By CRAIG E. CAMPBELL
They congratulated themselves at the Centers for Disease Control when they announced vaccinated people may attend small outdoor gathering without wearing masks.
Claiming science has shown the vaccine is effective most of the time, the masters of science and disease control proclaimed this was a significant step towards returning to normal. Everyone of us should drop to our knees, face towards Atlanta, and praise our most gifted servants at the CDC for granting us this newfound freedom.
Without the vigilant management of this horrendous coronavirus by these gods of government, the human race would have faced extinction. After all, Covid-19 is one of the most deadly diseases to ever infect humanity, they would lead you to believe, so without the government clamp-down to destroy businesses, taking away our constitutional rights to assembly, and ensuring we did not make irresponsible individual decisions that may harm others, or even kill us, humanity would have faced termination.
It sounds like a truly honorable and noble pursuit by our government elitists: Save humanity from the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Bravo…Bravo.
But was the coronavirus really such a deadly disease that our government leaders needed to violate our constitutional protections of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Was it such a deadly disease that we had to implement draconian restrictions on society that caused increased suicides and depression; increased violence and civil unrest; increased unemployment with a disproportionate impact on minorities, and has nearly made the United States a bankrupt nation through numerous trillion dollar relief bailouts?
Let’s look at the CDC data on global pandemic deaths, as of March 2021 from the following chart:
Let me break down the numbers:
- Black Plague – 200 million deaths out of a world population of 0.39 billion.
- Smallpox – 56 million deaths out of a world population of .46 billion.
- Spanish Flu – 45 million deaths out of a world population of 1.82 billion
- HIV/AIDS – 30 million deaths out of a world population of 4.46 billion
- Covid-19 – 2.7 million deaths out of a world population of 7.9 billion
So, Covid-19 has not been nearly as deadly a pandemic as all previous global pandemics, yet our freedoms as Americans have been systematically hand-cuffed for over a year in the “interest of public health.” COVID-19 primarily attacks the elderly and those with underlying conditions, especially conditions like heart or lung diseases, or diabetes.
The fact is, over 90 percent of those who died from Covid-19 in the United States were over the age of 55, most with other medical conditions. Did we really need to bring the United States to the brink of collapse over Covid-19?
The CDC has constantly moved the goalposts on wearing masks. Why would this be? Forgive me for being pessimistic of government, but maybe this past year has been a test to determine how much compliance government can achieve by placing a fear into society and exaggerating the impact of a disease to determine the level of compliance control government can gain over our lives.
As to the mask themselves, how effective have they really been? Here is a comparison of state Covid death rates which documents the uselessness of strict mask mandates:
- New York (Strict Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0027 – 51,386 deaths out of a population of 19.3 million
- New Jersey (Strict Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0027 – 25,301 deaths out of a population of 8.9 million.
- Michigan (Strict Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0019 – 18,449 deaths out of a population of 9.9 million
- Texas (Relaxed Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0017 – 48,966 deaths out of a population of 29.0 million
- Florida (Relaxed Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0016 – 34,848 deaths out of a population of 21.6 million
- California (Strict Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0015 – 61,399 deaths out of a population of 39.6 million, and
- Idaho (Relaxed Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0011 – 2,031 deaths out of a population of 1.9 million.
- Alaska (Relaxed Mask Mandates) – Death rate of 0.0005 – 341 deaths out of a population of 733,391.
It has never been about the masks. Sure they probably provide some level of protection from spreading the disease, but this is about ascertaining the level of compliance government can squeeze out of their subjects.
Last week I traveled out of state. While walking through an unnamed airport I heard the obligatory public address announcement that we should all be wearing masks in the airport.
What caught my attention was the announcement went something like this: “Federal law requires all passengers to wear masks while inside the passenger terminal. Wearing masks helps prevent the spread of disease. Your compliance with this requirement is appreciated.”
Get what the announcer said: “…helps prevent the spread of disease.” That made my skin crawl, as I could see our future. Once government has socialized us into wearing masks for Covid, because they said so, couldn’t they also mandate masks for the seasonal flu; the next global disease like SARS, Eboli, tuberculosis; or maybe just to protect against the common cold? Of course they will think they can.
