My recent response to a fearful acquaintance of mine who canceled {again} a long-standing traditional post-Christmas musical gathering in our community when he said:

I had been looking forward to, and talking up, a Breaking Up Christmas jam. Unfortunately, headwinds are pushing against such an event for the second year in a row. The news media is talking incessantly about Omicron. They say cases are doubling every day-and-a-half in the UK and every three days in New York. I find it hard to discern if hunkering down is too conservative, foolish or prudent.

XXXX and I have decided to punt. No Breaking up Christmas … this year.

Get your vaccination and booster. Let’s all live to jam after this current wave has crested and passed.

anonymous

Folks, I have to say something, for the sake of the truth. Feel free to remove me from the mailing list if this violates the community guidelines.

I assume most of the people on this list have had their shots, so why are you afraid of gathering? If you are afraid your vaccine won’t protect you from Omicron, why are you encouraging the rest of us to get one?

The fact is, the truth is, you are right to be nervous because the “vaccines” do not prevent disease or transmission. Just ask the CEO of BioNTech…. https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/12/20/omicron-3-vaccine-doses-are-not-enough-to-stop-the-new-covid-variant-warns-biontech-ceo

Most cases of Omicron are among the vaccinated, just look at all the universities that are going to virtual exams due to outbreaks among their nearly-100% vaccinated populations. Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard…

Or this, from The Lancet, “This study highlights that the vaccine effect on reducing transmission is minimal Infection risk (SAR) among household contacts exposed to: Vaccinated cases: 25% Unvaccinated cases: 23%” https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00690-3/fulltext

Thankfully, the “spike” in South Africa is over and resulted in far fewer hospitalizations and deaths than any other variant. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.21.21268116v1  Like all viruses in history – more mutations lead to higher transmission and lower severe illness/fatality. 

If you’re really worried about getting sick, consider this protocol for early treatment https://covid19criticalcare.com/covid-19-protocols/i-mask-plus-protocol/

Take action to protect yourself and take your life back. Stop listening to NPR and CNN. Find a doctor that is actually seeing patients and treating patients. Look up Dr. Ryan Cole or Dr. Peter McCullough. Don’t put your faith in the pharmaceutical companies and their allies in the media and corporate medicine.

And stop encouraging people to get a shot that you know doesn’t protect you.

According to Allen & Allen Medical Malpractice Attorney Mic McConnell it is legal for a business to ask that you show your vaccination card, and to deny you access if you refuse. Should we assume, therefore, that it is legal for a business to ask you 15 questions about your habits and potential exposure to airborne viruses before offering you medical care??

Afterall, “just about everything is legal until somebody passes a law to make it illegal,” said . Read the full article here.

Just Games in Historic Downtown Lexington, Virginia is making it easy for you to participate in their mostly kid-centric and overwhelmingly low-risk community events.

How convenient!

Sorry, folks. UNSUBSCRIBE

And Dr. Hammond’s Orthodontist office in Lexington, Virginia says, on June 2, 2021:

“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following procedures are designed to enhance the safety of patients, parents and staff.  1. By text or email, please confirm that:       a) Neither the patient nor any member of their household has participated in any large gatherings (of more than 50 attendees) in the past 14 days. b) Neither the patient nor any member of their household has traveled outside the United States within the last 14 days. c) Neither the patient nor any member of your household has been sick or had a fever within the last 14 days. 2. When you arrive at our office for your appointment:      a) Please text/call our office at 463-7744 or call our CF office at 862-5565 upon arrival. We will text you or meet you at your car to let you know when to come inside. b) Only the patient comes inside if teenager or adult. Parent/responsible party can accompany a child into our office. c) Staff member at the front door or reception desk may check paient {sic} and parent temperatures. d) If you are wearing protective gloves, we will ask you to replace them with new gloves or we can give you a pair of loose fitting gloves to put overtop of your gloves. e) Parents should be wearing a mask or appropriate face covering. f) Parents who come into the office  must sit next to patient in clinical area. Our goal is to have no one actually waiting in the reception area. g) Please print attached consent form, sign and bring with you to your appoinment {sic}. We are taking other steps including special infection control procedures to enhance our safety. Our team hopes that every one of you and your families remain safe and healhty {sic}. With Very Kindest Regards,  A B Hammond DDS MA

Can anyone recommend an orthodontist? We’re willing to travel!

When did we agree to this? When did we agree that people could just ask – and expect to get an answer – about my private medical information and my TRAVEL HABITS and then use that information to DISCRIMINATE against me or my family? What if we just don’t want to answer? What if we think it’s none of your business? Is there an option to opt-out?

