’s a game plan?”

Will this become a morality play or just a game of statistics?

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  1. DonG (CAGW is a hoax) Coolidge
    DonG (CAGW is a hoax)
    @DonG

    EJHill: “I mean, surely there’s a game plan?”

    I am sure our sickcare healthcare industry will remain profitable.

    • #1
  2. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    EJHill: “I mean, surely there’s a game plan?”

    Hahahahahaha! Man, that’s funny.

    • #2
  3. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    EJHill:

    “Unvaxxed mother other of two, 35, dies of Covid, urges others to get vaccinated with dying breath” 

    “Mother of three, 35, dies of stroke after second jab, husband says she was forced to take vaccine”

    Two deaths, two widowers, all motherless children. If every death is a moral failing, how does one make a case that the latter is more insignificant than the former?

    Free choice matters. To die when forced into an action is unethical.

    To die from a choice freely taken, that’s on you.

    • #3
  4. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

     I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid  and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab. 

    • #4
  5. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    • #5
  6. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    I find the vaccine mandate puzzling, given the questionable efficacy of it:

    Massachusetts health officials on Tuesday reported more than 3,000 new breakthrough cases over the past week, and 35 more deaths.

    In the last week, 3,078 new breakthrough cases — infections in people who have been vaccinated — were reported, with 121 more vaccinated people hospitalized, Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials said Tuesday. Their report brings the total number of breakthrough cases to 51,007, and the death toll among people with breakthrough infections to 406.

    Both figures remain a tiny percentage of the total number of all people who have been vaccinated — the equivalent of just 0.04% of vaccinated people have been hospitalized and 1.08% have had confirmed infections. An even smaller percentage has died: 0.009%. The report also doesn’t indicate how many of the breakthrough cases are in people with underlying conditions, though it also notes that “may be undercounted due to discrepancies” in records.

    I would not give these to kids unless their pediatrician ordered it for some reason. 

    • #6
  7. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Yes, it’s interesting.  We have the choice of a poorly tested novel vaccine created in a laboratory, which may kill us, or take our chances with the novel coronavirus created in a lab, which may kill us.  Interesting choice.

    • #7
  8. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    DonG (CAGW is a hoax) (View Comment):

    EJHill: “I mean, surely there’s a game plan?”

    I am sure our sickcare healthcare industry will remain profitable.

    That probably is the game plan.

    • #8
  9. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear.  Biden has no fear at all.

    • #9
  10. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    I doubt that.

    • #10
  11. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    In updated news, the FDA approved EUA vaccines for ages 5-11. They admitted to not knowing the long term effects and said how could they if they don’t do this?

    • #11
  12. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Stina (View Comment):

    In updated news, the FDA approved EUA vaccines for ages 5-11. They admitted to not knowing the long term effects and said how could they if they don’t do this?

    We’re now lab rats.

    • #12
  13. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    Stina (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    I doubt that.

    I doubt that he is any longer aware of the concept. It is very sad and disconcerting to see him in public of late.

    • #13
  14. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Stina (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    I doubt that.

    Really?  What might he fear?

    • #14
  15. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    I doubt that.

    Really? What might he fear?

    People rising up against him. He governs as if he knows he lacks authority. The way weak men govern. Ham fisted in a way to demoralize and isolate his opposition.

    • #15
  16. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Stina (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Stina (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    I believe that Mr. Trump would still be President were it not for Covid and that he would not be forcing people to take the jab.

    Trump was never afraid of COVID. And people who are ruled by fear are capable of great evil.

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    I doubt that.

    Really? What might he fear?

    People rising up against him. He governs as if he knows he lacks authority. The way weak men govern. Ham fisted in a way to demoralize and isolate his opposition.

    You may be right, but I think that’s just a reaction from his mental confusion.  Well, you make me scratch my head.

    Certainly the fencing of the capital was fear.  But I thought Pelosi did that.  Naming conservatives as domestic terrorists is fear.  But I thought Merrick Garland did that.  They’re purging the military out of fear, but I thought that was Lloyd Austin did that.

