Commentary

Pelosi Using Coronavirus Crisis To Push Tax Break for Her Wealthy Neighbors

Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses reporters at a news conference last week in the Capitol. After President Trump signed a $2 trillion bill aimed at relief for Americans in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, Pelosi is planning new legislation using the crisis as cover to restore a huge tax break to the wealthy. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

In late January we asked whether a prolific Chinese scientist who was experimenting with bat coronavirus at a level-4 biolab in Wuhan China was responsible for the current outbreak of a virus which is 96% genetically identical – and which saw an explosion in cases at a wet market located just down the street.

For suggesting this, we were kicked off Twitter and had the pleasure of several articles written by MSM hacks regarding our ‘conspiracy theory’ – none of which addressed the plethora of hard evidence linked in the post. These are the same people, mind you, who pushed the outlandish and evidence-free Trump-Russia conspiracy theory for years.

Whether or not the virus was engineered (scientists swear it wasn’t) – it shouldn’t take Perry Mason to conclude that a virulent coronavirus outbreak which started near a biolab that was experimenting with — coronavirus — bears scrutiny. Could a lab worker have accidentally infected themselves – then gone shopping for meat at the market over several days, during the long, asymptomatic incubation period?

In February, researchers Botao Xial and Lei Xiao published a quickly-retracted paper titled "The possible origins of 2019-nCoV coronavirus" – which speculated that the virus came from the Wuhan biolab.

Now, mainstream outlets are catching on – or at least have become brave enough to similarly connect the dots.

Earlier this week, Fox News‘ Tucker Carlson suggested that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab.

Tucker Carlson is currently citing a report that he openly admits he can’t confirm is true to question if coronavirus was made in a lab pic.twitter.com/CTxrJtw0Sh

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) April 1, 2020

And now, the Washington Times is out with a report titled "Chinese researchers isolated deadly bat coronaviruses near Wuhan animal market."

Chinese government researchers isolated more than 2,000 new viruses, including deadly bat coronaviruses, and carried out scientific work on them just three miles from a wild animal market identified as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several Chinese state media outlets in recent months touted the virus research and lionized in particular a key researcher in Wuhan, Tian Junhua, as a leader in bat virus work.

The coronavirus strain now infecting hundreds of thousands of people globally mutated from bats believed to have infected animals and people at a wild animal market in Wuhan. The exact origin of the virus, however, remains a mystery. –Washington Times

"This is one of the worst cover-ups in human history, and now the world is facing a global pandemic," said Texas GOP Rep. Michael T. McFoul – a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McFoul believes China should be held accountable for the outbreak.

Meanwhile, a video from December funded by the Chinese government shows Tian collecting samples from captured bats and storing them in vials.

"I am not a doctor, but I work to cure and save people," said Tian, adding "I am not a soldier, but I work to safeguard an invisible national defense line."

The mainstream theory behind the virus is that it crossed over to humans after first infecting an intermediary species – such as a pangolin.

Read the rest of the report here.

Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

The United States of America is basically closed for business, leaving citizens jobless, broke, and without options. We’re facing restrictions on movement the likes of which our nation has never seen. The stores that are open have never fully restocked after the “panic buying” of previous weeks, leading to shelves barren of things like meat, flour, toilet paper, and rice.

It’s only a matter of time before these issues combine to become the flashpoint that leads to an explosion of civil unrest and violent crime.

The financial situation

Unemployment skyrocketed, with 3.3 million claims last week, and the Fed estimates that number to climb to a whopping 47 million due to the virus. Many of these jobs may not come back after the Covid-19 virus has run its course through the nation – businesses small and large are going to be defaulting on their April rent payments, and many simply won’t be able to catch up later.

So far, a lot of people in the area where I’m staying seem to be treating this break of business like a surprise staycation. It’s nice to see families out walking together, playing games, and spending time with the people they love.

But this happiness may be shortlived. Despite generous government-mandated disaster pay, unemployment, and stimulus checks, the money may not arrive in time for former employees, self-employed people, and gig workers to pay their personal bills. And when the money does arrive, for many folks it isn’t going to be the same amount they were earning before the shutdowns. Most people don’t have emergency funds, so things will be dire in short order.

Of course, this affects landlord, mortgage companies, utility companies, retail businesses…the list could go on and on.

The supply situation

A lot of people are blaming “hoarders” and preppers for the shortages seen in stores. Of course, it’s nonsense to blame preppers because we’ve been buying our things over a course of years. And honestly, if it was only “panic buyers” causing problems, wouldn’t the stores be replenished by now? After all, people have hardly been able to shop for two weeks in many states due to social distancing measures.

In reality, there are major issues with the supply chain, a problem many folks aren’t seeing because they’re not at the store. Distribution systems are breaking down.

A source at a Walmart Superstore recently confided that the trucks were only delivering a fraction of the items needed to restock shelves. Imports aren’t arriving in California ports, at least not anywhere close to the degree they were before.

And because more people are eating at home than ever before, the demand on grocery stores has increased dramatically. This also comes at a time after farmers have been driven out of business by the trade war. (source) We have actual shortages here, and it isn’t just due to “panic buying.” That only exposed the dangers of the Just In Time delivery philosophy used by retailers.

Some folks are reporting that the shelves in their areas are full, but many others are reporting the exact opposite.

Restrictions on movement

The third worrisome factor is extreme restrictions on movement. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such a thing in the United States as we’re seeing now.

