Viewpoint: So Much for a Fun and Humorous Column

I had intended to have a light, fun, humorous column this week. For the last several weeks the Viewpoint has dealt with legislation I felt needed to see the light of day. It was pretty heavy stuff, though: destruction of the Colorado economy, huge expansion of state government, and the proclamation that we should have a Saturday without meat.

I have to admit that I struggled all day Monday with an idea for a light, humorous, airy Viewpoint. I started down multiple roads only to hit the delete key on my computer. Not that I don’t think we have much to be thankful and joyous about. We still live in the greatest country on earth. Personally, most of us can count a large number of blessings, but at the same time I feel we have a responsibility to point the spot light at things that need to be watched.

My struggle Monday was for naught. Tuesday morning, I got an email from a friend and contributor to the paper. It was short and sweet: the girls volleyball team will not get to play in the post season because someone from another team tested positive for COVID.

After initial outrage I morphed into empathy for the girls, the coaches, and the parents who are the victims. Words I will not share swirled around in my head but the thread that broke through was discouragement at the complete insanity and lack of common sense that surrounds the entire COVID debacle.

Critics would say that I don’t understand how dangerous this virus is. One friend of mine intimated I just don’t like to be told what to do and don’t like to follow the rules I’ve been given. I’ll admit I’m not fond of being told what to do, but as one of the coaches on the volleyball team told me, “I just want to understand who made the decision, and why.”

This is about the young people involved in this debacle. I don’t believe we have ever dealt with a pandemic the way we have dealt with this one. Not smallpox, not polio, not AIDS, and not flu. COVID-19 punishes the healthy. In every other pandemic we have isolated the sick, not the healthy. In every other pandemic, if you were well you were allowed to make your own decisions, you maintained your freedom. If you were sick your freedom was stifled only as far as necessary to isolate you from the healthy.

No pandemic has had more information twisted and changed. Am I the only one in the state who remembers your Governor telling us the masks were first, useless? Then we were told they only protect others if we wear them when we are sick. Healthy people didn’t need masks. Then we were told, 'wear a mask even if you’re healthy'. I guess we are supposed to ignore what it does to your lungs and respiration. Now we are being told, even though there are these wonderful experimental RNA changing injections out there, 'still wear at least one mask, and maybe two would be better'.

And now, it is inferred that someway, somehow it will benefit the young female adults from Rye High School by giving up their post-season goals and dreams in volleyball. Why? Because someone they don't know, who happened to be in the same gym while they all wore their masks, tested positive for COVID. Insane?

I reached out to the Pueblo County Health Department to see if this was their idea. Just prior to publication, Sarah Joseph called and indicated that Pueblo County Health was the decision maker. She related the trail of their investigation and empathized with my voiced frustrations. She has always, sincerely, been concerned with the health of the county. District 70 responded as well to acknowledge that the Health Department was the decision maker. One solid question remains, "Why do the healthy pay a price when the unhealthy wander into our bubble?"