Hello again, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of Freedom's Creed. Today is February the fifteenth, twenty twenty-two, and I'm going to welcome you to the podcast once again. If you're wondering why there's been nearly a month since my last episode, I will tell you all about that right now. On January the 18th, I published the last episode of the podcast. On January 19th, I tested positive for COVID. The medical personnel, the folks that I have visited, uh said that it was the Omicron variant. In any case, it's all COVID to me. I'm not a medical professional or a scientist or anything like that. So I understand that there are variants to infections or rather diseases. And in any case, it's all COVID-19 to me, and it's all terrible. So the bottom line is that's why I've not published an episode since January the 18th. Two or three days after I tested positive, my wife also tested positive. And fortunately, we have family members close by who, if they were not here, then things could have been probably much worse than what they were. I we both felt the same way, my wife and I, in terms of how we had the headache. We had, I mean, eyeball ache. It it hurt to touch the eyes. I had no appetite. I was very lethargic mentally. I was it was something that I've never really experienced before, unlike any other flu or any other kind of sickness. And it's for me, it was probably the most sick that I've ever been in my whole life. And I'm nearly 60 years old. So there you go. I just gave away my age, and that's about all you need to know about that. Um, in any case, it it we were down for a good two weeks into the month of February, early February, we started feeling better. And at this point now, at uh February the 15th, uh, we're doing much better. I'd say we're very close to 100%. A lot of the just being very tired, and I do have a lingering sort of congestion and a bit of a cough, more so last week than now. But there are just times throughout the day when I just can't clear my throat, and it's the most annoying thing. But compared to how I felt back in the throes of having the virus, this is a very minor little detail that uh will work itself out at some point. In all of this process, I have to say that we've been very fortunate because over the last two years since COVID has been a thing, we had never contracted the virus, even though we were exposed or had been exposed to people who later tested positive for the virus, we were fortunate that we never tested positive. Now, I will say that neither my wife nor I have received uh the vaccine, and I sometimes get different looks from people when they hear that I haven't been vaccinated. But I can tell you that since testing positive for COVID, both my wife and I, I at this point have no desire to go and get the vaccine, and that is probably something that is uh controversial in the minds of some people. But I'll have to say that I think that people should be allowed to make the choice as to what they want to put inside their bodies. When the abortion debate is rampant, it's not discussed much now, and it's usually not until there's an election. But when that's going on, the major argument for many women is it's my body and my choice. So to me, that is akin to a vaccine. If I don't want to put the COVID-19 vaccine in into my body, then it should be my body, my choice, but that's not respected in many circles today, unfortunately. But I have to say as a little side note here, that last month when the Australian Open was taking place, a great pro tennis player from the country of Serbia, I believe, uh, Novak Djokovic, who himself has not as of this moment received the vaccine, was essentially banned from Australia and banned from playing in the Australian Open. He also eventually had his Australian visa revoked and had to leave the country. And I think he left the country on January the 16th and was not able to play in the Australian Open. But basically his response to that was it's my body, and if I choose to get vaccinated, that should be my choice. In any case, he said that it's a price that he's willing to pay. Now, I did a little research on Novak Djokovic, and he has a net worth of about, I don't know, $220 million. So he can definitely afford not to play in a few tennis tournaments if he so chooses. So good for Novak. And finally, here are a couple of situations related to my case. I thought it was ironic, I guess, that I was diagnosed or tested positive on January the 19th, and it's COVID-19. Now, I don't think that means anything. I'm not a superstitious person, but I just thought that was, as I said, ironic. The other point is that I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I mentioned this before on a previous episode that I have had vaccinations, all my children have had vaccinations, my wife and other family members. It has nothing to do with being an anti-vaxxer, but unfortunately, that's the caricature that people want to give those who are against this particular COVID-19 vaccine. I mean, for heaven's sakes, most of my immediate family members have been vaccinated for COVID-19, as well as many of my extended family members, if probably not all. I don't know. I haven't discussed it with anyone in the extended family. But suffice it to say that myself, as well as my immediate family and my extended family are not anti-vaxxers. We're not some kind of anti-science clan or whatever you want to call it. We believe in medical science. We believe that vaccines play a role in our lives. And I can't speak for all of my family members, obviously, and certainly not my extended family members, but I certainly believe that vaccines have played a just tremendous role in preserving the lives of really millions of people who have received those vaccines, to include the COVID-19 vaccine. So does that mean that I I unequivocally accept every aspect of the COVID-19 vaccine? No, it doesn't. There are questions that I have about it, there are concerns that I have about it, which is the main reason why I've not yet had the COVID-19 vaccine. So I think that there are a lot of people who probably think like I do, and I most certainly believe that there are a lot of people who think exactly opposite of the way I do. And guess what? Who cares? This is America. It's a freedom that we have to choose to believe what we want to believe. Unfortunately, many people characterize it as some kind of conspiracy or mad notions that people have who don't support the COVID-19 vaccine. And that's unfortunate because when that takes place, debate, honest debate, and disagreement goes out the window. And only labeling, belittling, besmirching, whatever you want to call it, can take place after that. And it's that's not progress, ladies and gentlemen. That's the antithesis of progress. Let me simply say this before I move on to the primary topic of the podcast. When I was feeling the worst during my COVID episode, I can tell you that physically and mentally, I was ready to check out. I seriously, for a couple of days, was I didn't care if I lived or died, because that's how horrible I felt. It was not a a it was a terrible place to be. But what that did for me, and I've been sick before with the flu and with other illnesses or what have you, but what it did for me was it engendered within myself more compassion, more empathy for other people, particularly those who suffer from chronic illness, who have to endure these trials of either the physical body or the mental aspect of the body. And I vowed during this time that I am going to make more of a conscious effort to, as I said, be more compassionate, more empathetic to those who suffer