The State of the World -- A Bernie Bro's Perspective

I planned on having professionals repair the computers but got sick, then everyone got sick, so.  I'm going to lay-out some shit regarding the current state of affairs below, but need to get a few things out of the way first:

• Everything the Nazis did was "legal."
• Organized Crime (including State-Sponsored actors), as well as small-fry hackers, absolutely love the wiseguy-named "EARN IT" bill which criminalizes the very act of securing your own privacy online, and protecting your personal information and data.  Organized Crime loves everything Florida Senator, Marco Rubio, and US Attorney General, William Barr, do.
• Speaking of AG Barr, I'd like to speak directly to AG William Barr: No matter how quickly you commit War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, they remain War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.
• There is little difference between the two political parties: Both serve corporations (Big Business), ISrael (Big Oil), and the Rich (Big Donors).  That one party commits Sedition "For God and Country" while the other commits Treason "For the Children" makes no difference.
• They are both absolutely Wrong about literally everything, all the time:
  
  They banned cartoon tigers, cookie wizards, and magically delicious leprechauns from selling sugar-laden cereals to children -- and forced those companies to lower the sugar content in those cereals -- then, suddenly, all the children became so obese that we are being told to give-up our civil liberties "For the (fat, fucking, not my) Children."  How does that even happen?
  
  They took all the effective, over-the-counter cold/flu and sinus medications off the market to enrich the insurance companies keep your porky, little bastards from robo-tripping and cooking-up dope (which they're still doing), and now we're facing a global, viral pandemic in the midst of both an opioid epidemic and a nationwide meth epidemic.
  
  We are now fighting a "War" on a viral infection (For God and Country) brought upon in part by a decades-long "War on Drugs" (For the Children) -- both of which we're losing, just like every other War they've forced upon us and others.
  
  The only real War these monsters are engaged in is a War on We, the People.
• The plural of virus is viri.  If you don't know that, you aren't qualified to give medical advice nor discuss the subject.
• The financial markets -- aka, Wall Street -- are not The Economy, Stupid *.  Catering to shareholders at the expense of end-users, customers, and labor is why they needed a Coronavirus to blame for the economic crash everyone knew was coming.  More on this below.
• The helicopter money they are "giving" us is not only money they stole in the first place, it's going to pay bills and buy essential needs: They aren't "bailing-out Main Street," they're bailing-out our creditors, landlords, and retail outlets.  The responsible, rational, approach would be Debt Forgiveness, not further devaluing the Dollar by printing more money just for the sake of going through the motions.  More on this below.
• The Supreme Court's decision to nullify the Insanity Defense is to be ignored; none of those (alleged) "people" are doctors, so none of them are qualified to make such decisions.  In fact, it's illegal to pose as a doctor and dispense medical advice, so they can all be held (indefinitely and without bail) and charged accordingly.
  
  This just in: Under the "Who Needs a Trial" law, they have been found Guilty and received the maximum sentence.  They are bonafide dipshits, as I lay out in longform below (someone please read this to them) and (hopefully) in future posts.
• The state governors who forbade abortions during this crisis are Guilty of spreading the COVID-19 virus and, thus, Terrorism, as decreed by the DOJ.  Women who need abortions will simply travel to neighboring states that abide by The Rule of Law to get them, possibly infecting others and/or contracting the virus themselves along the way.  Arrest and detain those "public servants" immediately, and indefinitely.

With that out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks:

I blame the Democratic National Committee for both the 2020 financial crisis and the US' COVID-19 pandemic.  The DNC's Malfeasance and High Treason in fixing the 2016 Presidential Election (and blaming it on Russia, and toxic masculinity, and White Nationalists, and Wikileaks, and...) robbed us of a Bernie Sanders Presidency which would have resulted in the bolstering of the very infrastructure we have so desperately required for so long and now, in the time of our greatest need, lack.

Despite his many missteps, a President Clinton/Biden would have done almost everything Trump has.  The only difference is that Big Media would have covered it up for Clinton/Biden  -- the way they are covering-up the illegal detainment, torture, and attempted murder of Julian Assange and his associates.

