As novelist Lionel Shriver writes, “We’ve never before responded to a contagion by closing down whole countries.” The 1957-58 Asian flu killed between 70,000 and 116,000 Americans, between 0.04 percent and 0.07 percent of the nation’s population. The 1968-70 Hong Kong flu killed about 100,000, 0.05 percent of the population.

The US coronavirus death toll of 186,000 is about 0.055 percent of the current population. It will go higher, but it’s about the same magnitude as those other two flus, and it has been less deadly to those under 65 than those flus were. Yet there were no statewide lockdowns; no massive school closings; no closings of office buildings and factories, restaurants and museums. No one considered shutting down the Woodstock. Music Festival in 1969 (lol).

I fear we, as a nation, have become afraid of risk. Newsflash-life is risk, and all success in life involves overcoming fear and taking risks. That is why most of us have come to rely on a Higher Power to navigate life’s uncertainties, but certainly not reliance on the government.

Children aren’t allowed to walk to school; jungle gyms have vanished from playgrounds; college students are shielded from microaggressions! Another Newsflash–Life is a macro aggression!

The exaggerated projections of some epidemiologists, with a professional interest in forecasting pandemics, triggered demands that governments act.

The fear that hospitals would be overwhelmed apparently explain the (in retrospect, deadly) orders of the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan requiring elderly care facilities to admit COVID-infected patients.

BUT HERE IS WHAT EVERY LOCKDOWN proponent seems to be forgetting—-the original purpose of the lockdowns was to “flatten the curve” so the hospitals would not get overwhelmed. We overcame that threshhold months ago!

Now some tyrannical leaders continue their restrictions in order to “stamp out the virus” or wait for a vaccine.

Hey Government officials: That was not the deal. We went along with you initially because we bought your hospital spiel.

Do not move the goalposts in the middle of the game.

To justify their continued tyranny they now use shame, fear and intimidation. Examples include shaming beachgoers, though outdoor virus spread is minimal; Scaring parents by extending school shutdowns, though few children get or transmit the infection; losing down gardening aisles in superstores (what is that about?); Barring church services, while blessing crowded demonstrations and riots for politically favored causes.

But for millions, the economic damage has been of Great Depression proportions. Restaurants and small businesses have been closed forever, even before the last three months of urban rioting. Losses have been concentrated on those with low income and little wealth, while lockdowns have added tens of billions to the net worth of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

Sheepdogs:

It’s time to re-assert control over our Ranch.

Every individual can do their own small part:

Go out to eat to support your local business family and enter the establishment and everywhere else you go, proudly wearing your Trump 2020 mask (before you take it off to eat).

Talk to your neighbors, co-workers and anyone else you can about FREEDOM and the power of the individual, rejecting collective guilt and the power of the state.

And be sure as heck to do everything you can to support the re-election of Donald J. Trump!