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Monday, September 28, 2020

THERE MAY BE SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO WEAR A MASK BUT SHOULD IT BE AN ISSUE OF MORALITY OR PATRIOTISM?

 


I believe the Democratic Party has inherited in a secular way the puritanical leanings of our country’s founding. Of course it is a secular Puritanism, not religious. Thus in a campaign pitch, Candidate Biden says he will make mask wearing a national law and one’s patriotic duty. 

Patriotic duty? Is that manipulation? Is that Puritanism?

Religious people manipulate people to wear masks not by cogent biological reasons but rather making it a religious issue, one of altruism striving to protect those most vulnerable regardless of the fact that the masks being worn by the majority of people who wear them don’t protect them but reduce sneeze particles from reaching a person with no mask or an ineffective mask. 

They call it a pro-life issue. Really?

I opine, you retort. 

41 comments:

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

"Patriotic duty?" Well, yes, but in a limited way.

"Is that manipulation?" No. No more than stop signs and traffic lights are a form of manipulation.

"Is that Puritanism?" No. Not in any sense.

Altruism is not necessarily a religious matter. Non-religious folks can and do act based on altruistic motivations.

Wearing a mask is, I maintain, a moral issue. Choices we make that impact the lives of others in significant ways are, by definition, moral choices.

The choice I make to paint my kitchen French blue is not a moral choice - it does not have any significant impact on others.

The choice I make to wear a mask to prevent the spread of a potentially deadly virus to others or, for that matter, to prevent me from becoming infected, is a moral choice. It is immoral to act in ways that threaten the health and well-being of others. A choice to run a stop sign or a red traffic light is an immoral choice, for example.

rcg said...

The word you are looking for, Father, is “fascism”.

Victor said...

Wearing or not wearing rag masks must be based on solid evidence based medical science, not on abstract theory, meta analyses, or political religion.

Fr K:
"The choice I make to wear a mask to prevent the spread of a potentially deadly virus to others or, for that matter, to prevent me from becoming infected, is a moral choice."
Where is the scientific evidence for this statement? On the contrary, consider this from the chief medical officer of a country that has conquered Covid-19 without lockdowns, drastic and unhealthy social distancing, or requiring the population to wear masks even on public transit:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-swedish-epidemiologist-its-very-dangerous-to-believe-masks-will-stop-coronavirus

Also consider this:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/facemask-evidence-is-astonishingly-weak-says-architect-of-swedish-strategy-bm0w335zr

"It is immoral to act in ways that threaten the health and well-being of others." Consider that many want everyone to share in the goodies of society, but I rarely hear them talking about also sharing in the dangers, which is very selfish. As Pope Francis recently mentioned, with all these isolation policies in nursing homes, people are dying from loneliness. Consider this:

https://mercatornet.com/the-coronavirus-crisis-in-nursing-homes-is-an-indictment-of-our-societies/66882/

Tegnell of Sweden has been right all along, even with some errors at the beginning (failure to adequately protect the vulnerable). Consider this:

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/people-build-immunity-coronavirus-common-cold/

The politically charged WHO, CDC, and other government health agencies have been wrong since the beginning of this, but will not admit it not just for preserving their pride or ideology, but for fear of precipitating revolutions against governments around the world particularly by young people who have had nothing to fear from this SARSCoVid-2 virus:

https://principia-scientific.com/covid19-test-test-test-is-wrong-wrong-wrong/

In other words this virus is harmless to everyone except those with compromised immune systems, that is, mainly the elderly. The problem is not the virus, but the health of certain people, and, of course, that it is election year in USA.

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

"In other words this virus is harmless to everyone except those with compromised immune systems..."

"But there have now (6 May 2020) also been many reports of the disease killing young, otherwise healthy individuals. And even among the high-risk groups, the threat that covid-19 poses varies dramatically. What’s more, information from several countries now indicates that people from some ethnic minorities are more likely to die." https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632811-300-why-is-coronavirus-deadly-for-some-but-harmless-in-others/

The disease is not harmless to healthy people, nor is it a political plot.



Anonymous said...

I liked the Asian tradition of people wearing masks to prevent the spread of colds and flu. To me it is a courteous gesture. Biden's gesture isn't courteous, its authoritarian and moralistic. The person that used the term “fascism” was close to the truth. The most irritating thing of the liberals has been their positioning of being dictators of moral authority. Perhaps that is why they spend so much effort attacking religion, and especially Catholicism. Its absurd that Biden walks onstage wearing a mask when no one is within 200 feet of him, he does so to show people what is morally acceptable behavior. The same with his sparse, evenly spaced rallies, they are an exaggeration of what proper people should do. Biden's mask isn't about reducing the spread of disease. His black mask is simply a modification of a black armband to mourn Hillary Clinton's lost presidency.

