Dakota Beacon

            The “get Trump” effort never ends. The undercurrent runs throughout the bits and pieces of news, news conferences, and interviews. View the scene as a montage of events. Despite Democrats’ efforts, the unseemly press coverage, and the Republican never-Trump labors, nothing has worked. President Trump is still president. Mueller’s investigation, impeachment, deep state coup attempt, Flynn fiasco, smears, innuendo, and ad hominem attacks have all failed. Time grows short for Trump’s enemies to bring him down. There is one last ditch effort before the November election. Never let a good crisis go to waste. Blame Trump for the coronavirus lockdown and the harm it brings to the US economy.

            Is this merely a conspiracy theory? You be the judge. One may not be fond of Trump, but the harassment and abuse he receives at the expense of America is utterly unwarranted.

            Narrative: Trump wants to hurt everybody. He wants to see them to die. Sounds preposterous, but that is the unstated conclusion of Blue State politicians. And they are willing to close down the economy with all its horrendous effects to insure Trump takes the blame. They wish to use the effects of the pandemic to hurt Trump in November. An animal joy exudes in controlling people’s lives and deflecting blame to others. These politicians are drunk with power trying to look tough.

            Decision-makers keep the economy locked down with ease as long as they are fully employed and drawing a paycheck. Maybe that will change in November.

            Lockdown is easiest to enforce when people are scared. Fear makes for a docile and compliant population providing a very effective means of control – especially when a complicit media reinforces the message. Political leaders advocating for lockdown have an effective ally in the media who aid and abet promoting fear.

            Fear of death promoted by selective use of data and constant use of optics showing people wearing masks instill a sense of foreboding. Contracting the coronavirus does not spell certain death. More than 98% of people who contract the virus survive. They get very sick, but survive.

            Fear. COVID19 news begins to resemble the same fear as instilled by manmade climate change news. Fear. WHO recently announced it could take up to 5 years before the pandemic is under control. Fear. Rising sea levels in the next 10 years could wipe out New York and Miami. Fear. In 1978 it was the new ice age. In 1983 we were warned the reverse would happen. Fear. It was all about global warming and then manmade climate change. Ozone hole, CO2 pollution, acid rain were all predicted by the experts, by reliable sources. They we’re wrong and we’re still here.

            What was the result of the fearmongering then and now? It produced an acquiescent and docile population ready to accept “suggestions” and biddings of the Ruling Class – for a while.

            A never-ending stream of excuses prolong the justification for the lockdown. “Flattening the curve” never implied we should wait out the virus by lockdown. Flattening the curve meant to preclude overwhelming the medical infrastructure. “Following the data” meant heeding the projections of models – badly flawed models whose overstated projections of death and illness scared the tar out of people. “More testing” became the next shibboleth. But more testing for the virus was useful only for the moment. Five minutes after testing one could contract the virus. Testing for an antibody was more complex, less accessible, and ultimately assumed “herd immunity.” Every opportunity to overcome the lockdown was met by some politicians with a new excuse to extend it. In the end, lockdown means prolonging the inevitable exposure to the virus.

            Children can be used to promote the fear factor. Will schools open in the autumn? If they do not, and if daycare does not open, parents by default will have to remain home with kids thus shutting down the economy further.

            Once the fear is instilled, a psychological impact remains even when slowly reopening the economy. Who is essential, who is not, and who decides? Half the population in some states are deemed essential. The other half not so much so. Those deemed non-essential must continue in lockdown -- unemployed, running out of money, no job to go back to, and stigmatized with a feeling of worthlessness. Those resuming their lives outside the home report feeling a sense of anxiety, fear, and paranoia as they step back into the world.

            Ironically, prison populations are being released by politicians while productive people are locked in their homes. Go figure. Meanwhile, some police say they are not enforcing the lockdown. They are too busy re-arresting released criminals to enforce the lockdown of good citizens.

            States stressing lockdown are predominantly Democrat. If they have ulterior motives of hurting Trump, the ploy could backfire. Rebellion is already brewing in those Democrat-controlled states.

            Purportedly, Democrat members of Congress are not unhappy about the harm being done to the economy, until now Trump’s strong suit. They are excited about what the virus is doing in an election year. Sick people, these. Conspiracy theory? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s worth pondering.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).