Globalism 2.0: The Rise of COVID19

In times of late, with the uprising of COVID19 around the world, climate change has been relegated to the benches, not so much in the spotlight as it used to be. It may seem odd, considering climate change was the method behind the madness of the push for full blown globalism, but times have changed. A new issue has come along, and the globalists surely are all over it. COVID19 is all over the world, and it is being weaponized by globalists.

You may wonder why climate change is no longer the issue of choice for those spruiking globalism. There is a fairly simple reason behind this change in approach. COVID19 is much more real, and thereby evokes much more of a reaction in the people. Thereby, it is much easier to take advantage of and convince people to fear. Whereas many are skeptical of climate change and the narrative presented by its perpetrators, almost everyone knows the virus is a reality. And although some are still skeptical as to the ins and outs, there is no doubt that COVID19 is in circulation.

COVID19 is all over the globe. It would therefore be seen as an easier strategy to push a globalist agenda. Yet, like the globalist spruiked climate change, the impact of the virus varies from country to country. Some countries are more affected than others, with each country approaching the response to the virus in its own way. Because of this, it may not be so simple to push globalism. The key factor in doing so is fear. If one country manages to find a way out without a vaccine, it could result in other countries following suit. So far, Sweden is the only country to have almost eviscerated the virus with minimal economic damage and should be applauded for doing so. Most other countries have followed the lockdown strategy, destroying their economies while the virus is only going to continue to exist. This is exactly what globalists like those in the United Nations and its branches (including the World Health Organisation), the European Union, the World Economic Forum and several other governmental bodies want. They want to build the globalist empire on the ruins of national economies.

One of the only leaders who has stood against globalism is President of the United States Donald Trump. One of the reasons Donald Trump is loathed by his political counterparts is because he is a nationalist. In other words, he is a patriot. He puts his country before the rest of the world, or as he would put it “America First”. Contrary to the views of globalists and a fair number of those on the Left, there is nothing wrong with this. Nationalism is not a bad thing. If anything, it’s a great thing to want to put your country first and be proud of the country you reside in. We could do with more nationalism in our world because it is what keeps democracy alive and prevents a potential one world government. We should all be putting our own countries ahead of others. Sure, countries can support each other, but in prioritizing our own countries before others, we ensure that we are in a position of prosperity, rather than giving out foreign aid when we are in decline.

The climate change line is becoming much less relevant now. While climate activist Greta Thunberg and her movement are still protesting, albeit socially distanced or from home, she has even announced she is going back to school. Yes, people are attempting to link the climate change line to COVID19, and Thunberg has met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to talk to her about acknowledging and doing something about the so called “climate emergency”, however, there is no emergency in the realm of climate change. The only “emergency” anyone is concerned about now is COVID19. But they hype around the virus is even excessive.

Essentially what has happened is that the globalists of the world have found their golden goose. COVID19 is the perfect storm for these people. It has given governments too much power. It has put the people at the mercy of their elected officials and the authorities. It has screwed over businesses, destroyed people’s livelihoods, trapped people in their respective countries, even going so far as to imprison them in their own homes. And inevitably, it has led to corruption. One of the unfortunate tenets of humanity is that it is susceptible to corruption. Ultimately, it means people will do terrible things for their own personal gain. That includes exploiting a new virus.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, we have borne witness to corruption the world over. Agendas are being pushed, likely without many even realizing. Whilst everyone can see the governments of the world cultivating their power, there are other things that may not seem as obvious. Take the sudden opposition to hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that has been in circulation for decades. No one was against it until it was found to be effective against COVID19 if used early on. Now it is being heavily restricted or even banned in places around the world, including in Queensland and Victoria, under the threat of fines for prescription or use of the medication. Make no mistake, this is a life-saving drug, but the elites with great power do not want you to have it. The reason is simple, they want this “pandemic” to continue for as long as possible. If there is a drug that cures COVID19, how are they going to be able to ensure people still fear this virus? They can’t. They would lose their opportunity to finally push out their agenda. That is the last thing they want.