The DNC is Guilty -- who needs a trial? -- of these, and many other, High Crimes and Misdemeanors and that's that.

Bernie Sander's platform contained literally every, single thing the corporate shareholders government is being forced to do now:

• Provide Americans healthcare, not health insurance, and enough funding to ensure medical outlets are open, accessible, and prepared -- as well as giving some consideration to the continued improvement of the care provided.  This benefits the health and welfare of the common citizen on Main Street and "trickles-up" to higher-class citizens.  This also contributes to National Security in many ways, as we are seeing now.
  
  The COVID-19 outbreak perfectly illustrates how privatizing medicine and health services -- specifically on behalf of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies -- is a detriment to our society and Economy Stupid, as well as one of the greatest risks to our National Security.  You win wars not by killing but by injuring, thus not only removing units from the battlefield but also overwhelming the opposition's medical staff and depleting their resources and reserves.  It's difficult to believe that these masters in the Art of War would be unaware of this basic, ancient, and time-tested tactic.
  
  Denying us access to affordable healthcare and medical supplies is akin to sending soldiers to the battlefield without ammo or armor -- something these nitwits have done several times before, I'll note -- and leaves great swaths of citizens vulnerable to pestilence and disease.  A viral, fungal, or bacterial outbreak of the magnitude COVID-19 appears to be can literally destroy our nation in no time, despite the fact that it is almost entirely preventable.

• Secure, repair, and maintain the roadways, networks, and government structures -- including private industries and holdings that contribute to the health, security, well-being, and advancement of the nation.  This is the "But Mah Roads" clause Tea-Partiers and similar, Far-Right-wing hardliners oppose so vehemently (preferring privatized, toll roadways maintained by private companies -- if they want to maintain them -- which could deny travelers access, perform search and seizures, and do whatever else they want, without legal recourse).  This includes the Internet, in that "Information Superhighway" sense, as well as public transportation.
  
  People have a right to access basic goods and services needed to not only survive, but to reach our potential.  And reaching our individual potential strengthens the collective in countless ways, as does being capable of taking "personal responsibility" for our individual health, wealth, and security.
  
  I have a lot to say on "personal responsibility" -- that cynical, wiseguy expression these cretinous leeches throw around so casually (their use of which is ironic as shit) -- but it's too much to include in this document.  Suffice to say it is a textbook example of gaslighting.
  
  However, as to the point above, the dirty hippy saying, "Imagine if they started a War and no one showed up," can become literal truth if we lack access to affordable and reliable transportation and communications.

• Raise the minimum wage to a Living Wage so the Commoner Man can afford to buy rent a house neglected shed on Main Street, eat over-processed food, drink polluted water, and consume energy created by fossil fuels for no other reason than to enrich coal barons, oil barons, and shareholders the US government.
  
  This contributes to the security of the nation by eliminating high-risk situations, such as homelessness, starvation, and poverty, which are breeding grounds for populism, extremism, infection and disease, and social strife -- especially between economic classes.  These situations can quickly lead to mass unrest, conflict, plague, and uprisings.

• Raise Federal Taxes on corporations, the rich, and the ultra-rich, which is literally just the abolition of "Corporate Welfare."  With all of the propaganda linking COVID-19 to WWII these days, let's remember the rate at which these social classes "heroes" were taxed back then.  "We're all in this together," remember?  If you hate Socialism so much, pay your fucking taxes!

• Establish, and maintain, peaceful Diplomatic ties with foreign countries.  (This is the one what gets people like us murdered.)  This reinforces National Security by promoting friendly relations instead of inviting War, Terrorist attacks, and antagonistic political strife.  It also promotes a healthy Economy, Stupid.
• Abolish Globalist Industrial schemes such as the TPP and NAFTA.  This helps to secure the nation by forcing corporations to pay employees a Living Wage and provide benefits such as medical insurance, and boosts the Economy Stupid by both providing jobs to US citizens and keeping the manufacturing and distribution sectors in our country alive.
• Enforce Anti-Trust laws, and [re-]enact and enforce regulations on banks, telecoms, and other industries that are necessary to our country, and that have clearly abused their positions thanks to deregulation and lack of oversight.
• Separation of Church and State.  Because God does not speak to these people nor do they speak for God.  Not to mention the fact that all religious texts clearly and openly oppose these warmongers' every, continued action -- most of which are covered in the Top Ten Biggest Sins on Earth (which is not a BuzzFeed listicle)!
• Fuck ISrael.  Because ISrael is a War Crime.
• Fuck Saudi Arabia.  Because the Saudis are War Criminals and despots.

