Immunity for youths should be goal

How ironic that as we celebrate Independence Day, Gov. Jay Inslee says businesses will not be allowed to serve customers who are not wearing a face covering.

Thank heaven for The Freedom Foundation which has filed a lawsuit against this ridiculous order.

According to a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine: “We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from (COVID-19) infection … In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.”

Gov. Inslee does not even define “face covering.” Is it an N-95 respirator? A surgical mask? A bandana? A scarf? A ripped T-shirt? Saran Wrap? A fishnet stocking?

As people constantly touch and adjust their face coverings, stow in a back pocket for re-use and rarely consider washing, you know the governor’s mandate is hogwash.

The governor’s diktat is also illegal. The Washington state Constitution prohibits compelling individuals to speak against their conscience, and if forced masking is not a statement, I don’t know what is.

We should continue to protect the elderly and those with co-morbidities, but the rising number of cases in healthy, younger asymptomatic individuals will allow communities to reach herd immunity sooner, and that’s the goal.

School-age children, for example, are more likely to be hit by lightning than die of coronavirus.

Wear a mask if you want to. If you don’t, resist the tyranny while you still can.

The Green New Deal and climate emergency fascists are waiting in the wings.

Jerry Ludke

Port Angeles

The many faces of Joe Biden

Some people say that presumed presidential nominee Joe Biden is two-faced but, really, that’s just not fair. Like, he has way more than just two …

For instance, there is the face presented when pandering to pro-lifers by supporting the Hyde Amendment prohibiting federally funded abortions but, later, a different one when appealing to abortion rights activists when he dropped his Hyde support (washingtonpost.com). Did he flip?

And, of course, there is the face he wore when condemning statues memorializing Confederate war heroes – “they don’t belong in public places” (ajc.com) – which was quite different from the one that he donned when publicly praising KKK member Senator Robert Byrd as a “mentor” and “friend” (donaldtrump.com). Another flip?

Not to forget Joe’s previous face on Social Security where, for 40 years he advocated cutting social security (theintercept.com) but, recently, he about-faced and claimed “I’ve been fighting to protect – and expand – Social Security for my whole career” (forbes.com). Flipped again?

Lastly, Joe’s previous position on gun control – “I never believed that gun control would reduce crime”(nbc.com) – is now moving toward a ticket that, per Lawrence G. Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation VP, may be “the most anti-gun ever” (washingtonexaminer.com). Flipped once more?

Looks like ol’ Joe has a problem with his position on a number of issues. Or maybe all of them. Of course, he could possibly work with his advisors and, perhaps, make choices by a game of “rock, paper, scissors.”

Or he could simply flip a coin because, when it comes to flipping, he is well-practiced.

Dick Pilling

Port Angeles

Open schools ASAP

There is a dire need to open our schools ASAP. Our system is required to ensure that our children receive two semesters of education each year, or 24 semesters, to complete the 12th grade.

This pandemic is resulting in our kids are missing two-thirds of a semester of education. There seems to be a feeling that it is acceptable to allow our kids to miss this chunk of education. As we view education, one realizes that education is each grade is built on what is learned in the previous semester. If we allow our kids to continue with their education without this chunk then it weakens the system and kids will be paying for it for the balance of their lives.

Stated earlier, we need to open our schools now and finish that two-thirds of a semester of education with the same number of days given in a normal education. They can then start the next grade and semester without this handicap of missing this two-thirds of a semester of education.

To compensate, they may need to cancel the normal education breaks and maybe the spring semester will be completed in July 202l. If this is what it takes to give our children when they graduate 24 semesters of education, not 23-and-a-third semesters then we need to do it. Let’s not cheat them out of two-thirds of a semester of education that will handicap them possible for life

The pandemic is no excuse. Youngsters are almost immune to the disease as there have been very few deaths in the United States.

Joseph C. Coomer

Oak Harbor