A Journal of the Plague Year – Are the Numbers Bogus?

Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. Today is Friday, April 10, 2020, Good Friday or the Friday before Easter.¹ So I bring you good news today, or at least I have chosen to call it good. The news is the virus all the time, all news is virus news. This is the 21st day of quarantine for the Castle family. It’s been 21 days since we met another human being face to face let alone shake hands with someone. We are allowed out once per day for exercise. This is usually a brisk walk around our neighborhood while giving all other walkers a wide birth. The family daughter, stuck on a small island at the bottom of the world, managed to survive a category 5 cyclone that ravaged her island. But she and her husband are currently in cleanup mode, so we are grateful for that.

Are the numbers improving?

Good news is coming from America and other parts of the world. Declining infection and death numbers indicate that we are at least starting to turn the corner. The estimated death projections for the US have been revised downward to 60,000. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York reports a drop in the rates of infection and fatalities in New York. President Trump said we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. International hot spots, such as Italy and Spain, are also seeing a decline in infections and fatalities. Austria and Denmark have announced that they will lift the quarantine orders and go back to work April 14.

Bogus numbers – and reason to suspect them

So, is the worst really behind us? Is the virus losing the war and on the verge of surrender? When the Spanish Flu epidemic hit some 100 years ago, we just let nature take its course. But with Covid-19 we declared war, and we are still fighting. We realize that we are not immortal and with living each day comes certain risks. In the words of Jim Morrison, “we are not getting out of here alive.” Jim recognized his own mortality and he knew that each day carries a risk of death. Perhaps if we examine the numbers that I am about to give you we will come to understand that this virus is not as scary as we once thought.

Bogus number 1: exaggerating the case-fatality rate

According to Dr. Gabriela Sequra who has practiced infectious disease medicine in both Italy and Spain there is something more than meets the eye in those numbers we read about each day. She said we must assume the number of asymptomatic people is much higher than the numbers of people actually sick. In that case, the case fatality rate is much lower percentage-wise than we are hearing. She says further, that if a hospital death certificate has the medical code for the virus on it, then the patient died from the virus even if the virus is not the actual cause of death.²

87% percent of deaths in Italy are those over 70 years of age, which happens in any flu season. The average age of death in Italy is 80.3 years. Most had 3 or more serious underlying health conditions for which they were taking medication.

Bogus number 2: exaggerating the numerator

Back to America for a moment. The CDC admits that the tests sent to the states are flawed. That is not a conspiracy theory; they admit it. When you couple that with the tendency of governments to hide real information, it is very difficult to believe the official version of anything. On March 24, the CDC sent a notice to hospitals to list Covid-19 as a cause of death regardless of what the patient dies of, as long as there is a positive test.

A positive test does not necessarily identify the virus. But it notes a positive reaction in the body to stress, fear, radiation, or disease. If it’s there, it’s the cause. Wait a minute. You’re telling me that no matter what killed the patient, if there was a positive of the admittedly flawed test, the virus was the listed cause of death? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you, but more importantly its what the CDC is telling you.

The reimbursement system: a design for scam?

Hospitals in America are getting reimbursement for uninsured patients who test positive. So, coincidentally, a lot of them do. Hospitals are also a little quicker than normal to ask uninsured patients and families to sign do not resuscitate forms. That also tends to inflate the death rate. Many of the other problems that were going on at the start of this contagion still exist. Drug overdose, drug addiction, opioid addiction, all continue unabated. But if there is a positive test when hospitalized, that’s the cause.³

Does the virus really strike down the young? Maybe not.

Back to Europe for a moment. Here we learn about the Spanish soccer coach, age 21, who became international news because he was a young athlete but died of Covid-19. It turns out that he also had leukemia which made him vulnerable. In Italy, the President of Civil Protection said any death after a positive test was listed as from the virus. He said many of the numbers were just the normal mortality rates. All people who die in Italian hospitals after a positive test die from the virus. The numbers, according to this man, are hugely inflated, by as much as 88%.

