By editorial board • 

Now's not the time to lose our resolve

We are currently locked in a battle for our physical, mental and fiscal health. Our way of life and form of government. Our  cultural, social and political norms. Yes, even our very lives.

Now is not the time to waver. The only act that will see us through is staying the course — and that means all of us.

Fox News, President Trump and the political right delayed and denied for several precious weeks on the front end before reluctantly and tentatively getting on board. Now they are showing signs of valuing the economy over public health, mindlessly  prodding us toward resumption of old ways probably forever gone. And the president has displayed stunning over-optimism on vaccines, treatments, test kits and ventilators.

We have celebrated the heroism of virus-fighters on the front lines, and the displays of selflessness these hard times have stirred in many. Perhaps it’s time we also warned about the risk posed by nose-thumbers, naysayers, hoarders, profiteers and economy-firsters.

When Trump recently touted the apocryphal anti-viral properties of the malaria drug chloroquine, also used to treat lupus and arthritis, he triggered a national run on supplies serving to cut off legitimate users. He also prompted at least one Arizona couple to try it out, killing the husband and making his wife deathly ill.

Over spring break, hundreds of thousands of thoughtless teens, abetted by utterly irresponsible parents, flocked to the beaches of Oregon, Washington, Florida and other coastal states. State and local authorities acted in unison to send them packing in the Northwest, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to rain on their party, leaving locals to clear the beaches on their own.

Already, some Florida spring breakers are beginning to test positive. Almost half New York City’s known victims are in the 18-44 age group, showing youth guarentees no magic protection.

Everywhere, hoarders have cleared the shelves of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, food staples, even guns and ammo. A pair of Tennessee brothers cornered 17,000 bottles of sanitizer and tried to hawk them for $70 each. Amazon had to close 3,900 accounts for similar attempts.

When U.S. senators heard an early briefing on the medical and economic risk, the first protective step some took was dumping stocks to avoid the inevitable crash. Later, Sen. Rand Paul, perhaps the body’s chief denier and downplayer, continued to use the chamber gym and pool while awaiting test results that turned up positive.

Shortly before becoming the first NBA star to test positive, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz wiped his hands on press mikes in a display of indifference. And a group of teens thought it fun to videotape themselves coughing over produce in a market.

Meanwhile, we have Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas exhorting older Americans to be willing to die for the economy in the interest of getting America back on its economic feet again. Someone should let Patrick know that sacrificing grandparents to bolster stock prices is not an American value.

Please. Let us all pull together.

Comments

Don

The N-R continues with Fake News (see 3/12/20 editorial). Tell us how Fox news and President Trump delayed and denied for several precious weeks on the front end before reluctantly and tentatively getting on board. Reports from the World Health Organization and other sources suggest the opposite:
1) WHO: " ...On 9 January Chinese authorities reported in the media that the cause of this viral pneumonia was initially identified as a new type of coronavirus…) https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/who-advice-for-international-travel-and-trade-in-relation-to-the-outbreak-of-pneumonia-caused-by-a-new-coronavirus-in-china

2) January 16, 2020: PAHO / WHO; Epidemiological Alert Novel coronavirus (nCoV), Situation Summary; Public health response and risk assessment for the Americas; 4th paragraph: "Reports indicate that there is no evidence to suggest that person-to-person transmission occurs easily."

3) 1/27/20: NIH's Dr. Anthony Fauci on efforts to contain, combat the coronavirus (demonstrates that Fox News was not delaying or denying the COVID-19): 5 minute video: https://news.yahoo.com/nihs-dr-anthony-fauci-efforts-233728273.html
4) 1/28/20; HHS: Update on the New Coronavirus Outbreak...: 6 -7 minutes into video states: “The President is highly engaged in this response and closely monitoring the work were doing tp keep Americans safe.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6koHkBCoNQ?rel=0

5) 1/31/20; Trump's travel ban regarding COVID-19: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-suspension-entry-immigrants-nonimmigrants-persons-pose-risk-transmitting-2019-novel-coronavirus/

The President was working on the COVID-19 problem in January. The Democrats in the US House and Senate were trying to impeach him.

New York City officials response to COVID-19 on 2/2/20 and Bill de Blasio 3/2/20: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6145069779001#sp=show-clips

Don Cummings, 411 SW Valleys Edge St; McMinnville, OR 97129

Bill B

Wow, I've read this piece a dozen times and still can't believe this came from a so called balanced newspaper. Blaming the president and fox news for the current crisis is pathetic!

David S. Wall

“When Trump recently touted the apocryphal anti-viral properties of the malaria drug chloroquine… He also prompted at least one Arizona couple to try it out, killing the husband and making his wife deathly ill.”

Jeb-I believe the “Editorial Board” forgot to research, Chloroquine phosphate. This compound is used to clean aquariums and only to be used under medical supervision as seen here:

https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00431.asp

“Our way of life and form of government.” This is a “fragment” of a sentence-no “verb” is present.

