I’ve long been unhappy with the way COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu of 1918 have been compared. Obviously it is a short hand way to compare quarantine and stay at home measures of today with 1918, as opposed to the lethal nature of the sickness. For the record, the Spanish Flu was a far more terrifying and deadly disease than the Coronavirus.
On the subject of quarantine though, there are reasonable comparisons but only to an extent. While the Spanish Flu shut down many places, it did not cause the same crippling economic impact that we are seeing from Coronavirus. You see folks, there was a little thing called The Great War which was just wrapping up.
The United States had gone onto a total war economy footing soon after getting fed up with unrestricted submarine warfare killing our neutral sailors and sinking our neutral shipping. That means the entire economy from agriculture to manufacturing was geared towards exactly one thing – and that thing was war.
Because the United States was almost totally untouched by the war in Europe, we had a massive advantage in manufacturing and food producing capabilities. As a food-exporting nation, we were in a prime position to not only feed our population and our army, but to also prop up our allies who had already tended to import food from us. The demands of war only made US food and manufacturing exports that much more crucial.
To say there were labor shortages would be an understatement. As in WWII, the First World War saw extensive use of women, children, and teenagers in various industries including agriculture in order to boost the work force. Early tractors and other mechanized improvements helped ease the strain on farmers, but total war meant total employment and then some.
Things were so dire on some labor fronts that the US Army even organized draftees and volunteers with logging experience into the Spruce Production Division in order to ensure a steady stream of that crucial airplane wood.
The point here is that at the dawn of the Spanish Flu, the US economy – much like it was in 2019 and early 2020 was booming at an insane pace.
That’s about where the similarities end.
A Much Slower Spread
Across the nation, cities enacted various quarantine orders. Because travel was slow, some places like Seattle had literally weeks to prepare before the flu showed up. Philadelphia, which was the epicenter of the flu in the US suffered massive casualties due to poor planning, poor living conditions and poor response to the spread of the flu. By the time it got to Seattle, the city fathers were ready. Much like today, various gatherings were banned and businesses closed. Then as now “essential” business stayed open. However, we are constantly pointed to 1918 as both an example and a justification for similar behaviors today, and to somehow draw some sort of moral courage from the sacrifices and actions of our ancestors.
That’s a load of Bravo Sierra.
In 1918, you couldn’t shut down the economy. We had a literal world war to fight and shutting down almost anything was a sure fire way to ruin the production of crucial war materials that were busy propping up the allied nations and our own homefront.
Fortunately the war came to a screeching halt on November 11, 1918. But while influenza-related quarantine actions were still in effect across the nation, the economy still didn’t come to a halt. Many laborers in the west worked seasonal jobs and had put together their “winter stake” during the harvest season. Logging was closing down for the winter anyway, and demobilization takes a long time. Rather than a shutdown, the economy started to slowdown to meet the new needs of a world at peace – but also a world that needed rebuilding. It is true we had a recession 1919-20, but that is a typical post war downturn rather than pandemic related.
The Spanish flu largely burned itself out over the winter and early spring of 1918-19. It is absolutely true that quarantine efforts played an important role in reducing the spread of the disease and saving lives. It is also absolutely true that COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu have nowhere near similar death rates or potential for deaths.
So while pundits are pointing to the Spanish Flu in a desperate attempt to justify not only shutting down an entire nation, but justifying enormously gross abuses of our civil liberties, they are failing. Here is a handy checklist why:
• The sale of “non essential goods” continued in 1918. If you wanted a book, garden seeds, or a firearm in 1918, by golly you could still buy a book, garden seeds, or a firearm. Often in the same store and with no government oversight, to boot.
• The economic realities between 1918 and 2020 are not at all alike. We do not have a war or a battle torn Europe to rebuild when this is over. We have shut down untold numbers of businesses and there is no clear pathway to restarting the economy.
• The employment situation is different too. In 1918, shutdowns didn’t increase unemployment to dangerous levels. In fact, most places couldn’t be shut down.
