A few answers provided for Masterson questions

Mike Masterson has questions, many questions. So many question one wonders if this is an attempt to dodge answering any of them himself. Since I’m sure he is very busy watching OAN and Fox Opinion, I will attempt help out.

Holding this generation responsible for slavery is not the issue. The issue is holding this generation responsible for its continued embrace of white supremacy. See “State history books carried Rebel slant” in this paper [July 12] or “The Mark of Cain” [June 11] in The Economist.

Wondering why news organizations purposefully chose sides is easy. Look in the mirror. Look at this newspaper’s potential audience. In short, cash to pay the bills. It’s not new. See James Callender.

Yes, you can still get an infection after testing negative for the virus. Nothing is protecting you. All you need is to be exposed to the virus. Wear a mask. Ask people you come in contact with to wear a mask. Both reduce your exposure to viruses and bacteria and so reduce your risk of infection.

Medical systems did not overlook protesters. Protests were discouraged, frequently by violent police actions — the very cause of the protests. That’s irony for you.

Virus spread is more efficient indoors than outdoors. Crowds move around so any infected individual will potentially contact more people but only briefly with outdoor air diluting the virus. Church services in pews for an hour with singing is a high-risk environment as the virus accumulates in the air. Shaking hands at the end of service is high risk. Less tear gas, though.

How did Anthony Fauci know there would be a disease outbreak while Trump was president? History. Obama dealt with Ebola, Zika and H1N1 influenza outbreaks. He was successful in controlling them, but Trump failed.

How does tearing down the statue of Fredrick Douglas serve the interests of people protesting racial violence in policing? It doesn’t. The perpetrators are unknown.

Wonder why Black Lives Matter activists don’t support law enforcement? They do. They just don’t want to be subjected to excessive force when encountering them. Police kill about 1,000 Americans every year. Around 400 white, 200 Black and 160 Hispanic. The peak year of the war in Iraq saw 900 American deaths.

Crime in Chicago is a policing failure on top of a social failure. Economic dislocation, a failed drug war, repressive policing are social failures on top of a police failure to control criminal gangs.

Why do we dream? To imagine a different future for ourselves and our society. What is consciousness? Internal attention to our current state, both external and internal sensation, and memories that place the sensation in context.

MARK WEAVER

Fayetteville