There is no doubt that these are devastating times for all of us. The human toll has been immense. There have been unprecedented job losses. There have been unprecedented deaths. The whole world is hurting, plain and simple. We hope for a swift return to normalcy, whatever that may look like.
But normalcy can only happen when the virus has stopped spreading. And the virus will stop spreading when we don't let it spread. That happens when we stay home. It's painful. There is no doubt. We truly are all making a sacrifice.
This pandemic crisis has been compared to a war. But today's enemy is microscopic, at once nowhere and everywhere. This enemy doesn't have a weapon other than itself; it doesn't have a policy, other than to invade and replicate. It has allies: close spaces and uncovered noses.
And this week we passed a milestone. The United States has lost more people to COVID-19 in the last four months than we lost during a decade of the Vietnam war. Though that comparison is fraught, it's still a sobering perspective. And we don't yet have an end in sight.
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| RJ Matson |
Like during a war, we have been asked to sacrifice. During WWII, our parents and grandparents had to deal with rationing of food and goods, price ceilings, sometimes having their freedom of speech curtailed, and being drafted into the armed services. Heavy stuff. Our sacrifices today are simple, and frankly, quite comfortable. Stay home. Wear a mask. Stay six feet from others. Wash your hands often. But unlike during a war, not everyone has made these sacrifices graciously for the greater social good. Many on the far-right have been protesting and outright refusing to follow the experts' guidelines.
War is often protested. The United States saw many protests against the Vietnam War. Citizens wanted our soldiers home and safe. The sacrifice of human life was too great. There weren't widespread protests during WWII. Americans may have grumbled about rationing, but they knew their sacrifice was for the common good, for America and for the world.
Last week, about six weeks into our national lockdown, protests have popped up across the country, demanding that the country be reopened. Some of the protests have been quite militant. Many protesters have been carrying large weapons and white supremacist signs. These protests popped up after a series of inflammatory (and arguably unconstitutional) all-cap tweets from the Inflamer-in-Chief, "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"
The protesters' demands? Well, see for yourself in photos.
(Images mostly from Newsweek and Times of San Diego.)
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| Oh the irony! |
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| Really? You'll sacrifice grandma for a haircut? |
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| This one literally made me sick to my stomach. How dare they usurp the oppressed black experience for a round of freaking golf? |
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| Will you and your friends be volunteering in the hospital? |
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| You'll get your wish. Unfortunately, so will your Auntie Louise. |
The below was a disturbing image from a protest in Chicago, one that the Auschwitz Museum condemned. This charged phrase, "Work will set you free," was erected above the gates to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. These are the most hateful words this scum could've chosen for her sign. Disgusting and disturbing.
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| JB refers to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is Jewish |
Protesters in Ohio also brought anti-Semitic imagery:
Perhaps the most disturbing of the protests was when armed protestors entered the Michigan statehouse. Many men came armed with big guns, Confederate flags, swastikas, nooses, and of course pro-TЯUMP sentiments.
(images below by Jeff Kowalsky / AFP - Getty Images)
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This image is probably the most iconic of them all:
For a little comic relief, the internet has been busy (caution – not for sensitive souls): Someone is Photoshopping Anti-Lockdown Protesters' Guns into Dildos.
The whole spectacle in Michigan was disturbing. This is not my America.
I want to make clear: I believe everyone has a right to protest. I do not want anyone's freedom of speech to be squelched. But without masks, in close proximity, they are not asserting their freedom of speech or their own "right to die." They are endangering others' lives. With weapons, they go a step further: terrorism.
Everyone has a right to protest whatever they choose, but not if it puts other lives in danger or engenders hate. I don’t welcome purposefully spreading a disease so that you can go golfing. Its not the protester’s life at stake. It’s my mother’s life. It's the pizza guy's life. It's my nurse friend's life. I reject intimidation and hate. It’s not the protest that’s the problem, it’s the method. Find another way. How about you call your representatives?
And what's with their proclamations that they liken the lockdown as "socialism" or "communism?" I wrack my brains trying to understand this perspective. And all I can come up with is:
What are their demands?
They ask for death in exchange for freedom. If it were only that simple. I would say: Darwin, get to work. I would be fine with that. But it's not their body. Oh, it may be, but it's also the body of everyone with whom they come in contact with their germy breath. Your right to freedom ends where my nasal passages begin.
They demand "My body, my choice." Oh the irony is rich, and laughable if not so tragic. Will they be first in line to escort women to Planned Parenthood?
And when they proclaim they do not wish to live in a fear, I wonder if they will be the first ones to volunteer to hold someone's hand as they lay in their hospital bed without family able to be at their side. Not holding my breath. Or maybe I should. Less chance of transmission.
Once again, the right shows their true colors. There is no consideration, or even a thought, for others, let alone empathy. There is, however, an abundance of hate.
Once again, they defend the Racist-in-Chief and spin leftist conspiracy theories over something that is global. And blind. And deaf. True to form, protests from the right include hate. It is part of their fabric. And this is at the base of what is wrong with our country. It starts with "w" and ends with "ite."
Do we even call them protesters? Coming heavily armed, with hateful slogans that work to intimidate? What is their true goal? Is it really going back to work, getting a haircut, going golfing, or rejecting a life of fear? Or is it inciting fear themselves? What do we call armed mobs with white supremacist slogans again? Oh yeah. Terrorists.
It should be obvious by now that these protests are organized by those on the far right. Right-wing organizations are instigating them, with conservative mega-doners behind the funding. Makes sense. Does anyone really believe these idiots could organize all by themselves? And it's got the stink of the Slime-in-Chief's stamp of approval. You know it's unsavory if he is ok with it all. He has called the armed protesters toting anti-Semitic signs at the Michigan Governor mansion, "very good people." All of this is simply a dangerous attempt at keeping the Disgustoid in power. Frightening and sickening.
But, please, let's not forget: these covidiots are truly the minority. There are millions of us who are sacrificing for the greater good and will not be intimidated. And I believe these hateful ones are in the minority of conservatives as well. Former Pennsylvania Governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and former President George W. Bush agree. There is no room for partisanship. We have a common enemy, one who doesn't see red or blue. These militant protestors disgrace veterans as well as the rest of us who are doing our best to keep our communities safe and take care of our neighbors. After you read Mr. Ridge's piece, take heed of Dubya:
A Message from President George W. Bush@TheCalltoUnite pic.twitter.com/FIn9wuOPTF— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) May 2, 2020
(Late breaking: unsurprisingly, SCROTUS has blasted Bush after his plea for unity.)
We all want freedom. But with freedom comes responsibilities. And if you don't behave responsibly, then you are acting like a toddler. Which makes sense for the covidiots, because their role model is none other than the Toddler-in-Chief.
I, like you, like all of us, am hurting. But we are willing to hurt a little longer for our neighbors to stay well. We are willing to have a temporary suspension of some freedom to move about the community in order for medical professionals to stay well. We're willing to give up our freedom to not breathe through fabric so that the grocery checkers stay well. (WTAF, Stillwater, Oklahoma? Violence so as to not have to wear a mask? You are sick.)
Never thought that wearing a mask would be a form of resistance. But let's get to it. Resist, Brother and Sister Resisters. Resist a lot. We're all in this together, and together we'll get through it.
Stay healthy, friends.
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