Episode 69 Show Notes- Remembering Who We Are in the Age of Fear & Politics
Episode Description
It seems like we need a little reminder of who we are as Americans. The coronavirus outbreak has led to an atmosphere of fear and panic. In these trying times, we must not forget that we are Americans. We need to escape the political and ideological divides that imprison us. More importantly, we need to recognize the greatness of our culture. America has been able to overcome many obstacles in our 230+ years history. We have met every challenge and emerged stronger than before. It is imperative we don’t let fear and politics change our way of life. It’s imperative that we don’t give up the very principles that have defined the United States and led to America’s greatness.
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Intro
Welcome to The P.A.S. Report Podcast. This is your host Nick Giordano and I hope you are having a good week.
Week 8 of the lockdown in New York. Protests have begun to flare up, and you can see people are at their limits. This is something that was easily predictable, and I said this would happen when the lockdowns first began. You can only keep people locked up for so long. Especially considering we were initially told that the lockdowns were necessary in order to prevent a medical surge on the hospitals.
The medical surge has been prevented. Now, it’s not like I’m saying you can open everything up as normal. That would have the potential to create a new medical surge. Let’s face it, I’ve been talking about the responsible reopening of our country and that’s what we are seeing. Even in states that have reopened, there are still a lot of restrictions, and it looks like those restrictions are going to be on for a while.
But I want this episode to be a reminder of who we are as a people. It seems like we need a little reminder of who we are as Americans. The coronavirus outbreak has led to an atmosphere of fear and panic. I want to examine if the fear and panic are warranted.
See, we need to escape the political and ideological divides that imprison us. More importantly, we need to recognize the greatness of our culture. America has been able to overcome many obstacles in our 230+ years of history. We have met every challenge and emerged stronger than before.
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Fear and panic
The idea for this episode came to me after I spoke with a few people. Now, if you have been listening to the podcast over the last few weeks, you know that I believe in the responsible reopening of government. I believe failures have been made at all levels, and this could have been handled differently, but we have to look forward because of the challenges we are going to face in the upcoming months.
So, getting back to my conversations with people. I really wanted to understand where people stood on the idea of reopening, and I was shocked at the fear and panic that exists. It is something that I find truly disturbing. One person, I spoke to mixes bleach and water together and wipes down their counters and floors 3 times a day. Now no one has been in this person’s home, and they have not left their home.
As I say, think about this logically. Nothing new is introduced in the home and no one left the home. How would the coronavirus get into the home? I tried probing this person to see if they thought it was a little much. That they were going a little overboard. Wiping surfaces with bleach and water three times a day is just a tad bit excessive.
Another person I spoke explained how they have a whole system in place for when they bring in groceries and the mail. They keep the mailbox door open so the postal worker doesn’t have touch and so they don’t have to touch it. When they get the mail, they wear gloves and wipe each piece of mail down with rubbing alcohol before opening it. I didn’t ask if they wipe down the letters to once they open the mail, but that would have been a good question.
As for the groceries, whenever the person picks up the groceries, they do curbside pickup out of fear of walking into the store, they place the groceries in the trunk. When they get home, they take the groceries into the backyard. They unpack the groceries putting them on the left side of the table. Once a product is sanitized, it goes to the rights side of the table where it will air dry for a little. Once the trunk is empty, the trunk and the car get a nice helping of Lysol.
I spoke to another person and it was interesting. After a month of the lockdown, this person is now taking baby steps. They will actually go inside a grocery store. When they return home from the grocery store, they will wipe down the groceries. The person will then get undressed and put the clothes in the washer, and they have to take a shower.
I asked the person; don’t you think that’s a little extreme? I mean I am all about great hygiene practices, but to me, once again, that seems like a bit much. However, they said it gives them peace of mind. Now to each his own, and if that’s what gives them peace of mind, then that’s what they should do. It’s not my job to dictate to people how they should live their lives. But think about the level of fear that forces someone to do that.
I asked another person that if things begin to reopen, are they going to leave their home, and they said no. When I asked why, the response was blunt and to the point, “I don’t want to die.”
