Archive for December, 2021

e-commentary:  18 Years Of Fun And Counting.  Almost 850 Posts! (December 27, 2021)

Posted in Year In Review on December 27, 2021 by e-commentary.org

. . .

          Peaking behind the curtain, lifting up the carpet, looking under the table.  Honing skills, helping folks, having fun.  Venturing answers to questions that have not yet been asked, seeking to elucidate as much Truth on as many issues in as few words as possible, striving to leave a “commentary of record” for Clio’s consideration.  Chronicling the American experiment and the American experience, the theory and the practice, the promise and the performance, and the aspirations and the aftermath.  Doing something was paramount.  

           “Polymath” was apropos but too nerdy; many folks are turned off by a lot of math.  “essay.org” and “e-essay.org” were taken.  “e-ssay.org” turns out to be the perfect abbreviation of “electronic essay” and the original title.  In the first few years, taut, short, cogent, succinct and focused “e-ssays” told people what to think rather than suggesting things to think about during the  following week.  Reveal, don’t tell, they wisely decree.  Conversation provides a rapid ping-ponging of ideas.  After a few years, “e-commentary.org” emerged and provided “electronic commentary” developing dialogue to allow the reader to listen in on the discussion rather than being told what to think.  “e-poem” was always there under wraps.  The pieces are laced with many little lagniappes for the diligent reader to discover and deduce. 

          Again this year most of the posts addressed fears, phobias, hopes, claims, questions, concerns, comments, anxieties and observations on Covid-19 and the thing called the PanICdemic.  2020 was the year of the Virus; 2021 was the year of the Vaccine; 2022 is the year of the Awakening.  Stay tuned.

          The “On [Traits / Characteristics]” Series acknowledges the father of the essay, Michel de Montaigne, who explored individual traits and personal characteristics and shared personal ruminations and anecdotes about society in his celebrated collection Essais (e-ssais?).  e-ssays ruminate on respect, fear, admiration, irreverence, success, self-esteem, regret, standards/quality, loyalty, hypocrisy, honesty, empathy, joy, mudita, etc.

          The “Less Government Regulation” Series posits examples where government regulation may suffocate and free markets may suffice.  An e-commentary in the series in 2009 advocates for regulation of Google/Alphabet in an economy that is now pockmarked by monopolization of every industry in America.  Subsequent e-commentary challenges the overweening role of the Frightful Five – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google/Alphabet and Microsoft.  A half dozen mega–banks and six media conglomerates control and manage our money and our minds.  In an economy without any price discovery, the completion of the “General Theory of Economics” is forced into remission.

          The “Boycott” Series suggests that readers treat dollars like votes in the marketplace and use them to support and reject policies and activities.  An e-commentary in the series in 2008 proposed a boycott of Facebook because it and the other tech beasts and behemoths are not friendly.  Boycotting the only supplier of an essential good or service is problematic and is addressed.  An e-commentary in 2011 proposed boycotting big banks and depositing funds in and supporting local credit unions.  An early e-commentary in 2006 implores the reader never to boycott and always to buy into the franchise, even if voting appears to and may be futile in a country with only one political party, the War and Wall Street Party.

          The “First Monday In October” Series debuted in 2010 with a discussion of “strict constructionism/originalism” in the context of gun control that should resolve the debate over the proper paradigm for all and once.  Subsequent e-commentary in the Fall series provide insight into the Supreme Court, courts and the state of the law, justice, crime and punishment in America.  The emerging irrelevance and illegitimacy of the current Supreme Court is discussed for the first times in 2011 and then in 2012 and developed in subsequent e-commentary.  Regular visits to the Court to observe the hired help further inform the analysis in the draft “Treatise on Law” now in nearly final form.

          The “Graduation Advice” Series is inspired by the national treasure “Wear Sunscreen” crafted by Mary Schmich and proposes a pithy suggestion for graduates of school and participants in life.  Advice was dispensed in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

        The greatest threat to the Planet is the threat to the Planet.  Posed and poised and poisoned by Man.  [Wo]Man versus [Mother] Nature?  Pl–as–ti–cs and plu–tonium versus People?  Is Man the mortal enemy who must be contained by whatever means?  Is a carbon fee and dividend program the long-shot market-based solution capable of salvaging the vulnerable blue marble? 

