The Post-Partisan Emporium

Protecting the Pandemic from the People: Perpetual Panic, Permanent Emergency Maximilian C. Forte There are some suggestions that the Omicron variant could well end “the pandemic”. And that is a problem.  It is a problem on two fronts. First, a variant that not only defeats the “vaccines,” but that also reduces the pandemic to a minor endemic phenomenon, is not one that can be exploited to generate profits for a transnational pharmaceutical giant like Pfizer, which has effectively captured the Canadian market and enjoys a near monopoly, plus a free sales-force (consisting of politicians, civil servants, academics, journalists, and many others). Second, any scaling down of illness removes the thin cover used by the state to centralize and maximize political power, under the pretext of an endless “state of emergency”. First,  what do we know about Omicron ?  Medical authorities  in South Africa have already  explained , and  emphasized repeatedly , that ...

Who Do You Blame for Covid When the Vaccination Rate Is Nearly 100 Percent? Vasko Kohlmayer “Facing rising infections and a new COVID-19 variant, colleges across the U.S. have once again been thwarted in seeking a move to normalcy and are starting to require booster shots, extend mask mandates, limit social gatherings and, in some cases, revert to online classes,” we read in  a recent  Associated Press wire. The piece mentions three prestigious northeastern universities in connection with this troubling turn of events: “Cornell University abruptly shut down all campus activities on Tuesday and moved final exams online after more than 700 students tested positive over three days… Hours later, Princeton University moved its exams online and urged students to leave campus “at their earliest convenience” amid a rise in cases. On Wednesday, New York University cancelled all non-academic events and encouraged professors to move finals online.” And then comes the punch line: “Cornell...