If there was ever a time for Heroes…. It is Now!
I have watched over the past week, the name calling against those who would like to open this country back up. Colorful descriptions include, “Selfish, Idiots, Morons, Treasonous, Hypocrites, Hippos, Trumpites.” It’s actually heartbreaking for me to watch. Where does all this hatred come from?
I shudder even more, when I see fringe groups on both the left and right, use this crisis to sow further division and hatred amongst us. I am reminded of a famous line from Batman “The Dark Knight”, when he was trying to understand the insanity of the Joker, Albert stated “Some men simply want to see the world burn”. It seems America’s pain has brought forth a number of our very own “Jokers.”
I understand passions are high on both sides and the quarantine is certainly taking its emotional toll on everyone. But as I have written before in my article “A Place Where No One Wants To Be” there needs to be a sense of civility when having important discussions of the day. Otherwise, Hatred will win… and war exists… as a stark reminder of where hatred leads.
I am one of those people who believe it is time to adapt our policy on the Shutdown of America. It’s time to end the universal lock downs.
Keep in mind, I have never yelled at any of you, nor called you names. I don’t want get my nails done. I don’t want a Tattoo. I don’t want to overthrow our Republic. What I want is to bring a sense of sanity back to this crazy world and kill this virus! I love this Country and this fear mongering and falsehoods being reported simply have to stop.
For those who don’t really know me, every post I write has countless hours of research behind it. I triple check sources, read the actual medical reports and studies.
When this virus hit China, I was all over it. It was extremely difficult getting the truth out of the Communist Government. My primary source was watching hundreds of firsthand twitter accounts and feeds from average Chinese people documenting what was going on. Once South Korea and Japan got the virus, I was able to start accumulating real, quantitative data.
By Mid-February I was warning it was here and you would see quarantines and lose your freedom. It was unheard of. You have watched my frustration trying to get accurate data from our own federal and state governments. All of them initially failed. Then you saw my frustration in their methods and testing. Now 4 weeks later, they are finally doing what I was suggesting in early March. Random Sampling of the Population to determine who has it and who had it. Their results confirm what I stated back in late March, 50x-100x more cases in the US than what they thought.
Fast forward to the past 2 weeks. Enough data has come in. While I was nervous when it began, I am no longer afraid. This is not Ebola. There is no universal 10% death rate. For People under the Age of 50, they are 20x+ more likely to get struck by lightning during their lifetime than to die from this virus. That’s a fact.
We need to concentrate on protecting those 55+, especially those with underlying medical conditions. They are the casualties of this scourge.
There is a wonderful article written by a Sanford University Doctor, titled The data is in — stop the panic and end the total isolation. This should be the basis of our new game plan. He backs up each point and gives an idea of how we can address each point, in a well thought out and responsible policy. It reopens the Country quickly and intelligently. Protecting the lives of those most vulnerable and whom we all love so dearly.
With this all being said, I want to propose to each of you something different. Totally non-political, that right now…. you might think me as mad,
What if… rather than thinking that people who want to lift the lockdown are “Idiots and Selfish Morons”… I want you to consider the possibility that one day… we might all celebrate them as heroes.
Our Country… Your Country is hurting. The virus has brought us to our knees, and we are all feeling the pain. 26 million people have lost their jobs. The Supply Chain is beginning to crumble, with estimates that food shortages will begin to occur in about 3 weeks. Supplies for Meat, Pork, Chicken, Milk and Eggs have already been impacted. Our brothers and sisters, line up for miles to get food at food banks so that their families don’t go hungry and 1/3 of all American’s are worried about financially surviving the next 30 days. Our seniors and vulnerable are dying in their homes from heart attacks and strokes because they are afraid to go to the hospital when symptoms appear.
Critical Medicines are running low. And as of today, we are told It will take between 8-18 months for a successful vaccine.
Experts also state that in order for the virus to die off completely, it is estimated that 60% of a population needs to be vaccinated or exposed to develop antibodies. In the US, we have about 327 Million people. That means we need somewhere in the neighborhood of 196 million people exposed or vaccinated.
Recent antibody tests seem to indicate between 20-30% of the US might have already been infected. And now we are being warned about a 2nd possible wave this fall and winter.
Even though we have made progress… there is no end in sight.
If there was ever a time for Heroes…. It is Now!
You pay to see them in the movies…
When a decontamination worker takes off their helmet, in a supposedly contaminated environment and cries out “I can breathe. There is nothing wrong with the air.” and then proceeds to save a city.
Or that war movie you watch, while seated at the end of your seat. As a company of soldiers is pinned down, taking heavy fire. The situation looks hopeless. Then, all of a sudden, a small group of individuals decides to act on their own. They rush forward, despite the bullets and artillery, and break the stalemate, thus saving fellow soldiers and winning the battle. You cheer!
Or you weep as a single army medic, with no gun, who willing to sacrifice his own life, stays behind and saves dozens of his fellow servicemen while surrounded by enemy troops with guns.
You cheer… You Weep… and celebrate for them in the movies… So why is it…. You will not cheer, or weep or celebrate for them in real life? Why mock them?
At this very moment, America now has tens of millions of volunteers who are willing to rush forward, risk their lives and reopen this country. Every single one of them knows the risks. The risks to their own lives… and to those lives around them. They are not crazy. They are not selfish. They want to kill this virus. Freedom and Life is worth confronting the virus head on.
They understand that If they have some underlying condition, one they don’t even know about, this virus can be a death sentence for them. Many of them have elderly parents and friends whom they love dearly. They understand that if this effort fails, it could be fatal to those they love so much.
Yet, despite these risks, they are still willing to rush forward. To expose themselves to the pestilence, tackle it head on and get the country functioning again. They understand the importance of their mission…. restarting American manufacturing so that food can be processed, shipped and delivered to all. To make sure money is coming in to pay our bills, to fund this fight and support those who do not have a choice and must stay home. To defend this country against threats, both internal and external. To help raise America off of her knee’s so that the torch of Freedom and Life can be raised for all once again.
We often talk about that American Spirit in terms of the past… From those who first sailed into waters unknown and settled this great country, to those who explored and settled the west or journeyed to the moon… it was these risk takers… these reckless individuals… who made it safe for all others.
Now a new generation of Americans hears that same calling of our ancestors. The American Spirit long dormant in so many… is finally awakened. There is no life worth living without Freedom!
Thus these reckless individuals say “I shall go”. And in doing so… they shall make the way safer for all of us.
And rather than mock them… or humiliate them as being selfish… we should rally behind them. Ensuring that all of these now empty hospitals stay open to care for the wounded that soon might follow. We need to provide them with the tools and encouragement to fight this great fight.
And rather than call them names, celebrate their courage.
For those who want to quarantine, continue to quarantine. For those who must quarantine, including my very own loved ones, you must continue to quarantine. But trust we will take care of you. It is for you and the preservation of your lives that we move forward.
And hopefully, as the battle rages on the streets of America with this virus, the experts and labs can continue to make progress on the vaccines and treatments. The war can only be won if we battle on multiple fronts.
But please keep in mind, these “Selfish” people are the heroes who will make it safe for all others. You are not obligated to join them.
If you continue to practice your own safety measures, you should be unaffected by them.
And when this is all over, and we finally say, this too has finally passed, let us not forget…
These acts… which were originally considered selfish and reckless at the time…
turned out to be the greatest act of love one can offer to another…
their lives to save the lives of others.
They were the Heroes We Needed Now!
