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Letters to editor for Monday, July 6, 2020

Letter writers
O'Mahoney editorial cartoon

Two bar/restaurants too crowded?

Over two weeks ago, I contacted the Cape Coral police to report a bar/restaurant* for not observing proper social distancing. People were elbow to elbow at the bar, hugging, dancing and barely a mask in sight.

The people were so irresponsible, acting like COVID-19 was nothing more than a common cold.

The Cape Coral police told me they were not responsible for enforcement of the social distancing guidelines and gave me an 800 number to call and file a report. So I called the 800 number and was told local municipalities were responsible for enforcement. Just passing the buck is what this type of reaction is called.

The same conditions exist at another bar/restaurant* two blocks away. I also reported it at the same time I reported (the other bar/restaurant). 

With these type of irresponsible actions taking place and police and public safety agencies looking the other way, our state's death toll will continue to spiral upward.

Now we have a singer with COVID-19,** and God only knows how many people he came into contact with. 

Richard West, Cape Coral

Editor's notes: The newspaper is withholding the names of the two bar/restaurants* mentioned in this letter because the paper has not corroborated the conditions described. **A singer in a Southwest Florida band died June 29 from COVID-19, The News-Press reported Wednesday, July 1.

Nathaniel Archer/USA TODAY Network

Personal rights over others' health?

Trump said, “We can’t let the cure be worse than the disease.” Since then, he has disregarded, disrespected or denigrated every method the public health experts have said are effective against the virus’ spread.

Trump has encouraged his supporters to defy those methods and spread misinformation, false cures and dangerous conspiracies. He has whipped some of his base up into a frenzy of individual freedom rights where nothing short of risking their health and lives and that of others satisfies them.

Now the crisis continues to worsen, COVID-19 cases hit new levels, the death tolls mount, and rollbacks to reopening the economy have become necessary.

During this pandemic, no other nation on Earth has associated personal freedom with the right to endanger the lives of others. Americans who accept that we cannot drive drunk, smoke in restaurants or carry loaded weapons on planes do not seem able to extend that reasoning to following simple CDC guidelines. Meanwhile, our fellow countrymen suffer and die.

With the role modeling of our president and many of our governors, too many Americans persist in the anti-science, personal-rights stance that has made our pandemic response the worst in the industrial world. A worse outcome is impossible to imagine.

Susan McGuire, Bokeelia

A mask question: Whose freedom?

Freedom is a wonderful gift and a hallmark of our American heritage. Sadly, that freedom has become decoupled from responsibility and respect, not only to that heritage that gave it life, but to other people with those same freedoms.

In Publix (on Saturday), several folks were not wearing masks; their freedom. But they were infringing on the freedom of others, who have a right to safety. Several folks got angry when I asked them where their masks were. Evidently, their freedom can trample on others' in these strange times.

John Hageman, North Naples

'Social improvement' or more policing?

"More social improvement in place of more policing!" That was the theme of a recent letter to the editor. What remote cave has the writer been ensconced in while arson, pillaging, looting and shootings have been going on?

Not to mention the unlawful creation of autonomous zones established by taking over control of entire sections of American cities, from which the police are forcibly excluded.

God forbid that the day the letter writer is in dire need of the police the 911 operator will advise they will respond after their social improvement class ends.

Walt Kozlowski, North Naples

'Peaceful' protests across nation?

A writer spoke (in a letter published Saturday) of the “peaceful protest across the nation.” What world is she living in?

Those “peaceful protests” caused millions in damage by looting, burning, painting, etc. Several were killed by the “peaceful protest.”

Some see no wrong in this behavior, and some see pure hate for our country. None of this solves any problem but creates more divisions, especially among our young people.

The entire country stated what happened to (George) Floyd was wrong; no one disputed. Liberals turned it into something else.

Hopefully, we can all come together, but I doubt liberals will want that. After all, it is an election year.

Ruth Coffin, East Naples