Up-To-Date Statistics Form - Illinois High School Association: Fill & Download for Free

[An on-going response, with over 170 footnotes thus far for documentation and with new finding being added continuously. Note that research findings are not always all in the same place or time since the Quora footnote system does not allow copying and pasting footnote links, thus making it very time consuming to edit this extensive compilation to collate research finding as they are found during this ever-developing pandemic. Thus please read thru the article and or use ctrl+f to find keywords. Thanks.]COVID-19 is real and a serious threat overall to those in poor health, including (especially) the obese. And 70% of Americans are overweight or obese[1] and a CDC study (released 3-8–21) found about 78% of people that were hospitalized, needed a ventilator or died from Covid-19 were overweight or obese,[2] and another study found that people who didn’t exercise regularly prior to contracting COVID-19 were more likely to die,[3] while some 42% of U.S. adults reported packing on undesired weight since the start of the pandemic.[4]Yet closing parks, forest trails, beaches etc. and exhorting "shelter inplace" and requiring masking whenever outside, all fostered/fosters lack ofexercise and increased weight, and often contributes to being hypertensive[5] and having high cholesterol, all of which are primary factors in Covid-19 deaths,[6] besides having compromised immune systems as with the aged, especially in seclusion. Also, a NIH study of 2015 found that being inside with increased CO2 levels significantly degraded cognitive function.[7]As further detailed further on in this response, the danger Covid-19 presents (to mainly unhealthy persons and or those in closed-in nursing care) does not justify the unprecedented (relative to its overall health threat) type of all-ages, long-term “stay-sheltered” restrictions with their drastic long-term economic consequences and unhealthy effects that this COVID-19 response has[8][9][10] [11] and can result in, and which is being made increasingly clear.As mentioned at the outset, one aspect that is particularly ill-advised is that of promoting “shelter-in-place” for all ages. Research in June by two medical scientists at Stanford University and UCLA found that, on average, a person in a typical medium to large U.S. county who has a single random contact with another person has a 1 in 3,836 chance of being infected without social distancing, hand-washing or mask-wearing.[12][13]Research also indicates that “lockdowns” may not be much more effective than voluntarily measures.[14] A Stanford University health expert also stated that Americans have a 1-in-1,000 chance of dying of COVID-19 in the next six months.[15]In addition, it is reported that according to immunological studies, the overall lethality of Covid-19 as the infection fatality rate (IFR - not the less significant[16] case fatality rate - CFR) is about 0.1% to 0.3% and thus in the range of a severe influenza season. [17] Based on 82 seroprevalence studies from around the world, one estimate is that of an IFR of about 0.2 percent.[18] And the CDC IFR values for age-specific estimates are now (reported 8 October 2020) very low at 0.003% for 0–19 years, 0.02% for 20–49 years, 0.5% for 50–69 years, and 5.4% for 70+ years.[19]A September 1 CDC report found that the best estimate survival rate is between 99.5 percent and 99.997 percent for people 69 years old or younger, while for those 70 or older it is an estimated 94.6 percent.[20] Also, “daily coronavirus fatality rates in the US remain a fraction of what they were in the deadly spring peak, even as cases climb to levels…well above infection rates from March to May.”[21]As for the case fatality rate, according to the John Hopkins Covid-19 tracker, as of December 7, 2020 the USA had a lower rate than 76 other countries and territories, including Vietnam Sweden,France, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom, Tanzania, etc. As of 2/23/2021, the USA has a lower case fatality rate than almost 90 other countries and territories.[22]Update: As of April 25, 2021, 12:48 GMT we had the figure of 585,880 Covid-assigned deaths out of 32,789,653 positive Covid-19 cases, which figures (Y is what % of X) to be a CFR of 1.79% (CFR=Case Fatality Rate - see here for more on this - which rate is based on confirmed cases, and which are the minority of cases and have been those mostly likely to be tested and to die, since for most of the pandemic those who had symptoms were the most likely to be tested, while a large percentage of persons who test positive never developed any symptoms) Note: there are over 97 countries with a higher CFR than the USA.As for the IFR (Infection Fatality Rate, meaning Covid-assigned deaths as a % of the estimated total infections, vs. confirmed infections) in the US, an official estimate of the estimated total infections in the US is very hard to find, but the CDC (Dec. 11) provided a figure of 91 Million Estimated Total Infections and at which time there were about 300,000 Covid-assigned deaths (figures are rounded), and which translates into a IFR of 0.33.Then we have the CMR Crude Morality Rate(Covid-assigned deaths as a % of the total pop.), in which 355,000 as a % of 332,000,000 is 0.11%. And with 1,828,684 Covid-assigned deaths worldwide (12–28–20) out of a total world population of 7,800,000,000 people (as of March 2020), then the overall worldwide Covid-19 crude morality rate (CMR) is 0.02.CDC data indicates that being infected with getting Covid-19 is riskier for seniors age 70 and older than climbing Mt. Everest; in contrast, the infection fatality risk for those under age 20 is equivalent to driving a car for 7,500 miles. “Those under age 50 who get infected with the coronavirus lose less than one day of discounted quality-adjusted life expectancy; seniors age 70 or older lose nearly 90 days.”[23]And while an estimated 1,200 children died in the 2012-2013 flu season[24] only 94 children (under 18) out of over 210,000 deaths have died due to COVID-19 (reported 10–02) [25] and less than 10 percent of domestic COVID-19 cases are among children under 18 (reported 9–11,[26] while the vast majority of children with severe COVID tend to have other risk factors.[27] Thus recent data on hospitalizations shows the disparity:In addition, on March 15, 2021 the University of Colorado Boulder reported that a recent CU Boulder analysis of more than 72,000 test samples[28] collected from students and some faculty and staff on the CU Boulder campus between Aug. 17 and Nov. 25 revealed that it was a few “super carriers” with very high viral loads that were likely responsible for the bulk of COVID-19 transmissions, while about half of infected people were not contagious at all at the time of diagnosis. Among those tested (asymptomatic students in residence halls are required to test weekly), 2% of these people carried 90% of the COVID-19 virus. A related study[29] lended further credence to the idea that the amount of virus particles a person carries (viral load) is what drives contagion.[30]As for how much wearing masks prevents infection, while this is generally warranted in close contact scenarios (like bars and indoor social events) as they can at least reduce the amount of viral transmission[31] unequivocally requiring most people (even the deaf and blind) to wear masks whenever and wherever outside in public places (as is required in states as MA[32] ) is unwarranted (the CDC itself states “masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others,” though its advisement to wash hands whenever you touch your mask[33] is unreasonable), and unhealthy when exercising.[34]And yet the degree of the efficacy of masks is questionable,[35] and regarding which a Centers for Disease Control report released in September found that of “case-patients,” who tested positive for COVID-19, “In the 14 days before illness onset, 71% of case-patients and 74% of control participants reported always using cloth face coverings or other mask types when in public.” Also, in this investigation of participants with and without COVID-19, “adults with confirmed COVID-19 (case-patients) were approximately twice as likely as were control-participants to have reported dining at a restaurant in the 14 days before becoming ill.“[36] In addition, the dramatic increase in disposal of such single-use plastics with their polypropylene that typical surgical masks contain poses a potential threat to the environment.[37]Moreover, while offering some protection, mask wearing has detrimental effects,[38] [39] including reducing blood oxygen levels (pa02) significantly, relative to the (limited) effectiveness of the mask and length of time worn (the more effective the mask in blocking particles, the more it reduced blood oxygen levels.[40] N95 masks are also found to have a detrimental effect on nasal resistance after removal (though flat masks are better than a cup type due to the dead space of the latter). And dizziness, perspiration, and short-term memory loss have been reported from extended N95 use.And although the use of face masks may not negatively effect average inhaled O2 during exercise, yet research shows an increased rate and depth of breathing and cardiac output are needed to compensate for the additional CO2 and with slight increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures.[41] [42] Therefore the oft-repeated assertion that “face masks don't hinder breathing during exercise” is fallacious and misleading (even cheesecloth will hinder breathing).Meanwhile, (less restrictive) homemade cotton masks actually produced particles of their own.[43] Negative mask-wearing effects also extend to dental issues such as decaying teeth, receding gum lines and seriously sour breath.[44]Furthermore, the “stay-sheltered” mandates and shutting down parks and the beach fronts and fear of outside contact was hardly rational since that fosters obesity and other comorbidities.[45] Also, one study of 190,000 blood samples from patients of all ethnicities and ages infected with COVID in all 50 states showed that people deficient in vitamin D were 54% more likely to get COVID-19,[46][47] meaning vitamin D can reduce the risk of catching coronavirus by 54 percent. [48] Among newer studies it was found that over 80% of 200 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had vitamin D deficiency. Patients with lower vitamin D levels also had higher blood levels of inflammatory markers. Researchers across the globe are also finding a correlation between vitamin D status and patterns of COVID-19 recovery.[49][50][51][52]An early one study of 318 outbreaks involving 1,245 cases in China found just one transmission that occurred outdoors, infecting just two people. Most of those who were infected and died were occurred at home.[53] Meanwhile a systematic review of peer-reviewed papers stated that five studies found a low proportion of reported global SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred outdoors and that the odds of indoor transmission was very high (almost 19 times higher) as compared to outdoors.[54]Moreover, some preliminary research (Jun 05, 2020) showed superspreading events [55] account for most transmission, and that just 20% of coronavirus cases resulted in 80% of transmissions. An estimated 70% of infected patients studied didn't pass the virus at all.[56] A new (Oct 29, 2020) Massachusetts report on clusters found that household transmission was at the center of the vast majority (almost 94 percent[57] ) of recent COVID-19 cases.[58]And such infection can occur among groups even with very strict restrictions and preventative measures.[59] [60]But another study found that in household transmissions individuals with symptoms were more than 25 times more likely to infect household members than those without symptoms at the time (0.7 percent).[61][62]In another report researchers analyzed 54 studies with more 77,000 participants reporting household secondary transmission of coronavirus, which overall found that the risk of catching COVID-19 from family member one lives with was 16.6%.[63] However, researchers also found that just 9% of original cases were responsible for 80% of infections detected in close contacts, and that stay-at-home orders brought only marginal benefit in preventing infections, and actually can increase infections and that encounters that were most likely to spread the coronavirus were those between members of the same household.