Note how the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN arm that is supposed to prevent disease outbreaks, let alone pandemics, has been giving mixed messages since the start of COVID19? They have effectively lied every step of the way and that has not changed. They told us human to human transmission was not occurring when it was. They verbally attacked the President Trump for closing off the US to China. They told us masks were ineffective. They’re against hydroxychloroquine. And of all people that they are discussing the vaccine with, it’s tech giant Bill Gates, who isn’t even a doctor. It begs the question; how can anyone trust these people? They’re glorified bureaucrats, just like those in charge of the health response here in Australia (Take Victorian Chief Health Officer (CHO) Brett Sutton, who’s actively running and destroying the State of Victoria and the once most livable city in the world, Melbourne). These people are dangerous. What’s more, they’re globalists. They may seem like they are there to help, but, in reality, they are the ones who allowed this virus to get to where it is, to spread around the globe. If the WHO had warned people earlier, we could have prevented COVID19 from even entering our countries. We could have saved our economies. And more recently, if Brett Sutton, & by extension Daniel Andrews, had done their job, Victoria would not have been subject to a “second wave” and had to lockdown all over again. They could have spared themselves from total economic annihilation if these unelected bureaucrats had just done their damn jobs.

There is something else that should have also caught the attention of the people. It is somewhat subtle, but it is there, nonetheless. There has been much talk about vaccines of late. Many governments and health officials, including unelected bureaucrats, have touted the vaccine as the only way out of this virus. Even though hydroxychloroquine is readily available and cheap, they want us to adjust to some “new normal”, or as some have referred to it “COVID normal”, never allowing us to go back to life as it was before COVID19 until a viable vaccine is in play. What’s more, our Australian Government are going to attempt to force us to take a vaccine which has been developed fairly quickly compared to others that take years, from a company that has made itself not liable for any issues that arise and which has had to pay out over $1.14 billion in penalties for violations since 2000. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. The vaccine may create side effects unknown until potentially years after it is taken. All you need do is think back to the thalidomide epidemic, a drug that was said to be fine at the time, but which ended up resulting in devastating side effects, including the deaths of thousands of children, and birth defects of thousands more. We should not have a rushed vaccine pushed on us. It’s plain dangerous. Yet the government and unelected health bureaucrats are touting “no jab no pay”, a system in which if you aren’t vaccinated, you will not be able to work, and will likely be unable to go to various venues, including cafes and restaurants. They will take your rights away from you simply because you are cautious about what you are putting into your body. It is reprehensible.

I want to make it clear that I am no anti-vaxxer. I have personally chosen to have all vaccines provided throughout high school, and for travel, as well as the flu shot each year. However, the more I look into this vaccine and all that surrounds it, the more skeptical I become of it. The one Australia is signing up for is the Oxford one developed by a company called AstraZeneca. This company has chosen to use a cell line in their vaccine that is taken from an aborted foetus. That’s right, an aborted human baby. This is no rarity in vaccine production. In fact, it is shockingly common. If you’re skeptical, I encourage you to look up VAQTA, HAVRIX, PRIORIX and Varivax, all commonly used vaccines, with the term MRC-5, which are the cell lines used from aborted human foetuses (I’ll leave links to each one at the bottom of this article). This raises a major ethical dilemma, with many being against abortion, and thus against having a product made using aborted babies injected into them. When coupled with the government’s veiled threat to remove some of our rights, as well as our jobs, if we refuse to take the vaccine, it results in a conundrum of great proportions. Essentially, you face losing your job/freedoms or going against your own values/morals. There are also concerns that have previously been raised around vaccines made using cell lines from aborted foetuses, primarily the risk of insertional mutagenesis, the creation of DNA mutations which can cause cancer. If anything, this vaccine is not all sunshine and roses.

As if things could not get any lower, one more thing that has been occurring during the time of COVID19 is fraud surrounding the death toll. Medical facilities are receiving more funding for each COVID19 death they record. That’s right, they are exploiting people’s deaths for money. There have been a number of cases where family members have had doctors ask to record deaths from a range of other conditions, including terminal cancer, as COVID deaths. This has been occurring in Australia, particularly in Victoria. On August 20, Victorian CHO Brett Sutton was asked about classification of COVID deaths. He responded with the following answer:

“For deaths from coronavirus, anyone who’s a confirmed case who dies is classified amongst coronavirus deaths. So, it doesn’t have to be definitively from coronavirus. And in some instances, in aged care, there would have been some residents who were already receiving palliative care who became infected with coronavirus, so it’s not definitive about whether they’ve died with or from coronavirus…but for classification purposes, for recording purposes, that’s the definition.”

