Items

• 2021-01-24

  My Thoughts on Ordinances, Mandates, and Lethal Force

  One of the cyclic discussions this year has been government mandates related to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Mask mandates and business closures are the two most prominently discussed on my household and circles, usually with respect to their wisdom, efficacy, and consequence. Municipal/county ordinances and state statutes originate within the respective legislative bodies of that particular government. Few legislative bodies have passed COVID-related mandates, and almost all such efforts have been at the sole discretion and direction of the executives branches of government. That specific division of labor is meant as a check-and-balance in our republic to keep one branch from both writing and enforcing laws, but our collective COVID response has almost universally done that very thing. For most Americans, their mayor, county managers, or governor have enacted Emergency Orders to address the public health crisis without sanction by the corresponding legislature AND that same office gets to enforce their own rule without public debate about the underlying mandate or its punishment. This effectively makes our respective executive authorities our parents. They make the rules without input, and they enforce the rules as they see fit. How just and sustainable is this model? Emergency orders are special authority granted to executives to respond to urgent crises during times when the legislatures are out of session, or when time constraints prevent pending a response for passage of a bill. However, we’re now nearly a year into this crisis...to my knowledge, no legislative body has composed and passed legislation to replace, supplant, or invalidate any COVID executive orders. Why are elected officials seemingly unwilling to fulfill their responsibilities and oaths of office? Has anyone asked them? How just are behavior mandates, especially across large terrains and diverse areas? How reasonable are Draconian restrictions for a rural community with very few cases due to the infection rates and suffering in a dense municipal area many miles away? Is it reasonable to close businesses in one area for something happening in another? Is it reasonable to fine, arrest, or incarcerate residents for behaviors deemed dangerous somewhere else? Conversely, why does a face covering have to be politicized? In terms of enforced behaviors, I would ask executives and legislators alike to remember that every mandate or prohibition carries the risk of lethal force and death in its enforcement. Every mandated enforcement interaction between state actors (police, deputies, code enforcement, etc) carries the potential for escalating resistance that can quickly translate into a loss of life for the alleged offender and/or the state actor. If we enforce behavior mandates, we must ensure that those mandates are worthy risks to actual human lives. Many of those presently shouting in the public square, actual and virtual alike, fail to address the multifaceted and complex realities of any government decision related to this pandemic. Almost everyone picks the data that support one narrow aspect of their position and works to shout down and bully every dissenting opinion. If your family’s business teeters on the verge of bankruptcy in small rural community with no actual COVID crisis, your priorities, fears, and needs diverge greatly from that of a family in the capital city that’s lost three grandparents this year. A third family who’s relying on continued eviction moratoriums to stay living indoors due to ongoing unemployment has still-different and valid priorities. We need to accept that all three families’ priorities are simultaneously right, even if disparate and conflicting. Despite what the loudest voices want us to believe, there are few monsters roaming among us who long for a global, COVID-driven euthanasia of the old and infirm. Republics require dialogue, engagement, and compromise based ultimately on reason and significant support of specific action. We need to engage each other as neighbors and potential allies and partners instead of enemies and ideological adversaries. We won’t be past this pandemic for some time yet, and I fear our society cannot long function under this ever-increasing strain.
• 2021-01-19

  the rules of covid

  I never liked the idea of wearing masks. Everyone would give you dirty looks if you didn't. I still didn't care, if i was to get covid then so be it! Then eventually it was a mandate. To be honest, The covid virus was the least of my concerns. I really am not worried about the virus, and personally hate all the mandates.
• 
  2021-01-17

  Old and New: Holidays in Round Rock Texas

  These documents tell the story of my COVID-19 Holidays. It is important to me because it shows what changes I experienced in my holiday plans and offers a unique perspective. Description of images: 4th of July Concert at the Dell Diamond Baseball Park in Round Rock TX. Note the 4-person "Pods" on the grass indicated by the blankets. The blankets were brought by people who had purchased a Pod. Google Santa Tracker Dec. 24th, 2020.
• 
  2020-07-22

  Not Wanting to Wear a Mask During a Pandemic

  HIST30060: Making History From 22nd July 2020, it became compulsory in Victoria for everyone to wear a properly-fitted face mask when out in public. This was indeed commonsense for a lot of people, many in the streets already starting to wear face coverings before the official ruling came into place. But just because it’s commonsense does not mean it is at all easy or comfortable or that it will not be the cause of what is now known as ‘mascne’. At first, the adrenaline rush of it all meant that wearing a mask felt kind of cool, and made everyone look like a spy, or at least made you feel like one. And it was quite entertaining to see people taking it all the way with their creative face coverings. But after a while, it was kind of annoying to put on a mask to take out your rubbish, made afternoon walks a bit more sweaty on the face (and noisy with the sound of your own muffled breath from being puffed, also caused by the reduction in exercise during quarantine). But with all the minor inconveniences of wearing a mask during a pandemic, you are mostly thankful it’s compulsory in your city, especially when someone on the bus coughs.
• 
  2020-10-30

  What can we do?

