In Connecticut, The New "Permanent Emergency" Surveillance Regime Suffers A Temporary Blow
mtracey.substack.com
Hilariously, in the run-up to my arrival at Connecticut College on Monday afternoon, I received a flurry of messages from supportive students notifying me that College Administrators had activated their own little version of DEFCON mode — so desperate as they evidently were to prevent me from getting onto the campus. Gates that were normally open had been blockaded; guards were conducting scrupulous ID checks at all entry points. Sounds very serious!
After watching the entire video I am thrilled you did this as a true journalistic endeavor (uncommon these days). However, I was quite sad to see the number of young adults seemingly understanding nothing about civil liberties and why they should value them--a product of the "news/entertainment/social media culture"" that likely is their major source of news. They seem to understand nothing about critical thinking or relative risk assessment as it relates to their everyday lives. In their age group they are 50-100x more likely to die of other causes than from Covid (even before vaccination was available). And somehow even the health authorities and politicians at the highest level have adopted the claim that the "unvaccinated are of great danger to the vaccinated" which is not remotely supported by science or common sense. BTW I am not antivaccine and not even against mandates in certain situations. However, the science would say that there needs to be allowance for natural immunity as a substitute for mandatory vaccination, and the focus should be on convincing the most at risk groups, age 50 and over and those with underlying health conditions that it is in their interests, and the interests of healthcare workers who might have to care for them, to get vaccinated.
Thank you again for your stepping forward. I fear for the country's future if this kind of group think persists and is widespread.
Grateful you are taking action. If this were a true democracy everyone should feel free to speak their mind in a thoughtful way without fearing personal attack. More people acting with courage and speaking up is the only way out this attempt at totalitarian control.
The specifics of the Connecticut College lockdown sound an awful lot like the punishments typically meted out to American prison inmates for, for example, assaulting other inmates in the yard. Where the hell are the parents?
So Georgetown is not letting their students drink water. In DC. Where the forecast is for 80+ degrees and 80+% humidity. Tell me again how this is all about health? And thank you for standing up for the voiceless. It is what journalists used to do.
Michael, that was painful to watch. The Karen culture is alive and well on that campus. OMG do these self-righteous snowflakes have any idea what the risk of death is for 18-24 year-olds? Even unvaccinated? After hearing the shrill, mind-numbing shrieking of these spoiled brats, I fear for our future more than ever.
Excellent. It's nice to know that in a somewhat limited social environment (a smaller school) free speech still works the way it's supposed to, despite the best efforts of the present day powerful
This is exquisite - excellent work. Great effort, fantastic journalism. This is what it's all about.
They have also, by the way, changed not only the definition of Herd Immunity (that was late summer 2020), but they changed the definition of 'vaccine' and 'vaccination'. This is your CDC.
What, if anything, are these colleges doing to shoulder the burden of keeping these students safe? Great that they're not in denial, but it seems like, from what I am reading, they've shifted all the burden onto the students. Updated air and ventilation systems? Transitioning to more open air structures? They may actually have done these things, it would be good to know how this burden is being shouldered.
We all grew up with the image of journalists being too-focused-on-a-bigger-mission-to-be-perma-kempt, principle-driven, and tenacious truth-seekers. How did we go from that, to deriding that very image and reputation in favor of hyper-coiffed, Armani-suit wearing teleprompter readers paid lavishly to distort the truth? I can't shake the feeling we're living through They Live. There's a veneer of surrealism on even our important institutions, and not enough people see it.
Thank you for what you do, Michael. You are critical to our collective sanity.
After watching the entire video I am thrilled you did this as a true journalistic endeavor (uncommon these days). However, I was quite sad to see the number of young adults seemingly understanding nothing about civil liberties and why they should value them--a product of the "news/entertainment/social media culture"" that likely is their major source of news. They seem to understand nothing about critical thinking or relative risk assessment as it relates to their everyday lives. In their age group they are 50-100x more likely to die of other causes than from Covid (even before vaccination was available). And somehow even the health authorities and politicians at the highest level have adopted the claim that the "unvaccinated are of great danger to the vaccinated" which is not remotely supported by science or common sense. BTW I am not antivaccine and not even against mandates in certain situations. However, the science would say that there needs to be allowance for natural immunity as a substitute for mandatory vaccination, and the focus should be on convincing the most at risk groups, age 50 and over and those with underlying health conditions that it is in their interests, and the interests of healthcare workers who might have to care for them, to get vaccinated.
Thank you again for your stepping forward. I fear for the country's future if this kind of group think persists and is widespread.
This is epic. So satisfying to finally see someone with the spine to publicly voice dissent. Kudos to you, MT.
Grateful you are taking action. If this were a true democracy everyone should feel free to speak their mind in a thoughtful way without fearing personal attack. More people acting with courage and speaking up is the only way out this attempt at totalitarian control.
Great stuff. Keep fighting the good fight. We need more free speech advocates at every opportunity, every campus, every soapbox.
Yes. Enough is enough.
The specifics of the Connecticut College lockdown sound an awful lot like the punishments typically meted out to American prison inmates for, for example, assaulting other inmates in the yard. Where the hell are the parents?
So Georgetown is not letting their students drink water. In DC. Where the forecast is for 80+ degrees and 80+% humidity. Tell me again how this is all about health? And thank you for standing up for the voiceless. It is what journalists used to do.
Nice job Michael. Wow is Connecticut College bizarre.
Michael, that was painful to watch. The Karen culture is alive and well on that campus. OMG do these self-righteous snowflakes have any idea what the risk of death is for 18-24 year-olds? Even unvaccinated? After hearing the shrill, mind-numbing shrieking of these spoiled brats, I fear for our future more than ever.
Nice work, Michael.
Excellent. It's nice to know that in a somewhat limited social environment (a smaller school) free speech still works the way it's supposed to, despite the best efforts of the present day powerful
This is exquisite - excellent work. Great effort, fantastic journalism. This is what it's all about.
They have also, by the way, changed not only the definition of Herd Immunity (that was late summer 2020), but they changed the definition of 'vaccine' and 'vaccination'. This is your CDC.
What, if anything, are these colleges doing to shoulder the burden of keeping these students safe? Great that they're not in denial, but it seems like, from what I am reading, they've shifted all the burden onto the students. Updated air and ventilation systems? Transitioning to more open air structures? They may actually have done these things, it would be good to know how this burden is being shouldered.
We all grew up with the image of journalists being too-focused-on-a-bigger-mission-to-be-perma-kempt, principle-driven, and tenacious truth-seekers. How did we go from that, to deriding that very image and reputation in favor of hyper-coiffed, Armani-suit wearing teleprompter readers paid lavishly to distort the truth? I can't shake the feeling we're living through They Live. There's a veneer of surrealism on even our important institutions, and not enough people see it.
Thank you for what you do, Michael. You are critical to our collective sanity.
Thank you for this, Michael. If only it didn't involve a threat to your safety.
And - although this isn't supposed to be about you - congratulations on getting the recognition that you truly deserve.
I mean, the recognition of your journalistic integrity. Not the recognition that your shirt isn't tucked in. Ahem.
I just hope I can escape before these people completely take over.