Your other article, “News-Register battling through trying times,” which was published the same day as this one [03.26.20], should not be a license for; “verb” omission, poor formatting and additional spelling errors (guarentees, firsters, downplayers) in this poorly edited piece of “Fake News.”

I am a “subscriber.” I use the “electronic version” and I donate my hard copy to a “shut-in senior citizen.” Despite the leftist leanings of this yellow-journalistic rag, I tell others to subscribe to the NR to keep it alive. We always need to hear and take the time to understand the "other side" to have a "balanced" perspective.

You need to “Cowboy-up” and run a first-rate newspaper before crying the blues of “trying times.”

David S. Wall

RobsNewsRegister

Good list Don. I was also disappointed at the conflation (purposeful?) of the medical drug in which the president referred, and the fish tank cleaner that the man in Arizona took, in the News Register. They say that the most effective form of propaganda is that with a grain of truth. This would qualify.

I'd expect better but NBC and others did it too - even the NYT used this tactic to smear the president (see below).

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2020/03/24/nbc-msnbc-rush-blame-trump-mans-death
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/clay-waters/2020/03/26/ny-times-those-trump-coronavirus-briefings-we-wanted-could-be-deadly

Joel

I stopped reading this editorial as soon as it turned into a politically charged screed (third paragraph).
Come on NR editorial board, their will be plenty of time for you to bash Fox News and President Trump after this is all over. For now, we are all on the same team. Please give it a rest.

treefarmer


Hey N/R – I appreciate these observations.

There are so many ways to evaluate our current situation. As always we process our views through our own lens. Some are loyal and approach revisionist history with what looks like pretzel logic to those of us who watched Trump pronounce the pandemic a hoax. Or when we saw him claim we had a dozen cases that would disappear like magic. Or when he promoted the (false and dangerous) “hope” that we might be able to pack our churches by Easter. Evidently some do not believe that many intelligent well-informed professionals tried - with no success - to get his attention early on. His focus was, as it always has been, his “numbers” and how the issue would affect HIM, and his re-election. Some even believe that impeachment “distracted” Trump. It is indisputable fact that he had plenty of time and attention to play golf and hold rallies during that process. The cognitive dissonance must be disorienting. Partisan denials have been so powerful and effective that Dr. Fauci now needs armed protection because he has insisted on telling the American public the scientific fact-based truth. No good deeds go unpunished, eh?

Blame is counter-productive at this point. History will judge the cause and effect of this global nightmare. Meanwhile I remain grateful most of my fellow citizens recognize that our lives depend on doing what we can to arrest the contagion, political beliefs notwithstanding.

I am filled with admiration and appreciation for the courageous patriots on the front lines of this battle – the medical professionals, the truck drivers, the grocery clerks, the journalists, to name a few. You are my heroes. I pray for your strength, health, and well-being. I will continue to make that smallest of sacrifices and stay home.

RobsNewsRegister

Here is some more clarification regarding the incident in Arizona where the couple took fishtank cleaner killing one of them. Some of the innuendo from the media regarding Trump's influence over them was overblown. It appears the wife in Arizona that became ill wasn't a Trump supporter.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-woman-fish-tank-cleaner-trump-democrat

treefarmer


Hi Rob- Not sure what difference it makes whether those desperate misinformed folks were Dems or Trump supporters? The point is that he came out in front of the American people and floated a dangerous unsupported theory at a critical time when we only need (and deserve) FACTS. A real leader would have known better. Many were listening and the available of that medication for those who take it for a legitimate medical reason became suddenly scarce. And p.s. I know you rely on Fox for information, but it is not – for some of us anyway - persuasive when you cite them to support your comments. I sincerely believe Fox is responsible for putting us all in greater danger as we have struggled to cope with this mess.

Hope you are safe and well.

RobsNewsRegister

I don't think the president was touting anything more than what he was hearing from medical sources all over the world (see link), though he does need to do a better job about communicating both sides of an issue - pros & cons.

We need to complete double-blind, large scale, trials to know for sure but those take time, time many currently don't have, and until then the anecdotal evidence is promising. Lets hope there's something to it. That said, the drug isn't as benign as some think and needs to be prescribed by the doctor on the scene knowing the patient's medical history on an individual by individual basis. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about regarding off-label use. When a doctor prescribes a Z-pack for a child with an ear infection it is technically off-label.

You to take care. I firmly believe the best way to come to optimal solutions is for people with different perspectives debating an issue - it is what makes democracy's strong and dictatorships weak.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/2/hydroxychloroquine-rated-most-effective-therapy-do/

Finch

Agreed Rob. We don't need a moral authority or online police to correct us at every turn. We are adults and we can gather our information and form our beliefs where we choose and not be told that everything we believe or know to be true is not.