    I think Biden is afraid of something, though.  I think his personal nightmare that he awakes sweating from every night is a vision of Jen Psaki staring at him from the top of the steps of Air Force 1.

    • #16
  17. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    “No brain, no pain!”

    • #17
  18. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    I think Biden is backed into a Coronavirus corner from which he cannot escape.  The Democrats and the media have so successfully convinced the American public of the terrifying dangers of Covid, that Biden can never declare victory over the virus.  If he does, millions of lefties will be up in arms over his endangering the public.  Thus, the “revolution” against this scourge must continue in perpetuity, the same way that Castro had to continue his “revolution” into the 21st Century, even though he won the war 50  years earlier.  Same phenomenon with Global Warming.  The fight must continue no matter what the outcome, even if the World gets too cold.  It is the fight and unwarranted panic that keeps leftists voting, not any demonstrably  beneficial outcomes.

    • #18
  19. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    For the duration of this pandemic we have seen improvisation dressed up as strategy.  We would’ve accepted shifting messages if they’d been honest about how they’d adapted and adopted to accommodate new information, but it’s as if they’ve been Right All Along. As if this is the best strategy for maintaining our institutional trust. 

    • #19
  20. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    For the duration of this pandemic we have seen improvisation dressed up as strategy. We would’ve accepted shifting messages if they’d been honest about how they’d adapted and adopted to accommodate new information, but it’s as if they’ve been Right All Along. As if this is the best strategy for maintaining our institutional trust.

    There’s a ready opportunity for an update to Michael Kelly’s “I Believe” column waiting for some writer.  Ahem.

    • #20
  21. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    I think Biden is backed into a Coronavirus corner from which he cannot escape. The Democrats and the media have so successfully convinced the American public of the terrifying dangers of Covid, that Biden can never declare victory over the virus. If he does, millions of lefties will be up in arms over his endangering the public. Thus, the “revolution” against this scourge must continue in perpetuity, the same way that Castro had to continue his “revolution” into the 21st Century, even though he won the war 50 years earlier. Same phenomenon with Global Warming. The fight must continue no matter what the outcome, even if the World gets too cold. It is the fight and unwarranted panic that keeps leftists voting, not any demonstrably beneficial outcomes.

    That’s an interesting thought.  I’ve always figured that all the government would have to do was spend a month suggesting and the telling people that the pandemic is waning and success is being gauged in lives saved rather than lives lost (or some such) and people would be happy to go back to their normal lives.

    But you sound like you’re saying covid is more like a department or an entitlement or a bureaucracy, that once opened, it can’t be shut down.  That means that people would really rather maintain their secondary gains, as they’re called, then return to normal.

    • #21
  22. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    You people and your negativity … we have a National Gender Strategy.

    We have a National Gender Strategy!

    Does China have a National Gender Strategy? Does Iran? Does France?

    As you were.

    • #22
  23. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    I think Biden is backed into a Coronavirus corner from which he cannot escape. The Democrats and the media have so successfully convinced the American public of the terrifying dangers of Covid, that Biden can never declare victory over the virus. If he does, millions of lefties will be up in arms over his endangering the public. Thus, the “revolution” against this scourge must continue in perpetuity, the same way that Castro had to continue his “revolution” into the 21st Century, even though he won the war 50 years earlier. Same phenomenon with Global Warming. The fight must continue no matter what the outcome, even if the World gets too cold. It is the fight and unwarranted panic that keeps leftists voting, not any demonstrably beneficial outcomes.

    That’s an interesting thought. I’ve always figured that all the government would have to do was spend a month suggesting and the telling people that the pandemic is waning and success is being gauged in lives saved rather than lives lost (or some such) and people would be happy to go back to their normal lives.

    But you sound like you’re saying covid is more like a department or an entitlement or a bureaucracy, that once opened, it can’t be shut down. That means that people would really rather maintain their secondary gains, as they’re called, then return to normal.

    Yes!  I like your characterization in the part that I bolded.  I don’t think democrats can unravel themselves from the mess they’ve made.  I know too many democrats, even in my own family, that are permanently spooked by the hype of the pandemic, and they may or may not ever go back to their normal  way of life again.  For many people, the genie cannot be put back into the bottle.  Biden (and some democrat governors) simply can never claim an end to the pandemic because their base would cry bloody murder.  They must continue the “Revolucion!”

