Paradocracy

My dear wife has been admitted to the hospital, and I’m here as a visitor praying for her health and the health of our unborn baby. Suddenly, our calmness and our peace of mind are shattered by political developments from the California Department of Public Health .  Following the conveyance of an “order” which they have no constitutional authority to issue, the nurse informed us last night of this new development which will require visitors to show proof of vaccination or negative test result. According to the Public Health Officer of the State of California, hospitals are now required to "verify visitors are fully vaccinated, or for unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated visitors, verify documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test." Personally I find it ironic that hospitals are reportedly full of COVID cases, yet they want to screen visitors to ensure that they don’t have COVID. Put another way, COVID is reportedly already in the hospitals, but they want to make sure that...

Over the past year and a half, Americans and people worldwide have been encouraged to "trust the experts" and to "trust the science." Well, as we know all too well by now, while it often aids in getting there, "science" doesn't independently produce facts. It's a process that aims, like an asymptote approaching a limit, to get us as close to the truth as humanly possible.  In this way, the risk in depending on "science" to determine the facts is found in the public's unquestioning obedience to those who hold "the science" beyond reproach in order to advance their own selfish objectives. For this reason, it is imperative that the people wielding "the science" do so in good faith, and in such a way as to avoid discrediting it. As it turns out, people will trust in an institution so long as it preserves their faith; once it has betrayed them, it's difficult to regain their trust.  As much of the public has become ...