Pandemic

By Michael Collins Morton

Further reading

An Unpublished Letter to The Oregonian Regarding the Pandemic of Covid-19

By Michael Collins Morton
(In May, 2026, I composed the following letter regarding the extreme threat still posed by the pandemic of Covid-19, and, as a matter of principle, duly submitted it to the editor of The Oregonian , the leading newspaper in the state of Oregon, with the strong presumption, which not surprisingly turned out to be quite correct, that it had little chance of being published.) To the editor: Contrary to the comfortable delusion being promoted by government and media, the harsh truth is that the pandemic of Covid-19 is not over. In 2026, Covid-19 continues to spread freely (particularly in medical settings), continues to result in repeated infections, and continues to cause life-threatening harm throughout the human community. According to the website Our World in Data , the worldwide number of "estimated cumulative excess deaths" ascribable to Covid-19 since 2020 is likely to be upwards of 27 million. The complete lack of necessary measures to curb the airborne contagion of Covid...
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Artificial Intelligence Is an Enemy of Human Values

By Michael Collins Morton
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being forced upon us by our corporate masters, who seek to use it for the foul purpose of controlling our lives. Day by day, artificial intelligence is expanding its repugnant dominion, deeply encroaching on our daily experience, crudely violating the integrity of our thoughts, our beliefs, our feelings, our motives, our decisions, and our actions, thereby irrevocably diminishing our worth as human beings. Unquestionably, artificial intelligence is an enemy of human values. Under the alluring guise of "convenience," the fundamental principles that provide a foundation for the regular course of human activity are being perverted by sinister tools that have the potential to brutally override our intentions, depriving us of the ability, and the right, to make our own choices and determine our own destiny. We are being pushed into a high-tech dictatorship. Those who promote the acceptance of artificial intelligence are tricksters. The distr...
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Covid-19 Poses a Grievous Danger to Every Human Life

By Michael Collins Morton
At this stage of the ongoing pandemic, in 2026, it should be unmistakably apparent to any rational person that the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 poses a grievous danger to every human life. Unfortunately, most people are still dwelling in a blank condition of mindless denial regarding Covid-19. It is, therefore, urgently necessary for the complete truth of Covid-19 to be strongly affirmed at every opportunity, again and again, as follows: Covid-19 is not "just a cold." Covid-19 is not merely a "nuisance." Covid-19 is not a "respiratory disease." Covid-19 is not a "seasonal disease." Covid-19 is not, by any true reckoning, a "mild disease." •   •   • Covid-19 is an unceasing destroyer. Covid-19 has not lessened, diminished, retreated, paused, or stopped since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Covid-19 has not become endemic. Covid-19 is a savage, unrelenting disease that frequently proves to be fatal. Covid-19 should be avoided at any...
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President Trump's War Against Iran Is Proving to Be a Hugely Expensive Undertaking

By Michael Collins Morton
When irrational leaders choose, for their own irrational reasons, to wantonly engage in evil activities of mass killing and mass destruction, it does not come cheap. To offer a current example: the reckless war against Iran started by President Donald J. Trump (with malign support from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel) on February 28, 2026, is proving to be a hugely expensive undertaking. According to the Pentagon, after the first few months of brutal action, the war has already cost the United States at least $29 billion, although the true expense is likely to be considerably greater. $29 billion that could have been used to help those who are poor and hungry. $29 billion that could have been used to provide necessary healthcare. $29 billion that could have been used to build affordable housing. $29 billion that could have been used to expand services for the elderly. $29 billion that could have been used to create better opportunities for young people. $29 billion tha...
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All Right Now: One Fan's Discretionary History of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1960s & 1970s (Part 2)

By Michael Collins Morton
Psychedelic rock, prog rock, glam rock, hard rock, folk rock. From 1965 to 1975, owing to the widespread availability of record players and portable radios, and an extensive network of venues in which performances were regularly held, rock 'n' roll reached its undoubted peak, steaming ahead and fulfilling its destiny as a vital, unstoppable force. A counterculture of young people took shape, with rock 'n' roll as its foundation (and with The Beatles tunefully reigning as its benign monarchs), pledging itself to a peaceable outlook and standing in scornful opposition to the shallow values, threadbare lies, virulent prejudices, unyielding authority, unctuous hypocrisy, and needless wars of the older generation. The musicians who played rock 'n' roll were no longer looked upon as mere entertainers, artificial characters fitted out with guitars and mod apparel, brainless puppets who were required to do no more than throw bunches of catchy trifles to pliant hordes of...
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