Coronavirus

To Promote Vaccination and Protect National Security, the Biden Administration Should Resurrect Vine

August 4, 2021 by Jack Butler Leave a Comment

In addition to suspending the Constitution, the Biden administration is still trying to persuade more Americans to take coronavirus vaccines. Its efforts have turned to a predictable place: social media:

. . . The government is also relying upon young, attractive TikTok influencers. The Biden administration is actively recruiting an “influencer army” to promote vaccines to Gen-Zers.
According to the New York Times, high school student Ellie Zeiler, a 17-year-old TikToker with over 10 million followers, was approached by the White House with an interesting offer. Zeiler was requested to partake in a campaign to entice her followers and other young people to get vaccinated.
About 50 Twitch streamers, YouTubers and TikTokers with large followings, including the very popular 18-year-old star, Olivia Rodrigo, have joined up. Some states and local municipalities have started similar campaigns. They are paying “local micro influencers” up to $1,000 a month to spread the word.

But why is the Biden administration promoting TikTok, a social-media app with extremely shady connections to the Chinese government? Last year, the Trump administration attempted to ban the app in the U.S. on national-security grounds. Earlier this year, Joe Biden rescinded this order. Now, we are stuck with an app that is both likely compromised by the Chinese government (and dominated by Zoomers — but that’s another matter).

There is a better way. Now, before I suggest this, let me reiterate that the Biden CDC’s unilateral extension of an eviction moratorium is flagrantly unconstitutional and should be fought, overturned, and undone forthwith. But momentarily entertain as a thought experiment what one could do in this realm where the government has decided to interpret federal law so broadly as to allow for unilateral regulation of every rental transaction in the nation.

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In such a realm, there might be a case not only for banning TikTok over its questionable ties to the regime that brought coronavirus into the world, but also for using government resources to resurrect a defunct alternative to TikTok: Vine.

Vine was TikTok before TikTok, a Twitter-linked app that allowed for the rapid creation and promulgation of quick, fun videos. It died a few years ago, but not before it worked its way fondly into the hearts of millions of young people, who still remember and compile its many greatest hits. (Twitter execs apparently regret the decision to kill Vine, particularly in the wake of TikTok’s success.) Even before or without coronavirus, you could have squinted and seen a national-security case for reviving Vine as a competitor/alternative to the insidious TikTok. National security has been recognized as an area for allowable exceptions to free-market systems. Even Adam Smith wrote that it may be necessary to make such exceptions “when some particular sort of industry is necessary for the defence of the country.”

Now there are both national-security and epidemiological reasons to resurrect Vine. We need a homegrown source of pointlessly fun, distracting videos to combat the hollowing out of our meme-industrial base, which is currently being compromised by a Chinese-government-linked app. We also need an American app to help persuade Millennials and Zoomers to get vaccinated against a virus that originated thanks to the same government whose connection to TikTok that app has been coy about, to say the least.

You may scoff at the ridiculousness of this policy. But is it any more ridiculous than what the government has already done with the powers the pandemic has enabled it to grab? Obviously, these powers should be clawed back. But, again, operating in the theoretical realm in which we assume that does not happen . . . why shouldn’t the Biden administration resurrect Vine?

Maryland's GOP Gov. Urges Ravens QB Lamar Jackson to Get Vaccinated

August 4, 2021 by Warner Todd Huston Leave a Comment

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s positive test for coronavirus has brought Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to demand that the player get vaccinated.

Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and he is now forced to isolate for ten days to satisfy the NFL’s coronavirus protocols. Why ten days and not five? Because Jackson is unvaccinated, and the league recently moved to make tougher rules to punish unvaccinated players.

To add to Jackson’s woes, Maryland’s gov. decided to pile on when the news broke.

“Lamar’s gotta get (vaccinated),” Hogan said, according to WBAL News Radio. “With the rules, the NFL put down. I can’t imagine a team wanting to forfeit a game or lose a chance at the playoffs and none of the players getting paid because someone won’t get a vaccine.”

(The Associated Press)

Jackson will return to the field before the preseason game against the Saints on August 14th.

This week’s positive test is the second time that Jackson has tested positive for the virus. He sat out a Week 12 game last year, as well. However, this is now the second time he has tested positive without suffering a full-scale coronavirus infection.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The team also reported that running back Gus Edwards tested positive for COVID-19. Both players are now serving out their coronavirus wait-time.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.

Bill de Blasio: 'We're Looking Forward' to Vaccinating Kids 'at a Younger Age'

August 4, 2021 by Hannah Bleau Leave a Comment

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) explained that the city’s vaccine passport program will not apply to children who are too young to receive the vaccine but added that they are “looking forward to the point where kids can get vaccinated at a younger age,” which he predicted will happen in the next couple of months.

“It’s time to take a different strategic approach, and that means the right kind of mandates. And the Key to NYC Pass to me is exactly the right kind of mandate,” de Blasio said, touting the city’s vaccine passport program which forces private businesses to discriminate against unvaccinated individuals.

“[It] gives people the opportunity to live life fully — the freedom to — to live life fully simply by getting vaccinated. Even the first dose gets you in the game,” he said, touting the ease of showing proof of vaccination via a vaccination card, the NYC app, or the Excelsior pass.

While he said they will educate the public on the policy over the next two weeks, he said many have been asking about how the rule will apply to children. Children too young to get the vaccine, he assured, will be able to join their vaccinated family members for activities in the city.

