Aug 20, 2020 | Editorials |
Authored by Bev Stenehjem, Guest Writer
The Nevada Governor’s ban hydroxychloroquine expired on July 21, 2020. So why aren’t doctors prescribing it?
In just a few short months, happy-go-lucky Americans now are paralyzed with fear of getting COVID-19 and fear of dying from it. Schools are closed and businesses shuttered, some permanently. Weddings are canceled. Hot August Nights. … canceled. Wear a mask or be fined. Don’t visit your loved one in the nursing home. And don’t even think about having friends and loved ones over!
So much of the 24/7 news is conflicting: from masks to social distancing. But more significantly and troubling is the conflicting information disseminated about possible cures; specifically, the use of a common medication, hydroxychloroquine or HCQ for short.
Dr. Bruce Fong, a Reno doctor for the past 20 years has been advocating the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). “There have been extensive studies showing that HCQ works,” says Dr. Fong. “It was effectively used in the early 2000s to fight the SARS virus and that is why many doctors reached for it at the beginning of this latest virus.”
The conflict likely began in early March, when President Trump, in an effort to give hope to the masses, said that a French study suggested HCQ was proving effective in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Trump tweeted out, “Hydroxychloroquine & azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”
An FDA approved drug, for the past 65 years, HCQ has been safely treating people with malaria and numerous rheumatologic conditions. But soon after Trump’s tweet, the use of the drug quickly became political, with waves of studies coming out to criticize the drug. Governors in several states, including Nevada, jumped on the bandwagon to squash the notion that HCQ might be helpful.
On March 23, Governor Sisolak banned the drug’s use in outpatients in Nevada for 120 days. Only extremely sick people needing hospitalization were allowed to have it. But by then it was often too late to be beneficial”
When the ban finally expired on July 21, 2020 there was no major announcement about it. Thousands of doctors and pharmacists are still unaware that the ban has been lifted.
Meanwhile, people in Nevada continue to get sick with COVID-19 and many die.
This prompted Dr. Fong to finally speak up. “My conscious kept bothering me,” he said. Fong, a licensed, osteopathic internal medicine doctor is also the President of the Nevada Osteopathic Medical Association and is a medical director at Sierra Integrative Medical Center.
Dr. Fong has been using HCQ to successfully treat dozens of his patients sick with COVID-19. “It’s important to treat with HCQ during the early days of the virus, before the body goes into hyper-immunity and starts to shut itself down,” explained Dr. Fong. “If your symptoms are not lessening after three or four days and, instead, appear to be worsening, that’s the time to start HCQ treatment.”
Dr. Fong recommends a trio of drugs to combat COVID-19. “The first is HCQ which blocks the virus from getting into the cells while helping zinc to be taken up more rapidly by the cells. Next is zinc; one of the most powerful of the naturally occurring antivirals which readily destroys the virus. And lastly, azithromycin – this drug knocks down secondary bacterial infections which can occur while your body is busy fighting off the initial virus.”
Dr. Fong refers to a website which lists hundreds of studies about HCQ – the vast majority of which are positive: <https://c19study.com/>. There are numerous other examples, including the July 2, Henry Ford study Henry Ford Health System which says, “Treatment with hydroxychloroquine cut the death rate significantly in sick patients hospitalized with COVID-19 – and without heart-related side-effects.”
Dr. Harvey Risch, a renowned cancer epidemiologist at the Yale School of Medicine has concluded that the risk of a cardiac event from HCQ is extremely low, and that the benefits of early use far outweigh any risks of using it. “The key to defeating COVID-19 already exists. We need to start using it,” says Dr. Risch.
On August 12, several doctors sent an open letter to Dr. Fauci, https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/doctors-pen-open-letter-fauci-regarding-use-hydroxychloroquine-treating-covid-19 condemning him for his stubborn refusal to advocate for HCQ. The doctors urge Dr. Fauci, saying “It is essential that you tell the truth to the American public regarding the safety and efficacy of the hydroxychloroquine/HCQ cocktail. Americans must not continue to die unnecessarily.”
