Thread by @DonaldWelsh16

Martin Kuldorff has been a rational voice throughout the C19 response. Especially noteworthy has been his 12 forgotten principles of public health. They are worth reading and they remind you of how public health should work. 1/

https://twitter.com/MartinKulldorff/status/1340352565481975812?s=19

One of the key principles is "Trust" and my question today is whether you trust public health. My answer is an emphatic "No" and it is unlikely to return for quite some time. Let's explore this in more detail. 2/

https://twitter.com/MartinKulldorff/status/1340352582737391617?s=19

One can compile a laundry list of untrustworthy behavior but this video of Nick Hudson (Pandata19) at a recent biz conference sums it up nicely in a global context. My favorite paraphrase follows. 3/

"A deadly novel virus is sweeping the planet. No immunity and no cure. Asymptomatics drive the disease. So we have to lockdown, wear masks until vaccination. Anyone who challenges is a danger to society."

This is what we were told. 4/

Every aspect of this narrative, and the policies that arose from it are false. All of it. It's largely a lie and gov't has used a dangerous fear mongering campaign to reinforce it. 5/

In Canada, our gov't has destroyed 2 trillions of private/public wealth, thrown millions out of work, shuttered business, education and the arts, killed thousands and imprisoned Canadians. It has been an unprecedented display of raw destructive power. 6/

The campaign originated at the federal level, enabled by Dr. Teresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer. For 12 months, we have witnessed a public servant distort and misrepresent the truth while the federal gov't threw gobs of money everywhere. 7/

There has been no bureaucratic discipline or rational explanation. Public health has attempted to justify their unprecedented behavior under the precautionary principle, a principle they perverted to suit their purpose. 8/

Simply, the precautionary principle argues that when presented with an unknown, best to do no harm (minimal action). The perversion has been to argue if you don't know, assume the worst and crush society accordingly. This is wrong and immoral. 9/

I suspect this distortion has helped provide cover to a public health office that was terribly organized and woefully unprepared. The latter words aren't mine, but of Canada's auditor general whose annual report was blunt and scathing. 10/

cp24.com/mobile/news/pu…

In normal times, a public servant with this track record would be asked to resign. That's the first step of many needed to rebuild the trust that was so cavalierly destroyed. Dr. Tam isn't the only one and a full transparent public inquiry is essential. 11/

Unfortunately, we are stuck in the near term with a dangerously false narrative and a public health community of low trust trying to drag a failing policy across some fictitious finish line. 12/

I will speak bluntly. Without trust, public health has only coercion. It's a two headed beast, one tied to fear, the other to threats aimed at your individual liberty and family. It's likely Canadians will be increasingly exposed to this disgusting public health behavior. 13/

Best not to hold any illusions. We are in the midst of the worst social policy blunder in Canadian history. Gov't is squarely to blame, the collateral damage is monumental and they have back themselves into a corner. It's a dangerous time and don't expect rationality. 14/

Let's hope I'm wrong. Perhaps, we will have the courage to think freely and change direction. There is an entire branch of public health which adheres to traditional principles and who have embraced the Great Barington Declaration. 15/

It's a straightforward doctrine, grounded on Martin Kuldorff's guiding principles of public health. It has been a public health success in Florida. All that is needed is informed leadership. End.