GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, WE WILL EVENTUALLY SUSS OUT WHERE AND HOW THIS THING STARTED. All Signs Point to China
“[I]t seems very likely that the virus was amplified in the market, but the market might not have been the site of origin nor the only source of the outbreak. A recent phylo-epidemiological study has suggested that the virus was circulating but unrecognised in November, and was imported to the seafood market from elsewhere, where it subsequently was amplified.”
This is the moment The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was closed due to Coronavirus.
Last time this happened was in 1349, during The Black Death, a bubonic plague pandemic.
What’s fascinating about this story is the guy with the keys.
A comment from the thread: “The (sic) Christianity’s holiest shrine is guarded by Muslim Family Joudeh Al Goudia. The Family has been Gatekeepers of the Holy Sepulchre Church since 1187.”
The reason a Sunni Muslim keeps the keys is to prevent conflict among the many Christian sects that have some claim on the site.
THE TOUGHEST WEEK IS COMING. DO YOUR PART TO HELP YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS PERSEVERE.
“The next two weeks are extraordinarily important,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator. “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe and that means everybody doing the six-feet distancing, washing their hands.”
I’VE HAD SIMILAR THOUGHTS. China Is Preparing to Start a War with America
“China is on the clock. Today, it is formidable, with a sophisticated and capable military. The Chinese may be able to win a confrontation, even a war, with the United States. Under Obama’s policy of surrender, China had a chance of overtaking us economically while growing its military until its primacy was a fait accompli. But Trump killed that dream with his trade war, exposing the inherent weaknesses of the Chinese economy. And should the aftermath of the pandemic play out without interference, China’s position in the world will be irreparably damaged.”
YOU KNOW HIS MUSIC. RIP BILL WITHERS (1938 – 2020). Bill Withers, Who Sang ‘Lean on Me’ and ‘Lovely Day,’ Dies at 81 I still think his original of “Lean on Me” was the best rendition among all the covers that inevitably followed. That song, in particular, reminds me of Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me
CHURCHES GONNA CHURCH. Should Churches Violate Shutdown Orders? The Answer Is More Complicated Than You Might Imagine. It is complicated and I have my concerns about any authority getting the chance to tinker with top-down control. But, for now, the right thing to do is cooperate with society and help stop the virus.
“Many churches—I dare say most—after weighing their options, have decided to obey the commands to love their neighbors by doing what they can to halt the spread of the virus and are submitting to stay-at-home orders issued by the governing authorities.”
NANCY PELOSI DIDN’T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. IN FACT, MOST POLITICIANS DON’T. OUR BETTERS AREN’T REALLY BETTER.
HT: Instapundit
YOU CAN PROBABLY MEASURE THE FEAR FACTOR WITH THIS. March Gun Background Checks Set New NICS Record
“NCIS reports 3,740,688 checks were performed in March, which is the most recorded checks since the National Instant Check System began in 1998.”
SPEAKING OF DISCRIMINATION … Bill de Blasio to ‘Monitor’ Samaritan’s Purse Coronavirus Emergency Hospital for ‘Discrimination’
“I said immediately to my team that we had to find out exactly what was happening,” de Blasio told the Post. It seems he was concerned that Samaritan’s Purse would “discriminate” against those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). “Was there going to be an approach that was truly consistent with the values and the laws in New York City, that everyone would be served and served equally?”
NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE. NY Unions to Amazon: It Sure Would Be a Shame If Anything Happened to Your Company, Jeff Bezos.
“The unions are using this moment to put the squeeze on grocery delivery services throughout the country, encouraging work stoppages and strikes. This at a time when vulnerable people who can’t go to the store themselves are dependent on deliveries to get groceries.
THIS FROM THE PAPER PEDDLING THE RUSSIA HOAX FOR THREE YEARS AS FACT. New York Times Seizes on Coronavirus to Demonize ‘Anti-Science’ Evangelical Christians
“These op-eds highlight the growing animus against conservative Christians among American elites, a sociological phenomenon documented by professors George Yancey and David Williamson in their book So Many Christians, So Few Lions: Is There Christianophobia in the United States. The sociology professors focus on bias against conservative Christians, arguing that this “Christianophobia” is as real as the animus against Muslims and Jews.”
THERE HAS TO BE A RECKONING WITH CHINA WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER. Unemployment claims in Illinois top 178,000 as national applications hit 6.6 million, breaking record
“Nationally, the Labor Department reported a record-breaking almost 6.65 million people made their first applications for unemployment benefits during the week that ended March 28.
“Compared with a week earlier, applications for the financial assistance doubled, as a staggering 3.3 million more people filed initial claims, and the previous week’s level of 3.28 million claims was revised up by 24,000 applications.
“Only two weeks ago, in the week that ended March 21, only 282,000 initial claims for benefits were filed nationally.”