Bogus number 3: ignoring pollution

Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi, a world-renowned physician in the field of medical microbiology says that Northern Italy suffers from extreme air pollution, just like Wuhan China, which makes lungs more susceptible.⁴ He doesn’t believe the official numbers either. Also, he points out that only 0.8% of those who have died in Italy had no other illnesses. But if they have a positive test, that’s the cause. Over 75% had high blood pressure, 35% diabetes, and 33% had heart disease.⁵

In the U.S., the annual death rate for the general public is 0.9%, or just under 1 in 100. The rate in Italy with no underlying illness was 0.8%. Therefore the virus poses no threat at all in terms of mortality. He says the numbers are wrong and dangerously misleading. He described the worldwide lockdown as collective suicide.

Bogus number 4: reclassifying community-acquired pneumonia as the virus

Dr. Ron Paul, always concerned with our liberty, said that much of the hysteria comes from the mainstream media. Who have long prioritized sensationalism over investigating and reporting the truth. He went on to say that stay-at-home orders represent de facto martial law. And the practice of blaming every death on the virus could help explain the mysterious drop in pneumonia deaths this year. Pneumonia deaths are running 1000 per week less than last year.

Support of tyranny

Tyranny, it seems, does hitch a ride on the virus, sometimes as a way of entering our lives. The tyrannical also use it as an excuse to indulge in the behavior they want anyway. The young man on a paddle board in the surf off Malibu, California could be exhibit number one. He was just paddling in the surf, not close to anyone and not harming anyone. But police arrested him for violating the stay-at-home order. Authorities have similarly arrested pastors in Louisiana and Florida for refusal to cancel services. People cower in their homes, since any deviation from official propaganda might trigger scrutiny from officials or even neighbors. This results in a loss of whatever liberty remains.

Stopping gardening…

In some jurisdictions, outdoor recreation has been banned and apparently that means tending to a garden. I mean, we wouldn’t want people to gain some degree of independence by raising a garden, would we? Some states, such as Maryland and Vermont, ban the sale of seeds and garden tools as non-essential. Meat packing plants are being forced to close so local meat cannot be delivered to consumers. The same is true for dairy farmers.

…while food starts running short

In the meantime, the UN says that the world risks a global food crisis due to the supply chain disruption. Demand for food in the U.S. has actually increased due to the virus. My sister pointed out to me that since people can’t eat in restaurants anymore, they are buying more from grocery stores. Perhaps she’s at least partially right. In Italy, armed police have deployed to supermarkets to prevent theft, looting and rioting. The threat of violence is used to enforce social distancing. Someday all this will have to pass, but my guess is that the scars will remain.

Disastrous economic cascades

A lot of dominoes are falling as a result of what the government has ordered us to do based on possibly bogus numbers. Whole industries have been destroyed and who knows which ones will be able to come back at full strength. The cruise industry is the symbol of globalism and the global world. There are more than 250 cruise ships worldwide with over 450,000 employees. That industry is dead broke and is not likely to get a federal bailout because hardly any of its employs are American. The ships pay only 8% tax compared to 21% for other large businesses. So, the official recreation of the global economy is probably gone. The illusion of capital that doesn’t really exist, is perhaps gone with it.

Result: unemployment

The dominoes are interconnected, so cruising affects airlines and other transportation. Fuel sales, resorts, and alcohol all suffer. 9.90 million unemployed in two weeks, nothing like it has ever happened before. Last year in Hollywood, one year ago last week, box office sales were $204 million. This year they ran $5,179. As the dominoes fall, multiply that by millions and you can start to see the problem. How will people live, we all want to know? Consumer confidence is plummeting at an ever-increasing rate. But authorities tell us to sit tight, and the Federal Reserve (FED) will save us.

Loss of energy independence

One other important domino rapidly falling is the American oil and gas industry. America worked very hard to develop its independent oil and gas companies in order to gain energy independence from OPEC. Many contributed to the effort. But much of it came with Rick Perry, first as governor of Texas, and then as Secretary of Energy. I saw an interview with him. He said if we lose the 59 independents all we will have is the five giants. We will then be subject to the Saudis and other OPEC states again and will have to start over. He suggested that an order for American refineries to refine only American oil for awhile would go a long way.

Prices too low

Whiting Petroleum produced 125,500 barrels per day last year. They lost 70 million and filed for bankruptcy protection from billions in debt. 56 other independents are in the same position. Energy affects everything in the pipeline from food, to trucking, to gasoline and heating oil. Prices for Canadian and Texas oil are so low right now that companies producing it are a long way from profitable. Profitability is the difference between 20 dollars per barrel and 50 dollars per barrel.