So why is there such a controversy about a medication that has been safely used for more than 65 years and in fact, was safely used to treat the SARS virus in the early 2000s? Why are so many doctors, who are quietly prescribing HCQ with excellent results, afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs?
You know the old saying, “follow the money?” The cost of the Hydroxychloroquine “cocktail” including the Z-pack and zinc is about $50. The cost of Remdesivir, the much touted, experimental COVID-19 treatment is about $3,200.
But is money and greed the real motive for the war against HCQ or is there another, more unsavory agenda?
Could it be possible that there is a political element sinister enough to sacrifice the lives of American citizens in order to advance their political agenda, ensuring the President loses the election?
Perhaps we may never know why such a reliable, effective drug like HCQ has been the source of such controversy.
“There’s been a loss of common sense in medicine,” says Dr. Fong. “I want to do everything I can to inform doctors and their patients about HCQ. I want to stop the fear and most of all, I want to save lives.”
To get a prescription for HCQ, call Dr. Fong’s office at (775) 828-5388 to request an HCQ phone appointment.
About the Author
Bev and her husband, Mark, moved to Reno in August 2019 from the Bay Area where she finished out a career
in Human Resources. As a side gig, Bev wrote a weekly wine column and published a historical photo book, The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley. Bev continues to write about wine and spirits for ThisIsReno.com, (an online news source). Bev loves “everything” Reno and is passionate about keeping Reno “red” and maintaining the quality of life here. Bev is a volunteer member on the Communication Committee for the Washoe County Republican party. She also serves on the Board for the Republican Women of Reno as its recording secretary. When she isn’t volunteering, you can find Bev at the driving range, learning to play golf.
Aug 18, 2020 | Editorials |
Authored by Guest Writer Dave Judy
August 18, 2020 – It seems fellow Nevada Republicans that Governor Sisolak’s mandates have struck a negative chord once again. I am referring to the recent censure of the Mrs. Nevada Pageant held at the Ahern Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, August 9th. The pageant was stopped by Las Vegas Police and Las Vegas city licensing officials who ordered ALL attendees , save cast and crew, to vacate the premises.
The official claimed the pageant was in violation of the Governor’s most recent COVID-19 “safety” protocols which precludes gatherings of more than fifty people.Pageant tabulator Kari Deike, stated, “Police told me that if the attendees who exceeded the 50-person maximum did not leave promptly, they would be arrested and taken away in hand cuffs.” (Apparently the pageant scene can be pretty rough). After the audience left quickly and cooperatively, the Mrs. Nevada contestants then performed for an empty house; a major disappointment after months of personal preparation by the contestants.
The Ahern Hotel had been operating under current Nevada COVID-19 directives which state casino/convention facilities can house a group not to exceed 50% of Fire Code capacity. The Mrs. Nevada venue can seat 1600 people, so with the directives, a maximum of 800 attendees would have been in compliance; far more than the actual 250 people in the pageant audience.
So, if the Ahern Hotel was operating in compliance with all directives, why did the police show up and close down the pageant? And even more perplexing is why had a prior gathering at the same hotel where Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman was the keynote speaker go unnoticed? That crowd FAR exceeded the stated 50 persons the Governor claims keeps us “safe.” No sanctions were levied against the Hotel for that event involving the Mayor.
Even more galling, the week prior to the Pageant, the hotel hosted an “ Evangelicals for Trump” rally. Due to exceeding Sisolak’s “magic 50,” the hotel was fined $250. At the time, Hotel management believed the fine was simply a misunderstanding since they had successfully held other large gatherings safely following guidelines for public events over the last few months.
But when Sisolak posted a rant on Twitter saying, “I was deeply disheartened and dismayed to see the callous and dangerous behavior displayed last night in Las Vegas at a campaign event for President Trump,” a more vengeful reason for the penalty and fine was revealed.
