📣 Upcoming CDC HICPAC meeting. ⚠️ Another extremist pandemic denial school board situation.
📣 Upcoming CDC HICPAC meeting. ⚠️ Another extremist pandemic denial school board situation.
Disinfo around the pandemic is the same disinfo from climate denial.
📍Note: CDC HICPAC meeting: November 14-15, 2024
“Topics related to infection control and antimicrobial resistance are discussed.”
Request to Make an Oral Public Comment: Oct 15 through 5pm Oct 25, 2024
Written Public Comment: “Currently, there are no HICPAC documents posted to Regulations.gov”
More information on the issue of infection control in healthcare settings: Does CDC HICPAC want to make a mockery of infection control in healthcare? Aug 21, 2024
From pandemic denial conspiracy fictions, to anti-trans... extremists took over yet another school board in Pennsylvania.
This seems to be a recurring theme, and the school board anti-trans bathroom garbage and Black history book bans, is also tied up with pandemic misinformation, and it’s connected to the election disinformation and people involved in January 6th stuff. It all seems to be part of the same political movement in opposition to public health.
Reveal: In God We Vote - A small-town pastor blurs the line between church and state. It’s all part of a growing ideology that believes Christians should control society. October 12, 2024 Najib Aminy: More and more of those sermons were about the pandemic. Lockdowns had a long ripple effect across the country, including here in Lancaster County. Houses of worship were not immune. Closed doors met fewer donations and broken connections with the faith, which left some churches in a critical state. In those early weeks, Don held services outside in the church parking lot, but eventually he moved indoors sooner than most. But kept the livestream on for those not ready to come inside. And so Tim intrigued by what he saw at his local government meetings, started listening to Don’s livestream. Tim Runkle: I work at home. I’m doing my normal work answering emails. I’m just letting it run in the background. It was very pivoted towards Covid conspiracies.
In the podcast they say that the pandemic sparked some of this likely because: "Closed doors met fewer donations and broken connections with the faith, which left some churches in a critical state.” Some churches. How strong could your faith be, how strong is a community really, if it can't withstand a crisis or a couple of months of reduced gathering sizes in an emergency? And it sounds like remote option live streaming sermons actually made this NAR church more popular, actually.
Christian Nationalists Dream of Taking Over America. This Movement Is Actually Doing It. The New Apostolic Reformation is “the greatest threat to US democracy you’ve never heard of.” By Kiera Butler; Photography by Caroline Gutman November+December 2024 Issue NAR influence in Lancaster churches began appearing in the early 2000s, but the Covid culture wars accelerated its spread. Six years ago, when Rebecca Branle, the owner of a local bike shop and mother of three, moved to Ephrata, she knew her family might stand out because they didn’t attend church. “We weren’t religious like everyone else, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” she recalls. But in 2020, the pandemic hit, and once-negligible differences became “flash points.” After Branle posted a rainbow flag and a Black Lives Matter sign on her property, someone shot a bullet through the barn window, and in another incident, someone left a single slab of granite outside; “Look Behind You” was written on it in permanent marker, accompanied by a smiley face with the eyes crossed out. In smaller print appeared “Gays will burn in hell” and “You can repent.” She was scared for her family’s safety, but also confused: “Especially this community of people who say they’re so religious, suddenly this kind of talk is okay with them?”
Some people are being led to think the awful is justified. It’s not uncommon for perpetrators to see themselves as not the bad guys or having been justified somehow, at least at the time.
