Reader's and Listener's Digest - June 2022

I thought I’d share fifteen interesting pieces of analysis and commentary I’ve recently uncovered on a variety of issues in the news, from the seismic reversal of Roe v Wade and renewal of EU digital vaccine certificates to the fate of the lab leak hypothesis, Mickey Mouse’s standoff with Governor deSantis, and Dr Martin Kulldorff’s thoughts on the crisis of trust in public health.

Caveat: I found them interesting and educational. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I sign off on every single statement made in them. Enjoy!

1. Roe v Wade: Why this is a seismic day in America

The Supreme Court just lobbed a constitutional hand grenade into the raging culture wars in the US, igniting a fresh battle in this decades-long fight over abortion. In a 6-3 ruling, the court found that there was no constitutional right to abortion, turning the decision of whether to allow abortions or not up to the states.

2. Remarks by Justice Sotomayor on her Colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas

You can hardly think of two judges more opposed in their approaches to law and jurisprudence. Yet she praises Justice Thomas publicly for his commitment to the institution of the court and the care he shows for each and every person he interacts with. While I disagree profoundly with Justice Sotomayor on many issues, I think these remarks should serve as a reminder of the importance of our common humanity, and the importance of acknowledging it.

JCN @judicialnetwork

“Justice Thomas is the one justice in the building that literally knows every employee’s name, every one of them. . . . he is a man who cares deeply about the court as an institution, about the people who work there — about people.” - Justice Sotomayor

3. EU Renews Digital Covid Pass Despite 99% Negative Public Feedback

by Robert Kogon

The current rules for holding a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate do not only, needless to say, discriminate against the unvaccinated, but also against natural immunity, which is treated as more ephemeral than vaccine-induced immunity.

4. Deriding Mass Formation and Dismissing its Influence During a Global Crisis – is a Verification of the Phenomenon

by Robert Malone

Mass formation can be associated with mass psychosis, a disturbance in the minds of small or large groups — to the degree where there is a loss of contact with reality — often with an eclipse of morality and objectification of an imagined enemy. The hostile and dismissive response to Desmet’s perspective on the pandemic’s emotional climate is both fascinating and revelatory.

5. What We Learned From Hating the Unvaccinated

by Susan Dunham

The battlefield is still warm, following Canada’s war on the unvaccinated. The mandates have let up, and both sides stumble back into something that looks like the old normal — except that there is a fresh and present injury done to the people we tried to break. And no one wants to talk about it.

6. The FDA’s Authorisation of Vaccinations for Toddlers is Inexcusable

by Ian Miller

In a historically embarrassing decision, the FDA recently became the only international regulatory body to authorize the use of mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for children aged six months to five years. For the overwhelming majority of young children and toddlers, there is likely no justification or need for this concerning authorization.