[64]Furthermore, up to eighty percent of people who become infected with the [65] virus have either no symptoms or experience it as a mild respiratory infection,[66][67] although an estimated 40-45% of individuals who become infected remain asymptomatic.[68]And it is postulated that some in the “no symptoms“ class may actually be immune. [69][70]Besides antibodies (which one test looks for), several studies have shown that people infected with Covid-19 tend to have T cells that can target the virus, even though lacking symptoms. And that some people can test negative for antibodies against Covid-19 and positive for T cells that can identify the virus. It is thus speculated that some level of immunity against the disease might be twice as common as was previously thought, and 40-60% of unexposed individuals had these T cells.[71]In addition, the quarantine of children may negatively affect their development of immune systems. Research by two professors found that keeping children masked, however necessary, could undermine their bodies’ ability to learn how to fight pathogens.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is unwittingly conducting what amounts to the largest immunological experiment in history on our own children...Memory T cells begin to form during the first years of life and accumulate during childhood. However, for memory T cells to become functionally mature, multiple exposures may be necessary, particularly for cells residing in tissues such as the lung and intestines, where we encounter numerous pathogens. These exposures typically and naturally occur during the everyday experiences of childhood — such as interactions with friends, teachers, trips to the playground, sports — all of which have been curtailed or shut down entirely during efforts to mitigate viral spread. As a result, we are altering the frequency, breadth and degree of exposures that are crucial for immune memory development.[72]Moreover as regards quarantines and children, a preprint study conducted in Germany found them harmful:By 26.10.2020 the registry had been used by 20,353 people. In this publication we report the results from the parents, who entered data on a total of 25,930 children. The average wearing time of the mask was 270 minutes per day. Impairments caused by wearing the mask were reported by 68% of the parents. These included irritability (60%), headache (53%), difficulty concentrating (50%), less happiness (49%), reluctance to go to school/kindergarten (44%), malaise (42%) impaired learning (38%) and drowsiness or fatigue (37%)…. A precise benefit-risk analysis is urgently required. The occurrence of reported side effects in children due to wearing the masks must be taken seriously...[73]As regards the number of positive coronavirus cases, testing data compiled by officials in Massachusetts, New York and Nevada showed that to 90 percent of people testing positive carried barely any virus using the PCR test, which is the most widely used diagnostic test for the coronavirus. And which which means they are not likely to be infectious and thus need not be quarantined (the greater the viral load, the more likely an infected person is to be contagious).[74] Also, according to experiments in monkey cells. people with COVID-19 are unlikely to spread the new coronavirus if more than eight days have passed since their symptoms began. Results from another study using moneys who were r einfected after recovering from a prior from infection indicated their immune systemshad fought off the virus. [75]As for quarantines and the aged, early on close to half of all COVID-19 deaths had occurred in long-term care facilities, with up to 70% of deaths occurring in nursing homes[76] and elder care facilities accounting for over 40% of US deaths.[77][78] (38% according to the NYT, updated October 30, 2020[79] ). Which means that the 99.4 percent of the country that does not reside in those facilities are far less likely to die of COVID-19,[80] even to the fatality rate of COVID-19 probably being “0.13 percent for people outside nursing homes and 0.26 percent — identical to the CDC best estimate — when people in nursing homes were included.”[81]Even with a worse-case example - far removed from the average[82] - Word Meters found that New York City (May 1) had an Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) of 1.4% and a 0.28% crude mortality rate (CMR) to date, or 279 deaths per 100,000 population.[83] In New York city there is normally a a death every 9.1 minutes.[84] and has a very high COVID-19 death rate. New York state constituted about 29% of all reported COVID-19 deaths as of May 26, with over 1,702 deaths per million,[85] and its high rate still heavily affects the overall mortality rate of the US.[86](From New York State)In addition, in early 2021 when the administration of NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally announced the total number of overall deaths of those from NY nursing home residents who had died in hospitals, it raised the totals by 50%, from around 8,000 to more than 12,000. And it was later charged that more than 650 deaths of New York nursing home residents presumed to have died of COVID-19 still had not been formally acknowledged.[87] Later, New York officials confirmed they omitted nursing home resident death data from a report on COVID-19 in 2020 of deaths among residents who were transferred to hospitals.[88]Also, 30[89] - 40[90] to about 80 percent of those infected with COVID-19 are estimated to be silent carriers, [91][92] meaning they show little or no symptoms, and the New York City labor and delivery unit found 88 percent of infected patients had no symptoms, [93] while over 600 sailors on the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt tested positive, yet 60% of them had no symptoms such as fever, fatigue, or cough,[94]and in four U.S. state prisons nearly 3,300 inmates test positive for coronavirus yet 96% were without symptoms[95] and or recover without medical care[96])Moreover, numerous new studies suggest that Covid-19 infection in recovered persons results in a lasting protective immune response, [97][98][99][100] even in people who developed only mild symptoms of Covid-19. [101](and see studies on immunity referenced previously). Recent (reported 2–24–21) research from the National Cancer Institute. also finds that Coronavirus infection leads to immunity that’s comparable to a COVID-19 vaccine, with the risk of developing a subsequent infection more than three months later being about 90% lower than it was for people who had not been previously infected and had no immunity.And more recently, based on CDC studies of blood samples collected nationwide, U.S. officials believe as many as 20 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, suggesting millions had the virus and never knew it.[102] Also, some Canadian data indicates that those with type A or AB blood are at a higher risk of greater disease severity than those with type O or B blood. [103]And while a nationwide shutdown is exhorted, yet researchers have found that,“just 1% of the counties in the U.S., representing 17% of the population, are responsible for almost half of the country’s COVID-19 deaths. Overall, only about 10% of the counties in the U.S. contain 90% of all the COVID-19 deaths, even though these counties include 60% of the population.”[104]Also, although positive diagnosis counts continue to increase (as they would with more testing), the accuracy of the tests are still largely unknown,[105] and it can take as long as three weeks for a blood antibody test to turn positive,[106] while some persons can continue to test positive for COVID-19 even 60 days after being infected,[107] and even up to 3 months after diagnosis and not be infectious.[108][109] And according to a study involving 3 states up to 90% of persons testing positive via PCR tests have such a low viral load that they are not likely to be contagious.However, for some time the CDC had been combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus[110] and which inflated data is used to justify quarantines.In addition, the CDC criteria for classifying “presumed” COVID19 cases is very broad (even based upon a cough or shortness of breath and living in an area with a sustained community transmission.[111] [112]). Which would explain the reported decrease in deaths due to heart disease as well as for all other causes, if accurate.[113]In addition, the CDC reports that "for 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 3.8 additional conditions or causes per death,”[114] evidently meaning such patients would have lived if they did not get Covid. However, this is a presumption. (Relevant to this are updated numbers from the U.K. Office for National Statistics that show 23% of registered COVID-19 deaths were people who died “with” the virus but not “from” infection. )[115]Moreover, there can be some possible financial motivation influencing deaths being assigned to Covid-19. For under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act through a Medicare 20% add-on, USA Today affirmed that,Hospitals and doctors do get paid more for Medicare patients diagnosed with COVID-19 or if it's considered presumed they have COVID-19 absent a laboratory-confirmed test, and three times more if the patients are placed on a ventilator to cover the cost of care and loss of business resulting from a shift in focus to treat COVID-19 cases.[116]All of which not only means that the case count is misleading, but that the infected fatality rate (IFR) is much lower than the misleading case fatality rate (CFR) that is usually quoted.Then in early June even the WHO stated that the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is “very rare.”[117] though it later expressed that this is debatable.[118]A meta-analysis of 54 household COVID-19 transmission studies found an asymptomatic attack rate of only 0.7% within households.[119] [120] And as mentioned somewhat before, the vast majority of those who die because of Covid-19 are 65 years-old or more,[121] with 80% of all Covid-19 deaths being among those 65 and older since February, and 92% of all Covid-19 deaths among those 55 and older. Covid-19 also was attributable to almost 10 percent of all deaths among those 65 and older, but less than one percent of all deaths among young people. [122][123]On on September 15, 2020 the CDC reported 121 (confirmed or probable) Covid-19–associated deaths were among persons aged 21 years and younger by July 31 2020 (and which age group constitutes years constitute 26% of the U.S. population) and 91 (75%) of which had an underlying medical condition, and with 63% of these 121 deaths being male, and with 85 Covid-19 deaths being among those aged 10–20 years, and with 12 deaths being infants.[124] With 188 influenza-associated deaths among children (0-4 years) influenza-associated influenza for the 2019-20 season as of September 19, 2020, and 434 deaths among children aged under 18 years, then there have been more deaths attributed to the flu among children than due to Covid-19.[125]Update: Actually the CDC reported[126] (updated February 17, 2021) that out of 460,234 Covid-19 (assigned) deaths 140.00 were among those aged 0-14 and 788.00 among those aged 0-24, and 32,672.00 among those aged 0-54. As a percent, the CDC reported[127] (updated: Feb 23 2021) that out of almost 500,000 Covid-19 (assigned) deaths only 0.1% occurred among the 1-17 year-old group; 0.5% among the 18-29 group; 1.2% among the 30-39% group; 2.8% among the 40-49 group; 14.5% among the 50-64 group; 21.1% among the 65-74 group; 27.6% among the 75-84% group; and 32.3% among the 85+ group. Also the CDC reports[128] that "for 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 3.8 additional conditions or causes per death.”Meanwhile, at least in the Spring, almost 25% of all documented Covid-assigned fatalities in the US were from New York (28,480)[129] and according to one report 54% of all U.S. deaths were in the 100 counties in or within 100 miles of NYC.And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that almost 90 percent of U.S. coronavirus patients who have been hospitalized had underlying health problems, or comorbidities.[130][131]As of 8–22, for 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death. [132]The NIH reports that people under 65 years old without underlying predisposing conditions accounted for only 0.7–3.6% of all COVID-19 deaths in France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Georgia, and New York City and 17.7% in Mexico.