College throws its Ivy League-educated president under the bus for 'liking' tweets critical of COVID vaccines, trans surgeries for kids



Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University came down hard on its president for "liking" tweets critical of COVID vaccines and trans surgeries for kids.

What are the details?

A Philadelphia Inquirer story over the weekend called out the college's 70-year-old president, Dr. Mark Tykocinski, saying the Yale-educated molecular immunologist "has used his Twitter account to 'like' tweets that question the science of COVID-19 vaccines, call gender reassignment surgery 'child mutilation,' and are critical of diversity offices on college campuses, among other controversial topics."

The Inquirer did some counting and discovered that Tykocinski in the last year "liked" nearly 30 tweets from Alex Berenson, whom the paper said was "once called 'the pandemic’s wrongest man' by the Atlantic."

With that, Thomas Jefferson University CEO Joseph G. Cacchione on Sunday messaged faculty, employees, and students and ripped Tykocinski's "careless use" of Twitter, adding that "at his level, he is held to a higher standard and should have known better," the Inquirer said in a follow-up story.

Berenson responded on Twitter by saying "academic freedom is dead" — and Twitter CEO Elon Musk added that the school's response is "absurd."

\u201c@AlexBerenson This is absurd. Shame on the CEO and board of trustees of Thomas Jefferson University!\u201d
— Alex Berenson (@Alex Berenson) 1682985001

Musk wasn't done:

\u201c@DrJBhattacharya @AlexBerenson So the president of a university, which is supposed to be a bastion of freedom of expression, was almost fired for liking factually correct tweets!?\n\nThat is seriously messed up. The board of trustees should hang their heads in shame and apologize!\u201d
— Jay Bhattacharya (@Jay Bhattacharya) 1683043510

Apology parade

As you might guess, a Tykocinski apology parade has been in full swing.

According to the Inquirer, Tykocinski said in a statement that he “liked” the tweets in question in order to bookmark them so he could "learn more about the subject matter or the particular viewpoint."

“What I did not understand was that by liking a tweet, it could be interpreted as endorsement of the thought expressed or the person expressing it. ... I certainly had no intention of endorsing the content of individual tweets or the person tweeting," he added to the paper.

“I regret my lack of understanding of how ‘liking’ a tweet is an implied endorsement. I also regret how my lack of understanding of the Twitter platform caused some to question my views on these complex issues," he also told the Inquirer.

The paper added that in regard to COVID-19 vaccines, Tykocinski clarified: “I do not believe vaccines are harmful. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were originally made available through an accelerated [emergency use authorization] process: and hence, the speed in which they were developed saves millions of lives. There is still much to be learned. Academic institutions play a key role in answering these questions.”

The Inquirer added that when asked if he regarded transgender surgery as child mutilation, Tykocinksi replied: “This is not my clinical area of expertise. In general, any issue involving children should be referred to clinical experts at children’s hospitals who offer the full complement of services necessary.”

A 'teaching moment'

A Jefferson spokesperson told the Inquirer that the college "intends to use this opportunity as a teaching moment regarding the understanding, impact, and prudent use of social media.”

More from the paper:

Patricia D. Wellenbach, chair of the Thomas Jefferson University board of trustees and president and CEO of the Please Touch Museum, said in an email Monday afternoon that the situation “is getting my and the board’s full attention.”

“I, and the board of trustees, have complete confidence in [Cacchione], and the management team who are thoughtfully managing the situation while continuing to remain focused on our mission to serve our community every day.”

Cacchione in his message further went on to emphasize that a “diverse, equitable and inclusive environment is fundamental” to Jefferson’s mission and that COVID-19 vaccines “saved countless lives.” Jefferson followed all guidelines, including requiring its employees and students to be vaccinated, he wrote.

Inquirer reporter feeling the heat, too

Susan Snyder, the Inquirer reporter who penned both stories, has been getting criticized on Twitter:

  • "That hit piece you wrote about that medical doctor is disgraceful," one user told her. "You know you need to resign immediately."
  • "You're nothing but a bully guised as a journalist," another commenter said. "Shame on you."
  • "You are making a mockery of journalism," another user wrote. "Resign."
  • "You are an inspector with the thought police, not a journalist," another commenter said.
  • "How dare you spy on what a person LIKES ON TWITTER FGS!" another user exclaimed. "You should be fired, not HIM."

Horowitz: CDC issues guidance for evaluating post-vaccination COVID tests at a lower standard



We've watched throughout the country as entire families are forced into quarantine because one classmate of a child tests positive for the virus without exhibiting any symptoms. Lives destroyed without any due process or evidentiary standards that they are even infected.

