Letter to the Editor

May 28, 2020

Dear Mr. Editor,

I am again compelled to spend a few minutes collecting my thoughts on the ongoing coronavirus crisis sweeping the country. I am certainly not impressed with the so-called progress being made in Wyoming as the state reopens and restrictions are lifted.

I am actually becoming mad as hell that the government continues to impose unnecessary restrictions on our personal freedoms. Moreover, the level of spending is getting completely out of hand. $3 trillion in federal spending from the House now in their latest bill? Do people not realize where the government gets money?

Every day the governor’s office sends out numbers. Every day, it’s literally the same story. The numbers do tell a story. The fact they are constantly being ignored, changed, and manipulated on a grand scale tells the truth.

In an 1891 letter to British paper The National Observer, it was written, “it has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: the first is the ‘fib,’ the second is the downright lie, and the third and most aggravated is statistics.” I submit this remains more true today than ever.

Let’s review the reasons presented that keep us all compliant and in a state of fear. Coronavirus is far more deadly than the flu, far more contagious than the flu, and if left unchecked we will overrun our medical system and many people will die due to reduced access to medical care. That’s about it, right?

In fact, a Business Insider article from 30 March 2020 states the following: The flu and the new coronavirus have similar symptoms, but the latter is far deadlier. The coronavirus is 5-10 times more deadly than the flu for those between the ages of 0-45 and 12 times for deadly than for flu for those over 85. The global death rate of those infected with coronavirus is 4.7 and over 10% for those over 85.

Yeah, I remember a host of news articles, academic papers and government reports that said pretty much the same thing. Were they all reporting the same source?

And don’t tell me “Ah, but Dave, it’s the old quarantine paradox that’s got you confused.” That is to say, the steps taken to limit the spread of the disease radically reduced the spread and voila!, the desired outcome breeds doubt about the need for the quarantine in the first place.

I worked in the intel community for nearly 20 years. We dealt with something very similar, so it’s not new and it’s not the problem.

In a May 6 daily briefing from NY Governor Cuomo, he notes his astonishment that data from over 100 New York hospitals showed 66% of new hospitalizations were people who were sheltering at home. Not out working and endangering everyone, these folks were sheltering place.

On a side note, another 18% were from nursing homes, which comes as no surprise since NY state policy required nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients, before they tested negative. I’m stunned by the sheer stupidity.

Of the 754 confirmed cases in Wyoming, there have been 8 deaths. That is 1% mortality – a percentage based solely on the reported cases of COVID-19.

Reports suggest the vast majority of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, go undiagnosed, untested, unreported and therefore not included in any number divisible by the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19. A little math shows that if 754 represents 25% of those with the illness, then we may have had about 3000 cases – and a mortality rate of closer to .2%, which is in-line with the seasonal flu.

And, still reporting continues to suggest COVID-19 is being overreported as the cause of death. I have no idea as to any specifics in Wyoming, nor do I care to know. Across the nation, this is a real concern. Is it nefarious, or simply a mechanism of tracking the true impact of coronavirus for public health purposes?

I know this. The more deadly, the more fear, and fear keeps people compliant as their individual liberties are stripped away.

Statisticians like to compare infections or deaths per 100,000 as an even way to compare across state lines. In 2018, 18 people per 100,000 died as a result of the flu/pneumonia (they lump them for some reason) in Wyoming, according to the CDC.

This coronavirus global pandemic has so far claimed a total of 8 lives in Wyoming, or 1.3 per 100,000. The top ten causes of death in Wyoming and most other states have a much higher per/100,000 rate than COVID-19.

I have to keep saying ‘in all likelihood’ because there has not been the level of testing required to gain real evidence. Why not? In my last letter to you, I noted three separate, but small studies which suggest anywhere from 50% to 88% of people of those universally tested were asymptomatic. That means people didn’t even know they were ill.

It seems there is a valid argument to spend enormously on widespread universal testing to gain some new facts. How about the entire State of Wyoming as a representative sample. (For the sake of argument, let’s not make it mandatory).

We could stop guessing. We could stop fearing the unknown. We could move on with our lives. We could even stand in line to vote people into office who have the courage to stand up against this outrage in the future.

So, sunlight is good. So is fresh air. Open the national parks. Open the campgrounds. Open the schools. Open everything. Invite people to use their own judgement, and continue to offer guidance.

No one MUST go outside. Anyone can choose to wear gloves and masks. Nobody has to go to the gym, or bar or restaurant. You don’t have to hug or shake hands. Nobody will be forced to do anything. Individual liberty will be restored. But if this country doesn’t stop being stupid and afraid at a national, state and local level, we are going to kill this magnificent home we call America.

And in a year or so, when the UN doctors are writing their report on our demise, you can bet the death certificate will list COVID-19 as the cause of death brought on by an infection of arrogance, stupidity and willful ignorance.

Dave Cromes

CDC - Influenza/Pneumonia Mortality by State:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/flu_pneumonia_mortality/flu_pneumonia.htm

New England Journal of Medicine – 88%:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2009316

Business Insider article:

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-seasonal-flu-in-the-us-death-rates-2020-3

Wyoming Leading Causes of Death:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/wyoming/wyoming.htm

Different types of tests:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html

Cuomo shocked at source of hospital admissions: