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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
In the spring of 1918, there were enormous numbers of people infected, but mortality rates were similar to seasonal flu. By July, leaders thought the pandemic was ending, but the second deadly wave began in August. As the second deadly wave began with a newly mutated virus, one physician wrote: “Patients start with what appears as ordinary influenza, but it develops into the most vicious type of pneumonia ever seen. Horrific symptoms included cyanosis, foamy blood coughed up from the lungs, and bleeding from the nose, ears, and even the eyes. It is only a matter of hours until death comes.” 195,000 Americans died in October 1918.
I don’t get it. All the screaming and yelling about “my rights” when it comes to wearing a mask or getting vaccinated. There are hundreds of “have to’s” in our society. This one is exceptionally important because it saves lives.
The August 22 article “Delta surge is leading…” does well to bring attention to the continued presence of COVID-19 in our community, but I think it is important to take a step back and consider the virus as a pandemic. After all, the delta variant sprang up halfway around the world eight months ago and we are only now beginning to experience its effects. ... As long as the virus prevails in even one corner of the globe, we are all susceptible to new variants, adverse health effects, and hospitalizations. Our community is not safe until the world is.
I’d rather have a vaccine mandate than a mask mandate. And for those who are reluctant to get the shot because they don’t like being told to … get over it! This pandemic is not going to magically disappear until it runs out of people to infect.
Wearing masks in school is the safe, science-backed choice. Do people not realize that insisting on no masks in school would likely lead to having to revert back to distance learning? Isn’t wearing a mask in school until COVID cases are under control again a much better alternative?
Thanks for the clear picture of the delta variant’s power of transmission, infecting of new groups, and causing record hospitalizations.
Those parents who are so adamantly opposed to wearing masks in school should heed Shawn Vestal’s excellent suggestion and home school their children (“Home school perfect solution to avoid masking,” Aug. 20); after all, they apparently know more than the best scientific minds in the country.
Sue Lani Madsen and the spokesperson for WPC (Washington Policy Center) in separate opinion pieces expressed ideas that I found troubling. Do they intend to support insurrectionists? .Madsen [“For many, vaccination mandate is a step too far”, 19 Aug.] began by describing the Boston Tea Party as a popular protest against the British king. She then went on to describe our governor as “King” Inslee. Far less subtly, WPC [“City must appeal judge’s ruling on labor talks”, 20 Aug.], unhappy with a judge’s decision, basically called the judge incompetent, uninformed, biased, and political.
Listening to your doctors is key to safety! They take an oath to do no harm. Epidemiologists have proven the vaccine to be relatively safe with high protection for immunity! Governor Inslee mandating vaccines is for people’s safety only! It is not political! Those at risk, or with medical or religious reasons would be given free choice not to have the vaccine! So no, this is not government dictatorship. You do have free choice here.
Firefighters faced a critical day in efforts to prevent a massive California wildfire from reaching the Lake Tahoe resort region Saturday, hoping to take advantage of calmer winds before hot, heavy gusts return. The Caldor fire churned through mountains just southwest of the Tahoe Basin, cloaking much of the area in toxic smoke and sending tourists packing at a time when summer vacations would be in full swing ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
Forecasters warned residents along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast to rush preparations Saturday ahead of an intensifying Hurricane Ida, which is expected to bring winds as high as 130 mph (209 kph), life-threatening storm surge and flooding rain when it slams ashore in Louisiana on Sunday. ... A tropical depression two days earlier, Ida was strengthening so quickly that New Orleans officials said there was no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of the city’s 390,000 residents, a task that would require coordinating with the state and neighboring locales to turn highways into one-way routes away from the city.
British troops left Kabul on Saturday, ending the U.K.’s evacuation operation and its 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the “heroic” evacuation effort, even as the government acknowledged some eligible Afghan civilians had been left behind. The U.K.’s top military officer conceded that “we haven’t been able to bring everybody out.”
Antibodies against the coronavirus wane over time, but the immune system has a backup plan that doesn’t rely on boosters, according to a study by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, where technology for mRNA vaccines was developed. ...
Taliban forces sealed off Kabul’s airport on Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation, as the U.S. and its allies wound down a chaotic airlift that will end their troops’ two decades in Afghanistan. Western leaders acknowledged that their withdrawal would mean leaving behind some of their citizens and many locals who helped them over the years, and they vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow local allies to leave after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday’s deadline to withdraw from the country.
Arab heads of state and senior officials from the region including archenemies Iran and Saudi Arabia held a rare meeting Saturday at a conference hosted by Iraq. The meeting is aimed at easing Mideast tensions and underscored the Arab country’s new role as mediator.
Beyond the human price of COVID-19 is the financial toll of treating the sick. Back in the day, conservatives touted fiscal responsibility – that is, keeping the cost of government in check. But now we have the extraordinary example of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, apparently looking to run for president in 2024, backing policies designed to waste the maximum number of taxpayer dollars. From a fiscal point of view, his opposition to vaccine and mask requirements is insanity.
America’s collapsed experiment in Afghanistan is not the first U.S. foreign policy failure built on a dishonest foundation. But if no one pays for peddling the lies that fueled it, it will not be the last. Disinformation – the deliberate spread of false information with intent to mislead – is a buzzword today in domestic politics, but it has been a quiet driver of U.S. foreign policy for decades. While often used for political manipulation or personal financial gain, it can be well-intentioned, when the peddler thinks dishonesty serves a greater good. But it’s dishonest all the same. When governments rely on lies to make decisions, it’s no wonder the outcomes are poor.
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