Dakota Beacon

They say that mistakes are valuable experiences if we learn from them.  If so, we have a lot of learning to do from the many mistakes our country has made over the past 50 years with regard to our foreign policy, our trade policies, our dependence on others, our failure to be alert and skeptical when our enemies tell us stories.  We should try to look for the "silver lining" in this awful situation because without that this whole experience is so negative and depressing that it will be difficult to come out of it with our sanity.  Ezra Levant is a brillian thinker and great journalist.  He has some very worthwhile observations which we should consider.  It didn't have to be this way, as a friend of mine was wont to say.  We could have avoided a lot of heartache and loss.  But the good news is it doesn't have to be this way again.

Like the villain/murder victim in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, China has been a super-villain on the world stage, either deliberately or negligently infecting innocent people around the world - including their own people - with a deadly and miserable virus, leading to massive sickness and death and the destruction of jobs, investments, loss of homes and all that this entails on a human level.  While we wait the days out until it is deemed safe to go back to work and pick up the pieces of our broken lives and destroyed dreams, with no assurance that it won't be back in time for fall and school, we should seriously consider the consequences which should come to China's government for this abusive behavior.  And we should not only stop all funding for the WHO, regardless of who has the honorary position of the head of it, but really consider a pre-U.N. world, where nations simply pursued their own peaceful objectives as such - nations.  It was a more honest approach and could be a more constructive one.  

Failure to implement these time constraints would cause a worldwide loss of life due to economic stagnation that would be well in excess of the losses to be expected from continuation of the status quo (placing all the risk on health care and goods distribution workers).

This is not a normal medical supply crisis and the FDA cannot afford to treat it like just another quest for perfection due to the memory of thalidomide.

As we are teetering on the brink of disaster here in the United States and watching other nations cope, some better than others, a pattern begins to emerge.  Those countries which know China best - their neighbors, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, are not trusting them to either tell the truth or provide acceptable quality medical supplies.  We see China emerge as a thief, an extortionist, a double-dealer and a murderer.  China is a nation without a conscience or a civilized set of values.  We should not be doing business with them - even now.

ND COVID-19; FIRST SHOE DROPS; SAND FOR SALE; THE MID-AMERICAN BUSINESS CONDITIONS INDEX; ALTRU HEALTH SYSTEMS; SWEE JOBS?; EXTINCTION EVENT; PROTECTION AT ANY COST; DANGEROUS OVER RELIANCE; TEDDY'S LIBRARY; WHO ARE THE VOTERS?; WE WON THE BET; DAKTOIDS

In the 20th century, International Communism gave the world psychiatric prisons, re-education camps, penal colonies, and industrial methods of extermination. In the 21st, it has added virulent contagious disease to its exported benefactions.

 More Americans may come to recognize the prudence of Trump’s admonitions about our addiction to cheap Chinese labor, and the vulnerability of the U.S. “supply chain” to the malevolent whims of a communist dictatorship.

Who listens to radio?  In the days of the Great Depression and for a couple of decades more, America did.  It connected us across the miles to our favorite entertainers, newscasters, the President and even each other, as people across the nation settled in every night to hear the antics of their favorites, whether sports, drama, comedy or news broadcasts.  It brought us together as a nation, but even more as families.  And there is not question that it allowed our imaginations free reign.  Today it might seem unsophisticated and production was definitely inexpensive by our standards.  But today, while we are distancing socially to survive, the days of radio do have appeal!

As we sit around, fretting that we will lose our homes, breaking out into arguments of frustration, trying to stay focused on a novel or movie, some of us ponder what ought to be done with China after this.

Before the CARES Act the national debt was $21.5 trillion. Our debt now stands at $23.7 trillion. That is 23 thousand billions! Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is considering offering bonds with maturity dates of 50 to 100 years – Century Bonds. With interest rates at 1% the treasury is seriously entertaining the idea. However, if our national proclivity for spending is not modified, Century Bonds won’t be a fix. Only a band aide.

We will defeat the Wuhan flu. Defeating our financial crisis looms large on the horizon. What will the camel look like whose nose is now under the tent?

Opposition to borders and economic sovereignty are the lynchpins of internationalism. The complete surrender to nationalism makes it impossible to take the internationalist dream seriously.

The coronavirus killed internationalism: it has ended free movement between countries and international control over national budgets.

It has been fifty years since Richard Nixon's unfortunate trip to China.  He made a lot of mistakes.  This was perhaps the one which has been most costly to America.  For this alone he should have been impeached, and also tried and convicted of treason.  This isn't about Chinese people.  It is about an oppressive dictatorship, a cancer in the world, desirous of spreading its power and influence and dominating other countries completely.  And now it is about a bio-terrorist country which has exported a devastating virus which is killing our people - everyone's people - all around the world and destroying the economies of the other nations of the world.  This is terrorism, pure and simple, and we need to treat it as such.  The perpetrators are criminals but they are also terrorists.  If we continue to do business with them we are aiding and abetting terrorism.

