17 Comments

Excellent. Thanks for writing it. I imagine you'll get a ton of "how much is Putin paying you?" responses, but that's the way of the world these days. McCain, the hawks, and the neocons pushing the constant expansion of NATO didn't do us any favors. Americans rarely blink at the concept of the Monroe Doctrine, but somehow that understanding vanishes when it's another country. I hope Russia doesn't invade Ukraine. But I also hope that Biden will commit to Ukraine not joining NATO. (I agree that getting out of Afghanistan was great. I would have liked to see the USG keep Bagram open during the withdrawal, though.)

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Feb 7, 2022Liked by Matt Bivens, M.D.

Will come back for more.

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Interesting piece, thank you.

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Feb 7, 2022Liked by Matt Bivens, M.D.

Wow, thank you and welcome!

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Feb 7, 2022Liked by Matt Bivens, M.D.

Great analysis!

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Seems like your Russian got a bit rusty. Russian case endings are hard and Москва река/Moscow river presents a special challenge. In the 3rd paragraph from the bottom it should be "до берегов Москвы реки"/to the "beregov Moskvy reki".

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author

Hmm yes!

It gets confusing in particular when I'm speaking Russglish and not Russian, but that's absolutely right: "to the banks of the Moscow River" = до берегов Москвы реки.

Thanks for the kindly gentle correction!

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PS: You are also a medical doctor. A question for which I can't find an answer:

Ivermectin pill for human consumption costs less than 50 cents. What are possible negative effects of its use -- mortality rates or serious medical complications, for example?

IF -- IF indeed Ivermectin works as more and more reports confirm AND

• we have 900,000 thousand deaths and thousands of lung transplants AND

• Ivermectin (used for more than 1 billion times for other purposes, is harmless in correct dose and inventor received Nobel prize for it) AND

• is VERY inexpensive) can't be obtained -- THAN

WHO is responsible for a CRIME of a CENTURY???

PS: Ivermectin pill for human consumption costs less than 50 cents. What are possible negative effects of its use -- mortality rate, for example?

Or was it ALL really a protection of

either

-- drug industry (really crime organizations)

or

-- of US population control – by SAME lying War-party team (CIA, FBI, Obama, Hillary, Biden) that has concocted the Russia-gate hoax and organized 2014 coup in Ukraine (and Georgia) and more recently failed, thanks heavens, coups in Belarus and Kazakhstan?

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author

Yes, the Ivermectin story has been very frustrating for a lot of people.

I agree that it is cheap, safe, with a very good safety profile.

I prescribe it from time to time for patients (usually kids) with intestinal worms, that's what it's classically for.

Early in COVID-19, there was some weak evidence that it might be useful.

Some doctors said, "Let's do the studies and wait for the evidence."

Other doctors said, "It's safe let's just give it we don't have time to wait!"

Both positions are actually valid medical opinions.

In the end, I don't think it's going to be proven to be a useful COVID-19 therapeutic.

We are finally seeing some trials to answer the question and they do not look very promising for Ivermectin for this indication.

But I was disappointed to see people demonized for advocating for it, and was sorry to see it become so politicized. I was also disappointed when FDA, CNN, and other authorities started behaving contemptuously towards people who tried it because, as you note, it's safe and it's not unreasonable to try a safe medication that has a weak signal that it might be beneficial. (That said, again: As we learn more about it, it seems less likely to have been helpful).

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"More and more" anecdotal reports are not medical evidence.

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I fully agree on "anecdotal" -- I am against censorship of experts and their reports, as I hope you are also.

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We agree:

Russia-gate is NOT a paranoia -- it is a BIG lie -- the original modern sin concocted by Hillary-Obama-DNC and Deep State

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I would be easy to commit to not allowing Ukranie into NATO. Everybody knows international agreements, even treaties, are not forever. They can be and are repudiated in case of real security concerns. But giving something, we should get something. How about Russian support in countering China's claims on the South China Sea.

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Outstanding analysis !! -- Thank you.

Also a must see: Tucker Carlson Today – interview with Dan Kovalik: “Russia, Russia, Russia” (Feb. 4, 2022)

This and Tucker-Tonight should be available on Rumble and elsewhere

-------------------------------------------------------

PS: Russia has a better claim to the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine than the US has to Texas.

(Jeffrey St. Clair – Feb. 5 2022)

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2 maps what divide Ukraine by language and voters invent famous political consultant Paul Manafort. Guess who hired Manafort after he successfully divide Ukrainian nation by language and help pro Russian president to destroy Ukraine from inside? Yes Donald Trump, and the way how he divide country remind me what they did in Ukraine

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Feb 7, 2022·edited Feb 7, 2022

Not so fast. Trump negotiated the Afghanistan withdrawal yet in that regard he failed? You want the reader to believe Biden undeservedly took criticism for reneging on the agreed deadline then botched a hasty retreat? Anyone see the 2007 video clip of Biden explaining what would happen if the US left weapons behind in Afghanistan?

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author

I agree with you that Trump deserves more credit than he got for negotiating the withdrawal. The media's lack of enthusiasm for that Trump-Taliban peace process is similar to its rage at the awful-looking pull-out Biden oversaw. But at the end of the day, lots of people talked about getting us out of Afghanistan -- Obama comes to mind! -- without actually taking the political hit for doing so. Biden finally did it.

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