Miscellaneous Thoughts Part 45

• The lame-stream-press only speaks truth-to-power when the ones in power are republicans. Otherwise, they look the other way. Nothing to see here.
• The Left wants to become Who they don’t believe in: God.
• Is this what the Left is doing?: Who wants to betray people has first to make the absurd seem reasonable. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I think that is exactly what they are doing.
• Biden-Harris bumper sticker: Put us in power to find out what our policies are. Could also be the slogan for any Left-wing candidate.
• In this age of identity politics if you claim you are Napoleon not only would the Left believe you they would give an island of your own where you can rule.
• “Anonymous sources” means “the voices instead my head.”
• God only knows the “unknown unknowns.” Mankind never will. We don’t have infinite knowledge. Probably better that way.
• I think GSK is going to make a TheraCovid medication like they do with colds and flus.
• The 2016 & 2020 election differences: The Left thought Hillary was going to win, so they didn’t cheat. The Left thought Trump was going to win, so they cheated.
• A little voter fraud doesn’t matter is like saying having some cancer cells doesn’t matter. So, don’t worry about it! Everything will be okay!

Joe Biden Picks Anti-Science Liberal for Secretary of Education to Indoctrinate Our Kids

From Freedom Headlines.com (Dec. 17):

So the rumor going around is that Joe Biden has chosen someone who is anti-science to be named as the Secretary of Education, Charlotte Clymer.

So why do I say Clymer is anti-science? Well, the reason is painfully obvious; Clymer denies the reality that your gender is determined by your DNA and not your mind.

You see, Charlotte Clymer is actually Charles Clymer and has since changed his name and gender. So, yes, Joe Biden asked Charlotte Clymer, who is a transgender “woman” to head the Department of Education.

Clymer confirmed this rumor via Twitter,

“There’s a viral rumor going around MAGA Twitter that President-elect Biden has asked me to be his Secretary of Education, and I just want to confirm it’s true. His goal was to get someone more qualified than Betsy DeVos for the position, and well, oddly enough, I am.

To be fair, however, there are high school kids more qualified than me for the position. Tough break on the age restriction, kiddos.”

So what exactly are Clymer’s credentials that makes him so much more qualified for this job than DeVos? Here’s what Wikipedia lists as his credentials:

Clymer was raised in central Texas, after moving with her mother from Utah at a young age. She joined the United States Army in 2005, and later enrolled in the United States Military Academy. She served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), based at Arlington National Cemetery, until 2012. After leaving the Army, she moved to Washington, D.C. and took a job as a visitor services representative at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. After working there for a year, she enrolled at Georgetown University and finished her bachelor’s degree. [read more]

Another cabinet pick: Grenell Exposes Biden Pick

AI can detect COVID-19 from the sound of your cough

From Live Science.com (Nov. 3):

People with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic can spread the disease without any outward signs that they're sick. But a newly developed AI, with a keen algorithmic ear, might be able to detect asymptomatic cases from the sounds of people's coughs, according to a new study.

A group of researchers at MIT recently developed an artificial intelligence model that can detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases by listening to subtle differences in coughs between healthy people and infected people. The researchers are now testing their AI in clinical trials and have already started the process of seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for it to be used as a screening tool.

The algorithm is based on previous models the team developed to detect conditions such as pneumonia, asthma and even Alzheimer's disease, a memory-loss condition that can also cause other degradation in the body such as weakened vocal cords and respiratory performance. [read more]

Report: China, Russia Hacking U.S. Vaccine Supply Chain

From OANN.com (Jan. 13):

National Counterintelligence and Security Center Chief William Evanina said several countries are targeting America’s coronavirus vaccine supply chain.

In an interview Tuesday, Evanina said Russia and China are engaging in cyber warfare against the U.S.

He believes the country’s adversaries are trying to get a peak at our systems through intelligence gathering operations.

This comes on the heels of a SolarWinds hack in which U.S. government agencies and private firms were the victims of a massive data breach.

“We’ve had too many wake up calls and I think right now, as we put into context our counterintelligence strategy in America, supply chain management is the second pillar,” Evanina explained. “And I think we have to find the right mechanism, the right modality, where we can have real life public and private partnership that’s beyond what we see now.” [read more]

BREAKING REPORT: First Extremist In Capitol Building Seige Is Identified As BLM/Antifa Activist: “We gotta f***ing rip Trump right outta that office!” [VIDEO]

From 100 Percent Fed Up.com (Jan. 7):

Far-Left Antifa/BLM activist John Sullivan has been identified as one of the people who allegedly was part of the siege of the Capitol building yesterday—you know, one of the “violent Trump supporters” we’ve been hearing so much about in the news.

Independent journalist Andy Ngo was first to identify John Earle Sullivan, who was arrested on July 10, 2020, in Provo, Utah. [read more]

I was always suspicious that the people who illegally entered the Capitol weren’t Trump supporters. Something just didn’t feel right. Even Mark Levin commented on this. The Left is known for infiltrating crowds.

More articles on the matter:

• FALSE FLAG CONFIRMED: “Viking” who stormed the Capitol Building previously photographed at BLM rally wearing the same outfit
• QAnon ‘Shaman’ Allegedly Left A Threatening Note On Mike Pence’s Senate Desk, Prosecutors Say
  
• Another Violent Leftist Arrested at US Capitol Protest: Registered Democrat and 34-Year-Old Son of a New York Judge
• Feds Arrest ‘Hardcore Leftist’ Who Planned Attack On Pro-Trump Demonstrators At FL Capitol
• Patriots Do Not Storm Their Nation's Capitol

On Responsibility

How responsibility helps you:

1. It provides the foundation of success. Sociological professor Tony Campolo points out the importance of having a strong sense of responsibility. Of the American system, he writes:
       While I think it lays down the principles that make for the best political system ever devised, the Constitution has one basic flaw. It clearly delineates the Bill of Rights, but it nowhere states a Bill of Responsibilities...Government that ensures people their rights but fails to clearly spell out their responsibility, fails to call them to be the kind people God wants them to be.
2. Responsibility, handled correctly, leads to more responsibility.
3. It maximizes ability and opportunity.
4. Responsibility, over time, builds a solid reputation.

How to be responsible:

1. Start where you are. Each time you make a responsible decision, you become a more responsible person. Successful people take personal responsibility for their actions and their attitudes. Responsibility is always a choice, and only you can make it.
2. Choose your friends wisely.
3. Stop blaming others.
4. Learn responsibility's major lessons.
• Recognize that gaining success means practicing self-discipline.
• What you start, finish.
• Know when others are depending on you.
• Don't expect others to step in for you.
5. Make tough decisions and stand by them.
6. Live beyond yourself. Serve others.

Source: Talent Is Never Enough. Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent (2007) by John C. Maxwell.

Life Wins: At Least 14 New Pro-Life Women Elected to House

From The Daily Signal.com (Nov. 16):

The pro-life movement in Congress made big gains as more than a dozen new anti-abortion Republican women were elected to the House of Representatives on Nov. 3.

The number of pro-life women in the House in the 117th Congress more than doubled, with other races still to be called.

Many of these women defied the polls and managed to flip seats held by Democratic incumbents. Others replaced Republican predecessors.

“The surge of victorious pro-life women candidates in the U.S. House is a stunning blow to [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and her pro-abortion agenda,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Arlington, Virginia-based Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement.

Here are some of the Republican women who were elected to the House, according to Dannenfelser’s group, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the pro-life cause.

Maria Elvira Salazar (Florida, 27th District)

Maria Elvira Salazar unseated Democratic freshman Rep. Donna Shalala by more than 9,000 votes in the race for Florida’s 27th Congressional District. The 27th District is more than 72% Hispanic and encompasses the neighborhoods of Miami Beach and Little Havana.

Shalala served eight years as secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration.

The race, a rematch of their 2018 race, was rated likely Democratic in the 2020 Cook Political Report, so Salazar’s win comes as an unexpected surprise for the right-to-life movement.

Salazar had this to say on the issue of abortion: “As a Christian and a mother, I believe in a culture that values and nurtures all life, from birth to natural death. As your congresswoman, I will protect the life of the unborn and also the life and health of the mother.” [read more]

That’s good to know.

BLACK WOMAN APPROACHES COP WITH SHOCKING DEMAND, THEN HE SEES WHAT’S IN HER HANDS…

From 2020 Conservative.com (Nov. 13):

Officer Eden was sitting in his patrol car in the parking lot of a local grocery store in Arkansas when out of the blue an African-American woman appeared out of nowhere and knocked on his window. On the heels of this past weeks events, the officer still rolled down his window to hear what the woman had to say.