If you are of an old enough generation you can remember when you mother taught you not to be rude to others.  You thank someone when he gives you a gift or does a kindness or service for you.  It is a custom belonging to a more pleasant age, when simple courtesy was the rule, not the exception.  Maybe while your kids are at home, parents, you can use this time to turn around this trend toward the obnoxious.  Don't overlook rude behavior in your child - he probably learned it out there in daycare or public school.  But let him know, while he's young enough to learn better, the value of manners, the need to express gratitude and just generally, show a little class.  Our media could take lessons.

China has much to answer for.  It is time to consider how they should be dealt with for having caused worldwide economic crisis, massive loss of life and health in every corner of the earth.  We can't let this go.  We have seen many serious epidemics spawned in China.   Their unsanitary markets, their evil government which lies about important health crises and their criminal behavior during the crisis itself needs to be addressed and dealt with harshly.  Unless we want a repeat.  

NOBODY STANDS OUT; IT AIN'T WHAT IT SEEMS; A BLACK SWAN EVENT; THE COAL INDUSTRY IS TOAST; DON'T SHUT THE INDUSTRY DOWN; GIVE DONES A CHANCE; SEN. KEVIN CRAMER; MAY NOT NEED THE SANDBAGS; BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE; ND JAILS LESS CROWDED; THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU; A SAD VIDEO; A MINOREITY VIEW; DULUTH; DAKTOIDS

It could get boring, staying in.  But it doesn't have to!  In the 1930s it was the Great Depression, not a pandemic, that had us down.  But America found relief from stress at the movies.  It's true that they don't make 'em like they used to.  Here are samples of what kept our spirits high when times were tough.  

There are still two kinds of Americans.  Those who like Red China, Communist Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea or any other blood enemy of the United States and those who prefer civilized nations, nations with whom a decent country can maintain a decent relationship.  A good time to sort this out is in the wake of a disaster perpetrated on the world by a rogue state - Red China (or the People's Republic, if you like irony).  While we are recovering physically and still reeling financially, let's tally up the bill and then collect it.  We no longer have debt to China.  They just wiped that out and now owe us and the rest of the world a sizable debt of their own.  Their leaders should be rounded up, as in post-World War II, put on trial, squeeze the truth out of them and then (if convicted) hang them publicly.  There need to be consequences for this behavior.

On day 9 of 15, New York City began treating Covid-19 patients on a five day regimen using the 75 year old Malaria drug Hydro chloroquine in combination with the modern drug Zpac. By next Monday, the end of “15 days to Slow the Spread”, doctors and nurses in New York City will have realized what quite a few health professionals throughout our country have already shared with news outlets... but has largely been ridiculed by the fake-news media:

THE FDA'S TRIAL THERAPY SAVES LIVES!

Maybe I'm getting crabby about this, but I find it irritating when people who know nothing and have no experience get out there on FOX News and other outlets to tell us to 'go into conservation mode' or 'call your mortgage company and set up something'.  This kind of advice is way below our heads and is also dangerous.  Please don't think you can work things out with your mortgage company.  If you feel you must, have your lawyer set it up - don't call yourself.  Don't be that conservation-minded.  This will blow up in your face in the next 3 or 4 months.  In some cases, experience is more valuable than having a book out or a youtube channel or whatever.  So here's today's rant.

There are many moving parts to the current coronavirus pandemic – some would say “planned-demic.” A particular topic the electronic media shies away from for fear of being labeled as “conspiracy theorists” is the roll of Communist China and their reticence to be transparent. The American Thinker website offered an interesting take on the coronavirus in a 3/16/2020 article titled Did China Panic the World and Steal Our Wealth with a Common Cold? It turned out to be far more serious than a common cold.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is all but useless confronting the Wuhan Flu. WHO is both demonstratively corrupt and an ally of China. In December 2019 Taiwanese warned WHO that the virus was spreading through human-to-human contact. Two weeks after Taiwan’s warning, WHO, complicit with China’s Xinhua News Agency, stated there was no evidence this was the case. WHO argued against restricting international air travel. Meanwhile, the Chinese government destroyed samples of the virus, shut down labs, arrested doctors, and rejected US assistance.

No matter how old you get you can never say you've seen everything.  It is almost impossible to believe that anyone who was alive during the Reagan administration, where despite divided philosophies of government our leaders and our people were at least united in that we were Americans first.  Now this is not true.  While we are faced with a one-two punch of a massive epidemic of a so-far untreatable and deadly disease and an economic fallout which could dwarf the Great Depression if we let it, this woman has single-handedly stopped Congress and the Senate from doing their job to effect timely relief and addressing the problems which a lax border policy (which the old hag promoted as well) has helped to enhance.  Let's fix this.  Let's take the American route - the one we know works - and get government out of our business.  Congress - provide a short-term safety net and then get the hell out of the way and let business live again.  

I am as amused as anyone by the creative ways people are finding to occupy themselves during this quarantine.  But in fact, we need to be thinking in terms of action.  It's also no time to give in to feelings of despair.  Yes, it's dark out there.  We feel threatened in many ways.  But let's do what we can in the meantime.  Above all, start thinking about how we can equip ourselves to pick up the pieces when this is over and put it all behind us.  And if possible, just remain grateful - for those we still have with us, for the freedom we still have to think out loud and express our views and ideas.  Our ideas are what will give us a chance to survive.  And gratidude for the help of those whose talents are put to good use rather than evil.  We have seen what evil does.  Now here's the good news - Israel is donating life-saving drugs to combat what the Communist Chinese have forced on us.  Let's thank them.

ND COVID; DISTURBING DEMOCRAT FRACKING AGREEMENT; THE BIG FARMERS GET BIGGER; THE STATE TREASURER; LIVESTREAMING AT ND CAPITOL; THE ND LIBERTARIAN PARTY CONVENTION; LEGACY FUND FOUNDERS; SMOOTH THE ND UNIVERSITY BUMPS; THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE; THE DEM-NPL CAUCUSES; ND DEMOS CONCENTRATED IN TWO CITIES; THE NORSK HOSTFEST; AN ENDLESS BELT OF GRAIN

This isn't the first time Americans have had to fight off the blues.  They knew all about it in the 1930s.  The Great Depression was a bummer but it yielded some wonderful moments on the silver screen as the people sought to banish their own depression with light-hearted and uplifting movies!  Join The Beacon on a trip to the Hollywood musicals of the 30s.

Today I'm asking all of you who read this to consider its benefits and the genius of the market to accomplish what government cannot and protect what a bioweapon would have destroyed.  I think this plan serves the interests of all Americans.  Other ideas which have been floated have inherent problems which are inherent in any government-directed program.  They pick winners and losers and they divide America.  We should resist this kind of thing now above all.

The conversation about coronavirus has turned to political correcvtness.  Trump is being attacked by the press for referring to the illness as the "Chinese virus" because it sounds 'racist".  We have to call it something.  "Chinese" or "Wuhan" would seem perfect.  The virus originated in China under questionable circumstances, the government hushed it up, silencing those who tried to warn the public, they allowed people to fly all over the planet, knowing that this illness was going to get out of control and thousands of people would die, millions would become ill, that the odds were in favor of everyone's economy sinking, they refused help when it was offered and denied access to international organizations to investigate it and they destroyed all evidence which could have revealed the truth.  Then they blamed others.  Strangely, there are always cute young things ready to jump on the "Blame Trump" bandwagon, no matter how illogical it is.  

In 2018, just under 10,000 cases of Legionnaires' disease were reported by health departments in the United States. However, because it is highly under diagnosed, this number may underestimate the true incidence. It also occurs regularly throughout the rest of the world.

This disease is on a nearly exponential rise during the last few years despite the efforts of state public health officials to prevent it. The death rate is around 10% or about 1,000 deaths per year. According to the CDC, no vaccine is available fir Legionella. My real purpose, however, in presenting this material is to place in perspective the Covid-19 pandemic.

As members of Congress and the President and his advisors mull over the various possible ways to deal with the fallout from the economic shutdown caused by the Chinese virus pandemic, I have another suggestion to add to yesterday's post.  I think it could help millions of people weather this storm and come out prepared to overcome the loss of income.  Yesterday I proposed one idea.  Perhaps everyone should think of an idea that would help people like them to survive this basically intact.  I also want to say a word or two about the terminology we are using.  This is important in the longer view.

When tempted to view news reports at face value, always remember, “Things are not as they appear.” Over time, the real story behind the story comes out as truth. But, by then people are so sick and tired of the whole mess they no longer pay attention. The truth falls on deaf ears.

An excellent example appears as the Russia collusion hoax. In retrospect, the “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax turned out to be one of the biggest, most outrageous political scandals. It was a phony, useless, two-year investigation costing taxpayers in excess of $35 million. The popular media never dug into the story but could have if they weren’t blinded by their hatred for President Trump.

As more states vote today, Senator Bernie Sanders continues to make a strong push for the Democratic nomination and with him comes his plan to nationalize the American healthcare system. What is the Senator’s plan? And can it work? In this article, Richard Kocur examines Sanders’ plan, Medicare for All, and argues that it “goes farther than any mainstream proposal ever made to address the ills of the healthcare system and carries with it serious consequences for providers, payers, and patients, not to mention the free market.”

As we consider how to survive the shut-down of our whole economy and our lawmakers and president mull over possible measures to help, I propose a plan here which could go a long way toward ameliorating the misery and restoring some stability and sense of security to an anxious and seriously impacted public.