Regarding national columnist, Rich Lowry’s piece titled, “When Western society goes insane,” I agree with his title, but for the opposite reason outlined in his commentary.

He goes into detail about Australia’s “COVID-19 lockdown mania,” which has “lurched into a bizarre and disturbing netherworld of bureaucratic oppression in the name of public health.” Although Lowry half-heartedly admits that, “the coronavirus is a serious illness,” he concludes that Australia has proven that, “dispensing with key elements of advanced liberal society in the hopes of total victory over the virus is foolhardy and wrong.”

What Lowry does NOT reveal, is Australia’s astounding success — as compared to a more “free” country like the US — in controlling the pandemic. Statista.com reports in “COVID-19 cases and deaths per million in 205 countries as of September 10, 2021,” Australia is third from the bottom, with only 1,076 TOTAL DEATHS (approximately 42 per million) since the pandemic began!

That is less than DAILY deaths in the US. The New York Times reports that 2,418 Americans died of COVID on September 10, 2021, for a 7-day daily average of 1,642. Currently the US ranks 22nd in the world on the Statista list, with 651,396 deaths, or approximately 1,984 per million!

Foolhardy and wrong? What is more precious than life itself? I respectfully submit that all those who oppose “severe” measures — such as vaccine mandates and wearing masks — in the name of “freedom” (including Mr. Lowry) are worse than “foolhardy and wrong.” Their disregard for the effects of misinformed attitudes on public health and the mortality of US Citizens is criminal. Clearly, many in Western society have gone “insane,” but that does not include the Australians!

Don Gardner

Ogden

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