Talking politics and mRNA

SINCE Day 1, the so-called opposition, “devotees to the cult of the yellow ribbon”, pseudo communists, wokes and the rest of the idiots that make up the three percent have been focused on bringing President Duterte down. They tried all sorts of stunts and thrown everything at him, including the kitchen sink, and coming to the end of the president’s term it appears that they have failed.

What is terrifying and unsettling for these fools is that they are faced with the stark reality of another six years with still a Duterte as president.

So they continue as if bringing Duterte down will rid the world of the virus and end the pandemic.

The latest stunt is, of course, the June 12, 1Sambayan fiasco. They threw a party and their invited guests declined the invitation.

It looks like no serious politician wants to join the 1Sambayan circus. All they’re left with are the usual clowns Leni Robredo and Antonio Trillanes IV. Well, it is a circus after all, so expect clowns.

With the fiasco of the presidential nomination of 1Sambayan, I seriously doubt if Ely Pamatong will accept if they nominate him as their presidential candidate.

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Election’s just around the corner suddenly the International Criminal Court (ICC) case on the drug war was revived. The timing is indeed uncanny.

They say about 12,000 to 30,000 people were killed in the so-called drug war. So where are the bodies? Are the morgues and funeral parlors overwhelmed? Is there a list of names?

“Human rights” is a weapon used by First World countries, particularly the US, to subjugate Third World countries that do not subscribe to their narrative and agenda.

I have read the ICC prosecutor’s report that recommended to the pre-trial chamber that the Philippine government should be investigated for crimes against humanity and it appears all the so-called evidence in that report are almost entirely based on Rappler and Inquirer articles.

What kind of prosecutor are you accusing a government of crimes against humanity based on biased media reports?

Where did ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda obtain her law degree, the Recto diploma mill?   

Lawyers and prosecutors worth their salt would laugh at such a recommendation: Accusing someone of murder because of biased tabloid reports?

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Have you noticed that the Department of Health only reports either male or female as positive or died from COVID-19? Does this mean that the other so-called genders are immune from the virus?

And we segue to a question that seems to be on everyone’s mind. Excerpts from an article on www.gavi.org/vaccineswork:

Will mRNA vaccine alter my DNA?

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is found in all living cells. These strands of genetic code act as chemical intermediaries between the DNA in our chromosomes and the cellular machinery that produces the proteins we need to function: mRNA provides the instructions this machinery needs to assemble these proteins.

However, mRNA isn’t the same as DNA, and it can’t combine with our DNA to change our genetic code. It is also relatively fragile, and will only hang around inside a cell for about 72 hours, before being degraded.

The manufacturing ability of our cells extends beyond human proteins. When we are infected with a virus – including relatively harmless viruses like those that cause the common cold – these invaders inject their genetic material into our cells, resulting in pieces of mRNA encoding viral proteins being sent to our protein-making machinery. Doing so enables the virus to assemble new viral particles out of these proteins, and spread. Although mRNA vaccines are a relatively new technology, they are based on the same ancient premise: delivering mRNA into our cells, which they will use to manufacture a viral protein. 

Some viruses like HIV can integrate their genetic material into the DNA of their hosts, but this isn’t true of all viruses, and HIV can only do so with the help of specialized enzymes that it carries with it. MRNA vaccines don’t carry these enzymes, so there is no risk of the genetic material they contain altering our DNA.

The RNA vaccines being developed for COVID-19 all provide instructions for making the same viral protein: the coronavirus ‘spike’ protein used by the virus to gain entry to our cells. Preclinical studies indicated that it was highly immunogenic, meaning that if our immune cells encounter this protein, they will mount a strong response, which should protect recipients against future COVID-19 disease. Once our cells have manufactured the viral protein, it is displayed on their surfaces, where passing immune cells can spot it and respond.

To produce an mRNA vaccine, scientists create a synthetic version of mRNA encoding the spike protein. This is packaged inside fatty parcels, to make it easier for the mRNA to cross the outer membranes of cells, which are also made of fatty material.

Once inside the cell, the mRNA comes into contact with protein making-machinery, which is located in the jelly-like cytoplasm filling the cell. It doesn’t enter the nucleus, which is where our chromosomes are stored.

So, although mRNA vaccines are a new technology, there is no reason to think that they will have a lasting effect on our biology – besides training our immune systems to prevent COVID-19 disease. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com)/PN)

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