WHO is Wrong to Rush the Vote
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently put up a defense of its violation of its own legal requirements by submitting draft amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) for a vote at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) this May. This was in response to various concerns raised in parliaments and civil society. This matters because (i) in ignoring legal requirements and rushing a vote the WHO is putting global health and economies at risk, and (ii) the WHO is acting like a spoiled child, which suggests the organization is no longer fit for its mandate.
Strong Economy? Think Again
It should be evident by now that the “strong” economy of the last several years was nothing of the kind. To the contrary, the Keynesian GDP accounts were actually inflated by deferred spending runoffs that flowed from the utterly abnormal buildup of household cash during Washington’s pandemic lockdowns and stimmy extravaganza.
Censorship in Medicine is Nothing New
Over the past 45-plus years, I have only told this story to three or four other people, so by putting it out there, maybe something more will be unearthed, and with it, some kind of closure can occur. Otherwise, the memory of these young women very possibly dies with me. That’s not the way it should be!
The Proof of Censorship is…Censored
This report from the US House of Representatives needs to be widely shared so long as doing so is possible. It could be that such reports in the future will themselves be censored. It could also be the last such report you will ever see before the curtain falls on freedom completely.
Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research is a nonprofit organization conceptualized in May 2021.
Its vision is of a society that places the highest value on the voluntary interaction of individuals and groups while minimizing the use of violence and force even including that which is exercised by public authority.
This vision is that of the Enlightenment which elevates learning, science, progress, and universal rights to the forefront of public life, and is newly threatened by ideologies and systems that would take the world back prior to the triumph of the ideal of freedom.
Not Just This One Crisis
The motive force of Brownstone Institute is the global crisis created by policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. That trauma reveals a fundamental misunderstanding alive in all countries around the world today, a willingness on the part of the public and officials to forgo freedom and fundamental human rights in the name of a public health crisis. The consequences are devastating and will live in infamy.
It’s not just about this one crisis, but past and next ones as well. The lesson we should learn concerns the desperate need for a new outlook that rejects the rights of the legally privileged few to rule over the many under any pretext, while preserving freedom, free speech, and essential rights even in times of crisis.
Why “Brownstone?”
The name Brownstone is from the malleable but long-lasting building stone (also called “Freestone”) used so commonly in 19th-century American cities, preferred for its beauty, practicality, and strength.
Brownstone Institute regards the great task of our times as rebuilding the foundation of liberalism as classically understood, including core values of human rights and freedom as non-negotiables for an enlightened society.
OUR MISSION
The mission of Brownstone Institute is constructively to come to terms with what happened, understand why, and how to prevent such events from happening again. Lockdowns have set a precedent in the modern world and without accountability, social and economic institutions will be shattered once again.
An institution such as Brownstone Institute is essential in preventing the recurrence of lockdowns by holding decision makers intellectually to account.
In addition, Brownstone Institute hopes to shed light on a path to recovery from the devastating collateral damage, while providing a vision for a different way to think about freedom, security, and public life.
Brownstone Institute looks to influence a post-lockdown world by generating new ideas in public health, scientific discourse, economics, and social theory, to defend and promote the liberty that is critical for an enlightened society from which everyone benefits.
The purpose of Brownstone Institute is to point the way toward a better understanding of essential freedoms – including intellectual freedom and free speech – and the proper means to preserve essential rights even in times of crisis.
The Road Ahead
The world needs Brownstone Institute now to prevent the next “snap” lockdown and make the case for an open and free society.
The idea is to correct and compete with the mainstream media and take on the technocratic disease managers, or anyone else who believes rights and liberties can be violated, at the discretion of political leaders, to central plans.
The research and content at Brownstone are sophisticated but accessible. Operationally, Brownstone’s mode is no fluff in the budget, no bureaucrats, no cronies, only a highly competent small team working to change the world.
The institute will have media reach and call on scientists, intellectuals, and others who are dedicated to this task.
OUR PRIMARY FOCUS
- A rethinking of the relationship between social and market functioning and public authority, particularly as it relates to crises;
- The post-lockdown recovery and vibrancy of markets, small businesses, and entrepreneurial opportunity;
- The inviolability of academic freedom, free exchange of ideas, and the openness and vitality of scientific discourse;
- The prosperity, freedom, and health of all members of society, including and especially its less privileged members;
- The rights of association of individuals, families, and the well-being of school-age children, who carried the greatest burden during the lockdowns.
Brownstone Institute’s goals are accomplished through research and publishing, including essays, articles, reports, media, and books, and by organizing conferences and retreats.