Recently I was flipping through random videos we’d shot over the last few months and, in a fit of goof, I strung several of them together and added music. The result was well received when I shared it on social media last week, and I see no good reason not to post it on Ubi Libertas Blog.
So here it is. Enjoy.
I really should take time to assemble a compilation of our videos from South Dakota, Montana and The Ozarks — a series of brief clips, maybe ten seconds each, that together would capture the essence of what we’ve seen and done.
Perhaps I’ll do that if we get snowed-in here in Arkansas.
Hey, it could happen.
(No music. I promise.)
The LP furnaces did the job overnight. When I rolled outta bed it was 26°F outside but 67°F in the bedroom and 65°F in the living space. I bumped the front thermostat up a few degrees and made myself a cup of coffee.
Life is good.
Back when I was opening each Ubi Libertas Blog post with “It’s Day [whatever] of 15 Days to Flatten the Curve,” it always was followed by “Deb and I are fine” (or the equivalent). By saying that I meant to convey that we were still healthy and free. I don’t do it every day anymore so, to confirm…
Deb and I are fine.
Since beginning our journey we’ve taken no extraordinary precautions against WuFlu. We don’t wear masks, we don’t avoid shaking hands, we don’t shun crowds and we don’t bow to the State’s attempts to control us.
In the interest of full disclosure, we’re on a targeted vitamins-and-supplements regimen and we do use hand sanitizer — maybe a little more often than we did a few years ago but not obsessively. Beyond that we live our American Life, informed and aware but unafraid.
In a way, Ernie is a rolling isolation ward (or it can be, anyway). We’re very much self-contained and could, if we chose to, all but eliminate exposure to the outside world. We haven’t done that, of course, traveling in 15 states, logging an estimated 11,000 miles and coming into direct personal contact with thousands of total strangers.
And yet Deb and I are fine.
In May we shoved off from Fairfield County, Ohio, which I’ll characterize as mostly “rural” — a population of 159,000 spread out over 509 square miles, averaging 312 people per square mile. It’s adjacent, however, to Franklin County, which includes Columbus, with 1.4 million people occupying 544 square miles (2,574 residents per square mile).
By comparison, we’re currently situated in Boone County, Arkansas — population 38,000, 602 square miles, density just 63. The Mountain is in neighboring Marion County, with 17,000 scattered over 640 square miles. On average, that’s fewer than 27 people per square mile.
Yeah, we definitely like to “go where they ain’t.” That preference may have unexpected benefits.
Our home county in Ohio has reported a recent WuFlu case rate of 452 per 100,000 residents and a positive-test rate of 13.35%. The numbers for the more populous county next door are 339 and 11.29%.
Here in Arkansas, Boone stands at 280 and 12.41%, while Marion reports 383 and 5.56%.
None of those statistics should be alarming. In point of fact we shouldn’t focus on cases, at least not without examining that number in the context of deaths — and, most important, survival rate.
The county I’m in right now has an overall WuFlu survival rate of 98.04%, and that’s the lowest of the four counties I’ve mentioned. The best survival rate is in the greater Columbus area, at 99%. The survival rate in our home county of Fairfield is 98.84%, while Marion County’s is 98.44%.
For what it’s worth, the jab rates in those Ohio counties are 55% (Fairfield) and 62% (Franklin); the two Arkansas counties are 35% (Boone) and 34% (Marion).
Those reported numbers are the best facts we can get. They’re available to everyone, including medical professionals, State officials and media bent on perpetuating fear that the facts don’t justify.
The WuFlu survival rate has been increasing steadily, too, thanks to the discovery of new therapeutics (if you can get your hands on them) and the appearance of “variants” that may be much more communicable but so far have proven far less virulent.
Make no mistake — this coronavirus is a real thing. Some folks are more at-risk than others. In fact, a dear friend of mine is in a Columbus-area ICU right now, fighting for breath and life. We’re in touch with him and his family every single day. They’d appreciate your thoughts and prayers, and so would I.
Each of us makes our own choices. No matter what we do, there are no guarantees — we can’t eliminate all risk, so we accept the risks that accompany our choices.
We do know some things for sure. We know, for example, that theatrical practices like masking, distancing and quarantine haven’t had a meaningful effect on transmission. We know that being fully needled and boosterized isn’t an assurance of immunity, nor does it prevent infecting others.
We know that acquired immunity rules. We know that certain “unapproved” therapies and protocols are effective in treating coronavirus infections.
And we know that the State has lied to us for almost two years.
Deb and I are fine. From the very beginning of the “pandemic,” we’ve made informed choices that fly in the face of The Holy Narrative. We’ve traveled. We’ve gathered with others. We’ve lived our lives.
Some would say that we’ve been reckless, gambling with our health.
Bullshit.
Look again at the facts. Does that seem like a gamble to you?
Again, I’d appreciate your thoughts and prayers for my hospitalized friend.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB