Tag: herd immunity

Going Along to Get Along Can Be Deadly

by James Briney

In service to a political outcome, smart people are manipulating facts just as competent attorneys do, depending on whether they represent a plaintiff or defendant. Being clever and being right are different things. When we fail to think for ourselves, we become susceptible to questionable sources, and vulnerable to ‘the clever’ in pursuit of their own agenda.

In the days to come, the nature of our governance and our very lives are at stake. It is imperative to think clearly and to act accordingly. There is no virtue in going along to get along when we have the power to save lives and to become a more perfect union.

As a natural phenomena, herd immunity that can’t be avoided is a daunting reality.  Advocating, promoting, and practicing herd immunity exacerbates an already deadly threat. It amounts to reckless endangerment.  

A revealing number of decision makers have pursued a deadly response to the virus that is killing us by the hundreds of thousands. They had options. They were advised what to do. They chose not to.

Clarity comes to mind when we make decisions based on the health and safety of all creation. We don’t have to be stupid to do dumb things. It’s not too late to make informed choices in the interest of our own health and safety.

For those who believe that we have turned the corner in terms of the virus, think about what happens when a corner is taken at a high rate of speed. This is one of those times when we are called upon to stand up and be counted, not merely to go along to get along with those at the wheel who are putting us in danger.

Herd Immunity and Bearing Witness

by James Briney

Baseless beliefs practiced with intention are not a solution for what ails us as a nation.  Holding fast to false hope founded on political calculation is an invitation to annihilation. Those who embrace the notion of herd immunity are a threat to safe practices. Herd immunity with intention is political and medical malpractice that is endangering everyone.

Sin is compounded and magnified when people are encouraged to follow a path strewn with errant convictions. It is problematic that individuals go astray. It is far worse to lead others astray. Fostering the conditions for herd immunity is a sin.

Instead of taking responsibility, decision makers at the highest levels have fragmented their response. They did the opposite of what the new testament is all about which is to notice, to care and to act within our means as a community. Hold accountable the current administration that knew of the threat months before taking minimally effective actions.

Sound decisions and best practices are born when we make an issue about caring for others. That notion applies to individuals as well as those in positions of public trust.  Early on the present administration was warned in certain terms that action must be taken without delay to counter the virus that plagues our nation.  That advice was dismissed.

The litany of abundant grievances held by those who see our leaders misapplying their authority is known. There is no excuse for advocating arguments that favor herd immunity. Or for those who claim that sparing our economy must come at the cost of failing to spare lives.

Such beliefs amount to careless disregard for the gift of life and the variety of talents that include our ability to discern and apply reason, information and facts.  Given the options it is a mystery that anyone would choose to deny demonstrable truths that have been discovered and communicated.

Choosing to be in the midst of gatherings at the invitation of our leaders in this present day environment is akin to thousands of innocent people being fired upon by assault weapons made automatic by bump stocks. People who gather in celebration fueled by reckless behaviors in ill advised environments are not innocent but no less at risk.

The virus will keep firing long after therapies are discovered and applied for generations to come. People of faith are capable of forgiving those who do harm to us. The perpetrators of unnecessary and avoidable mass death have yet to repent or seek forgiveness. Instead they have doubled down and have remained complicit.

It is not the pandemic that has undermined our economy and way of life so much as attitudes and policies that undermine sound practices. History records that we make progress when we live in accordance with the knowledge and conscience of our better selves.

We are among few nations that have sufficient resources to reclaim the credibility, stability and continuity of a government founded on life affirming principles. Discovering and applying therapies to address the pandemic are underway. Eradicating epidemic idiot logic, willful negligence and exploitation is just as worthy of our attention.

Footnote: “I believe that sin is anything that separates us from God and each other. Covid is teaching us that a little separation can bring us together in the effort to save lives.”