Megalomaniacal Sununu Dismisses ReopenNH Out of Hand … Plans to Maintain Lockdown Until June or Later

So Governor Chris Sununu was asked about ReopenNH at today’s photo-op … oh, I’m sorry, I mean “Coronavirus briefing” … and here’s what he had to say:

Not just that … Sununu envisions keeping the Constitution suspended … oh, sorry again, I mean “protecting us” … until June or later.

Let’s start with this. With respect to Coronavirus, Sununu has no idea what he is talking about. For example, there is no science supporting “social distancing.” From Julie Kelly at American Greatness:

So, precisely what is the science driving this mad world of shuttered public beaches, stormtrooper cops ticketing churchgoers sitting in their own cars, and duct-taped boxes in checkout lines to instruct shoppers where to stand?

It turns out, there is little verifiable evidence to support this government-imposed safe space: The CDC’s COVID-19 guidance portal is disturbingly vague about a policy now fueling the destruction of the U.S. economy and forcing Americans to live under house arrest for the foreseeable future.

Nor is there any science supporting the ban on gatherings of people:

The CDC also can’t quite make up its mind about the safety of large gatherings in the COVID-era. In mid-March, the agency asked Americans to limit gatherings of 250 people or more. A few weeks later, the White House, at the behest of the CDC, urged Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. There is no science, however, to support either number. (What is so fateful about 250 people? Why not 175? And why 10 people? Why not 16 or 17?)

Yet we have State Epidemiologist, Dr. Chan telling us that “social distancing” has saved us from the #coronapocalypse and that we can’t let our foot off the gas pedal:

There is no science supporting any of Chan’s increasingly divorced from reality claims. There is no “coronavirus pandemic” in New Hampshire. There is no science behind the measures Sununu and Chan claim have staved off the #coronapocalypse.

Sununu and Chan are like the tribal chief and shaman who tell the tribe to beat drums and sacrifice their livestock to stop the solar eclipse … except Sununu and Chan never want us to stop beating the drums and sacrificing the livestock.

There is also no science supporting the claim that “lockdowns” stop or even slow the spread of Coronavirus. A recent study from Israel:

This is how it is all over the world. Both in countries where they have taken closure steps like Italy and in countries that have not had closures like Taiwan or Singapore. In such and such countries there is an increase until the fourth to sixth week, and immediately thereafter moderation until during the eighth week it disappears.” …

“This is happening both in countries that have closed down like us and in those that have not closed until today like Sweden, every country no matter its response. The decline and rise occur according to the same timeline,” he said, adding that his observations are based entirely on past data without attempting to guess what will happen in the future.

A German scientist is saying the same thing:

Instead, claims Streeck, his study found that: “There is no significant risk of catching the disease when you go shopping. Severe outbreaks of the infection were always a result of people being closer together over a longer period of time.”

In contrast, we haven’t seen any science from Sununu or Chan supporting their claims about social distancing and lockdowns … and the reason we have not is … THERE IS NO SUCH SCIENCE.

Sununu claims the four Coronavirus deaths announced by DHHS today justify the lockdown. DHHS, however, if you look at the fine print has NOT claimed a single death was CAUSED by Coronavirus. Instead, DHHS reports deaths “related to” Coronavirus. That suggests that the cause of death was a preexisting medical condition and the deceased also had tested positive for Coronavirus. In other words, DHHS is inflating the numbers.

Moreover, to put things in context, there were 99 traffic fatalities in New Hampshire in 2019. If 27 Coronavirus deaths are enough to indefinitely suspend the Constitution and the economy, then shouldn’t we also indefinitely shut down all the roads?

The lockdowns, etc. were employed because the models told us the hospitals were going to be overwhelmed even with lockdowns, etc.. It is now unarguable that the models were horribly wrong.

Now Sununu has shifted the goalline and is claiming that the lockdowns are to prevent any Coronavirus deaths or even any new cases of Coronavirus. This is madness. The economic cost is far too high. Do we lockdown the State to avoid any deaths … or even cases … of the flu?

Of course, we don’t. Cost-benefit analysis is why we don’t lockdown the State every flu season or shut the roads down in response to the 99 traffic fatalities we saw in 2019. Why should cost-benefit analysis apply to those situations, but not here?

The reason, sad to say, is that the State is in the hands of a megalomaniac.