By Guy Page
How far would our Legislature go to reduce the transmission of Covid-19?
That’s a question being asked publicly by Gov. Phil Scott, and at least one reporter. Yesterday, House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Becca Balint responded.
Across the globe, democratic nations are forcibly relocating citizens to quarantine camps (Australia); imposing lockdowns on unvaccinated citizens (Germany), and locking down the unvaccinated and threatening them with fines if they do not comply with compulsory vaccination (Austria).
Here in Vermont, the Legislature passed a municipal mask mandate, giving local governments the power to require masks in public places. The Progressive hometowns of House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) and Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint (D-Windham County) of Brattleboro promptly passed mask mandates. So has the tourist-friendly ski town of Warren. However, the equally left-leaning city council of blue-collar Barre (“Granite Capital of the World”) took no action Monday night after a large group of residents and business owners showed up in opposition.
But according to Krowinski and Balint, the municipal mask mandate doesn’t go far enough. The ‘victory lap’ celebration was somewhat subdued at the press conference they held minutes after the bill passed. They were clearly focused on the Next Step – whatever that might be.
Krowinski said that “all options are on the table” when the Legislature returns in January. Between now and then, the Legislatue will be watching caseloads and responses to the municipal mandate. Other measures, including enhanced testing, contact tracing, and a statewide mask mandate, will be advanced if deemed necessary, she said.
When asked by reporters if other measures would be proposed, Krowinski said “we need a break [before we] “go around the table and ask, ‘how can we solve this current problem?’”
Relatively unnoticed during the Special Session, a resolution was passed by the Vermont Senate (18 yes, 9 no) urging Gov. Scott “to use all possible public health measures to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths and maximize vaccination rates among all eligible population groups.”
“All possible public health measures?”
At his press conference the next day, Gov. Scott was asked by WCAX reporter Calvin Cutler about the resolution. Scott replied:
“I’d have to ask you then….what did they mean in their resolution – it said an emergency. They wanted a state of emergency. Correct? Okay. State of emergency. They wanted mass mandates and all other measures to curb this. ‘All other measures.’ What did they mean by all other measures, other than what we’ve done over the last 20 months, which has been reducing the size of gatherings, closing businesses, and so forth. So I don’t know what else they mean, other than that, but maybe you’ve asked them that, and I’d be curious what their answer was.”
Gov. Scott was not the only curious person. Vermont Daily Chronicle wondered, too, given that previously ‘unthinkable’ government coercion is happening right now in other western-style democracies:
Lockdowns of unvaccinated Germans. 69% vaccinated Germany recorded 485 Covid deaths Nov. 30, crossing the 100,000 death threshhold. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel announced lockdowns for unvaccinated citizens, while others in government are calling for mandatory vaccination with daily fines imposed for violators.
Forced Relocation in Australia. The Australian army has forcibly transported large numbers of residents of Binjari, a mostly-aboriginal town in Northern Australia to the Howard Springs quarantine camp. You can read all the details in a cheery Facebook report by a government official.
Residents of the town of Catherine also are being sent there. Built as housing for miners, Howard Springs was taken over by the government to quarantine Australians returning from overseas. Now it’s a forced relocation camp. Voluntary departure is prohibited . Australian media recently reported on the police manhunt of four “escapees” from Howard Springs. It is a prison. Or rather, an internment camp not unlike the camps to which Japanese Americans were sent during WWII.
Federal, regional and local governments have imposed strict quarantine and travel measures. The total death toll for the entire pandemic in Australia is 2006, according to a recent statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Compulsory vaccination in Austria. Shortly after imposing a national lockdown, the government of Austria announced compulsory vaccination for its entire population.
Compulsory ‘shielding’ (forced quarantine) on a community level is the subject of at least one CDC planning document, dated July 26 2020. It is not known whether the U.S. government has developed this concept further.
With these troubling developments in mind, Vermont Daily Chronicle emailed Balint and Krowinski, outlining some of the Montpelier and international backstory covered above, and asked:
“Given that forced relocation is happening in democratic nations, can you assure Vermonters that forced relocation of Vermonters will NOT be an option going forward? Or might it be considered a last ditch response?”
Yesterday, Krowinski’s Chief of Staff Connor Kennedy responded: “In our outreach to the Governor on stronger COVID response, we have at no time discussed or proposed the idea of forced relocation for quarantine, nor is this topic on the table for legislative action in January. We have encouraged and discussed data-driven public health measures such as increased masking, testing, social distancing, and encouraging Vermonters to get vaccinated.”
So – they haven’t discussed it with the governor. It’s not on the Legislature’s table for January.
Some might say this is a NothingBurger story, along the lines of “Furnace fails to explode, mother and child unhurt!”
On the other hand, if the Brisbane Times had asked this question a year ago, it too likely would have been laughed off. Now they’re publishing stories about escapees from Howard Springs. What would have seemed alarmist then is now just fodder for the police blotter.
The cops caught three of the escapees, by the way. The BBC reports they all had tested negative for Covid the day before.
Categories: Covid-19
I’d accept their resignations, along with, which ever way the wind blows Scott…That would work for me.
Perhaps both Balint and Krowinski have mused about Covid camps, but Vermont is nothing like Australia. It isn’t going to happen in this state.
What is disconcerting is that these two “leaders” cannot between themselves or their staff, nor with all the resources that the State of Vermont has- can come up with a better response to Page’s question. “We have encouraged and discussed data-driven public health measures such as increased masking, testing, social distancing, and encouraging Vermonters to get vaccinated.”
More of the same policies that have proven less than effective- and despite all the information, studies and anecdotal evidence of treatment options, they chose the same flawed “public health measures”
Maybe these two liberal bastions of the legislature have no desire to have Covid go away.
How about you don’t “do” anything? Lockdowns, masks, social distancing and vaxing nearly everything that moves has done nothing useful. Let it be. It will work itself out. Just let us live our lives already. Get the masks off the poor kids and stop vaxing them too; you’ve done enough damage.
Kudos to the Vermont Daily Chronicle. It deserves great credit for asking the obvious questions about the government’s intent to restrict the freedom of its citizens. The free press should not be merely echoing the government narrative. When the watchdog is doing so it is not serving its purpose. Keep up the good work.
Ivermectin works, how about using that.
Because Big Pharma’s money is vested in vaccines, not something that actually works and is affordable.
Guy, just reading the question about what more CAN we do / SHOULD we do makes me a little uncomfortable. Will we require unvaccinated people to wear gold colored stars on their shirts to warn others away from them? How about sending them to ‘health camps’ (that term is so much nicer than ‘concentration camps’ or even ‘re-education camps’.) I’m shocked that our state government isn’t on the bleeding edge of the campaign to ‘stop the spread’.
“All public heath measures” would include the use of the very effective, and inexpensive, medicines hydroxychloroquin and ivermectin to treat and prevent the CCP virus. What the VT legislature and our jackass governor want to do is get people killed.
If masking, lock downs and vaccinations work so well, how come they don’t? The policies of Progressocrats are so reprehensible and at times incoherent I wouldn’t be surprised at any scheme they come up with. When the statement: “Everything is on the table” is the M.O., we have a great deal to be afraid of. (Biden’s press secretary uses that phrase all the time).
Every day that these people get away with the the outrageous criminal acts against our liberties, only further convinces me that our supposed conservative defenders are nothing but controlled opposition. Where is the outrage… the silence is deafening.
You know what Vermonters have that Australians don’t have?? GUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Headed to Florida Sunday for a nice, well deserved vacation. Hope all you fine folks get these elected idiots straightened out before I get back.
It should be glaringly apparent the Legislature, the Governor, and the bureaucrats will continue the fear-mongering and veiled threats in the name of public health. The truth of the matter is this has nothing to do with a virus. It has everything to do with controlling the populace and being compensated to do so – hence, several governments across the globe performing the same ritualistic pantomimes and treating citizens as owned cattle. We have no rights they declare. We forfeited them the day we put on a mask and complied with their baseless demands. The sinister plot should be clear as day now. New world order and absolute control over every citizen. They have the cooperation of businesses – large and small – to ensure the masses will comply. The only way out of this is to start the parallel society and attempt to thwart the plans they have for us. We are only holding them at bay for now. Unless the United States becomes steadfastly united against the global assault and the enemies within, the total collapse of the Republic is imminent.
I would strongly advise all businesses that are or are thinking about mandating these experimental vaccines to read this Federal court judges decision herein:
https://basedunderground.com/2021/12/04/huge-federal-judge-strikes-down-dod-claim-that-pfizers-eua-vaccine-and-comirnaty-are-interchangeable/
The judge goes on to state that EUA (experimental use authorization) drugs can not be forced on anyone either by the government or by private employers as a condition to keep their job. The specific federal codes are listed in the article. Ignore at your own peril.
“Data driven” by the #CDCSwamp.
Positive test results in the absence of symptoms, are not “cases of coronavirus disease”. Yet they feed into the CDC “transmission rate by county” swamp data used to justify the mandates. Then, community members who genuinely care and want to do good, make bad decisions based upon CDC lies. Masks do not work. Think about it: you’re trying to maintain respiratory health by: Blocking your respiratory tract. It’s not your role to choose for someone else in matters of their body. If you want to mask, you may!
How far would VT Legislature go to stop Covid-19?
Assuming the VT Legislature CAN stop Covid.
