Jack Dover
A really thought provoking post, Al, and a quite articulated too.

Ben Franklin was undeniably right: liberties can't be given up. Would you please explain which essential liberties would be given up if we (i.e. citizens of the country) would follow "new priests of science" guidelines, specifically?

Also, while I'm sure you have numbers to support claims about this new virus is being skewed so much to those over 80 and with existing health problems, but I just wonder which source they came from and in which way is this source related to the "new priests of science"?

A really great point about costs of lockdowns. True indeed that everything in life comes with a price tag attached, a major and massive lockdown just can't be free. Surely there's a reviewed research proving that increased suicides, job losses and increased poverty, etc. aren't caused by a systematic crisis in the current political and economic system, isn't there? I mean it would be really nice to make sure there's actual spike caused by a lockdown, not just a mere correlation.

Also what drove it home for me personally is your comparison of $2 trillions of economic relief paid to large corporations and $158 billions of government cancer research funding in a country with a private healthcare system. This just can't be argued with.

Other than that it was a very strong message, Al! I just wish that more people could have structured thinking.