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It is obvious now that if totalitarianism is to be imposed on a modern country, the easiest route is via scientific authority coupled with technological tools.

It is obvious now that if totalitarianism is to be imposed on a modern country, the easiest route is via scientific authority coupled with technological tools. In the US, the constitution (such as it is) was voided and very few people objected. (This is an objective fact, not a value judgement. I am as confused and concerned as the next person.) That does not mean that the current situation is an attempt to impose a totalitarian system, but it does give me pause.

chrisco255 6y ago
An indefinite state of emergency is an indefinite state of tyranny. I don't like any of this one bit. The arbitrariness of the Covid restrictions, quarantining the healthy, the symptomless, and the young, who show extremely low levels of susceptibility...is crazy. We've never approached a pandemic in this way in human history. Even during Spanish flu, which was several orders of magnitude more deadly than Covid, there was a few weeks of shutdown in a handful of cities and mask wearing mandated in a handful of cities for a few weeks at most. In my particular state, Texas, 3300 have died from Covid. 6 months into the pandemic. Population 27 million. In 2018 we lost over 10,000 to the common flu. At this pace Covid will have fewer deaths than the flu in 2018. I think they've turned the entire planet into a TSA checkpoint. Asinine process, arbitrary rules, shutting down businesses who have no legal recourse, forcing compliance and huge fines for not doing so. This is all too much. An individual has the sovereignty to assess their own risks. Give people information, but let them make their own choices. I have yet to hear when these arbitrary draconian policies will be rolled back. The disease may be with us forever. Somehow our ancestors went through Spanish flu, tuberculosis, polio, and smallpox without these sweeping policies. It's quite maddening.
- donclark 6y ago
  How many of people contracted Covid-19 and will have health issues for the rest of their lives? How does that compare to the flu?
  - recursivedoubts 6y ago
    How many of people have lost their jobs, begun using drugs, or suffered permanent psychological damage and will have health issues for the rest of their lives? How does that compare to the benefits of the lock down? It's a very difficult situation to understand.
    - donclark 6y ago
      Agreed. It is a difficult situation to understand. And I think we are still in the early stages of learning about the virus, what it does to various human bodies, ages, etc - and more importantly - that we should not roll back the lockdown until we think its safe to do so no?
      - recursivedoubts 6y ago
        I don't know.
- hellisothers 6y ago
  > “3300 have died from Covid. 6 months into the pandemic. Population 27 million. In 2018 we lost over 10,000 to the common flu. At this pace Covid will have fewer deaths than the flu in 2018.” This statistic is mentioned often and the generally accepted response is that _only_ 3000 people have died because of Covid precisely because of all the intense measures we’ve taken none of which are taken for normal flus. If we treated Covid like a normal flu the number of deaths would go (way) up

chrisco255 6y ago

An indefinite state of emergency is an indefinite state of tyranny. I don't like any of this one bit. The arbitrariness of the Covid restrictions, quarantining the healthy, the symptomless, and the young, who show extremely low levels of susceptibility...is crazy. We've never approached a pandemic in this way in human history. Even during Spanish flu, which was several orders of magnitude more deadly than Covid, there was a few weeks of shutdown in a handful of cities and mask wearing mandated in a handful of cities for a few weeks at most. In my particular state, Texas, 3300 have died from Covid. 6 months into the pandemic. Population 27 million. In 2018 we lost over 10,000 to the common flu. At this pace Covid will have fewer deaths than the flu in 2018. I think they've turned the entire planet into a TSA checkpoint. Asinine process, arbitrary rules, shutting down businesses who have no legal recourse, forcing compliance and huge fines for not doing so. This is all too much. An individual has the sovereignty to assess their own risks. Give people information, but let them make their own choices. I have yet to hear when these arbitrary draconian policies will be rolled back. The disease may be with us forever. Somehow our ancestors went through Spanish flu, tuberculosis, polio, and smallpox without these sweeping policies. It's quite maddening.

donclark 6y ago
How many of people contracted Covid-19 and will have health issues for the rest of their lives? How does that compare to the flu?
- recursivedoubts 6y ago
  How many of people have lost their jobs, begun using drugs, or suffered permanent psychological damage and will have health issues for the rest of their lives? How does that compare to the benefits of the lock down? It's a very difficult situation to understand.
  - donclark 6y ago
    Agreed. It is a difficult situation to understand. And I think we are still in the early stages of learning about the virus, what it does to various human bodies, ages, etc - and more importantly - that we should not roll back the lockdown until we think its safe to do so no?
    - recursivedoubts 6y ago
      I don't know.
hellisothers 6y ago
> “3300 have died from Covid. 6 months into the pandemic. Population 27 million. In 2018 we lost over 10,000 to the common flu. At this pace Covid will have fewer deaths than the flu in 2018.” This statistic is mentioned often and the generally accepted response is that _only_ 3000 people have died because of Covid precisely because of all the intense measures we’ve taken none of which are taken for normal flus. If we treated Covid like a normal flu the number of deaths would go (way) up