Okay, so some of those may have been paraphrased or... whatever, but those are largely Bernie's tenets as set forth in his original, 2016 campaign.  Of course, had he been elected President (he was -- who needs an "Election?"), he wouldn't have been able to enact everything he campaigned on -- no politician ever does, and the Establishment is determined to sabotage Sanders' Presidency just as they did Carter's, just as they sabotaged Sanders' campaigns -- but, had even a few of those things happened, we would be better prepared for the "Perfect Storm" of crises we face today.

And, although these crises were inevitable over the course of time, we face them today, concurrently, as the direct result of these peoples' reckless, irresponsible, and criminal behavior:

• The rampant corruption of corporate welfare and deregulation.
• The embezzlement of every tax dollar by the Military Industrial Security Complex.
• The defunding of necessary medical services, Arts and Cultural programs, and other social outreach services.
• The replacement of facts with "feelings," like social identity and religious faith.
• The privatization of everything to circumvent the Law.
• The Pavlovian pandering to corporations and the rich.
• Forcing billions of people, worldwide, into austerity and hundreds of millions to flee their homes (also an ancient War tactic, by the way)...

I could go on and on, and hope to in future posts (if this blog is still here, my account hasn't been terminated, and/or I haven't been institutionalized, detained indefinitely, or murdered), but I've made my point.

These things are necessary to the Commonwealth, and not just for some hazy, "Greater Good" which never seems to materialize no matter how much We, the People, sacrifice.  Progress is a synonym for Advancement, and our progress as a collective, as well as individuals, is being intentionally impeded -- mostly for the political, financial, and material gains of monopolistic corporations, but also to make it easier for these special interests, not to properly govern us (they're incapable) but, to contain us and prevent us from organizing effectively to demand both Liberty and accountability.

National Security is not only about putting WMD in the hands of violent, unrepentant psychopaths and calling them "heroes" and "freedom fighters;" a healthy, financially stable, well-educated populace with access to affordable goods and services to which every human is entitled is better prepared to weather the storms, both literal and figurative, life throws our way.

This also empowers us to pursue greater things, resulting in greater contributions to society, humanity, and the world, and fosters pride in ourselves and our communities, which motivates us without devolving into mindless Nationalism, Populism, and religious and sociopolitical extremism.

None of this is good for career politicians or War Criminals, I freely grant, but, at this moment -- and in the coming weeks and months (and possibly, though hopefully not, years) -- our nation and way of life is directly threatened by assailants and factors that cannot be combated by kinetic means or direct confrontation. 

We are not just dead in the water due to internal crises, we are sitting ducks for the myriad enemies these moronic, militaristic, fundamentalist fucks have created of our every neighbor -- friend and foe, alike -- as well as any other natural disaster that may, and will, occur.  And we will be told that the only way out of this complete, systemic failure is to rely on the State (see below).  Talk about grim!

We don't need government intervention -- including "socialist programs" like welfare and Social Security -- when we are capable of defending, and providing for, ourselves.  And, were these [s]elected officials to do their jobs and enforce laws and legislation already on the books, these special interest groups -- including monopolistic corporations and quasi-governmental agencies, such as the Military Industrial Security Complex (MISC, as they are referred to in $6tn "relief" bills) -- would not be able to prevent us from doing so.

This is how Nationalized Socialism operates: Using violence and terrorism (including sweeping surveillance and "Lawfare"), the military controls all of the holdings (monopoly) -- the Capital, the Labor, and all resulting goods and services -- and dispenses needs to the populace as it decrees.  The [Police] State controls all communications, all transportation and roadways, all labor (all of which is forced) -- everything -- and only those who kowtow to the State's demands are allowed to go about their way (which is also heavily monitored and limited). 