These are all people I know. These are all people who lived normal lives prior to the coronavirus. They weren’t OCD or anything like that. They weren’t spraying Lysol everywhere or wiping down doorknobs ten times a day. I bet you that prior to coronavirus, the doorknobs didn’t get cleaned for ten years.
But with the statement like “I don’t want to die.” That’s real. We created an atmosphere that’s detached from reality. It’s an atmosphere of fear and panic.
Rationality
And when we begin to make decisions based on fear and panic, our decisions tend to be irrational. It’s like we lose the part of the brain that actually thinks things through. Study after study shows that irrational decisions are driven by fear and emotion.
And that’s the problem. We have become too emotional when it comes to the coronavirus. And to this that think I’m just pushing for natural selection, or that I don’t care about people, you can bug off.
What led to this fear and emotion?
We have to ask what led to this fear and emotion? Is the fear warranted?
The simple answer is no. There are a number of factors that drive this fear. One of the major factors is the daily headlines. The daily headlines are all doom and gloom. As human beings, we tend to gravitate to the negatives. That’s why the first 10-15 minutes of every local news program is usually bad news. And let’s face it, the headlines are meant to get you to click on the article, and these media outlets are damn good at that.
However, the headlines are one of the biggest drivers of this fear. I literally did a quick search before I started to record this podcast, and here are some of the headlines:
“Models warn of doubling daily death toll by June”
“As lockdowns lift, second wave fears grow”
“U.S. will soon hit milestone of 100,000 deaths”
“The meat shortage is coming”
“Coronavirus may last 2 years”
“A 2nd, larger wave will come this fall”
“A mutant coronavirus has emerged, even more contagious than the original”
All these headlines are designed to do is to get you to click and read the article, but they end up creating a sense of anxiety. Time and time again, I have witnessed the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Take the meat shortage headline. We will have a meat shortage because since the media is highlighting that some plants are closed, and talking about a meat shortage, people will go their grocery store and purchase more meat than they normally would. When people see supplies dwindling, they will begin to hoard the meat.
Your seeing increasing talk about a 2nd wave. Here’s the problem, if the virus is going to be here for two years, a second wave will happen sooner or later. You can try to prevent it all you want, but the government won’t be able to. The only thing we can do is prepare for the second wave. That would make more sense. But once again, the headline instills fear.
Social Media
The next problem is social media. Now, it is ironic I promote my podcast on social media, yet I think it’s one of the biggest cesspools that exists. There are some good uses of social media. I won’t deny that. However, if social media didn’t exist, do you think we would see this level of fear and panic? Let’s be honest, misinformation gets shared routinely on social media, and there are people out there who do believe everything they see and hear.
I mean, if your parent or grandparent posts something, it has to be true, right? Another problem is that social media lacks any real perspective. If you have someone who works at a hospital that gets slammed by COVID cases, and they film how bad it is at the hospital, people will automatically assume that that’s happening in all hospitals, when the reality is far different. In fact, there are plenty of hospitals that don’t have any COVID patients or only a handful, and they are facing severe financial difficulties because they can’t do elective surgeries or anything like that. It’s as if no one has heart attacks anymore or cancer has been cured.
See, we tend to take our own individual stories or experiences and push those stories and experiences as if that’s the norm. I’ve seen
Also, think about all of the self-anointed epidemiologists, virologists, and other public health and emergency management experts. Now, I am part of the emergency management community, and there are some emergency management officials I agree with and others I don’t. There are some I have profound respect for even if we disagree on what a response would look like. The thing is, we will use our knowledge and expertise to foster a discussion and share ideas. It doesn’t mean we are right or wrong.
However, I encountered several people on social media who think they are the experts at everything, yet they are completely clueless at just about everything. And you all know what I’m talking about because I am sure you’ve encountered these types of people online as well.
Science
Another reason why we are seeing this level of fear and panic is because of conflicting information in the scientific community. Let’s face it, we are always told that we have to believe in science. That we must listen to the scientists. You can’t question science even though the whole premise of science is based on skepticism and questions. I’m still trying to figure out when science became a religion that you are not allowed to question.
