"If you determine my reading is accurate, you may wish to join me and weep for the future of humanity, in particular our children who may perhaps learn about freedoms and liberties from history books or sentimental ramblings of their (grand-) parents."
I don't know about humanity, but this is the end of Europe. I don't mean this one piece of legislation, but the Europe-wide response to this (all things considered, fairly mild) virus. It's fascinating how quickly it all crumbled. It just goes to show that protection of individual rights was only ever skin-deep in most of Europe. England (not even all of UK) is a bit of exception in that regard, if you want to count England as Europe. So, England may claw its way back, but for the rest of us, it's the end of an epoch.
Well. This is how Europe transitions to being a cultural and economic backwater. I wonder if this will provoke another European Great War. You know, as people across the continent get poorer and poorer, and more and more frustrated. I'm not saying it'll happen tomorrow, but within a decade...?
A couple of days before I wrote tha op-ed, I remarked to my wife: in terms of Austrian politics, the post-WW2 period is over. In other words, if the post-war period is gone, we're back in a pre-war period.
The one 'complication' these days is, though, that the number of truly sovereign states is down to a handful of polities that are able, capable, and willing to conduct an independent foreign policy (none of the EUropean states are in that category); I'm thinking of the US, Russia, China, and perhaps Iran.
Conversely, any major war between the nuclear-armed trio is, it must be noted, the last one ever 'fought'. In this scenario, the main problem isn't, in my opinion, nuclear war (which is bad enough), but the delusion and anti-reality prevalent among 'establishment' creatures in Washington. I don't mean to say there's no delusion elsewhere, but I do intend to say that the 'virtuality' and 'performativity' of esp. (pseudo-) 'Western' governments and their lackeys in the media is breathtaking. I do have the faint hope, though, that there are some people esp. in the US whose survival innate instinct trumps their (civilisational) death instinct.
I said 'war', so please let me add what I think will follow more likely: civil war. It's the most likely outcome in a situation where governments, faced with serious dilemmas, typically turn to foreign affairs to distract the otherwise restive population. As I explained, however briefly, above, virtually no (esp. Western) government can actually project much, if any force abroad. So they will project force against parts of their own population. These governments have lond abandoned reason and rationality, and all these people are following are their own survival instincts.
BTW, textbooks won't say anything about freedom. They'll say something like "back in the bad-old-days, ordinary people were allowed to make decisions despite their lack of appropriate qualifications, and this led to numerous [cherry-picked] disasters." Technocrat-caused disasters will go unmentioned, except perhaps in university-level textbooks, training technocrats to do better next time.
"... his team has been able to replicate international findings that HEPARIN can block the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent infection.
The spray coats the nose but does not go down into the lungs. The researchers say it is cheap, easy to distribute and is expected to be effective against mutant strains of the virus including the Omicron variant.
"It won't matter if a new variant comes along, this drug will block that protein from infecting the cells," Professor Campbell said.
"I'm very confident that we can demonstrate that it will work, and people will be using this before they go to the shops and before they go to school."
This one is bad. Don't they understand that once this passes there is no way back? All forcing legislation for smoking, obesity... follows. Then let's protect the planet so you are not allowed to fly or eat meat, you peasant...
Austrians should realize that this is their last oportunity.
Austrians claim that the third Reich was all German, they were just forced and stories like that. I just say that Germans gonna german, and from here I really do not see the difference. I am also surprised by the batshit crazy anglos and Italians, and surprised as well by my country. I was thinking if someone was going to be forcing vaccines was going to be my government. Having a compliant population has its benefits I suppose, since 91% of adults took at least one.
This omicron vaccine-escape variant cannot come soon enough in my opinion.
it is incredibly bad, and I'm in full agreement with your assessment. I do think that it's also a supremely stupid piece of legislation, for surely the Health Minister must understand that all vaxx passports will eventually expire, hence the number of 'unvaxxed'--and hence: those opposed to these draconian and tyrannical measures--will only grow.