Reveal: In God We Vote - A small-town pastor blurs the line between church and state. It’s all part of a growing ideology that believes Christians should control society. October 12, 2024 Najib Aminy: This was in the wake of the Parkland High School mass shooting in Florida in 2018. Ash spent a lot of time as an activist for many causes, environmental issues, social justice, LGBTQ rights. He was always out protesting, but one day Ash wanted to show up to the ReAwaken Tour, an event that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had organized, that has strong ties to Christian nationalism. He asked his dad for permission to go. Mark said yes and went with his son. Mark Clatterbuck: I don’t know if anyone stood up there and then sat back down without making some sort of hostile, dehumanizing comment about trans youth. Najib Aminy: It’s probably worth sharing here that Ash transitioned when he was in high school, and part of the reason why Ash wanted to attend that ReAwaken Tour was to make a point, a silent act of protest. Mark Clatterbuck: So General Michael Flynn was there, and next thing I know, Ash is over talking with Michael Flynn and- Najib Aminy: I’m sorry, what? Mark Clatterbuck: Ash is talking to General Michael Flynn at the ReAwaken America rally in Lancaster County, and afterwards I’m like, “Ash, what was that about?” He’s like, “I don’t know. I thought, hey, it’d be cool to talk to him and just see what he’s about.” And I think Flynn thought, “What a great photo op.” He’s this young man, crew-cut hair. He’s an ultramarathon runner, ideal military candidate and grabs this kid and has him in his arm and gives him a handshake, having no idea that Ash is the person that he’s been blasting and dehumanizing. But for Ash, it’s like he came back. He’s like, “Michael Flynn had no idea who I am,” and that was the point. “I’m not a monster. I am who I look like I am to you. You shook my hand as a young, vibrant, bright-eyed, articulate, bold kid who wants to make this country a better place and a more livable place.”
Mike Flynn also peddles anti-vax and pandemic denial conspiracy theories. And was recently at the Rod of Iron rally at a gun warehouse in northeastern Pennsylvania with Ivan Raiklin who’s openly talked about having county officials deputize anti-vaxxers for swatting raids, and who is now telling people to go to Harrisburg to convince PA state lawmakers to change Pennsylvania’s electoral votes to Trump if Harris wins in Pennsylvania. Cancer patients have been harassed in public by politically motivated perpetrators, and letters have been published in newspapers suggesting harassment of people who wear N95s in public, and Alex Jones tells his audience that doctors are deliberately killing people with vaccines. It’s wise to consider that many unaware and innocent people might wind up targeted because of wild propaganda.
My letter to reps:
I saw a video taken at a Rod of Iron rally in the Poconos where Ivan Raiklin seemed to be instructing people there that if Harris wins Pennsylvania they should proceed to Harrisburg to convince state lawmakers to change PA’s electoral votes to Trump. Considering the incident at the Michigan state house and then the insurrection on January 6th, where many people, some misguided and confused, were led to inappropriate and even illegal actions, and some committed violence, it would be prudent to at least prepare, and let the public know that there are plans in place to prevent harm and protect public safety. A talk show Ivan Raiklin goes on is Alex Jones who has been telling people hospitals are poisoning people on purpose and that diseases aren’t real. This is fringe, but it doesn’t take a lot of people to do real harm. There are people threatening FEMA employees and meteorologists during a disaster emergency. A cancer patient was harassed as “liberal” for wearing a mask in North Carolina. What is being done to deter would-be perpetrators throwing away their own lives to high crimes or immoral acts? People in positions of leadership should go public to say at a minimum something like: Listen, take the temperature down, love thy neighbor, and don't throw your life away because you've been ramped up to violence against innocent people by people with media platforms seeking power, or pardons, or selling event tickets, books, and subscriptions, and not necessarily disseminating accurate information. And if you intend to do nothing, then at least speak up and let the public know we’re on our own - it’s not like that will be surprising to those of us with “underlying conditions”.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
🗞️ In the news
The Future of Telehealth in Medicare: Why Congress Needs to Act to Preserve Access & Improve Care AZ Public Health Association - 2024/10/12 Before the end of the telehealth extension is here (12/31/24) Congress will need to decide whether to again temporarily extend telehealth or make permanent the telehealth flexibilities enacted during the pandemic. There’s a current proposal for a two-year extension of these flexibilities, which would provide a temporary solution but falls short of addressing long-term needs. A two-year extension is better than allowing the COVID-era policies to expire altogether, but it’s only a stopgap. But… the bipartisan CONNECT for Health Act offers a more comprehensive and forward-looking solution.
Scientific American - October 8, 2024 How Rwanda Is Containing a Deadly Marburg Virus Outbreak Rwanda’s health minister says authorities are tracing every potential contact of the index case in the country’s outbreak of Marburg virus disease to reduce the risk of wider spread By Paul Adepoju As of October 6, the outbreak had infected 56 people and killed 12 of them, according to Rwanda's Ministry of Health. With support from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners, the Rwandan government is implementing rigorous testing, contact tracing and quarantine measures to contain the outbreak.
The disinfo campaigns around the pandemic are the same disinfo campaigns around climate change.
