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As the Memorial Day weekend passes, we as a nation are fighting the silent enemy known as Covid-19. This fight has brought on a new way of life and it has ushered in a new mindset of “Essential Service”. This way of thinking has been offered to us by our government due to their response to Covid-19.
We have been told to go home and hide from the enemy. This order known as “Safer at Home” by government officials has led to massive job losses and the biggest small business closure in our history. We were told that we must do this for 6 weeks so that the healthcare system doesn’t get overwhelmed by the massive amount of Covid cases that will kill over 2.5 million Americans. Well as I write this letter to the editor, we are 2 months into the “Lockdown” and our healthcare system is not overwhelmed and we have not had 2.5 million deaths.
I firmly believe we should not treat this disease lightly at all, but I also firmly believe that our government has used this virus as an opportunity to take away some of our freedoms. We are allowed to shop by the hundreds at big stores like Costco, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, and large grocery stores but the government constantly reminds us that we cannot gather in groups of 10 or more. Doesn’t that seem kind of odd? Why can’t we shop at smaller stores and support our local businesses? We can’t because the government deemed them as non-essential and shut them down.
Why can’t we go to church or any place of worship in small groups? We can’t because the government deemed them as non-essential. My point is that this Covid-19 virus has given some of our political leaders (not all) the opportunity to abuse their power and attempt to suppress our most essential service which is freedom.
America was founded on the belief that freedom is a right and no person or politician has the right to take it from us. Our freedoms will always be challenged from forces abroad and within and we must always be prepared to fight for those freedoms. After 2 months of nonstop media coverage and constant reminders from our health officials, the American public firmly understand the risks that Covid-19 present to our society. We as Americans have the right to make our own decisions on how to safely navigate the risks associated with this virus. This is the ultimate essential service known as freedom.
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Sorry, I have a typo in this note. In the first paragraph, it should say:
I’m sure that you can her the cars honking.
If you get this letter today, June 2nd, 2020, it is the day to go to Fair Oaks Avenue. There is a current group of good and very passionate youths at the corner of Mission St. and Fair Oaks protesting. I’m are that you can hear the cars honking.
This would be a great time to interview one of the protestors, or more than one. How about doing more in person. Let’s hear more about what our youth are saying. Do it!
Hello Katerina, thank you very much for the tip. I was on the scene about an hour ago and grabbed an interview with the organizer as well as photos. Stay tuned for that update later today!
Here is a report that I wrote on Saturday:
https://southpasadenan.com/george-floyd-protests-south-pasadenans-show-support/
I was in downtown all weekend as well, so expect coverage regarding that this week.
– Eric Fabbro | Studio Director | The South Pasadenan News