Observation #1: Some People Are Just Now Coming To The Realization That People Die
After over 5,000 years of recorded history, it seems like people are just now waking up to the idea that people die…all the time…in great numbers. In fact, there have been over 100,825,272,791 deaths since the beginning of time…over 100 billion! (I speak of the absurd because our response to this challenge has been absurd).
The most reliable data I can find pre-King Corona are the numbers from 2017. The Center For Disease Control reported the following deaths from the corresponding categories in 2017 USA:
- Heart disease: 647,457
- Cancer: 599,108
- Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
- Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
- Diabetes: 83,564
- Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
- Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,173
Influenza and pneumonia are contagious diseases. Were you aware we lost over 55,000 in 2017? Were you aware you could catch a potential killer from simply being around people in 2017? Do you really want to stay home for the rest of your life? Do you really want to mask up and eliminate hugs the rest of your life?
I’m not callous to death…most certainly not to King Corona death. I just point out that if you are lucky enough to make it out of the womb and they still don’t kill you in the hospital before you leave, you are going to die someday from something. Fear is a powerful motivator.
Observation #2: The Democrats Have Abandoned Their Mainstay
All my life, the Democrats have been so very proud that it is they (and they alone), according to them, who care about the poor and downtrodden – the little guy – and, again according to them, the Republicans only care about $$$ and big business.
It is predominantly the Democrats who shame those of us who believe crippling our economy for generations to come was not the answer to this pandemic. Where is their compassion for families falling prey to suicide or domestic violence or child abuse? We have already reached 48,000 suicide deaths this year. Compared to 2017, we are well over double the normal rate. The Democrats seem to have little or no compassion for heart attack victims and cancer victims being put on the back burner.
The blue state tyrannical Democrat governors favor big box stores over their mom and pop competition. I wonder, do they have some skin in the game? Where is their compassion for the little guy? Odd, it is the Republicans who stand up for small business because this shut down of the healthy makes no sense unless you have a sinister political agenda.
Observation #3: The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself
I’ll have to give FDR credit for that one. And, of course, when it comes to King Corona, it’s ok to respect it. It can kill. Take precaution, just like you should take precaution from all communicable disease. But we cannot – we must not – let the fear of dying that we humans face every day take over our very living!
I observe, for example, that some churches in Georgia and Texas, after opening have re-closed. Why? Because some of their parishioners have been detected with King Corona and one even died. Folks, what are the odds that some older person in these churches has died in the past from contracting the common flu? Very high. We didn’t shut down life over it.
The prediction is simple. If we close the doors to churches, if we cease all professional sports, if we stop little league and soccer, if re-close small business, if we close schools … because one person in the church or on the team or on the staff or in the school is known to have King Corona, what you are experiencing now is the new norm. We will never live again if we don’t get some courage and fight through this thing while taking minimal risk. Of course, if you are vulnerable or old and you can stay home, by all means do so. That is your right. But, here’s a good bet: there will never be a completely germ free environment anywhere again, just like there never was before. Yet, somehow, society managed to keep on keepin’ on with over 55,000 flu deaths, over 100,000 auto accident deaths and over 100,000 alcohol-related deaths (completely preventable, by the way) per year pre-KC.
The Democrats would like to keep all of us in a state of fear, at least up to the elections in November, and will no doubt blame President Trump for each and every KC death. Don’t fall for this sinister plot.
Folks, we must not live in fear. Romans 8:28 teaches us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We should turn to our Creator, seek his face and pray that He will heal our land. Take courage.
Tad Armstrong is an Edwardsville (Illinois) lawyer, founder of ELL Constitution Clubs (www.ellconstitutionclubs.com), frequent talk show guest, op-ed writer and author of two books on the Constitution: "It's OK to Say 'God"' and “ONE.” He can be reached at (618) 656-6770.