Recent Comments
Re: “Discern facts from opinions”
This Letter is an excellent example of marketing disguised as science. The author understands that repeating falsehoods over and over is a technique used to trick people into believing it's true. The author used the word "fact" 9 times in a piece under 200 words, that's a lot of "facts" with no data.
Re: “SLO Democrats want local officials to make face masks mandatory”
Please take a deep breath and consider these facts:
In the US, about 100,000 people die each year from Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). HAIs sicken over 12 million people annually.
Cancer kills nearly 600,000 people in our country each year.
Imagine if we dedicated an equal amount of money and resources to tackle these long-standing issues that we are dedicating to COVID.
Now consider that, according to the CDC, only between 5-10% of ICU beds in CA are being used for COVID patients - meanwhile 55-65% of total available beds are occupied with people with other needs.
For those interested in mask mandates, please tell me what are your criteria for rescinding that mandate?
Re: “Tribes of American”
While Shredder and many others want to divide the world into good and bad, right and wrong, Democrats and Republicans, the reality is much more nuanced and complex. The claim that anyone who questions the correctness of healthy people wearing masks in public is a MAGA-loving rightwing-Republican is pure fairytale. As a lifelong liberal, I am dedicated to science over party and through extensive research have found that the large majority of evidence is against the effectiveness of cloth masks in the community, with very little in support. As the Shredder says, “You're welcome to your opinions, but facts are facts.” In general, I am opposed to any health care policy that is not firmly rooted in scientific fact and sorry to say, this one is NOT. So, while some may feel that it is polite or correct for healthy people to wear masks in public, the science does not back up these emotions. But don’t take my word for it –check out these links and do the research for yourself.
British Medical Journal - Are Masks Effective? -
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1422
Dr. Fauci on 60 Minutes – March 2020 -
https://youtu.be/PRa6t_e7dgI
WHO – Advice on the Use of Masks in the Context of COVID-19 -
https://www.who.int/publications-detail/ad…
Oral Health Group - Face Masks Don’t Work –
https://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/f…
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy - Data Do Not Back Cloth Masks to Limit Covid-19 - https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspectiv…
Re: “Masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19”
I am a little confused by your statement of "overwhelming evidence" supporting the use of cloth face masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19. I have not been able to find any studies which fit this description, but rather the opposite. Take for example this April 2020 report in the British Medical Journal, which reviewed all existing studies on the efficacy of cloth masks to prevent the spread of disease. One quote from this article says "There is only very limited evidence of the benefits of wearing face masks by the general public, no evidence that wearing them in crowded places helps at all, and no evidence at all yet related to covid-19". Please read the research for yourself here https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1422
Re: “Central Coast physicians stand with public health”
Dr. Borenstein has it right and has done a wonderful job promoting a science-based approach. According to a recent article in the British Medical Journal, which looked at all existing research on the matter - cloth masks are ineffective in preventing the spread of disease. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1422 . Of course anyone who is sick, sneezing, coughing - the best course is to stay home.
Re: “Newly passed vaccination laws are pushing one parent to pull her children from school”
Ian,
So glad you brought up the $4 billion medical malpractice industry because it is so important to understand that It is completely irrelevant when talking about childhood vaccines as doctors can not be sued for giving vaccines that harm people. Likewise, for profit Pharmaceutical companies who make the childhood vaccines can also not be sued for harm or death caused by these products. So now we have a situation where govt is mandating drugs manufactured and sold by convicted felons (ie Merck, Glaxo Smith..) that have no liability and no accountability for safety. Children and families shoulder all of the risk yet are being denied choice and informed consent.
Images Submitted by Nicole Dorfman
Re: “Apples and oranges”
Thanks to Christine Mulholland for giving such thought to my piece on “Bodily Autonomy” and writing a response. Unfortunately, in her rebuttal, Ms. Mulholland omits one vital fact – which is that the Covid-19 injections do not prevent infection or transmission. The original vaccine trials never even tested for transmission and any statement otherwise is simply false. Our public health agencies assumed, or hoped they would stop transmission and simply acted as if they did without any evidence. In Winter 2022, reality finally caught up to this falsehood as vaccinated people were falling sick left and right and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had to publicly acknowledge that the vaccines do not stop transmission.
Also, I find it interesting that Ms. Mulholland would scold me for comparing “apples and oranges”. In reality, apples and oranges can be compared in many ways. They can be compared in size, weight, nutritional value, and sweetness among other things. They both grow on trees, and are both fruit. And yes, they are different, but I, along with many people, enjoy and appreciate them both. If you don’t like apples, don’t eat them. But please do not deny them to the rest of us.
I agree with Ms. Mulholland’s statement that “we build community by building trust” – but calling people “rude” or “lacking in compassion” for not taking experimental pharmaceutical products from corrupt, profit-driven pharmaceutical corporations is not the way forward. Demanding that people inject themselves with novel mRNA technology that has more reported adverse events than ALL vaccines combined for the past 30 years will not make a better or safer community. Instead, try asking someone WHY they have chosen not to get vaccinated, and then actually listening to the answer. THIS will actually help build trust and community. This is what will start to bridge the divide.