No matter who pulls the strings -- billionaires/elites, corporations, governmental/military agencies, dictators, et. al. -- no matter the poli-sci label applied -- Communism, Marxism, Authoritarianism, et. al. -- this is how Nationalized Socialism operates.

With a full $0.90 of every tax dollar going to the blasphemy known as the Military Industrial Security Complex, such an abject failure in National Security as we are experiencing is only ironic to the uninformed. 

It's so complete a failure in National Security which just so happens to coincide with a long-predicted economic crash (due to well-reported High Crimes and Malfeasance in the Political and Financial sectors), and the DOJ and Republican state Governors moved so quickly to take advantage of it while moving so slowly to stop it, that it's no surprise misinformation and "conspiracy theories" have arisen. 

After all, stationing active military units in civilian quadrants and imbuing them with law enforcement powers is very literally the very literal definition of "Martial Law;" that's literally what Martial Law literally is. 

Literally.

Our "leaders" are failures in every sense of the word: Morally repugnant, politically ignorant, mentally deficient, ethically bankrupt, socially repulsive, dangerous, violent, greedy, petty, petulant, narcissistic, criminal.  Their policies are disastrous, their every thought an affront to any worthy god, their every word an innocent's epitaph.

Personal responsibility starts with them and they must lead by example, not by empty rhetoric, propaganda, force, or force majeure.

There is all but nothing they can do at this point to right their innumerable wrongs, and they deserve absolutely no credit for the last-minute Band-Aids they're slapping on the sucking chest wounds they've inflicted on their constituents, their allies, this nation, and those who refuse to lick their jack boots.

They deserve only contempt.  And a raft of Criminal charges.

But no trials. 

Who needs them?

---
* "It's the Economy, Stupid" is a phrase thrown about by those in the financial sector to explain and excuse basically everything, but especially bad things for "Main Street," such as Austerity measures.

© The Weirding, 2020

PHOTO: Dropping Weaponized Pathogens on Civilians is Legal (The Chemtrails Conspiracy)

§1520a

Source - House.Gov.

I found this piece of CoIntelPro by a willing and useful idiot whose rap sheet is filled with lunatic, hardcore, "left-wing" conspiracy theories (such as that New York City is about to be swallowed by the ocean).  Despite a wealth of insults and deplorable search term phrases keyed to play in an echo chamber, his ardent anti-chemtrail "reporting" somehow missed 50 USC §1520a... and every other fact.

Between name-calling and fact-shaming, he begrudgingly admits that weather modification is real. But he assures anyone reading that -- should it ever be used -- it will only be for ethical reasons, like blocking sunlight (not blocking satellites, or communications, or transmissions, or spreading disease) because... "Climate Change."

Weather modification, such as cloud-seeding, has been in active use since at least the 1930s.  You can purchase live medical samples from The Rockefeller Foundation, or just join the military to get them (and everything else) free.

© The Weirding, 2018

The Flew Epidemic (MOAR Chemtrails Conspiracy)

The Media/Medical/Military Conspiracy

Weird Flu is racing across two continents, and the complicit, sensationalistic, mainstream media syndicate is (as ever) stumped as to how.

We wish we knew!

© The Weirding, 2018

Did Enterovirus Paralyze Children?

Only one of over 100 children who contracted an enterovirus strain of flu has recovered while the rest remain paralyzed. According to reports, all of the paralyzed children across some 34 states, bore signs of having contacted the enterovirus D68. This enterovirus is known mostly for causing mild colds, not paralytic infections.

The children tested showed mostly oral signs of enterovirus D68 and the connection between the children's inexplicable paralysis and the cold virus are unknown at this time.

© The Weirding, 2014-2015

Rabid Bats Descend on L.A.

Los Angeles authorities have issued a warning to residents to stay away from the bats in and around the city, and keep their pets away from them as well, after finding over 20 rabies-infected bats in the city this year. One resident was treated for the virus after being bitten recently. Rabies can be fatal.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Peru Suffers Outbreak of the Plague

One child has died and 31 others have been infected in Peru's worst outbreak of the plague since 1994. Peru's health minister said most of the infections are Bubonic Plague, which is caused by fleas, while four are pneumonic plague, an airborne contagion. Thirty-five people died from the plague in Peru in 1994. While treatable if caught early, the affected area is not far from the popular tourist spot, Chicama Beach.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Rabid Foxes in SC Attack!