Last August, the New York Times reported that so many PCR tests were netting false positives because they used more than 30 cycle thresholds (CTs) of amplification, often as many as 40-45 before finding a positive culture. To this day, the CDC has refused to change its guidance on the use of high CTs in determining positive results, needlessly forcing so many people, particularly asymptomatic children, into quarantine for no reason. Well, now the agency has finally changed its guidance — but only when it suits cronies.

In a notice on its "COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation," the CDC announced its plan to study the prevalence of "breakthrough cases," meaning those who contract the virus even after having been vaccinated. Yesterday, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson noticed this little gem in the guidance for determining those infected post-vaccination: "Clinical specimens for sequencing should have an RT-PCR Ct value ≤28."

Alas, the CDC has suddenly discovered the power of cycle thresholds on PCR testing in determining whether the positive results are real or meaningful. But here's the problem: Where is this guidance when it comes to non-vaccinated people? As Berenson points out, a standard of 28 CTs applied to the general testing regime would preclude as many as 90% of cases from being recorded, especially when the virus is in low circulation.

Wow. WOW. @cdcgov only wants to examine post-vaccine infections with a PCR threshold of 28 or under.That standard… https://t.co/PUGSeS99pm

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) 1619716838.0

Almost eight months ago, the New York Times reported that cultures detected in 27 to 34 CTs seldom reveal any live virus, and specimens detected above 34 CTs never show any live virus. Most research shows that any virus that is detected only through a CT level above 25, and certainly above 30, is very likely to be a false or meaningless positive. This is why a Portuguese judge recently ruled that any positive test that used more than 25 cycle thresholds is not reliable and cannot be used to force quarantine.

Each cycle threshold doubles the level of amplification of the previous CT. Thus, a CT of 40 is 1,024 times the amplification of a CT level of 30 (210 =1,024) and 32,768 times that of a CT of 25 (215=32,768). Clearly, not all positive results are equal, and knowing the CT level of your positive result is of utmost importance.

Thus, the CDC is correct in not wanting false positives to work against the reputation of the vaccines, but why is it OK for false positives to work against the livelihood of Americans? Why is it that only when it comes to the reputation of the vaccines do they suddenly discover the science of false positives? Based on the current CDC standard, the entire contact tracing regime, even to the extent one maniacally believes they can trace a virus that 40% of the country already contracted, should be overhauled.

Just how destructive is the problem of false positives? Biostatistician Jon Deeks posted data from Public Health England showing that as many as 62% of the positives among British schoolchildren in recent weeks were false.

The 1st 2 weeks of school testing did find MORE FALSE POSITIVES than TRUE POSITIVES - data are finally public.Pro… https://t.co/FsaYS5HkjS

— Jon Deeks 💙 (@deeksj) 1619691750.0

The problem is especially acute in a place like England, where the virus is nearly extinct, and among children, who contract the virus less often. However, in most places in the United States, the virus is also circulating at a very low level. Yet if this testing regime continues, the forced isolation without due process will continue indefinitely.

Think about this absurd evil that is being perpetrated upon our children: They are needlessly tested for a virus that doesn't affect them, with a faulty test that will scare them into getting an experimental vaccine they don't need, whose efficacy is then measured against a much less sensitive test. It's all in the science!

It's also amusing to watch the government finally discover science in order to bolster public confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccines, while refusing to recognize all the data on the efficacy of natural immunity against reinfection. A recent study of 6.3 million Israelis showed that the estimated protection for those already infected was 94.8% from reinfection and 96.4% from severe illness, as compared to effectiveness of 92.8% and 94.4%, respectively, from the vaccines. There was just one death in the entire country from someone who supposedly already had the virus, and he was over 80 years old.

The authors conclude that their research "puts into question the need to vaccinate recent (up to six month) previously-infected individuals." They do qualify their statement with the nuance of "recent" previously infected because we don't have data on the virus for long-term immunity. However, that is true of the vaccine as well. At lease for prior infection, we have studies showing that those with SARS1 infections who never even contracted SARS-CoV-2 seem to be immune 17 years later.

This research coming from Israel is very telling, because Israel is probably the most hawkish country on vaccines. Still, they are willing to publish academic literature playing up natural immunity and showing that there is no need for those with natural immunity to take a risk on experimental vaccines. Our government refuses to recognize the existence of immunity from prior infection in any shape or form.

It's truly shocking how our politicians will do everything in their power to play up the vaccines and downplay natural immunity; to ratchet up the cycle thresholds for those getting the virus without the vaccine, while ratchetting them down for those already vaccinated. They all like to say they are following the science, but in reality, they are following the money and the power.

Charlie Kirk calls on Elon Musk to build 'a better internet' in fight against censorship



Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has delivered a plea for billionaire Elon Musk to build "a better internet" to compete with the online giants' increasingly aggressive censorship of speech.

