(“Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people” — George Washington)
Criminal abuses of power perpetrated on the American people by those entrusted to act ethically and selflessly on behalf of our nation were on full display last week during a House Select Subcommittee hearing on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The hearing was convened to investigate the origins and response to the pandemic with an eye toward learning how to better prepare for a future event. Democrats called out Republicans for holding the hearing, taking the position there is nothing to see here. Political agendas usually trump truth and the well-being of the American people in matters of government.
Dr. Anthony Fauci was the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor to the President during the pandemic. He was a key witness at the hearing. He revealed himself to be a dishonest and pompous bureaucrat willing to arbitrarily infringe on the rights of the American people, unapologetic for any of his actions and a disgrace to the medical profession.
Rick McCormick, a physician, and congressman from Georgia, is a member of the Committee. He is a veteran who served for 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the Marines. During the pandemic he was an ER physician working the night shift in a hospital. He treated many patients with COVID-19 and, like many conscientious physicians across the country, kept himself fully informed of the emerging evidence about the infection and applied his knowledge and critical thinking skills to treat his patients in ways he hoped would be helpful. He described it as using “leading edge technologies and developing theories.” It’s what medical practitioners do when they are faced with a disease for which there is no settled science. Many physicians across the country reported experimenting with “off label” uses of drugs that were anti-viral and anti-inflammatory in a desperate attempt to save lives. Many publicly doubted the evidence and recommendations coming from the government under Dr. Fauci. They engaged in the rigorous debate that is essential in scientific discovery. As new evidence emerges, thinking changes and there is often disagreement about what it means.
Dr. McCormick and many other physicians who did not step in line and keep their mouths shut were villainized and punished. The dishonest media shunned their responsibility to engage in serious investigative journalism and were content to serve as a mouthpiece for the government. The Georgia media hammered Dr. McCormick and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a press release in October 2021 blaring the headline “Quack Doctor Rick McCormick Excoriated by Local Press for Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation”.
During his questioning of Dr. Fauci, Dr. McCormick said he was censored, had his license threatened and was taken off the internet for not stepping in line. He confronted Fauci for his role in labeling those who disagreed with his “politically motivated mandates” as “anti-science” and their opinions “conspiracy and misinformation.” McCormick railed against government bureaucrats inserting themselves between the people and their providers and pointed out that the views he was sanctioned for ultimately proved to be correct.
Fauci did not deny there was no science behind 6 feet of social distancing or mask mandates. The COVID vaccines employed a new technology, never before used on humans, yet, despite no data about their long-term effects, Fauci had no qualms about mandating them for everyone even after it was understood that there were high risk and low risk populations. McCormick reminded Fauci that he once said, “If you disagree with me, you disagree with science.” Fauci dug in, “Vaccines save lives. It is very clear that vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
The most damning evidence came in the form of audio from Dr. Fauci himself played during the hearing. During an interview for an audio book, the author, Mike Spector, offered the opinion that people should be pressured to get vaccines. In response, Fauci showed us who he is. He said that once people (those in charge of organizations) feel empowered and protected legally – schools, universities, colleges, corporations – they will tell people if you want to come to school here or work here, you’ll get vaccinated. “When you make it difficult for people in their lives they lose their ideological bullshit and they get vaccinated.” (The unedited quote from Dr. Fauci is used here because it is necessary to accurately expose his utter contempt for the people he was hired to serve.)
An additional revelation during the hearing compounded the brazen arrogance of public officials forcing their will on the American people. Emails from David Morens, one of Fauci’s closest advisors, detailed deleting messages and using personal email rather than official email to evade disclosing correspondence under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), irrefutable evidence that violating the laws requiring government transparency is just business as usual for these bureaucrats.
The Biden administration, Dr Fauci, and complicit organizations all across the country acted aggressively on his philosophy of making it difficult for people in their lives. They interfered with our ability to work, travel, be educated and to self-determine, a hallmark of our freedom. Government strongarming left countless seniors isolated from their families and alone when they died; people were fired from their jobs; small business owners were shut down and lost their livelihoods; children fell dangerously behind academically; and trust in our government and institutions was destroyed.
Many of us are weary of anything to do with COVID and would rather leave the bad taste in our mouths in the past. But to ignore the lessons we must take forward would be extremely dangerous. Josef Mengele is one of the most infamous figures of the Holocaust. He is the most widely recognized perpetrator of crimes committed at Auschwitz. He has been called the angel of death and often portrayed as a mad scientist. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the truth is even more disturbing than the distortions that have evolved over time. He was a highly trained doctor and medical researcher, as well as a decorated war veteran. He was respected in his field and worked for one of the leading research institutions in Germany. He shows us in the extreme how circumstances and unchecked power can corrupt.
Corrupt government and corrupt media threaten our freedom. The COVID hearing last week provided more evidence that we are in serious trouble. Significant disruption of the status quo will be required to reverse course. George Washington once cautioned a young nation that “human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people.” The November election is extremely high stakes. It’s time to make America great again.
