1/ Fauci, Lipsitch, Devi Sridhar, and others relentlessly pushing lockdowns are fanatical extremists.

Fanaticism is defined by its single-mindedness, and these people are single-minded in their approach to public health. They, to the public’s detriment, care only about Covid.

2/ We cannot lose sight of the reality that many of these fanatics have, in their monomania, forsaken core principles underpinning the ethics of public health (non-maleficence, beneficence, health maximization, efficiency, respect for autonomy, justice, proportionality).

3/ They push a strategy that is actively harmful, not beneficial (no proof lockdowns are effective), doesn't maximize overall health, is wildly inefficient, suppresses human autonomy (which they find inconvenient), is deeply unjust, and is wildly disproportionate given the risks.

4/ What fanatics misunderstand is that *normalcy is the base case*. It’s the default setting. So they can quibble all they want about theoretical flaws they see in an age-focused strategy, but the fanatics bear the burden of proof as the ones advocating we abandon the base case.

5/ It’s easy to go principle by principle to make good faith arguments that lockdown fanatics breached the ethical foundations. What isn’t easy is convincing the public - who they serve - that these fanatics, who are over-represented in the media, are dangerous. That’s on us now.

6/ If you read this and can see that society has lost perspective, please, please be vocal. For some of that perspective, see this: the number of people facing food insecurity has doubled and will likely double again before long if this continues (talk about exponential growth).

P.S. I’m not really “back” on Twitter, I’ll be away now for a while. This was weighing heavy on my heart and I had to say it. If it’s a little too pugilistic for some, so be it. I’m not essential in the battle for rationality and proportion - but all of you, together, are.