And what happens when scientific studies conflict with each other. I was reading an article in Bloomberg news, and the headline was “Children Don’t pass COVID19 to Adults, Report Indicates.” The article was talking about a study done that said that “there’s limited evidence so far that children pass the disease to others in significant numbers.” It went on to talk about how we should be opening the schools. Now, this article was published on April 30th.
Now a few clicks later, on the same Bloomberg website, just reading the stories, and trying to keep myself informed, I click on another headline. This one read, “New Reports on Virus in Kids Fuel Uncertainty on Schools.” This article was talking about a study that said: “Children with coronavirus may be as infectious as adults.” And I’m sitting there thinking to myself, “What the bleep?”
Here’s the kicker, this article was published on the exact same day, April 30th as the other article. I am not kidding you. Two articles talking about two studies where the information directly conflicts with each other. Now I consider myself to be semi-smart. I know what I’m talking about, yet how do I make heads or tails out of this? We have to listen to the science, but instead of these people saying, “Hey, we really don’t know what’s going on,” they all talk as if they have definitive answers. The problem is that when you get conflicting information, or you state something, and then the information changes and so you readjust your message, it is hard for people to know who to trust when it comes to the virus.
I stated to you at the start of the outbreak that I am not a public health official. I am not an epidemiologist. In fact, in my March 4th episode I stated, “I am not a scientist, and I don’t pretend to know how the virus spreads, is transmitted, or how deadly the virus really is. These are really important things to know and that’s why we need to take extreme caution.”
See, when I don’t know something, I don’t pretend as if I do.
And the conflicting examples I gave you above are not the only ones. There are plenty. Just do a two-minute internet search on hydro chloroquine or remdesivir. Type in studies show [insert the drug name] could be an effective treatment for coronavirus. Then type studies show the treatment is ineffective. Once again, you’ll have conflicting information.
Getting to the point
So, you may be wondering where I’m going with all this. It all stems from the answer I got when the person told me they don’t want to die. I live on Long Island, and I can tell you that you have a much better chance of dying on the Long Island Expressway than you do from the coronavirus.
And to the haters out there, because I know your listening, it’s not me trying to diminish the coronavirus. It’s a highly infectious disease that can kill people. I recognize that.
But what some people wanted to do is to instill so much fear and panic that you don’t raise questions. I don’t care who you are, it’s illogical when you think if you come in contact with the coronavirus, you will automatically get it and die.
In fact, many people who come in contact with coronavirus will not get the coronavirus. And out of those that due get the coronavirus, most will not have any symptoms, or the symptoms may be mild. In addition, most will recover.
Now, this does not mean you don’t take precautions. If you are older and have major preexisting health conditions, or if you have a comprised immune system, regardless of age, you should take every precaution necessary to make sure you and those you love are safe.
Even if you are healthy, while I do believe we should be reopening the economy, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take precautions. Be smart. Wash your hands. Don’t stand on top of each other. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Use common sense and good judgment.
Perspective
But we have to put things in perspective, and sadly, the idea of reopening is now driven by the partisan divide.
So, here is a little perspective. Maine is on strict lockdown. Maine has a population of 1.3 million people. They have had a total of 1,205 cases and currently have 428 active cases. They currently rank 46th for coronavirus cases out of the 50 states. They rank 35th in deaths per million with 43. Now please explain to me why they are one of the states on the strictest lockdown orders.
Vermont is another state under strict lockdown orders. Vermont ranks 47th in total cases. Vermont has a population of 624,000 and they have 850 active cases. They have 52 total deaths ranking them 42nd in the country.
Another state on strict lockdown is New Mexico. New Mexico Ranks 38th in total cases with 4,031 and they rank 34th in total deaths. They have 156 deaths out of a population of nearly 2.1 million people.