In that response, Sutton has effectively admitted that deaths that have been recorded as COVID deaths may not have resulted from COVID, thus resulting in inflated numbers to cause even more fear. This is fraud. It should trigger alarm bells for everyone. If they can do this so easily, imagine what else they are capable of. You will also very rarely, if ever, hear the recovery rates, because they would help to dispel fear, and thus put a pin in the hopes of globalists. Why? Because the recovery rates are very high. Make no mistake, this is all about increasing fear. What these people are doing is criminal.

Globalism has created many of the problems we now face. If COVID19 has taught us anything, it is that bureaucrats should not be running countries, and that we cannot allow a globalist regime to occur. Globalists are going to use COVID19 as an excuse to continue towards their goal of ultimate power and pursue some sort of one world government. We should have known from the start that they would exploit this virus for their own personal and political gain. You really have to think about this: COVID19 is nowhere near as bad as they have made it out to be. Yes, it has taken lives, a tragedy in every way. Yet tens, even hundreds, of thousands die from the flu and related respiratory illnesses each year and we do not lockdown and destroy the economy. Thousands die in car accidents each year, but we do not remove vehicles from the roads. Millions die from abortion each year, yet we allow abortion facilities to continue to operate, even going so far as to legislate in its favour in some States.

We need to start thinking about what happens if there is no vaccine. We need to start rebuilding our economy before globalists take advantage of the destruction. Globalism is the true virus. It leads to the destruction of democracy. It puts us at the mercy of other countries. It leads to absurd laws that end free speech and results in self-censorship. We cannot allow the tendrils of globalism to get a grasp on our country, on our world.

That will only end in despair.

 

Links to vaccines that use cell lines from aborted foetuses:

VAQTA: https://www.fda.gov/media/74519/download  (Read 11. DESCRIPTION pg. 11)

HAVRIX: https://t.co/MwfXhfGLyV?amp=1 (Read 11. DESCRIPTION pg. 9)

PRIORIX: https://t.co/BoYKGUnPv1?amp=1 (Read 2. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION pg.1)

VARIVAX: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/vaccines/varivax-refrigerated

Look for the term “MRC-5”.

 

Freedom Fighting

When our forebears fought in the Wars, they were not just fighting for the sake of it. They fought to ensure and protect the freedoms of future generations, of generations that now roam this Earth, this country. A significant part of World War II was liberating the Jewish people from the extreme oppression of Nazi Germany. These people had their rights stripped from them, had no freedom, and were imprisoned in concentration camps only to be killed by their oppressors. This was all due to a totalitarian government, and a dictator high on power who had no intention of giving it up. Only after the Nazis were defeated and the surviving Jews liberated did they get back any semblance of freedom. If anything, this should have taught us to value our own freedoms even more. But many of us have done the opposite, we have taken them for granted.

Our forebears did not fight for our freedoms just for us to sit idly by and give them up freely. We were supposed to continue to protect these freedoms for future generations, just as they did for us. See, the whole point of history is for us to learn from the past errors of humanity so that we may prevent them from occurring again. Unfortunately for us, we seem to become complacent, thinking that just because this history is written means it will never happen again. But complacency is dangerous. And in some cases, it can spell the end of democracy itself.

We should have learnt from history that radicalism is never a good thing. Anything that derives itself from Marxism, Communism or the like should never be allowed to fester, for it will only lead to corruption and anarchy. In current times, we have allowed radicalism to seep through again and again, be it in the form of identity politics, climate alarmism, or, as it is now, COVID19 alarmism. Whatever it is, it all leads to an absolute mess, and it gives people in power the perfect excuse to weasel out more power for themselves.

If there is one thing governments love, it is power. And so it should come as no surprise that when an opportunity to grab more power, however unique, presents itself, they will jump at it. So, when a global pandemic came along in the form of COVID19, it was like winning the lottery. It was the perfect chance for governments to take control and, in doing so, subtly prise people’s rights from them.

COVID19 gave power hungry governments and organisations the opportunity to persuade the people that they needed to be saved, and that the only ones who could save them were governments and government bodies. In order to gain as much power and control as possible, they have utilized fear. Governments use fear as a method of control to guarantee obedience to the State. They scare people into thinking their lives are well and truly in danger, and, in doing so, civilians willingly cede some of their rights and freedoms in exchanges for “safety” and some temporary comfort. However, this comfort eventually runs out, and so they hand over more rights and freedoms to attain more of it. And so this cycle continues, until there are no freedoms left to give, and they are ultimately at the mercy of the State.