Texas and Florida have checkpoints where they’re testing travelers for health problems, escorting them to quarantine, or turning them away. Rhode Island police went so far as to go door-to-door with the National Guard, searching for “New Yorkers” who had fled the virus in their home state.

Most states have closed non-essential businesses and schools for the foreseeable future. Local authorities are beginning to crack down on groups of people and innocent Americans risk being questioned when they leave their homes to walk the dog or go to the store. Last week, thousands of Americans considered essential workers were given “travel papers” to show the authorities if they’re stopped when they are going to work. Travel papers. In the United States of America.

If you can’t satisfy the requirements laid out by your state or local government, you could face fines and even misdemeanor charges for breaking stay-at-home orders.

Don’t count on 911

Add to all of the above, police officers are getting sick. Hundreds of NYPD and Detroit police officers have tested positive for Covid-19.

Some places, like Cincinnati, are limiting in-person police responses to crimes “to reduce unnecessary contact between officers and the public to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

During the coronavirus outbreak and beginning Tuesday morning, Cincinnati police officers will no longer respond in person to the following reports: criminal damaging, dog bites, lost property, lost or stolen license plates, phone harassment, property damage or found property.

Police will no longer respond to assault reports, unless a suspect is still present or the victim requires medical attention, breaking and entering reports unless a suspect is still present, menacing reports “unless suspect is expected or threatens to return or is part of the elements of domestic violence” or theft reports “where there is no possibility of immediate apprehension.” (source)

How long before officers just stop coming in to work and instead, stay home to take care of their families? And, can you blame them if they do?

Other countries are seeing civil unrest.

The Covid-19 lockdowns are resulting in violence in other countries.

Italy has begun to see chaos. People are running out of food, money, and patience.

Videos are appearing on social media of people struggling to cope with the effects of the lockdown. In Palermo, Sicily, police have been forced to head to supermarkets after reports of people stealing food to feed themselves, and groups have appeared in recent days looking to organise raids on supermarkets.

A video has been widely shared around Italy showing a father beside his young daughter, who is eating a solitary slice of bread, telling the Italian primer minister Giuseppe Conte “We’ve already been inside for 15 to 20 days and we are at our limit. Just like my daughter, other children in a few days won’t be able to eat this slice of bread. Rest assured you will regret this, because we are going to have a revolution”. (source)

It isn’t just an Italian problem. As soon as restrictions were partially lifted in China, citizens began to riot, beating police with their own shields and overturning police cars.

This could be the perfect storm.

It’s only a matter of time before the factors above combine to create the “perfect” conditions for widespread civil unrest and crime. When Cat Ellis wrote her book about surviving this pandemic, there’s a reason she included detailed information about securing your property and preparing for potential assaults on your home or retreat. You’ve got your supplies. Now you need to focus on defensive planning.

And if you think that is far-fetched, then why are retailers across the country boarding up their windows? Zero Hedge reports:

In Beverly Hills, the Pottery Barn and West Elm stores near Rodeo Drive were spotted with boards across the windows according to TMZ…

…Meanwhile, stores in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Paris, Vancouver and elsewhere were similarly boarded up. (source)

I suspect it isn’t just luxury stores that need to get prepared.  The rest of us need to be ready, too. Many people in the preparedness community have noticed with discomfort the increasing number of people saying, “I’ll just come to your house” or “It’s not fair that selfish preppers have all this stuff and they’re refusing to share.” Many of us have been asked by friends, neighbors, and family members if we can spare some toilet paper or hand sanitizer.

The people who suspect you may have food will show up at your door one of these days when they run out of food. First, they’ll come asking for it. Then they’ll come demanding it. And not just from you but also from local businesses. The ensuing theft and violence will lead to harsher crackdowns from law enforcement and vigilante justices as people stand up to defend their homes and businesses. And if you think the Constitution is being trampled now, hold on to your halo. Eventually, this will lead straight to martial law and totalitarianism the likes of which we’ve never seen in our country.

Don’t think for a second that it won’t happen here.

Virus or no virus, people are not just going to quietly stay home and watch as their families starve to death.

What happens when people start running out of the food they hurriedly purchased before the lockdowns? What happens when overloaded unemployment offices are unable to get people’s payments to them in a timely fashion?What happens when the stimulus checks haven’t arrived yet and there’s no money in people’s wallets for groceries? What happens when stores aren’t able to replenish enough to keep people fed?

I think anyone who has been in the preparedness world knows exactly what happens.

Anger. Violence. Looting. Uncontrollable hordes of people storming stores.

Sort of like every Black Friday except this time, people won’t just want inexpensive bath towels and televisions. They’ll want food to keep their families from starving to death. And they’ll be willing to take down anyone who gets in their way. Whether that’s a parent defending the supply they’ve carefully acquired to take care of their own children or a store security guard, it won’t matter to those who have not prepared for this.

Every year, I show video clips in the Black Friday Hall of Shame. And every year, I write, “If they’ll act like this over home linens, what happens when those same people are hungry?”

This may be the year that we find out what happens.

Recent Stories in Satire

• Everyone Who ‘Celebrated’ America Leading the World in Coronavirus Cases Looks Like an Idiot Now, Especially Hillary
• Flouting Guidelines, Flaunting Privilege: RBG Enjoys Private Gym Sessions While the Rest of Us Are Stuck at Home
• NIP ALERT: Andrew Cuomo’s Curious Breast Bulge Could Be Piercing, Analysis Finds