Now, Hotel and Mrs. Nevada Pageant officials believe that the action taken against the pageant was also the result of partisan politics and a personal vendetta by Governor Sisolak against organized religion, and the presentation of opposing Republican political views by a pro-Trump organization.
Perhaps at this point, the casual reader would shrug and feel that a Pageant was ruined, and a big hotel was fined a mere $250…… so what? But here’s why it matters.
On Thursday, August 6th, the Supreme Court of the United States, acting on a complaint by a Nevada religious organization ruled that ANY church or house of worship, regardless of size and number of parishioners, can NOT have more than 50 faithfuls gathered.
According to state directives, it is permissible for casinos to host 50% of their capacity which might be in the hundreds or even thousands of people while a church is limited to no more than 50 people at a time – regardless of the size and capacity of the church.
“Evangelicals for Trump” noting that casinos CAN host up to 50% of Fire Code capacity, logically turned to the Ahern Hotel to allow their spiritual and political voices to be heard. But when officials caught wind of this, they fined the hotel $250. Obviously, like most liberals, Governor Sisolak can NOT tolerate any disagreement with his personal doctrines or his political advancement.
This most recent sequence of events should make us all take pause…and be keenly aware that our Constitutional Rights are being undermined every, single day, under the guise of keeping us “safe” during the Covid-19 Pandemic. (Freedom of Religion and to practice our faith? Right to peacefully assemble?? Do you remember these constitutional rights?? )
We may have already lost our state to the deeply anti-American Left, but there still may be something we can all do. Please follow local , state, and national events and speak out where you feel there are improprieties. As Ronald Reagan once so wisely stated, “Freedom is only one generation away from extinction.” Let’s not be the last generation to experience freedom. We owe it to our kids and theirs.
Let’s end the Democrat rule by voting them out in November. If we unite, we can win.
About Dave Judy
Dave Judy and his wife moved to Reno 2 two years ago. Dave ran a successful veterinary practice in the San Diego area for 34 years. Dave’s wife Laurie was a San Diego police officer for 30 years. Today, Dave is a part- time music instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College. Laurie is an artist and her work can be seen in area galleries.
Aug 7, 2020 | Chairman |
Written by Michael Kadenacy, Chairman -Washoe County Republican Party
When I lived in France, the best economist that I met was my barber. He had a small shop with a couple of employees that was similar to many small businesses here in the United States. He summed up the fundamental flaw in Progressive economics like this. “In France, one-third of the population was on benefit; one-third of the population was on the public payroll, which left the last third to pay for the other two thirds.” He understood that this flawed system could not exist for long without leading to financial ruin.
To apply that logic to personal growth we know when you and your family hit financial difficulties, common sense and good personal fiscal management dictates that you tighten your belt and reduce your spending. Not so for our State Government led by our progressive Governor, who, while leading the state into financial ruin with onerous COVID-19 restrictions, ensured State Civil Service members’ salaries were protected by deeming them “essential.” State workers did not suffer the same unemployment concerns as their fellow “non-essential” Nevadans. Ironically, it is the “non-essential” workers who are responsible for making sure these “essential” employees are paid.
When we look at the economic condition of our state today, we see the progressives in Nevada have increased spending by all local and state governments, and now must find new ways to extract tax revenue from the already strapped citizens. Unfortunately, real financial planning is not a strong suit of progressives. So, when they increased the costs of state and local government substantially by allowing unionization of state workers and adopting the “prevailing wage” standard for public contracting, they did so without having a clear idea as to how they were going to pay for those extra cost.
Their first broadside to increase taxes was to go after the mining industry, which employs 12,000 people in Nevada, most of which come from rural communities. The Nevada State Constitution protects this crucial part of Nevada’s economic life and tax status. The progressives in our legislature just passed a 300% tax increase on our mining industry and in the process have changed our State Constitution without the approval of its citizens. And, it isn’t just taxes for the present. They want the mines to pay estimated taxes for future years. With these unreasonable and burdensome taxes mines will close as they are deemed no longer commercially viable. Jobs will be lost.