This is how democratically elected governments can transform into totalitarian ones. It is how the Andrews Government in Victoria is building its power, keeping everyone imprisoned in their own homes with a curfew, something that is unheard of in peacetime. Premier Daniel Andrews also cancelled Parliament and shut down the offices of Members of Parliament, impeding democracy, and, by extension, the will of the people. A democratically elected government should never refuse to work. Politicians in a democracy seem to forget that they are elected by the people, to work for the people. We pay their salaries in our taxes, and we expect them to do their jobs. It is important to note that we do not work for them. Yes, there are public servants and staffers that work for politicians and government departments, but those are the only people that should be working for the government. If there comes a point where everyone is working for the government, we are in deep trouble.

Andrews’ Police State should also serve as a warning and a wake-up call for all citizens of Australia. Giving police the power to enter the homes of private citizens without a warrant, impose major fines for the most absurd reasons, shooting at people’s car windows for breaking curfew, and even policing a permit system introduced by the Victorian Government, similar to the “papers, please” system used by the Germans, is disturbing to say the least. It reeks of totalitarianism and should be abhorred by the public. Rightly so, there are many Victorians who are appalled at how this has been handled, with their freedoms being taken from them “for the greater good”. Yet there remains a sect of society in Victoria that defend this overbearing government and its megalomaniac leader, proving that Stockholm Syndrome is alive and well.

Subservience to the State only ever ends in misery. Governments are quick to take our freedoms from us but are hard-pressed to give them back. This is where the issue now arises in Victoria, and potentially nationwide. The Victorian Government is now working to legislate rules surrounding COVID19 as law. That includes powers to extend the State of Emergency, something that has a limit of six months, indefinitely. This means that current restrictions, or a variation similar to them, could become the “new normal”. But “COVID normal” should never be accepted. That term is simply code for life controlled by government, and that is no way to live. Daniel Andrews clearly wants to hold on to power, and he could not care less if that comes at the expense of your freedoms. When power is involved, your rights do not seem to matter, and that should scare you. You should be more concerned about your freedoms being taken from you, and democracy slowly crumbling.

All we need do is look at New Zealand. They went for an elimination strategy. The government did a hard lockdown, and, similarly to Victoria, imprisoned everyone in their homes, only leaving the essential stores like general supermarkets and pharmacies open. Everyone had to maintain their own “personal bubble”. Sure, it worked for some time, but just a few days after declaring themselves COVID free for one-hundred days, the virus sprung back up and began to spread again. And just like that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shutdown Auckland for three days, then extended it to around two weeks. Even more concerning, she postponed the election, a pillar of democracy, for four weeks. Impeding democracy in such a way should disturb the public. If a government can postpone an election, how much further can they go to hold on to power? Postponing indefinitely? Not allowing you access to your democratic right to vote? After all, New Zealand are not the only ones with elections approaching. Queensland and Victoria both have State Elections coming up, one in a few months, and one next year. Queensland’s issue currently is their attempt to restrict journalists from reporting on Government corruption scandals during the election period, as well as unnecessarily closing their borders to NSW. The press exists to hold politicians to account, and so should not be censored simply because the government does not like what they are reporting. Similarly, borders should not be closed without good reason, and protecting yourself in an upcoming election does not fall into that category. As to Victoria, there is no doubt the Premier is doing all he can to clutch on to power. He will not even allow Parliament to open to debate these matters, and if he doesn’t, it is difficult not to view his rule as a dictatorship.

One thing you will notice in relation to COVID19 is that every day, we hear the case numbers and death toll, but we never hear the recovery rates. This is not a mistake. Governments are deliberately not announcing the numbers of recovered cases because they are afraid that if they do, the fear amongst the public will dissipate. Fear is what feeds their control. If the people are not sedated with fear, the government loses control. You will also notice that as soon as Daniel Andrews announced Victoria would enter Stage 4 restrictions, he also made it illegal for people to leave their homes to protest. That is because he does not want you protesting the State for your freedoms. Keep in mind that if this State of Emergency continues forth with no limit, your freedom dies with it. You’re at the mercy of the State. Whatever they say goes. It is a miserable plight.

