Right-Wingers Pose Danger With Their Shutdown Protests

Austin, Texas

Huntington Beach, California

St. Paul, Minnesota

 Orlando, Florida

Salem, Oregon

Lansing, Michigan

Our nation is in the middle of a pandemic that has cost nearly 40,000 lives already, and will undoubtably cost many thousands more before it is over -- even if we cooperate with the social distancing measures put in place in most states. Unfortunately, there is a tiny minority (composed mostly of radical right-wingers) that refuses to cooperate.

Right-wingers took to the streets in many states this weekend to protest the shutdown measures being taken by most states. Those measures have saved lives, and since there is no vaccine or cure for the Coronavirus, represents our only hope to control the pandemic. Those right-wingers don't care. They claim the shutdown somehow violates their "rights", and they're evidently willing to unnecessarily kill thousands more people to protect those "rights".

No one's rights are being violated. The government has the responsibility to act to protect public health, and it is being done only until the very dangerous virus has been controlled.

These right-wing nutters have the right to protest, and to expose themselves to the virus by doing that. If they were the only ones to get sick because of their protest, I probably wouldn't mind. After all, you can't fix stupid! But anyone stupid enough to attend one of these protests is probably too stupid to quarantine themselves for a couple of weeks after doing so. Instead, they will carry the virus back to their families and friends, and anyone else crazy enough to get close to them.

These ignorant protesters say they want the economy reopened, but their actions will likely do just the opposite -- spread the virus and cause the shutdown to last even longer. Sadly, Donald Trump is encouraging their dangerous actions, and so are some other Republican officials. They are playing politics with the lives of American citizens (especially older Americans).

This is inexcusable -- and it shows once again that the radical right (and their political leaders) are the most dangerous element this country faces.