As to the shared Austro-German (dark) past, well, my 'feeling' is that 1914-45 is a turning point for all humanity, as it radically redefined the relationship of the invidual, state, and society. While there have been ebbs and flows, there is, I'd argue, a secular trend towards more and more state (and corporate) power.
As to the corporate power remark: it's typically forgotten or omitted, but the growth of state power before WW1 occurred in lockstep with, and must be considered as mirror-image of, the growth of 'big business' and mega corporations. 1914-45, then, was the crucible that brought forth the breakthrough (read: the obliteration) of any restrictions on either public or private leviathans. Hence, it's not surprising to observe the outcome these days, however objectionable it may be.
I shall have some more on these thoughts soon, but for the moment: yes, mandates are required when and where people aren't as obliging as in Norway.
Interpreted in a more positive light, 28% of Austrian residents refusal may be seen as 'learning from history', isn't it? Too bad that virtually all governments are piling on 'the unvaxxed' everywhere.
You know, my biggest fear is that my daughters will never know freedom and self-responsibility, for they will grow up in a tyrannical-totalisarian 'society', if we fail to stop this, i.e., fail our children.
Your daughters are going to live in a world that's far less free, and also (importantly) one that's much poorer. Partly, it's a matter of resource depletion, which we can't really do much about. But Europe also shot itself in the foot with these idiotic COVID policies, and that can only expedite its impoverishment, especially in relative terms. Relative, in particular, to China. Maybe the best thing for your daughters to do is to learn Mandarin, starting approximately right now. So that that they can speak to the representatives of the new hegemon, you see. Actually, you and I (and those of your readers who can reasonably expect to be alive for another couple of decades) might want to do the same...
Sadly, I agree with (most) of these statements, dear Irena, esp. on the lunacy and sheer folly of our Covid-related poltical responses.
As to the new hegemon thing, while I agree about the resource depletion issue, that one also applies to China. Maybe they'll find out a way to resolve it, maybe they won't; and in the case of the latter, their moment of hegemony will very short, indeed.
"If you determine my reading is accurate, you may wish to join me and weep for the future of humanity, in particular our children who may perhaps learn about freedoms and liberties from history books or sentimental ramblings of their (grand-) parents."
I don't know about humanity, but this is the end of Europe. I don't mean this one piece of legislation, but the Europe-wide response to this (all things considered, fairly mild) virus. It's fascinating how quickly it all crumbled. It just goes to show that protection of individual rights was only ever skin-deep in most of Europe. England (not even all of UK) is a bit of exception in that regard, if you want to count England as Europe. So, England may claw its way back, but for the rest of us, it's the end of an epoch.
Well. This is how Europe transitions to being a cultural and economic backwater. I wonder if this will provoke another European Great War. You know, as people across the continent get poorer and poorer, and more and more frustrated. I'm not saying it'll happen tomorrow, but within a decade...?
A couple of days before I wrote tha op-ed, I remarked to my wife: in terms of Austrian politics, the post-WW2 period is over. In other words, if the post-war period is gone, we're back in a pre-war period.
The one 'complication' these days is, though, that the number of truly sovereign states is down to a handful of polities that are able, capable, and willing to conduct an independent foreign policy (none of the EUropean states are in that category); I'm thinking of the US, Russia, China, and perhaps Iran.
Conversely, any major war between the nuclear-armed trio is, it must be noted, the last one ever 'fought'. In this scenario, the main problem isn't, in my opinion, nuclear war (which is bad enough), but the delusion and anti-reality prevalent among 'establishment' creatures in Washington. I don't mean to say there's no delusion elsewhere, but I do intend to say that the 'virtuality' and 'performativity' of esp. (pseudo-) 'Western' governments and their lackeys in the media is breathtaking. I do have the faint hope, though, that there are some people esp. in the US whose survival innate instinct trumps their (civilisational) death instinct.
I said 'war', so please let me add what I think will follow more likely: civil war. It's the most likely outcome in a situation where governments, faced with serious dilemmas, typically turn to foreign affairs to distract the otherwise restive population. As I explained, however briefly, above, virtually no (esp. Western) government can actually project much, if any force abroad. So they will project force against parts of their own population. These governments have lond abandoned reason and rationality, and all these people are following are their own survival instincts.