Plague and war

Let’s turn our attention back to the subject of plague for a moment. If you add up all the dead from all the wars in history and compare that to the black death of the 1600’s, the Spanish Flu of 1918 to 1929, and the virus of today, you will see that plague has perhaps affected human history more than even war. Now the two are sometimes combined to intentionally destroy humanity and its economic prosperity. Our current virus doesn’t seem to care much about identity politics, which is very unusual today. However, it seems to be in the beginning of triggering an inter-generational conflict. The basis is whether we should go back to work and sacrifice the elderly, or stay home and sacrifice the economic chances of the young.

Control is the key – but from a bogus pretext?

The virus, spreading exponentially, allows more and more control over public activities and movements. The higher the death count, the more the public begs for relief. Pandemic and economic collapse feed off each other and make each other more dangerous. When people are afraid, they will sacrifice their freedom to those who promise safety. Extended lockdowns of the length being recommended by some people, would mean impoverishment on a mass scale. It also brings the end of the hopes, dreams, and aspiration of millions of people as well as their businesses. Lunatics might want these things but on one else.

Absurd recommendations

Let’s turn, in conclusion, back to Dr. Anthony Fauci. As you know, he serves on the President’s commission and normally speaks at the daily press conferences. Dr. Fauci said that he recommends staying in lockdown until there are no new cases and no deaths. Well, folks, that could be a very long time considering how authorities calculate the numbers. I noticed that Dr. Fauci once served on Bill Gates’ vaccine council. So let’s look at some words from Mr. Gates as well.

Bill Gates, who is not a doctor (bogus credentials?)…

He recommends an immediate mandatory shutdown, including stay-at-home orders. He’s spoken with experts, he said. Translation? People like him.⁶ People can travel freely across state lines and that’s a recipe for disaster, according to Mr. Gates. Start now building factories where the vaccine will be made when available. Stay in lockdown until the vaccine is available to everyone on earth. I will add that every human on earth would then have to have Mr. Gates digital certificate.

…proposes a digital mark

He has also said that mass gatherings, sports events, concerts, etc., might not be allowed to return until everyone is vaccinated. I guess that means that if we want to go to a football game, we must take Mr., Gates’ vaccine. That, and wear his digital mark for the rest of our lives. In my opinion, Mr. Gates, that’s a pretty radical solution to a problem that may be almost totally based on bogus numbers. It would, however, allow all sorts of apocalyptic scenarios since human behavior could be tracked and controlled by people like you, Mr. Bill Gates.

Conclusion: don’t let bogus numbers scare you

Finally, Folks, when the virus has finally surrendered, do we get our rights back? Will the Constitution be restored to us? The more I examine this virus and the lockdown solution the more it resembles the reasons always given for bogus wars.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle.

About the image

“File:Schema unui coronavirus.png” by https://www.scientificanimations.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Editor’s Notes

1 The author submitted it on Tuesday 14 April, hence the differing publication date.

2 The Italians are demonstrably over-reporting the mortality of this virus. Dr. Deborah Birx flatly admitted Americans are doing this, too. Your editor has often said those who die with the virus don’t always die of it. And he repeats what he wrote to Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.-1^st). Someone in authority needs to audit all mortality figures and review all reported deaths. Someone, somewhere, is guilty of fraud.

3 The one category of cause that current measures have abated, are the traumatic causes. The most prominent of these is, as one might expect, automobile accidents. The remarkable absence of accident claims prompted Allstate Insurance Company to rebate premiums. At least some other insurers have decided to do the same.

4 The level of nitrogen oxide pollution over northern Italy, Hubei Province, and the city of Wuhan, disappeared in February. In Wuhan it’s come back. The United States had three Nox “hot spots,” in NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles. NYC’s pollution declined to a fourth of its level status quo ante. The skies over Chicago and Los Angeles cleared completely. Your editor has urged the President to make pollution his next target.

See also this video by Tony Heller, who flatly blames pollution, not “climate change,” for the actual morbidity and mortality.

5 All of which weaken the body so that the virus is more likely to kill them. But how many would have died anyway?

6 And this is Bill Gates we’re talking about. FYI, he is not a physician and never trained as one. Your editor did.