I was curious about the number of “excess deaths” that we have seen since 2019 in order to validate the accuracy of the reported COVID deaths so I went to the New Jersey Department of Health Vital Statistics page and collected the number of deaths for the last several years. Here’s what I found:
Data collected from NJ Dept of Health
I thought this was interesting because it shows just how bad the impact of COVID-19 was on NJ in 2020. That’s at least 20,855 more deaths than 2018 (which was the highest number in the stats I collected) or 29% more! Additionally, you can take the approximate total number of deaths from 2020 (20,855) and 2021 (7,830) and add a bit to see that the number of COVID deaths in NJ is very close to the 30,759 as reported today (2022-01-24).
This was important because it shows that even without the cause of death information (which may have over-reported the number of COVID deaths), we can see a large number of “excess deaths” of which we can logically assume are COVID related. This is the kind of research we, as laymen, can do on the internet. I didn’t have to watch any Youtube videos to “figure out what was really going on”. I just used the numbers that are easily available and a bit of math and logical thinking (and Excel, of course!).
Here we are in the month 21 of the COVID experience. For the most part, we have settled into a routine and adjusted to the “new normal”. It’s no longer strange to see people wearing masks over their noses and mouths in public and, at the same time, we assume those who aren’t doing so have been vaccinated against the virus or just don’t care about it. Of course there’s still a political or philosophical bent to any government or official policies related to the handling of the pandemic but, for my part, I don’t run into this issue very frequently. Although I and my family and most of the people I associate with have been vaccinated, I have friends who refuse to do so for a variety of reasons. None of them are crackpots so I still see them on a regular basis. Although I’ve been to see a couple movies in the theater and we’ve been out to restaurants several times, our forays into the public are fewer and further-between than they were in 2019.
With all this, I often ask myself “How much worse could this have been?” As of today, there have been 788,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the United States. At this rate, we will see more than a million deaths by early 2022. I believe comparisons of the averages from the last several years shows a fairly large increase in “excess mortality” with each wave of the pandemic. I think this statistic helps to argue against anyone who would say that all deaths are no attributed to COVID.
https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid
I tend to think that without the “lockdowns”, remote education and work, mask requirements and vaccinations, these numbers would be higher.
A week ago, on Wednesday December 6th, 2021, the President incited a huge crowd of supporters who had gathered in Washington DC to hear him speak and to show their support for the “stop the steal” lie, marched on and attacked the Capitol building. Inside the building were lawmakers from all 50 states who were meeting to certify the results of the 2020 Presidential election. In his speech, Trump repeated is claim that the election had been rigged “All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical left Democrats, which is what they’re doing and stolen by the fake news media. That’s what they’ve done and what they’re doing. We will never give up. We will never concede, it doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved.” He laid out many of the mostly debunked theories about election fraud and stated that the Democrats and the “fake news” media were complicit in refusing to acknowledge the perceived irregularities. “Our media is not free. It’s not fair. It suppresses thought. It suppresses speech, and it’s become the enemy of the people. It’s become the enemy of the people. It’s the biggest problem we have in this country.”
Trump continued to repeat his rhetoric while pushing the crowd and asking them to “fight”. At many points, he was interrupted by chants of “Fight for Trump!”.
Referring to the Vice President’s overseeing of the Electoral Vote counts, Trump talked about how Pence could refuse to certify the electors. “…and Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. If he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country because you’re sworn to uphold our constitution.” Trump continued “Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. After this, we’re going to walk down and I’ll be there with you. We’re going to walk down. We’re going to walk down any one you want, but I think right here. We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
And that’s what happened. The crowd, now charged up and ready to “take back our country”, marched to the Capitol and within a few hours, they managed to breach all the security and hundreds of them entered the building. Congress had to evacuate and take shelter in other parts of the complex while the mob roamed around the building. Chants of “hang Mike Pence” and “where’s Nancy?” were heard.
One Capitol police officer was dragged into the crowd and beaten. He died a day later.The crowd erected a gallows in front of the CapitolAs the mob tried to gain access to the main rooms, security personnel placed furniture in front of the doors and drew their weapons
One of the rioters was shot and killed as she tried to breach a locked and barricaded doorway into the area where lawmakers were sheltering. One Capitol police officer died after he was beaten by the crowd. Members of the mob ran amok, entering the offices of Senators, stealing things and causing havoc while saying “this is OUR house!”. Security and police officers seemed unable to stop them as they were overwhelmed by the numbers.
The mayor of DC imposed a 6pm curfew and the National Guard was finally called in to help disperse the rioters. Videos show a much heavier handed effort to remove the crowds from the building after the woman was shot. By evening, things had mostly calmed down but not before 4 people were dead (two additional deaths would be attributed to the attack within a couple days). Lawmakers re-convened later that evening and completed their task of certifying the election results. Many who had planned to vote against certification changed their minds after seeing the possible outcome of casting doubt on the validity of our elections could mean.