“Of course. We want families to be together. [The] smart thing to do — keep masks on your kids except when they’re eating or drinking obviously,” de Blasio said.

“But if you’re going out as a whole family and your kids are not yet vaccination age, of course, they should come along,” he said before explaining that they are looking forward to being able to vaccinate children as young as 5.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 03: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and student Justin De La Cruz work on a science project with worms during a visit to a pre-K classroom at P.S.1 on Henry St. in Manhattan on April 3, 2014 in New York City. Earlier de Blasio and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced a major media and community organizing push urging New Yorkers to sign their children up for pre-K. (Photo by Susan Watts-Pool/Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and student Justin De La Cruz work on a science project with worms during a visit to a pre-K classroom (Susan Watts-Pool/Getty Images)

“We’re also looking forward to the point where kids can get vaccinated at a younger age. That 5-11 group. That’s not that too far away. That should be this year, in the next couple of months, so that’s going to help as well,” he said, promising further details to come on NYC’s vaccine passport program.

Currently, none of the vaccines are approved for those under the age of 12. And notably, none of the vaccines used in the United States — Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson — have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Washington Post Fact Checker: Mayor Bowser Gives ‘Poor Spin’ on Breaking Her Own Mask Mandate

August 4, 2021 by Jacob Bliss Leave a Comment

Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler called out Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) for her “poor spin” on breaking the mask mandate she put in place 24 hours before.

The mayor announced on Thursday that the city would begin an indoor mask policy again starting Saturday morning, at 5:00 a.m., regardless of an individual’s vaccination status. In her executive order, she acknowledged that masks are “not required during the following activities/situations when a person is … actively eating or drinking.”

An opinion writer at the Washington Examiner caught Browser violating the mandate put into place early that day, Saturday. “Despite the mayor’s order, the wedding reception featured hundreds of unmasked guests served by dozens of wait staff, including a conspicuously unmasked Bowser,” the report read.

The “poor spin,” according to Kessler, was when she spoke to reporters and said, “We all know what the rules say about sitting at a dining table and dining. Don’t be ridiculous. … They took a picture of me where dinner and drinks were served.”

However, the Examiner added, “Bowser, who was not sitting at the table designated for her during wedding toasts, did not wear a mask despite not actively eating or drinking.”

In a follow-up article, the opinion writer added a video of the mayor with “hundreds of unmasked guests during the wedding toast.”

Kessler wrote:

The mayor and her office have responded with spin and obfuscation — what we in the news business call a non-denial denial. In the process, she seems to have recast the meaning of the executive order that went into effect on the day of the wedding.
…
This is an embarrassing moment for the mayor. The video clearly shows she is seated at a table, when the meal is over, in violation of her own mask mandate that says masks are not required indoors in these circumstances only when “actively eating or drinking.” But she could have used this an object lesson — that she got caught up in the celebratory mood and failed to put her mask back on. After all, everyone makes mistakes from time to time. But it’s important for political leaders to set an example — even when making an error.
Instead, she defended herself with partisan-laced spin and innuendo about “disinformation,” making false accusations about the reporter who exposed her actions.

“Instead, she defended herself with partisan-laced spin and innuendo about “disinformation,” making false accusations about the reporter who exposed her actions,” Kessler added, noting, she “poor spin” awarded her “Four Pinocchios.”

Republican Senator Introduces Bill Requiring States that Implement Vaccine Passports to Also Have Voter ID

August 4, 2021 by Hannah Bleau Leave a Comment

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND) is introducing a measure that would require states mandating vaccine passports to also implement voter ID requirements, the latter of which Democrats routinely describe as suppressive and discriminatory.

In a Tuesday statement, Cramer explained the bill will “shine a light” on the hypocrisy of those who support vaccine passport mandates yet reject asking someone to present an ID to vote.

“If states that take federal money for elections feel the need to make residents verify a piece of information as private as their vaccination status just to return to normalcy, then they should have no problem requiring people to prove they are who they say they are when they go to vote,” Cramer said in a Tuesday statement, adding that it will “ensure those states are being consistent about their identification requirements and shine a light on those who hypocritically oppose Voter ID laws but support vaccine passports.”

According to Fox News, Cramer plans to introduce the measure “as both a standalone bill and as an amendment to Democrat’s $3.5 trillion spending plan.”

While no state has implemented a widespread vaccine passport program yet, Cramer’s proposal comes on the heels of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) proudly announcing his administration’s plans to force private businesses in New York City to discriminate against the unvaccinated population. The Democrat dubbed the effort “The Key to NYC Pass,” which bars unvaccinated people from entering indoor restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues.

“The Key to New York City. When you hear those words, I want you to imagine the notion that because someone’s vaccinated, they can do all the amazing things that are available in the city,” he said, explaining that the “wonders” of New York City will only be available to the vaccinated.

“And if you’re vaccinated, all of that’s going to open up to you. You’ll have the key, you can open the door. If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things,” he warned.

“That’s the point we’re trying to get across,” de Blasio said, adding it is “time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life.”

While Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has fallen short of issuing a sweeping vaccine passport mandate covering the entire state, he has pressed private businesses to go to “vaccine-only admission.”

“We have passes. They’re on apps. They’re on phones. It’s very simple. You can operate a restaurant. Just say you have to show that you were vaccinated when you walk in the door. It’s going to help your business, not hurt it,” he said this week.

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