• We live better, healthier lives. The Spanish Flu swept through buildings and neighborhoods that would be considered uninhabitable today. We have better sanitation, better understanding of disease control, and better ways to stop the spread of germs.
• The world was less globalized. The United States produced all we needed for ourselves, and exported food, raw materials and finished goods. Today, we import many of our raw materials and finished goods. We cannot simply stand up, dust off our boots and get back to work.
• Things literally moved slower. Communication and travel were vastly slower. Diseases could be more easily contained, and communities were often more insular and more self sufficient. More importantly many places had weeks and months to prepare for the onslaught of a disease they knew was coming.
Censorship, For Both
We can note one big thing that 1918 and 2020 have in common – the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 were both heavily censored. Because warring nations heavily controlled negative or bad news in their various presses, it took neutral Spain to really break the reality of the “Spanish” Flu, which may have actually originated in the US or Europe. Compare to China’s heavy-handed censorship and propaganda campaigns around COVID-19.
In 1918 you couldn’t shut down an economy for the Spanish Flu because there was a war, and the more seasonal nature of many jobs reduced the impact of post Armistice shutdowns or slowdowns. Combined with the fact there was still a need to export goods and material to war-torn Europe, and by the time the flu ran its course, we only had a post-war recession to deal with.
In 2020 we have shut down the greatest economy the world has ever seen in history, and it simply will not kickstart back to life. Businesses have closed for good, savings have been wiped out, supply chains disrupted, inventories of goods and materials have vanished, and the United States is sitting idle at the start of spring when many industries and businesses start ramping up for the year.
The only thing 1918 and 2020 have in common are the stupid masks we have to wear in public. And they looked cooler in 1918. Oh I take that back. Wartime assaults on civil liberties look pretty familiar too. The only question –both now and then– is how many of those rights are we getting back, and how many governments are going to fight to keep the infringements they have put into place?
About the Author: Steve Coffman is a consulting historian presently researching the dark history of the Washington State Secret Service, and their concerted assault on civil rights in Washington State 1917-1919. He can be reached at kf7mjf@gmail.com
I agree with your general point about the liberties. Your reasons we entered into WW1 are wrong.
But you are correct about America and Americans being different then.
Pre WW1 Americans were the last truly freeborn full generation. And they were the ones who set in play the means and ideas which have born us into this message we are in now.
That is one of the differences.
Of course back then the were more familiar with death too because well more of them died on a regular basis.
There are a huge number of reasons that the US entered WWI. I summarized the official version, because anything else would distract from the main point of the article. There are too many purported reasons both then and now that may or may not hold up to scrutiny and again, distract from the primary point of the article.
Didn’t post to criticize. But as a fellow amateur historian felt the need to point out the high school history version was glaringly incorrect while I was making the point of my reply
The official reasons for war referenced among other things, unrestricted submarine warfare and the sinking of US vessels. That is of sufficiently high standard of proof to cite in this case. Any purported reasons outside of the ones Congress acted on in their declaration take away from what I wrote and are best examined and spoken of within a proper context.
I appreciate the input, but I carefully chose my words to be consistent with the congressional declaration of war.
my grandpa often talked about the 1918 flu it almost killed him and his entire family it did take his father and sister though.
And thus far it’s following the same pattern so it is right to compare the two they have many similarities.
Originated in China (yup Spanish flu was Chinese)
Same symptoms
Both were new
Both were mild when first introduced.
As a matter of fact I’d reckon that the h1n1 flu (Spanish flu) and its historical models are the reason for everything that was done during this outbreak of covid.
And for the record the death toll of the h1n1 Spanish flu was under 700 thousand officially that is. So call it double that and you’ve 1 million and change. Which isn’t enough to shut down America for even translated in to today’s numbers
But
There isn’t an elected official who can do nothing and tell that truth “yup alot of people are gonna die but America will get by with very little problems so we aren’t gonna do anything about it”
Because well they would have thier life ruined for it. I mean look at our reaction to 9-11…. Oh ok terrorists you kill a couple thousand of us well since you hate us and want to kill us we are going to hit back. And we did. And we currently have the same number of dead soldiers (slightly more) from Iraq and Afghanistan war…. Not to mention the life altering scars on the living ones.
