Part of it is being informed, paying attention and thinking critically. I recognized things were headed in the wrong direction back in early February of last year. That's when I went on an online shopping mission for a full week, buying provisions for at least a 90 day lockdown. I told friends, family and neighbors. I also told everyone to buy masks immediately, even if they were a bit more expensive than normal (you could buy real 3M N95 masks for $1 each, which was 5x normal price).

A few people laughed at me for suggesting things could get really ugly. Others took the advise and acted on some of it. The first group had to endure long lines and very unpleasant conditions at local markets to get even the basics. The second group did OK.

One of the things that was also not helping is that idiot politicians were going on TV to tell everyone everything was fine and were, quite literally, laughing at the Trump administration and calling them racist (and more) for travel bans, etc.

The most horrific example of this was New York. Politicians in NY, from the Governor to the Mayor as well as health officials were telling everyone that this was nothing and that they should continue using the subway, going to restaurants, gathering, etc. They, quite literally, were responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths (people from NY panicked when things got bad and exploded out of the state, taking the virus with them everywhere). You don't have to believe me, here they are in their own words (yes, I kept links because I though this would be important to remember):

Some of these videos disappeared from YouTube, I had to find them again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKLx5MhTpk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcprNxC1fU0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbPPGrZH3VY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmllqkU6j2k

Some of the highlights on this next one (note all the lies and misinformation):

• Just like the normal flu
• We should relax
• We don't think it's going to be as bad as it is in other places
• We have been ahead of this from day one
• Go about your lives
• Go about your business
• There has to be prolonged exposure
• Just wash your hands
• No need to do anything special
• We want New Yorkers to go about their daily lives
• Ride the subway, ride the bus, go see your neighbors
• We have the equipment
• It's not like we are dealing with something we haven't dealt with before
• We have the ability to address this
• We have the capacity to keep this contained
• Like the normal flu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhLOp7UGNM

Here's another gem from Dr. Oxiris Barbot, NY Health Commissioner (once again, deadly lies):

• The local risk is low
• Our preparedness is high
• Go about your lives
• No indication to be using masks
• We have measures
• We have screening
• No indication that going through the subway is a risk factor
• No indications to be using masks
• False sense of security
• The risk is low

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkBW9ewPz8

Of course, the mainstream media went with these stories, smugly laughing at the Trump administration and gladly characterizing their actions as racially motivated.

For context, the travel ban from China was put into place on January 31, 2020. Had these politicians and the media taken this event seriously it is likely hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved.

When I heard that I ignored what media and politicians were saying (all is well, not to worry, just like the flu) did my research and got ready early February. My hypothesis was very simple: Such action (the travel ban) would not be taken unless they learned of something very serious potentially coming to our shores. It was, pick a number, five standard deviations away from the mean in international politics. That caught my attention.

We need to be honest about this. These politicians and officials were likely responsible for seeding the country with the virus and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Yet most people are uncomfortable with an honest evaluation of history, being biased is easier.