June 24, 2020

It continues to amaze me why, when one man could do so much to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic, he chooses to do so little.  And not only chooses to do so little, but takes actions that exacerbate the problem and is costing American lives.  It’s even more distressing given that this individual is the president of this country.

The overwhelming scientific and medical evidence indicates that social distancing and wearing masks significantly helps to reduce the spread of this deadly disease.  And yet, Trump has made wearing masks a political issue, continues to put his head in the sand about the severity of the pandemic in the US, and insists on conducting his ‘rallies’ in which people are packed into closed spaces.

There is no doubt that if Trump were to address the American people and state that wearing masks is a good thing (and he should follow his government’s own advice) and that social distancing is important to help the country get through this, many of his supporters would follow him and heed the advice of the medical professionals.  But he has chosen a different course – and that course will directly result in the death of many Americans. 

I have heard, ad nauseum, the statements about ‘this is a free country and it is MY right to not wear a mask.’   The fact is, you are not wearing a mask so much to protect yourself, but to protect those around you and contribute to the effort to make the community safer and reduce the spread of this virus.   By refusing to wear masks under the guise that it is your right, you are basically saying, ‘Fuck everyone else, this is about me!’

There are societal norms and laws against getting behind the wheel of a vehicle when you are drunk or high and driving down the highway at 80 mph.   If you want to be that stupid and you crash your vehicle and kill yourself, then that would be unfortunate, but from the community’s standpoint it’s kind of like ‘too bad.’  However, if in the process of being stupid and irresponsible, you injure or kill passengers in your vehicle or collide with other vehicles and injure or kill people, then society pays a high and unacceptable price for your selfishness.

There are about 10,000 deaths a year from drunk driving accidents.  And there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that driving drunk is irresponsible, selfish and unacceptable.   There are currently over 120,000 American deaths from COVID-19 and yet, somehow, mask wearing and social distancing has become political.  This is absurd. 

If this president really cared about the citizens of this country, he would lead by example by fully supporting the guidance of the country’s top health experts.   But he chooses to put his head in the sand and continues to hope this will all magically go away – and at what cost in American lives?  General Custer was absolutely convinced he was right – until he wasn’t!