There was a reddit post going around the past week I saw posted in r/Appalachia, where the OP suspected that it was helping fake charity scams. And that’s absolutely benefitting the scammers. It’s part of a whole disinformation economy. And this disinformation is harming people, it’s heartbreaking. It’s all using the same disinformation, co-option, green-washing and woke-washing strategies.
MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy - Thinker-Fest: Session 1 - Fireside Chat - How to Fix the “Splinternet” Mar 3, 2023 The issue is that if you broaden out, you start to see that all of these dynamics can take place because there are very clear revenue models and businesses. People are making money from this. For example I trace what's called direct benefits. So these are companies that are selling products and services directly related to the idea that's circulating. So if you are anti-vax, you are selling supplements right, if you are, you're selling essential oils, you're selling products that are directly benefiting from the disinformation or misinformation that is circulating.
What comes to mind is: If you’re in covid related social media circles, you’re promoting unproven tech solutions for prevention, and unproven theories and treatments for long covid. Anything that circumvents actual public health solutions and community action is promoted and funded. Anti-mask and anti-vax interests will tell concerned people: it’s fine you don’t need those anyway, here’s this product. They may say hey you can still mask — but then it’s all about offering an alternative to the actually effective public health solutions… that would inconvenience business interests - (primarily fossil fuel). They do this with AI hype snake oil too, they provide a product with pitfalls then sell the fix which is itself extremely flawed.
That’s what they do with climate change too - make up tech solutions and conspiracy theories as diversions. And some people buy into this stuff. Industry is burning coal just to make cryptocurrency in Pennsylvania, and pushing to burn tires. Yes, you heard me right, they want to burn tires to make cryptocurrency. Fossil fuel industry must love cryptocurrency and data centers, because they’re talking about firing back up closed power plants just for this stuff. This is while local residents cry out about the air pollution in Pennsylvania from the Panther Creek Power Plant, and also noise pollution from the Terawulf facility. They’re planning on reopening Three Mile Island, imagine adding tire burning to this mess. Meanwhile cryptocurrency moguls try to greenwash with odd PR outlets talking about dubious PR schemes for planting some trees for crypto. The Panther Creek Power Plant in Carbon County Pennsylvania belongs to the parent company Stronghold Digital Mining with a website that actually makes the claim: “The only environmentally beneficial and vertically integrated public Bitcoin mining company.” All these industry tycoons try to connect the high energy sucking cryptocurrency schemes to wellness and solutions, when they’re quite obviously the problem. And they all know how to divert activism in a way that serves industry, and they have the money to do it.
Cryptocurrency company responds to lawsuit By Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America Published April 18, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT Panther Creek received 18 environmental safety violations since Stronghold took over in 2021. 17 of those violations are for air pollution. That data comes from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) eFACTS website. However, Stronghold only lists eight violations on a recent DEP permit application. Panther Creek currently burns waste coal, but wants to add tire burning to the mix. The permit would allow it to use tire-derived fuel (TDF) to supplement 15 percent of its monthly electricity use by weight. [emphasis added]
Who’s really on the side of public health?
It’s always been about industry opposition to public health.
Big money industry interests have been on the side of disease all along.
On Knowledge Fight podcast #961, one of the guys said that Alex Jones worked for Covid-19 for free. But there was money behind spreading covid on purpose. And the Koch Brothers were known to fund the fight against pandemic mitigations right from the get go. There are people who are going to keep minimizing and downplaying the effects of covid because doing so because it propels their eugenics beliefs, or because it benefits some business interests (at least short-term which is all most industries care about these days).
Quote:
“The counter offensive is against civic movements, democracy movements, internet organized protest movements, of the kind that we have seen breaking out in different parts of the world at different times. They understood that this was a new kind of problem. I think they understand the power of democracy rhetoric, and of liberal rhetoric. It's not always about democracy, sometimes it's about transparency, anti-corruption, accountability. And I think they understand the power of those things and how those things can move people and persuade them to work together. And I think their goal is to break up those, to undermine those ideas, but also to break up civic activism, to make sure it doesn't happen. [...] I think some of their propaganda is aimed at exactly doing that, their propaganda, some of the legal changes they've made, some of the tactics they use, is really designed to isolate people, and to make them apathetic. So they understand that civic activism and engagement are a threat to them.”