[133] Moreover, adults 65 and older account for 16% of the US population but 80% of COVID-19 deaths in the US, somewhat higher than their share of deaths from all causes (75%) over the same period.[134]And which relates to the issue of inaccurate fatality numbers, partly due to the problem of determining the actual cause of death and the CDC guidelines which allow for reporting COVID-19 as the “probable” or “presumed” cause on the death certificate if the certifier even suspects COVID-19 was likely (e.g., the circumstances were compelling within a reasonable degree of certainty), the cause.[135]Which resulted in NYC suddenly adding 3,700 additional people to its death count[136](also, Federal legislation pays hospitals higher Medicare rates for COVID-19 patients and treatment[137]. and as with deaths attributed to HIV, this has provided a financial incentive to attribute the cause of death to COVID-19[138] ), leading to charges of over-counting[139][140] while Pennsylvania removed some deaths from its count after coroner reports.[141]Later, Colorado’s Health Department revised their official coronavirus death count from 1,150 as of May 15 downward to 878 (a reduction of 23.7 percent) and created two separate distinguishing categories, one of people who died directly because of the virus and another of people who had COVID-19 at their time of death but died of other causes that may not be attributable to the virus.[142][143] However, some others believe the problem is more that of under-counting. [144]In addition, besides typically ignoring the low infection fatality rate, the constant alarming of increased deaths is misleading, since the CDC is conflating viral and antibody tests, combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus,[145] while apparently deaths from as far back as April can be counted as new deaths.[146]Also, another study finds that the risk of coronavirus spreading in schools is 'extremely low'.[147]And while states continue to parrot the “stay sheltered” mantra, research shows that sunlight destroys the virus quickly[148][149] , and even a Department of Homeland Security official affirmed that increasing temperatures, humidity and sunlight are detrimental to coronavirus saliva droplets on surfaces and in the air.[150] A July 2020 study found that the virus in simulated saliva was inactivated when exposed to simulated sunlight for between 10-20 minutes. Another study found 90 percent of the coronavirus's particles being inactivated after just half an hour of exposure to midday sunlight in summer.[151]Yet miles upon miles of parks and public waterfronts were shutdown, and for too long NY put infected persons in nursing homes[152] (and as of April 26, about 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths were in the state of New York alone. New Jersey was in second place, with nearly 5,900[153]yet the death rate is uncritically employed to justify nationwide lockdowns).Meanwhile in states such as Illinois law-breaking prisoners were released from their “quarantine” - including some “high risk” sexual offenders[154] and some convicted of murder - [155] and almost a third of county jail inmates have been released from facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.[156]The question is, where in US history has there been the extremely restrictive, all-ages, long-term response comparable to what has been implemented in response to COVID-19? It simply has no precedent in American history relative to the lethality as a percentage of the population, not the more deadly-in scope (550,000 to 675,000 Americans, or 0.66% of the population) 1918 flu, and which mainly took the lives of the young? [157]And in which baseball was still played.[158]And during which medics found that severely ill flu patients nursed outdoors recovered better than those treated indoors. A combination of fresh air and sunlight seems to have prevented deaths among patients; and infections among medical staff. [159]Finally, the long-term cost for the questionable[160]“cure” - as meaning preventing deaths via the stay-sheltered COVID captivity - will be more costly in lives and money [161] [162] including psychosocial consequences[163][164] than a more moderate response that would allow for a faster and more substantial rise in cases but a better decrease and overall a more healthy populace in the long run. [165][166][167]A December 2020 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that there have been roughly 400,000 covid-linked deaths so far due to covid-related lockdowns, and with long-term economic implications indicating an increase in the death rate in the overall population following the COVID-19 pandemic of between 0.89 and 1.37 million excess deaths. For African-Americans this would be an estimated 180 thousand and 270 thousand excess deaths over the next 15 and 20years, respectively. For Whites this would mean an estimated 0.82 and 1.21 million excess deaths over the next 15 and 20 years, respectively.[168]Of course, when over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese (over 40% the latter [169]) and this condition is a primary factor relative to serious and fatal COVID-19 infections,[170]then we might expect more deaths from this virus than that of the Asian flu. Research shows that people with obesity were more than twice as likely to end up in the hospital and nearly 50 percent more likely to die of COVID-19.[171] Another study finds that more than 77 percent of 17,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States had excess weight or obesity.[172] A more recent study found that 88 percent of deaths due to COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic were in countries where more than half of the population is classified as overweight. In countries where more than 50% of the population was overweight, the COVID-19 death rate was more than 100 per 100,000. “Conversely, in countries where less than half of the adult population is classified as overweight, the risk of death from COVID-19 was about one-tenth of the levels in countries with higher shares of overweight adults.”[173] [174]Economically, estimates project total losses in state and local revenue of up to 45 percent, effecting 90,000 nonfederal-government entities that provide and pay for most of the government services that Americans receive.[175] And while states look to the Federal government to bail them out, the additional costs and declining revenues stemming from Covid-19 are expected to produce a 2020 budget deficit in excess of $4.2 trillion.[176]And most of government income comes from taxes, via businesses and those who are employed ( income taxes, payroll taxes, and corporate taxes),[177],yet businesses are failing across America, and in New York alone the governor stated that small businesses constitute “90 percent of New York's businesses” and “more than 100,000 have shut permanently since the pandemic hit.”[178]Moreover since March 15, there were 65 million unemployment claims filed (reported Oct 16, 2020,[179] and as of Nov 5, 2020 around 751,000 people had filed for first-time unemployment with 22 million jobs having been lost as a result of the pandemic, with just over 10 million jobs yet to be recovered. [180]In addition, on Aug. 2 it was reported[181] that thirty-six of of the top 50 cities in America had a collective 24% jump in homicides this year compared to 2019, with a total of 3,612 murders in 2020 being reported so far. More recently, a 4/3/2021 report states that sixty-three major American cities saw a 33% increase in homicides in 2020.[182]Also, according to one meta-analysis of 42 studies involving 20 million people, the risk of death increases 63 percent when one loses their job, and that for every one percentage point increase in the unemployment rate, there are 37,000 deaths, mainly from heart attacks, but another 1,000 from suicides and another 650 from homicides.[183]The Washington Post (in seeking to promote gun control) reports that studies have established strong correlations between suicide and pressure such as unemployment, evictions and displacement and which have all risen sharply during the pandemic. And that Federal surveys show 40 percent of Americans - and in particular almost 75 percent of young adults - are now grappling with at least one mental health or drug-related problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 25% of young adults said they had thought about killing themselves in the past 30 days, compared with 10.5 percent in 2018.Officials in Arizona’s Pima County reported spikes in suicides while the number of suicides by the summer of 2020 in Oregon’s Columbia County had already surpassed last year’s total. The Chicago suburb DuPage County reported a 23 percent rise in suicides compared with last year. And in Chicago itself suicides among African Americans have far surpassed the total for 2019.[184]These are in addition to reports such as “Calls to suicide and help hotline in Los Angeles increase 8,000% due to coronavirus,”[185] and “Doctors at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek say they have seen more deaths by suicide during this quarantine period than deaths from the COVID-19 virus,”[186] and increased rate can extend to children.[187]A study published March 2 reports that self-harm by children and suicides have increased exponentially during COVID-19 lockdowns that have closed schools, finding that ,In March and April 2020, mental health claim lines1 for individuals aged 13 - 18, as a percentage of all medical claim lines, approximately doubled over the same months in the previous year. Claim lines for intentional self - harm as a percentage of all medical claim lines in the 13 - 18 age group increased 99.83 percent in March 2020 compared to March 2019 . The increase was even larger when comparing April 2020 to April 2019, nearly doubling (99.83 percent). For the age group 13 - 18, claim lines for overdoses increased 94.91 percent as a percentage of all medical claim lines in March 2020 and 119.31 percent in April 2020 over the same months the year before.[188]Citing this study ,Dr. Martin Makary, professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated that self-harm and overdoses increased 91-100% and children are 10X more likely to die of suicide than coronavirus.[189]In addition to which are greatly increased drug overdoses and deaths during COVID.[190][191] [192]As well as well as significant rise in divorces. [193]All of which can mean that the lockdown measures can end up being responsible for more deaths across the globe than the Coronavirus itself, which is what a German official warns of.[194] Over 600 doctors signed onto a letter sent to President Trump favoring an end the "national shutdown," referring to it as being a "mass casualty incident" with "exponentially growing health consequences." [195]Yet while we seek to save lives, 7,000 Americans die every day in the US from a wide range of causes [196] - besides over 2,000 a day being slain in the “quarantine” of their mother’s womb[197] - my prayer is that all sinners will come to repentance and faith in the risen Lord Jesus and be baptized and follow Him.Hope this helps. PeaceByJesusMore Covid-19 stats that add some balance to the debate are here: Covid-19 Science and RealityFootnotes[1] Obesity[2] CDC study finds about 78% of people hospitalized for Covid were overweight or obese[3] Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48 440 adult patients[4] Americans Got Way Fatter During Pandemic, Poll Finds[5] https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-04-22/obesity-hypertension-most-common-comorbidities-for-coronavirus-patients[6] The role of high cholesterol in age-related COVID19 lethality.[7] Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments[8] Assessing mandatory stay‐at‐home and business closure effects on the spread of COVID‐19[9] I think the COVID-19 lockdown is killing more people than it is saving. Here are my many reasons for thinking such a thing. Updated for March 26, 2021.[10] New international study says coronavirus lockdowns not more effective than voluntary measures, not needed to slow the spread[11] https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/04/the_covid19_response_is_killing_more_than_it_saves.html[12] Estimated Average Probabilities of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death From Community Contact in the United States[13] What’s your risk from coronavirus? Lower than we think, new study suggests[14] Assessing Mandatory Stay‐at‐Home and Business Closure Effects on the Spread of COVID‐19[15] Americans have 1 in 1,000 chance of dying from COVID-19 in next 6 months, expert says - The California Sun[16] What do we know about the risk of dying from COVID-19?[17] Facts about Covid-19[18] A Sensible and Compassionate Anti-COVID Strategy. Jay Bhattacharya[19] Clarifying the True Fatality Rate of Covid-19: Same as the Flu?[20] CDC Data Shows Coronavirus Survival Rate: 99%-Plus for Ages 69 and Younger, 94.6% for Older[21] Breaking News | Daily Covid-19 deaths surpass 1,000 for the first time in a month[22] Mortality Analyses - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center[23] What Is Your Risk Of Dying From Covid-19?[24] Frequently Asked Questions about Estimated Flu Burden[25] Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S.[26] Over half a million reported child COVID-19 cases in the United States[27] Here's what COVID-19 does to a child's body[28] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/medrxiv/early/2021/03/05/2021.03.01.21252250.full.pdf[29] Higher viral load drives infrequent SARS-CoV-2 transmission between asymptomatic residence hall roommates[30] 2% of people carry 90% of COVID-19 virus, and roommates are safer than you think[31] Wearing a Mask May Reduce How Sick You Get from COVID-19[32] Frequently asked questions about COVID-19[33] COVID-19 and Your Health[34] Wearing Face Mask Could Make Exercise Dangerous[35] Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis[36] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6936a5-H.pdf[37] https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11783-021-1413-7.pdf[38] Respirator masks protect health but impact performance: a review[39] Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis[40] Blaylock: Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To The Healthy[41] Evaluation of N95 Respirator Use with a Surgical Mask Cover: Effects on Breathing Resistance and Inhaled Carbon Dioxide[42] Lying and misleading headlines: "Researchers find face masks don't hinder breathing during exercise:" Science past and present - and common sense:[43] Surgical, N95 masks block most particles, homemade cloth masks release their own[44] 'Mask mouth': Dentists coin new term for smelly side effect of wearing a mask[45] Physical inactivity a leading cause of disease and disability, warns WHO[46] SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates associated with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels[47] People deficient in vitamin D 54% more likely to get COVID-19: study[48] Adequate levels of vitamin D reduces complications, death among COVID-19 patients[49] [Full text] A Single Large Dose of Vitamin D Could be Used as a Means of Coronavir | DDDT[50] Strengthening the immune system with Vitamin D in light of COVID-19[51] Role of vitamin D in preventing of COVID-19 infection, progression and severity[52] A Basic Review of the Preliminary Evidence That COVID-19 Risk and Severity Is Increased in Vitamin D Deficiency[53] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.04.20053058v1.full.pdf[54] Outdoor Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses: A Systematic Review[55] COVID research updates: How 90% of French COVID cases evaded detection[56] 70% of people infected with the coronavirus did not pass it to anyone, preliminary research shows. Superspreading events account for most transmission.[57] What does it mean when you have COVID-19, but you don’t know how you contracted it? - The Boston Globe[58] 5 Investigates: Data reveals new information about COVID-19 clusters[59] Navy Research Confirms Need for Strict Coronavirus Testing Protocols[60] SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Marine Recruits during Quarantine | NEJM[61] Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2[62] University researchers find almost no COVID-19 transmission without symptoms in households | The College Fix[63] Risk of catching coronavirus from a family member you live with is just 16.6% - Sound Health and Lasting Wealth[64] COVID research updates: How 90% of French COVID cases evaded detection[65] 70% of people infected with the coronavirus did not pass it to anyone, preliminary research shows. Superspreading events account for most transmission.[66] COVID-19 shows that experts don't know everything[67] Live: Latest updates and what you need to know about COVID-19[68] Defining the features and duration of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with disease severity and outcome[69] Coronavirus: Why everyone was wrong[70] Singapore scientists uncover SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in recovered COVID-19 & SARS patients, and in uninfected individuals[71] The people with hidden immunity against Covid-19[72] Opinion | Quarantine May Negatively Affect Kids’ Immune Systems[73] Corona children studies "Co-Ki": First results of a Germany-wide registry on mouth and nose covering (mask) in children[74] Your Coronavirus Test Is Positive. Maybe It Shouldn’t Be.[75] COVID research updates: How 90% of French COVID cases evaded detection[76] Globe Spotlight report: COVID-19's deadly impact on the elderly[77] STAGGERING: Nursing Home Residents Account for a Whopping 43.4% of COVID-19 Deaths, Even Though They're Less Than 1% of the U.S. Population[78] 43% of U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Linked to Nursing Homes[79] About 38% of U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Linked to Nursing Homes[80] The Most Important Coronavirus Statistic: 42% Of U.S. Deaths Are From 0.6% Of The Population[81] Page on washingtonpost.com[82] Image on justfacts.com[83] Coronavirus Death Rate (COVID-19)[84] Population Facts[85] United States Coronavirus: 1,725,524 Cases and 100,573 Deaths[86] Don't Buy the Misleading Figures. Here's the Real Story About How the U.S. Matches Up on Coronavirus Deaths[87] Cuomo Still Underreporting the Total Count of COVID Nursing Home Deaths[88] New York Officials Acknowledge Leaving Data Out of COVID-19 Nursing Home Death Report[89] http://30 Percent of People With COVID-19 Show No Symptoms[90] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/08/asymptomatic-coronavirus-covid/[91] Coronavirus Outbreak: Daily Updates[92] New Study Shows the Extent of Symptom-Free Coronavirus Spread[93] https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/20/we-tested-all-our-patients-covid-19-found-lots-asymptomatic-cases/[94] Coronavirus clue? Most cases aboard U.S. aircraft carrier are symptom-free[95] In four U.S. state prisons, nearly 3,300 inmates test positive for coronavirus -- 96% without symptoms[96] The basics on the coronavirus: What you need to know as the US becomes the new epicenter of COVID-19[97] Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint[98] One Kind of Immunity to the Coronavirus Lasts at Least Six Months, Study Finds[99] Immune system mounts a lasting defense after recovery from COVID-19, researchers find[100] Studies find having COVID-19 may protect against reinfection[101] Scientists See Signs of Lasting Immunity to Covid-19, Even After Mild Infections[102] US health officials believe 20 million Americans have had coronavirus[103] Why You Don't Need to Worry Too Much About The Link Between COVID-19 and Your Blood Type[104] COVID-19, Death Cases Remain Concentrated: Heritage's Tracker — and New Graphic Tool — Provide Context | The Stream[105] Accuracy of COVID-19 tests still largely unknown[106] If you've been exposed to the coronavirus - Harvard Health[107] Why is the low hospitalization of patients with COVID-19?[108] Coronavirus Disease 2019[109] People Who Test Positive for COVID-19 After Recovering Not Infectious[110] ‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’[111] Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)[112] The Covid News You Didn't Hear (Heart disease data placed in the Corona Virus column)[113] The Covid News You Didn't Hear - Politicrossing[114] Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics[115] New data show nearly one-quarter of UK COVID-19 deaths were not caused by virus[116] Fact check: Hospitals get paid more if patients listed as COVID-19, on ventilators[117] Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is 'very rare,' WHO says[118] WHO walks back comments on asymptomatic coronavirus spread, says much is still unknown[119] COVID-19 Cases and Transmission in 17 K–12 Schools ...[120] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.29.20164590v1.full.pdf[121] CDC: 80 percent of US coronavirus deaths are people 65 and older[122] Covid's Age Discrimination - Law & Liberty[123] COVID Infection Fatality Rates by Sex and Age[124] SARS-CoV-2–Associated Deaths Among Persons Aged 21 Years ...[125] Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in the United States - 2019-2020 Influenza Season[126] Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics[127] COVID Data Tracker[128] Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics[129] New York Coronavirus: 361,266 Cases and 28,480 Deaths (COVID-19 )[130] Hospitalization Rates and Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized ...[131] COVID-19 deaths decline despite surge in cases, hospitalizations[132] Weekly Updates by Select Demographic and Geographic Characteristics[133] Population-level COVID-19 mortality risk for non-elderly individuals overall and for non-elderly individuals without underlying diseases in pandemic epicenters[134] What Share of People Who Have Died of COVID-19 Are 65 and Older – and How Does It Vary By State?[135] Technical Notes: Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)[136] N.Y.C. Death Toll Soars Past 10,000 in Revised Virus Count[137] Fact check: Hospitals get paid more if patients listed as COVID-19, on ventilators[138] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkP1t_2u5B0&feature=share[139] As US coronavirus death toll mounts, so does the belief by some that it is exaggerated[140] Death Toll Conspiracy: Why Conservative Media—And Soon, Possibly Trump—Are Doubting Coronavirus Mortality Figures[141] Pennsylvania Takes Hundreds of 'Probable' COVID Deaths Off Books After Coroners Come Forward[142] Colorado's state health dept. revises method of counting COVID-19 deaths; 878 deaths as of Friday - KRDO[143] Case data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates[144] How are COVID-19 deaths counted?[145] ‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’[146] HUGE: The Coronavirus Tracking Project's Numbers are Suspect After They Are Caught Tacking On Previous Deaths to Current Totals[147] Risk of coronavirus spreading in schools is 'extremely low' study finds [148] https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/04/17/sunlight-destroys-virus-quickly-new-govt-tests-find-but-experts-say-pandemic-could-last-through-summer [149] COVID-19 spread increases when UV levels decrease: Seasonal changes in UV may alter the spread of COVID but not as much as social distancing[150] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-04-23/us-official-sunlight-heat-humidity-could-help-kill-coronavirus[151] Sunlight Inactivates Coronavirus 8 Times Faster Than Predicted. We Need to Know Why[152] How States Turned Nursing Homes Into ‘Slaughter Houses’ By Forcing Them to Admit Discharged COVID-19 Patients | Jon Miltimore[153] New York vs. Texas: NY Has Nearly 50 Times More COVID-19 Deaths Per Capita | Ryan McMaken[154] CA Gov. Frees Seven ‘High Risk’ Sex Offenders, Orders Beaches Closed, All In Same County - LaCorte News[155] Almost 4,000 inmates released from IL prisons, 64 convicted of murder[156] One Third Of Jail Inmates Nationwide Set Free in Unprecedented Coronavirus Jailbreak - Big League Politics[157] Spanish flu - Wikipedia[158] How Baseball Has Combated Infectious Diseases Before[159] Coronavirus and the Sun: a Lesson from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic[160] Analysis raises questions about coronavirus shutdown's effectiveness[161] Anxiety From Reactions to Covid-19 Will Destroy At Least Seven Times More Years of Life Than Can Be Saved by Lockdowns[162] Revolver Exclusive Study: COVID-19 Lockdowns Over 10 Times More Deadly Than Pandemic Itself - Revolver[163] Years of life lost due to the psychosocial consequences of COVID19 mitigation strategies based on Swiss data[164] The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic: A probability-based, nationally representative study of mental health in the U.S.