I definitely do not believe NZ’s claim they eradicated COVID with “95% probability.” [1]

I do not trust that number at all.

[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/world/australia/new-zeala...

I think people can tell that bullshit has been spewed in all directions. Nobody is looking good here. Nobody is above reproach.

What about viral reservoirs?

They’ve certainly changed my vote. Wow.

Oh please. Taking steps to fight disinformation is enough to drive you into the disinformation camp?

Your dismissive of OP’s reasoning. That tends to reinforce people’s position.

My wife is a registered Democrat who’ll be voting for Trump in a swing state. As recently as six months ago she loathed Trump.

Her stated reason is that she doesn’t feel like she can be herself, have her own opinions, among Democrats anymore.

That’s an overly simplistic and reductive view of free speech rights. Can my internet service provider shut off my access if I spend too much time reading “misinformation”? Can they give the government a list of all the people reading “misinformation”? Can they require I attend a reeducation program before restoring my access?

He was referring there to discussion caused by inconsistent rules resulting in people being unsure what the intention is, not that discussion in general is intended to be prevented.

Anybody who's actually seen the Dutch PMs press conferences has cringingly witnessed the lengths he has been going through not to 'tell anybody what to do'. What he is finally realizing his biggest contribution has been creating confusion.

The government doesnt even issue mask wearing instructions for fear of being raked over the coals for having the gall to 'prescribe' the sovereign people of the Netherlands.

Get a grip. Theres a million actual reasons for blaming Rutte for making your life worse, yet all these overnight liberals cannot see more than the mask an inch in front of them.

Here is a story that's currently not getting much traction on HN:

70.6% of people who were infected with Covid-19 “Always” wear masks [pdf] (cdc.gov)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24777029

I think you have the direction of protection of masks the wrong way round.

And probably something like 90% of people who die in automobile crashes always wear seatbelts.

It's not a very powerful data point to me, as in fact the linked HN discussion covers. What if 99% of those dead mask wearers had been going to daily naked foam parties with N95 masks properly covering their faces?

I only have a couple of drinks a week.

Unfortunately when rationality and ideology conflict, ideology tends to win.

Has it? You're not being very clear.

Yes. Look up the “Declaration of Helsinki.”

> The Declaration of Helsinki (DoH, Finnish: Helsingin julistus, Swedish: Helsingforsdeklarationen) is a set of ethical principles regarding human experimentation developed for the medical community by the World Medical Association (WMA).[1] It is widely regarded as the cornerstone document on human research ethics.

~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Helsinki

That one?

You'll have to be more specific. I didn't read the whole article but it doesn't sound like any "dark path" to me.

Exactly, this should be highlighted. The rhetoric seems intended to distract from this fact. How much money does the CDC receive each year?