What are the details?

In an open letter published in Human Events, Kirk issued what he called a "public memorandum" pleading with the Tesla and SpaceX titan to enter the internet and cell phone arena for the sake of "Western Civilization."

Kirk pointed to the recent crackdowns by social media platforms like Twitter, cell phone developers such as Apple, and server providers such as Amazon that have banned the accounts of users and even pulled at least one platform, Parler, from the marketplace under the guise of "protecting public safety" and "stopping threats of violence."

He argued to Musk that "preserving free speech is a market opportunity," and urged the entrepreneur in bold type:

Please use your considerable wealth and influence to start one or more new social media platforms that will provide insulation from Big Tech censorship. Also, please launch a new digital communications company that provides everything from smartphones to networks. Please start and launch everything.

Kirk closed in vowing to support Musk if he took on such initiatives before writing:

"To reach me, you can find me at… well… by the time you respond, I'm not sure where you will be able to find me. It just likely won't be through Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, platforms from where myself and millions of others are about to be banished silenced.
Please preserve our voice. Please help. Nothing for you is out of reach."

Musk, one of the richest men in the world, has spoken out several times against large tech companies banning materials and speech they don't like.

Following Twitter's lifetime ban of President Donald Trump, Musk tweeted, "A lot of people are going to be super unhappy with West Coast high tech as the de facto arbiter of free speech."

Fox Business noted that Musk also hit out at Amazon last summer after former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson's book, "Unreported Truths about COVID-19 and Lockdowns" was pulled from the online retailer for not "complying with [their] guidelines."

"This is insane @JeffBezos," Musk tweeted, calling out Amazon's CEO and adding, "Time to break up Amazon. Monopolies are wrong!"

@AlexBerenson This is insane @JeffBezos
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk)1591293294.0

Horowitz: COVID-19 is officially becoming this year’s flu



Based on the illegal, immoral, and illogical responses to the virus by state governors, we will have to suspend civil and religious liberty, destroy schooling for children, and crush the economy every flu season. For that matter, it appears that COVID-19 is indeed this year's version of the flu. And the notion that one can prevent the spread of this virus is just as illogical as an assumption that suspending democracy can arrest the spread of the flu.

Among the many important data points that are not being disseminated to the public, perhaps the most important one is the disappearance of the flu. As I noted at the end of October, the numbers are simply remarkable, and now we have more data showing the disappearance of the flu from what is normally the beginning of the new flu season.

According to the CDC's "Influenza Surveillance Report," there have been just 227 lab-confirmed flu cases in the entire country for the first five weeks of the flu season – from week 40 through week 44 (ending Oct. 31). While it's still very early in the season, at this point last year, there were already 2,851 confirmed positive cases. Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, tallied the five-year average through week 44 and found that the numbers are down roughly 90%.

@ImpactForward @AlexBerenson @MLevitt_NP2013 @jhaskinscabrera We're at 0.18% positive so far this flu season nation… https://t.co/AZW2rocUqP
— Phil Kerpen (@Phil Kerpen)1605068354.0

The positivity rate is just 0.18%, compared to 2.68% last year. That means the positivity rate so far is down 93% from last year, even though the number of flu tests increased by 22%. So it's not like we've forgotten about testing for the flu.

The implication of this cannot be overstated. The problem with a new epidemic is that it strains the hospitals over and beyond the baseline level of visits they must contend with from other ailments. However, if the flu has essentially disappeared for this year, then COVID will be the only flu. Most of the pneumonias and other complications that result from the flu will not occur this year. Thus, when they count the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and use that number as pretext for panic, fear, and control, they are not giving you the total net number of extra patients in the hospitals with respiratory viruses relative to other years.

The following map from Kaiser Family Foundation is being disseminated across the internet to instill panic across the nation:

When "hotspot" ceases to become a useful concept.https://t.co/m262LZY2Ie https://t.co/ZUxhPCFqtv
— Larry Levitt (@Larry Levitt)1605113732.0

What they fail to realize is that this demonstrates that COVID-19 is indeed this year's flu. It is everywhere and is instead of, but not in addition to, the flu. This is the time of year when hospitals begin to fill up. Also, the fact that this is occurring everywhere demonstrates that there is nothing you can do to stop its spread and that when the time for its seasonal spread is up, it will stop. Every state, regardless of its "mitigation strategies," is getting hit. That includes the overwhelming majority of states that have had universal compliance with mask mandates for months on end. As we can see from the map, our ability to stop this virus is no greater than our ability to stop a typical seasonal flu. So much for masks being better than vaccines.