If history is any clue, Totalitarians will ‘go’ until they are stopped. ‘How far’ that is will depend on what others do to stop them. If I had to make a prediction, I stick with what I said two years ago when this virus was first cast upon us. Anyone who believes this pandemic isn’t a contrivance is naïve. And while anything is possible, as it is today, this isn’t likely to end well for most of us. Praemonitus, praemunitus.
Here’s a significant turn of events worth watching. In its most recent report, for the month of November, the VT DOH data shows that while the unvaccinated are more likely to be infected and hospitalized by Covid, they are, for the last two weeks, less likely to die from the infection.
https://vtdigger.org/2021/12/03/vermont-ends-november-with-record-breaking-streak-of-severe-covid-outcomes/
There are several explanations for this significant change in the data on which I can elaborate. But the point to consider at this time is that those who don’t want to be vaccinated aren’t the danger to society the progressive liberals in the legislature make them out to be. Perhaps the progressive liberals in the legislature are just as much a danger as anyone.
An interesting conundrum for the DOH to explain away.
Please do elaborate.
In the realm of ‘Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics, the questions with these numbers arise when the VT Dept. of Health’s definitions are clarified. Is it worth pointing this out to anyone? I think it is. And I’ve been doing so. But no one will take a bite of the apple.
For the record then, take a look at the attached .pdf. Specifically, the report on deaths in the red box.
When the State says, for example, that there were 6.1 deaths “per 100K” during the two week period ending October 20, what is that per 100K cohort? Is it 100K of those ‘eligible’ for the vaccine? Or is it per 100K of the entire population?
The entire population is a reasonably determined number based on the 2020 Census. Those ‘eligible’ for the vaccine is arbitrarily set. And as it turns out, the cohort that is ‘eligible’ for the vaccine has begun to significantly expand now that children are being vaccinated.
Why is this significant in the world of propaganda?
Consider the comments, Guy, comparing your ‘emphasis’ (misleading or otherwise) on vaxxed deaths and unvaxxed deaths. One commenter (John Moyers), who claimed your headline to be misleading, stated that:
“As a raw number, yes — more vaxed died. **But there are 400% more vaxed people than there are unvaxed people.**”
Not so fast.
If, at that time, according to the above VT DOH Covid report, there were 11.22 unvaxxed deaths (6.1 + 5.12) per 100K in the period and (as reported) there were 16 unvaxxed deaths during the period, the unvaxxed cohort includes 142,602 people (16 divided x 11.2 x 100K)… and,
If, according to the above VT DOH Covid report, there were 5.37 vaxxed deaths (2.59 + 2.78) per 100K in the period and (as reported) there were 21 vaxxed deaths during the period, the vaxxed cohort includes 391,061 people (21 divided x 5.37 x 100K).
Vaxxed Cohort 391,061
Unvaxxed Cohort +142,602
Total Cohort 534,061
Total Vermont population is: 643,077
People not included in Total Cohort 109,413
Consider those previously ineligible for vaccine:
Vermonters 18 years of age and less (18.4%) 118,326 (2020 Census)
But when we use the entire VT population of 643,077 as the basis for the statistical percentages, and add those not included to the cohort during the period, we get:
The percentage of Vaxxed people at 60.81%
The percentage of Unvaxxed people at 39.19%
Therefore, there were, at the time of these reports, using total population as the basis, not 400% more Vaxxed Vermonters as there are Unvaxxed Vermonters. The difference was only 20%.
And the likelihood of death listed in the DOH reports is also overstated. Using total population and adding the unreported people to the unvaxxed cohort, instead of it being 2.3 times (6.1 divided by 2.59) and 2.4 times (5.12 divided by 2.78*) more likely to die from Covid, it should say 1.38 times and 1.11* times more likely.
* Note the arithmetic error on the DOH report that 5.12 divided by 2.78 = 1.84, not 2.4 as listed.
By the way – keep in mind that since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 20 months ago, of these 118,326 unvaccinated Vermonters 18 years of age or less, only six have been hospitalized for Covid and not one of them has died. And as these children are added to the cohort of vaccinated people, the ratios will be used to justify vaccinations. In other words, the goal posts are moving.
Is there malicious intent with these reports? If it walks like a duck……
It’s not an “internment camp”.
Its a gigantic hotel quarantine location..eg all returning Olympic athletes did their quarantine there.
Northern Territory used it for hotel quarantine, while other states used 4 star motels for domestic and international Aussies.
Previously it was used for illegal immigrants for processing.
Pudding or poison?
https://www.nationandstate.com/2021/12/03/watch-disturbing-confrontation-inside-australias-gold-standard-covid-internment-camp/
The camp officers were heard saying, in effect, that they were just following orders.
Sound familiar?
No due process.
Pick your poison , It is not as if any one chose to to loose their family and friends in the name of freedom ?
Oh Wait Some do ?