Matter of fact let’s talk dead americans here…
Out side of world war 2 and the American civil war we right now have more dead americans in a time frame of weeks than any other single war… And much more than some wars put together (but only little wars like Vietnam and the middle East wars you know Iraq and Iran)
Look into extremely high doses of Vitamin-C to help combat / cure this.
Liposomal C absorbs at a much higher rate than “normal” C does.
Your body rejects vitamin C in oral doses over approximately 1000mg (loose stool,etc),to get therapupitic doses (3,000-5,000mg) IV are the preferred method. This is safe and effective with 100+ years of experience. This is also why it it being suppressed (hospital in Michigan was raided and shutdown for providing this safe,effective and inexpensive treatment). Cannot have safe,effective,inexpensive treatments upsetting the PLANDEMIC.
NO ONE got everything right during this on any side.
Pointing fingers at mirrors, rocks in glass houses and all that
The service sector was about a quarter of the economy a century ago, now it’s over 3/4.
And this shutdown was a direct hit to exactly that sector. My daughter in law, both working age grand daughters, and 1 niece are out of work. Son is on reduced hours. One person lost a restaurant manager job and switched to a tool wholesaler job. One grandson is in the Marines and another works with me in construction. So about 1/3 of the people close to me are out of work, and others have changed jobs or had work slowdowns. My Army Reserve unit won’t be drilling for at least 3 months.
If we were all small farmers, we wouldn’t even notice.
I have a question about comparing Covid19 with other flu pandemics. Some say there is little difference between all the outbreaks, so Covid19 should not be treated as a big deal other than taking reasonable precautions. But don’t the rapid number of deaths due to Covid 19 in 6-8 weeks dramatically greater than other full outbreaks that moved slower over a longer period of time? Did other flu pandemics kill as many people in such a short time as the current Covid19? Doesn’t that make Covid 19 more dangerous than other flu’s? Help me understand if there is a flaw in my thinking.
Right now there are two prominent views;
The this is nothing but hype crowd
And
The this is the Stephen King flue it’s the apocalypse crowd.
As always the truth is in-between.
In my opinion this is a situation that needs \ needed this response
Proper PPE
Isolation and quarintine of the affected areas
Cool tempered level headed response.
Acceptance that “this is life and no one gets out of this alive” ( Memento Mori )
The problem is we live in America where the culture has created “300 billion centers of the universe” so the thought that these sheltered individuals can will and do die to forces greater than them terrifies … So they grasp for anything they can. And they lack the common sense to even wear PPE properly or behave in any manner of appropriate.
I wish this article and other commentators would quit referring to Covid-19 as any kind of “flu”. It’s a completely different family of disease. It does not have similar symptoms, except in such general terms that would apply to almost any infectious disease with respiratory transmission, or that apply to any pandemic where the population has little or no immunity and treatment is largely ineffective. I’m surprised the physicians you count as contributors and readers are letting you get away with this.
I wish people would quit saying this is not the flu. Flu numbers include influenza and influenza like illnesses (ILI) which present symptoms similar to flu but are not the flu or are never identified. Most “flu” deaths are never tested or identified as a particular flu strain. Many ILIs are in fact coronaviruses and many are deadly to elderly populations.
Coronaviruses have been around and counted with flu forever.
I used the term “Wu Flu” as a commentary on where the disease originated, not to actually call it a flu. The term Wu Flu is in common use as commentary on where it came from, not what it is.
Most of the people who have perished to COVID-19 have been lost in a relatively short period of time — just a few weeks. Among other worries that surround SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19, this is a source of serious concern. It’s an important point.
As restrictions ease, it’s very possible that we’ll see the number of cases increase (or spike) once again.