This is a prime example of piecemeal tax policy with no real planning used by progressives. Their mindset is, we are spending more than we are taking in, who can we tax? It should be noted that any tax, even for businesses, eventually is borne by you and me. Companies might cut the check for the taxes, but those taxes are passed along to every one of us – through an increase in their prices.
Progressives will never be satisfied with the revenue stream and will, in the future, look for more ways to increase your tax burden, and government will continue to grow while your paycheck and personal freedoms shrink. You can look forward to a state income tax, an increase in sales taxes, and increased fees and rates of existing taxes.
This is your future in Nevada if progressives are allowed to keep control of our State Legislature. For limited government and low tax Republicans, the way forward is not only definite but urgent. We must change the makeup of our state legislature by replacing those progressives in those bodies.
The Washoe County Republican Party has as its primary goal to do just that.
Aug 2, 2020 | Chairman |
Written by Michael Kadenacy, Chairman
The passage of AB 4 in the second special session of our State Legislature should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind where the Progressives are taking Nevada. The road inevitably leads to a one-party state, leading to dysfunctional governments at best and an authoritarian oligarchy at worst.
We have all seen where that leads in cities and states across this America. Budgets entirely out of control, taxes high and going higher, business micro-regulated, higher unemployment, and violence in the streets. These dysfunctional cities and states share one thing in common, the Progressives are in charge and have been for years and, in some cases, decades.
But, we as Republicans share some of the blame. We have stood by and allowed our state, over three election cycles, to be hijacked by these Progressives. Republicans as a functioning, cohesive, and politically active coalition does not exist in Nevada. We have Balkanized ourselves into factions that spend what little effort we choose to exert to either virtue signal on social media or to seek to exclude someone or some group which may not conform to our particular set of conservative values. Almost all of the virtue signaling posts do not persuade anyone of anything, merely highlight the righteousness of its author. Neither of these activities has nor will elect Republicans. If we are to reverse this slide into chaos, we must find common cause with people that may not agree on every position we tenaciously hold as sacrosanct. Our failure to do so will relegate us to a righteous but permanent minority in Nevada.
But neither will the never-ending stream of appeals for contributions, elect Republicans. These solicitors of our donations do not miss any action by Progressives to ask for money. There are always multiple mail pieces and emails stating that the only way to stop whatever is the latest outrage by the left, is to send money. I cannot help but note that not one of these solicitations ever really tells you how the solicitor intends to spend the money. “if you want to stop this, send money.” Be assured; it won’t.
Republicans need to pay attention to how these groups soliciting funds spend their money.
Likewise, Nevada Republicans need also to prioritize their effort. Most of us are volunteers, and some have the financial capacity to support political action. Both are required, but we need to decide where to target our effort.
If the Nevada Legislature’s two special sessions are harbingers of things to come, we can only ameliorate the scourge of Progressivism that is about to hit Nevada. To do this, we must focus on the several Assembly races that are in play and support any vulnerable Republican State Senators.
The Washoe County Republican Party’s critical efforts in this cycle are to do just that. While our funds are limited, because we use our resources wisely, the County Party gets a lot of bang for the buck. Our programs include a paid Intern program which is fielding 16 young people. These Interns are phone banking and walking already. We will be mailing two Slate Mailers to arrive a few days before early voting and sponsoring Get Out The Vote radio commercials. We do not hire high-cost people to supervise our effort; volunteers do that work. We reserve our spending for the Intern Program and mailers, both of which have a direct impact on voter turn-out. And we are laser aimed at those races that will start the process of retaking the State Legislature by Republicans.
Republicans of all stripes must look at their efforts and decide whether those efforts effectively get Republicans elected. That includes volunteer or financial support for Candidates, Political Parties, or PAC’s. I urge you to consider whether what you are doing will lead to the election of Republicans, not merely the right Republicans. Only then, do we have a chance to reverse the course set for our state by the two special sessions of our State Legislature.
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