          Over the years other e-commentary reviews everything from the human causes to the economic consequences of actions and inaction.  e-commentary addresses everything from philosophy to foreign policy to domestic polity; from the intertwined 3Es (from energy to environment to economics); from war to war to war; from sports to technology to society; from race to class to gender; from guns to gold to the Great Wall of Canada; from war to war to a possible antidote to war; from newspapers to the press/media to journalism; from the First Amendment, to the Second Amendment, to the Third Amendment, to the Fourth Amendment, to the Eighth Amendment, to the Balanced Budget Amendment and to the Term Limits Amendment; and from A – (AIIB, CFETS, CIA, CIPS, FBI, FDIC, IMF, INE, LIBOR, MICAC, NATO, NPR, NSA, SDR, SWIFT, TARP, USA PATRIOT ACT, ZIRP) Z. 

          After considerable thought and development, the “Awards and Incentives Project” rolled out and now includes four annual awards with others under construction.

          The “Cameo In Courage Award” challenges the award given by the establishment to other members of the establishment.  Society needs an award that rewards those who are truly courageous.  Awards were made in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.  

          The “Noble Prize In Eco-nomics” identifies those who develop and advance eco-nomic ideas to promote the public weal and the common good.  The award serves as a challenge and counterpoise to the “Nobel Prize In E-con-omics” awarded by the Swedish Central Bank to those who advance ideas that promote the interests of the wealthy and well-connected.  Awards were made in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.  

          The “Noble Prize In Jurisprudence” celebrates the work of someone who really knows something about jurisprudence and the impact of courts, judges, lawyers and police on the lives and livelihoods of ordinary citizens.  The award recognizes a person who or institution that lives the conviction that men and women should establish and respect some norms and standards that are promulgated clearly to all and enforced equally in favor of and against all.  Awards were made in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.  

          The “Pushitzer Prize In Commentary” honors inspiring and inspirational writing that does not necessarily reflect the dominant viewpoints and worldviews.  Awards were made in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

First–hand on–the–ground dispatches from the March for Women, the March for Science, the March For Our Lives and the April 19 March are available including lists of the clever and inspiring signs sported by participants.

          The requisite moving memoir is now available.  The book tour is still not yet booked.  However, although “Analog Knowledge Devices (“AKD”)” will soon be worth their weight in gold, this production saves paper and is only available e-lectronically.     

          WordPress was and in many ways still is a primitive and disappointing platform, but it was not Blogger.  Time to develop a better platform first.  WP did not allow one to change the font or even to tab over to create a simple paragraph.  At some time during this journey, WP did provide for “Categories” and then allowed for hyperlinks; hyperlinks are righteous.

          Over the years, a menagerie of speakers and characters such as “A” / “B” and “GO1 [Gun Owner1]” / “GO2 [Gun Owner2]” and “3” / “6” / “9” among others debuted and debated issues.  In recent years, “J” and “K” emerged as the primary characters in the ongoing dialogue and debate.

      The “Bumper sticker of the week” started out as a spoof on the shallow and callow “bumper sticker” nature of our public discourse and became the playful signature sign off concluding each piece every week.

          Looking back, the undertaking is an extended serialized novel about the American experience presented in a series of weekly poems developed as dialogue that allows all of us in some small way possibly to . . . immanentize the eschaton. 

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not possibly succeed under any circumstances?

“Do.  Or do not do.  There is no try.”  Yoda

“Not being heard is no reason for silence.”  Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“It doesn’t require many words to speak the truth.”  Chief Joseph

Otter:  “I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.”     Bluto:  “We’re just the guys to do it.”  “Animal House” (1978)

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”  Thomas Paine

“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”  Marcus Aurelius

“You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best.  You want to be considered the only one who does what you do.”  Jerry Garcia

Think big, think long.