Victor said...

Fr K. @ 11:58
Reports are not evidence based. We now know that any young people dying from Covid is not any greater than from the common flu, and these are exceptions in any case because they mostly had underlying health issues. Why are you making rules out of the exceptions?

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/09/15/75-of-youths-who-died-from-COVID-19-had-underlying-health-conditions/1781600190309/

Anonymous said...

Victor,

Father K is a statist, lives for its pronouncement, but I bet he believes in "subsidiarity" when it comes to the Church!

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

Victor - So you are telling us that the tens of tousands of medical professionals, the thousands of epidemiological professionals, the hospital administrators, and eveyone else who does not share your fanciful position in engaged in some sort of over-arching sham/conspiracy to end Trump's presidency?

And next I suppose you will want us to believe that the 440,000 who worked to put men on the moon were really just following orders from the "Top" and that the whole moon landing was filmed in Hollywood...?

Citizen said...

Anon 12:01 hit the mask nail on the head.

Victor said...

Fr K.@
Excuse me, but 10,000 or 440,000 or 10 million does not determine truth. Instead of just calling my position fanciful....Refute it! You can start by considering this:

https://www.aier.org/article/open-letter-from-medical-doctors-and-health-professionals-to-all-belgian-authorities-and-all-belgian-media/

What I have observed in USA since March is that if Mr Trump says something about Covid-19, the opposite will be preached by Democrats and their media machine, whether it is HCQ, face masks, and so forth, even casting aside the evidence based medical science.

The current narrative being preached by the media and Big Pharma scientists in USA, while scientists with a contrary view are being silenced, contradicts what Sweden has done, and yet Sweden has been successful in defeating Covid-19; the Democrat oriented MSM has been avoiding mention of this for fear it would benefit Mr Trump's re-election. The current narrative has no other effect than to prolong the so-called pandemic, and I can see no other reason for doing so, other than ignorance on the part of governments and their over-paid health officials, than to continue it until election time. Covidism has now become the religion of the Democratic party, from what I have observed.

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

"...while scientists with a contrary view are being silenced,..."

Yet you have linked to their remarks, their opinions, their objections. How, if they have been "silenced," are you able to do that? How are you able to access "silenced" opinions?

AIER is a libertarian think thank. Libertarianism is the politico-economic stepchild of Pelagianism.

You contend that 440,000 people who worked on the Apollo moon landing do not determine the truth about the moon landing - that we actually did land on the moon? I contend that they do.

Sweden has done what? 90,923 cases with 5,880 deaths. "On a per-capita basis, Sweden far outpaces its Scandinavian neighbors in COVID deaths, with 567 deaths per million people compared with Denmark's 106 deaths per million, Finland's 59 deaths per million, and Norway's 47 deaths per million." Those other countries did institute stricter public health measures.


Anonymous said...

It is Communism. Not a bootlicker here.

Anonymous 2 said...

Before rushing to conclusions about Sweden, I recommend reading this balanced article about the Swedish approach, noticing: the mitigation measures Sweden did take, a Swedish context marked by a high degree of social trust and cooperation between government and citizens (good luck with that over here), an arguable willingness to sacrifice the lives of the vulnerable elderly, the fact that the jury is still out on the comparative merits of the Swedish versus other approaches, and the bottom line conclusion that countries can learn from one another's experience, Sweden included (good luck with that over here, too—the United States actually humble enough to learn something from other countries? What an absurd idea!):

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/what-lessons-can-europe-learn-from-sweden-covid-19-experience

Victor said...

Fr K:
"AIER is a libertarian think thank. Libertarianism is the politico-economic stepchild of Pelagianism." AIER is merely the messenger that I chose of the open letter... refute the letter, will you! Again you are throwing labels and not addressing the issues. Just because AIER is such and such does not mean they are wrong in everything they say and do.

If you had read my previous post carefully, that the moon landing did not happen is not my contention. You are the one using numbers to prove some "truth". Numbers do not prove truth is all I am saying. Will you ask your parish to vote to reject transubstantiation? No, because you know that even if they vote 100% majority in favour, they will be wrong.

Yes, Sweden admits it really blundered at the beginning of the outbreak in not protecting the vulnerable old folks homes where the vast majority of deaths occurred. Sandly, other countries did too. A large part of the problem as I see it was WHO, a highly politicised organization of the UN. The virus was spreading rapidly in February, yet there was little warning from WHO. Let's face it, this virus kills mainly sick old people and WHO should have alarmed the world of that.