This one is as much a public service announcement as it is an "odd" post, because rabid wild animals is about as natural as you can get -- but attacks on humans by foxes are almost unheard of.  In Moore County, South Carolina though, at least two men have been attacked by rabid fox(es) this week alone!

A 22-year old man was attacked while biking.  Though he struck the animal with his bicycle, it continued pursuing him.  A second successful strike dispatched the fox.  This may have been the same fox which, emboldened by rabies, attacked an 11-year old boy in the same area the next day.  Luckily, the child was able to pin the fox down to the ground until it tired somewhat. He then brought the fox home with him.  The creature later tested positive for rabies, but the child was already undergoing treatment for the same.

Veterinarians have but one means of testing for rabies: Decapitation of the animal.  This is why you are told to collect any animal that bites, scratches, or otherwise attacks you -- if possible, of course.  Many times, rabies injections -- a lengthy, painful process -- are unnecessary, and the veterinarian can observe the animal under controlled conditions for several days before deciding the animal must be destroyed for more tests.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Mutant Found on Plum Island

The clothed body of what appears to be a "mutated human" with very long fingers was found when it washed ashore New York's Plum Island, a government-controlled island which studies animal diseases. The identity of the deceased is unknown. It is also not known how the body managed to wash ashore the island, where access is carefully controlled. Plum Island has often been cited as a possible terrorist target due to its stock of vaccines and diseases.

The mutated body - if that is what it is - is said to have had a large frame and unusually long fingers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

'Mermaid Girl' Dies

Ten-year old Shiloh Pepin, born with sirenomelia -- also called "Mermaid Disease" -- died this morning.

Shiloh was born with her legs fused together. Sirenomelia sufferers face many other problems: Shiloh had no lower colon, no genital organs, and only one kidney. Her kidney was only partially functional and she survived two kidney transplants. Her mom called her a "tough little thing."

When she was born, doctors told her parents she would likely live only a few hours, or days at best; this is the case with most sirenomelia sufferers. Early in October, Shiloh came down with a cold and quickly developed pneumonia. She was admitted to the hospital on October 10^th and had been in critical condition since earlier this week.

Shiloh Pepin's story was told on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other news outlets. Her fight inspired many, as can be evidenced by the comments on her Facebook page.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Still Moving

Sorry guys; I forgot about you again. This move is really taking its toll on me. It already took its toll on my little female friend: she flew the coop! But it's all good; the truth is that it's just as well and I guess we've both been thinking that for a while now. I still have almost all the dishes to pack and I knew they would be a hassle, which is why I'd been saying they needed to be packed since the weekend.

If you read the link above, you'll understand why I may be sitting in the dark all weekend. And though I'm almost certainly pulling an all-nighter, I won't be able to be here much tonight. Hopefully, I'll find a few things to keep you busy, but we do have some pretty extensive archives for you to check out until I'm able to get back to you.

Three schools in Fayette County, TN have closed because of the Swine Flu. A school in Shelby County also closed for seven days, as did one in Nashville. Supposedly, there were two cases discovered in Tennessee.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

SWINE FLU PANDEMIC REACHES MASS PROPORTIONS

As news-hungry media inflate a simple flu outbreak into the world-scouring Superflu of a Stephen King novel. No fewer than four major stories on the BBC's newsfeed, Good Morning America Weekend had an interview with a family who was not only "quarantined" but wore masks to protect the GMA crew, New Zealand's in the picture now, and Chinese doctors are working to develop a test which will return results in several hours (as opposed to weeks)...

From what I learned on GMA Weekend, the Swine Flu is an amalgam of influenza affecting some 3-4 various animals, including pigs. As the anchor tried to inject an overly serious tone to everything said, the teenager who had been reported "infected" chortled as he shrugged and responded, "No one else at [my] highschool had it," when asked, "Any idea how you might have contracted it? Did you go to Mexico?" The kid laughed yet again, "No."

