Coronavirus Bears Down on Small Town (Doctor Argues Back that Pandemic Is a Hoax)

Richard Read, LA Times.  To view full article, click here.

WHITEFISH, Mont. —  When Steve Qunell won a seat on the City Council last year in this town of 8,000, he figured he’d be dealing with potholes and affordable housing.

Instead, he finds himself at the center of a raging debate over how to fight the coronavirus, which is surging in Montana like never before.

The state’s governor, Steve Bullock, a Democrat who is in the final stretch of a tight U.S. Senate race and has been reluctant to impose restrictions that could hurt his campaign, called on the hardest-hit counties to consider shutting bars and enforcing a statewide mask mandate.

There was little appetite for that in conservative Flathead County, where the health board has been dominated by an outspoken doctor who argues that the pandemic is a hoax....

Boy Driven to Suicide by Extreme Isolation Brought About by Coronavirus, Parents Reveal

Landon Fuller

To view full article, click here.

HOBBS, NEW MEXICO: The parents of an 11-year-old boy who killed himself this past April say they believe he was driven to suicide by the social isolation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

To everyone who knew him, Landon Fuller was the curious and intelligent young boy who loved Marvel, DC, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Pokemon, Harry Potter, and the innumerable other things that those his age thrived upon, according to a GoFundMe page.

"It was rare to see him without his signature beaming smile, and the gleam in his eyes spoke to his charm, humor, and mischievous spirit," a description said, adding that he was someone who "gave love freely and was loved by all who knew him in return."

"Losing Your Freedom Is Like Losing Your Hair"

By Margaret Dore 

Fred Harrington*

In 1991, I was a young lawyer who attended a presentation sponsored by the Washington State Supreme Court. The featured speaker, a businessman named Fred Harrington, had recently been held hostage in Iraq by Saddam Hussein. Harrington said:

Losing your freedom is like losing your hair. One day you look in the mirror and it’s gone.

Today in Seattle, we find ourselves in a type of quarantine. On the one hand, there are justifications, on the other hand, some things don't necessarily make sense. As an example, if children are rarely victims, why do we cover their play areas in yellow tape, to thereby work against their health, happiness and wellbeing? 

* Seattle Times