As for Norway, it ain't over till it's over. For what it's worth, European countries including Norway are experiencing huge surges in confirmed infections. But not Sweden, because it reached community immunity some while ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/15/sweden-records-its-fewest-daily-covid-19-cases-since-march

It seems to me, that all these places that forced draconian lockdowns on the people are now playing the perpetual pendulum game: as soon as they reduce lockdowns, the infections start up again. We will see in a couple years who was right in terms of excess mortality. Right now Sweden is way below the normal average mortality rate for this time of year, while all other countries around it are not. My bets are on Sweden.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2,

The Guardian “balanced approach?” LOL. It is a leftwing rag like the NY Times which lies and distorts on a daily basis or have you already memory holed their Russian Collusion Scandal?

Anonymous said...

Yes, Anonymous @ 12:01 PM is right on the mark. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Father K is correct in his assessment. It IS in fact a moral issue.

Anonymous said...

Bee here:

Fr. Kavanaugh pronounced, "It is immoral to act in ways that threaten the health and well-being of others."

Funny that just being out and about without a (mostly ineffective) mask is morally irresponsible in Fr. Kavanaugh's estimation, even though public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes), yet sharing a common Communion cup is not, even though no one would ever think of passing around a cup of coffee for the whole congregation to take a sip, along with a purificator to wipe the edge of the cup after drinking...

Well, to each his own. I only wish Fr. Kavanaugh would preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as loudly and with as much conviction as he does the "gospel" of the Left.

God bless.
Bee

Anonymous said...

One wonders how Bee is aware of what Fr. Kavanaugh does beyond this blog.

How does she arrive at the conclusion that, beyond this blog, he is not preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Is there an answer to the question? I suspect there is.

Anonymous said...

Romulus Augustus here, So Senator Diane Feinstein of California who has been pushing a "MASK MANDATE" is caught on camera last night on The Tucker Carlson shown WITHOUT a mask while two pilots wear them in a D.C. Airport! And Nancy Pelosi is in a hair salon NOT wearing one either, folks these Democrats are taking you for a ride and people or should I say sheeple actually follow them it's unbelievable how dumb and blind people can be lemmings is what they are. When this all comes out as a giant hoax heads indeed need to roll for they destroyed a fantastic economy and created race wars and the burning, looting and murders in our great cities, these are war crimes of the highest degree. As a Cuban-American I can tell you first hand here in Florida Trump has at least 85% of the Cuban and Latino vote why? Because we as Cubans know first hand how Socialism and now Trump has called it for what the Democrats really are "Communists" these are NOT the Democrats of JFK or FDR they are outright America haters and Communists wake up people because if you don't you may not like what you see on November 4th! The warning is fair and it is true.

William said...

It's a flu; a lot of people get it and get over it, some even die from and with it. I'm no more insensitive to the wellbeing of others if I don't self-isolate or self-insulate than I would be if I stopped driving my car because thousands of people die in automobile accidents every year. Masks and decontamination are vital medical practices but to universally impose them on an entire population is totalitarianism.

Anonymous said...

American men don't need the nanny state to look after them or the Democratic Party. It is there plan to make us weak, feminine and dependent. If you wear a mask, your a fool & a coward. Don't lecture us about the virus or guns or sex or what we can drink or eat or what we can say or what we can watch or what we can post. Just stop it. It's nobodys business. Nobodys.

Anonymous said...

I think this says it all:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/family-urges-mask-wearing-and-kindness-after-12-year-old-dies-of-covid-19/ar-BB19vWNd?ocid=msedgdhp

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 6:32 am,

Because Bee is a highly intelligent and perceptive. I think it’s an off comment coming from you because you are constantly reading other folks minds

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

This story does more to make people angry at the ideology behind masks, for it is crass manipulation. Did a scientist tell the family their daughter got Covid 19 definitely and beyond a shadow of a doubt from someone not wearing a mask. Could it have been another source or the daughter’s negligence?

And all those auto deaths. Don’t drive for the life you save might be my daughter’s. Sure it is an inconvenience to walk or just stay home but just think of my daughter’s funeral procession.

Doctor Foxy said...

Why are so many people so emotionally invested in pretending that this pandemic is not a big deal? "It's just like the flu." "The numbers are fake." "All the victims are old and sick anyway." "I guess I shouldn't drive, yuk, yuk."

So much denial.

It's useful to have some facts and some numbers, because you won't get them from Fox News or conservative media.

