Even the New York Times Is Acknowledging the Potential Perils of COVID Security Theater

Useless yet burdensome “security” measures really meant only to reassure people are no longer confined solely to airports. When the COVID-19 pandemic first began, we didn’t fully understand how the virus spread. But as we learned more about how it does—and does not—spread, our pandemic safety practices haven’t adapted.

Many supposed COVID-19 hygiene policies are essentially airport-style “security theater” at this point. But they’re not just useless. New reporting suggests that some supposed preventative measures, like plastic “shields” erected between people, may actually worsen the spread of COVID-19.

We’ve all seen them. They’re at the grocery store, at the cash register, or even in many schools separating teachers from pupils. Yet experts say the barriers aren’t working.

“Scientists who study aerosols, air flow and ventilation say that much of the time, the barriers don’t help and probably give people a false sense of security,” the New York Times reports. “And sometimes the barriers can make things worse.”

Indeed, a study published in the journal Science actually found that the use of desk shields separating students in classrooms was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 spread. Why might that be?

“If you have a forest of barriers in a classroom, it’s going to interfere with proper ventilation of that room,” Virginia Tech engineering professor Linsey Marr told the Times. “Everybody’s aerosols are going to be trapped and stuck there and building up, and they will end up spreading beyond your own desk.”

“If there are aerosol particles in the classroom air, those shields around students won’t protect them,” University of California, Davis engineering dean Richard Corsi agreed. “Depending on the air flow conditions in the room, you can get a downdraft into those little spaces that you’re now confined in and cause particles to concentrate in your space.”

Simply put, plastic barriers don’t stop aerial spread. And they may even increase the chances of infection by obstructing the ventilation of the room. So, these barriers are more than just annoying. The security theater is possibly dangerous and counterproductive.

Some might argue that it doesn’t matter if these measures aren’t all highly effective. Why not take every possible precaution? And what’s wrong with making people feel better?

A lot, actually. This view is deeply naive and ignores the most basic lesson of economics: scarcity, opportunity cost, and trade-offs. The reality is we only have so much time and energy to devote to safety measures. The time and energy put toward one measure necessarily mean less put toward another. No one can or will take every precaution, and all restrictive measures come at a social, economic, and human cost.

So, it’s good news that even the New York Times is waking up to the perils of security theater. Maybe soon they’ll realize that all pandemic restrictions, not just plastic barriers, come with serious trade-offs.

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

The Dangers of Speaking the Truth Diminish If We Work Together

It’s becoming harder and harder for patriots to ignore the deep suppression of truth that’s happening in America today.

In all of my years in journalism, I have never received as many threats or been attacked by big companies like Google and Facebook as I have in 2021. I’d say that ever since we started covering widespread voter fraud, government-endorsed Pandemic Panic Theater, vaccine cover-ups, Critical Race Theory, and the various Neo-Marxist and Satanic agendas at play, I’ve been targeted more in months than the entirety of my life prior.

Speaking the truth is getting harder with so much censorship and suppression rampant. Prior to 2020, I was not a “conspiracy theorist” or an “anti-vaxxer,” but if there’s one thing the onslaught of exposed lies have taught us in the last 18 months, it’s that we cannot take what we’re told by the “arbiters of truth” at face value. There’s an agenda behind every message, a narrative driving every story, and a series of gigantic cover-ups designed to keep the masses in the dark.

This is why we’re building a network of news outlets that are willing to go against the narrative and expose the truth. We need help. We’re establishing strong partnerships with like-minded news outlets and courageous journalists. Even as Big Tech suppresses us, the honest messages they’re trying to quash are finding their way to the eyes and ears of patriots across the nation. With the help of new content partners like The Epoch Times and The Liberty Daily, we’re starting to see a real impact.

Our network is currently comprised of nine sites:

• NOQ Report
• Conservative Playlist
• Truth. Based. Media.
• Freedom First Network
• Based Underground
• Uncanceled News
• American Conservative Movement
• Conservative Playbook
• Our Gold Guy

Some of our content is spread across all of these sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.

I’ve said much of this before. From time to time I reframe this request for assistance by taking the most relevant message of the day and adjusting the story accordingly. We’ve discussed this network in previous articles. Now, it’s time to talk about help. First and foremost, we need financial assistance detailed below. But we could also use more writers who are willing to volunteer their thoughts for the sake of spreading the message. Those who are interested should contact me directly.

As far as money, we’re looking better than we have in the recent past, but we are currently experiencing a gap between revenue and expenses that cannot be overcome by click-ads and MyPillow promos alone (promo code “NOQ” by the way).

To overcome our revenue gap and keep these sites running, our needs fluctuate between $2200-$7800 per month. May, 2021, for example, was amazing and we almost broke even. June, revenue was sluggish at best and we had to make up a big difference out of our pockets. But we’re not just trying to get out of the red. If and when we start getting enough contributions to expand, we will do just that. Very few get into journalism to try to get rich and we’re definitely not among those who do. Our success is driven by spreading the truth, profitable or not.

The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8

Time is short. As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.

Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker

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