Why Has Public Health Been Reduced to Drag?

Brownstone Institute  

"What does it mean to live in a society where the vast majority of civil society has lost access to logic and reason?"

"Historically, public health was a radical profession. It challenged power and built large public works projects (sewers and sanitation) that dramatically improved lives. But the field of public health today bears almost no resemblance to the efforts from a century ago. Instead, public health today is this weird, exaggerated, corporatized performance of things that kinda sorta sound like health by people who have no understanding of science and medicine.

"After years of personal observation, reflection, and engagement it seems to me that public health today is best described as a drag performance by marginalized people who allow themselves to be used by the fascist Pharma state because it makes them feel powerful.

"The particular case study that draws my ire today is an editorial written by Rick Bright titled “A Trump Victory Would be a Public Health Disaster” published in the New York Times on October 10.". . .

This from the same people who call killing a pain-capable child "women's health".

IDF reveals: Six Al Jazeera journalists are Hamas, PIJ terrorists

 The Jerusalem Post   

"The exposed journalists are part of Hamas's military wing operating as the vanguard of Hamas's propaganda war against Israel."

"The IDF announced on Wednesday that six journalists actively working for Al Jazeera were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

"The IDF says that due to intelligence recovered from the Gaza Strip during military operations, they can reveal that Anas Al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf Saraj, Ismail Abu Amr, and Talal Aruki are all affiliated with the military wings of either Hamas or PIJ.

"Ismail Abu Amr was injured several months ago in Gaza by an IDF attack; during that period, Al Jazeera denied his membership in Hamas. Documents recovered by the IDF showed this was untrue." . . .

FBI investigating alleged leak of U.S. documents on Israeli war plan; smells of Obama

The Washington Post 

 . . ."The leaked assessment demonstrates how closely the intelligence community monitors Israeli military activity," said Harrison Mann, a former analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency who resigned to protest the Biden administration's support for Israel's war in Gaza.

"The FBI announced Tuesday that it is investigating an alleged leak of highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, days after assessments containing information about Israel's potential plans for a retaliatory attack on Iran were published on an Iran-linked Telegram account.

" 'The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community," the FBI said in a statement. "As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment."

"White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that it is unclear whether the documents were made public through a leak or a hack. He said the government does not expect additional classified information to be made public without authorization.

"Early this month, Iran fired a barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, a response to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut in September. Tehran has been bracing for a retaliatory strike since then.

"Kirby said Monday that President Joe Biden is "deeply concerned" about any leak of classified materials.

" 'That is not supposed to happen, and it's unacceptable when it does," Kirby said. "And you can rest assured that he will be actively monitoring the progress of the investigative effort to figure out how this happened, and obviously he'll be very interested in hearing any mitigation measures and recommendations that come as a result of the investigative efforts and how to prevent it from happening again."

"Kirby said the Biden administration had been in communication with the Israeli government about the disclosure.

"The intelligence assessment shows that the U.S. government believes Israel is preparing a major strike against Iran that would be a retaliation for a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1. The Biden administration has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to carry out only a limited response that would not provoke yet another Iranian retaliation, in a bid to avoid a regional war.

"U.S. officials have been pushing Netanyahu to focus on Iranian military targets, not Iran's energy infrastructure or sites related to its nuclear program, which would far be more sensitive. Any attack on Iran's oil facilities could also roil the U.S. election on Nov. 5 by creating a spike in energy prices.

"The leaked assessment focused on U.S. observations of Israeli airfield activity on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week that it said were consistent with exercises to engage in long-range strikes that involve air-to-air refueling, something that would be necessary if Israeli fighter jets were to launch strikes on Iran. The assessment also discussed the movement of munitions carts on Israeli airfields. Two related documents were posted on the Telegram account, both dated Wednesday of last week." . . .