in this way. I think all of us should probably strive to do that, whether we've had a sickness ourselves or had chronic illness or been completely and totally healthy our whole lives. Here's an additional bit of irony, I think. On the 17th of January, I came across a document that I hadn't heard before. I don't know why. I guess I hadn't paid attention or whatever the reason is. This document is called the Great Barrington Declaration. Now, some of you have probably heard of this, and some of you, like me, may not have heard of it until now. Well, I'm going to actually read this declaration, and I'll discuss it a little bit after I finish reading it. It's not that long. Bear with me. I think it's very important that I read it and then give you my commentary afterward. The reason that it's called the Great Barrington Declaration is because it was penned and published in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It begins this way, The Great Barrington Declaration. As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists, we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies and recommend an approach we call focused protection. Let me stop there. This was actually written in October of 2020, so it's a bit outdated compared to what's going on today. Continuing. Coming from both the left and right and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results, to name a few, include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health, leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice. Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed. Fortunately, our understanding of the virus is growing. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand fold higher in the old and infirm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including influenza. As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all, including the vulnerable, falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity, that is, the point at which the rate of new infections is stable, and that this can be assisted by but is not dependent upon a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity. Let me stop there once again. Do you remember like I do, how early on in the process of COVID that herd immunity was discussed by multiple media outlets, probably all media outlets and politicians and even other people as well? I remember that. I'm sure you do too. But here we are, a year and some nearly a year and a half later, I guess. When's the last time you heard any of these people talk about herd immunity? This is where I would have cued the Jeopardy music had I been more thoughtful about what I was about to say here. Seriously, though, it's as if herd immunity is just some sort of phony way that people can protect themselves against a virus or some sort of infection. It's it blows the mind. It blows my mind anyway. Anyway, let me continue reading from the declaration. The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally, to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this focused protection. Adopting measures to protect the vulnerable should be the central aim of public health responses to COVID-19. By way of example, nursing homes should use staff with acquired immunity and perform frequent testing of other staff and all visitors. Staff rotation should be minimized. Retired people living at home should have groceries and other essentials delivered to their home. When possible, they should meet family members outside rather than inside. A comprehensive and detailed list of measures, including approaches to multi generational households, can be implemented and is well within the scope and capability of public health professionals. Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce their herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young, low risk adults should work normally rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport, and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity. I ask you in all seriousness, does any of this sound unreasonable to you? It doesn't to me. It sounds like it's most reasonable. There are three principal authors of this declaration, all with years of experience in their field of study. The first is Dr. Martin Koldorf. He's a professor of medicine at Harvard University, a biostatistician and epidemiologist with expertise in detecting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety evaluations. Wow. The second is Dr. Sinetra Gupta, professor at Oxford University, an epidemiologist with expertise in immunology, vaccine development, and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. Pretty impressive. The third is Dr. J. Boticharia, professor at Stanford University Medical School, a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert focusing on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations. Are you kidding me? Do these sound like your run of the mill phony people who are trying to promote a certain narrative that is detrimental to society? I don't think so. Nevertheless, these three professionals in every sense of the word, as well as the dozens of other doctors and medical professionals who have co-signed this great Barrington Declaration, have been looked upon and have been castigated as people who don't know what they're talking about, that somehow they just finished high school or just finished a bachelor's degree in humanities, and that's their expertise. No offense to those who majored in the humanities. It's a great field. But I mean, come on, people, this is ridiculously insane. I strongly encourage each of you to go to GBdeclaration.org and look at the document for yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if from there you continued your research and found additional material that substantiates and supports their research. Here's what I do know. We need to get back to a point in this country where we don't care about who gets credit for doing what. And it's very prevalent in politics today. They all care about who gets the credit because they're so desirous to be able to be voted back into office because they have this lustful relationship with power. Well, you know what? We should be looking at all sides and look at all potentialities when it comes to science. And regardless of where it comes from, if it's legitimate science, such as what is found in the Great Barrington Declaration, then it ought to be embraced, it ought to be debated, of course. Let's debate it, let's have that discussion, but let's do it honestly and openly and not irrationally or unreasonably. It truly makes one wonder, what reason or reasons could those in government and even medicine have for tearing down the Great Barrington Declaration, as opposed to looking in depth into the scientific postulations that the Declaration puts forth. Well, I have my own thoughts relative to this point or question, and perhaps it will be a topic for a future podcast. We'll have to wait and see. But let me end with this quote. It's a quote from Scripture, actually. It's found in the New Testament, 1 Timothy 6, verse 10. And that's from the King James Version, by the way. And it's a quote that is often misquoted, but here it is in part. It says, quote, for the love of money is the root of all evil. End of quote. Where that is misquoted by some is often when they leave out the word love, they'll say, Oh yeah, money is the root of all evil. No, no. It's the love of money which is the root of all evil. And unfortunately, we see this played out on a daily basis on Capitol Hill in the United States of America. With that, if you can think it, you can plan it. If you can plan it, you can do it.