Commentary: The Power of Courage

Donald Trump in front of the American Flag (composite image)

The iconic photo of Donald Trump standing tall and defiantly after an attempted assassination speaks volumes. It reminds the whole world that Trump is a fighter. In his case, it is more than a metaphor, as “fighter” is for most of the political class. He showed real physical courage, and this cannot fail to impress.

As society has gotten more modern and organized, physical courage has become less necessary and less valued. Physical ability in general, such as the brawn and endurance required to be a cowboy or coal miner, doesn’t have much to do with the ability to analyze Excel spreadsheets, run a cash register, or do any number of office jobs. Softer skills are in higher demand and are rewarded accordingly.

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Feds Bet on Wrong COVID Horse Again as Pfizer’s Own Research Casts Doubt on Pricey Paxlovid

Pfizer Research and Development lab La Jolla, CA

There may be a reason Pfizer chose that curious tagline in the drugmaker’s once-inescapable commercials for its COVID-19 oral antiviral – the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” parody – which cost U.S. taxpayers at least $12 billion before the feds tightened the spigot last fall and Pfizer jacked the price to $1,390 for a five-day course.

The nirmatrelvir-ritonavir combination marketed as Paxlovid does no better against so-called long COVID than a placebo taken with ritonavir, according to a new “original investigation” quietly released Friday in JAMA Internal Medicine, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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