WaPo report discloses true Hamas intent to destroy Israel    'In “Captured documents reveal Hamas’s broader ambition to wreak havoc on Israel” (10/12/24), the Washington Post, perhaps for a moment, revives its former glory by engaging in investigative reporting. This, on a topic that has lacked investigative reporting for years: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this article, the Post discloses a treasure trove of documents recovered from Israeli incursions in Gaza. These documents give a clear picture of Hamas’s warfighting plans and intent. In one communication, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “was crystal clear about his ultimate intention: the destruction of the state of Israel. He repeats the point multiple times in the captured letters and asks Iranian officials to help him in his quest.” . . .

"If there were any residual hope that the Palestinians wanted a two-state solution, this news should dispel it once and for all." . . .

Archbishop Viganò endorses Trump, tells Catholics abstaining ‘means allying oneself with the enemy’

LifeSiteNews 

"In an open letter addressed to American Catholics, former U.S. nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò argued that Donald Trump is the 'only possible choice' in the upcoming presidential elections and that his Democrat opponent Kamala Harris 'obeys Satan.'". . .

"(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has thrown his full support behind Donald Trump as the next president of the U.S. and called upon American Catholics to vote for Trump on November 5 as a moral imperative.

"In an open letter addressed to Catholics in America, Viganò, the former apostolic nuncio to the United States, urged the faithful to vote for Trump as the “only possible choice” for president to oppose the “deep state” and protect “future generations,” echoing his previous claims that only Trump stands in the way of a “globalist coup.” The archbishop suggested that “voting for Kamala Harris,” on the other hand, “is morally inadmissible and constitutes a very grave sin,” adding that to abstain from voting would not be “morally possible,” since “in this war declaring oneself neutral means allying oneself with the enemy.”

"Viganò, who is a long-time supporter of Trump’s political candidacy, argued in his Tuesday letter that a vote for Trump “means firmly distancing ourselves from an anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, and anti-human vision of society” while at the same time noting “serious problems” with the former president’s declared positions on both abortion and “assisted procreation [IVF],” which he said “a Catholic cannot agree with.”

"Indeed, Trump has stated that he would oppose a federal ban on abortion and would mandate insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), both of which practices violate natural law and the explicit doctrine of the Catholic Church.

"Viganò wrote that Trump, whom he said “is paying with his very life for his fight against the deep state” in refence to recent assassination attempts, represents “the only possible choice to counter the globalist coup that the woke Left is about to implement definitively, irreparably, and with incalculable damage for future generations.” . . .

. . ."While lamenting the “desperate situation” of U.S. politics, owing to “the agenda of both major political parties” being “so fundamentally objectionable”, Burke said that Catholics should vote where they find “even the smallest ray of hope” that their vote could positively impact the common good." . . .

Palestinian Crocodile Tears; Weeping and Mourning Over Dolls - yes...dolls

 BareNakedIslam  Palestinian Crocodile Tears

Imtiaz Mahmood @ImtiazMadmood;Follow "Gazawood uses dolls for propaganda. Very ethical. No children were harmed in this episode." ~ @GAZAWOOD1

We suspect the Palestinians use dolls for propaganda.What do you think?   pic.twitter.com/EQ8q3E76Ok

— GAZAWOOD - the PALLYWOOD saga (@GAZAWOOD1) October 20, 2024 

"A review by UK Lawyers For Israel of several statistical analyses of the figures provided by Hamas-controlled ministries for Palestinians killed in Gaza has found extensive evidence of fabrication and manipulation, and these figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians, and include deaths from misfiring Palestinian rockets and Palestinian cross-fire. They also include deaths from natural causes. From 6 January 2024, Hamas provided an online Google form for Gazans to submit details of fatalities, including missing persons presumed dead. This obviously makes it easy for false reports to exaggerate casualties and to report the same death duplicate times. Some of those categorised in the Gaza Health Ministry data as “identified” women dead were known male terrorists. In the list of 21703 “identified” deaths provided by the Health Ministry on 1 April 2024, 440 had duplicate IDs, 470 had no IDs, 792 had the wrong number of digits in their IDs, and a further 1,486 had invalid IDs. In the list of 23,447 “identified” deaths provided by the Health Ministry on 30 April 2024, 1674 had no IDs, 829 had IDs with the wrong number of digits, and 1519 had invalid IDs. Additionally, 1206 entries were missing ages but were still classified demographically."

