Vlad’s futile warnings
Putin is issuing scary nuclear war warnings on almost a daily basis. I don’t think he is bluffing. I think he may actually use tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. However, his warnings will not achieve his goal of influencing the US public for one simple reason – the US media isn’t reporting them. Had these same warnings been given by a Russian leader back in the 1950s through the early 1990s, they would have received tremendous publicity. Americans would have been digging fallout shelters and moving out of cities or launching massive “give peace a chance” rallies depending on their individual inclinations. Now, the American public has no idea what is going on in Europe other than that there is a war in Ukraine. The days when you would have news bureaus staffed with knowledgeable reporters in foreign capitals are over. Now, you have the occasional trust fund recipient playing foreign correspondent to impress his friends who reports whatever he wants when he wants because he doesn’t cost the Networks anything. Even simple web searches would provide far more information than you will see on the news. A true picture of the threats facing us would be bad for advertisers, and most News organizations won’t cover anything that would disturb the buying public. So, Vlad, threaten away. Then watch our news. Your bone-chilling warnings won’t be covered. Instead, you can relax and watch yet another scintillating report about Taylor Swift.
Hiding H5N1 Human Cases – Biden administration policy?
The CDC has prohibited studies of wastewater from hospitals which would allow us to determine if H5N1 is infecting people as well as animals. The CDC only monitors wastewater from locations where the source of H5N1 could have been animals or people. The CDC and FDA are deliberately creating barriers to clinical testing for H5N1. Is it possible that the Biden administration is not simply doing a bad job of tracking H5N1 cases in humans, are they actively attempting to prevent the US public from finding out how many H5N1 cases in humans are occurring? Is this an attempt to keep a lid on bad news until after the election in November? I think this is possible.
First a whimper, then a bang
I have recently done a personal study of fast food restaurants. It started with one bad experience and then became an intentional survey of multiple chains in multiple States. Something is going on, in my opinion. Food quality has decreased dramatically and orders are frequently screwed up. It is clear that the quality control measures that used to be in place in chain restaurants, which is the only reason anyone ever ate at them, have been abandoned. Restaurants are not being inspected by health agencies. This is apparent to anyone who has seen what their kitchens look like or gotten sick after eating at one of these formerly safe restaurants. This erosion of quality and safety extends to many domains. Predatory businesses are preying on older people and the less well-educated without restraint or fear of prosecution. Prescription drugs are more expensive than they need to be and harder to obtain. So hard, that some people may actually be dying while jumping through unnecessary hoops to get them. What is the Bureau of Consumer Protection doing? What is the Attorney General doing? What is OSHA doing? Nothing, as far as I can tell. When such and such country is labeled as “third world”, many people mean an unsafe place with low standards and a lot of corruption. This increasingly describes the United States. The perception of the US in other countries is not what most Americans think it is. People in many other countries are increasingly viewing the US as lacking in the rule of law, as unsafe and corrupt. Our enemies sense weakness in our low standards and increasing disunity. This may encourage them to attack us. Whimper now, bang later.
References
Putin Issues Nuclear Warning to West. June 21, 2024. Isabel van Brugen. Newsweek.
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-nuclear-doctrine-weapon-use-west-nato-1915765
From sewage to safety: Hospital wastewater surveillance as a beacon for defense against H5N1 bird flu. May 1, 2024. Denis Nash, John Dennehy, Monica Trujillo, and Leopolda Silvera. STAT.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/01/h5n1-bird-flu-hospital-wastewater-surveillance/
Experts blast CDC over failure to test sewage for signs of H5N1 bird flu virus. Susanne Rust. Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2024.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-05-10/experts-blast-cdc-over-refusal-to-test-sewage-for-signs-of-h5n1-bird-flu-virus
‘We’re Flying Blind’: CDC Has 1M Bird Flu Tests Ready, but Experts See Repeat of Covid Missteps. June 20, 2024. Amy Maxmen. KFF Health News.
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/cdc-bird-flu-tests-covid-repeat-concerns/
My Health Insurance Company Is Trying To Kill Me. Jonna Jerome. The Huffington Post. June 22, 2024.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/health-insurance-no-surprises-medical-debt_n_665cdbb5e4b01ea28f32c18f
How PBMs Are Driving Up Prescription Drug Costs. Rebecca Robbins and Reed Abelson. The New York Times. June 21, 2024.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html
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