The woman, Tiffany Sharell Block had her kids with her and wanted to show the officer some love!

She posted about why she did this and what happened as a result on her Facebook page which you can see in it’s entirety: 

“While at the gym this morning the Lord spoke some powerful words to me and gave me a challenge. Yes black lives matter, yes all lives matter but the Lord said the one thing that trumps it all is love.

Let’s start a ‪#‎lovematters‬ movement. God told me to go and talk with a police officer and extend love. I didn’t want to do this. It required me to get out of my comfort zone. So, I told God that if there was an opportunity that I would but I wasn’t going to go look for it.

Well, I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and guess who was sitting in their vehicle??? So I did what God told me to do and a 30 minute conversation ensued with Officer Eden.

He told me all about his career and some daily challenges. We got to know each other. I told him how my children were now afraid of the police. So, he talked with them and gave them badges. [read more]

Florida's DeSantis moves to allow citizens to shoot looters, rioters targeting businesses

From Fox News.com (Nov. 10):

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has drafted “anti-mob” legislation that would expand the state’s Stand Your Ground law – a move that some worry would allow armed citizens to shoot and potentially kill anyone they suspect of looting.

DeSantis’ newest legislation comes in response to months of protesting that frequently lead to rioting this summer in Florida and across the U.S., following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The legislation is an attempt to prevent “violent and disorderly assemblies” by permitting violence against anyone involved in the “interruption or impairment” of a business, reportedly described in the draft as being a burglary within 500 feet of “violent or disorderly assembly,” according to reporting by the Miami Herald Tuesday.

“It allows for vigilantes to justify their actions,” a former Miami-Dade County prosecutor, Denise Georges, who has worked with Stand Your Ground cases told the Miami publication. “It also allows for death to be the punishment for a property crime — and that is cruel and unusual punishment. We cannot live in a lawless society where taking a life is done so casually and recklessly.”

The draft legislation also includes measures that would make protesting which disrupts the public by blocking traffic, a third degree felony. The law would also reportedly grant immunity to drivers who unintentionally kill or injure protesters who were blocking traffic.

Additionally the law would allow the state to withhold funds from local governments that cut police budgets. [read more]

Good for him.

Utah restaurant bans customers from wearing masks

From Fox News.com (Oct. 27):

The owners of Yaks Cafe, a restaurant located in Blanding, Utah, are pushing back against state and local health recommendations by banning their customers from wearing masks used to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

According to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune, the owners have argued since at least May that customers who come inside a restaurant wearing masks and then take them off to eat risk leaving behind more pathogens on table surfaces than if they’d entered the restaurant unmasked.

While a representative for Yaks Cafe did not return Fox News' request for comment by the time of publication, a message on the cafe's answering machine confirms the policy.

"In efforts to keep our restaurant clean and sanitary, we do not allow masks or gloves worn inside our building," the message says.

According to a July post reviewed by the Tribune on Yaks' Facebook page, which has since been made private, customers who aren’t comfortable with the restaurant’s policy are asked to use the outdoor to-go window and not enter the restaurant. [read more]

Another article on masks:

There's Still No Evidence that Either Lockdowns or Masks Are "Game Changers"

On Character

The Components of Character:

1. Self-discipline.
2. Core values.
3. A sense of identity.
4. Integrity. When values, thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, a person becomes focused and his character is strengthened.

Character communicates...

1. ...Consistency.
2. ...Choices. Our character creates our choices, yet our choices create our character. Author and speaker Margaret Jensen observed, "Character is the sum total of all our everyday choices. Our character today is a result of our choices yesterday. Our character tomorrow will be a result of our choices today. To change your character, change your choices. Day by day, what you think, what you choose, and what you do is who you become."
3. ...Influence.
4. ...Longevity.

Source: Talent Is Never Enough. Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent (2007) by John C. Maxwell.

Biden supporters 'murder' effigies of President Trump at packed celebrations across the country

From The Blaze.com (Nov. 8):

There were massive celebrations across the country as Biden supporters reveled after multiple news outlets declared Joe Biden as the victor in the 2020 presidential election. During some of the Biden rallies, the fervent crowd attacked effigies of President Donald Trump.

A huge horde of people gathered near the White House on Saturday, where it was so jam-packed that photojournalist Ford Fischer said, "social distancing isn't really possible."

"One Biden supporter is carrying around an effigy of Trump's decapitated head on a pike wearing a pacifier and a pig-nose," Fischer wrote on Twitter.

In Philadelphia, the fiery crowd took turns punching, kicking, and throwing around an inflatable doll with Trump's face on it.

Before a man kicked the Trump doll, a woman is heard shrieking, "Kill that b*tch!" One man smashes a bicycle on the effigy of the president. The throngs of Biden supporters cheered every time the Trump doll was pummeled. [read more]

Other articles on Trump Derangement Syndrome:

• Hatred of Trump vs. Hatred of the Left
• Trump Derangement Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Are Leftists Literally Addicted to Hatred?

FBI, DOJ announce indictment against 8 Chinese operatives

From Fox News.com (Oct. 28):

FBI Director Christopher Wray and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers announced an indictment of eight Chinese operatives accused of taking part in a widespread campaign to intimidate and coerce dissidents around the world that have reached U.S. soil.

During a Wednesday news conference, Demers stated that the alleged acts were part of China's Operation Fox Hunt, which the Chinese government claims is an international anti-corruption campaign, but the U.S. believes to be a plot to target political opponents and critics.

“With today’s charges, we have turned the PRC’s Operation Fox Hunt on its head. The hunters became the hunted, the pursuers, the pursued," Demers said.

Demers said that while Operation Fox Hunt may target legitimate criminal suspects in some cases, in others it is used simply to hunt down and intimidate political rivals and critics.

Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme added that the arrests came following a long-term investigation and that the defendants' alleged actions took place over a period of three years.

DuCharme said that during that time, the Chinese government directed the defendants to engage in illegal activities to coerce a New Jersey resident identified as John Doe-1 to return to China to face charges. [read more]

‘Florida Man’ snatches woman’s $5 bill, eats it

From WCJB.com (Oct. 23):

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Gainesville police arrested a man who stole and ate a woman’s $5 bill.

According to the arrest report, Henry Chambers Jr. snatched a $5 bill from Kadisha Grant’s hand as it was being handed to her.

The 60-year-old walked away, threatening Grant in the street.

Chambers then said Grant would die before he returned the money, and proceeded to put the $5 bill in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Chambers was charged with felony robbery by sudden snatching and booked in the Alachua County Jail. [source]

Coronavirus Clothes: Can Jeans Kill the Virus?

From News Max.com (Oct. 20):

As the demand for retail clothing plummets, manufacturers, desperate to win back customers, are introducing virus-fighting materials into their products that are touted to protect as well as serve. Demin jeans, in particular, are poised for a COVID-19 comeback after losing ground to comfort clothing liked sweatpants, during the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic. Special anti-viral treatments have been added to their fabric to help stave off pathogens.

According to Vox, brands such as Diesel and Warp + Weft purport their jeans destroy any traces of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to WWD, Warp + Weft partnered with HeiQ, an antimicrobial technology that adds a special liquid to its softener to provide a self-sanitizing and germ-resistant surface.

The Albini Group from Italy, which supplies dress shorts to brands such as Armani, has added silver to its line of Viroformula fabrics to “inhibit viruses and kill bacteria upon contact with the surface within minutes,” according to VOX.

US Denim Mills created an antiviral collection called “Safe for Us” by blending antimicrobial yarns into their fabrics and then treating the woven fabric with antimicrobial agents, according to Sourcing Journal. Along with chemical pathogen killers, the company uses a natural peppermint substance that contains menthol, an essential oil with an anti-microbial effect. [read more]

Teachability Truths

1. Nothing is interesting if you are not interested.
2. Successful people view learning differently from those who are unsuccessful.
3. Learning is meant to be a lifelong pursuit. Talented people can be the toughest to teach. One of the paradoxes of life is that the things that initially make you successful are rarely the things that keep you successful. You have to remain open to new ideas and be wiling to learn new skills. J. Konrad Hole advises,
• If you cannot be teachable, having talent won't help you.
• If you cannot be flexible, having a goal won't help you.
• If you cannot be grateful, having abundance won't help you.
• If you cannot be mentorable, having a future won't help you.
• If you cannot be durable, having a plan won't help you.
• If you cannot be reachable, having success won't help you.
4. Pride is the number one hindrance to teachability.
1. The problems with pride:
   • Pride closes our minds to new ideas.
   • Pride closes our minds to feedback.
   • Pride prevents us from admitting mistakes.
   • Pride keeps us from making needed changes.
2. How to overcome a pride problem:
   • Recognize and admit your pride.
   • Express gratitude often.
   • Laugh at yourself.

