Fear sells. All throughout history, promoting fear to drive agenda has been a powerful tool. Perfect love casts out fear; that's what makes the gospel revolutionary.
First, it was "The Coming Ice Age" and the only way to prevent it was to please send money to environmental groups that understood the science. I was young and impressionable and I cared about the environment and wildlife...I sent money. Then it was "Global Warming", and the only way to prevent it was to please send money to environmental groups that understood the science. I was still fairly young, still somewhat gullible, and I cared, so I sent money.
Then it was "Climate Change", and by then I was way older, a lot less gullible, and had seen that the "environmental activists" groups had become wealthy on the donations from people like me who cared...and I stopped sending money to environmental groups.
They all sent me nasty notices in the mail, with "Past Due" and "Final Notice" written prominently on the outside of the envelope to embarrass me, and letters accusing me of "not caring" about the environment unless I sent money.
They cut down more trees and spent more money on paper and postage trying to get my small yearly donations to their "cause" than my donation would pay for...and I was done with them.
They have a new generation of young and/or impressionable people to batten on, and they'll do the same thing with Covid, or BLM, or animal "rights"...whatever "cause" they can use to part people from their cash with fear mongering in the media and heart jerking advertisements that provide income to that media....but they won't get any more from me. I wish I could explain to the young and/or impressionable what I finally figured out, but they won't listen any more than I would have.
The Bill of Rights calls for a free press to be a watchdog over the government. The Military Industrial Complex is ready to supply weapons for whatever war the government starts. The Media Industrial Complex is ready to supply the lies for whatever problem/policy the government has. There is no watch dog over truth.
This write up is exactly what I've been thinking about for a while now. I also have turned off most news, yes even Fox, but you can get a deep dive into the left's broader agenda by watching shows like 60 Minutes. Last night's episode took a few tragic Covid-19 deaths and portrayed them as typical of the 600,000 who have died in the U.S. They weren't typical. The problem we face now is the left knows the public is "on to them", so they are increasing the censorship. Free nations don't survive without free press and free speech. Keep up the good work brother. Welcome back!
I was going to mention us unvaccinated covid survivors but I didn't want the government showing up at my door with a needle in hand, so I will just thank you for another great one.
A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with a close friend. We come from very different backgrounds. He grew up - up North. I grew up here. He is black and I am white. He is a self-made physician and one of the smartest, most driven people know. Our boys played years of competitive soccer together, before heading off to college. He sits on the board of a very large, very renowned University. His 2nd son attends this University. His politics are quite liberal and we do not agree "politically" on a lot of things. During the election process and after Biden was sworn in, he stayed angry. It got so bad that our weekly phone calls dropped to monthly. During that process, I kept pointing out to him some corrections of what was being reported and kept saying "turn the news off".
Back to last week. We were catching up on some things, enjoying a nice lunch, when he just stopped. He looked at me and said, "I took your advice. I turned off the news and I rarely get on Facebook. And when I do, I avoid any of the political stuff. I did it about a month ago. It took about a week, but I started feeling so much better. I realize that I cannot change the world and that there is a lot of misinformation out there on both sides. So I'm going to take care of my family and friends."
He isn't changing. He still is still on the board (for now) of a large University. He is still healing people, he is still quietly making contributions to causes that are important to him. But he doesn't watch the news anymore and he is a much-much happier person.
And I'm happy, because I got a dear friend back... Turn it off folks, it will only make you miserable.
I have a friend of mine who is very liberal. For a very long time we would spar and debate politics. Until the 2020 election. He absolutely refused to listen to, believe, or hear anything contrary to the mantra that Biden was a savior. Now, we are were we are. This is actually the fault of the Republicans who chanted "Anyone But Hillary", which is me. Take solace in the fact that Joe Biden is NOT HRCs second term, I do. We'll see if we can get a reset back to sanity in the 2024 election cycle. 2022 will be a good judge of that, I hope.
And your post should have started "follow the science". People who haven't gotten the vaccine at this point aren't going to have their mind changed by someone telling them to get it...they've made their mind up.
I respectfully disagree. The vaccine should be entirely about personal responsibility because the unvaccinated endanger no one but themselves. A vaccinated person has just as much chance of carrying the disease as the unvaccinated, the difference being the vaccinated will experience no symptoms. Additionally, natural immunity - i.e., one has had COVID and therefore enjoys the same immunity as one who has been vaccinated - has been completely ignored by the CDC and the Biden admin, while reports on fading antibodies is a half-truth (antibodies DO fade, but the T-cells and B-cells responsible for creating the antibodies remain and will quickly respond to another invasion of the virus). I have several very good reasons for not wanting or needing the vaccination and none of them have anything to do with politics or some talking head telling me what to think. My doctors (plural) concur.
Simply put, the "follow the science" crowd isn't following the science on this matter and that's why Rand Paul - a doctor - got all in Anthony Fauci's face during the senate hearings.
You are both my neighbor and Erick's, Tucker. We would both prefer that you not die. Besides, Erick has a vested interest in ensuring his paying subscribers not die at a faster rate than the general public. 😉
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? I suggest you ask the Holy Trinity for the answer to your inquiry. John 14:26 is a good starting point.
Fear sells. All throughout history, promoting fear to drive agenda has been a powerful tool. Perfect love casts out fear; that's what makes the gospel revolutionary.
"Then it was racist to call the variants by their nation of origin, so the Delta variant was going to kill us."
The media said it was "racist" to call a virus by its nation of origin the moment Trump called COVID-19 the "Wuhan" and/or "China" virus.
First, it was "The Coming Ice Age" and the only way to prevent it was to please send money to environmental groups that understood the science. I was young and impressionable and I cared about the environment and wildlife...I sent money. Then it was "Global Warming", and the only way to prevent it was to please send money to environmental groups that understood the science. I was still fairly young, still somewhat gullible, and I cared, so I sent money.