  This is just one example of the effects that Covid has had on people. WIth the summer coming to a close, the last real possibility to have any outdoor dining. But as the number of Covid cases continues to rise everyday the Governor decided to restrict indoor seating and placed curfews on how long business could stay open. Because of this many restaurants will have no choice but to close their doors. Leaving many people back on unemployment only weeks before the holiday season starts. Covid continues to change and effect everyone differently, unfortunately it does not seem like we will see the end of this anytime soon.
• 
  2020-10-23

  Sign Outside Collier County Museum Requiring Face Mask

  This is the sign the Collier County Museum at the Government Center put on the front window when it was announced by the Board of County Commissioners that masks are required within all public buildings. The sign was posted right after the museum resumed in-building operations and was enacted along with more rigid sanitation and cleansing procedures.
• 
  2020-10-20

  A Need for Change

  This text I have uploaded says that there is a need for strict regulations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the fact that the number of cases in the US have not lowered down by any significant number whatsoever, compared to other countries in the world that have successfully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. This story points out a mishap among the public in Nevada.
• 2020-10-12

  Corporate Mask Mandates Not Being Enforced in Oklahoma

  I live in Oklahoma and there is currently no statewide mask mandate, nor has there been one since the business shutdowns started in March. When businesses such as Walmart and Walgreens began mask requirements, I assumed this would be at least a barrier of protection for those of us that wear masks. In Oklahoma City and Norman, both nearby larger urban cities, there are city mask mandates. These seem to be somewhat enforced in the stores and very few people are seen not wearing a mask in those cities. In nearby, more rural areas, such as Newcastle. Walmart began store or corporate mask mandates that forced customers to wear a mask. The door's entry was blocked by a guided entry path that led shoppers past a store employee that handed out masks for those that did not have one. This seemed to be a fairly good deterrent for those that avoided masks. By July I was noticing that customers took masks, but then later threw them in the trash. Employees were not enforcing the masks and some customers were avoiding those that didn't wear masks. In September we entered the Newcastle, Oklahoma Walmart and noticed that the entry had changed and Walmart was no longer acknowledging people that did or did not wear masks. By the beginning of October, as COVID-19 cases were reaching high daily numbers in Oklahoma, Walmart customers in Newcastle were now increasingly shopping without masks. My girlfriend and I used to count the number of people that didn't wear masks, it was a mental note of whether things were improving or dissolving. Now, we count those that wear masks. The number that wear masks are consistently lower, than those without. We have been to Walmart more than once since first of October where we were two of less than ten shoppers that had masks. The numbers seem to be on the decline and Walmart is not enforcing its own requirements. The last time we needed products from Walmart, we decided to go to Walgreens in Newcastle instead since it was less crowded. There were only five to six other customers besides us in Walgreens, but we were the only two wearing masks.
• 
  2020-10-13

  Possibly Fake Cards To Get Out of Wearing a Mask

  Both my mother and my brother suffer from asthma. Before mask-wearing became mandatory by law, they attempted to use a card they had found on the Internet. The card looked legitimate, but we've since found out it may have been fake. Both of them printed it out and had it laminated so they could keep it in their wallets and bags. It stated they did not have to wear a mask due to health issues. Over time, my mother kept having experiences where people in public places such as grocery stores would get upset with her and “call her out” for not wearing a mask. She still stayed six feet away from people, but this was apparently not enough to reassure some. They would become angry and verbally abusive even after she showed them the card and explained that she had asthma. Because of these incidents, she looked for alternatives to masks, including a clear plastic screen which she tied around her forehead and it covered her entire face. But this was very inconvenient and difficult to wear. At the height of the quarantine, stores would not accept the card (as I mentioned earlier, it may have even been fake). As the quarantine began winding down (right around the time restaurants started opening), she was able to wear masks for short periods of time, as long as she could take it off soon after. *My parents got it through a third party, hence why I think it may have been fake.
• 2020-07-21

  Collier County Mask Mandate for COVID-19

  This document addresses the Board of Collier County's decision to require masks in public buildings. It's important as it shows how different local governments have handled the crisis. In this case, the Collier County mask mandate did not go into affect until July 21, 2020 and was set to expire on September 3, 2020.
• 2020-10-10

