Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome again to another episode of Freedom's Creed. I appreciate you taking the time to listen to the podcast. And if you are new to the podcast and this is your first episode, I especially welcome you. And thank you for tuning in. My podcast covers a variety of topics, to be sure, but irrespective of the topic, they all tie in to the concept of liberty and freedom, the ability to do and say those things in a free society based on our founding documents, specifically the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of our country. I, for one, appreciate that opportunity, the opportunity to pursue a course that is right for me and for each of you to pursue the course that you desire, and that we live in a place and at a time when this is available to us. There's always so much of negativity if you flip on the news, whether you watch something or you hear something or uh read something in a newspaper or an online article or wherever it is, there's an emphasis, it seems, on negativity. And that's unfortunate, but in our society, negativity seems to sell. What I try to do though is when I do bring up something that is negative, I make an effort to try to provide solutions or to try to discuss how we can grow from that, what we can learn from it, and how we can move forward and be better, as opposed to simply dwelling on the negative. We have too much of that in our society, and I want to do as little as I can to contribute to that, and as much as I can to contribute to a more positive approach or a more solutions-oriented approach, if you will. So let's get started. I'm talking today about control, specifically about government's role and how government controls so many aspects of our lives. Now, what does it mean to control? Well, as a verb, the dictionary does define it as to exercise restraining or directing influence over, to regulate, to have power over. It seems to me that our government meets the qualifications when it comes to the definition of control, especially in the United States today. And if you disagree with that, then of course you are entitled to that disagreement. However, I believe that it is unprecedented, at least unprecedented in my lifetime. Let's put it that way. Now, I am using as a theme or a backdrop to this episode the COVID-19 virus and the way the previous administration fast tracked or accelerated a vaccination and how the current presidential administration has seemed to follow in that same vein, even though there is not much else in this current administration that bears any resemblance to the prior administration, that's for sure. In any event, the way that the two administrations and the government as a whole has conducted itself or themselves with respect to COVID-19 and the amount of control that they have meted out during this virus contrasted with the way that the government typically handles itself during, say, an influenza outbreak, which most of us have a lot of experience with in terms of seeing it year after year. And as a side note, it's interesting to me to have witnessed how COVID-19 became such a political influence from almost day one back in early 2020. All I know is that human nature is that when persons or a group of people have power to control the lives of other people, it usually means that the people being controlled are going to be giving up liberties and freedom. There's a fine line between controlling for a disease or even a pandemic, and then controlling the actions of people, controlling what they are allowed to do, where they are allowed to go, where they're permitted to shop, or where they're able to work, and a whole slew of other variables that we have all witnessed during this pandemic. In reality, it seems that we have been conditioned by the government, whether that's the national government or state governments, to act a certain way, to behave in a certain manner, and if we choose not to obey, quote unquote, that action by our government, then we are looked at by our fellow citizens as if somehow we support killing people at random. And that's just a silly notion to be under. And because COVID-19 is such a political football, depending on where you go to get your information, you're going to get varying slants on the truth. It seems to me that the truth is what we all should be seeking, but it's clearly not the case. And I find it interesting that even if you go to a reputable website, if you go somewhere where everybody's familiar with, even then there are little slivers of doubt that seem to be placed in the minds of people, to include my own. I'm actually going to reference some information from the Johns Hopkins website. And I'm doing this primarily because Johns Hopkins is well known to virtually everyone. So this information is from their vaccine research and development section. Most of us know the typical timeline for a vaccine is something that takes place over a period of years. In fact, Johns Hopkins says on their website, quote, a typical vaccine development timeline takes five to ten years and sometimes longer, to assess whether the vaccine is safe and efficacious in clinical trials, complete the regulatory approval processes, and manufacture sufficient quantity of vaccine doses for widespread distribution. End of quote. So according to Johns Hopkins, after the preclinical trials have concluded, there's a phase one clinical trial. And the purpose of that, of course, is to assess the safety of it, the dosage, uh, the kinds of immune responses that they would be looking out for. In fact, they say that, quote, phase one clinical trials are the first step in assessing vaccines in people. Only if a vaccine candidate is shown to be safe in phase one trials will it move to larger phase two trials, end of quote. In phase two clinical trials, which takes about two to three years, typically, they say, quote, phase two clinical trials continue to assess safety and immune responses, but in a larger number and more diverse group of volunteers, typically one to several hundred people, close quote. And in phase three clinical trials, which takes typically two to four years, they say this, quote, phase three clinical trials are critical to understanding whether vaccines are safe and effective. Phase three trials often include tens of thousands of volunteers, close quote. Now, according to Johns Hopkins and their accelerated diversion, they say this, quote, phase three trials may take six to nine months to allow early assessment of safety and efficacy, particularly if conducted in areas with a high risk of infection, but with follow-up continuing for two years or more to assess long-term safety and efficacy, close quote. To say that there was considerable pressure applied to the government by other forces would probably be an understatement. So it's understandable why those in the government did the things that they did to accelerate or to expedite the creation of a vaccine for COVID-19. I don't know about you, but for me, I have sufficient reason to doubt the safety of a vaccine that typically takes years to develop, and then all of a sudden we get a vaccine in essentially less than one year, and we're all supposed to be okay with that. When typically a company spends billions of dollars and years of research to make sure a vaccine is safe. Congress created the Food and Drug Administration or FDA back in 1906, and one of its responsibilities is that it is tasked with protecting the public from dangerous medications, or we could even say vaccines. Johns Hopkins says that, quote, in the United States, the FDA is responsible for