Source: Talent Is Never Enough. Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent (2007) by John C. Maxwell.

Elementary School DITCHES Pledge Of Allegiance, Replaces It With THIS “Chant” Instead

From The Patriot Nation.net (Sept. 29):

There is an Atlanta elementary school that is doing something very controversial, but sadly it is now just a microcosm of the times. While most individuals in the Baby Boomer and Generation X crowds grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every school morning, this elementary has made a move to do away with it entirely. Instead of continuing to say the pledge, the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School is going to have their students recite something that is completely different – a school chant. Instead of the timeless school chant teaching them to be proud of our country, they will chant something called the “Wolf Pack Chant.”

According to Principal Lara Zelski, it has become “increasingly obvious” that many of her children had no longer stood or recited the Pledge of Allegiance, so she and her associates decided that a change was in order. (The Kaepernick Cancer has spread, folks)

Ms. Zelski put it this way: “Students can continue to lead our meeting simply by asking our community if they want to stand in order to participate with us in the wolf pack chant.”

Of course, Zelski was also quick to backtrack, also saying that there are plenty of other times where the Pledge of Allegiance could be recited during the rest of their school day. For example, Zelski was adamant that they could recite in the classroom at any time the teacher deemed it appropriate. [read more]

Dumb.

One-third of excess deaths in US during pandemic were not due to the coronavirus

From Washington Examiner.com (Oct. 18):

A new study found that a third of excess deaths in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic could not be directly attributed to the coronavirus.

“Although total US death counts are remarkably consistent from year to year, US deaths increased by 20% during March-July 2020. COVID-19 was a documented cause of only 67% of these excess deaths,” the study, published on the Journal of the American Medical Association's website, said. “Some states had greater difficulty than others in containing community spread, causing protracted elevations in excess deaths that extended into the summer.”

One reason for the high amount of excess deaths not attributable to COVID-19 has been disruptions in health services caused by lockdowns.

“Excess deaths attributed to causes other than COVID-19 could reflect deaths from unrecognized or undocumented infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or deaths among uninfected patients resulting from disruptions produced by the pandemic,” the study’s authors noted.

The American Medical Association study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that between March and August, the U.S. recorded 1,336,561 deaths, a “20% increase over expected deaths.” It noted that “of the 225,530 excess deaths, 150,541 (67%) were attributed to COVID-19.”

Deaths from heart disease and Alzheimer's disease and dementia saw statistically significant increases, the study noted.

Those results largely echo those of a September Washington Post analysis of excess dementia deaths. [read more]

Defense Secretary Says Growing Military Readiness Can Deter China, Russia

From The Daily Signal.com (Oct. 15);

The readiness of the nation’s military has grown in the past few years, but only congressional support for annual increases in defense spending will ensure that trend continues, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday in a speech at The Heritage Foundation.

“I would like to see 3 to 5% annual real growth in the Defense Department to stay ahead of the challenges we face, especially from China,” Esper said in remarks at the think tank’s virtual event focused on the topic of readiness.

Esper outlined what he called the challenges of implementing the Trump administration’s 2018 National Defense Strategy.

“Today, our strategic competitors China and Russia are attempting to erode our hard-earned gains as they undermine international rules and norms and use coercion against other nations for their own benefit,” he said.

The readiness of the nation’s military has grown in the past few years, but only congressional support for annual increases in defense spending will ensure that trend continues, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday in a speech at The Heritage Foundation.

“I would like to see 3 to 5% annual real growth in the Defense Department to stay ahead of the challenges we face, especially from China,” Esper said in remarks at the think tank’s virtual event focused on the topic of readiness.

Esper outlined what he called the challenges of implementing the Trump administration’s 2018 National Defense Strategy.

“Today, our strategic competitors China and Russia are attempting to erode our hard-earned gains as they undermine international rules and norms and use coercion against other nations for their own benefit,” he said.

“The U.S. has maintained military superiority for so long that many take it for granted. But it’s far from guaranteed,” Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James said in introducing Esper at the think tank’s Capitol Hill headquarters.

