I have been thinking and praying about the condition this country and the world are in concerning COVID-19. We have been under stress and duress for six months now, and there is no end in sight.
What I am about to propose will no doubt draw ire from many. It may draw praise from a few. But I feel compelled to state my case.
In 1941, and for almost four years after that, our young men and women went to war. Most willingly gave up their life to fight an enemy we could see. Many thousands of them never returned. They died for a cause we believed was right and just. They went to save the life and liberty of the people of this country. They went to protect moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas and cousins and friends. They were called “The Greatest Generation.”
Today, we are fighting an invisible enemy. It’s not just a virus. It is much more than that. It is an enemy of totalitarianism. It is a government, from local to state, which believes it is doing the right thing by telling people that they must do as they say, without argument, or we will arrest you and put you in jail. It is a government that doesn’t care if small businesses close forever. It is a government that believes people’s lives and livelihood don’t matter. It’s all for the greater good.
I believe it is time for “we the people,” the ones described in the Declaration of Independence, to stand up to this totalitarian rule.
But here is the rub. In 1941 it was young men who fought and died. In the case of this virus, it is the elderly and infirm who must fight and die. Yes, you heard me right. If we discontinued COVID testing, treated those who needed treatment and went about our lives the way they did when polio was the issue, when the flu strikes each year, when H1N1 was the news of the day,we would be fine.
I will tell you I am one of those who are considered vulnerable. I am 74 years old. I did my time in the military during Vietnam. I have always been a patriot. I am the son of a WWII veteran and the grandson of a WWI veteran. I am willing to put my life on the line again and fight this invisible enemy. Are all the vulnerable patriots in this country willing to put their lives on the line to fight for our way of life? Are we ready to throw away the mask, delete the social distancing, open the beaches, restaurants and businesses? To take back control of our own destiny? To go to the front line to protect your children, grandchildren, family and friends? To revive the land of the free and the home of the brave?
If you like this, feel free to copy and paste or forward. If you think I am some heartless kook who needs to be locked up, fine. Unfriend me. I really don’t care anymore. I am tired of watching so many of my friends and neighbors follow like sheep to slaughter. I am tired of my government telling me where I can go and what I can do.
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Dave Stokley is a resident of
Lihu‘e.
