Frank Zappa on human progress

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. 

~ Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa on the non-aggression principle

The most important thing to do in your life is to not interfere with somebody else's life. 

~ Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa on the illusion of freedom

The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion.  At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater. 

~ Frank Zappa

Jeffrey Tucker on herd immunity and the World Health Organization

Herd immunity is a fascinating observation that you can trace to biological reality or statistical probability theory, whichever you prefer. It is certainly not a “strategy” so ignore any media source that describes it that way. When a virus kills its host – that is, when a virus overtaxes the body’s ability to integrate it, its host dies and so the virus does not spread to others. The more this occurs, the less it spreads. If the virus doesn’t kill its host, it can hop to others through all the usual means. 

When you get such a virus and fight it off, your immune system encodes that information in a way that builds immunity to it. When it happens to enough people (and each case is different so we can’t put a clear number on it, especially given so many cross immunities) the virus loses its pandemic quality and becomes endemic, which is to say predictable and manageable. Each new generation incorporates that information through more exposure. 

This is what one would call virology/immunology 101.  It’s what you read in every textbook.  It’s been taught in 9th-grade cell biology for probably 80 years.  Observing the operations of this evolutionary phenomenon is pretty wonderful because it increases one’s respect for the way in which human biology has adapted to the presence of pathogens without absolutely freaking out. 

And the discovery of this fascinating dynamic in cell biology is a major reason why public health became so smart in the 20th century.  We kept calm.  We managed viruses with medical professionals: doctor/patient relationships.  We avoided the Medieval tendency to run around with hair on fire but rather used rationality and intelligence. 

One day, this strange institution called the World Health Organization – once glorious because it was mainly responsible for the eradication of smallpox – suddenly decided to delete everything I just wrote from cell biology basics.  It literally changed the science in a Soviet-like way.  It removed with the delete key any mention of natural immunities from its website.  It took the additional step of actually mischaracterizing the structure and functioning of vaccines.

~ Jeffrey Tucker, "The World Health Organization Oversold the Vaccine and Deprecated Natural Immunity," Brownstone Institute, August 29, 2021

Elon Musk on staying out of politics

In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness.  That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics.

~ Elon Musk, tweet, September 2, 2021

Lael Brainard on the Fed and climate change

I anticipate it will be helpful to provide supervisory guidance for large banking institutions in their efforts to appropriately measure, monitor, and manage material climate-related risks, following the lead of other countries.

~ Lael Brainard, Federal Reserve governor, October 7, 2021

("In pondering the possible consequences of climate change, the Fed has joined many of its global counterparts, including the ECB and the Bank of England, that have been examining what climate-related risks could mean for the banking sector."  ~ The New York Times, October 8, 2021)

Murray Rothbard on the role of Court intellectuals

Since its rule is exploitative and parasitic, the State must purchase the alliance of a group of "Court Intellectuals," whose task is to bamboozle the public into accepting and celebrating the rule of its particular State.  The Court Intellectuals have their work cut out for them.  In exchange for their continuing work of apologetics and bamboozlement, the Court Intellectuals win their place as junior partners in the power, prestige, and loot extracted by the State apparatus from the deluded public.

~ Murray Rothbard, Anatomy of the State (1974)

(As quoted by Jon Miltimore, "Education Secretary Touts Mask Study—Gets Rebuked by Senior Author of the Study," Fee.org, October 1, 2021.)