This is in no way limited to Victoria. Other States have, throughout this COVID19 period, implemented draconian measures that have removed freedoms from the public. Excessive border closures are preventing people from seeing their loved ones, with some set to last past Christmas and into 2021. This could easily be viewed as unconstitutional. Some States have even gone so far as to ban hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been shown to be effective if used as a preventative or in the early stages of the virus. This begs the question: do these governments really want this virus to disappear? Or are they secretly hoping it continues so that they can grow even more powerful, overriding democracy for the greater good?

Freedom is never free. There is always a price to pay. Our forebears paid for our freedoms with their lives. If we want to maintain them and protect them for future generations, we need to be willing to dedicate time and effort into defending the freedoms that they so valiantly fought for. We have long been too complacent when it comes to our civil liberties. We can no longer take them for granted. It is past time we started standing up for our rights. Yes, our health is important, but so are our civil liberties. We may be tempted by comfort, but if we surrender our civil liberties, we risk a life without freedom, a life of misery. That is no way to live.

Like all good things, freedom is something we must fight for. As the great Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Fight for your freedoms.

Ghosts of Prime Ministers Past

In recent times, we have borne witness to the age of politicians exiting the Parliamentary stage in an unruly and bitter manner. Harboring only malice and contempt for those who put them in positions of power, these individuals put their true nature on full display, often resorting to unwarranted vile attacks on those they should be grateful to. In doing this, they expose themselves as no more than tragic ghosts, hanging around the political scene like a bad smell, attempting to squeeze anything they can out of their political careers in the hope of maintaining even a shred of relevance.

This is the attitude of Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a man who has gone the way of Kevin Rudd, resigning from Parliament after a loss, and using the time since to ruthlessly attack his own colleagues, his own Party, the government that he led. Since his “retirement” from politics, Turnbull has chosen to continue to play politics, popping up every so often to tell Prime Minister Scott Morrison how he should be running the country as if he still considers himself PM. With the poorly timed release of his memoir A Bigger Picture, Turnbull has recently been on the press junket, albeit choosing to appear on media outlets that will not challenge him as such, rather giving him open slather to denigrate his enemies, with the ABC even allowing him to make derogatory and sexist remarks towards political commentator Peta Credlin unchallenged. Rather than going out with his reputation at least somewhat intact, Turnbull has chosen to forego maintaining any dignity whatsoever, tearing to shreds what little humility he had left.

Over the years since Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd left the Parliament after suffering an election loss, he has made it well known that he wishes to remain relevant. He has also made known his utter hatred for the Murdoch owned media, to which there is a sweet irony given Rupert Murdoch himself endorsed Rudd for PM prior to the 2007 election. Rudd has made numerous appearances on various media outlets, in which he has attacked the Murdoch press, the government and the Prime Minister. Most recently, he appeared on Sunrise and once again denounced the Murdoch print media. Additionally, in an editorial written for The Economist, he labelled US President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a move which was deserved given the way the WHO have acted throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a “lunatic decision”. Rudd has also attempted to become the Secretary General of the United Nations, a position he failed to attain due to the Turnbull government’s decision not to nominate him, however has just recently attained a position on the International Monetary Fund external advisory group, again linked with the United Nations, a position which will no doubt fuel his attacks on the government. Rudd’s relentless attacks on those who run this country, and his obsession with the Murdoch media, has resulted in his becoming what we in the political world now refer to as a miserable ghost.

Much like Turnbull and Rudd, former Liberal Opposition Leader John Hewson has also been hanging around the political scene like a miserable ghost. His failure to win the so-entitled “unlosable” election became relevant yet again last year when Bill Shorten suffered the same fate. In recent times, Hewson has strayed from Liberal lines, writing articles and making appearances on the ABC to peddle the climate agenda. In fact, just this week, Hewson penned an article using the current health crisis to push climate change and believing the “science”, something that could be viewed as opportunistic. Like Hewson, both Rudd and Turnbull have also pushed climate change as a major world issue, when there are more pressing matters at hand. All three of these miserable ghosts refuse to go quietly and maintain some dignity, unlike two other former PMs of recent times who have done just that.

