In the last post, I explored the “Holt Doctrine,” whereby a news outlet could exclude any information not conforming to its idea of truth. This exclusion, of course, is highly subjective and has no place in real journalism. Now, something else seems to be a play in some parts of the media. If some news is embarrassing to the side you favor, don’t bring it up.

Since Biden’s inauguration, we have been our Southern Border flooded with children seeking asylum. Young children’s images of being dropped from the 14′ border fence and a crying child wandering in the desert have appeared in some places. Photos have emerged of children penned in overcrowded conditions. The press excluded from investigating. All this after President Biden undid the Trump Administration’s procedures. All this cries out for answers. 

Yet three of the four Major weekend news shows never saw the Border even come up. Only Fox News, Sunday with Cris Wallace, discussed the situation with the governor of Texas. CBS’s Face the Nation, ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and NBC’s Meet the Press were free of Border questions. When a similar situation occurred during the Trump Administration, it played endlessly across the major networks.

Only Trump negotiated arrangements with Mexico gained control of the problem. As soon as Biden took power, he undid the agreements. Even though the situation looks like a crisis, the president hasn’t visited the Border. He delegated his Vice-President, Kamala Harris, to run point on the Border, but she hasn’t gone there either. With a high number of positive covid tests among the children, health concerns are evident. Yet Biden’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Athony Fauci, or any of his staff have gone down there to investigate.

Can anybody imagine Donald Trump getting away with any of this? The networks seem to be working on the assumption if we play down or ignore a messy situation, the people depending on them for information won’t notice.

CBS’s Face the Nation did have time to promote the Networks signature news program, 60 minutes. However, a week-long controversy over a 60-Minute segment blasting Florida Republican Gov. DeSantis over an alleged “pay for play vaccine scam,” was never mentioned. Florida Democrats involved in giving the contract to a grocery chain roundly debunked the story. That probably played a part in not bringing it up. 

Strangely, the other networks passed up a golden chance to throw shade on their competitor’s top news show. Could it be they were reluctant to make Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis look good? Mentioned as a leading contender for the Republican Presidential nomination, maybe some are looking to knock him down a peg. Should the networks carry water for one party? 

For the life of me, I can’t understand why professional sports ever get involved in politics. Major League Baseball has been losing attendance for over a decade. Its fan base is mainly older, less “woke” people. In any case, people use sports to get away from the stress and conflict of everyday life. Theoretically, it brings people together to cheer the home team. So why punish highly democratic Atlanta, Ga. over a more permissive election law than Biden’s home state of Delaware or MLB’s headquarter state, New York have on the books?

Taking the game from majority-black Atlanta and giving it to overwhelmingly white Denver is odd. In contrast, the Master’s Golf Tournament under the same pressures went off without a hitch this weekend in Augusta, GA. The head of the event said he was for fair elections, but he couldn’t get into politics. I’ll bet the MLB owners wish they had taken the same tack. This thought is especially true of the Atlanta Braves owner. How much are they paying MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, and why? 

Many of the same people are claiming it’s no big deal to show I.D. to vote, are apocalyptic over having proof of Covid vaccination. Good luck with that. They can’t be travelers. Just try to travel abroad in the next 12 mos without the required evidence.

Amid a rise in Covid cases in some areas, especially Michigan, the FDA and CDC have paused using the one dose J & J vaccine. Blood clots appeared in 6 people out of almost 7 million shots given. One died. Yesterday 14 Covid deaths were reported in Michigan. That state has begged for more vaccines to get ahead of the crisis. The authorities have only promised to maintain the same level of distribution.

This reaction affirms my contention that the FDA and CDC have performed poorly throughout this pandemic. Delaying the expansion of shots in people’s arms will cost far more lives than the clotting pause will save. Could this have been handled better? Of course, but this is bureaucracy in action.

Towards the end of the Trump Administration, there was talk of adopting the U.K.’s single-dose policy to get broader coverage sooner. The Brits chose to delay seconds shots to get ahead of a quickly spreading variant. All the data shows the approach is a great success. The U.K is on the verge, if not at “Herd Immunity.” In the face of studies supporting this viewpoint, Biden’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthon Fauci, blocked it.

Somehow the “good doctor” parlayed his spotty at best performance in the Trump Administration into being Biden’s chief medical Guru. The media and the Democrats elevated Fauci as the equivalent of “science.” Now they’re stuck with him. Even Biden’s campaign medical advisor, Ezekial Emanuel, and others oppose his view. As I pointed out in my February post, “Rising to the Level of His Incompetence,” Fauci will go the way of Cuomo, Avenatti, and the Lincoln Project of media and Democratic fallen heroes.

The pausing of the J & J vaccine on any risk-reward basis is deadly and casts doubt on all vaccines when we need people to get the shots. Having adopted the dumb pause, replacing the supply significantly where cases are rising is a necessity. Switching to the first dose program in those states would maintain or even gain momentum. Yet, even with lives at stake, our medical bureaucracies fail to display any sense of time or balance.

There is a certain irony in Michigan being the present epicenter of the American Covid pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposed some of the strictest lockdowns in the country. She listened to Fauci and company and garnered the support of the media. Now she is begging for more vaccines before her state medical facilities are overwhelmed. So far, the Biden administration has stiff-armed her. Switching to a first dose approach could help, but Gretchen, don’t hold your breath.

I haven’t endorsed the first dose policy previously, even though I’ve written about it. Ethics played its part. By the time this became a bone of contention, my wife and I had already had two shots of Phizer. I can’t tell people to forgo something I already had. In the present situation, so many lives are at risk, I can’t be silent. This J & J pause is another boneheaded action by the Government medical establishment. It is well past the time to clean house.

While we’re still on pace to “Herd Immunity” no later than the end of May, the J & J vaccine pause may derail our constant shot gain. Less vaccine available coupled with greater reluctance to get any vaccine may yet delay our return to normal. Every day we add getting to “Herd Immunity” means more deaths.