While we await the arrival of the medical cavalry (therapeutics, preventatives), widely used PPE (even universally used PPE) remains key to reducing the spread for those people who cannot fully self-isolate. Unfortunately, this is not widely available for those who don’t already have it on hand. Hopefully this will change quickly.
This is a deadly bug. Please be very, very careful — for yourselves, and for others.
Remain steady. Be safe. Stay well everyone!
It’s the Kung Flu
It’s not the flu
Fighting a WW did effect the plan of action to fight the Spanish Flu.
Our founding fathers fought the Revolution in the middle of a small pox pandemic.
I agree that people were more used to hardship and a hard physical existence back then.
Grit was evident in our God given DNA. I believe grit is still in us, it just needs to be activated.
Well said. As a grumpy man approaching “geezerhood” I often listen to complaints about millennials and even criticize them myself at times. But when I look at them honestly I strongly feel most need to just be “activated”. Those that are are quite impressive IMO and many of the rest are hungry for us old farts to guide them a little and give them the green light to prosper.
The millennials looking for “safe spaces” are just a loud minority IMO.
Well said!
“The millennials looking for “safe spaces” are just a loud minority IMO.”
Hey JBH, I couldn’t agree with you more and you can drop the “IMO” off that, it’s a certainty. The oldest Millennials are going to turn 40 next year. When I look at my kids, their friends, and my younger neighbors, all are hardworking, successful, decent, contributing members of society. They’ve definitely gotten a bad rap as a generation. Most of today’s college kids and snowflakes are actually Generation Z, born 1997 and later.
The younger Generation bad rap has a 5000 year old Tradition, proof me that it´s more than they´ve the Audacity to do Things different than the older and want different Things combined with the inability to accept that the world changed?
Very true and there is also an other element.
The young people do bring about some change. They also revive stupid ideas that their ancestors developed, tried and rejected. But once again when older people watch younger people, to a large extent they are just watching themselves when they were young.
Outside of technology there is not much new under the sun. And even much technology is based on old ideas. A lot of the math underpinning a lot of technology is quite old and was just waiting for the hardware to implement it.
Good, really new ideas are actually quite rare IMO. And society will cycle through and reject many bad ones to find the rare good one. In this I am influenced by the works of Nissam Taleb.
True hasn´t changed for Millennia, truth we made the same Things as Young People today only in a different Fashion if we were able to do so and now many of us accuse them of doing the same.
A bit hypocritical if you ask me and if somebody wasn´t able to do so, sorry nonetheless it gives him exactly Zero moral high Ground.
True is also they revived or invented ideas and technology their ancestors didn´t execute because their time wasn´t Right, become Right again or their ancestors weren´t capable to execute for lack/different set of Knowledge, skill, Technology, Imagination, Resources or ethics and Backbone – Character.
Oh, JBH, you havesome bigtime insight.
“But when I look at them honestly I strongly feel most need to just be “activated”. Those that are are quite impressive IMO and many of the rest are hungry for us old farts to guide them a little and give them the green light to prosper.”
So many of the 20-40 crowd I know are splendid human beings who seek guidance. I give when asked.
Carry on, in grace
I think its too early to compare the Spanish Flu with Covid 19 with any degree of certainty.
Tennessee recently tested the 2400 odd inmates at one of their prisons, and found more than 50% tested positive for Covid, but 98% of the positive reported no symptoms.
Actually at this point comparing it to the h1n1 of 1918 is quite appropriate.
If you check this wikipedia posting and co to mortality it shows the whole thing including its very much feeble beginnings
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu
This should link straight to the chart….
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1918_spanish_flu_waves.gif
And a nice take away from this is to remember that the “Spanish flu” and that “swine flu” are indeed the same flu h1n1 and that we have Infact continued to function as a society with it out and about.
Wikipedia? is no better than Snopes. Total liberal propaganda. If we all believed that rubbish we’d be in real trouble.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I used the first result to pop up if it was searched for. I of course vetted the facts that were presented as applicable to my statement.
I provided the link to spoon feed the people who were in able or unwilling to google it them selves.
