Good Friday.....Easter.....Coronavirus

GOOD FRIDAY

"Another lesson Good Friday offers us in these uncertain times is the beauty of self-sacrifice. Christ didn’t have to come into the world, after all. We were the ones who sinned against God, breaking his commandments and ignoring the rules he had laid down for our care and guidance. Yet Christ loved us so much that he chose to take on the vulnerability of human flesh, live and form deep bonds with other humans, and eventually suffer a violent death. Why? So that all who put their faith in him could be saved."  Timothy Head, Townhall, 4/10

EASTER

"On this Easter holiday, as we try to make sense of the human pain around us, let's focus on the cross and on Jesus' triumphant declaration: "It is finished" (John 19:30). Yes, it was a triumphant statement. "This was not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr; it was not an expression of satisfaction that the termination of his sufferings was now reached; it was not the last gasp of a worn-out life," says Christian writer Arthur Pink. "No, rather was it the declaration on the part of the divine Redeemer that all for which he came from heaven to earth to do, was now done; that all that was needed to reveal the full character of God had now been accomplished; that all that was required by law before sinners could be saved had now been performed; that the full price of our redemption was now paid."  David Limbaugh, Townhall, 4/10

CORONAVIRUS

"But America is supposed to be a free country, where individual liberty reigns supreme. For this reason, I have never understood why we throw people behind bars for being involved with substances the government has deemed “criminal” (though I’m aware people view this position as somehow radical). There should be no controversy, however, about the freedom to try potentially life-saving drugs. When a person is gravely ill with a life-threatening, fast-progressing illness — one lacking other treatments — denying access to an experimental treatment simply because it isn’t “proven,” is not just draconian, but also asinine. It’s been disappointing to see that more Americans aren’t shouting this from the rooftops.

"Yes, we still have a lot to learn about hydroxychloroquine. Still, in times of crisis, we should unite around our common values as Americans. An individual’s bodily autonomy, especially when it comes to potentially life-saving options in a life-threatening situation, should certainly be one of them."  Katherine Timpf, National Review Online, 4/8

"One thing is certain: Things cannot continue as they have been. Americans are not going to stay home for months on end, and they certainly will not do so on the basis of ever-evolving models, especially as statistics roll in that look like the lower-end model estimates in terms of death and the upper-end estimates in terms of economic damage. We need transparency and honesty from our scientific experts -- we need to know what they know, what they don't and when they hope to know what they don't. We're grown-ups, and we're willing to follow their advice. But they need to start answering serious questions, or they will fall prey to the same lack of institutional faith to which all other American institutions seem deeply prone."  Ben Shapiro, Townhall, 4/8

"Without China’s deceit and WHO’s solicitude for Beijing, the outbreak might have been more limited, and the world at the very least would have had more time to react. China committed unforgivable sins of commission, affirmatively lying about the outbreak and punishing doctors and disappearing journalists who told the truth, whereas the WHO committed sins of omission — it lacked independence and courage at a moment of great consequence."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 4/10

"And this raises another complication for those who think the government can just “re-open” the economy with the flick of a switch. Trump and all of the governors could lift the stay-at-home orders and federal advisories tomorrow. That wouldn’t necessarily fill the restaurants, airplanes, or stadiums. People would still need to be convinced it’s safe. Such persuasion comes via clear, believable information, not orders from on high."  Jonah Goldberg, NRO, 4/10

"It’s almost surely the case that the models were wrong to one degree or another for the simple reason that any model is only as good as the data fed into it. With imperfect information — partly thanks to the outrageous dishonesty of the Chinese government and the grave missteps of the World Health Organization — it was inevitable that the models would never be more than best guesses. We’re far from out of the woods, but the fact that “only” some 60,000 Americans may die instead of 240,000 seems like something to celebrate, not an excuse to scapegoat officials who scrambled to save lives.

"And this raises another complication for those who think the government can just “re-open” the economy with the flick of a switch. Trump and all of the governors could lift the stay-at-home orders and federal advisories tomorrow. That wouldn’t necessarily fill the restaurants, airplanes, or stadiums. People would still need to be convinced it’s safe. Such persuasion comes via clear, believable information, not orders from on high.

"And that’s how it should be in a free society." Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online, 4/11

"The handshake may never return, shields and guards remaining up. And in a time where we are being driven apart — politically, socially, and economically — failing to extend a hand and touch one another, as a last remnant of the seal between us, seems like something we will miss."  Tyler Grant, NRO, 4/12