Comments on: Shanghai: it’s a mad world

By: R2L

R2L — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 02:40:41 +0000

Many comments today imply a more ridged set of controls and restrictions are coming if the opportunity for authoritarians to scratch that particular itch arises.
Thus it behooves us to define and establish ahead of time just what controls and restrictions will be permitted for governments to employ, given different levels of emergency, for what duration, with what status reviews and assessments, how often, etc.? Just what “police powers” should government be granted in what situations? And how do we maintain a decent economy and define essential workers, plus retain something approximating a constitutional rule-of-law republic, etc. (hopefully with our recent poor experiences to guide us?)

Natural disasters, curfews, “shelter in place” orders for Boston terrorist situations, and pandemics of greater seriousness than Covid.
Say a Spanish flu squared or cubed, with no effective vaccine available at the outset. And when one is developed, if the need to stem the disease is great enough, do we settle for testing the vaccine on only 600 people to find that 6 died, rather than 60,000 and 38 died, or whatever, before authorizing manufacture and distribution? And what about mandating other non-vaccine solutions, such as ventilation and filtering upgrades, disinfectant lighting, PPE national reserve stores, haz mat suits for all, or ???

If this kind of thinking is being done in any government now, except possibly by DHS and/or FEMA, I am not aware of it — let alone generation of operational legislation. The FDA and CDC have not been exemplary examples lately either.

By: R2L

R2L — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 02:17:10 +0000

Dnaxy on April 12, 2022 at 12:43 am
I thought the anthropologists had pretty well established that many facial movements and other body signaling characteristics were pretty universal across mankind (smiles, frowns, head nodding, etc.)(along with “body signal studies”?).
Are you saying that there are also many culturally developed or defined actions that build on top of that foundation? Say especially in the area of establishing trust or identifying the presence or absence of trustworthiness?
Isn’t there a genetic (or inherent) component along with a cultural one?

By: Turtler

Turtler — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 15:49:09 +0000

Very shrewd statements and I largely agree. However, I think shadow’s point about getting “practicing for something else vibes” in particular is right on the money. This is not like much we have seen in human history, especially on this scale, and there is nothing good about that.

Anybody here think the like of Fauci, the Bidens, and Obama don’t want this exact kind of power to use on us?

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:19:48 +0000

“…but according to Tony Fauci there was quote ‘nothing wrong with the Chinese government lying about Covid.’”

The sub-text being—of course—that there was ‘nothing wrong with Anthony Fauci lying about Covid.’…

(The old “I did it to save countless lives” defense…and who knows? Il Fauci may even believe it, himself…)

By: PA+Cat

PA+Cat — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:13:40 +0000

physicsguy– True dat: https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/march-consumer-price-index-inflation

I wonder how much Hunter pays for JoJo’s pudding cups these days, given that he’s been covering the Big Guy’s housing expenses for years.

By: physicsguy

physicsguy — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 13:49:16 +0000

PA+Cat, thanks, but I watched it live last night. Powerful stuff that seems to be ignored. But I also understand that with the news breaking about inflation at 41 year high, that’s going to dominate today.

By: PA+Cat

PA+Cat — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 13:33:48 +0000

physicsguy– Here is a link to Tucker’s video from last night at RealClearPolitics: You can read the full text as well as watch the video.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/04/11/tucker_carlson_shanghais_covid_zero_lockdown_is_a_sample_of_the_repression_covid_has_made_possible.html

Notice the reference to Tony Fauci: “Is the U.S. Government threatening sanctions against China for building the world’s largest prison camp? Of course not. Effectively our leaders are defending what China is doing. Here is Tony Fauci admitting on camera he will never criticize the Chinese government. . . . Yeah, so [the Chinese] lied about an international pandemic that they clearly had a hand in creating, but according to Tony Fauci there was quote ‘nothing wrong with the Chinese government lying about Covid.’ . . . . We’re just beginning to see the outline of the repression that Covid has made possible. And if you want to see what the future looks like, look at China and shiver.”

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 13:28:52 +0000

At least some popular support is necessary, unless massive, potentially violent government control is to be used. Even then….
Recently had a social event with two friends of advanced positions in STEM /medicine. My conclusion was that severity and rigor are inevitably effective, and no data on actual results are relevant. And the more severe, the better the results, if only better than what might have been without the severity.
Although I’ve never tasted either, I suspect that the beneficial effects of cod liver oil or castor oil for children would not have been so widely accepted had they tasted like honey. Metaphor alert.
Those who like to make people do stupid stuff find anxious subjects.
Necessary government control is more or less, depending on the distribution of the attitudes cited in earlier paragraphs.

By: Barry Meislin

Barry Meislin — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 12:47:50 +0000

Hmmm, maybe, given the current deficit, China could use a rather hefty non-repayable loan….

‘European Companies Plead China To Revise “COVID Zero” As Beijing Vows Stronger Policies To Reverse Economic Collapse’—
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/european-companies-plead-china-revise-covid-zero-beijing-vows-stronger-policies-reverse

(“Hostage” can be a very addictive game, it seems.)

By: physicsguy

physicsguy — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 12:36:54 +0000

Interesting observations this morning: except for a small sidebar link that usually goes to Tucker’s monologue, there’s no mention of Shanghai on the Fox news site, same on Townhall. Whatfinger has a prominent link to Tucker’s monologue. Yet, CNN has a story near the top of its page. Nothing at all on MSNBC. Same at ABC, CBS. NBC has a small story about US telling Shanghai consulate employees to leave due to outbreak, same at the NYT. The Daily Mail has a story about Tucker’s monologue but you have to scroll a long way down past the fashion review at the CMTs to reach it.

So, really except for Tucker, Xi committing a crime against 25 million people, effectively starving them to “save them”, is a non-story for much of the west.