If Turnbull, Rudd, and Hewson were to look to anyone for an idea of how they should be acting post-Parliamentary life, they should look no further than former Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. Both these former PMs have gone on to do good after their time in Parliament came to an end. Since leaving office, Julia Gillard has become the Chair of Beyond Blue, using her platform to help those struggling with their mental health, no doubt saving lives through this work. For this, she should be applauded. Tony Abbott has followed a similar path of helping people, continuing what he has done for many years, even while he was still in Parliament, through volunteering as a firefighter. This is something he has done for over fifteen years, and continues to do now, serving his community and saving homes and lives in the process. Like Gillard, he should be applauded for the work he does. Both these former PMs are doing work that paints them in a positive light and garners great respect from the wider community, rather than moping around attacking their former colleagues and those that work hard to keep this great country running.

If anything is to be taken from the actions of former Prime Ministers following their departure from the Federal Parliament, it is that being humble and using your platform to engage in positive work is far more respectable than hanging around the political scene like a miserable old ghost, tragically attempting to haunt those who you think have wronged you. For the latter only carries a single fate: loss of dignity, loss of respect, and a tragic, miserable life.

Why The Australian Restrictions For COVID-19 Are Untenable

If you’ve seen the news anytime since January, chances are you’ve heard about the coronavirus. In fact, it’s been in the news cycle every day since then, so unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know. The virus, originating in Wuhan, China has spread all over the world, including to Australia. And whilst the Australian response has been fairly decent, it’s not been perfect. In fact, it’s been far from perfect.

Over the weeks & months since the virus hit Australia, we’ve borne witness to both Federal & State Governments taking numerous actions in order to keep the virus at bay as much as possible, & in turn limit the spread. Measures such as business closures, lockdowns, transitions to online education, social distancing, even limits on weddings & funerals, have all been put in place to keep people safe. Police have also ramped up patrols, fining people for even the most insignificant thing as non-essential travel. Yet while these draconian measures are, for the most part, keeping people safe for now, they can only be held in place for so long until people become agitated & a rebellion begins.

The governments of the national cabinet started off decently. I have said time & time again that I have much respect for the Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt. He has been put in an unenviable position & has dealt with it gracefully. On the other hand, the NSW State Health Minister, Brad Hazzard, has been nothing short of a disaster. The Ruby Princess debacle still haunts us all, with a criminal investigation now underway. With both the Australian Border Force & NSW Health/the NSW government blaming each other, it’s become quite the drama of the century. Yet no matter who is to blame, this cruise liner has been the major source of the increased number of cases of the virus in Australia.

The more concerning issue however is how quickly & willingly Australians have ceded their rights & civil liberties to their governments. If there is one thing that should be recognized it is this: Governments are quick to take people’s rights away, but are slow to give them back, if at all. As it now stands, we can only go out for ‘essential’ reasons. The problem that arises from that is the term ‘essential’ is entirely subjective. Currently ‘essential’ reasons are those such as shopping for essential items including food, toiletries, medical supplies & the like, & going to work if you’re classified as an essential worker, that is, working in the medical, education & constructions industries, or working in essential stores including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi & fast food outlets. School is also classified as essential, however the vast majority of students have transitioned to online learning.

The problem arises from the interpretation of the rules. As of this point in time, everyone has been put into lockdown. We are all sitting inside our houses, apartments, or what have you, just waiting out the virus. While we’re trapped inside trying not to go insane, our residences slowly turning into our own personal prisons, the economy is collapsing around us. The state we are currently in is not one that is viable for more than a short period of time. Recently, governments have been saying this could last six months, or even so long as twelve, & that we could be in a similar state until a vaccine is found. From what we know of a potential vaccine right now for this virus, there is one that is undergoing human trials which are going to last twelve months. It is likely we will then have to wait a further amount of time for the vaccine to be mass produced, & that it only IF it works. We could be risking utter turmoil for absolutely nothing. And that’s clearly a thought that hasn’t crossed the minds of many.

Even if this potential vaccine was to be a success, twelve months is too long to wait before opening businesses back up. And that’s if there’s any businesses for people to go back to. The longer we wait, the more damage is done. By the time we start reopening things, people may be out of work much more permanently. Tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. We are staring down the barrel of high unemployment rates. And, with the collapse of an economy, be it a recession or even a depression, we unfortunately risk an increase in suicide rates. And that is one thing above all else that is clearly not being very well considered: mental health.

