{"id":1774459,"date":"2022-12-14T06:30:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T11:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1774459"},"modified":"2022-12-14T06:48:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T11:48:34","slug":"bill-maher-schools-biologist-richard-dawkins-on-covid-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-maher-schools-biologist-richard-dawkins-on-covid-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Maher Schools Biologist Richard Dawkins on COVID Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbill-maher-schools-biologist-richard-dawkins-on-covid-basics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1774459&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bill-Maher-Richard-Dawkins-Great-Barrington-Declaration-2.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Bill Maher isn\u2019t a doctor, nor does he play one on TV.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s just a political satirist who, based on recent clues, is starting to read news reports outside the corrupt mainstream media bubble.<\/p>\n<p>Days ago, the host of \u201cReal Time with Bill Maher\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/bill-maher-praises-bari-weiss-twitter-files\/\">praised old-school journalist Bari Weiss<\/a> for debuting The Free Press, a news outlet dedicated to fair reportage.<\/p>\n<p>This week,\u00a0Maher invited famed biologist Richard Dawkins on his \u201cClub Random\u201d podcast. Their friendly, wide-ranging discussion touched on science and, more specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>The podcaster seemed far more up to speed on basic pandemic truths than the biologist. At times, it wasn\u2019t even close.<\/p>\n<p>Maher kicked off the pandemic portion of the chat by calling himself a \u201cmedical skeptic\u201d with a caveat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just question everything,\u201d the comedian said.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not an anti-vaxxer. I believe vaccines are a medical intervention like every other drug which has some drawbacks, benefits. I don\u2019t believe that everybody has the same health profile so every medical intervention just like any other drug isn\u2019t appropriate for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sane approach might have gotten him banned on Twitter just months ago. It still could get him in trouble on platforms like YouTube or Facebook, sites that haven\u2019t been given a transparency upgrade a la Elon Musk\u2019s Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>That line of thinking suggests Maher is perusing sites beyond CNN.com and The Washington Post, which mostly regurgitate CDC information.<\/p>\n<p>Dawkins countered that vaccinations are often about more than just individual recipients. They benefit society as a whole in countering the spread of an illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not right with COVID because we found out the vaccine does not prevent transmission or getting it. That argument is, at best, out of date,\u201d said Maher.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, it\u2019s certainly right for measles, mumps and rubella,\u201d said Dawkins, changing the subject.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/bill-maher-private-jets-climate-change\/\"><strong>RELATED: WHY BILL MAHER DOESN\u2019T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT FLYING ON PRIVATE JETS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not an anti-measles vaccine crusader,\u201d Maher said, steering the conversation back on topic. \u201cThe issue now is COVID, and that is an outdated argument. [The vaccination] is only for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maher then brought up how \u201c16,000 doctors and scientists\u201d signed the Great Barrington Declaration in 2020 disputing the government-imposed lockdowns to fight the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you hear about this?\u201d Maher asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Dawkins admitted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grace concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of prevailing COVID 19 policies,\u201d the GBD reads.<\/p>\n<p>The Great Barrington Declaration addressed policies now seen by many as a failure on many levels, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health-news\/the-pandemic-has-taken-a-serious-toll-on-mental-health-what-happens-when-its-over\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mental health woes<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/johns-hopkins-study-lockdowns-had-little-to-no-effect-on-covid-19-mortality-but-had-devastating-effects-on-society\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">economic disparities.<\/a>\u00a0Meanwhile, Sweden\u2019s lockdown-free approach led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/world\/sweden-report-coronavirus-1.6364154\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">among the best results.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We just learned through the Twitter Files investigation that Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aier.org\/article\/twitter-files-confirm-censorship-of-the-great-barrington-declaration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cintentionally blacklisted, censored, suppressed, and targeted the GBD and its signers\u201d<\/a> to support Dr. Anthony Fauci\u2019s lockdown recommendations.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Thanks to Musk releasing the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TwitterFiles?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TwitterFiles<\/a> to Weiss and Taibbi, we have more insight into Twitter\u2019s internal censorship policies. Until the NIH releases more information, the Twitter Files raise more questions than answers.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhilWMagness?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PhilWMagness<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidmwaugh01?