Free Republic

GENEVA (16 March 2020) – UN human rights experts* today urged States to avoid overreach of security measures in their response to the coronavirus outbreak and reminded them that emergency powers should not be used to quash dissent.“While we recognize the severity of the current health crisis and acknowledge that the use of emergency powers is allowed by international law in response to significant threats, we urgently remind States that any emergency responses to the coronavirus must be proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory,” the experts said. Their appeal echoes the recent call by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to...

A few short weeks ago, the evil Wuhan Virus arrived on our shores and is now killing hundreds of Americans each and every day. Although the jury is still out, there are some possible indications that when all is said and done, American fatalities could end up well under those resulting from our annual Flu pandemic. That discussion is for another day. The focus of this article isn’t on the direct medical effects of this scourge, rather its indirect effects as manifested in government response to it from local level through state and up to the Federal government. Some of...

This post is an excerpt, not sure about GreenMed Info's copyright policies: Tried search and could not find this article. This article draws from a Bloomberg article. More than 99% of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority. After deaths from the virus reached more than 2,500, with a 150% increase in the past week, health authorities have been combing through data to provide clues to help combat the spread of the disease. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government is evaluating whether to extend a nationwide lockdown...

Whether we will collectively move away from fears that make us subservient .... By Philip Alcabes | March 10, 2020 Flights are canceled, airports are closed, conferences and conventions postponed, churches and mosques shuttered, soccer games played in stadiums empty of spectators. My university has called home the study-abroad students from Italy, Japan, South Korea, and China. It would be easy to look at the world in the face of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and believe it is theater, penned by a playwright filled with xenophobia and fears of promiscuous mixing with other humans. Every epidemic is theater, a drama...

This my first vanity post ever and I hope that this doesn't violate forum rules. I originally posted this as a comment in another thread and was encourage to begin a separate thread. Here goes: I spent 20 years of my life as a banker in the Washington, DC area. Consequently, many of my clients were politicians, congressional and White House staffers, lobbyists and media types (all members of the establishment). My observation is that the establishment places great value on promoting grossly immoral activity by government, while maintaining a facade of “genteel decency” (think Harry Reid). While maintaining an...