My Turn – Time has come today
Submitted by Sam Williams
Oh my God, people. Due to the sudden and unexpected infection of inmates and correctional staff at Susanville’s two state prisons, like it or not, we need to take a big ol’ bite out of this nasty reality sandwich staring us right in the face.
Honestly, I don’t want to be the guy climbing out of the bushes, jumping up and down on the rocky hilltop, waving both my arms over my head, yelling as loud as I can, “Here I am! Here I am! Look up! Over here!” at those in the valley down below, but I’ve got to do it. I can’t stay still. I’ve got to sound the alarm to all who will listen.
Once again for all the partisans stuck in the mud out there, I’m not talking politics. I’m not talking presidential preference. I’m not talking red and blue, dictators and patriots, constitutional rights and medical guidance.
I’m talking coronavirus.
COVID-19 virus. Here. Now. Seeking hosts. Spreading. Sickening. Killing.
We, the people of Susanville and Lassen County, need to accept and realize how we respond to the spread of this virus will determine how savagely it chews through our community. It’s completely up to us. No hero is going to ride in on a white horse and save us. Our best and only hope is to save ourselves. We all know the keys. Masks. Social distancing. Sanitation. Pretty easy stuff, despite the angry wails from the noisy naysayers.
They call it a pandemic. It’s here among us. I don’t want to imagine the future damage and heartache we will experience if this thing grabs a hold of us and has its deadly way with our community.
Sure, I guess it’s bound to get some of us, the bugs always do. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do whatever we can to save the lives of our loved ones (think about it for a moment — they’re probably the very first ones you’ll infect), our friends and neighbors, our fellow workers, our community.
I can’t speak for you, but I don’t want to go out as a statistic, another notch on the butt of some supervirus’ supergun. I wear a mask simply because I don’t want you to go out that way either.
Here’s the bald, naked truth — the time has finally come for us to really take care of each other because the alternative is just too apocalyptic to consider. We can turn this thing around or we can pay the dearest of prices. Either way, we decide, and then we have to live with the consequences of our decisions forever.
Please join me. I’m begging you.