In Georgia (Father McDonald is in Georgia) there have been 315,000 COVID-19 cases, nearly 7,000 deaths and 28,000 people hospitalized. (Before someone cries "Fake News," Georgia has a Republican governor, basically a Trump acolyte, and these numbers come from his own state health agency.)

So if you get COVID-19, you have a better than 1 in 10 chance of dying or getting a case that's serious enough to put you in the hospital.

So it's not exactly the same as jumping in the car for a joyride. How many people would get in the car every morning if they had a 1 in 10 chance of getting killed or hospitalized?

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

This post is about the mask and using religious or patriotic language to promote the use of the mask. That is wrong headed.

Masks should be used where prescribed. People who are susceptible should use the best quality mask possible to keep them healthy from those who wear useless types of masks to those who wear none. It is that simple.

If a state, municipality, a store or a church mandates the use of a mask, they should do so not in a sanctimonious way but to guard the public health in their place of business or house of worship.

If there is no mask mandate, and you are likely to be hospitalized or die from catching it, don't go into that establishment or church. What is so hard about that?

Anonymous said...

Here are some facts about the china flu that will rile the state loving control freak leftists who claim to be all about the "science":

CDC recently updated estimated infection fatality rates for COVID. Here are the updated survival rates by age group:

0-19: 99.997%
20-49: 99.98%
50-69: 99.5%
70+: 94.6%

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

What is the survival rate from an abortion?

Anonymous said...

Bee,


Fr. Kavanaugh pronounced, "It is immoral to act in ways that threaten the health and well-being of others."

Do you think he feels that way about abortion, his Party's most solemn sacrament? Or does he somehow fool himself in thinking it does not threaten the babies health and well being?

Anonymous said...

So because we have abortion, we aren't to care about anything else? You don't realize how self-defeating that stance is - that it makes our side look so putrid and disgusting to anyone not fully convinced of abortion's evil. I won't be surprised when, in a generation or so, neither party will care about abortion because you and others will have made the pro-life movement (and by extension, the Gospel) so unappealing to younger people that only a tiny and politically unimportant minority will care.

Not Coach K said...

"But abortion but abortion but abortion."
Being a Republican means you never need to understand or discuss any other issue.... but abortion.
Of course, heedlessly putting other people at risk through apathy or indifference is immoral. Has anyone checked a catechism lately.
"Sanctimony" is what happens when people point their fingers at the holier-than-thou. Criticizing liberals is never sanctimonious, of course.
But what about the other side of the mask debate? Those stories and videos we see almost every day about store clerks and other minimum-wager workers threatened, beaten, even shot by anti-maskers because they're enforcing company rules.
Does anybody want to go out on a limb and call that immoral?
Or would that be sanctimonious?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous K and Coach K,

Engaging in deflection will never absolve you from the intrinsic evil you support with your votes and by the way is one of the prime fundraising techniques of your Party. Have you no decency, have you no shame?

Anonymous said...

CONSERVATIVE IN 2020: I scoff at rape, murder, corruption, drug dealing and child abuse, BECAUSE WE HAVE ABORTION: See, doesn't that make life easier?

Anonymous said...

“I don’t care about issues A, B, and C because abortion” is political expediency not a moral high-ground stance. And it’s certainly not Catholic. We don’t get to decide which issues don’t matter and which lives don’t matter, based on the shifting political winds.

Anonymous said...

Doctor Foxy, why are you picking on Georgia?

Georgia's 7 day average of new cases is down 28% from last week.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized is down 60% from the peak in July.

The percent positive of COVID-19 tests continues to drop. The 7-day average fell to 6.3%

The effective rate of production is .86, the lowest in America

Lastly, right now Georgia is 12th in deaths per million (vs. ninth in population).

Anonymous said...

True Conservative in 2020:
I intensely dislike rape, murder, corruption, drug dealing and child abuse and ABORTION.

Anonymous said...


It should have been above:
The effective rate of REproduction is .86, the lowest in America

Anonymous said...

The real problem in the Catholic Church today are corrupt priests who support the Abortion Party. They have chased more Catholics away than the old conservatives. When you side with the evils of modern culture, you have nothing to sell. These clerics would have been a nice fit in the Third Reich. They are the walking dead

Doctor Foxy said...

I mentioned Georgia because Father M and I are both in Georgia. You missed my point. But the 1-in-10 ratio likely stands up in many other places.

Anonymous 2 said...

Anonymous TJM at 8:33 p.m. on September 28

I leave the memory holing to the Trumpinistas. No-one does it better than they do.