regulating vaccines. In situations when there is good scientific reason to believe that a vaccine is safe and is likely to prevent disease, the FDA may authorize its use through an emergency use authorization or EAU, even if definitive proof of the efficacy of the vaccine is not known, especially for diseases that cause high mortality. This idea that they had to control the narrative. They had to control the situation. I get it. Sometimes the government does need to step in to ensure that mass pandemonium doesn't take place over something that's happening in society. Well, there was mass pandemonium that took place in our society over COVID-19. And guess what? It was perpetuated by none other than the government. And of course, I don't want to leave the media out of this as well. They did their part in creating mass hysteria surrounding COVID-19. There's absolutely no doubt about it. The government and the media did their best to instill this kind of nervousness amongst citizens. And to me, it's criminal. So why did they do it? For the answer to that question, I reference the Mayo Clinic's website that wrote up a little piece comparing the coronavirus to the flu. They highlight similarities and differences, and so what I want to do is I just want to read some of these similarities and differences. First of all, they say that COVID-19 and the flu are both contagious respiratory diseases caused by viruses. They have some common symptoms, but that they can affect people differently. Well, that makes sense because when a healthy person gets the regular flu, they typically recover in a reasonable time period. But when someone gets the flu and they're not as healthy, then the risks are potentially much greater and in fact can be fatal. The other fact that the Mayo Clinic talks about is that the flu has been around a lot longer than the COVID-19 virus. So naturally, doctors and health officials know much more about the typical influenza than they do about COVID-19. Here are a few things that the Mayo Clinic talks about with regards to the COVID-19 virus and the flu and how they're similar. They say this quote The viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu spread in similar ways. They can both spread between people who are in close contact within six feet. The viruses spread through respiratory droplets or aerosols released through talking, sneezing, or coughing. These droplets can land in the mouth or nose of someone nearby or be inhaled. These viruses can also spread if a person touches a surface with one of the viruses on it and then touches his or her mouth, nose, or eyes. Close quote. Just the mere thought of obtaining one of these viruses through the means that I just referenced is kind of disgusting, really. If you talk about droplets that gets in somebody's mouth or in their nose, it's gross. But it happens. So we need to use common sense when we're out in public and not touch our face, not rub our eyes, not touch our mouth. Men, don't pick your nose. Wait till you get home, wash your hands thoroughly for the appropriate amount of time, and then go about your business. Based on the Mayo Clinic document, COVID-19 and the flu have many similar symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, tiredness, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, headache, and nausea or vomiting. But that's more common in children than in adults. Mayo Clinic also says that both COVID-19 and the flu can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ failure, heart attacks, heart or brain inflammation, stroke, and death. Many people with the flu or mild symptoms of COVID-19 can recover at home with rest and fluids, but some people become seriously ill from the flu or COVID-19 and need to stay in the hospital. Following are some differences between COVID-19 and the flu. And I'll just share these in no particular order. They say that COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses. I think we all probably knew that. They also say that with COVID-19, a person may experience loss of taste or smell. And I've had friends and family members who have had COVID and who have said that very thing. Mail Clinic also says that COVID-19 symptoms generally appear two to fourteen days after exposure, where the flu symptoms usually appear about one to four days after exposure. They say that COVID-19 appears to be more contagious and to spread more quickly than the flu. And they say that severe illness, such as lung injury, is more frequent with COVID-19 than with influenza, and that the mortality rate also is higher with COVID-19 than the flu. And to me, this is no surprise given that influenza has been around for decades and we've had and created various vaccines to combat the flu. And COVID is a totally new virus. And so we we don't have ways to protect us the way that we do with the regular influenza that happens on a seasonal basis. And according to the Mayo Clinic, in 2020, quote, more than 16 million people have had COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 290,000 people have died of COVID-19 in 2020. End of quote. Again, we don't know about the underlying causes that may have contributed to those 22,000 people passing away from influenza. We can exercise some control and use good common sense when it comes to protecting ourselves from any kind of a virus, whether it's COVID-19 or the flu. If we know we're sick, then if we can, we should stay away from other people. Especially if we have a fever, we should stay away from other people if possible. If we're out in public, take the time to wash your hands wherever you're at. When you get home, most definitely wash your hands with soap and water properly. And for heaven's sakes, don't touch your face. It's just common sense. When you're touching things that other people have touched, when you have no idea what's around you in terms of who may be sick or whatever, don't touch your dang face. It's just stupid. Don't pick your nose, men. I've seen it. I've seen you driving in your car mining for that dang booger. I mean, for real. Have a little decency. Wait till you get home. Or if you can't wait, get a freaking tissue and pluck that thing out of there. And some of you women out there just realize that, hey, I've seen it happen with you guys too. And hey, I'm not perfect. I've done it before, but I try to use a tissue. Or I try to wait till I get home and I can wash my hands and take care of that personal hygiene item in the privacy of my own home. To say that I got a little carried away here toward the end is justifiable, and I hope it doesn't deter or detract from the point of the episode, which is the kind of control that the government wants to foist on the American people. In my opinion, it is something that we all should be concerned about. I'll end this episode with a couple of thought-provoking quotes. One's from Benjamin Franklin who said this quote, those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Close quote. The other quote is from Friedrich A. Hayek in his book The Road to Serfdom. He said this, quote, the most important change which extensive government control produces is a psychological change, an alteration in the character of the people. The most important point is that the political ideals of a people and its attitude toward authority are as much the effect as the cause of the political institutions under which it lives. This means, among other things, that even a strong tradition of political liberty is no safeguard if the danger is precisely that new institutions and policies will gradually undermine and destroy that spirit. End of quote.