ozimoron

They are just toeing the party line and watching too much Murdoch propaganda.

I wasn't referring to the OP. It should be obvious from the sheer number of BM's who took the opportunity toi engage in some China bashing, including spreading conspiracy theories. They deserve worse than to be called sheeple which is a term most often bandied about by the far right.

Elon Musk keeps a lower profile than Gates?

I think think that's true of all billionaires but why single out Gates. I see that nobody has yet posted a cogent reason why gates should be demonised over every other billionaire.

European countries are doubling down on pressure campaigns to get people vaccinated just as Republicans continue to wage war — often successfully — against vaccine mandates in the U.S. Why it matters: The starkly different approaches create a sharp contrast between the regions' approaches to vaccination, even as the Omicron variant rapidly spreads around the world. https://www.axios.com/america-europe-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccines-a41663cf-decf-4256-a739-898eb318edff.html

Ntsakisi Maluleke, a public health specialist in the Gauteng province that includes Tshwane and the biggest city Johannesburg, told Reuters that out of the 1,511 COVID-positive patients in hospitals in the province 113 were under 9 years old, a greater proportion than during previous waves of infection. "We are comforted by clinicians' reports that the children have mild disease," https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/safrican-official-says-number-children-sick-with-covid-19-is-not-cause-panic-2021-12-04/

A couple of people have pointed out some salient facts here. Firstly, the response to any form of covid is typically mild or asymptomatic anyway. There are children being hospitalised and their reaction has previously been mild to non existent. The numbers are yet small and the average time to death is around 10 to 14 days. I'm not disputing that omicron may be a milder form than delta but it's a bit soon to be declaring victory.

Not good enough, I want you to link to posts where you have explicitly stated that vaccines reduce transmission. You denied it and I called you on it.

Where? Show me. I dispute that you have and will apologise unreservedly if you can prove that you have stated this in as many words. Certainly, your posts above do not reflect that opinion.

Oh, just like the flu vaccine then?

"Vaccines don't necessarily reduce the chance of getting covid," is misleading and false. The truth is that vaccines reduce the chance of getting covid by as much as 1:5000 compared to the unvaxxed. That figure is so pronounced that if you don't EXPLICITLY point that out with perhaps a qualifier that it is still possible then it really is a lie. Context is everything and your unqualified statement can be construed as an intention to deceive given that contradictory evidence has been provided here many times in the recent past.

That hasn't been established by any reasonable standard as yet. We all hope that it will pan out that way.

Agreed Agreed Incorrect. Your immune system will atatck the virus wherever it is found in your sysetm. It has been establiished that viral load in the nasal cavities is lower for the vaccinated and the decline is more rapid. Agreed Agreed True True You have skipped the single point of contention, effectively moving the goal posts. You unequivocally stated that vaccines do not work against infection.

I think we all know this thread is really about covid which I believe is an issue which we can't afford the luxury to not care about. Certainly, when we have done everything we can to fulfill our public obligations we can switch off. However, those who choose to advocate a position one way or another with a goal to influence other people's actions and even their very survival should be forced to adhere to some principles.

The ability of humans to learn from other peoples discovery and research is the fundamental reason why we have survived and progressed as a species. All you're doing is rationalising rejection of science and learning which doesn't suit your agenda.

Your assertion that vaccines don't reduce the chances of contracting covid. In fact, breakthrough infections are actually rare. Much evidence has been posted on this forum to establish that fact beyond possible doubt.

This is a deliberate lie which keeps getting repeated over and over again.

If you have a point to make then make it without the meaningless innuendo.

Everybody stepped on somebody at some time. What he did 40 years ago means very little now. Your statement re the "giving or the having" is meaningless without further context.

I'm might be one of the regressives because I don't really understand your point but I'll have a go. All intellectual propositions fall into three categories, truth, lies or don't know. There can't be two contradictory versions of the truth. One has to be a lie.

That wouldn't matter though would it? Unless complex problems can be broken down into simple solutions they are just ignored or waved away. The solution is home schooling to prevent kids from being exposed to critical thinking. Their fixed beliefs can't be challenged.

What has he done that's actually evil? Given that he's been wealthy and influential for 40 years now don't you think that would have manifested itself by now? Has he suddenly become evil now that it suits the far right to denigrate him? In what way is he a force for evil? Giving billions to charity, is that evil or good? The only issue here is that the far right need an antichrist to function.

Have you restarted the laptop? Checked the disk utilities to see if it recognises the devices?

The basis of the modern conspiracy theories is to make them so wacky that there is no real way to disprove them. Your example is a good one. There is no way to disprove that there is a teapot orbiting Mars so it's perfectly valid to insist one is and shout down anyone who challenges the proposition based on mere critical thinking.

This is an indication of a descent into a dark period of our recent past when truth didn't matter and lies became the truth. In effect, what you are saying is that lies and misinformation share the same intellectual space as the truth and demands equal time and space and where the concept of unbridled free speech supplants the need for truth and equality. .