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Solstice (December 20, 2021)

Posted in Solstice on December 20, 2021 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “It has been an unusually long and cold winter so far, but I will go with ‘long’ in a life that is looking a lot shorter.”

J          “And technically this is just the start of winter, but who is carefully counting each and every additional second of light starting tomorrow.”

. . .

K          “The evergreen tree is proof that a god may exist.  The sentry of summer stands tall throughout the winter.”

J          “The evergreen is proof that life endures and goes on.  Verde is verity.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “Darkness . . . And Light.  Oh, And Happy Winter Solstice! (December 17, 2018)”.]

Good tidings of comfort and joy from team Joey:

Bumper stickers of the week:

“We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated.  You’ve done the right thing, and we will get through this.

For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”

________________________________

Hmm. We’re having trouble finding that site.

We can’t connect to the server at [the sites you are searching that we are blocking.]

If that address is correct [It is.], here are three other things you can try:

    Try again later.  [I tried.]

    Check your network connection.  [I checked.]

    If you are connected [I am.] but behind a firewall [I am not.], check that Firefox has permission to access the Web.  [It does.]

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“If I Get Diagnosed With Stage 4 Cancer . . . .” (December 13, 2021)

Posted in Civil War, Covid / Coronavirus on December 13, 2021 by e-commentary.org

. . .

J          “From all sides and every corner of the political spectrum.  Mostly White, because I am around mostly Whites.  Mostly males, yet I am around enough females.  The anger and the rage are angry and raging, palpable and deep-seated.”

K          “Undigested anger.  Undigested anger usually leads to and results in self-medication rather than self-expression.  Some folks are tired of medicating themselves and are getting ready to express themselves.” 

. . .

K          “The United States of Polarization is descending and deteriorating into the United States of Apartheid.  However, at some time, the two cohorts across the table are likely to find they have a common enemy and aligned interests.  The ‘U’s’ who have been told they are to be removed from society and relegated to second class citizenship are getting restive and restless.  They have had it.  The ‘V’s’ may discern, one tiny truth at a time, that they have been knowingly deceived and intentionally injured by the nasty and nefarious alliance of government, industry and media.  They will get more restive and restless.  They will be profoundly unhappy.”

J          “The ‘V’s’ have been patient long enough and have had it with the ‘U’s’.  We are getting restless.”

K          “For someone who always gets it, you don’t get it.  The battalion of those who have been betrayed is larger and may be more virulent than the remaining small band who know that they have been deceived.”

. . . 

K          “I am watching people die who never really lived.  They consumed as directed but were consumed by life.  They collected possessions as directed but were possessed by their possessions.  They never really did anything of substance or risk.  They never really stood for anything before sitting down.  Death is their only accomplishment.”

J          “Better not to say anything to anyone.”

K          “I don’t.”

. . .

[See “Detect, Deter and Annihilate: How the Police State Will Deal with a Coronavirus Outbreak [SHORT]” in “The Rutherford Institute” dated March 16, 2020 by John Whitehead who received the “Second Annual Noble Prize In Jurisprudence (October 16, 2017).”]

[See the e-commentary at “Fight Or Flight In The Face Of Fear? A Principled Reaction To Stand (November 30, 2020)”, “Monitoring The Masses:  The Card And The Chip (January 12, 2015)”, “The Populace Is “Dis-ed”: Discombobulated, Disequilibrated, Disquieted, Disconcerted, Dislocated, Disillusioned, Disappointed, Dismayed, Dissed And Dis-ed (February 8, 2021)”, “The Vaccine: The Shot Felt Round The World (November 23, 2020)”, “Covid-19 PanICdemic/Plague:  TSD/PTSD In The New Plague War.  A New Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)? (April 27, 2020)” and “The Residue of Unrelenting Fear: PTSD Afflicts The Populace (August 28, 2006)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Think before they make it illegal

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”  Mark Twain

“The obedient always think about themselves as virtuous, rather than cowardly.”  Robert Anton Wilson

“When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.”  Charles Percy Snow

There was a very cautious man

Who never laughed or played

He never risked, he never tried.

