Right-wing nuts make face masks a political issue
By Will Collette
 |
| By Matt Davies, Newsday |
The Burrillville Town Council even went so far as to declare Burrillville a “First Amendment Sanctuary” – they were already a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” but are unlikely to become a 14th Amendment Sanctuary – making the stupid and irresponsible act of going maskless a First Amendment issue.
It’s not.
No constitutional right is absolute. That’s why you can’t
yell “fire” in a crowded hall, own your own personal nuclear weapons, smoke in
public spaces, make ritual human sacrifices, fire off an AR-15 clip in a school
and so on.
“Your right to swing your arm stops at the end of my nose,”
a quote
varyingly attributed to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Abraham Lincoln and
John Stuart Mill. So, no, you don’t have a right to spew your germs in my face.
Most
Rhode Islanders agree. In some key demographics, they agree by huge margins that the
steps taken by Governor Raimondo to contain the coronavirus (and make us one of
only two states with declining cases) are being carrying out well.
Even some Republican leaders are starting to break with
maskless Trump and calling mask wearing an essential public health need, not a
political issue.
To stem the out of control pandemic in the United States, we need to test, track, isolate the sick and those exposed, wear face covering and practice social distancing. And we need, but don't yet have, a vaccine plus effective, safe treatment.
To stem the out of control pandemic in the United States, we need to test, track, isolate the sick and those exposed, wear face covering and practice social distancing. And we need, but don't yet have, a vaccine plus effective, safe treatment.
Rhode Island’s first case of COVID reaction in children
One of the most horrifying aspects of the pandemic was the
first Rhode Island case of the weird and fortunately still rare emergence of “Multisystem
Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.”
The Centers For Disease Control describes MIS-C as "is a condition where different body parts
can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or
gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various
symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash,
bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired."
The patient is a school-age girl. The Health Department
provided no other details. Health Department director Dr. Alexander-Scott gave a June 29 update: “That patient was
discharged from the hospital yesterday in good condition. We’re very grateful
for that piece of good news.”
Phase 3
Raimondo calls for modified Phase 3 reopening starting today and re-imposes self-quarantine on many out of state visitors
From the Health
Department: “If you are entering RI from a state with a C-19 positivity rate of
5%+, you will either have to self-quarantine for 14 days while in RI, or
produce proof of a negative test for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours prior to
arrival. This is the list we are using:”
Problems with unemployment claims
Some people are still have
problems collecting unemployment insurance. Many were cut off when the
Department of Labor and Training (DLT) thought there might be fraud from an
internet scammer or the applicant.
DLT put out this notice of a new
and apparently more efficient of straightening out problems. Their message: “If
you were notified by the DLT that your unemployment claim was stopped due to
suspected fraud, there’s now a quicker and easier way to verify your identity
and unfreeze your benefits online.” CLICK
HERE.
Do you have expired DMV documents?
The Division of Motor Vehicles
just announced a 90-day reprieve on renewing Driver’s licenses, permits,
identification cards, vehicle registrations and inspection stickers with
expiration dates in July.
They just reopened
the Wakefield DMV office – appointment only. AAA members can use the office
in the Salt Pond Shopping Center – again, appointment only.
Cathy and I had a recent pleasant
experience at that AAA office. Making appointments works a lot better than
standing in line.
If you have expired documents from
March through June, you still have more time to renew – CLICK
here to get the specifics.
To make a DMV appointment, CLICK HERE.