  Masks are not required at polling places in Texas

  Though democracy has won two important cases in Texas, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the additional week of early voting and struck down the limit of ballot drop off boxes to one per county, Texas voters must still face unnecessary risk to exercise their right to vote. Governor Greg Abbott issued both of the orders mentioned above and also issued a state wide mask mandate in the summer of 2020 for all counties with more than 20 reported Covid-19 cases. Masks became a requirement in those counties in the case that social distancing was not possible, places like a polling place where record voter turn out will force people to be waiting in lines for long periods of time and also being with lots of people indoors. The governor's mask mandate does come with a few exception. One being polling places. Texans are not required to wear a mask at a polling place because the governor believes this presents an undue burden to anyone that does not have a mask. This is an especially bogus argument in a state that requires voters to present ID. Not to mention it would be easy enough for the state to offer masks at the polling place.
• 2020-09

  A moment of Peace

  I am one of the thousands of retail employees that wend back to work during the pandemic. One one hand I was grateful to be getting an income again but on the other completely worried about how customers would treat me with all the new regulations. Since starting back I've had quite a few interesting experiences. A man dropping his pants in the store since the fitting rooms are closed, argued with costumers to put their mask back on, and sat in the sweltering heat to have lunch since we aren't allowed to eat inside. But within all of the turmoil and uncertainty there are moments of peace. For me it was just a few days ago as I was going over the Card Sound Bridge on my way to work. I usually blast music to pass the time during the drive and that particular morning the bay was incredibly glassy. For a moment the music and the way the water made me forget everything going on in the world. It was if the pandemic and all other chaos in the world melted away and there were only things to be thankful for. Although we are far away from things being normal again that moment reminded me that through tough times there are still things to be thankful and hopeful for.
• 
  2020-09-23

  Hermit HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 65

  Supreme court nominee
• 
  2020-07-17

  Gov. Newsom Mandates Schools in Counties on California’s Watch List to Start Year with Distance Learning

  After months of wondering if Princeton Joint Unified School District schools could feasibly return to in-person instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Newsom decided for us. Positive cases in Colusa County and Glenn County dramatically rose in July, and, as a result, both counties were placed on the state’s watch list. While the state has offered school districts in these counties to submit a waiver request allowing them to reopen, the chance of being approved appears very slim. As the pandemic has continued, it is interesting to see how everything has become more politicized than it initially was. Politicians from both sides of the aisle appear to be making decisions concerning the health and welfare of the American public based on political ideologies. Parents have openly expressed their frustrations with the governor’s decision, often pinning it on Democrats as a whole. While the push-and-pull continues between parents wanting to return to normal and politicians keeping their kids home, schools are stuck in the middle, trying to make this new system of learning work for families who want no part of it.
• 
  2020-08-11

  Mayors in rural Arizona debate the pros and cons of mandating masks in their communities

  Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship
• 
  April 10, 2020

  Mandatory Facemasks – Philadelphia

  I have to wear a facemask if I leave my house. Philadelphia and its suburbs are fining people who do not wear masks in public.
• 
  2020-07-31

  "Temporary Mandatory Mask By-law in effect. Help Stop COVID-19. Wear a Mask."

  A pamphlet given to all residences in Ottawa through the mail explaining that there is now a "Temporary Mandatory Mask By-Law in effect." It then goes on to explain other public health measures to be observed and the reopening of city services. There is also a panel which reads "For more information, please visit ottawa.ca or for service in any language of your choice, please call 3-1-1." translated into Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Farsi, Somali, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, and Inuktitut. The reverse is the same in French.
• 
  2020-06-25

  Utah protestors plan to protest mandating mask wearing

  As wearing masks increasingly becomes a political issue, a political protest is being organized in Utah. This image was circulating in local community Facebook groups. Protestors are vehemently opposed to Lieutenant Governor Cox even suggesting that mask wearing be mandated in public.
• 
  2020-05-30

  Military base mask enforcement sign

  Before entering the PX at Fort Bragg there is a sign displayed telling visitors that a facemask must be worn to enter the premises.Even though some states are opening up and facemasks are being used less and less the military base is held to a stricter standard.
• 
  2020-04-28

  Vice President Mike Pence tours Mayo Clinic without coronavirus mask even though he was told to wear one

  PUBLISHED TUE, APR 28 20202:45 PM CNBC.COM. Key Points • Vice President Mike Pence toured the Mayo Clinic without a mask despite that renowned medical facility requiring all visitors to wear masks to avoid potentially spreading the coronavirus. • Pence, who leads the White House’s coronavirus task force, when asked about going unmasked, said that he is regularly tested for the virus, and so far has been shown to be negative for it. • Donald Trump has said that he will not wear a mask, even as more than 1 million Americans have contracted the virus that causes Covid-19.
• 
  04/16/2020

  “NOTIFY NYC” Text Alerts

  Text alerts related to NYC COVID response