We are not at war with the coronavirus.  It's a public health problem, not a conflict.  Historically, comparing domestic societal problems to war — e.g., drugs or poverty — has been counterproductive.  The war metaphor doesn't work as an analogy, or as moral guidance.  In the current case, treating this public health issue like a war may well prove disastrous if we continue to pursue warlike policies, such as isolation and the favoring of "necessary" industries over a generally healthy economy.  We are facing a disease of modest morbidity and a low if uncertain mortality rate very probably somewhere between 0.10 and 2%, concentrated heavily among elderly and/or already unhealthy people.  In fact, we lack sufficient data to really know which end of the estimate is correct, though the likelihood is toward the lower side.  Worse, in the current highly partisan political climate,...(Read Full Post)