[165] Stanford University doctor: 'You are mistaken' if you think coronavirus lockdowns provide safety[166] Thanks to COVID-19, Social Security’s day of reckoning may be even closer than we thought[167] Workers opt for unemployment as benefits exceed job pay[168] https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28304/w28304.pdf[169] CDC - Newsroom Archive[170] Obesity Linked to Severe Coronavirus Disease, Especially for Younger Patients[171] Individuals with obesity and COVID‐19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and biological relationships[172] Descriptive epidemiology of 16,780 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States[173] COVID Death Rates 10 Times Higher in Countries Where Most Are Overweight: Report[174] https://www.worldobesityday.org/assets/downloads/COVID-19-and-Obesity-The-2021-Atlas.pdf[175] America’s Next Crisis Is Already Here[176] Coronavirus Budget Projections | Manhattan Institute[177] Who Really Pays Uncle Sam's Bills?[178] Coronavirus Forces 100K NY Small Businesses To Close Permanently[179] The Coronavirus Pandemic Continues to Cause Record Claims for Unemployment Insurance[180] Around 751,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week[181] Homicides Soar In 36 Of 50 Biggest U.S. Cities[182] US crime rise not letting up in major cities[183] Studies: The Shutdown Is NOT Lives Vs. Dollars, It’s Lives Vs. Lives - The Revolutionary Act[184] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/23/covid-pandemic-rise-suicides/[185] Calls to suicide and help hotline in Los Angeles increase 8,000% due to coronavirus[186] Suicides on the rise amid stay-at-home order, Bay Area medical professionals say[187]  Health Records in Virginia Show an Alarming Trend of Suicides in Schoolage Children as the State Remains Closed[188] https://s3.amazonaws.com/media2.fairhealth.org/whitepaper/asset/The%20Impact%20of%20COVID-19%20on%20Pediatric%20Mental%20Health%20-%20A%20Study%20of%20Private%20Healthcare%20Claims%20-%20A%20FAIR%20Health%20White%20Paper.pdf[189] Kids are 10 times more likely to die of suicide than coronavirus, medical professor warns | The College Fix[190] https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-09/issue-brief-increases-in-opioid-related-overdose.pdf[191] CDC: ER visits for drug overdoses, suicide attempts rise during pandemic[192] Overdose calls increase 24% and higher in some counties during COVID[193] US Divorce Statistics During COVID-19[194] German Minister: Lockdown Will Kill More Than Covid-19 Does[195] Doctors raise alarm about health effects of continued coronavirus shutdown: 'Mass casualty incident'[196] QuickStats: Average Daily Number of Deaths, by Month — United States,[197] Induced Abortion in the United States

For the longest time; in my life, there was a great void and something always seemed to be missing as I was just floating and maintaining a state of stagnancy and my life was not really going anywhere. My Uncle always told me not to float, and would tell me that I had to believe in something. At that time I was 22 years old and thought…How can I just find something to believe in just like that?…What was I supposed to do just look at different things and think…’O.K.,…Eeenie,…Meenie,…Mynee,…Moe,…and then just pick something out of the blue that won’t even fit me? This kind of advice simply was not going to work for me and/or my kind of personal thinking.In order for me to explain my “Spiritual Awakening and Exactly How it Transformed/Changed me from my former self” it becomes necessary for me; here, to share with; and to, bring the readers; to understand, some of the Pain that I have been through in my life from early childhood on.First of all; and before I get into this, I am 62 years old now, and am currently in the process of writing a book about my entire life. The book will be Entitled, …”Please Remember to Take Care of My Little Johnny”… . …These were the last words that my Mother wrote to my father in Her Suicide Note that She had addressed to him. I have always had a terrible short-term memory, but I can remember all of my childhood exactly as if it were yesterday. After I finally Broke away from home (When I was nearly 18), I never really thought that much about my childhood back then because I was so very new and free to the world and; at that particular point in time, especially. Finally, being free was such a pleasant experience for me, that; for a while, I forgot all about my horrible traumatic childhood. I went to Sarasota, Florida and ran a Resort at Crescent Beach on Siesta Key called ‘Crescent View Hotel’ for 3 years from 1975 to 1978. I had it made and lived on-site; in a Cottage, right on the beach with a beautiful view of the gulf while getting to see a gorgeous sunset every single night. At that time, the Legal drinking age was 18 and I did a lot of partying in those days, but my drinking was to take a turn for the worse several years later.Getting back to my childhood, I was born in Chicago in the year 1956 and raised in the Cultish atmosphere of the Dogmatic Jehovah’s Witness Doctrine…Always doubting; and never really believing, while keeping all of this to myself, life was never really easy for me as a child. My Mother and father would always argue about; what my father would coin, …”The Headship Issue”… . ‘Not unlike The Jackie Gleason Show’, he had to be, …”The Head of the House”…, …”The King of The Castle”… . Constantly quoting from biblical scripture to Her each and every single night on into the early morning hours, to Justify his Position as Head-Master of his Domain. Owning 2 big Tool and Die Corporations located in Franklin Park Illinois, the Man was very successful and rich. The man was a genius when it came to mold-making but knew absolutely nothing about love and/or raising a family and my Mother was not the type of Woman to put up with His B.S. as She stood up to Him in Direct Defiance. I always thought, …”Good for You Mom”… . But; finally, it all took its toll and became far to much for my Mother…She was going through the change of life (Menopause)…She had become dual addicted to several different forms of powerful barbiturates...She was going to several different Doctors to gain similar prescriptions… (And in those days, Doctors would prescribe those kinds of drugs like candy, and did not know anything about addiction)…She was also; simultaneously, consuming large amounts of hard liquor…and; finally, on the night of July 4th 1967 when I was only 10 years old, She drove the family car into the garage with all of its windows open…Closed all of the garage doors and windows…and sat down in the car and kept it running, while She was already full of barbiturates and hard liquor…and had slowly passed away into oblivion in my fathers absence. Shortly after My Father had arrived home that night, he read the note that She had left for him and went out looking for Her and found Her a short time later that night. Shortly thereafter, he then came running into the living room Screaming, …”Mom!…Mom!…Mom!…I have 2 Brothers…George, who is 10 years older than I am…and Lee, who is 6 years older. (Several years ago George had passed away from Esophageal Cancer) Lee told me to go next door to the Neighbors House and stay with Lottie and Peter. Lottie always babysat for me as a child. When I got there Lottie said She would go over to my home to find out; exactly, what was going on and told me to stay with Peter. I heard my Dad screaming in the back yard, …”This is a nightmare! This is a nightmare!”… After Lottie left, I went to her backyard and made it to the top of her garage roof where it peaked, to see what was going on in hiding, and I could see my Brother George was trying to revive my Mom’s lifeless body on the lawn (George had training in life saving techniques) George kept on saying, …”She’s Dead Dad…She’s Dead”… ., Trying to convince the Man that it was hopeless…and as I was laying flat on Lotties garage roof, I could hear the sound of the sirens getting louder and louder…and then, I remember; quite vividly, seeing the reflection of the ambulance lights on the garage…and then; all of a sudden, I found myself in the living room at home…Not conscious of any time which had passed…and not remembering coming down from the garage roof and/or even going home…I was traumatized and in a trance-like state of shock. Much Later in life; I had learned from my brother George, that my Mother had actually drown and choked from Her own vomit. Later that night, after my dad came home from the Hospital, he was crying and said, …”I will never ever marry again”… . This was to be the first, in a series of lies that the man would tell me.It was to be only several months later, when the man actually did re-marry…and he didn’t just re-marry anyone…he had dated and then married someone in the church (the kingdom hall…The Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to their church as ‘the kingdom hall’). who had 3 children of her own. I can remember; very clearly, while he was dating her on a night way Before they were married, he was with her alone in the bedroom for nearly 2 hours. What is it that a Man and Woman do in a bedroom for nearly 2 hours? Well Readers, I can write You this…Even back then, I was smart enough to know that they weren’t playing an innocent game of checkers. he was screwing her in the same bed that my mother had occupied several months before!? Upon bearing witness to it, this experience had acted in bringing me back to my early childhood when I was 7 years old. I used to walk to school every week-day with a friend of mine named Ray Peterson who lived directly across the street. I remember having a conversation with Ray about how we came into this world…Ray had said that, …”He had thought that their were a variety of different kinds of seeds at each grocery store…and that when His Mom went shopping, She would pick out; and purchase, a seed in the store…and when His Mother had arrived at home She would swallow it with water…and that it would grow inside of His Mothers stomach to; eventually produce Him as a Baby all ready to come out of Her”… . I remember telling Him how wrong He was…I told Ray that, …”we were made in a laboratory and then implanted into our Mom’s stomachs to grow bigger and then; eventually, come out”…, and that this was called birth. He didn’t believe me either. When I got home later that afternoon, my Mom and dad were at the kitchen table drinking coffee and I approached my dad and asked him, …”dad, where did I come from?…, I was made in a laboratory and put into Moms stomach right”? Then my dad looked at my Mom, and my Mom looked at my dad, and there was a look of hesitation in my dad’s eyes and my Mother said, …”Please Tell him the Truth”…and She then left the room and my dad proceeded to tell me about the …”Birds and the Bees”… .When he was done telling me, he asked me what I thought about it, and how I felt about it, and I remember telling him that, …”I was disappointed…and that I liked my idea much better…and remember thinking at that time that, …”The Birds and the Bees Story was really gross”… . Then I remember my dad telling me about puberty, and that my body would start to change chemically when I started my teen years, and that I would start to develop strong urges, and that I should fight those urges, and how it was a sin to have any kind of sex before marriage, and I also remember respecting him for telling me the Truth at that time. O.K. dad…All Well and Good…So what were you doing; later on, having sex with the woman that You were dating before Your marriage to her? Once again…I was Traumatized…Confused, Disturbed, Humiliated and Bewildered… . The mans second great big lie encompassing his Hypocritical Act.Shortly after my father had married he began to change…he always had a drinking problem; but shortly after his marriage to his second wife, he would be drinking more than ever. Alcohol is a lot like truth serum…It acts to anesthetize the higher brain centers of judgement and self-control; thus, enabling the Real and normally suppressed inner-self to come out into the open and to display/reveal itself. Deep Within each of us, there exists a singular duality and/or; perhaps, a multitude of differentiating singular dualities all struggling to take absolute control of the moment. Whenever my father drank, he would become very mean and abusive.The man had married a woman who had the complete opposite personality of my Mother…Like an inanimate Puppet, she would only move after he had pulled her strings. After only 3 months into his new marriage, the man had ordered me to call his new wife mother. his sick marriage had nothing to do with me and I had absolutely No Intention of Complying. Thus began a nightly routine of interrogations; shrouded with ritualistic beatings, shortly after the man would arrive home from work, and after he had rendered himself intoxicated, he would burst into my room each night, and would immediately ask, …”How many times did you call Ersel mother today?”