I can go on and on with examples. New York and Michigan have strict lockdowns as well. Now, these states have been hit harder. But even so, the measures taken are inconsistent and illogical. What do I mean? In Michigan, why can you go on a kayak, but not a motorboat? Why can’t you go to a second home if you have one?
Here in New York, I can go to a restaurant and get takeout, but I can’t go to a drive-thru car wash. Does that make sense? I mean if I can go to the drive-thru of McDonald’s, why can’t I get my car washed?
Here in New York, the hotspot is New York City and Long Island. Why should the upstate New York area be treated the same as New York City?
We were told that our God-given rights were suspended to prevent a medical surge. Now we are being told that the lockdowns must continue because it is still unsafe. Emperor Cuomo has decided to change the goalposts and has not clearly explained why we need to continue these measures. And that’s the problem. You can’t have these types of restrictions without clearly articulating the reason. You also can’t have lockdowns with no timeline.
During a press conference last week, Emperor Cuomo stated that if schools reopen in the fall. I thought to myself, schools better reopen in the fall or else I’m really going to lose my mind, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. There will be a mutiny in New York. What the hell am I paying all these property taxes for? We are one of the highest taxed states in the country, if not the highest.
Risks are always going to exist. And yes, even if you open things up responsibly and put in certain restrictions, COVID cases are going to increase. At what point do we begin to accept the risk.
Out of a country of 329 million people, approximately 70,000 Americans have passed away. Now that’s 70,000 too many, but it is the nature of life and represents .02% of our society. If we assume that 25% of the population has been exposed to coronavirus, which would equate to about 82 million Americans, the mortality rate is approximately .08%. And as I readily admit, if we begin lifting lockdowns, I understand we will see an increase in cases and deaths. I get it.
Unfortunately, you have these losers out there that will attack and say that I don’t care about those who have passed away, and that’s because they can’t debate the issue. Rather than make counterpoints, they want to attack and label in an effort to silence anyone who challenges them.
But the information I provide offers perspective. What I’m seeing out there is insane. We have governors and mayors openly threatening those who dare to criticize. Who dares to challenge the narrative. We have these governors and mayors to order their police to issue a citation or arrest anyone who doesn’t comply with their decrees. And yes, they are decrees because most of the measures were never passed through state legislative bodies making them become law.
I have witnessed tons of videos of people being arrested or issued a citation for simply being outside. This is not what America represents.
Remember who you are
What we shouldn’t be doing is cowering in our homes in the face of a threat because we are fearful and scared. We should rise to the challenge. As Americans, we are smart enough to utilize good judgment and be responsible.
I always promote the concepts of liberty and freedom and this is no different. And the press should be ashamed of themselves by promoting the idea that those who are protesting the abuse of power by government, are racist and Nazi’s. It’s one of the most shameful attacks I’ve ever seen by the press and some public officials.
As American’s, when we see abuses of power, we should be speaking up, we should be protesting. I believe that the Governor’s throughout this country have drastically abused their power. They received little to no input from the people and the state legislatures which are representative of the people. Instead, many put on these draconian measures, and if you dare to question them, they vilify and attack you. They do this because they have no regard for you or the Constitution.
American accomplishments
Over the years, the United States faced uncertain times. We faced dangerous times, and we couldn’t always predict the outcomes. But we didn’t cower inside our homes. Instead, we rose to the challenges we faced. And it’s not as if everything was perfect, but we overcame our obstacles and became a stronger nation for it.
Imagine if the colonists just accepted the abuses of the British King. Imagine they didn’t protest the overbearing taxes without any representation. Our founders understood well, that once war began, the odds of us winning the American Revolution were slim. We were going against a bigger, better-trained, better-equipped military. Yet, they took the risk even though the chances of success were small, and death would be likely.
In the War of 1812, as 8,000 British soldiers mobilized and wanted to deliver the final blow in the Battle of New Orleans, General Andrew Jackson didn’t run away. The British military was far more superior. But Jackson had grit and he was able to muster up 4,500 patriots some Army, others were militiamen, free blacks, slaves, aristocrats and Native Americans from the Choctaw tribe. It was a battle, that on paper, the British should have easily won. Every computer simulation would have the British winning. Instead, it was a rout. Over 2,000 British soldiers lost their lives including high ranking officers. I believe we lost about 100 patriots.
