Letter to the editor

Dear editor,
While researching the 1918 pandemic flu and the untold thousands it killed, I couldn’t help musing of my grandfather Lawrence Andrews born 1890 and native of Eastman who lived through that pandemic, and his accounts of the sickness. Having been told of the stories many years ago, I’m even luckier than I thought. Not only did he, his parents and his siblings all live through the scourge, they did it in Eastman where many people foolishly choose to disobey doctors’ advice and public health authorities. These people apparently felt it was their “right” to celebrate the end of World War I en masses, pack the gathering halls, restaurants and get haircuts. Sound familiar?
Today, we have “protesters”, incensed about their “need” to get a pedicure, hair trimmed, roots touched up, seeking to liberate states from moderate business protective closures. Confusing themselves with true patriots. These scofflaws and idiots assert themselves as it’s their “choice” to go wherever they please. Never mind that this practice spreads the virus indiscriminately now, as it did in 1918. These morons are taking cue of course from organized groups fostering these spontaneous demonstrations around the country on social media and the incendiary words of politicians. 
Luckily for some states governors, and local authorities are in charge of keeping us safe as possible from the virus and the very real disease it can bring. Now in 1918, we are not immune from either stupidity or the treatable virus, but we can choose not to be its vectors. Considerate neighbors and good citizens wouldn’t dream of making other people sick, or even putting them at risk.  If ever there was a time for simple decency, this is it. But then again, this is the 21st Century America, where people have fist fights over toilet paper in grocery stores, video of both men and women taking a gallon of ice-cream from the store freezer and licking it with their tongue for laughs. And please, don’t  forget it’s perfectly legal to defecate and urinate on city streets and sidewalks in California.
This is your America we call home now.
TSGT. Joseph Bryan . U.S.A.F, Ret