… When I said that, …’I couldn’t remember’… he would usually start his nightly routine by slapping me in the face. …”she said that, “You didn’t call her mother at all”… (she would faithfully report to him regarding the matter; without conscience, every single day; without even, giving thought to me and/or what he was going to do to me). Then he would have me pull down my pants; and lye across my bed face down, after he had removed his belt, and then proceed to whip me with it. On other occasions, the man would use a long flat metal Drafting Ruler to carry out the task that was much more painful and would even cause my buttocks to sometimes bleed. My rear end was always sore and whenever I had to sit down I would always have to do it very slowly and carefully. It had gotten to the point where I had actually developed calluses back there.But without knowing it, I was actually developing a form of Spirituality during those horrible years. By age 11…I had mastered an escape technique (Actually, a mental disorder) called ‘Dissociation’, or more commonly referred to as, ‘Dissociative Dis-order’. Whenever the man would beat me, it was as if I was floating outside of; and above, my body looking down and watching the event happening, but not connected to it at all. This was to become one of several mental disorders that I would become diagnosed with much later in life. This abuse would continue to go on with me non-stop for the next 6 years of my life. Imagine being constantly and consistently humiliated in such a way for 6 years. During these ages; especially, your soft neurons and synapses in your brain are forming and setting like concrete. I could have lost my Mother when I was 2 and I never would have known the difference…I could have lost Her when I was 18 and would have then; had the option, of leaving home, which is exactly what I would have done. I never gave in to calling Her Mother but I never disrespected the woman. Whenever I came home from school; for example, I would always think of ways to talk to her without calling her anything such as, …’Wow! the wind is really blowing hard out there’…and/or telling her about an event that happened in school such as, …’A kid got beat up in school today’…and building up the conversation with her from there without ever actually addressing her with a Title, but always showing respect. That way, when my Sick father accused me of always saying, …“Hey You”… to her that couldn’t stick because I would tell him that I never would address Anyone in such a manner. This is when I started thinking like a lawyer would…in the sense that I would be careful in exactly how I worded my manner with her.The absolute worst night of my life happened to me when I was 12 years old…he barged into my room and told me that if I didn’t call his wife ‘mother’ the very next day, that he would …“kill me”… . I had never been so scared in all of my life…I was up all night; on that particular night, looking at the picture I had of my mother on my desk. I was crying and looking at Her picture for hours asking Her what I was going to do…Until all of a sudden, I had experienced my first hallucination when my Mothers Black and White picture became alive and She looked directly at me and said, “Don’t worry Johnny, I’ll help you get through this tomorrow”. This scared the living s_ _t out of me and I ran out of the room and sat in a corner of the living room for a while…Then, I had mustered up enough courage to go back to my desk in my room and I picked up the picture and looked at it again and asked Her, …’How are you going to help me Mom?…What is it that You are going to do?… , but this time the picture was; once again, lifeless and just a picture. That morning my Mom (My Real Mom) woke me and said, …“Breakfast is ready Johnny”...(This was my second hallucination) Without thinking about it, I got ready for school and there in the Kitchen was my Real Mother and I said, …”Good-Morning Mom”… and She was; once again, my Real Mother making me breakfast. (This was my third hallucination on that day and I had one more when I kissed Her goodbye and went to school). It was so real to me that; even to this day, I still sometimes find myself; often wondering, if it actually was my Real Mothers Spirit working through my stepmother.The Human-Mind can be a Very Powerful thing…The Human Spirit, can be even More Powerful.Materialism is a Corporate Philosophy which holds that The Mind, Body and Human Spirit are all just parts of Physical Constructs. Materialists; therefore, deny that the Entire Human Self is; in any way, shape or form, a non-material entity. They interpret beliefs, thoughts, and ideas as being solely dependent upon such physical systems. It is most important and prudent to point out here and now; however, that many of those noble and impractical ones who have lived among humanity in the past; as well as some of those who are currently living among us in these modern times, along with many great ones throughout history who have accomplished great and tremendous things for the benefit of all mankind…did then; and do now, in fact; not all share, in this otherwise common philosophy.OUR PAINI don’t know; and/or am not exactly certain, what the statistics would show on this, but my personal feeling is that those of us who have had to endure much pain in our lives are probably more likely; and inclined, to develop a strong sense of Spirituality than those who have not.SOME BRIEF EXPERIENCES WITH ESP?My cousin Patty Lauritzen and I were very close and had a-lot in common in life…Its almost as if our brain patterns were identical and connected (Tuned in to one another) at all times. In many ways; its as if we were meant to be Soul-Mates. There was once an old Television Series called, …’One Step Beyond’… Narrated by John Newland. The Series Episodes were based on Real Events; which actually had happened, that the Logic of Science could not explain. Patty joined the Army in the year of 1980 and was stationed off-base in a trailer park in Tucson Arizona. I was living in Denver Colorado at the time, for a little over a year. The last time I saw Patty was just shortly before She was accepted into the Army. Shortly after She was accepted, I spoke with Her telephonically and wished Her good luck. We had both moved on to different things and both had new Chapters going on in our lives and had not communicated since. One night; in the later part of August, I had the most Terrifying and Horrible Nightmare of my life. I dreamed that Patty was murdered in a Trailer; in a Trailer Park, from a gunshot to Her head. The dream was so Horrible that I woke up in a cold sweat…and the dream seemed so very real to me that I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning I received a call from my Uncle (Patty’s Father) with some bad news. My Uncle Marty had told me that Army Personnel had discovered Patty’s Body in Her Trailer. When I asked my Uncle how She died, He told me that She had been Murdered and that She died from a close range gunshot to Her head. When I asked Him when She died the time coincided; exactly, with when I woke up from my dream. Coincidence? -Hardly.A good number of years ago, I managed several Apartment Buildings in Capitol Hill Denver. I was painting a Unit in My building; and at that exact moment, I was thinking of 3 (1 Female and 2 Males) people who had wronged me at a previous job when I used to work for Corporate America. At that very instant I had received a call from a Schizophrenic Woman who lived in a building; which I had also managed, across town and She said, …”There are 3 People on top of the roof talking very loud and their names are, ______________, _______________ and ________________ and if you don’t do something about it I’m going to call the police.”… After She had hung up the Phone I immediately knew that something Fantastic had just happened…The Woman had rattled off the names (First and Last) of all of the 3 People that I had just been thinking of during those few seconds! It was as if She had; somehow, pulled a portion of those 3 people out of my brain and had; unintentionally, made them part of Her Hallucination. Could it be possible that some Schizophrenics have some form of ESP because some of their brains are wired differently? I went over to the building where She had lived and there was no stairway going to the roof…It could only be reached with a long ladder.When I was a Laborer; in Construction, years ago…I was working on the night-shift with a small crew. There was another Laborer on the job and the 2 of us did not get along very well. One night we both had words with each other and I dreamed that He was involved in a car accident as a passenger in someone else’s Jeep…In my dream the Jeep had rolled over as they were going around a curve. In the dream; I woke up as the Jeep was rolling, and didn’t think much of it. The next day He reported to work with His arm in a sling saying that, …”He had sprained it in a Jeep accident”… exactly as the one I had just described to You in the words above.On another occasion, I had a dream that a good friend of mine in Chicago, had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He didn’t trust Doctors and in the dream; I had dreamed, that He had made a crude attempt to operate on Himself. In my dream; He had botched up the operation, which had led to a serious infection. Several weeks later, I had learned that this had; in fact, actually happened.It is important that the readers of these words understand that these events all; did in fact, actually happen to me. I did Not ask for them to happen…I didn’t wish for them to happen…, …and at the same time, I believe strongly in the ways of science…I understand their skepticism… . If; for example, this did not happen to me, I would be skeptical too.MY EXPERIENCE WITH LSD, MARIJUANA AND SOME OF THE OTHER HALLUCINOGENS AND HOW THESE DRUGS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN MY SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND IN CHANGING ME FROM MY FORMER SELFDrinking Ethyl Alcohol (The legal drug) became a very serious problem for me and put me in the hospital at a very early age and I almost died…I had some experiences with the so-called Hallucinogenic Drugs while I was Drinking, but did not pay much attention to them then; probably because, I was to Intoxicated from Drinking Ethyl Alcohol to really notice…but I did remember one important thing about them…Marijuana; for example, seemed to slow down my perception of time. I remember that driving my car under its influence made it seem like it took forever to get to a traffic light. I always thought that this was such an amazing experience. I also remember what this drug did for me while I was listening to Music and how the Drug seemed to Expand and Heighten my Sensations to Everything Around me. I really can’t understand why LSD is referred to as a hallucinogen because under its influence, I never actually hallucinated (Saw things that weren’t there), but I saw everything in a Distorted Enhanced Manner…Color; for example, was more Vibrant and Beautiful…Sounds took on a better characteristic and manner about them…(Kind of like THX Surround Sound as compared to watching a cheap old Television with 1 channel sound emanating from its front). Most of the visual effects were kind of like looking at the world through a swimming pool…Everything seemed to be alive and moving. The Alcoholism Treatment Center had saved my life and had served to educate me about my Illness and the Disease Concept of Alcoholism along with its Genetic Components had all served; in combination, to heal me and I took those things that I had learned and needed with me throughout life to include some of the Spiritual Philosophy of A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous). I remained completely Drug-Free for an entire year knowing that I would; eventually, once again; try, using certain drugs recreationally, in knowing that they were not going to hurt me and that I would not have a problem with them in terms of any Addiction Complications such as those that I had experienced with Alcohol. A friend of mine was throwing a party one weekend in Denver and had purchased some ‘Afghanistan Tie-Stick’ Marijuana that was extremely expensive…He said that it had cost Him $85.00 per 1/8th ounce and this was back in 1982 so You can just imagine how much it would cost now…It had a-lot of red and deep purple colored buds in it and seemed to be almost over-flowing with resin…I had purchased the equivalent of 1 joint from Him and He rolled it up for me. He told me to only take 2 hits off of it and that the High would be Very Intense…but to be very careful as it was a Creeper (A high that Creeps Up On You and Hits You All of a Sudden After a Certain Amount of Time Has Passed), and that it would Hit Me After Roughly 20 or 25 minutes had passed. Having done Creeper Weed before…and Not thinking of it much; and being the extremist that I am, I smoked the entire joint right then and there. He then said to me, …”John You Can’t Say I Didn’t Warn You…Now You Can Get Ready For A Very Intense Roller-Coaster Ride”…I was enjoying the party sitting on my friend’s couch involved in some friendly discussion with some people that I had just met and 20 minutes had passed…then 25…then 30…when I remember looking at my friend Mike; and saying…’Mike, nothing’s happening’…When All of a Sudden…His face started to Distort and He began to talk very slowly…Then I began to notice how Excellent the Music had Sounded…and then, I Suddenly Felt the 2 Hemispheres of my Brain Tingling as though They were Being Electrified and Charged With Static Electricity…Then there was this hand in front of my face going up and down and when I had turned my head to the left there was this really good looking girl sitting next to me on the couch asking me if I was O.K. and I remember telling Her, …”This is Incredible!