I had a long phone conversation with a friend last night. We talk every month or so, covering a range of subjects. He’s a scientist, so we’ve argued quite a bit about science, as well as politics. He’s also a writer, so we talk about writing. We have agreed that to disagree with one another is fine, and that debate among friends is an exercise in normality. We learn from it. We’ve agreed that in these stressful times, such debate has become sadly rare. I’d go so far as to say nearly impossible, locally...but of course, I live in the SF Bay Area.

One topic from last night’s conversation sticks in my mind. We were talking about COVID, and how people deal with it...why people want so much to trust in vaccination. He knows I’m unvaccinated. I know he has taken the jabs. I said that my bottom line is, I feel that the vaccine might kill or disable me, whereas I know my healthy lifestyle and my preparations to deal with COVID, should I ever get it, leave me unlikely to suffer extreme consequences from the virus. That’s the gamble—and I’ve chosen my team, done my research (this video pulls it all together). I mentioned my stock of medicinals, which I’ll start taking the second I learn I have the virus. His comment back was to the effect that he and I know to take responsibility for ourselves proactively, but “most people don’t.”

I know this. I’ve observed it for years on end. People trust authority and don’t think for themselves because it’s easier. When I realized, for instance, that I needed to stop smoking (40 years ago) I stopped. Yeah, it was hard. But I never wavered. I knew I was capable of overcoming that addiction, no matter that it took years to end the craving.

Many people search for an easier path because they don’t trust their ability to persevere. Life intervenes. If you must work, go to school, take care of the kids, commute, pay for it all, modern life leaves little energy for anything except plowing onward, damn the consequences. “Sorry, no time for introspection. Too busy.” It’s a symptom of what’s unbalanced within our society.

I have time because I’m retired. I researched, found a local doctor who would send me for monoclonal antibodies and prescribe Ivermectin. But then I heard that there was a shortage of antibodies. Apparently, when the public discovered that they worked to stop COVID, they forgot that Trump took them, and started demanding the life-saving treatment for themselves. The secret was out, and the medical establishment apparently left flat-footed. Blame “the supply chain” please. Or if you’re so prone, believe there’s a more sinister reason for denying life-saving treatment.

I read a warning from several of my commenters that getting the Ivermectin prescription filled locally might be a problem. I queried my pharmacy and a few others. The answer alarmed me: Yes, they could fill an ivermectin prescription—as long as it wasn’t for treating COVID. I had a harder time ferreting out why this is.

I searched diligently. There’s a variety of information out there, including a stern warning from the pharmacy board against prescribing hydroxychloroquine for COVID from 2020. But I could find nothing officially forbidding pharmacies filling ivermectin requests. Yet this seems to be the norm.

The prudent path became going with one of the several online options for stocking up. In my absolutely non-expert opinion, being prepared is better than trusting others with your life. Because you need to start the stuff immediately for the best effect. Waiting—the usual “go home, and if you get too sick to breathe go to the ER” standard of care—is a killer. Yes, that’s the standard of care, still. I wonder how any doctor who does that can defend the abnegation of their Hippocratic oath? After all, the virus is killing the vaccinated now, as well as the unvaxxed.

Back to my initial question—whose responsibility is one’s wellbeing? The government would like the answer to be “government,” despite its policies being terrible for people’s health. Many cooperate because it’s easier. Those of us who do not are squashed, methodically.

The latest ploy, denying entry to businesses without a vaccination card, will eventually be weighed against “leaked” information about the horrid dangers of the vaccine, as more people find they know someone whose life was ruined or ended after they got jabbed. This will play out, slowly, in time.

Sadly, I have an issue with patience. Sure, the more children they force to take the jab, the harder it will be to quash the reality of deadly side effects. But California wants all the kids injected with this biological substance, long-term effects unknown. That is just plain diabolical!

Image: Ivermectin by TajPharmaceuticalsLtd and COVID vaccine (cropped) by Maksim Goncharenok.

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