I guess I can understand, if they’re just doing what they think is best, you know, for the good of the community, then why not? Afterall, Jews Trump voters spread disease. But hang on…I think I learned about something kinda like this in high school…

An antisemitic poster published in German-occupied Poland in March 1941. The text reads, “Jews are lice; They cause typhus.” Historical Museum of Rzeszow

And before you go accusing me of hyperbole, consider this: Nearly 100% of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who have fewer than 2.5 co-morbidities SURVIVE their illness, and overwhelmingly they do so with FEW OR NO SYMPTOMS.

Why are we forcing the entire global population to inject themselves with an experimental biological agent for a “disease” that DOESN’T KILL MOST PEOPLE?

I’m healthy. My family is healthy. Why can’t we participate in society if we decide to take the risk of contracting COVID-19? If you’re worried about COVID-19 get a shot! You should be protected now, right? Why does my choice not to get the shot even matter to you? What are you afraid of?

If you are one of the few people out there still refusing to get the shot, it’s time to make your voice heard. Maybe it’s because we live in a college town, I don’t know. But if things are “getting back to normal” where you live because people are getting themselves and their children “vaccinated” is that really normal?

What happens next? These paper cards are easy to forge. Trust me, I’ve looked into it. But don’t worry, MIT is on it! Their team is recommending a super duper high-tech “vaccine passport” that will be impossible to fake, easy to keep up to date, and super-duper private. THE ENTIRE STATE OF OREGON gave the go ahead for “private businesses, employers, and places of worship {to} set face mask guidelines…only fully vaccinated people may go mask-free {given they} provide proof of their vaccination.”

Hey LEXINGTON – Do you honestly think this is going to stop at small retailers and orthodontists? How much longer until it’s KROGER, FOOD LION, or WALMART our three major food RETAILERS in Rockbridge County?

WAKE UP, PEOPLE!

{OvO}

I agree that things “appear” to be getting back to normal, but I can tell you, here in my neck of the woods, the Covidstan tyranny is NOT letting up. Things are especially bad for folks that don’t want to get the shot and want to keep their jobs, particularly at our local Church of Wokism, Washington & Lee University. Employees are bullied, shamed, and if they can’t come up with an approved reason to refuse it, are eventually coerced into submitting themselves to an experiment, all to keep their bennies. It’s disgusting.

I have my own theories about the origin of the virus, and I’m not saying it’s not real. And while the “vaccination” push might have started as a coordinated effort to get the .01% rich, the reaction, the fear/panic/tyranny, the hard-driving effort to jab a needle into every. single. person. on earth is not a bug, folks, it’s a feature.

You want to get the shot, great, go for it. With so many willing subjects, it shouldn’t be hard to achieve “herd immunity” before summer, especially with the 24/7 propaganda campaign {and round-the-clock censorship} apparently necessary for a “100% effective vaccine,” right? If my family and I just lay low and stay away from you, we should all be good…right?

I worry this experimental gene therapy will be mandated for ALL school children by the fall and that Virginia/Rockbridge County will try to enforce the mandate on homeschool kids as soon as it becomes mandated for public school.

When you’re out there, seeing all those “fully vaccinated” people smiling and hugging and “getting on with their lives,” remember the families who have sacrificed their children to this. Good Christian families lying so their kid can get it before they’re 12. Moms getting it while pregnant.

My only, ultimate, God-given responsibility is to my children. I will defend them, come what may, to the ends of the earth. I can guarantee you that my husband and I will not give them our children. Period.

It took 5+ years to see the first side effects of the over-vax protocols put in place in 1985; this is only just beginning….

{OvO}

It’s been….forever? since we had fresh eggs on the farm, and we are elated to have a new flock of hennies generously bestowing us with around a dozen per day again!

Last summer we hobbled together a rag-tag bunch of laying hens, amid an unusual scramble {swidt?} for backyard birds. One of the many COVID silver linings – lots more people with the time and desire to raise their own food! We are thankful for the many blessings of 2020, even if it meant we didn’t get out first choice in birds.

We got about 24 day-old chicks {all pullets} from Tractor Supply in July and then another 20 chicks {straight-run} from MyPetChicken.com {yes, that’s a real website}. I don’t remember our exact numbers, but here’s what we ended up with. {These are not affiliate links, just trying to help you get more info!}

So, what breed is our favorite? We have had Buff Orpingtons since the very beginning, and have loved them from Day One. They are friendly, consistent layers and extremely easy keepers. The roosters are pretty gorgeous too, if that means anything to you. Last summer we purchased a straight run, hoping to end up with a few males for the freezer. Right now it’s looking like we have 3 males, so we’ll likely do a quick batch this spring while we wait for our 50 {fifty!} Freedom Ranger broilers to grow out. More on that next time!

Until then, do us a favor and subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss any news from us! We have exciting plans for 2021 and in an effort to disconnect from mainstream channels of communication that are profiting off us while scanning our messages for content they deem “inappropriate,” we’re not going to be utilizing a newsletter service anymore. Updates about the farm will be HERE on our website or on MeWe. Please check us out and tell your friends!

{OvO}

I’ve been a member of a google group / email list devoted to Old Time Music for about five years. The conversation is always about music, no politics, no religion. Until this week. One of the members, an outspoken President Trump hater, decided to tell us all how much she can’t wait till Trump is out of the White House, and “hope[s] he doesn’t enact martial law on his way out!” I sent a note to the list asking to be removed.

One of my peers sent me a personal note asking me to reconsider. He asked me to ha g on till 2021 when all this “craziness” is behind us (referring to COVID). This is what I sent back.

Thanks so much for sending your note. It’s been a hard year for me on a personal level for sure. Our health has been fine, we’ve always homeschooled, and my husband has been working from home for five years, so things didn’t change a whole lot in those areas. We have a few friends we’ve been spending a lot of time with, and we were able to go camping a few times this summer which was awesome.

But it’s been hard to feel “welcome” socially since we’re not buying into the COVID panic. We certainly recognize that some people have been affected pretty dramatically by the virus, but since the recovery rate for “cases” in folks under 70 is between 94 and 99%, the fact that there are known effective treatments and preventive steps people can take that are not being used/recommended, not to mention the recent revelation that the PCR tests driving the news are completely junk, we are choosing to take our vitamins, spend time outside, and refusing to live in fear.

I’ve been trying since July to get answers from our elected officials and the health department and no one seems to know what they’re waiting for to end the state of emergency. They don’t have any data to support what they’re doing and they don’t have an idea of what normal looks like; they just want us to get vaccinated then everything will be okay. Oh wait…now we have to get the vaccine and still wear masks? Till 2022? Do masks work or not? Does the vaccine work or not? They say the vaccine doesn’t prevent infection, it only reduces the severity of a persons illness.. but most people just have the sniffles, or a fever. Most people don’t even have a severe case. I just don’t get it. We have never used masks or social distancing to mitigate a virus before because they. don’t. work. Kids are failing their classes or worse, committing suicide; child abuse, alcoholism, depression, and domestic violence is up…

XXXX’s comment just reminded me that while some folks in this group have been lovely and welcoming, I don’t really “fit in.” I’m a Christian and a conservative and I voted for President Trump. I’ve never stood up for myself because I know there are people in the group – even people I used to call friends – that think that makes me a racist, a bigot, and a homophobe. I don’t want to fake it anymore…

I discovered Aleksander Solzhenitsyn this summer and his 1974 paper, Live Not By Lies (and a recent book by Rod Dreher with the same title), is my new manifesto. 
“We are not called upon to step out onto the square and shout out the truth, to say out loud what we think – this is scary, we are not ready. But let us at least refuse to say what we do not think!”

And one example of my living not by lies is choosing to “walk out of a meeting, session, lecture, performance or film if [I] hear a speaker tell lies for purvey ideological nonsense or shameless propaganda.” So I asked XXXX to remove me from the list. I guess he followed up with XXXX; maybe it won’t be an issue again (till next time). I have to spend some time praying on this one.

Such strident loyalty to Truth and authenticity means I’m left with a very small group of sincere, loving and trustworthy family members and friends. But while that feels a bit painful sometimes, the freedom of living in truth is indescribably refreshing.

“If you abide in my Word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

{OvO}

I was recently inspired to reach out to my department of health to figure out the manufacturer(s) of the PCR Tests being used here in Virginia to determine a positive case of COVID-19. I’ve suspected all along that the incredibly numerous “cycles” required to determine positivity means we are magnifying and magnifying and magnifying so much that we’re calling tiny little mRNA/viral fragments VIRUS!!!!! and causing people to panic unnecessarily. Ironically, the ridiculously high false positive rate means we have a corresponding high “survival” rate but good news is not news, so…

Dena Potter, the Director of Communications for the Virginia Department of General Services, sent me three photocopied pages, presumably from the package inserts, from the 3 PCR Tests Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) is using.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Incorporated TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (page 121)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCo V) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel (page 36)

NeuMoDX SARS-CoV-2 Assay (page 9)

After thanking her profusely for providing exactly the information I was requesting, I sent the following response:

From a laymen’s perspective, it appears two tests allow up to 40 cycles, and one up to 37 cycles, to determine a positive result.