BTW, textbooks won't say anything about freedom. They'll say something like "back in the bad-old-days, ordinary people were allowed to make decisions despite their lack of appropriate qualifications, and this led to numerous [cherry-picked] disasters." Technocrat-caused disasters will go unmentioned, except perhaps in university-level textbooks, training technocrats to do better next time.
It seems there will only be three choices here. Flee, fight, or comply. One of them would not be acceptable to me.
Somewhat off-topic, but it is important:
"... his team has been able to replicate international findings that HEPARIN can block the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent infection.
The spray coats the nose but does not go down into the lungs. The researchers say it is cheap, easy to distribute and is expected to be effective against mutant strains of the virus including the Omicron variant.
"It won't matter if a new variant comes along, this drug will block that protein from infecting the cells," Professor Campbell said.
"I'm very confident that we can demonstrate that it will work, and people will be using this before they go to the shops and before they go to school."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/melbourne-researchers-trial-use-of-common-drug-to-combat-covid/100717224
This one is bad. Don't they understand that once this passes there is no way back? All forcing legislation for smoking, obesity... follows. Then let's protect the planet so you are not allowed to fly or eat meat, you peasant...
Austrians should realize that this is their last oportunity.
Austrians claim that the third Reich was all German, they were just forced and stories like that. I just say that Germans gonna german, and from here I really do not see the difference. I am also surprised by the batshit crazy anglos and Italians, and surprised as well by my country. I was thinking if someone was going to be forcing vaccines was going to be my government. Having a compliant population has its benefits I suppose, since 91% of adults took at least one.
This omicron vaccine-escape variant cannot come soon enough in my opinion.
Hi From Norway,
it is incredibly bad, and I'm in full agreement with your assessment. I do think that it's also a supremely stupid piece of legislation, for surely the Health Minister must understand that all vaxx passports will eventually expire, hence the number of 'unvaxxed'--and hence: those opposed to these draconian and tyrannical measures--will only grow.
As to the shared Austro-German (dark) past, well, my 'feeling' is that 1914-45 is a turning point for all humanity, as it radically redefined the relationship of the invidual, state, and society. While there have been ebbs and flows, there is, I'd argue, a secular trend towards more and more state (and corporate) power.
As to the corporate power remark: it's typically forgotten or omitted, but the growth of state power before WW1 occurred in lockstep with, and must be considered as mirror-image of, the growth of 'big business' and mega corporations. 1914-45, then, was the crucible that brought forth the breakthrough (read: the obliteration) of any restrictions on either public or private leviathans. Hence, it's not surprising to observe the outcome these days, however objectionable it may be.
I shall have some more on these thoughts soon, but for the moment: yes, mandates are required when and where people aren't as obliging as in Norway.
Interpreted in a more positive light, 28% of Austrian residents refusal may be seen as 'learning from history', isn't it? Too bad that virtually all governments are piling on 'the unvaxxed' everywhere.
You know, my biggest fear is that my daughters will never know freedom and self-responsibility, for they will grow up in a tyrannical-totalisarian 'society', if we fail to stop this, i.e., fail our children.
Your daughters are going to live in a world that's far less free, and also (importantly) one that's much poorer. Partly, it's a matter of resource depletion, which we can't really do much about. But Europe also shot itself in the foot with these idiotic COVID policies, and that can only expedite its impoverishment, especially in relative terms. Relative, in particular, to China. Maybe the best thing for your daughters to do is to learn Mandarin, starting approximately right now. So that that they can speak to the representatives of the new hegemon, you see. Actually, you and I (and those of your readers who can reasonably expect to be alive for another couple of decades) might want to do the same...
No disagreement with the let's learn Mandarin part either, by the way.
Sadly, I agree with (most) of these statements, dear Irena, esp. on the lunacy and sheer folly of our Covid-related poltical responses.
As to the new hegemon thing, while I agree about the resource depletion issue, that one also applies to China. Maybe they'll find out a way to resolve it, maybe they won't; and in the case of the latter, their moment of hegemony will very short, indeed.