Fact is, as I am writing this piece, the COVID infectious rate is lower than the annual average seasonal flu infectious rate, yet the CDC still pushes us to mask-up. They have established the bar that, we the people, will comply with useless mandates presented as protecting the health of our nation because the wizards of Washington said so.
How about mandating protection for the potential spread of HIV/AIDS? That was over twice as deadly as Covid. I would never support that type of insane government intrusion into my life any more than I can tolerate the lunatics mandating masks in communities that have no demonstrable outbreak of Covid among the general population, like Anchorage. Even with Tuesday’s assembly action to repeal the emergency orders, they left the mask mandate in place.
Don’t be sucked into the lie that the mask mandates were to protect the population from Covid-19. It was never about that at all. It has always been about government elitists, who know they are smarter and wiser than you and me, taking control of our lives to increase their power over us.
Our constitutional rights have been flushed down the toilet with this past year of pandemic paranoia and with this new-found power you can bet we will see more “government mandates” in the future to protect us from ourselves. Our rights under the United States Constitution are but a shadow of what that wonderful document gave us in 1789. How much more are we willing to concede?
Craig E. Campbell served on the Anchorage Assembly between 1986 and 1995 and later as Alaska’s Tenth Lieutenant Governor. He was the previous Chief Executive Officer and President for Alaska Aerospace Corporation. He retired from the Alaska National Guard as Lieutenant General (AKNG) and holds the concurrent retired Federal rank of Major General (USAF).
Craig, great article. Now please research and do another on the uselessness of the DNA modifying experimental vaccine and vax passports.
Another couple of trillion and that curve will be flattened!
Imagine a vaccine so safe you have to be threatened to take it for a disease so deadly you have to be tested to know you have it.
Great article, hopefully people are understanding this was always about control and how much they could get away with.
Dunleavy needs to join with other governors and get the mask mandate removed from public transportation. Vaccine passports are an infringement on our Constitutional Rights! The COVID hoax needs to end now and We the People need to Unite and say enough is enough no more tyranny! Vote for Bronson and Save Anchorage!
The price of freedom is compliance. Can’t wait for the next nondemic they throw at us. We need real science to help keep us from being bullied into more useless mandates that restrict our freedoms.
16 months later and the flip flopping little psychopath, Anthony Fauci, the CDC, the politicians, and panic porn pushing MSM….STILL have not mentioned how simple it is for each and every person to improve their own metabolic health, which is pretty solid proof that none of the above had any intention whatsoever of lessening people’s risk of poor outcomes from catching this flu.
Didn’t know Campbell was a immunologist doctor, wow how about that.
Harborguy, latest word from the CDC:
ATLANTA, GA—CDC officials have released official guidelines and recommendations for activity during the pandemic. At the top of the list is a request for people to stop giving them wedgies every time they pass them on the street.
“You all need to stop this immature behavior right now!” said CDC official Mortimer Herbie Jr. as he adjusted his glasses and retainer. “Also, stop shoving us in lockers and giving us swirlies and grabbing us by our ankles and shaking us upside down until our lunch money falls out! This is NOT cool you guys!”
According to sources, the CDC is a group of nerds and dweebs who create guidelines on how to do lame things like mask-wearing and social distancing. Experts say they are so nerdy and dweeby that people just can’t resist grabbing their underwear and stretching it up over their heads whenever they see them.
The CDC has warned that if this behavior doesn’t stop, they will issue an official recommendation for everyone to get vaccinated again.
Hindsight is always 20/20. I agree that continuing the face diaper mandates is an absurd exercise in government control. To begin with 16 months ago, we didn’t know enough about this disease and the paranoia might have been warranted. But enough already – we have herd immunity. As explained to me by a tourist, an emergency room nurse recently: “Please do anything – even mask up in private – to keep this disease away.” I protested about the ineffectiveness of masks. She replied, “I don’t want to be the one who has to triage – I don’t want to have to tell your relatives that there are no more respirators while you lie there on a gurney gasping for breathe.” Hyperbole? In hindsight it certainly is – but we didn’t know that 16 months ago. Fauci needs three diapers because of what and how much he is spewing from his mouth. Don’t take the mark.
