How many 'needlessly' died because experts got it wrong

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Reuters)

I just have one question for Dr. Fauci.

Hasn't there always been "needless suffering and death."

I mean when wasn't there "needless suffering and death."

I swear I never had heard of the word "dystopian" or "dystopia" till President Trump was elected, but that's not what this column is about.

This column is about the number of highway deaths every year in this country, some 36,000 folks who die each and every year. Aren't those deaths needless? They certainly aren't needed. (Just curious, if it's not needless it's needed, Right?)

Anyway, we could all but wipe out that number by doing a couple of little things. Getting rid of booze, cellphones and drugs and oh, one other thing, only let that Corvette or Charger or any other vehicle reach a maximum speed of 10 mph.

Oh there might be a couple of fender benders; you might spill your coffee (Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot, prohibit and give jail time to all drivers for coffee drinking, hair drying, lipstick smearing, make-up application and, of course, hanky panky, too). Oh the humanity.

The point is pretty much every vehicular death is "needless." Every injury is "needless suffering."

Now add to that the more than 67,000 who die from drug use each and every year, so many right here in New Hampshire and Maine. Most of the deaths come from overdosing on synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Those are also needless.

I wonder if Dr. Fauci would consider deaths from the flu needless.

How about fatal fires? Needless? If not needless, what then? Expected? Totally OK? Bound to happen?

Now will there be more confirmed cases in New Hampshire and Maine? Yes.

Will there be more COVID-19 deaths in New Hampshire and Maine? Yes.

Can we stay in our homes the rest of our lives? No.

A wise doctor I was once treated by told me to take a certain drug.

I asked her if it had side effects, risk.

Yes, she said, every drug has side effects and risks, but say it's an ice storm and you need food, you're starving. You have to go to the store, but you're taking a risk. You need food or you'll die. You could easily get into a car accident and die, but you take a risk.

Dr Fauci said early on you don't need a mask unless you're sick and until a couple of days ago never wore a mask himself when he was less than six feet away from President Trump and others on the president's Coronavirus Task Force.

Now they're arresting folks who don't wear a mask.

I've done interviews with multiple government officials who say all the time, "We're building the plane as we fly it."

And Dr. Fauci has been building his pandemic-fighting strategy the same way, on the go.

Those folks who are building the plane as they fly it should not go around making grandiose comments like there will be "needless suffering and death" if we don't stay in our homes wearing masks and washing our hands every five minutes.

Don't get me wrong. I wear a mask, I carry sanitizer in my pocket. I practice social distancing. I'm just not sure about how longer we can go on living like this and survive?

And one more haunting thing for Dr. Fauci to mull before opening his mouth again.

Is it possible thousands of Americans "needlessly" died because up until the beginning of April Dr. Fauci, the CDC and the WHO all said you don't need a mask unless you're sick?