by William Skink

The problem with Sweden is becoming difficult to ignore. Despite intense international pressure and scary modeling, Sweden resisted a full lock-down of its citizens. Because Sweden didn’t flatten the curve they are now in Covid-19 hell, right?

Wrong.

The problem with Sweden is actually a problem for the lock-downers. Sweden’s decision to resist panic and trust its citizens to follow common sense guidelines exposes how imposing a draconian lock-down is not the only option available to governments.

Here is Patrick Henningsen at 21st Century Wire discussing Sweden’s approach:

On the European front, the Scandinavian country of Sweden is now garnering more attention than before, and has become an object of both criticism and fascination for those against or in favor of lockdown policy. While countries like the United States and Great Britain continue to top the global tables in terms of COVID-19 death tolls, Sweden has only suffered marginal casualties in comparison, while avoiding the intense strain on society and loss in public confidence which lockdown governments are now grappling with as they continue to push their populations to the limits of social stress and economic tolerance. You could say those governments are already careening over the edge by looking at the latest jobless figures coming out the US with 30 million new people filing for unemployment in the last few weeks.
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Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s government advisor for epidemiology explains, “We are all trying to keep the spread of this disease as low as possible, mainly to prevent our healthcare system from being overstretched, but we have not gone for the complete lockdown. We have managed to keep the number of cases low enough so the intensive care units have kept working and there has always been 20 per cent beds empty and enough protective equipment, even in Stockholm, where there has been a huge stress on healthcare. So in that way the strategy has worked.”

Similarly, it doesn’t have the deal with the newest ‘crisis’ obstacle which lockdown states seem to be using as an excuse not to reopen society and the economy, which the fear of a ‘second peak‘ which governments are telling the public will wreak havoc on the nation by “infecting the vulnerable” and will “overwhelm the health services” if everything is suddenly reopened and social isolation and distancing is relaxed.

Isn’t it weird to see how a government advisor in another country can act so calm and reasonable amidst so much fear and confusion?

Here in America we can’t have a rational conversation about how to proceed, especially after what went down in Michigan last week.

Nope, anyone skeptical of maintaining lockdowns is immediately branded a right-wing extremist and thanks to the idiots in Michigan who showed up at the capitol with rifles and tactical gear, the image of resisting lockdowns will be the angry white guy screaming at the capitol’s sergeant of arms.

The partisan divide over this lockdown will effectively keep those who identify as liberals and progressives from even conceptualizing a different approach, just like Russiagate effectively kept those same liberals and progressives from facing the reality of the DNC’s anti-democratic corruption and total fealty to big money donors.

If these partisans and the electorate they keep suckering were capable of self-reflection and changing course, then maybe there would be a reason to show up and vote for their candidates, but they are not capable of changing course. Joe Biden is proof enough of that.

When someone pokes at the consensus reality the partisans blind themselves with, the backlash is often tinged with ridicule and disdain. Sweden experienced this, yet held firm:

The country has also been roundly criticized by some 2,300 academics who piled on scorn upon it in a letter posted in March demanding the government change course and immediately head for lockdown.

However, the country has held off, and has since won endorsements from a number of eminent academics and professionals, like Professor Heneghan who hailed Sweden for “holding its nerve,” in the face of such public condemnation. That steadfastness seems to finally be paying dividends now, as some western mainstream media outlets, and even the UN itself, are acknowledging their comparable success. The New York Post begrudgingly acknowledged that Sweden received praise from the high chair of global public health at the World Health Organization (WHO), now lauded it as a “model” for overcoming the coronavirus crisis.

Dr. Micheal Ryan, WHO head of emergency management said, “What it has done differently is it has very much relied on its relationship with its citizenry and the ability and willingness of its citizens to implement self-distancing and self-regulate.”

He added, “In that sense, they have implemented public policy through that partnership with the population …. I think if we are to reach a new normal, Sweden represents a model if we wish to get back to a society in which we don’t have lockdowns.”

This is a doctor from the World Health Organization giving a cautious endorsement of Sweden’s public policy, not some dude playing militia dress-up In Lansing or an evangelical woman wanting to get her hair done.

Instead of looking at what Sweden is doing, America is going to be whipped up into a frenzy of retribution-demanding warmongers against China. Just watch. It’s already happening.

There is a reason for imposing lock-downs, but it’s not for the health and safety of the public. To understand what is happening and why you have to understand that we are ruled by sociopaths who have acquired immense amounts of power and prestige for themselves, but that power is being contested by the rise of China and the emergence of a multipolar world.

I think these sociopaths are willing to do almost anything to preserve their power. They are like petulant children being told to share a new toy. The thought of sharing is so abhorrent to them they would rather destroy the toy before allowing the indignity of sharing with others.

The effort to scapegoat China is just picking up speed. It will be difficult to keep one’s head as the propaganda escalates.

But China is not my enemy, nor are those questioning the benefits of continuing lock-downs. The real enemies are the creatures who have accumulated vast amounts of power, who control weapons of mass-extinction, and who have no conscience preventing them from taking actions that could result in killing millions.