In fact, when the anchor got right down to it, the boy said he felt generally rundown and, you know, basically flu-ey. He said it was "basically like any other flu." His mom rebuked the melodramatic telejournalist with much the same answers.

Just so you know, this family was from Texas, which closely borders Mexico and is one of the states most known for illegal immigrants. While GMA is too politically-correct to mention it, it's safe to assume the boy's highschool contains a healthy Mexican population. Further, America ranks 37 in world healthcare - not really a top-ranking - but Mexico? 61.

So, um, I'm kinda surprised more Mexicans don't die of the fucking common flu.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

San Diego Squirrel Plagued by... the Plague!

A San Diego squirrel has tested positive for the plague, prompting local officials to post signs and publicly ask people not to setup their tents and camping areas near burrows. They also warned area residents not to feed the squirrels and to warn their children to avoid them.

The plague can be passed from squirrel to human through flea bites. While there have been no cases reported in San Diego residents so far, officials warn residents to be cautious.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The World's Oldest Baby

No ladies, this is not a post about your husbands. This is the curious case of India's Jerly Lyngdoh, a 26-year old man with a 2-year old's body and a 65-year old's teeth. Lyngdoh's entire body is perfectly proportioned for a toddler. It is not until he smiles that you realize Jerly Lyngdoh is... different.

Lyngdoh suffers from a condition which is basically the opposite of progeria (the super-advanced aging disease); it is not a stunted-growth case. A pediatrician, working with a colleague, who examined him said, "We think this is a case of pan-hypo pituitarism leading to poor secretion of growth hormones from the pituitary gland." He then called Jerly Lyngdoh "a genuine rarity."

You can see his teeth are already rotting, and Lyngdoh also suffers from seizures. He is possessed of the mental capacities befitting a child and cannot speak. Jerly is entirely dependent on his mother. Jerly's maternal grandparents even considered him a curse on the family and urged his mother to wack him!

While his condition might have been treatable had it been caught earlier, his poor, illiterate, agrarian parents did not have the money to pursue medical treatment. His mother did take him to a traditional healer, but the healer was unable to cure him of his epilepsy. The examining team eliminated genetics as a factor, as none of Lyngdoh's six siblings suffer any abnormalities.

A charity helped his mother, Merilda, get him to a reputable medical facility, where he was closely studied for 17 months before being moved to a more advanced hospital. The team overseeing his treatment and studying his condition are hoping to get help from the larger medical community.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Inmate Receives $300k for Losing Penis

From the archives:

A former inmate of a Washington state prison was awarded $300,000 compensation for losing his penis to the flesh-eating bacteria while incarcerated. After attorneys' fees, he was left with less than $115,000.

61-year old Charlie Manning was serving a 13-month sentence for a drunken fight when he began feeling ill. The medical professional on-staff at the prison wrongfully diagnosed him with an allergic reaction to medication. Manning lost his penis and one of his testicles.

The Washington State Department of Corrections said it only settled the suit because going to court would have been more expensive. Manning said he settled because he just wanted the whole thing behind him; he called the experience "unreal... like something from Mars."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Britain Uses Biological Agents to Commit Genocide in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's information minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, told reporters the recent Cholera outbreak in his country was due to Britain's use of "a serious biological-chemical weapon; a genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British [who are] still fighting to recolonize Zimbabwe." He pleaded for help from "all peace-loving nations."

Spokespeople for the opposing political faction in the region called Ndlovu's comments "politicking." Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who may one day serve as (co-) Prime Minister, said, "either Mr Mugabe is mischievous or genuinely out of touch with reality."

The current president, Robert Mugabe, told reporters Friday the Cholera epidemic was under control, but experts disagree, noting new cases are still being reported. The unprecedented regional outbreak is due to sewage and water lines which have broken down and contaminated the water supply. Britain's foreign minister dismissed Mugabe's claims and blamed him for "death and destruction on a grand scale."

Mugabe's spokesperson said the president's claim that the outbreak was under control was sarcastic and Western news agencies had distorted his speech.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Vanilla Fungus

A deadly and incurable fungus outbreak has hit Madagascar, the world's main vanilla-producing region. The farmers have had to "radically change" farming methods to combat the outbreak, which has infected some 80% of their crop in two of their major stations.