    • #23
  24. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    Percival (View Comment):

    You people and your negativity … we have a National Gender Strategy.

    We have a National Gender Strategy!

    Does China have a National Gender Strategy? Does Iran? Does France?

    As you were.

    This is absolutely nuts!  Are you sure that isn’t from the Babylon Bee?

    • #24
  25. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    You people and your negativity … we have a National Gender Strategy.

    We have a National Gender Strategy!

    Does China have a National Gender Strategy? Does Iran? Does France?

    As you were.

    This is absolutely nuts! Are you sure that isn’t from the Babylon Bee?

    Maybe she was hacked … durn kids.

    • #25
  26. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Or no fear. Biden has no fear at all.

    “No brain, no pain!”

    This is particularly appropriate.

    • #26
  27. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    I think Biden is backed into a Coronavirus corner from which he cannot escape. The Democrats and the media have so successfully convinced the American public of the terrifying dangers of Covid, that Biden can never declare victory over the virus. If he does, millions of lefties will be up in arms over his endangering the public. Thus, the “revolution” against this scourge must continue in perpetuity, the same way that Castro had to continue his “revolution” into the 21st Century, even though he won the war 50 years earlier. Same phenomenon with Global Warming. The fight must continue no matter what the outcome, even if the World gets too cold. It is the fight and unwarranted panic that keeps leftists voting, not any demonstrably beneficial outcomes.

    That’s an interesting thought. I’ve always figured that all the government would have to do was spend a month suggesting and the telling people that the pandemic is waning and success is being gauged in lives saved rather than lives lost (or some such) and people would be happy to go back to their normal lives.

    But you sound like you’re saying covid is more like a department or an entitlement or a bureaucracy, that once opened, it can’t be shut down. That means that people would really rather maintain their secondary gains, as they’re called, then return to normal.

    Yes! I like your characterization in the part that I bolded. I don’t think democrats can unravel themselves from the mess they’ve made. I know too many democrats, even in my own family, that are permanently spooked by the hype of the pandemic, and they may or may not ever go back to their normal way of life again. For many people, the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. Biden (and some democrat governors) simply can never claim an end to the pandemic because their base would cry bloody murder. They must continue the “Revolucion!”

    If this is so, you understand this a sickness, right?  :)

    • #27
  28. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

     

    • #28
  29. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    I think Biden is backed into a Coronavirus corner from which he cannot escape. The Democrats and the media have so successfully convinced the American public of the terrifying dangers of Covid, that Biden can never declare victory over the virus. If he does, millions of lefties will be up in arms over his endangering the public. Thus, the “revolution” against this scourge must continue in perpetuity, the same way that Castro had to continue his “revolution” into the 21st Century, even though he won the war 50 years earlier. Same phenomenon with Global Warming. The fight must continue no matter what the outcome, even if the World gets too cold. It is the fight and unwarranted panic that keeps leftists voting, not any demonstrably beneficial outcomes.

    That’s an interesting thought. I’ve always figured that all the government would have to do was spend a month suggesting and the telling people that the pandemic is waning and success is being gauged in lives saved rather than lives lost (or some such) and people would be happy to go back to their normal lives.

    But you sound like you’re saying covid is more like a department or an entitlement or a bureaucracy, that once opened, it can’t be shut down. That means that people would really rather maintain their secondary gains, as they’re called, then return to normal.

    Yes! I like your characterization in the part that I bolded. I don’t think democrats can unravel themselves from the mess they’ve made. I know too many democrats, even in my own family, that are permanently spooked by the hype of the pandemic, and they may or may not ever go back to their normal way of life again. For many people, the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. Biden (and some democrat governors) simply can never claim an end to the pandemic because their base would cry bloody murder. They must continue the “Revolucion!”

    If this is so, you understand this a sickness, right? :)

    Well, didn’t Michael Savage write a book called “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder?”

    • #29
  30. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Percival (View Comment):
    Maybe she was hacked … durn kids.

    We wish.

    • #30
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