I’m guessing you did in fact not as your posted reply is limited to “wikipedia sucks brah” but I would be more than happy to list other sites an sources if a full list is required but just adding the phrases “death” “toll” “1918” and “first wave” should let you just keep predictive selecting as normal .
Hi Patti,
Compare Wikipedia and Infogalactic on the same subject. If not a highly politicized subject, both are usually the same or very close.
I usually take Wiki with a grain of salt and make comparisons with other sites where it seems appropriate.
Thank you Charles. I appreciate your input. My experience with Wikipedia has for the most part been full of censorship and blatant fake info. You have to dig deep these days to find answers and then still be skeptical.
Charles K.
You write about “what is truth” on my comment, but you cite “Wikipedia” as subject matter source.
“Wikipedia” is not a recognized reliable source by anyone.
Prison populations tend to be fairly healthy young to middle aged adults. The Co-morbidities of obesity, Diabetes, old age and heart/lung issues are generally not a prison population issue. I notice the Prison STAFF that have suffered from COVID19 the most WERE involved with these Co-morbidities.
Sounds like someone would like to reactivate the Anti-Mask League.
This country has gotten soft, and many of the “slippery slopers” who must bravely face minor inconveniences such as wearing a mask while out and not being able to go to the beach when they want continually make the ridiculous comparison that “this is just like what the Jews had to go through during WWII, with the yellow stars and armbands” – my Grandparents survived the camps, and I can assure you that comparison is invalid.
Anyone who thinks masks are completely ineffective is ignorant and/or misinformed.
DW and I have had IT ,,want to say not as bad as some other bugs we have had in some ways , but effects last longer and hit harder ,worst for me ,tired ,problems with feet ,wanted to sleep ,DW was off her game for a while ,next ranch over had it ,brought it down from Kirkland (DD worked in care center) they took it to church and spread it. Our little village. (years ago I would ride my horse to the PO) had a out break shortly there after ,in farness that was in January before we knew much about it ,he was quite sick ,she though it was just a cold at first, all this was before testing was available, My concern is that it can come back again and again like a cold ,when we went out we wore masks ,stayed home five weeks , we are planing on as few trips out as possible the rest of the year ,the five weeks was no hardship we routinely only hit the stores in town every 3 To 6 months biggest reason to leave is get mail at the PO ,(we have no rural mail delivery) or parts for tractors and hay equipment,UPS and FEDX have a drop spot at the ranch gate but won’t come on up to the house ,
Bottom line this different than the flu but for the most part do’able there are things you can do ,
I have posted about that in the recent past ,vitamin D, ELDERBERRY,etc ,Ivermectin
Tea and blueberries
I have a box of letters written between my grandfather and grandmother in 1918 before they were married. He was at sea, and my grandmother was finishing her high school education in a small, rural town in the US. Each week she lists 4-5 names of people she knew, who died in her small town that week. It is very interesting to read of the impact of those deaths. Families mourning for children, families left wondering how to provide for themselves without Dad or Mom. Very interesting from a historial perspective.
Those would be so cool to see. So much social history relies on material like that to tell a more complete story of individuals and communities
There is a massive divide between those who want to re-open their states and those who want to continue the lockdown. In determining who is right, we should know by mid-June because the number of deaths will tell the tale and provide the answer.
For the future, people will have learned nothing or probably take away the wrong lessons regarding the need for preparedness because nothing much is missing from their daily lives–except jobs. Other than toilet paper and paper towels, just about everything else is on the store shelves, or at least a reasonable substitute for it is.
In supermarkets right now, if an employee tells a manager that customers have no bread, the manager can respond, “Let them eat cake. Duncan HInes and Betty Crocker, Aisle 4.” 🙂
One take away from this is that “the supply chain” and “the grid” and our “way of life” have proven to be much more resilient than was feared.
In short it will become Orwell, not Mad Max.