IDF confirms potential Hezbollah successor Hashem Safieddine killed in Beirut strike

Jerusalem Post  "Safieddine was the former head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah's cousin, who was killed by an Israeli strike.  

"The IDF eliminated Hashem Safieddine, who was set to become the head of Hezbollah, in a strike in Beirut three weeks ago, the IDF confirmed on Tuesday.

"Safieddine was Hassan Nasrallah's cousin, the former head of Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli strike.

"According to the IDF, Safieddine had a significant influence on decision-making within the Hezbollah terror group.

"Furthermore, during times when Nasrallah was absent from Lebanon, Safieddine filled in for him and served as Hezbollah's Secretary-General. Over the years, Safi Al-Din directed terrorist activities against Israel and was involved in Hezbollah's core decision-making, the IDF added." . . . Not satire.

Comment from reader: "Pretty soon the only candidates left for the position will be members of the Squad in Congress."

Next; no confirmation is true, but we did do the math and came up with this from the Babylon Bee, so we know it must be true:

Young Hezbollah Recruit Can’t Believe He's Already Made Regional Manager

"Beirut — Young Hezbollah recruit Muhammed Amin was surprised to learn this week that he's already been promoted to the position of Regional Manager.

"Amin recently joined the ranks of the prestigious terror organization and expected to spend the next several years proving himself before rising through the ranks but was given the unexpected news that he was now in an important leadership role.

"I can't believe I'm moving up the ladder so quickly!" Amin said. "I was only recruited last week and all of a sudden they're telling me I am a manager — and not just manager, but regional manager! I can't believe my luck!" . . .

The Paradox of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

The Paradox of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" | Psychology Today  

..."Krauthammer, himself a harsh critic of Trump, later defined Trump derangement syndrome as a Trump-induced “general hysteria” that produced an “inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology” in the president’s behavior."...

 "Early in 2018, I published a post, “Why the Left’s Obsession With Donald Trump Will Backfire,” for Psychology Today with the explicit intent of demonstrating how the wisdom of the world-renowned psychiatrist and existential philosopher Viktor E. Frankl could be applied to a very timely and polarizing topic—the presidency of Donald Trump. As expected, at the time, my post generated considerable interest among readers of all political persuasions and affiliations.

"Fast forward to today, and the obsession with Donald Trump appears to have no signs of receding. This particular fixation has even been given its own label, known somewhat facetiously as “Trump derangement syndrome” or TDS.

What Is TDS?

"Simply put, Trump derangement syndrome is a derogatory term used to describe a form of toxic criticism and negative reaction to former President Trump’s statements and political actions. The origin of the term can be traced to the late political columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer, a psychiatrist, who first coined the phrase “Bush derangement syndrome” in 2003." . . .

 Trump-Vance people, let us never do this! Let the Democrats have this image! TD

"Crazy lady triggered by the mere sight of the word Trump attacks and destroys a pro Trump campaign sign!
"The joy is gone. pic.twitter.com/HgUoBHHaiR

— matt jordan (@matttjordan) October 9, 2024

 

Trump Belongs to the Common Man

Susan D. Harris  

"At one point, Trump admitted, “You think this is easy, standing up here and doing this in front of half a room that hates my guts and the other half loves me?' ”

"Life will never be the same for Donald J. Trump.  Nowhere was this more evident than the Al Smith Dinner in New York this past Thursday.

"At first glance, Trump’s delivery seemed a bit lackadaisical compared with the passionate loquaciousness we’re used to hearing at his rallies.  Perhaps some thought he was tired, but it’s more likely he was tired of playing the game.

"There’s no other way to say it: Trump belongs to us now.  He’s become something more than a man of the people, more than a populist orator.  He has a palpable empathy for the common folk and understands real America — from the Bronx to the boonies (like a field in Butler, Pa.).  History will likely show he’s visited more American cities than any other politician.  He’s been listening to our stories, holding our hands, laughing with us and mourning with us.  He’s been giving encouragement and hope, even sending supporters cryptic messages with songs like “Hold On I’m Coming.”

