Revisionist history
It’s my belief that had President Trump one thing different, it would have guaranteed his reelection and had the majority of the country looking at him as a leader. Back on Jan. 31, when Trump issued his travel ban (really travel restrictions) from China, he failed to include the other countries of the world, especially Europe. So while he closed the front-door to China (China had already done the same with travelers from the United States), Trump left the back-door wide open and hundreds of thousands of travelers from Europe came to the United States over the next six weeks.
Think if President Trump had done a press conference that day and announced, “Today I’ve reached out to the leaders of the free world and announced the United States is closing its borders and advised them to do the same with their respective countries. There is a virus that’s already spreading, causing a world-wide pandemic, a medical disaster that could be as bad as the 1918 Spanish Flu. As your President, the health and safety of you and your family is my most important responsibility. Today, I’ve also had a conference call with all 50 state governors and advised them to have their health officers issue decrees to close all non-essential businesses, shut down any public event with more than 100 people in attendance, institute social distancing and recommend that we all wear facial masks or coverings.” Trump then puts on a mask. “While these masks may seem uncomfortable, they save lives.”
Unfortunately, he’s too vain.
Instead we had a president and Fox News who daily from early February through mid-March denied the potential impact of the coronavirus; worried more about the economy, the jobs numbers and the stock market. Search YouTube for “Saluting the Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandumbic.” Rush Limbaugh, “The coronavirus is the common cold.” Lou Dobbs, “The national left-wing media playing up fears of the coronavirus.” Tomi Lahren, “I am far more concerned with stepping on a used heroin needle than I am getting the coronavirus.” Sean Hannity, “Zero people in the United States have died from the coronavirus. Zero.” These talking points suddenly turned in mid-March and Trump and Fox News personalities have memory lapses on what they previously said.
That six-week period (Jan. 31 to March 15) could have been the difference between 1,000 Americans dying and over 250,000 Americans dying. As of today we’re approaching 118,000 coronavirus deaths and adding around 1,000 deaths per day. If these numbers keep up, by Nov. 3 (Election Day) we will have over 260,000 Americans dead from the coronavirus or what I call COVID-45. With the “opening up” of the country, the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases is increasing, not decreasing.
Unfortunately, the wearing of masks has become a political issue. Just this week, an L.A. Times reporter went to Las Vegas to see how the reopening of the casinos was coming and was shocked to see
that outside of the casino employees (it’s mandatory they wear masks) none of the guests were wearing masks and he was “mask shamed.” Guests checking into the hotel walked to the left and had their temperatures checked, while patrons looking to gamble and grab a drink at the casino went to the right and didn’t have their temperatures checked. Does this sound like the old days when we had smoking and non-smoking sections on an airplane? There’s no way in hell I’m going to Vegas, to walk in packed casinos with no one wearing masks. Or as I like to call it — an enclosed coronavirus Petri dish.
To paraphrase his most purple highness:
Say, say two thousand two zero party over, oops out of time
So for now I’m gonna party like its two thousand one nine
People are carrying on like it’s June 2019. Since President Trump refuses to wear a mask, guess what Republicans and people in the South also refuse to do? The good news is President Trump is ready to campaign like it’s 2019. He’s just announced that he’s starting up his campaign rallies again. Although to get a ticket, you have to sign a waiver that you won’t sue him if you contract the coronavirus. The Democrats are praying that Trump has many of these rallies in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Arizona. 20,000 Trump supporters in an enclosed building, all yelling and screaming for the man they worship. Social Darwinism voter suppression.
Matthew Owen resides in Eureka, and believes the First Amendment allows for free speech, even when married to a Humboldt County supervisor.
Unfortunately, the wearing of masks has become a political issue.