Sound Off for May 31, 2020

Still not ready

America passed 100,000 dead from the coronavirus and we’re still not ready for this virus. Why aren’t N-95 masks available to everyone? Why aren’t we testing many more people daily? Why aren’t we contact tracing every positive contact? Why does the most powerful nation on earth have 100K dead and Taiwan only has 7, Hong Kong 4 and South Korea 269 dead?

Real responsibility

In reply to “Responsibility for Deaths,” the part about wearing masks being harmful for the wearer is wrong. Also, wearing a mask isn’t to protect you, it protects the people you come into contact with, on the off-chance you are carrying the virus and don’t know it. The people not wearing masks and not social-distancing are the ones responsible for deaths.

Extremes

The data related to smoking and drunk driving are factual and well-known. To say it is a scientific fact “If you don’t wear a mask and practice social distancing during the pandemic you are more likely to die” is not true. Extreme statements from both sides of the issue are a problem. Wearing a mask around others and social distancing can help prevent the spread of the virus. Please do it, the virus can be deadly for a portion of our population.

Destructive cycle

Minneapolis authorities are following the same game plan employed from Watts to Ferguson. When a policeman brutalizes or kills a black citizen, they deny and justify it, then overreact to peaceful protesters by calling in military troops. When darkness falls, small groups of anarchists start looting and burning. Then authorities withdraw the troops, letting the destruction continue, destroying the neighborhood. Then they are politically justified in blaming the victims and exonerating police. Everyone picks a side and the destructive cycle continues.

Rapid change

Like biting the hand that feeds you, the Chinese Communist leaders chose not to issue an early warning and instead callously turned the COVID-19 virus lose on the rest of the world. Previous American administrations had given China access to our military technology and a very unfair trade balance. All of that is rapidly changing now, and our future support in that part of the world must be shifted away from China.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 1:55 AM with the headline "Sound Off for May 31, 2020."