The draconian measures that have been put in place have been extremely detrimental to the mental health of many Australians. People can’t even go for a leisurely drive anymore without being find for ‘non-essential travel’. Police are fining people left, right & centre for some of the most ridiculous things. Many of the utterly outrageous stories are coming out of the Socialist Republic of Victoria, where corruption in the police force runs rampant. A 17 year old learner driver was fined over $1600 for simply learning to drive with her mother by her side. As a learner driver myself, I can imagine how emotionally scarring that would be for a new driver. You’d be wary of going driving again. Then there was the case of police entering a house without a warrant (practically illegal in itself), & fining three young men $1600 each for not complying with social distancing rules due to their playing video games together. And only this week, Victorian Police fined a married couple $1600 each for non-essential travel after the woman posted photographs of a holiday they had taken mid last year on Facebook. What the Victorian Police were doing stalking people’s Facebook pages is anyone’s guess, yet it is extremely questionable, even so much as a violation of privacy. The fines of the learner driver & the married couple have since been withdrawn, justifiable considering how ridiculous they were. If anything, now is the perfect time for learner drivers to get their hours up.

Mental health is just as important as physical health right now. People are cooped up in their homes, some likely on the verge of insanity. People need to be out. We’re social beings by nature. We need to be moving. We need to be out amongst the world. Being trapped in our homes for an extended period of time is only going to be detrimental to our own mental wellbeing. Individuals, particularly those who live alone, are going to be left in the company of their own minds, leaving time for anxieties to fester, & a more permanent feeling of isolation to set in. I mentioned previously that individuals are now being fined for simply going for a leisurely drive. That in itself is entirely preposterous. Going for a drive can be mentally soothing. It allows you to get out of your home, get out of the area you live in, the area you are trapped in, for just a little while, just to escape. Going for a drive on your own, or even just with those you live with, with no intention of getting out of the car until you get home, is not going to harm anyone. It won’t pose any risk whatsoever of spreading the virus. In discussing this point with others, the straw man argument was brought up that going for a drive could result in a car accident, thereby taking medical workers away from dealing with the coronavirus & risking the spread of the virus. This is unlikely to occur. And in any event, it could occur anyway for individuals who are travelling to grocery stores to stock up on essential items. Going for a leisurely drive should be viewed as perfectly fine. As should going fishing alone, sitting & reading on a park bench alone, hell, any activity where you are isolated from others should be permitted. You’re not going to risk spreading or contracting the virus doing anything by yourself. It’s common sense.

As to the police that are moving people on from doing these things, even going so far as to fine them, they themselves are, quite ironically, not complying with social distancing measures by going up to these people. There has also been footage of police attempting to move people on using their vehicles, almost running people over. This is dangerous, unruly behaviour which should not be tolerated by anyone. I can understand that they’re doing their jobs, but there are much better, more sensible ways of going about it all than almost causing harm to someone. What’s more, police have been patrolling with others & having friendly conversations, yet haven’t been the standard 1.5 metres apart. If you’re going to ask others to move on, you should be setting a good example & complying with the social distancing measures yourself. Again, it’s common sense.

Ultimately, we cannot keep the lockdowns in place for an extended period of time, for multiple reasons. First, it would likely be economic suicide. It would be a much better idea to reopen some businesses now, including cafes & restaurants, businesses that have likely been hit the hardest by the shutdowns, & then go into a period of hibernation in the winter. As it’s been shown thus far, the virus has thrived in countries in the Northern Hemisphere due to the cold weather. Down here in the Southern Hemisphere, we have been less greatly affected as we’ve just come out of Summer, typically experiencing much warmer weather. We haven’t yet been struck by the cold, which will show itself in a couple of months. So now is the time to reopen some of these businesses, just so they can survive more than anything & by extensions keep the economy afloat. Then, we can go into another shutdown for the duration of the winter, which is typically our flu season, & reopen again in mid to late September when Spring comes into season. Otherwise, if we just continue to wait, there may be less businesses to go back to.