"Looking at Trump sitting up there on the dais in his fancy suit, raising money for Catholic charities — well, he just didn’t seem to fit in anymore.  Trump is soiled with the dirt of the common man now, and he’ll never be part of the sequestered elite again.

"As the wealthy and powerful sat smirking with derision at the man they once accepted as one of their own, it was hard to believe that in years past, many of them desperately sought his patronage, his attention, or any crumb that fell from his table."

Imagine Harris negotiating with world leaders.

Kamala Harris Was So Bad at Staged 'Town Hall' That Even Liz Cheney Was Left Cringing   "Let me explain what's happening there. Harris has "theater kid syndrome." Because she's such a laughably inauthentic politician molded and led by a group of handlers, she has the tendency to go overboard. When she gets in front of a camera, she's playing a role, and because she's a terrible actor, it's immediately obvious to anyone watching. Further, Harris has no ability to remain in character, which leads to the odd trend of her randomly laughing at things that aren't funny. 

"That means that when the vice president does try to stay serious, she comes across as a lame schoolmarm. Listen to the pacing and tone of this next clip and you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about."

KAMALA: "We cannot despair. The nature of a democracy is such that I think there is a duality..." pic.twitter.com/rHM2rbA17G

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 21, 2024

. . ." Cheney did everything but roll her eyes during this "town hall." She looked bored, often staring off into space and randomly looking off to the side during Harris' answers. She knew what she was hearing, and with every vapid, over-produced answer, the former congresswoman saw her prospects fade just a bit more. Whatever administration position Harris promised Cheney, the chances of it materializing are quickly diminishing. 

"It's too late for Cheney, though. She chose this path, and there's a decent chance she'll suffer one, final humiliation in a few weeks. It couldn't happen to a better person."

 Kamala Harris 'Town Hall' With Liz Cheney Blows Up on the Launch Pad, and Just Gets Worse From There 

"I don't agree with that protester, given the answer to "what about Gaza" is for Hamas to surrender and return whichever hostages are still alive, but I also know that a scene like that is horrible optics for the vice president." 

. . ."Nothing says "town hall" like pre-determined questions, no doubt submitted by the campaign itself. The statement from the Shriver that she might "ask some questions that might be in your head" is especially great. Sure, people showed up hoping to actually garner tangible information from Harris, but isn't hoping that the moderator might ask a question somewhat related to something you care about basically the same thing?

"Keep in mind that we are still in the middle of a Democrat freak-out over Donald Trump visiting a McDonald's, with left-wingers letting it be known the event was "staged." Well, is a "town hall" in which no one can ask questions "staged?" Asking for a friend.  . . .

Should the Government Restrict ‘Harmful’ Speech Online?

  Rachel Chiu; Foundation for Economic Education  "There’s no doubt that certain kinds of online conduct are reprehensible. But that doesn’t mean we should disregard the First Amendment." R.C.

Ultimately, the fixation on harm does little to justify speech limitations. Legislation that reduces legal speech to promote a larger, social good is still a vehicle for the government to become, as Judge Easterbrook wrote, “great censors.” 

"The First Amendment prohibits the federal government from suppressing speech, including speech it deems “harmful,” yet lawmakers keep trying to regulate online discourse.

"Over the summer, the Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill to allegedly protect children from the adverse effects of social media. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took procedural steps to end the debate and quickly advance the bill to a floor vote. According to Schumer, the situation was urgent. In his remarks, he focused on the stories of children who were targets of bullying and predatory conduct on social media. To address these safety issues, the proposed legislation would place liability on online platforms, requiring them to take “reasonable” measures to prevent and mitigate harm.

"It’s now up to the House to push the bill forward to the President’s desk. After initial concerns about censorship, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced the bill in September, paving the way for a final floor vote.

"KOSA highlights an ongoing tension between free speech and current efforts to make social media “safer.” In its persistent attempts to remedy social harm, the government shrinks what is permissible to say online and assumes a role that the First Amendment specifically guards against.

