While the Leader of the Free World goes golfing, Americans are dying in ever greater numbers.
While the embarrassed Leader of the Minnesota Republicans, Senator Gazelka, whines about being outed for trying to cover up his COVID diagnosis, Minnesotans are dying in even greater numbers.
And, at a business in Browerville, inspired by these two foolish and dangerous men, a dog-eared sign on the door says that masks are required. But inside, neither customers nor staff are wearing masks. It’s not much different in Long Prairie where burly young male customers enter and linger, maskless, while the staff wears masks.
Senator Gazelka was embarrassed in part because he appeared to be hiding not only his COVID diagnosis but that of several other Republican senators who he is supposed to be the boss of. Further more, he was trying to cover up the fact that the Republican senators, along with 100 or so largely maskless friends and family, had a victory bash following the election. They didn’t bother to tell the restaurant that there were senators among them who had tested positive. They knowingly put servers, and other people taking care of their needs, at risk of contracting the disease.
Senator Gazelka has repeatedly said that we need to learn to live with the virus. We need to get beyond masks and quarantines. That is to say those who are fit to survive will and those who aren’t, whether they be senator or server, should just get over it and die. They crudely call it herd immunity.
In July, speaking out against a mask mandate for Minnesota he tweeted:
“I think encouraging people to be responsible for their health and the health of others is a good idea,” he said.
Being responsible by wearing a mask was not evident at the GOP victory bash, according to Fox News reporters who attended.
Senator Jerry Relph, a Republican representing the St. Cloud area, must think he is one of the fit that are slated to survive. I say that because he went to the hospital emergency room twice to have his COVID treated. He was treated and released. And treated and release.
Now Gazelka and company didn’t have enough of the milk of human decency to warn the servers at their victory bash that COVID was present in their midst. Are servers among the fit? Or is it up to them to sort it out? And let’s just hope that there will always be servers to serve the high-and-mighty among us.
The staff at the hospital ER knew Senator Relph was positive and, likely, knew he was from a gang of elected officials who believe we should get beyond masks. But they treated him anyway. They served him.
Are ER nurses fit to survive? Or ambulance drivers? Or ER physicians? Keith Brown, an EMT with two young kids, from Charleston, South Carolina died from COVID on September 5th. On September 19th, Adeline Fagan, a 28 year old medical resident in a Houston hospital, died from COVID. Vincent DeJesus, a 39 year old RN from Las Vegas died August 15th from COVID. At Rochester’s Mayo Clinic 900 workers tested positive in the first two weeks of November. Eight hundred Allina Health workers are out with the disease. Who will die? Who will live?
The idea that we have to get beyond masks and learn to live with it is barbaric.
Keith Brown, Adeline Fagan, and Vincent DeJesus, and the 1,375 health workers dead from COVID were dedicated to serving the likes of Senators Gazelka and Relph, could not learn to live with it. They died, while caring for those who lived.
What happens to Gazelka and Relph when there is no EMT, RN or ER physician to care for them? What then of getting beyond masks?
We are not that far from that moment now, thanks to the inability of Donald Trump, Senator Gazelka, and the un-masked employees and customers at local stores. Thanks to a sort of trickle down selfish carelessness from Trump to Main Street, our hospitals are overfull and medical professionals, especially in intensive care, are sick and/or stretched beyond the breaking point.
Since we can’t rely on the likes of Paul Gazelka to be responsible, we need a national mask mandate. Let’s learn to live with it.
Tim
Central Minnesota Political
How amazing is this submission from Tim?! This is all so true and really hits home. I do wear a mask any time I am out of my house and with even one other person not in my household. I recognize that I am protecting myself less than I am protecting other people around me from my possible illness. I feel that those who do not wear masks are extremely self serving and selfish! I think back to wearing seatbelts. We didn't like them when the idea was first put forward, but eventually it became a habit and a law. Now if we don't wear our seatbelts we stand to get a fine. I feel that is what it will take to get through to a lot of people. Hit them in the wallet!!
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