Say What?

When ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.

"If we stopped testing, we'd have very few cases (of corona virus infections), if any." -- The president of the United States.

   Increasingly, the president, the vice president and members of the White House staff ignore recommendations of science advisors and refuse to wear face coverings in public gatherings, even as the nationwide death toll from the corona virus goes well over 100,000 and infections resume rising in regions that reopen to public gatherings.
   (Perhaps the president will issue an executive order banning the virus from infecting American citizens. Presumably, those here illegally would be fair game.)
   News came this week that the two senior executives at the Voice of America resigned after the Senate confirmed the president's choice to manage the international broadcaster.
   The new chief will be Michael Pack, a conservative and a staunch supporter of the president. In their resignation letter, Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara expressed their worry about editorial independence as the president's supporter takes over.
   The president has attacked the broadcaster's reporting on the corona issue in China, saying it should "report the facts, but VOA has instead amplified Beijing's propaganda."
   "It's disgusting," he added, adding that Pack will "do a great job."
   The Voice of America, which was founded in 1942, broadcasts news and information in more than 40 languages.
   The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has warned that Pack's appointment would endanger the VOA's autonomy and raise "the specter of state control and coercion," according to a report by NPR.