…It’s Fantastic!”… and She looked at me and asked, …”What Is?”… and I said, …”I think I know how life got started”… Then She looked at me Strangely…got up off of the couch and said, …”You must be Tripping”… and went to another part of the room and started socializing with some other people. In looking back, I can’t really write that I had blamed Her…That’s just not the kind of thing to say when you’re supposed to be socializing at a party. This was not your average Strain of Marijuana…It was also, actually Psychedelic and Intensely Spiritual!…and the Colors of Everything became Intensely Vivid and Beautiful. Then Mike sat down next to me and said, …“Johnny, I warned you”… . I said, …’Mike, This is Outstanding! It’s Monumental!…I’ve never experienced weed like this before!…The Ideas I’m Getting!…They’re Popping In and Out of my Head so Fast that While I’m Thinking About One, I’m Getting Another!’… . I told Him that I had to go for a drive and that I would be back in about an hour…He said, …”John, you’re not Actually Going to Drive on This S___t Are You?! I said, …’Mike, I Have to Do This’… . At that time, I owned a 1975 Yellow AMC Gremlin…I bought the Car when it was New…and in 1976 I Installed a Pioneer AM/FM Quadraphonic 8-Track (4-Channel) Stereo System in my Car. I had a whole bunch of Quadraphonic Tapes and I wanted to listen to them while I was driving on this Incredible High…Some parts of this High were Reminiscent of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms…As I was driving my arms took on a look of becoming very long tapering down to my even smaller appearing hands grasping an even smaller looking steering wheel…Everything became smaller with greater distance…It was almost exactly like looking through extremely high definition binoculars in reverse…The road took on the exact same look…where everything that I was familiar with that was; in reality, so very close; but had actually seemed so very far away and distant…My perception of time had slowed down to a point of almost being ridiculous but was so very fantastic at the same time. I knew the street that I had just passed and I also knew that the Red traffic light up ahead was only 3/4 of a block ahead of me…The speed limit was 45 miles per hour and I had just checked my speedometer only to confirm that I was doing exactly 45 m.p.h. . The Red light appearing; as if, in the great distance, gave me the sensation of experiencing it to be; at least, 1/2 a mile from my vantage point and it took me almost; forever, to get there…let alone for the light to turn green upon getting there. This was just an incredible sensation that no kind of words can; even begin, to define. The music which surrounded me was astonishingly phenomenal. I was listening to the doors and I heard instruments that were not even on the tape!! The Vivid Colors of Everything approached that of Becoming Intoxicating…and there was also some slight visual effects somewhat reminiscent to the wavy effects associated with those of LSD and in that very instant, a thought had popped into my head about Histories Greatest Artist…Vincent Van Gogh and how His Brain must have been physiologically different in the Manner through which He Perceived the World…I thought, could He have been on this kind of high all of His life without Him Actually Having to have Taken Anything? Vincent was born with a brain lesion that became more complicated later in His life by an addiction to absinthe which is an Alcoholic Drink containing a small percentage of Thujone. Thujone is understood to have Psychoactive Properties that can Enhance Activity in Brain Areas Associated with and Involving the Development and Expansion of New Ideas and Imagination…Especially with Artists and Writers…But Thujone can also be Toxic in Large Amounts...It is also similar; in Molecular Structure, to THC Tetrahydrocannabinol (The main psychoactive Constituent in Marijuana). Vincent’s best works were produced during the last 2 troubled years of His life including His Famous Starry Night Painting. It was during this time that He would experience extreme fits of Hallucinations and Convulsions Prior to His Suicide. I continued to drive around in this state for a full hour and returned to Mike’s Party. When I came back I tried to socialize somewhat but found it to be very difficult as I was on a different plane than everyone else was. There was another young Lady there who had asked me to dance, and we danced and then sat down and talked for a while together, but the conversation did not last very long. I think She found me to be somewhat boring before She got up and began to talk to someone else. Mike sat down next to me a short time later and said, …”John, do you always get so Hellishly Analytical and Philosophical when you get High?…I’ve never seen this side of you before…Try to have some fun Man”… I said, …’Mike, You have no idea how grateful I am to You for turning me on to this fantastic stuff…I said I can Isolate what’s in this and enhance it’…Back then; I had Developed a Consummation of Intense Interest in Organic Chemistry, because You never truly know what You’re buying on the street and the so-called “Hallucinogens” had grown to become an Extreme Obsession of Mine due to the fact that Many of these Compounds had acted in Bringing me Closer to the Achievement of Experiencing True and Real Spirituality than I had Ever Been in My Entire Life. This is How I Personally Came Closest to the Idea of God and how I had Experienced and Created an Idea of Spirituality of My Own Design…Not Based on Any Book…Not Based on Any Organized Religion…and/or Other Man-Made Doctrine…But Based on My Own Personal Feelings Exactly in the Manner; by/in and Through which, the Idea of such a Being…has Always Intended for All of Us.Excuse me, I will be doing more on this soon. Thank You. -John Future

How much do medical malpractice lawyers make?by Dana SeversonProfessional negligence on the part of a doctor may send you to a lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice. These legal professionals are experts in the legal duty a health care provider has when agreeing to treat patients. If care falls below the accepted standards and regulations, a malpractice attorney can help the party secure compensatory and punitive damages. Pay varies by attorney and state.Salary OverviewIn 2012, lawyers earned an average of $130,880 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The top 10 percent of earners made in excess of $187,199 a year, while the bottom 10 percent made less than $54,310 a year. But none of these figures account for specialty -- a factor that has some bearing on earnings. Diploma Guide, an online career guide, sets the salary at a median of $113,000 annually, as of 2011.Malpractice FeesDetermining a precise salary for a medical malpractice lawyer is difficult, since the majority of attorneys in this field are paid a sliding fee for their services. These fees are based on the settlements and vary by state. In Connecticut, for example, lawyers can charge 33.3 percent for the first $300,000, 25 percent for the next $300,000, 20 percent for next $300,000 and so on. As of 2003, an Illinois-based malpractice lawyer can charge 33.3 percent of the first $150,000, 25 percent of the next $850,000 and 20 percent of damages exceeding $1 million. In Oklahoma, the fees are little more clear-cut, with rates not to exceed 50 percent of the net judgment. Tennessee has similar guidelines, with attorneys earning 33.3 percent of the recovery, while California limits medical malpractice lawyers to no more than 40 percent of the first $50,000, 33.3 percent of the next $50,000, 25 percent of the next $500,000 and 15 percent of damages exceeding $600,000.EducationNo matter the specialty, all lawyers follow a similar educational path. It starts with four years in an undergraduate program before moving onto law school -- a three-year commitment. You’ll then take the bar exam to practice. Prerequisites vary by state, but graduating from an American Bar Association-accredited law school is the minimum requirement. Most states also require lawyers participate in a continuing education program throughout their careers.Job OutlookThe BLS expects employment for lawyers as a whole to grow by 10 percent through 2020. This is slower than the national average for all U.S. occupations, an estimated 14 percent. Though the 10-percent growth rate should create almost 74,000 new jobs, competition will be strong. More students are graduating from law school than there are jobs, adds the BLS. Those lawyers willing to relocate to more rural settings should see the greatest prospects.Medical Lawyer Salary 2020 | Medical For Lawyer| Lawyer SalaryAugust 18, 2019Medical Lawyer SalaryFor lawyers with a passion for law and an interest in health care, this expertise can be a perfect match. Medical lawyers’ duties include working with health professionals to formulate case theories, meeting expert witnesses, collecting and analyzing medical records, and malpractice civil cases.Technically, “medical law is not a separate category of law, but a combination of personal injury, medical malpractice and health laws. Some medical lawyers work for hospitals and health clinics, provide advice and guidance on their rights and obligations, and advocate for cases of medical malpractice. Others specialize in representing clients who want to sue health care organizations or individual health professionals.According to Glassdoor Job Search | Find the job that fits your life, medical lawyers and health attorneys receive an average annual salary of $ 150,881; Medical lawyers working with private hospitals often earn even more.Did 'Junk Science' Make John Edwards Rich?