Man Arrested for a COVID Joke Gives a Much-Needed Lesson On Free Speech; “That Simply Doesn’t Make Sense”: Lead Author Of Cochrane Mask Review Responds To Fauci’s Dismissal Of Evidence, and other C-Virus related stories
Man arrested for a COVID joke gives a much-needed lesson on free speech:
Back in March 2020, a dozen or so sheriff’s deputies wearing bulletproof vests descended upon Waylon Bailey’s home in Rapides Parish, La., with their guns drawn, ordered him onto his knees with his hands on his head, and arrested him for a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The SWAT-style raid was provoked by a Facebook post in which Bailey had made a zombie-themed joke about COVID-19.
Although a federal appeals court recently ruled Bailey could pursue civil rights claims based on that incident, a judge initially blocked his lawsuit, saying his joke created a “clear and present danger” similar to the threat posed by “falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing panic.”
That decision illustrates the continuing influence of a misbegotten, century-old analogy frequently used as an excuse to punish or censor constitutionally protected speech.
Bailey’s joke alluded to the 2013 zombie movie “World War Z,” starring Brad Pitt.
Bailey jested that the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office had told deputies to shoot “the infected” on sight, adding: “Lord have mercy on us all. #Covid9teen #weneedyoubradpitt.”
RPSO Detective Randell Iles, who was immediately assigned to investigate the post, claimed it violated a state law against “terrorizing” the public. —>READ MORE HERE
“That Simply Doesn’t Make Sense”: Lead Author Of Cochrane Mask Review Responds To Fauci’s Dismissal Of Evidence:
Former chief medical advisor to the US President Anthony Fauci was questioned over the weekend by CNN reporter Michael Smerconish, about face masks being able to curb the spread of covid-19.
“There’s no doubt that masks work,” said Fauci.
“Different studies give different percentages of advantage of wearing it, but there’s no doubt that the weight of the studies … indicate the benefit of wearing masks,” he added.
Smerconish brought up the 2023 Cochrane review which found no evidence that physical interventions like face masks could stop viral transmission in the community and cited my interview with lead author of the study Tom Jefferson who confirmed, “There is just no evidence that they [masks] make any difference. Full stop.”
CNN’s @smerconish confronts Dr. Fauci with the latest evidence that masks, even N95s, made “no difference” in the pandemic. Fauci responds by basically conceding that point while adding the nonsensical claim that masks work on an “individual basis,” or something.
Smerconish ends… pic.twitter.com/tZB62saxOL
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) September 3, 2023
Fauci replied, “Yeah but there are other studies,” stressing that masks work on an individual basis.
“When you’re talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data are less strong…but when you talk about an individual basis of someone protecting themselves or protecting themselves from spreading it to others, there’s no doubt that there are many studies that show there is an advantage,” said Fauci.
Professor Tom Jefferson, who says he is committed to updating the Cochrane review as new evidence emerges, has responded to Fauci’s comments.
“So, Fauci is saying that masks work for individuals but not at a population level? That simply doesn’t make sense,” said Jefferson. —>READ MORE HERE
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