“If we don’t continue to invest in replacing decades-old ships, planes, tanks, and other equipment, we’ll soon fall behind,” she said. “And then it may be too late to catch up.” [read more]

BLM-minded High School To Hold Disciplinary Hearing For Student Who Opposed Socialist on Instagram

Commentary From Marina Medvin on Town Hall.com (Oct. 13):

According to attorney Jesse Binnall, who also represents Michael Flynn with Sidney Powell, his new client, a 17-year-old conservative student, is being investigated by her school for a disciplinary violation for…wait for it …being conservative on Instagram! Yes, you read that right. It’s 2020, after all.

Episcopal High School in Northern Virginia is a private boarding school that charges $63,200 per year for tuition. But academics are not featured on their website. Instead, there is a huge tab for “Racism, Understanding, and Belonging” — which appears to be reactionary to the 2020 BLM movement. Indeed, they invited the race-baiting socialist Ibram X. Kendi to give a speech on campus.

As you can imagine, a conservative would be up-in-arms over a socialist racist being elevated and paid thousands by her school for lies and indoctrination. True to form for an American girl born free and accustomed to the 1st Amendment, Ms. Mackenzie Andrysiak expressed her disagreement with the school by writing on Instagram, in a private story, “Absolutely DISGUSTING that @episcopalhs let this man speak at our school. Unbelievable.” Along with the words, Mackenzie shared a screenshot from Fox News of a Kendi tweet in which he accuses federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett of being a racist for adopting two black children from Haiti. “Some White colonizers ‘adopted’ Black children. They ‘civilized’ these ‘savage’ children in the ‘superior’ ways of White people, while using them as props in their lifelong pictures of denial, while cutting the biological parents of these children out of the picture of humanity,” were Kendi’s words. [read more]

Other BLM articles:

• Black Lives Matter calls out Biden for excluding them from meeting
• Black Lives Matter Activist “Frank Nitty II” Arrested on Suspicion of Sexual Assault
• Black Lives Matter Pens Letter To Joe Biden And Kamala Harris: ‘We Want Something For Our Vote’
• 3 Reasons Black Lives Matter Is Incompatible With Biblical Christianity
• BLM CRASHES FESTIVAL FOR KIDS WITH CANCER
• Black Lives Matter Activists Rocked With Lawsuit By Government of Detroit for ‘Civil Conspiracy’ Reports Fox News
  

“War Communism”

The economic wages of "War Communism," as this period was retroactively labeled after the more extreme measures of State control were abandoned after 1921, were devastating. By 1920 Moscow and Petrograd, once the crown jewels of a fabulously wealthy empire, had become ghost towns. The pre-1917 population of Petrograd (about 2.5 million) had been reduced to 750,000. Emaciated city residents stumbled around in a perpetual half-stupor, with barely the energy to stand on line at government rationing centers for bread (which sold on the black market for thousands, then millions, of rubles). Both Petrograd and Moscow had nearly run out of fuel, with entire buildings being torn down for wood. Water pipes had cracked in cold, leaving residents without running water. With streetlamps having ceased to function, the streets were dark and menacing at night. Trams and trolleys had stopped running. Colonel Edward Ryan, an American Red Cross commissioner, crossed Bolshevik lines from Estonia without official authorization in early 1920 to investigate the humanitarian situation. He left behind a vivid description of the horror that had overtaken Russia's once-great capital cities: "Both Moscow and Petrograd are indescribably filthy in outward appearance... [I] was told the streets had not been cleaned for more than three years... The dirt and rubbish is in all places at least ankle deep and in most places it is up to one's knees, and there are many places where it is as high as one's head."

The government's own employees, with access to the highest level of ration cards, ate better than did ordinary people, but this was little consolation to those who fell ill. With garbage piling up in the streets and shortages of everything from soap to running water to medicine, epidemic disease was rampant. Cholera hit Petrograd in summer 1918, soon followed by typhus and dysentery. There was little solace for sick patients in the hospitals, because the doctors and nurses were dying, too. Colonel Ryan, on an impromptu visit to a hospital in central Moscow favored by regime elites, learned that "during the preceding three months seventy-five percent of the personnel of this hospital had died." This comparatively well-off facility had sheets and mattresses, at least, but surgeries were still rarely performed because there were "very few surgical instruments and few anesthetics." Ryan was not allowed to visit hospitals in poorer districts, which, presumably, were even worse off. In the frigid swamps of Petrograd, matters were even worse, with so many people dying by 1919 that the morgues and cemeteries could not keep up: corpses lay around for months waiting to be buried.

Source: The Russian Revolution. A New History. (2017) by Sean McMeekin.