There is, however, one other more important reason as to why lengthy lockdowns are untenable. This virus thrives in people with suppressed immune systems. Why? Because the immune system is responsible for fighting diseases that enter our bodies, & if the immune system is suppressed, that means our bodies are unable to fight off diseases effectively. Thereby, as a result, we may succumb to a disease that could be fought off by a healthy immune system. As you’ve no doubt seen, many of those who have tragically died with the coronavirus were already battling previously diagnosed medical conditions, or have had suppressed immune systems. That is why it is so important that our immune systems are kept healthy & operational, & to their highest possible standards. This is where the lockdowns come in. Being locked down & socially isolated for a long period of time can weaken our immune systems, thereby making us all more vulnerable to disease. Social isolation has previously been linked to inflammation & higher levels of stress & anxiety, which can in turn weaken the immune system. As mentioned previously, we are social beings. We were not made to be sitting around isolated from each other for lengthy periods of time. It is detrimental to both our mental & physical health, & in the case of a disease like coronavirus, it could ultimately be our downfall.

Yes, the lockdown has done some good. We have managed to flatten the curve, & there are less people being infected. Yet ultimately, the lockdowns are not viable in the long term. In short, they could result in more deaths, particularly if the vaccine does not work, & if a vaccine or a cure are never found. Put it this way, they never found a vaccine for the SARS virus. They’ve been looking for a vaccine, or even a cure, for HIV for decades. Sometimes, vaccines simply do not occur. And in those cases, we are left to our own devices to fight disease. The one thing we may have to rely on is our immune system.

Ultimately, in order to have our best chance of fighting this disease, our immune systems need to be strong. And in order to keep them strong, the heavy lockdowns have to come to an end. Otherwise, it could spell an even larger health crisis. Because what may appear to be working in the short term could be damaging in the long term.

On The Delay Of OneRepublic’s New Album

As some of you would know, I’m a big music lover, & a huge fan of the band OneRepublic. So much so that last year, I went to the NRL Grand Final just to see them play live (I’m not an NRL fan). I have followed this band for years, likely around a decade. I listen to their music pretty much every day. They’ve release four albums since their conception, the last one released over three & a half years ago. So you could imagine my excitement when I heard they would be dropping their 5th album, Human, on May 8.

In the lead up, there was the release of a number of singles. First, “Rescue Me”, then “Somebody To Love”, “Wanted”, “Didn’t I”, & most recently, “Better Days”. All the fans including myself were gearing up for the album release, anticipating new music to get us through this period of isolation thanks to the coronavirus. The band’s lead singer, Ryan Tedder, & a producer he was working with, Tyler Spry, even gave us some snippets of new songs on the album, including my personal favourite “West Coast”. It stuck with me so much so that I’ve been listening to the snippet almost every day in the lead up to the release of the full song upon the album’s release.

But, due to the coronavirus, the album has now been delayed once again, with no apparent release date. Having already been delayed once from November 2019 to May 2020, it’s not great. I understand that this is likely a money/business thing, whereby there’ll be limited promotion of it in terms of touring & promoting the album on talk shows. However I really do question why there would be an issue with releasing it as scheduled, rather than waiting it out for possibly many months, potentially longer, for the pandemic to die down.

Other musicians have released their music as planned. For example, R&B singer The Weeknd released a new album a little over two weeks ago. Pop singer Dua Lipa also released a new album two weeks ago. OneRepublic have built up a fan base of millions worldwide over the years, & so there’s no reason the album wouldn’t be successful if released as planned on May 8. Many have already pre-ordered the album, & there is no doubt it would get an astronomical number of plays on Spotify. They could promote it as they have their new songs through Instagram Live concerts, & through other social media. Everyone has been looking forward to this album’s release so that we had new music to listen to while we’re all stuck in isolation.

In fact, if anything, we need music now more than ever. It’s something that unites us, something that can bring us all together at a time when everyone is separated from each other. It’s something we can share with each other, something we can listen to together, something to connect hundreds of thousands of people all around the world. It’s something that can get us through even the toughest of times, times like the ones we’re traversing now.

Just a few weeks ago, when Ryan Tedder was in quarantine with Tyler & fellow band member Brent, he was asked on one of his livestreams why they chose the name OneRepublic for the band. In answering, he said they wanted to have a name that people from all countries, of all nationalities, speaking all different languages, would be able to know & understand & unite under. Because the name ‘OneRepublic’ is very similar in multiple languages. Now is the time to bring people together. OneRepublic’s music can do that.

I really hope they might reconsider this, or at least release “West Coast” as a single in place of the album’s release next month. It’s a true hit.

Here’s hoping.