(Home | CNSNews) - The superstar trial lawyer accomplishments of John Edwards, which allowed this former millworker to amass a personal fortune, finance his successful U.S. Senate run in 1998 and catapult himself into the 2004 race for president, may have been partially built on "junk science," according to legal and medical experts who spoke with CNSNews.com .Edwards, who with a late surge finished second in Monday's Iowa Caucuses, continues to cite one of his most lucrative legal victories as an example of how he would stand up for "the little guy" if elected president.Edwards became one of America's wealthiest trial lawyers by winning record jury verdicts and settlements in cases alleging that the botched treatment of women in labor and their deliveries caused infants to develop cerebral palsy, a brain disorder that causes motor function impairment and lifelong disability.Although he was involved in other types of personal injury litigation, Edwards specialized in infant cerebral palsy and brain damage cases during his early days as a trial lawyer and with the Raleigh, N.C., firm of Edwards & Kirby.Edwards has repeatedly told campaign audiences that he fought on behalf of the common man against the large insurance companies. But a political critic with extensive knowledge of Edwards' legal career in North Carolina told Home | CNSNews a different story"Edwards always helped the little guy as long as he got a million dollars out of it," said the source, who did not want to be identified.The cause of cerebral palsy has been debated since the 19th century. Some medical studies dating back to at least the 1980s asserted that doctors could do very little to cause cerebral palsy during the birthing process. Two new studies in 2003 further undermined the scientific premise of the high profile court cases that helped Edwards become a multi-millionaire and finance his own successful campaign for the U.S. Senate.Dr. Murray Goldstein, a neurologist and the medical director of the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation, said it is conceivable for a doctor's incompetence to cause cerebral palsy in an infant. "There are some cases where the brain damage did occur at the time of delivery. But it's really unusual. It's really quite unusual," Goldstein said."The overwhelming majority of children that are born with developmental brain damage, the ob/gyn could not have done anything about it, could not have, not at this stage of what we know," Goldstein added.The medical and legal experts with whom Home | CNSNews consulted said each case of cerebral palsy had to be evaluated on its own, but that medical science was increasingly exonerating the doctors involved in the labor and delivery where cerebral palsy resulted.Eldon L. Boisseau of the Kansas-based firm Turner and Boisseau, specializing in defending doctors' insurance companies from medical malpractice lawsuits, agreed that physician-caused cerebral palsy "occurs only rarely.""At the end of the day, I verily believe we will find [the cause of cerebral palsy is] all genetic," Boisseau said in an interview with Home | CNSNews.Dr. John Freeman, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., also believes there is little obstetricians can do to prevent cerebral palsy during delivery. "Most cases of cerebral palsy are not due to asphyxia," Freeman told Home | CNSNews."A great many of these cases are due to subtle infections of the child before birth," Freeman said. "That is the cause of the premature labor and the cause of the [brain] damage. There is little or no evidence that if you did a [caesarean] section a short time earlier you would prevent cerebral palsy," he added.'Heart wrenching plea'But some of Edwards' critics say that as a trial lawyer, he relied more on his verbal skills than the latest scientific evidence to persuade juries that the doctors' mistakes had been instrumental in causing the cerebral palsy in the infants.Edwards' trial summaries "routinely went beyond a recitation of his case to a heart-wrenching plea to jurors to listen to the unspoken voices of injured children," according to a comprehensive analysis of Edwards' legal career by The Boston Globe in 2003.The Globe cited an example of Edwards' oratorical skills from a medical malpractice trial in 1985. Edwards had alleged that a doctor and a hospital had been responsible for the cerebral palsy afflicting then-five-year-old Jennifer Campbell.'I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her (Jennifer), I feel her presence,' Edwards told the jury according to court records. "[Jennifer's] inside me and she's talking to you ... And this is what she says to you. She says, 'I don't ask for your pity. What I ask for is your strength. And I don't ask for your sympathy, but I do ask for your courage.'"Edwards' emotional plea worked. Jennifer Campbell's family won a record jury verdict of $6.5 million against the hospital where the girl was born -- a judgment reduced later to $2.75 million on appeal. Edwards also settled with Jennifer's obstetrician for $1.5 million.Legal expert Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of the book, The Rule of Lawyers, said Edwards' success in court was due in large part to his mastery of one important trait."Edwards was clearly very good at managing the emotional tenor of a trial and that turns out to be at least as important as any particular skill in the sense of researching the fine points of law," Olson told Home | CNSNews ."These are the skills that you find in successful trial lawyers. They can tell a story that produces a certain emotional response. It's a gift," Olson added.However, Olson believes trial lawyers "have been getting away with an awful lot in cerebral palsy litigation," by excluding certain scientific evidence."[Trial lawyers] have been cashing in on cases where the doctor's conduct probably did not make any difference at all -- cases where the child was doomed to this condition based on things that happened before they ever got to the delivery room," Olson said.'Junk science in the courtroom'Peter Huber, a lawyer and author of the book, Galileo's Revenge: Junk Science in the Courtroom, believes juries are typically manipulated with emotional arguments to aid the plaintiff's case."The jury sees the undisputed trauma first, the disputed negligence second, the undisputed cerebral palsy third. It is a perfect set-up for misinterpreting sequence as cause," Huber wrote.According to Boisseau, the growing body of scientific studies showing that obstetricians are generally blameless in cerebral palsy cases has done nothing to alter the trend of multi-million dollar court settlements. Those settlements are reached, Boisseau said, even though "a lot of the plaintiff's expert science is unsupported, essentially junk science."Many juries never even get to hear about the medical science or the origins of cerebral palsy because "90 percent of suits for obstetrical malpractice are settled" out of court, noted Freeman of Johns Hopkins Hospital.Huber does not expect cerebral palsy cases to fade away, despite the growing body of scientific evidence exonerating doctors."Despite the almost complete absence of scientific basis for these [medical malpractice] claims, cerebral palsy cases remain enormously attractive to lawyers," Huber wrote.The judgments or settlements related to medical malpractice lawsuits that focused on brain-damaged infants with cerebral palsy helped Edwards amass a personal fortune estimated at between $12.8 and $60 million. He and his wife own three homes, each worth more than $1 million, according to Edwards' Senate financial disclosure forms. Edwards' old law firm reportedly kept between 25 and 40 percent of the jury awards/settlements during the time he worked there.According to the Center for Public Integrity, Edwards was able to win "more than $152 million" based on his involvement in 63 lawsuits alone. The legal profession recognized Edwards' achievements by inducting him into the prestigious legal society called the Inner Circle of Advocates, which includes the nation's top 100 lawyers. Lawyers Weekly also cited Edwards as one of America's "Lawyers of the Year" in 1996.'The kids and families I've fought for'Edwards has shifted his emotionally charged speeches from the jury box to the presidential campaign trail and is fond of re-telling the story of how his firm sued on behalf of a cerebral palsy-afflicted boy named Ethan Bedrick in 1996.Ethan, born in North Carolina in 1992, allegedly developed cerebral palsy after a botched delivery. Edwards has explained to audiences at presidential campaign rallies that suing Ethan's insurance carrier, Travelers Insurance Co., to cover the boy's physical therapy was necessary because "Ethan's family had no choice."[The family was] forced to go to court to get their son the care he needed," Edwards has said of the case, which his law firm won.Edwards has repeatedly cited Ethan's case as an example of "the kids and families I've fought for," and in the minds of many political observers positioned himself as the classic David against the insurance industry's Goliath.However, Edwards has also repeatedly failed to mention that he had represented Ethan Bedrick in a lawsuit against the boy's obstetrician a year earlier in 1995. Edwards had alleged that the doctor was negligent in failing to prevent the boy's oxygen deprivation during labor and therefore had caused the boy's cerebral palsy.Edwards settled the malpractice case with the doctor's insurance company less than three weeks into the trial, enabling Ethan's family to get a reported $5 million for medical and living expenses. The case was reportedly the largest medical malpractice settlement in North Carolina history.'I'm proud of that'Edwards is not shy about defending his legal career and says he would gladly put his record up against that of President Bush in this year's general election."The time I spent in courtrooms representing kids and families against, you know, big insurance companies and big drug companies and big corporate America -- I'm proud of that," Edwards told the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes in December 2003.But Edwards' critics have a different view of the man; they say he has repeatedly acted to enrich himself."John Edwards' spin is always -- I am helping the little guy. But he screened his cases to the point that he only helped people that were going to make him richer," said the Home | CNSNews source with extensive knowledge of Edwards' legal career.Dr. Lorne Hall, one of the physicians with whom Edwards reached a confidential settlement in a malpractice case involving cerebral palsy, agreed, telling The Charlotte Observer in 2003 that "[Edwards] knows how to pick cases, and he knows the ones he can win."Hall said Edwards was "very polished, very polite, dressed to the T's, smiling at the ladies." But the anonymous source for this story said Edwards displayed a "belligerent attitude" toward the medical profession."He sued nurses, doctors, hospitals. The reputation he had was -- he never wanted to hear that nobody did anything wrong. If you even walked by the door of an alleged malpractice incident, you were gong to cough up money too," the source said.But John Hood, president of the free-market, Raleigh, N.C.-based John Locke Foundation said Edwards tailored the evidence in his court cases for maximum impact."In pursuing his client's cases he did what many other trial lawyers do. He bent the available evidence to fit what he wanted to say," Hood told Home | CNSNews . "That is the nature of an advocacy system," Hood addedHood does not fault Edwards for the strategies he used as a trial lawyer."He was an advocate for his clients. It was his job to make the best possible case for them," Hood said.Many legal observers agree that Edwards was simply doing his job and doing it very well.A North Carolina newspaper, The News and Observer, said Edwards "forged a reputation as one of the most skilled plaintiff's attorneys in the business."Retired North Carolina Superior Court Judge Robert Farmer, who heard many of Edwards' arguments in court, had nothing but praise for the abilities of the former trial lawyer, turned senator."He was probably the best I ever had in the 21 years I had on the bench. Lawyers would come in to watch him, to see what he does," Farmer told the Chicago Tribune in December 2003.'Scientifically unfounded'Olson said lawsuits blaming obstetricians for cerebral palsy and other infant brain damage "may constitute the single biggest branch of medical malpractice litigation." Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in about 8,000 infants annually in the U.S.But the recent scientific studies may make those lawsuits "scientifically unfounded," Olson explained. He contends that the medical malpractice suits that enabled Edwards and other trial lawyers to become rich and famous are crippling medical specialties like obstetrics, emergency room medicine and neurosurgery."A few years ago every neurosurgeon in Washington D.C., had been sued, and it can't be because the nation's capital gets only bad neurosurgeons. It's because it's too tempting to file against the competent ones because so many terrible things go wrong with their patients," Olson added.Edwards, who opposes legislation that would cap damages in liability lawsuits, would not respond to repeated requests through his campaign offices for comment.E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.