RobsNewsRegister

Yeah Finch. I understand why some don't like Fox News, I used to not be able to stand it when my dad watched Hannity but changed my tune when Hannity was right about Trump-Russia collusion being grossly unfounded, and maybe even a hoax, years before it came to light. Not to mention the egregious abuse of power by the FBI/DOJ.

I also don't think people realize how diverse the views are on Fox. Tucker Carlson often has the 180 degree opposite views on issues (e.g. Syria troop withdrawal, Attack on Iranian general, etc...) as Hannity. Do you ever see that on CNN/MSNBC?

Joel

The obsession with Fox News and President Trump at this time by those on the left is weird.
We are in an epic battle against a deadly virus. Trump is our leader. He's not perfect but he's what we got. During a battle you don't take time to nit pick your leaders personality traits and whine about his leadership skills or about what he did or didn't say two months ago. Their is plenty of time for that outside of the battle.
During a battle you close ranks and do all that you can to gain victory against the enemy.
If you don't like Fox News and President Trump just be quiet about it for now and keep washing your hands, stay inside, be kind, be encouraging, be positive, have faith. Once this over you will have plenty of time to reignite your obsessive hatred of Fox News and Pres Trump.

Finch

Rob and Joel - It is sickening actually that hatred. Again, if you disregard the news sources and just acknowledge that there is so much going on that is not being reported on some of the cable and alphabet channels that would be one thing but this is day and night over and over the same thing. There are amazing people out there in all occupations that are tirelessly working through this and putting their lives at risk and that should be the focus. The people actually doing the work - not the people sitting on their backsides doing nothing and complaining. I like to think of the positive aspects where people have been so creative in ways to help. There's a common cause and companies, corporations and private citizens have been amazing and have been tirelessly working to help. Those are the heroes. Then you have Pelosi and her crew now wanting to have a coronavirus committee to investigate. They are more laser focused on tearing down this administration and wasting money on junk in their stimulus bill than worrying about the good of the American people - the very people that pay their salaries.

And yes, Rob, Tucker does a great job and I really enjoy his show.

Joel

Well said, Finch. Very well said.

treefarmer


Ironic that some are quick to label (indict?) opposing viewpoints as “hatred,” go on to propose that it is not right to voice opposition at a time like this, and then proceed to unleash a spate of harsh criticism at Nancy Pelosi. Should the admonitions not work both ways?

Joel is right, Trump is the leader. We have no options. It would mean a lot right now if we could have confidence and believe what the leader says. I envy those of you who do as comfort is in short supply. Just so, as I posted earlier, I agree this is no time for blame. We will share the consequences regardless, and history will reveal the truth.

I appreciate and agree with the observations of gratitude in your post, Finch. Sincere best wishes to all for health and safety as we soldier on TOGETHER from both sides of the aisle.

tricia

Bravo. Posted the same day as the article bemoaning the upcoming challenges for the paper. Any sympathy I had over the upcoming layoffs just went out the window. The paper would be best served starting with culling the "editorial board."

Finch

My criticism of Nancy Pelosi is not harsh enough. She's disgusting! At the State of the Union when she sat behind the President doing trials runs of ripping up the speech our President was already talking about the coronavirus and steps his administration was taking to begin dealing with it. Keep in mind that China knew what was going on over a month before everyone else did around the world. Then on February 24th Nancy in all her glory was standing being interviewed welcoming all the tourist to come to Chinatown in San Francisco to visit, eat, tour, watch the parade, etc. claiming it was very safe.

treefarmer


Stale noxious condemnation is so revealing, even when the issue is irrelevant and the hypocrisy is anonymous.

Finch

Again, you are not the moral authority or online police. Irrelevant? You commented on me making a statement about Pelosi. People can comment here - agree and disagree and come together without needing to be monitored and corrected by you.

treefarmer


Hey Finch. My observation did not single you out, but evidently the shoe fit?

“…..monitored and corrected?” It seems you missed the point. Are you not familiar with the concept of self-awareness? There have been many comments here about the idea we should set aside criticisms of current “leadership” because no matter how horribly this life-and-death crisis is being (mis)managed, Trump is in charge. ALL OF US SHOULD HOPE HE SUCCEEDS. We desperately need our government to function well. This is not about ideology or politics anymore, lives and livelihoods are at stake. As I have agreed with you previously, there will be plenty of time later (for those who manage to live through the pandemic) to assess and assign blame. (The exception would be when valid criticism can foster a beneficial course change.) At the moment, blame is mostly moot. So you agree with THAT idea, but consider it righteous to pointlessly bash (or as you want to characterize it “make a statement about”) someone in a leadership role that you DON’T agree with. Is that is the definition of hypocrisy? You could look it up and correct me if I'm wrong?

Right, left, center –we are all in this together and need to be pulling in the same direction. Surely even the finch and the treefarmer can agree on that? Stay safe.

Web Design and Web Development by Buildable