He never sang or prayed.

And when he one day passed away

His insurance was denied,

For since he never really lived,

They claimed he never really died.

[Anonymous poem]

“The most terrifying force of death, comes from the hands of Men who wanted to be left alone.  They try, so very hard, to mind their own business and provide for themselves and those they love.  They resist every impulse to fight back, knowing the forced and permanent change of life that will come from it.  They know, that the moment they fight back, their lives as they have lived them are over.  The moment the Men who wanted to be left alone are forced to fight back, it is a form of suicide.  They are literally killing off who they used to be.  Which is why, when forced to take up violence, these Men who wanted to be left alone, fight with unholy vengeance against those who murdered their former lives.  They fight with raw hate, and a drive that cannot be fathomed by those who are merely play-acting at politics and terror.  True terror will arrive at these people’s door, and they will cry, scream, and beg for mercy… but it will fall upon the deaf ears of the Men who just wanted to be left alone.”  Author Unknown

Give peace a chance

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Covid-19:  “The Answer?!?!? Pandemic controlled.  Economy saved.  (April 7, 2020)”  The First Draft Of History A Score Months Later (December 6, 2021)

Posted in Covid / Coronavirus on December 6, 2021 by e-commentary.org

. . .

This e-mail note was sent on April (4) Seven (7) Twenty Twenty (2020), a score months ago to the date tomorrow, to four score folks who all without exception denied, dismissed, disparaged, disregarded, and denigrated it without hesitation or reservation: 

April 4, 2020

Dear ____________,

The problem is obvious and the answer almost as obvious.  On one hand, it should be forwarded to the world.  On the other, the regimen may not be right for every single person and thus is risky to forward. 

Over the last few days, there has been an explosion of articles and observations made available that this is really a blood disease rather than a respiratory disease.  It is now making sense.  Think mountaineering.  I recall being at 19,000 without oxygen in Nepal in 1985.  In that situation, the blood was able to transport all the oxygen, but there was little oxygen to transport.  The problem with Covid-19 is not that the lungs are unable to deliver the oxygen to the body; the problem is that the blood is not able to deliver the oxygen to the body.  The solution is . . . hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with zinc and azithromycin.  (I plan to write an more detailed analysis for myself tomorrow to make sure that I understand exactly what I think I understand.)

Pandemic controlled.  Economy saved.

On March 29, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, and one million doses of Resochin (medical grade chloroquine phosphate) donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, for possible use in treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19 or for use in clinical trials.  These and other companies may donate additional doses, and companies have ramped up production to provide additional supplies of the medication to the commercial market.

The US of A is more than ready for the Plague.

See:

https://archive.is/ONUmi#selection-273.415-273.433

https://abc7.com/coronavirus-drug-covid-19-malaria-hydroxychloroquine/6079864/

___________________

This comment/discussion reflects my conclusions:

“Battlefield Medicine”: Covid-19 Treatment, Chloroquine/Zinc/Azithromycin and Dr. Vladimir Zelenko

To answer your specific question directly, Dr. Zelenko prescribes the chloroquine/zinc/azithromycin treatment as soon as patients show breathing distress.  I am not going to try to summarize all the details, but watching the first ten minutes or so of the video below should give you adequate information.

Here is a letter I put on my Facebook page…I hope it is useful to my friends. Some of my anti-Trump friends reacted along political lines.  Too bad.

“First, here is a link to Dr. Zelenko’s own letter (over a week old now) to the world-wide medical community regarding his use of hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc and azithromycin to treat Covid-19.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/report-successful-treatment-coronavirus/5708056

My out-patient treatment regimen is as follows:

1. Hydroxychloroquine 200mg twice a day for 5 days

2. Azithromycin 500mg once a day for 5 days

3. Zinc sulfate 220mg once a day for 5 days

I don’t see any reason why Dr. Zelenko would be misleading us deliberately.  He is obviously a dedicated physician.  He has nothing to gain and a whole lot to lose by speaking out like this.  Zelenko frankly acknowledges that his treatment of hundreds of patients was not a regular clinical trial, it was more “battlefield medicine.”  But we are actually in a war with this thing—so battlefield medicine is appropriate for the situation.

