Mr. Dickinson, you simply could not resist that second bite of the apple, could you (Letters, April 22)? It is not my intent to engage in a personal feud with you in this public forum, but as long as you persist, so will I. You should be held accountable for your negative viewpoints of how our governor is managing this health crisis. I believe he is doing an admirable job compared to some others, and Minnesota is faring pretty well under his leadership.
I really want to accept your “sincere apology” in your April 22 letter, but it turned into a non-apology when you proceed to tell us that the shutdown is the cause of “deaths, mental and physical health issues,” not the virus. Your arrow has missed the mark. The virus is the villain, not the shutdown.
You throw out some statistics with citations concerning mortality and its relation to the effects of this virus. I come away from your analysis with the impression that our young are immune and safe, compared with us older folk, and I believe you are correct, but you fail to understand that these younger people (your grandchildren and mine) have the potential to carry and spread the virus without any impact on them. I would love to sit in the stands and watch my grandsons play soccer and lacrosse as you would. My grandchildren are concerned about our health when we talk to them, and they seem to understand why they can’t play as usual because there are grandmas and grandpas where they live. They don’t seem to share your view that the old and vulnerable are expendable.
How has the governor’s shutdown order violated your constitutional freedom of religion? I have not seen any edict from the governor closing churches. My understanding of why you can’t go to church, is because your church has closed their doors in the interest of protecting your health.
To end this on a positive note, I would like to thank my fellow Bemidjians for wearing masks in public, for following social distancing, but more importantly, for being better citizens than we were before this started. Let’s keep it positive and focus on what is working to keep us safe. Perseverance is what we need now, not despair.