In the aftermath of this crazy event, I spent a lot of time on social media and news sites trying to figure out what had happened and what the outcome would be. As photos and videos began to appear online and were shared by my friends who seemed as astonished as I was about what had happened, I responded to a few:
After watching this video, I replied to my FB friend’s sharing of it. “I just finished watching. I’m shaking. I’m disgusted. I’m in disbelief that people died for these ridiculous lies and conspiracy theories. I had already seen a couple videos of the shooting but what gets me is the sheer power of the crowd. They push through lines of police with indifference. It’s clear that the police would be overwhelmed if they began to shoot into the crowds so I can see why they just try to work with them in order to slow their roll. But until shots were fired, the rioters were unstoppable. Some people were clearly just along for the ride and there were definitely some crazies in the crowd but there were also some smart, motivated individuals. I fear that these people will show up at the inauguration next week. Law enforcement and the military will no doubt be more prepared but I am pretty confident that something is going to go down.”
There have been many statements and analyses of this event and I’m sure there will be more. Today is the beginning of the second impeachment processes of Trump. Let’s see where this all leads….
“And yet, as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, they bled to secure.
Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.
Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them.
One of their political weapons is “Cancel Culture” — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America. This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped, and it will be stopped very quickly. We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nation’s children, end this radical assault, and preserve our beloved American way of life.
In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us.
Make no mistake: this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress.
To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.”
With all that is going on in this country, we need someone to bring people together not to name a group as an enemy.
Of course, you can parse the headlines and the text of the speech from whichever perspective you’d like. However, the tone of Trump’s speech was divisive and he made no effort to address any of the actual social issues that lead to the demonstrations and protests. He set a tone of “us vs. them” rather than admitting that we still have some progress to make.
Just to be clear, I agree with a few of his policies and I even agree with some of the points he made in this speech, particularly with regards to cancel culture but I am honest when I tell people that “I just don’t like Trump.” I think he’s a narcissistic con artist who is not fit for the office of the Presidency or to represent our country in any way. I believe the tone he uses is completely antithetical to actually achieving any progress in our country. And before you label me as a “snowflake” who can’t handle the frank speech, stop and think about how you need to speak and behave in your own job. Most of us probably make an effort to understand where people are coming from and treat people with respect and some compassion in order to get things done. There is truth to the saying “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.
Consider this for a second: If you’re an “insider” who has figured out that there is some grand conspiracy involved in this pandemic (or the Jeffrey Epstein case or any number of current events), wouldn’t you know the WHOLE story before it happens?
Remember back in mid-May when the initial round of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 were flying around? If you had some special knowledge of the situation and were aware of a plot by the “deep state”, shouldn’t you have known that, in a couple weeks, a man is going to die while being arrested by police and that this would spark protests in the US and all over the world which would lead to civil unrest, violence and more “attacks on our freedoms”?
But no, you weren’t aware of those things because you were and still are, just making it up as you go along. You can only tie events together (in whatever convoluted manner) AFTER they happen.
Woke up this morning to increased winds. Nothing crazy but it’s definitely picking up. As I write this, the first rain has begun spattering against the windows.
Hurrican Sandy is due to arrive full-force sometime in the next 24 hours or so. I’ve been watching the development of this storm for about a week – long before most of the local media were saying anything about it coming up to the northeast. Many meteorologists are calling this an historic storm like New Jersey has never seen. I’m pretty concerned by the wind – especially about the possibility of a tree falling onto or into our house and causing damage. Although the latest forecasts for our area are calling for 35 to 50 mph winds with gusts up to 70 mph. Those winds are certainly damaging but no where near the serious hurricane winds that are predicted for the oceanside locations. I’m also concerned about the potential for flooding in our yard and into our garage. I replace the gasket on the bottom of the garage door so hopefully that helps.
I think we’ve taken all the precautions and made all the preparations we could so all we can do now is to wait and see how it goes. We’ve stocked up on water, food and batteries. We’ve got the generator ready to go.
Here’s a look at the storm right now. Apparently, it’s set a record for the largest (in diameter) Atlantic hurrican of all time.
It’s been almost 10 years since I first wrote this post. It was the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the country was in shock as we all tried to sort out our feelings and figure out what this would mean to our future.
The hopes of finding many survivors amidst the rubble of the twin towers were not yet dashed. We didn’t know how long it would be before anything besides fighter aircraft would fly overhead in the cool, blue skies. No one had any idea that we would soon be afraid to open our mail for fear of being infected by the Anthrax virus. No troops had yet been deployed to Afghanistan to begin the search for those who had perpetrated the attacks. And no one was talking publicly yet about the “weapons of mass destruction” being developed by Saddam Hussein.
We knew that we were under attack. This is all we knew.
I haven’t watched these videos since the week or so after 9/11. The thing that strikes me when I watch them now is the complete surprise of the witnesses when the first aircraft hit the tower and then their sheer terror at the impact of the second plane. The screams are jarring. It’s the screams and the utter disbelief of the witnesses that most strongly bring back the feelings of that day which, for most Americans, have greatly subsided over the last decade. Yeah, it’s hard to watch these again but I think it’s worth the mental discomfort.