I have a limited understanding of virology, to be sure, yet I have suspected all year that the high amplification of mRNA fragments might be resulting in an enormous number of false positives, which could be used to strengthen the erroneous “asymptomatic spreader” theory, and completely distorts the public understanding of the risks associated with SARS-COV2.

I recently came across an article in the New York Times (published in August) discussing PCR Cycle Thresholds. In the article, Dr. Mina suggests cutting off the CT at 30 cycles. In fact, “The CDC’s own calculations suggest that it is extremely difficult to detect any live virus in a sample above a threshold of 33 cycles.” Yet it seems we are going with either 37 or 40 cycles here in Virginia, and as a result, we are seeing a high “positivity” rate.

Here’s what I recently received from VDH:

“The Virginia Department of Health does not have information about Ct values because laboratories are not required to report these to the agency.  The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) has published an informative handout about Ct values, nucleic acid amplification testing, and how Ct values can be used.  This may provide additional information that might be helpful.  The document can be found at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1607/APHL-Ct-Values-PDF “

Ron Desantis, in Florida, has taken action on behalf of his constituents and is now requiring labs to report their CT with every COVID PCR test.

When will Virginia’s Department of Health stand up for us? The never-ending panic over COVID-19 has been spurred on by a “spikes in cases” despite the fact that we are seeing false positives due to the extreme magnification of viral fragments.

Who should I follow up with with questions about the standards for determining a positive case in Virginia? What can we do? Who should I talk to next?

{OvO}

Below is a summary of the email response I got from Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors Dan Lyons, and my response to him.

Mr. Lyons sent me the following information regarding the effectiveness of masks. I have linked to the articles with links as provided (or not) in his note to me. You will see numbers in parentheses – those are my footnotes. Click each footnote to skip to my comments which I sent via email to Mr. Lyons today.

Wearing cloth masks can help prevent people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading the virus. (1) Link

A cloth mask is intended to trap droplets that are released when the wearer talks, coughs or sneezes. Asking everyone to wear cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don’t realize it. (2) (No link)

A recent study published in Health Affairs, for example, compared the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates in 15 states and the District of Columbia. It found that mask mandates led to a slowdown in daily COVID-19 growth rate, which became more apparent over time. The first five days after a mandate, the daily growth rate slowed by 0.9 percentage-points compared to the five days prior to the mandate; at three weeks, the daily growth rate had slowed by 2 percentage-points. (3) Link

Face masks help contain respiratory droplets that can transmit SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, from people who do not know they have the virus. (4) (No link)

(1) This suggests masks help prevent sick people from spreading viruses. It does not suggest healthy people should wear masks, which is what the Governor has mandated.

(2) This refers to the “asymptomatic spread” of this virus (or presumably other viruses). This one is tricky, because the spread of the virus from “healthy” individuals, ie, the vast number of positive tests amid an otherwise healthy population, suggests asymptomatic spread is a serious concern. However, as I mentioned in our phone conversation, the testing we are doing means we are finding “cases” where they do not exist. Link

(3) This is another example of cherry-picked data. The Washington DC Mask Mandate was put in place on July 22, 2020 and you can see via this link, there was indeed a reduction in cases over late July and into August. However, you’ll notice there was a “spike in cases” in the fall that mimics many states, cities, counties and countries. If masks are so effective why did we see a “spike” like this in Washington, D.C., and in nearly every jurisdiction around the world?

(4) This article refers to asymptomatic spread, see note #2 above.

You mentioned on the phone that “masks don’t hurt” and in your note below, you said “they do help slow down the spread of the virus.” Simply put, those statements are incorrect. Masks cause an increase in upper respiratory distress, reduction in blood oxygen levels, and an increase in cavities and gum disease, not to mention the psychological effects of forcing an entire healthy population to cover their faces. Here are some great sources.

Sir, if you agree that the mask mandates are at the very least non-sensical, help me fight them. Your refusal to push back, or ask questions, suggests you support this never-ending State of Emergency and the associated mask mandates and crowd limits. I have tried for months to get an answer from Governor Northam regarding what he is looking for in order to end the State of Emergency. A certain threshold of deaths per month or week? A vaccine? Complete elimination of positive tests? We need to know his goals. Or, we need to make him admit he doesn’t have any. Either way, we deserve answers, and I’m having NO luck getting them. Please help me.

{OvO}