As most of Madagascar's vanilla is exported to the United States, look for already high prices to increase.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Tyke Takes Viagra to Keep Up

Viagra may now be known as the drug which "cures" impotence, but that was actually an unexpected side-effect of a drug that was being developed for heart problems.  And, for two-year-old Calvin Muteesa, Viagra is the only thing saving his life.  The toddler has to take the drug up to six times a day just to survive.

Muteesa was born with pulmonary arterial hypertension, which is actually what Viagra was developed to treat.  The rare defect causes extremely high blood-pressure, making it hard for Calvin Muteesa to breathe.  Viagra relaxes the pulmonary artery, allowing blood to flow more freely and carry more oxygen to the lungs.  Muteesa has been taking the drug since he was three months old.

Calvin Muteesa is believed to be the youngest Viagra user in the world.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Measles Epidemic

Experts fear a measles epidemic is developing in Europe, thanks to the fact that fewer children are being inoculated against the virus. After a scientist suggested the measles "jab" might lead to autism in children, fewer parents had their kids treated. Now, those children are prey, not only to measles, but also rubella and mumps.

Measles is highly infectious and hard to detect before the tell-tale rash develops. It can lead to encephalitis and pneumonia, even in healthy children. While more recent studies suggest there is no link between the immunization shot and autism, immunizations have still dropped by at least 10%.

At the time of this writing, there have been almost 1050 cases of measles in England and Wales - well over the fewer than 1000 cases from last year and the largest number recorded since new testing measures were put into place in 1995.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

A New Black Plague?

Taiwanese researchers made headlines this week when they noted the brown rat - the most common rat in Europe - carries the bacteria, Bartonella rochalimae, which can spread to humans. In humans, the bacteria can cause serious illnesses, from heart disease to spleen infections, and worse.

The discovery was first made when a woman who had recently traveled to Peru got an enlarged spleen. This prompted investigators to look into the matter, leading them to discover that rodents carry several strains of the Bartonella bacteria. Many of these can cause humans to suffer serious health issues. The Bartonella rochalimae (which was among these) had not previously been discovered in rodents.

The Black Death was believed to have spread from rats to humans in the 14^th-Century. It led to the death of over 75 million people. Some researchers fear this could be similar.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Exorcism vs. Schizophrenia

I do not know if this is an actual letter - that is, if there is any veracity to the claims - but it certainly is an interesting read which brings up a lot of issues regarding the paranormal vs. the medical/scientific community.

Let there be no mistaking that Schizophrenia is a very real, and devastating, mental illness. Let there also be no mistaking that many believe dæmonic influences, and even possession, to be the same. The truth is that the medications and treatments for Schizophrenia are almost completely ineffective and their side-effects are nearly worse than the disease itself. Even worse, anti-psychotic medications are incredibly powerful - and can be fatal - and should only ever be prescribed in the most extreme cases, however most practitioners give it out like it was candy. The side-effects are so horrible that many schizophrenics resist treatment; in a majority of cases, the side-effects preclude the disease itself, rendering otherwise troubled, but functioning, patients completely useless.

Exorcism, on the other hand, either works or it does not.

Really, my advice here is: why not have an exorcism? If it doesn't work, what are you out? While anti-psychotic medications can kill you - or (possibly worse, depending on your POV) destroy your life completely - an exorcism might be a waste of a few hours. At the very best, it might even work!

I do not personally believe all Schizophrenics suffer from dæmonic possession or influence, but I also do not believe all people diagnosed with Schizophrenia actually suffer from the mental disease. In fact, many industrialized countries have dropped the classification entirely. I am not even fully convinced that dæmonic possession itself is real.

But I do know that faith and belief are powerful things. While the author of this letter (assuming it is real) might not believe in such things, many do; no one knows what causes Schizophrenia, so why not subject believers to an exorcism? If Schizophrenia can be caused by emotional misinformation, perhaps a fervent belief in exorcism as a cure could work along the same lines to right that wrong?

Anti-psychotic drug treatment should always be the very last resort, excepting extreme cases.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008