Here is a recent video featuring Dr. Zelenko that describes his efforts to help his patients with this treatment.

Note that Dr. Zelenko prescribes this treatment as soon as anyone shows breathing distress.  If you wait too long, the treatment is not as effective and the outcomes are much worse.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emergency use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as a possible coronavirus treatment, concluding that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Here is the whole letter from the FDA

https://www.fda.gov/media/136534/download

And here is the most relevant quote from the letter (top of page 3):

“Based on the totality of scientific evidence available to FDA, it is reasonable to believe that chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate may be effective in treating COVID-19,” FDA Chief Scientist Denise Hinton wrote in the approval letter.

“When used under the conditions described in this authorization, the known and potential benefits of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate when used to treat COVID-19 outweigh the known and potential risks of such products.”

The FDA is now directing a number of clinical trials to better understand the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine and other treatments, so we will have such information before too much longer.  Please see the third paragraph of the next letter regarding these on-going trials.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-continues-facilitate-development-treatments

It appears to me that this potentially valuable therapy got politicized the moment President Trump mentioned it weeks ago.  Sadly, a medical issue became a political issue: full bore Trump Derangement Syndrome on display. I wonder how many lives politicization of this issue will cost.

Doctors other than Dr. Zelenko who are using the chloroquine treatment have found the same political issue emerging as they have treated patients. You can read about these other doctors and their experiences at this link.

Hopefully, we will soon have supporting evidence from the clinical trials.”

Please read it through to the bottom and ignore the stuff on the side—typical web clickbait.

https://americantruthtoday.com/politics/2020/04/02/battlefield-medicine-ny-nj-doctors-and-patients-see-anecdotal-evidence-of-hydroxychloroquine-benefits-in-fighting-coronavirus/?utm_source=sprklst&utm_campaign=dailyhammer-medicine-04_02-mid

I am taking an adult multivitamin, 2500 mg of Vitamin C, 50 mg enhanced zinc with 2 mg copper and 5000 mg of D3.  I am also sporadically taking Echinacea, Olive Leaf, Sambucol/elderberry, a Chaga concoction that a friend prepared and a shot of ETOH that is admittedly AMA.  I am also drinking daily black and green tea with honey including some Manuka honey that may be over-hyped.

At this time and subject to daily reconsideration, if I am in respiratory distress, I will take the recommended regimen of Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine combined with Zinc and Azithromycin hopefully in the early stages.  I believe it is the most promising cure.  I will give it a go.  I will not get near a hospital.

For reasons that can be explored, there are alternative medicines for lupus and arthritis that will work for them in the interim.

This is a total mind @#$%.  Donaldo Trumpi may be right.

I will be on the phone and e-mail tomorrow presenting this tentative conclusion to others.

__________

. . .

[See the study “Multifaceted highly targeted sequential multidrug treatment of early ambulatory high-risk SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)” dated December 30, 2020 by multiple researchers proposing a year ago early and focused intervention; “A Cross-Country Analysis of the Determinants of Covid-19 Fatalities” dated April, 2021 by Hideki Toya and Mark Skidmore; for a light aside in a time of darkness, see “Misinformed horse uses COVID-19 vaccine to treat worm infestation” in “The Beaverton” dated “three weeks ago” by Rob Ito.]

[See the e-commentary at “Carbon Fee And Dividend Imagined.  Oh, And Happy Saint Nicholas Day! (December 3, 2018)”,]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Give prevention and treatment a chance

Twitter blocks helpful medical information:

Warning: this link may be unsafe

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.144.suppl_1.10712

The link you are trying to access has been identified by Twitter or our partners as being potentially spammy or unsafe, in accordance with Twitter’s URL Policy. This link could fall into any of the below categories:

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Ignore this warning and continue

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