The Tradicat Fact Checking Method

JMJ

I've had some interesting in-person conversations lately regarding my perspective on:

COVID-19:

Yes, I believe it is a pandemic and ...
I am researching whether or not it is on the same order of magnitude as the 1918 pandemic.

Morality of getting immunized

Yes, it is moral with the appropriate conditions
No, I don't care what ++Vigano and + Schneider say on the matter. I've done the research and they're wrong.

Safety of the vaccines

NO, I don't believe that I will die in 15 to 21 months because of the vaccine.

Efficacy of the vaccines

Yes, I believe they evoke an immune response.
For the record the Moderna response was found to be greater than that of the Pfizer.

What no one has asked is how I arrived at these perspectives.

Tradiate mentioned that I should, for your benefit, outline how I approach these topics.

Experience: I am familiar with the scientific process and environment.

I have the benefit of decades of experience working in a science environment on medical devices with scientists, engineers, software developers, technologists and trades people.
I have published my own research and also been author on other scientific papers.
I am familiar with how scientific papers are structured and presented. I've read hundreds of scientific papers in my career - dry reading but very necessary to try to build an understanding on a topic.

Study: I am curious about many things, so I read and study things that interest me.

Regular readers of this blog know that I will do deep dives into topics that interest me to gain an understanding. In many cases I present my findings here on this blog.
Right now I am very curious about comparing the 1918 Pandemic (Spanish Influenza) with the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.
I will read the source material in order to draw my own conclusions.
I have read a number of scientific documents on masks, vaccines, pandemics and pandemic responses.

Media: In general I avoid all talking heads on YouTube etc because after numerous checks I have found them to be promoting their own FUD invoking narrative. This has created a new classification: Fud-Muckers.

When a friend asks me to investigate or I come across an interesting article / video, my first step is to download the article or transcript of the video.

Time is too precious to waste on listening to someone with hair like Michael Voris drone on about how bad it is etc.
By downloading the text / transcript I can scan it for the important elements - such as their actual 'assertions' and any supporting information. These videos have a lot of hand waving and wringing so I go for the written word.

I cross check the person speaking / author of the "Media Article" to see if they "should" know what they are talking about.

The internet is a breeding ground for snake-oil salesmen / women and the SARS-CoV-2 has created an exponential explosion.
If the person doesn't have applicable credentials then I look for reputable information sources cited by the persons. If these are absent, they get an automatic fail because I have no confidence that they know what they are talking or writing about.

I look for any and all original articles that are referenced in the video or written article.

Are the sources from reputable journals or organizations?
I read the paper to see if I can understand the basic science and approach.
What are the conclusions of the study?

I compare the "Media Article" with the conclusions of the original

Are the conclusions made in the original article or by the video personality consistent with those of the study?
If not, then in most cases the article is just added to recycle bin and I move on. In some cases, I will save it for the basis of an article (one is in the hopper now).
If yes, well then I have to adjust my assessment ... but [spoiler alert] ... in the cases that I have fact checked - not one has passed the test.

Fact-checking articles typically take about three hours of research and at least one hour to write up my findings. Most of my articles on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic take at least one to two hours and many could use more editing.

So, as you can see, this process takes time and time is a scarce commodity.

Once I have satisfied myself on a topic I don't keep searching, unless new verifiable information is brought forward in one of my scans.

So there you have it, I hope this helps people to understand that my conclusions are based on a reasoned process following Catholic principles. To change my mind, I need facts and references to original research, not hand wringing or waving.

Nota Bene: Not all comments are of the hand wringing / waving nature.

P^3

Is it sinful to attend the Novus Ordo (New Mass) - Is it Sinful to Not Attend the Novus Ordo on Sunday?

+ JMJ A non-SSPX Catholic is upset over the SSPX statements on not attending the Novus Ordo Missae. Ladies and gentlemen, what the SSPX, or at least its website editor, is advocating is a mortal sin against the Third Commandment. Unless the priest deviates from the language of the Sacramentary, the consecration, and thus the rest of Mass is to be considered valid. No one may elect not to attend Mass simply because abuses are occurring therein. Might I suggest that such absenteeism is its own abuse? The Third Commandment binds under mortal sin. Father So-And-So from the SSPX has no authority whatsoever to excuse attendance at Mass, be that Mass ever so unpalatable. Source:Restore DC Catholicism Well, this is interesting. First why does the SSPX issue this statement? Because it is sinful to put your faith in danger by attending a protestant service. It is likewise dangerous to put your faith in danger by attending a protestantized mass (ie the Novus Ordo Missae

Auctorem Fidei

Can the SSPX be right about the Novus Ordo? Revision: Feb 11, 2013 On another web forum, I was engaged in a rather heated discussion about the documents of Vatican II.

Magisterium and Levels of Assent

+ JMJ Understanding the levels of assent to be given to the teachings of the Church is a critical success factor in walking the knife's edge during this crisis of the Church. The levels of assent are generally associated with the theological grades of certainty, which are not surprisingly mirrored by the censures for contravening the teachings of the various levels.

War: SSPX

+ JMJ We seem to be in transition from the persecution of the SSPX and other faithful Catholics to a civil war within the Catholic Church i.e. a true schism. Several Bishops, Priests and Dioceses have rejected outright Fiducia Supplicans (link) . This, in my opinion (IMO), is a new inflection point on the way to what will amount to an civil war within the Catholic Church. Pope Francis had spent the past ten years putting the final touches on the fault-lines within the Church and this may be the final blow that actually awakens Our Lord sleeping in the bow of the Barque of St. Peter. That is something that we need to remember, Our Lord is with his Church, even on its way to Calvary. So, what is about to happen is that, IMO, faithful Catholics will find themselves in the same situation as the SSPX. Persecuted and fighting for the heart of the Catholic Church. The history of the SSPX provides a microcosm of what we might expect to happen in the Catholic Church during a 'civil war&#

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Tradicat

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