MASKS HELP
Editor,
I’m disturbed by those who have decided that wearing masks somehow impinges on their rights. This virus isn’t personal. A global pandemic is a virus that goes after anyone in any country, regardless of their political positions and cultural beliefs.
When people decide they don’t want to wear a mask, it becomes very personal. You are now deciding it’s OK to spread your potentially viral germs to my family. Which of my children will your actions take from me? Will you be putting my grandson in the hospital because of your actions? Will I have to be put on a ventilator because you didn’t want to wear a mask when you went to the store? How many of my friends will your actions kill?
Please understand this virus can be carried by you without your knowledge. You could be carrying it right now. Without wearing your mask and staying at a proper distance, how many in our community will have to suffer?
Please understand that this virus isn’t personal, and don’t make it that way by your lack of concern for the rest of us.
Kathy Phipps
Santa Rosa
CONTRADICTIONS
Editor,
I read the Frequently Asked Questions in this is what I learned:
I can go to a cannabis dispensary and buy recreational weed (essential to health). But I can't get an eye exam, teeth cleaning or elective surgery.
I can go to an AA or NA meeting (essential to health). But I can't go to a gym or fitness center.
I can swim in the pool for lifeguard training (essential for public safety). But I can't swim laps in a pool. I can only swim in a lake or river.
I can take a public transit to get to the cannabis dispensary (essential to health). But I can't take public transit one block to go to a park for recreation. But I can drive my car 50 miles for fun.
I can practice yoga alone or with a group, but only outdoors. And not in a gym or fitness center.
I can take public transit to Wal-Mart (essential). But I can't take public transit to a bookstore.
I can’t picnic with family or friends. It's a gathering and gatherings are not allowed by the state. But the health officer invented “social bubble” which is different from gatherings. I think.
I can't go to a bar. Unless it serves dinner. It’s time to add dinner to the bar menu.
I can't go to the liquor store. Unless it sells food. Name one that doesn't?
I can travel to Mendocino County to open a new cannabis dispensary (essential). But not a bookstore.
Plowshares (essential) has been open for sitdown dinners for two months. Restaurants have been close to dining until just now. Does that make any sense?
If I'm diabetic I can get a pedicure. But only from a podiatrist.
I can travel up to 50 miles to a second home in Mendocino County to do repairs. But not for recreation. But I can drive 50 miles in the county for recreation. But not to my second home.
And everybody knows you can't travel to a home in another county. Unless you are the health officer!
Name Withheld
Ukiah
WRONG WAY
Editor,
The $60 million Highway 101 Geyserville to Cloverdale “Big Pave” project should include a crossover barrier to help prevent the inevitable accidents in which a driver loses control and crosses over the center median, often with horrific consequences. Just look at all the damage along freeways to see how often a vehicle goes off the road and hits the guardrail.
Another observation: Having lived all my life in Sonoma County, I remember freeway exits used to have signage saying “Go back, you are going the wrong way.” These signs no doubt helped prevent wrong-way drivers, who also can cause horrible accidents, which we unfortunately read about in the paper with some regularity. Over the years, for some reason, these signs have been eliminated. Prevention of even one of these types of accidents would, in my opinion, justify their cost.
Tom Holtzen
Geyserville
THE SOROS CONSPIRACY
Editor,
It's a shame to see the mess in the United States is in now and how people can get riled up by something. Thank the liberal TV stations and even Fox news which is becoming more liberal than anything which showed that a policeman with his knee on the fellow’s neck for at least 24 hours in one day. That would wind anybody up. That was the foulest thing I've seen one human being do to another human being. I don't know how a guy could do that and look at the camera. They showed it over and over and over again. It really wound people up, especially after being indoors for three months. They needed something like that to light them up and it did and it's not over yet. Before long we will get the order to shoot to kill. Civilian against civilian. That's coming.
God bless Donald Trump.
Jerry Philbrick
Comptche
PS. These protests are being put on by George Soros, Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and Tom Steyer — billionaires who want to take down Donald Trump at any cost. They are to blame for the protests along with the media. They have their people in every major college town and their scumbag antifas are threatening to go right after the throat of President Trump any time something goes wrong. When that cop put his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck it was on TV for so long that everybody knew about it and people were fired up. Perfect for Soros & Co. to call out their troops and lead the anti-Americans in our colleges and universities to make all this trouble. They include people who will cause trouble in a heartbeat. It was all a set up started by the knee on the neck plus Soros & Co. who want to make President Trump look bad for the next election.
I’m sorry for those of you who have been brainwashed by the gov’t telling you that masks will protect you. I’m sorry that you are so blind to see that if you are protesting you won’t catch the virus, but if you want to go into a store, you are forced to wear a mask because you will catch the virus…I’m sorry that all of you that choose to be blind to the fact that this is not about the virus at all but putting the blinders on those who cannot see that the gov’t wants to have full control over you. Those who still believe that people who choose not to be controlled by the gov’t are selfish, childish, a-holes because we don’t want our rights stomped on, then by all means, wear your silly mask.
I take what the government says with a grain of salt. What I see and substantiate in the world around me is more relevant. Those regions having the least impact by covid are those, typically Asian, that wear masks socially due to past disease outbreaks and population densities. From my perspective masks work.
I was just reading an article on why folks don’t wear masks: 1) Don’t like being told what to do, and 2) Don’t know of anyone who’s been infected. I suspected the latter (the first was obvious); and when a friend here in our Willits community died from covid I felt it was important that people knew about their neighbor’s passing. I suspect only when the majority of us know of someone locally who has been impacted will our attitudes change.
Perhaps a nation-wide, community-level campaign talking about those we’ve lost? And that must include the ‘hidden’ members of our community, the laborers and homeless…