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We may be going out on a limb here, but we’re betting that Dr. Nirav D. Shah has grown a little weary of armchair “experts” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He’s also clearly a fan of satire.
Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, posted an inspired series of tweets during Saturday’s nor’easter that would seem to indicate he’s had it up to here with experts who do their own research and always have a conspiracy theory on hand.
“The hype around #blizzard2022 is being driven by the weather-industrial complex,” Shah declared.
“These so-called meteorologists have no clue what they’re talking about,” Shah tweeted. “I also find it deeply suspicious that their ‘models’ change all the time. I thought this was ‘science,’ which does not change (see, e.g., gravity).
“Who pressured them to change the models? My hunch: follow the $$$ and we’ll find out,” he tweeted.
Edicts about wearing coats and gloves didn’t escape his wrath either.
“The ‘experts’ say that good gloves help prevent frostbite. That’s nonsense. I know a guy who got frostbite even though he was WEARING GLOVES. #CHECKMATE,” Shah wrote. “Plus, I did the research and frostbite only happens about 1% of the time.”
“I mean, sure, some people might die from the cold,” Shah conceded. “But how many died ‘from’ the cold, vs. ‘with’ the cold?”
Shah’s hilarious full thread, which had accumulated well over 10,000 “likes” as of Sunday morning, appears below.
2/I studied poignant, analytical memes from leading thinkers in finance, technology, and art sales.
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
To my surprise, their insights actually CONFIRMED all of my pre-conceived notions about this storm.
Thanks for the research help @twitter!
4/First of all, @CDCgov says blizzards are no big deal so long as you're financially stable, don't have to leave your house for work, have food, can afford heating and internet, and don't have to worry about power outages.
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
Those apply to me. So why should I care about others?
6/Get this: my town implemented a "parking ban" too. They say it's to help them keep roads cleared.
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
But it really amounts to the government telling me, a taxpayer, what I can and can't do with my own private property. Didn't we fight a war against England to prevent this?
8/And these so-called meteorologists have no clue what they're talking about.
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
Earlier this week, the forecast was for 10-20 inches. Then it changed to 8-12 inches. And now they're hyping it up as a "blizzard"!
I challenge @KeithCarson to debate me publicly on this.
10/We really need to be talking about the impact of #blizzard2022 on our kids!
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
Were it not for the alarmism of Organized Meteorology, our kids would be outside playing today.
But instead, kids are inside.
That is unacceptable. #letthemplay
12/And gloves DON'T WORK!
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
The "experts" say that good gloves help prevent frostbite. That's nonsense.
I know a guy who got frostbite even though he was WEARING GLOVES. #CHECKMATE
14/I mean, sure, some people might die from from the cold. But how many died "from" the cold, vs. "with" the cold?
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
And how many of those who died had pre-existing conditions?
Why won't anyone tell us? #transparency https://t.co/gyaXEF3B0W.
16/Here's how I see it: I don't need gloves.
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
Treatments for frostbite are SO GOOD now. I'll be fine.
I am warm blooded and have a skin system that is perfectly capable of keeping me warm, thank you very much. #Factsnotfear
17/I went out for a drive this morning and the entire town is on lockdown!
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) January 29, 2022
This is a completely ridiculous overreaction to something that is seasonal, and will literally melt away. It will assuredly be gone by Easter. #blizzard2022
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