Coronavirus

“In times of actual crisis, it can be easy to let awe and wonder fall by the wayside. Even in times of prosperity and plenty, our politicians and would-be planners are adept at finding urgency and necessity where neither truly exists.” - Acton

“Some have asked if I would give churches clear direction as to when they should reopen and how they should go about doing it. Let me give you a few reasons why I will not tell churches when or how they should reopen.” - Mike Hess

My recent research, with Cary Wu, explores whether differences in social capital across counties can help explain the differences in the severity of the pandemic. … Although there are many definitions, social capital refers to the norms and relationships that facilitate coordination and resilience within a community.” - The Public Discourse

“…even with precautions taken, 75% of this choir got sick…. at least one of the 61 singers was ‘known to be symptomatic,’ according to the CDC. Second of all, it was a really long rehearsal. They were in a couple of rooms for 2 1/2 hours. They shared food. They stacked folding chairs together.

“The problem Etzioni says, isn’t the modeling team—which she believes is doing it’s best to ‘deliver results that match the data and produce ever-more-complex predictions about the future.’ Rather, it’s the way the information is communicated.

“These cases are very fact-specific and turn on the specific language of the bans in question. But there is another, more important reason for the courts’ division…. Under the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Employment Division v. Smith (1990), no right to an exemption exists where a law is neutral and generally applicable, that is, where the law does not target religion for disfavored treatment.

“A very different response is found in Rev. Francis J. Grimke…. Grimke acknowledged that there was some ‘considerable grumbling’ regarding the closing of churches. But he also offers a defense: ‘The fact that the churches were places of religious gathering, and the others not, would not affect in the least the health question involved.

“This is not an anti-science piece. It is rather a warning against scientism, the belief that science is the only path to knowledge because the material world is all that exists, and only science is equipped to discover knowledge of the material world.

“What makes all of this even dumber is that all the federal government has done is recommend mask-wearing. Most of the places that require masks are private businesses. Admittedly, some are adhering to local public health guidelines, but so what? Why aren’t these rebels going shirtless and shoeless into restaurants to stick it to the man and his Maoist ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ signs?” - The Dispatch