The good news is that the overwhelming majority of those infected don't become clinically ill from the virus. Yes, there will be hot spots of places that did not initially get much saturation of the virus. Places like the Dakotas barely had any exposure for six months. The fact that they have more concentration now is merely the other side of the coin of places like New York that had a ton of cases in the spring and fewer cases now. Yet even in those places, how many are truly in the hospital because they have trouble breathing from a severe case of this virus?

North Dakota now has the highest case level per capita. So, are the hospitals really overrun? Unlike other states, the N.D. government breaks down the number of people who are hospitalized because of COVID vs. those in the hospital because of other ailments with COVID (simply because they tested positive while already in the hospital). If you look at those who are actually hospitalized because of COVID-19, they account for 15% of the hospital beds.

Every area that never got hit will suffer about 6-8 weeks of higher hospitalizations. But everywhere else, it will be on par with the flu season, given the disappearance of the normal flu. Let's not forget that as 67,000 people are currently hospitalized with COVID (not all because of it), there were an estimated 810,000 hospitalized with the flu during the 2017-2018 season. That means the peak of that season in January 2018 was likely much worse than today. And hospitals didn't get $200 billion from the federal government to deal with it like they do today. Nor did they test for the flu as much as they test for COVID.

"The 2017-2018 influenza epidemic is sending people to hospitals and urgent-care centers in every state, and medical centers are responding with extraordinary measures: asking staff to work overtime, setting up triage tents, restricting friends and family visits and canceling elective surgeries, to name a few."

Those were the opening lines of a Time Magazine article published January 18, 2018. Not ancient history. Yes, it was a stressful time for health care workers, but the country at large was unaware of it and there were no disruptions to life ordered by government, much less suspension of civil liberties. That is all going to change henceforth … if we allow this to continue.

North Carolina Teachers’ Union Demands Benefits For Illegal Immigrants Before Returning To School

A teachers’ union in North Carolina is demanding sweeping benefits for illegal immigrants to lower COVID-19 cases and reopen schools. In a recent statement denouncing the school district’s reopening plan, the Durham Association of Educators (DAE) called for universal healthcare, as well as guaranteed income regardless of a person’s immigration status. After claiming “Trump, DeVos, and Berger […]

A teachers’ union in North Carolina is demanding sweeping benefits for illegal immigrants to lower COVID-19 cases and reopen schools.

In a recent statement denouncing the school district’s reopening plan, the Durham Association of Educators (DAE) called for universal healthcare, as well as guaranteed income regardless of a person’s immigration status.

After claiming “Trump, DeVos, and Berger want schools to open because they care about protecting wealth and big business,” the union’s statement continued, “There are concrete policies that have permitted other countries to flatten the curve and return to public life: moratoriums on rent and mortgage, universal health care, direct income support regardless of immigration status.”

“We must fight together, collectively, for changes that will permit our communities to thrive during this pandemic and beyond,” the statement added before linking to a petition.

Many teachers have balked at Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to reopen schools in mid-August, for which reason Durham Public Schools voted unanimously to postpone in-person instruction, instead holding virtual classes for at least the first nine weeks of the school year.

DAE is not the first to use the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to implement far Left policy goals. Earlier this week, the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) — a 35,000-member union in the Los Angeles Unified School District — stipulated that the district cannot reopen until charter schools are closed, the local police are defunded, the wealthy are taxed more, there is “Medicare-for-All,” and the district is bailed out by the federal government.

“It is time to take a stand against Trump’s dangerous, anti-science agenda that puts the lives of our members, our students, and our families at risk, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. “We all want to physically open schools and be back with our students, but lives hang in the balance. Safety has to be the priority. We need to get this right for our communities.”

In New Jersey, the state teachers’ union listed among their “acceptable standards for a return to in-person instruction” both weekly COVID-19 tests for all students and mandatory door-to-door mask wearing. “Consequences for refusal to wear the required mask shall be clearly delineated in board policy and in the student/parent handbook, and shall include consequences up to and including suspension,” the union said.

Insanity in New Jersey: the @njea – the state teachers union – plans to demand #SARSCoV2 tests for all students before they return to school, WEEKLY tests, and DOOR-TO-DOOR mandatory masks for all students. pic.twitter.com/1tb112jGNG

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) July 13, 2020

President Donald Trump met with pushback from many teachers’ unions earlier this month when he threatened to yank federal funding from schools that do not reopen in the fall. On July 8, Trump tweeted, “In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!”

In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020

The American Academy of Pediatrics stressed the importance of in-person schooling for children in a lengthy statement released last month. “[T]he AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school,” the statement read in part. “The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.”

The AAP released another statement on July 10 that clarified their previous one, saying in part:

Returning to school is important for the healthy development and well-being of children, but we must pursue re-opening in a way that is safe for all students, teachers and staff. Science should drive decision-making on safely reopening schools. Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics. We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings, and listen to educators and administrators to shape how we do it.

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