Brownstone Category
Vaccine Fanaticism Fuels Vaccine Skepticism
The development of COVID-19 vaccines is one of the few successes during a pandemic that saw major failures in public health strategy…
Travel Blocked from Europe: The Second Anniversary
At some point, we need a clear timeline based on what we know so far from books, FOIA requests, and…
The Failure of Track-and-Trace: Interview with Jay Bhattacharya
From early in the pandemic, once the confusion over testing had been sorted out, there seemed to be universal agreement…
The CDC: Source of Misinformation
One lasting casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic is lost trust in public health. The CDC recently lifted their recommendation for…
It’s Time to Talk about Elephants
For the past two years the world has converged on a single goal: slowing the spread of Covid-19. We have…
What Happens When Cases Rise?
Right now COVID cases are down, everyone is thinking about Ukraine, and restrictions are falling, but it won’t stay that…
Twitter Demanded that I Tell a Lie
This is the most censorious time of my life. Considering how old I am, that’s saying something – but not…
How Seventy Years of Progress Came to an End
The new inflation numbers are out. It’s 8 percent on consumer prices, or so they say. Not even that is…
How Seventy Years of Progress Came to an End
The new inflation numbers are out. It’s 8 percent on consumer prices, or so they say. Not even that is…
What the Truckers Want: An Explanation for the Confused
There are many legitimate reasons to be cynical in this world, but I’ve decided to assume that my fellow Americans…
What the Truckers Want: An Explanation for the Confused
There are many legitimate reasons to be cynical in this world, but I’ve decided to assume that my fellow Americans…
Freedom Is Our Birthright, Not Dependent On Medical Status
I received a request to sign a petition last week, already signed by 17,000 medical practitioners, many of whom have…
More than 150 Comparative Studies and Articles on Mask Ineffectiveness and Harms
It is not unreasonable to conclude that surgical and cloth masks, used as they currently are being used (without other…
Most Academics Went Silent. Why?
Of course, some academics were notably vocal during COVID19, taking the thesis position – lockdown, school closure, masking, temperature checks…
The Silence of Economists about Lockdowns
As professional economists, we have watched the response of much of the economics profession to COVID-era lockdowns with considerable surprise.…
Twitter Demanded that I Tell a Lie
This is the most censorious time of my life. Considering how old I am, that’s saying something – but not…
Forget About Covid, They Say
Earlier this year, a phrase was trending because Bari Weiss used it on a talk show: “I’m done with Covid.”…
American Lockdowns Began Two Years Ago Today
Certain dates should live in infamy. One is March 7, 2020. That is the date that the Austin, Texas, Mayor,…
Mardi Gras Saves the World
Reports from Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1, 2022, are that lockdowns and mandates are done. It was madness…
Comedy, Tragedy, or Both?
The Saturday Night Live skit on Covid policy is a welcome relief, a cultural sign that rationality has started to…
The Feudal Symbolism of Restaurant Closures
The restaurant has not always been with us. It was a product of the birth of the modern. It allowed…
The CDC Discovers Actual Public Health, Just in Time
One day I’m reading an internal memo commissioned by the Democratic Party to provide advice to dealing with Covid policy.…
A New Age of Barbarism
Political leaders in the US, Canada, Germany, and France – all NATO countries – got back on script yesterday. They…
Follow the Data, They Said, and Then Hid It
Never before has the public had access to so much data on a virus and its effects. For two years,…
The Responsibility of Intellectuals 2.0
Part of the astonishing power of Noam Chomsky’s 1967 essay The Responsibility of Intellectuals (New York Review of Books) was…
The Glorious End of DC’s Vaccine Mandate
Amidst dark times – a New York Times columnist has called this the “dark century” but he is at a…
And Now, It’s Economic Warfare
With the world reopening, and even US blue states and cities repealing mandates, how optimistic should we be? A little…
Patricians vs. Plebeians: The Realignment
When I was a kid — and the same with my parents when they were young — you could count…
Are They Finally Admitting Natural Immunity?
In late January, the CDC published a report that made what might have been regarded as a shocking claim. If…
They Are Still Defending Lockdowns
Fifteen years ago, writers schooled in computer science began to imagine various totalitarian schemes for pandemic control. Experienced public health…