Perhaps those who are new to preparedness should buy 1 shotgun 1 .22 and about 100 Rds. And sink the rest into garden canning and solar power to reduce life’s cost and get through “grid up” emergency.
Which honestly would eventually allow the general public to look more favorable upon being a “prepper”
If you follow my logic?
Excellent points re: the food chain & Orwell vs Mad Max. The supply chain held up remarkably well considering. And the gov overreach in some states has been disgusting. Good luck reining in that power when this is over….
I’m seeing cracks in the supply chain. I’d like to buy another freezer but I read they are sold out all over. I need to put up a shed to make space for the freezer, but the freezer may not be available when I’m ready. I wanted to buy a cement mixer this summer for the shed floor, picked out my model but its sold out across the country. I ordered a more expensive one today before they are all gone. Supplies of some drugs are running low. We would be doing more coronavirus tests but the labs can’t get enough of the chemicals or the swabs. The common theme is that the complete item or subcomponents to make more are manufactured in other countries and production has stopped. I’m going through my planning to buy this item in the future for a project or preparedness list and moving up purchases in case there are production interruptions.
500+ people out of work for every death (even when they count car accidents,shootings and suicides as “flu” deaths),the toll from the “lockdown” will far exceed illness. Should make “wooly” masks for the sheeple.
Steven,
For the record the Spanish Flu didn’t become deadly until the second wave in the Fall of 1918. We’re currently only in the first wave of Covid-19. So, only God knows if the second wave will be more deadly or just a nuisance. I guess we will know in a few years when we look back and examine it in the lens of history.
That depends on who writes the history and what their agenda is. Color me very skeptical that the actual truth will ever come out. Who do you trust?
The truth is you make absolutely no sense!!!!
Watch MED CRAM Coronavirus updates 63 through 66 this week.
Doctors are finding this SARS-COV2 virus damages lots of things, but evidently shreds the cells lining your arteries and causes blockages. Lots of them.
Death by blocked blood vessels. Not just the flu, although the well documented lung damages and loss of oxygenation are part of the picture.
The numbers released by States and nations are skewed and unreliable IMHO. COVID deaths are a reality, I am not saying nobody is dying from COVID-19. However statistically it is inconceivable that COVID claimed every life In Italy in March and April and Influenza claimed none. It is also also well nigh impossible that NYC has thousands of COVID deaths and ZERO Influenza deaths.
My very light research into the matter indicates that there is no proof required to claim Cause of Death in most cases. Italy recorded every Death that might be COVID (either by testing positive or Doctor thought symptoms seemed close to COVID) regardless of what finally sent their Soul to it’s reward.
Germany on the other hand looks splendid on paper though they share a border and have a fairly similar population (albeit with better sanitation in some area) and shows very few COVID Deaths as a proportion of population. Overall Morbidity numbers are very similar percentage wise compared with previous years. Germany does not call it COVID death if they have diabetes, cancer, heart attack etc;.
https://www.ceicdata.com/en/germany/population/population-number-of-deaths
939K plus died of 83 million or 11.3/1000
https://www.statista.com/statistics/568024/death-rate-in-italy/
10.7/1000 in population of 60.36 million or 642K died last year
The Overall Morbidity for both Countries is similar to the last few years, Italy is classifying more COVID deaths and Germany is classifying more influenza and Pneumonia deaths. The percentages have not shifted much at all.
I understand that there could well be more problems with this disease down the road. My Family is Social Distancing and ‘hunkered down’ for the most part. I do think we need to take a step back and look at the numbers presented and ask why they are skewed this way? What is to gain from causing Fear in people and Who is to gain from the Fear?
Let us not fall prey to being driven by the smoke of imagined fires into the waiting hands of those who are trying to do us harm.
God Bless and Keep you,
The Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic was quickly changed to Covid 19. It’s reasonable to believe, someone on Communist China’s payroll made the ‘name change’ to hide China’s culpability.
……… It’s possible to see videos of people being attacked as ‘racists’ for referring to China, when talking about the ‘Wuhan Coronavirus’ and China. [This includes President Trump being ‘called out’ for using ‘racist language’ by referring to >>China!] US Senator Tom Cotton is being lambasted for just being >honest.
All over the world countries have engaged in restrictions because of the Wuhan Coronavirus. … Either it’s a big duplicitous hoax for Global Control, an enormous mistake, or a number of authorities were afraid, >The Wuhan Coronavirus escaped from a Biological >>Weapons Laboratory in China.
……. In fact many sources claim the leak of the ‘Covid 19′ came from a Biological Weapons Laboratory in Wuhan China. [Are you prepared?]
The Democrats have shutdown local economies all over America. … There seems to be a >political agenda to blame Trump in 2020 for everything, while destroying the American economy now. … We see the Agenda currently in action, when the typical suspects say, ~’China handled the Covid 19 problem quickly. ~ It’s the Orange Man, that’s responsible for all the problems is the USA.’
******************
******************
Freedom is being destroyed in America; even freedom of speech, and freedom of religion is being taken away.
Was the Wuhan Coronavirus an accidental leak, or intentional. …. Maybe, it’s just an evolutionary quirk, that suddenly appeared (at an amazingly coincidental time). …. Maybe, too ~ it’s part of the Wrath of God for our times, as a warning to all of us.
Whatever your beliefs, the Wuhan Coronavirus has provided a good test of your preps. ….. For the ‘new’ preppers, check out the good advertisers here on Survivalblog; good prices and good quality. Read the past articles and comments, for good advice.
Yes, we know there are >new preppers. The sale of guns to >first time gun-buyers has skyrocketed. … [Of course, the >conspiracy theorists would say, “People are buying guns, because all the Politicians (in cahoots with the Globalists) are letting a lot of criminals out of >jail. (For the safety of the criminals: not the rest of us.) …The Democrat politicians want to take away all of our guns.] ……. Check out the Ad for the Elk Creek Gun Company on this page.
FYI: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/Provisional-Death-Counts-COVID-19-Pneumonia-and-Influenza.pdf
It looks like, from this CDC chart, that if you remove the influenza and pneumonia deaths, the COVID deaths are between 11-12,000 rather than 50-60,000. There are other charts out there, if anyone wants to dig deep. I was interested because there have been news articles where coroners, who I assume must certify cause of death, were questioning the attribution of so many deaths to COVID-19.
Something to think about.
Here is something to chew on for those who dismiss the deaths from the Chinese virus as involving “people who would soon be dead anyway.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8249077/Coronavirus-killing-victims-13-YEARS-died-naturally-study-finds.html
I would to throw a question out there regarding our “recovery” from this national shelter in home and closure of nonessential businesses. Most middle class families/ individuals live paycheck to paycheck for the most part, the poor and unemployed receive assistance. Our country has been down for two months. As I understand it 50 to 60% of businesses are owned by sole proprietorship, operating on a low or moderate profit margin. According to the news, most have not been able to obtain or don’t qualify for the Federal business loans, therefore they will be forced to close their doors or are required to operate at a dramatically reduced customer capacity making the business unprofitable resulting in going out of business anyway. The middle class will be 2 months without an income so they’re in the hole which they may not recover from. If many businesses close, many of the previous employees will have no job to return to, if a business is able to open, who will have any money to spend at their establishment? Many people state they’re afraid to go out to any business until there is a vaccine. That’s maybe a year away and of course no guarantee. So, will there be civil unrest, increased crime, riots? Desperate people do desperate things and there’s always a group that will use any excuse just to create hell. Most states will be of no help, they’re bankrupt or close to it, the congress have already sunk us into tremendous debt to assist in this pandemic added to the 22 trillion already. Our great grandkids and their kids will be paying for this debt. The cure is definitely worse than the cause. Let’s not forget the political divide our country is in since Trump was elected. Will it be the blue against the gray again? When you try to kick GOD out of your country, add political correctness and half of our population wants socialism, ignore the constitution and our bills of rights, who or what will we become? Is this truly “the SHTF?”