"At its core, the First Amendment is designed to protect freedom of speech from government intrusion. Congress is not responsible for determining what speech is permissible or what information the public has the right to access. Courts have long held that all speech is protected unless it falls within certain categories. Prohibitions against harmful speech—where “harmful” is determined solely by lawmakers—are not consistent with the First Amendment.

"But bills like KOSA add layers of complexity. First, the government is not simply punishing ideological opponents or those with unfavorable viewpoints, which would clearly violate the First Amendment. When viewed in its best light, KOSA is equally about protecting children and their health. New York had similar public health and safety justifications for its controversial hate speech law, which was blocked by a district court and is pending appeal. Under this argument, which is often cited to rationalize speech limitations, the dangers to society are so great that the government should take action to protect vulnerable groups from harm. However, the courts have generally ruled that this is not sufficient justification to limit protected speech." . . .

You Can Kiss New Medical Cures Goodbye

Merrill Matthews: Issues & Insights 

 "Harris claims her policies will cut Medicare’s costs. But what she’s really doing is cutting the future cures that could save your life."

Political Cartoon by Jim Berryman About Price Controls | Harry S. Truman; 1945 

"As President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tour the country touting cuts in prescription drug prices, the real costs will be in cures never invented. And you can already see that trend not only in drug companies cutting back on new-medicine development, but also in employee downsizing and the decline of small biotech and life-science companies where many of tomorrow’s drugs are developed today.

"The lifeblood of medical innovation is research and development (R&D) spending. Innovator pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year identifying, developing, testing and, hopefully, releasing potential cures. The vast majority of those drugs won’t make it through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process. Those that do have greatly improved or saved countless lives. 

"But the R&D process isn’t cheap, and the number of approved drugs can vary significantly by year. For example, the FDA approved 55 new drugs in 2023 (the second-highest annual number) but only 37 in 2022 and 50 in 2021. 

"Most of those newly approved drugs were years, if not decades, in the making. And once they are released their patents may have only eight-to-10 years left before they are ripe for generic competition. 

"Moreover, drug companies have been increasingly targeting some of the most difficult medical conditions and diseases, often requiring hard-to-develop biologics—large, complex molecules usually administered by injection—rather than a simple pill. Of those 55 new FDA-approved drugs in 2023, 17 were biologics. Of the 37 new drugs in 2022, 15 were biologics. 

"The misnamed Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) poses a real threat to new drug development. The law essentially imposes price controls on some of the most popular drugs in the Medicare program. Democrats boast that they are just forcing drug companies to “negotiate” drug prices. But the penalty for not accepting the government’s final price is severe—what the government calls an excise tax of up to 19 times the price of the drug, that’s 1,900% of the drug’s daily revenue." . . . 

. . ."Given the restrictions and uncertainty that comes with price controls, drug companies will be more cautious with their R&D spending, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing."

Issues & Insights is run by seasoned journalists who were behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning IBD Editorials page (before it was summarily shut down). Our goal then and now is to bring our decades of combined journalism experience to help readers understand the top issues of the day. I&I is a completely independent operation, beholden to none, but committed to providing cogent, rational, data-driven, fact-based commentary that the nation so desperately needs. 

Obama, Trump, and Kamala

Bridget Phetasy tweeted, “What Democrats are realizing far too late is that they’ve Bud Lighted their whole brand.”    "Add Dylan Mulvaney to the nicknames for Tampon Tim, aka Elmer Fudd and Richard Simmons. Kamala is even worse. Theirs is a Dead Campaign Cackling. The media are clueless."

'I Got A Dad, And He Ain't You': Response To Obama's Condescending Remarks Goes Viral   "Prominent black Trump booster Rob Smith has responded to the former president's condescending screed over 'brothas' who are afraid to vote for Kamala Harris. In a now-viral reply, Smith tells Obama: "There is no amount of lecturing or bullying or shaming that you can do that is going to make me change that decision [to vote for Trump]."  (Emphasis in the original)

This man Actually Helped Nelson Mandela  . . ."Mandela’s group wanted to rent the plane, and did so for a cost of $130,000, or $1625 per person for the entire trip (about $3900 in today’s dollars, still a bargain price for an overseas trip with visits to four major U.S. cities)."