“…prevent the spread of disease” – Mr. Campbell, I had exactly the same feeling the first time I heard the announcement at Freddy’s. It says ” to help prevent the spread of the virus” . I immediatley wondered why it didn’t say ” to help stop the spread of Covid 19″. Then suddenly, I heard a voice in my head, a stern woman’s voice:
“War is peace! ”
“Freedom is slavery!”
“Ignorance is strength!”
AK: Yep…………….
??
Well crap, here we go. The black plague was spread by fleas off of rats. Smallpox just about wiped out native American population. You shouldn’t be trying to play that down in a place like Alaska. Remember what the smallpox did too populations in the Caribbean and Central America when brought over by the Spanish. The Spanish flu just about wiped out Alaska and closing itself off was the only thing that saved Nome. It was successful in stopping world war I though. Don’t even go there with HIV/AIDS. You know that was mostly spread by gay men and bisexual men. It was definitely preventable if you just put on a love glove. We didn’t know how bad covid-19 was going to be but you shouldn’t be trying to play it down to the millions of people and billions of families that lost loved ones. I enjoy some of your articles but this one kind of insults me.
Harbor Guy / AKA, the lefts little Myna Bird. Once again sitting in your dropping splattered cage you attack the messenger and not the argument. Why? Because you cannot comprehend the facts much less argue the merits of the facts. Campbell isn’t a credentialed immunologist… oh my! Is that your argument? What has his profession have anything to do with factual data? Poor little Harbor Guy, eat, repeat indoctrinated talking points and poop.
Harborguy: wow yourself, you don’t have to be an immunologist to do research on the internet. You know this thing you use to post your garbage hot takes…….? Why don’t you try doing something constructive with your time, like educating yourself, instead of trolling in MRAK
AQD and Berserkowitz aren’t immunologist doctors either, yet here they are issuing mask mandates.
Greg, All I was doing was presenting the magnitude of the difference between the Black Plague, Smallpox, etc and COVID-19, which is nothing more than a very infectious influenza. You are absolutely right that these other pandemics were horrible human killers and in no way did I diminish the cruelty of the deaths associated with them.. In fact, I actually demonstrated, by using CDC data, that the COVID-19 response actually diminished the horrific misery and death associated with the previous pandemics. My message is that we must not let government scare us into relinquishing our civil liberties because of a disease. We will always have diseases, and we need government to be protective of our community health balanced against our constitutional rights as Americans. Bottom line, while the mandates may have been reasonable six to nine months ago, they should all be removed at this time. Continuing to scare us with COVID statistics that are no more harmful than a serious seasonal flu is dangerous for a free society. I hope this helped further explain my purpose. Appreciate your comments.
Greg Forkner, COVID is NOT the Black Plague or smallpox. More like a common cold or chickenpox. You are free to hide in your basement with ten masks as you read the Daily Kos, but most of us want to live through this. I, and my family, had it. People die, it is a part of living. It must be a terrible thing to fear for those who think that death is just the end of life.
Your explanation helps. In some areas of the country, we still aren’t ready to relinquish the government mandates because people aren’t doing their part of the deal. The same thing goes with the creation of Homeland security, and them putting cameras on every ATM and on every lighted traffic intersection supposedly so they can identify terrorists driving down the street when they route it through some supercomputer in Utah. I don’t really have a problem with those camera placings but there is part of the ACT that we’ve had to relinquish our individual rights because of. It’s just the times we live in. The world changes, people change diseases change. I’m not sure what we can do about individuals refusing to social distance, mask up when there’s an outbreak or get the shot. I think during those times that’s when the government steps up to save the people In spite of ourselves.
“millions of people and billions of families”- that’s funny.
Yes, we have listened and listened to immunologists. Has the other dissenting side been heard or immediately flagged as disinformation? Yes. Once that happens, your argument is bunk. Once you disallow dissenting experts from commenting or from showing their work in the public square, you lose all of your arguments. There are plenty of voices out there that are immediately shut down from sharing their research. There are voices that are shut down because they don’t agree with the approved opinions. There are voices that are shut down because they refuse to bow down to the lords of the CDC and WHO.
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