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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
March 19, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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March 19, 2020
 
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Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason Journal -. Thursday, March 19, 2020 THESE TIMES l1? This is now the only news ‘C D on’t politicize this. I’m so tired of it,” Wendy, a friend of ours, told me over the phone late last Saturday afternoon. She was serious. “If this is What you want to talk about, just give the phone to your wife right now. I mean it.” Near the start of our conversation, I had mentioned a newspaper story I had just read about Fox News listeners who lived in an old folks’ enclave in Florida. Those Floridians were sunnily pooh-pooh- ing threats posed by the novel coronavirus, but I was fuzzy on the article’s details, which is no way to make a point about Florida. By the time of that phone call, I had spent the morning and afternoon moping around the house, mainlining virus news, reading “The Plague” by Albert Camus, playing cribbage on my cellphone and criticizing myself for moping around the house. My brain was sludge. It’s no way to spend a pandemic. Thoughts of hoarding couldn’t motivate me, likely because I already own 25 rolls of toilet paper. When people feel a lack of control in the face of a threat, they want toilet paper. Who knew? The politics of this pandemic, espe- cially our opinions about the politics, really are irrelevant now. What we need is true-blue, reliable information —- not information that’s designed to entertain us. And if you still don’t want to take this seriously, consider Italy. We can no longer afford the luxury of our ignorance. What’s the mortality rate of this virus? . How long can it live on a porous surface? What did Taiwan do to escape with just one COVID-19 death? Why are children who contract the virus less likely to have a severe reaction? How contagious are we if we’re asymptomatic? We need brain answers. Not gut hunches. Don’t believe anything — anything, anything, anything — on “social media” until you verify it with reliable sources, unless it’s pictures of my niece’s newborn twins. Don’t pass on information you don’t know to be true, especially if you ardently hope it’s true. Don’t name-call and use demeaning nicknames for people. It’s time to grow up. Be responsible and helpful. Trying to demonize China for being the birthplace of this virus? Irrelevant. Accusing the current occupant of the Oval Office of cutting pandemic experts from the National Security Council? Irrel- evant. There might be time for blame and skirting blame later. Remember Donald Rumsfeld? You go into a pandemic with mefiii’hal USPS 492-800 By KIRK ERICSON PCST MASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.0. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by the Shelton-Mason County Journal at 227 W. Cota St, Shelton, Washington. Mailing address: PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone: 360-426—4412 ' Website: www.masoncounty;com Periodicals postage paid in Shelton, Washington. the president you have, not the president you. might want or wish to have. Don’t be pleased that this president is finally facing a foe he can’t shame, be- little, sue, fire, squash or threaten. Don’t " take joy that Joe Biden has brain lapses. ' Right now, we need to listen to the com- petent people. We need leaders who can focus, listen and assemble facts, and who can imagine a better future and get us there. And if your leaders aren’t competent, think and work around them. Pay them no heed, like that one person in the office who always has time for chat but not work. Remember those politicians when you vote in Novem- ber. The interconnectedness of hu- mans has never been clearer. A new coronavirus in eastern China that erupted about four months ago has now seen the world. What happened 6,000 miles from South Puget Sound late last year is affecting everyone here, in this nation, on this globe. This is precisely the sort of problem government is made for. Right now, we must recognize a truth: Government is the solution to our problem, not the cause of the problem. Around the world, we need eggheads, we need experts, we need people with raw, native intelligence who can synthe- size multiple threads of information, we need people who went to college, skipped the parties and studied hard, we need people who dropped out and created bio- technology companies, we need innovative manufacturers, we need epidemiologists, virologists, doctors and nurses, and most critically, we need leaders who can lead us to a future where humans can thrive. We don’t need glib leaders who can only follow their followers. We need to listen to Dr. Anthony- Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. vFauci, a member of the president’s coronavirus team, has effectively become the royal regent. For state information, trust the Department of Health’s website: doh. wa.g0v. For national information, go to cdc.gov. For international infornmtion, go to who.int. For a data view of the pandemic, go to worldometers.info/coro- navirus. Take a daylong break from the news every so often. Listen to music. Don’t mope. Exercise. Get enough sleep. Eat better, and treat people better, too. Have respect for facts. Act. Live. I Contact Kirk Ericson at kirk@ masoncounty.com. JOURNAL EDITORIAL We’re in this together in the big cities are over- reacting, but a time of crisis generally brings out the best in ' people who live in small commu- nities. While some of our neighbors may be excessively worried, the level-headed will continue to do what they can with the resources they have. This is a time for generosity and leadership and almost every- one can help. Start by taking notes. Cre- ate a list of your neighbors, with telephone numbers and ad- dresses. If they don’t want your help, that’s fine, plenty of people who appreciate your kindness. Help those you can and do so in a healthful way. Seniors are especially suscep— tible to illness and those who live alone have an increased risk if no one checks in on them. Parents with_children may need you to make a grocery run for them, or a trip to the phar- macy. An elderly person might need you to get their mail or drag their'garbage cans to the curb. If thoughts of helping other people overwhelm you, try to help just one neighbor — that person can look out for you too. Think about the people closest to It may seem that our cousins your home, on your block, in your neighborhood. A “get well soon” note can' brighten a person’s day. Volunteer: Mason County has many great organizations that could use an extra hand support- ing those who are ill or recover— ing from any ailment. If you have the means, donate to a useful organization. Clean your home or work- place and be relentless keeping surfaces sanitary. Pay extra attention to those spaces that you or others touch frequently such as counters, chairs, phones, door handles, keypads, remote controls and of course, restroom surfaces. If you touch something, leave it cleaner than before you touched it. Cold-and-flu season gener- ally comes to a halt in April, and there are several theories as to why: more people are outside, which offers us the healing pow- er of vitamin D from the sun. It also means we spend less time in confined areas where a Virus can more easily spread. Dress properly for the weather and go for a walk or a hike — even a drive in the country with the windows rolled down a bit can help your attitude. And help those people whom you can help the most. me 'uNIN'voLi/Eo ' HOME RULE r *7. AS SEEN 3v.... . Journal Letter Policy - The Journal encourages, original letters to the editor of local interest.\ Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. We will not publish letters that are deemed libelous or ‘scurrilous in nature. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number, which will be used for verification purposes only. All letters are subjeCt to editing for length, grammar and clarity; To submit a letter, email adam@rnasoncounty. com, drop it off at 227 W. cota St., or mail it to PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Newsroom: Composing room: The Shelton-Mason County Jour- nal is a member of the wash- ington Newspaper Publishers Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $52 per year ($43 for six months) for Mason County addresses and $75 per year ($55 for six months) outside of Mason County. Owned and published by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. Publisher: Torn Mullen Advertising: John Lester, general manager Theresa Murray, ad representative Front office: Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper Dave Pierik. circulation and classifieds manager Karen Hranac, customer service representative Adam Rudnick, editor in chief Gordon Weeks, reporter Michael Heinbach. reporter Just'n Johnson, sports/outdoors editor . Molly Walsh, reporter Kirk Ericson, columnist/ proofreader Shawna Whelan, photographer I Lloyd Mullen, photo editor Delivery: Jon Garza David Olson _ Niel Challstrom William Adams, technology and design manager , Linda Frizzell, graphics All regular editorial, advertising and legal deadlines are 5 pm. the MondayprlOr to publication. ' To submit a letter to the editor, email adam@masoncounty.com.