U.S. Government has Blood of Millions on its Hands
Trump has repeatedly said that the cure can’t be worse than the disease—crushing the COVID-19 pandemic is not worth the cost. Congress, on a nearly unanimous basis, passed the CARES Act which transferred trillions of dollars to Wall Street and Corporate America, but it is “too costly” to eradicate the disease and protect the lives of millions. Trump’s favorite advisor Dr. Atlas1, a member of the right-wing conservative Hoover Institute, advocates an anti-scientific, deadly “herd immunity”—deliberately allowing the disease to spread through the population. Dr. Atlas was publicly denounced by many Stanford doctors.2
All reputable health authorities know that the science of “herd immunity” is achieved by mass vaccination to protect the population from disease.
The White House supports the science deniers at the right wing think tank, the American Institute for Economic Research, that recently published the Great Barrington Declaration.3 This document advocates allowing widespread infections, illness and death through an anti-scientific policy of “herd immunity.” The Washington Post writes, “The plan of The Great Barrington Declaration is endorsing what the president’s policy has been for months.”4 This criminally homicidal policy has already resulted in over 317 thousand U.S. deaths as of December 20, 2020.
There is still no science-based national policy to crush and eliminate the disease. All we hear about is controlling the spread to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. The news media is filled with reports about the need to slow, control, contain, and manage—no mention of stopping, eradicating or eliminating COVID-19 through basic scientific public health practice which requires tens-of-millions of tests, tracking, and isolation of the infected. The editors of the respected New England Journal of Medicine maintain that the standard public health practices have large effects and are not being followed or enforced. Strict quarantine, aggressive tracing and isolation were effective in China, Singapore, South Korea and New Zealand have succeeded in eliminating the disease.5
The rich, the one percent, and politicians in many countries, have demanded that business open and we get back to work while they take no responsibility for economic suffering, illness and death. They have failed their United Nations responsibility to protect, and are committing crimes against humanity defined as: Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health. The blood of millions is on their hands.
Demand life and social needs before profits—protection at work, health coverage, and economic support while isolated and unable to work. Demand millions of tests daily, an army of trackers, and safe isolation units. We must eradicate this disease to prevent the catastrophe of millions more infections and deaths.
1 “Dr. Scott Atlas resigns November 30, 202 from Trump administration”
4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/10/14/herd-immunity-barrington-declaration/