If we fast-forward to the Civil War era, many told President Lincoln to let the State decide the slavery issue. During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln stood firm. As he told Douglas, and I am probably butchering it, all your support for slavery is wrong. Even if you are right that slavery should be left as a State’s rights issue. All my opposition to slavery is right, even if I’m wrong and it should be a state’s rights issue. President Lincoln understood what leadership was. He understood that we needed to keep America whole. When the South seceded, Lincoln understood what was at stake.
He could have easily let the South secede. But he understood that Secession would destroy the Republic and the idea of a federally democratic system. He understood that if he failed, a government of the people would never survive. Major battles were lost. Many hardships were endured. But we would ultimately prevail and emerge stronger.
When the French were unable to build the Panama Canal, Teddy Roosevelt took the reins. And in 11 short years, the United States completed the canal and become a symbol for the growing power America was becoming. Now, after seeing the French spectacularly fail at the attempt to build the Panama Canal, we could have easily not taken the risk, but instead, we forged ahead.
Woman’s suffrage was a long and arduous road, but because of women like Susan B. Anthony, women were finally able to win the right to vote and begin to become co-equals within society. What would have happened if women didn’t push back? If they were afraid of the backlash and the risk? Where would women be?
You look at both World Wars, and how the United States freed millions upon millions of people from the reins of tyranny, torture, and death. It wasn’t easy and we sacrificed a lot. In WWII, we lost 409,000 soldiers alone. 6,000 soldiers would die during a single day in battle. At the beginning of WWII, we didn’t do that great in the beginning. We lost several battles, but we kept pushing ahead. We persevered to victory.
What about civil rights, and civil rights icons like Martin Luther King or Medgar Evers. Had these individuals not had the courage to speak out against the injustices of segregation how much longer would it have taken to get civil rights pushed through Congress.
What about our battle against Communism and the Soviet Union? What if JFK would have stood down during the Cuban Missile Crisis? What if Reagan didn’t directly challenge the Soviets by heavily investing in the military?
Or we can talk about the United States single-handedly cutting the newly infected HIV/AIDS rate in Africa by half. From over 3-million new cases a year to 1.1- million. Or cutting the malaria rate by 2/3rds.
Closing
Are we really willing to change our entire way of life for the coronavirus? Are we really willing to adopt this concept of the “new normal” without anyone really defining what the new normal is? Are we really to give up so much of our power to the government in the hopes they can prevent us from getting the virus?
I’m sorry, and I am not trying to sound cold-hearted, but life is filled with risk. We cannot forget who we are, and we cannot let some a virus change our way of life.
In every crisis, the government usurps power, and they never restore it, but I have never seen a power grab like this. What’s worse, is how they try to vilify anyone who believes in the Constitution as a far-right or alt-right fringe person. While I tend to be conservative and an originalist, I don’t subscribe to the idea that believing in the Constitution is some radical, fringe idea.
Harry Truman said, “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
So, are we really going to say that we can’t figure out ways to reopen the country, protect public health, and begin to rebuild our economy, all at the same time? Is this who we are now? Is this what we have become? We used to be able to roll up our sleeves and tackle crises.
I put together a clip that I want you to hear. I want to encourage you to remember the greatness of America.
Play Clip
Own Your FREEDOM, Your HEALTH, Your WELLNESS
Peace of mind in a box - keep a Medical Emergency Kit in your medicine cabinet
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While our history isn’t perfect, and we have made serious mistakes that we are still paying for today, remember, America is an exceptional nation. There is no other country like ours. We are that shiny city on the hill. A refuge from the ugliness in the world. With the power we possess, and the good things we have done, history will look back on the United States favorably. No other nation has contributed more to humanity and made such a profound impact on the world.
It is imperative we don’t let fear and panic change our way of life and give up the very principles that have defined the United States 230+ years.
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