An essay by economist and pro-mandate, pro-mask-wearing, pro-vaccine advocate Emily Oster that appeared in The Atlantic has ignited a firestorm of indignant and irate responses from people who have been deeply affected by ill-conceived COVID-19 policies (invasive testing, masking, social distancing, lockdowns, mandates, hospital deaths via deadly protocols, suppressed and ignored vaccine deaths and injuries, families prevented from attending funerals and visiting loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes, business closures, school closures, church closures, travel restrictions, domestic violence, family breakups, suicides, economic disasters, supply chain delays and breakdowns, and the astonishing suppression of free speech which has been aggressively promoted — and enforced — by a globally coordinated alliance of Big Pharma, Big Government, Big Tech, and Big Media.

What, exactly, did Emily, say? And what kind of responses did her essay generate? A small sample follows…