Then it was "Climate Change", and by then I was way older, a lot less gullible, and had seen that the "environmental activists" groups had become wealthy on the donations from people like me who cared...and I stopped sending money to environmental groups.
They all sent me nasty notices in the mail, with "Past Due" and "Final Notice" written prominently on the outside of the envelope to embarrass me, and letters accusing me of "not caring" about the environment unless I sent money.
They cut down more trees and spent more money on paper and postage trying to get my small yearly donations to their "cause" than my donation would pay for...and I was done with them.
They have a new generation of young and/or impressionable people to batten on, and they'll do the same thing with Covid, or BLM, or animal "rights"...whatever "cause" they can use to part people from their cash with fear mongering in the media and heart jerking advertisements that provide income to that media....but they won't get any more from me. I wish I could explain to the young and/or impressionable what I finally figured out, but they won't listen any more than I would have.
On point as always Erick. Thank you.
The Bill of Rights calls for a free press to be a watchdog over the government. The Military Industrial Complex is ready to supply weapons for whatever war the government starts. The Media Industrial Complex is ready to supply the lies for whatever problem/policy the government has. There is no watch dog over truth.
The Holy Spirit…..get to know Him.
Yep
This write up is exactly what I've been thinking about for a while now. I also have turned off most news, yes even Fox, but you can get a deep dive into the left's broader agenda by watching shows like 60 Minutes. Last night's episode took a few tragic Covid-19 deaths and portrayed them as typical of the 600,000 who have died in the U.S. They weren't typical. The problem we face now is the left knows the public is "on to them", so they are increasing the censorship. Free nations don't survive without free press and free speech. Keep up the good work brother. Welcome back!
Yep...and the left wonders how covid got politicized....
I was going to mention us unvaccinated covid survivors but I didn't want the government showing up at my door with a needle in hand, so I will just thank you for another great one.
A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with a close friend. We come from very different backgrounds. He grew up - up North. I grew up here. He is black and I am white. He is a self-made physician and one of the smartest, most driven people know. Our boys played years of competitive soccer together, before heading off to college. He sits on the board of a very large, very renowned University. His 2nd son attends this University. His politics are quite liberal and we do not agree "politically" on a lot of things. During the election process and after Biden was sworn in, he stayed angry. It got so bad that our weekly phone calls dropped to monthly. During that process, I kept pointing out to him some corrections of what was being reported and kept saying "turn the news off".
Back to last week. We were catching up on some things, enjoying a nice lunch, when he just stopped. He looked at me and said, "I took your advice. I turned off the news and I rarely get on Facebook. And when I do, I avoid any of the political stuff. I did it about a month ago. It took about a week, but I started feeling so much better. I realize that I cannot change the world and that there is a lot of misinformation out there on both sides. So I'm going to take care of my family and friends."
He isn't changing. He still is still on the board (for now) of a large University. He is still healing people, he is still quietly making contributions to causes that are important to him. But he doesn't watch the news anymore and he is a much-much happier person.
And I'm happy, because I got a dear friend back... Turn it off folks, it will only make you miserable.
I have a friend of mine who is very liberal. For a very long time we would spar and debate politics. Until the 2020 election. He absolutely refused to listen to, believe, or hear anything contrary to the mantra that Biden was a savior. Now, we are were we are. This is actually the fault of the Republicans who chanted "Anyone But Hillary", which is me. Take solace in the fact that Joe Biden is NOT HRCs second term, I do. We'll see if we can get a reset back to sanity in the 2024 election cycle. 2022 will be a good judge of that, I hope.
Anyone else remember the John Prine song “Spanish Pipedream”?
I did that the week before the 2016 election. I now just listen to religious podcasts and use Facebook for gardening forums. Life is better.
Nailed it!
Spot on.
This would have been a much better article if you'd stated unequivocally that your readers should be vaccinated.
Thanks for listening, Erick.
I've written that a ton.
And your post should have started "follow the science". People who haven't gotten the vaccine at this point aren't going to have their mind changed by someone telling them to get it...they've made their mind up.
I respectfully disagree. The vaccine should be entirely about personal responsibility because the unvaccinated endanger no one but themselves. A vaccinated person has just as much chance of carrying the disease as the unvaccinated, the difference being the vaccinated will experience no symptoms. Additionally, natural immunity - i.e., one has had COVID and therefore enjoys the same immunity as one who has been vaccinated - has been completely ignored by the CDC and the Biden admin, while reports on fading antibodies is a half-truth (antibodies DO fade, but the T-cells and B-cells responsible for creating the antibodies remain and will quickly respond to another invasion of the virus). I have several very good reasons for not wanting or needing the vaccination and none of them have anything to do with politics or some talking head telling me what to think. My doctors (plural) concur.
Simply put, the "follow the science" crowd isn't following the science on this matter and that's why Rand Paul - a doctor - got all in Anthony Fauci's face during the senate hearings.
Very good points!
As a covid long hauler, I am very concerned about the lack of discussion on natural immunity.
Only the anecdotal evidence of long haul symptoms improving has been offered to me by a doctor about why I should get vaccinated.
And I agree with your perpetual paid subscription. :D
You are both my neighbor and Erick's, Tucker. We would both prefer that you not die. Besides, Erick has a vested interest in ensuring his paying subscribers not die at a faster rate than the general public. 😉
HAHAHAHA!!!! I'll have my lawyer put in a clause that Erick's subscription is paid in perpetuity!
Hahahaha.
My head is spinning. But that's the goal of the enemy of our souls.
One thing we know: God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). That leaves the usual suspects....
How old is the Earth?
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? I suggest you ask the Holy Trinity for the answer to your inquiry. John 14:26 is a good starting point.