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@davidmwaugh01<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rOzyQLszjT\">https:\/\/t.co\/rOzyQLszjT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Independent Institute (@IndependentInst) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IndependentInst\/status\/1602481431900463106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>That helps explain why Dawkins hadn\u2019t heard of it, despite his intellectual prowess. And, thanks to Twitter censorship, he\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n<p>Maher explained that experts who didn\u2019t toe the CDC line to the letter faced punishment over the past two-plus years, be it from Big Tech censors or Dr. Fauci.<\/p>\n<p>We later learned <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/thepost\/jay-bhattacharya-the-legal-case-against-anthony-fauci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Fauci allegedly used his power and influence<\/a> to snuff out the Declaration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow look, the vaccine obviously saved a lot of lives but they were wrong about the transmission,\u201d Maher said.<\/p>\n<p>Dawkins essentially ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know about the 16,000 doctors. I just know that the COVID pandemic has been a triumph of science in the speed with which these vaccines were developed, and it\u2019s a beautiful story.\u201d Dawkins said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgreed, but only a part of the story,\u201d Maher said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/bill-maher-ben-shapiro-woke-eyeroll\/\"><strong>RELATED: BILL MAHER \u2013 HOW WOKE BECAME AN EYEROLL\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dawkins said the vaccine replicates what the body\u2019s immunity systems create but \u201cin a harmless way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, Maher wasn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt best yes, that\u2019s how it\u2019s supposed to work\u2026 but as we know, every medical intervention, including vaccines, you can read the literature for all of them, will say they have side effects, so it\u2019s not exactly mimicking what your body does,\u201d Maher said. \u201cIt should be anyone\u2019s personal right to say, \u2018You know what I know has always worked for me? My immune system.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Other nations have banned the COVID-19 vaccines because they are too dangerous for children.<\/p>\n<p>Why does the mainstream media not talk about this?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ranata Moon: \u201cWe are being asked to inject this product into our nation\u2019s kids who have essentially a 0% risk of harm.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OVA2XKG3TM\">pic.twitter.com\/OVA2XKG3TM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenRonJohnson\/status\/1601252507564797952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 9, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Maher added Americans have a right to determine their own health plans based on their needs, citing how most COVID-19 deaths were among the elderly and obese.<\/p>\n<p>Later, Dawkins argued on behalf of the now dubious hope of herd immunity. Once again, Maher shot him down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea that provided enough people get vaccinated, then the epidemic has nowhere to go,\u201d Dawkins said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it didn\u2019t work that way,\u201d Maher said. Countries around the world learned that lesson the hard way, inoculating large swathes of the population without eradicating the virus.<\/p>\n<p>Maher noted that he got COVID-19 a month after getting his vaccine. He added CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky contracted the virus after multiple boosters.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">NEW: CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has tested positive for COVID-19, the CDC says. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eJxOS3Gp3n\">https:\/\/t.co\/eJxOS3Gp3n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ABC News (@ABC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC\/status\/1583883294235496448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 22, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Dawkins dismissed both examples as mere anecdotes, even though we\u2019ve heard many similar stories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an anecdote that is very typical,\u201d Maher said.<\/p>\n<p>Later, Maher mentioned a Boston lab experiment that created an even more powerful, and potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/stevensalzberg\/2022\/10\/24\/gain-of-function-experiments-at-boston-university-create-a-deadly-new-covid-19-virus-who-thought-this-was-a-good-idea\/?sh=c0736685ca31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deadly, version of the virus<\/a>. Once again, it caught Dawkins napping.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s this, you know, gain of function. Is that what they call it where they think that\u2019s maybe how COVID started in the lab in Wuhan to begin with where this was this gain of function,\u201d Maher said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t heard that phrase,\u201d Dawkins said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGain of function\u201d has been an alarming part of the pandemic narrative. Some say that strain of research led to the original COVID-19 virus which killed millions across the globe. Fauci critics suggest <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2021\/09\/09\/covid-origins-gain-of-function-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he helped fund that research<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bill Maher isn\u2019t a doctor, nor does he play one on TV. He\u2019s just a political satirist who, based on recent clues, is starting to read news reports outside the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1774462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[8790,8789,5458,4127,8791,5689,3819,6482,3735],"class_list":["post-1774459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-basics","tag-biologist","tag-bongino","tag-covid","tag-dawkins","tag-maher","tag-report","tag-richard","tag-schools"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1774459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1774462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1774459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1774459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1774459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}