This community opinion was written by resident Anne Stickett. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues.
The pandemic has made us all weary. I’m no exception. But lately, I’m seeing some crazy stuff in our community that makes me shake my head and wonder about the sanity of people.
[Three weeks ago] we had a jury trial forced by a local yoga instructor over a misdemeanor citation. Normally a person cited just appears before the judge–but not Ms. Evans. She demanded a full jury trial and wasted a ton of taxpayer money just so she could have her 15 minutes of fame.
She was cited last December for insisting on entering a Board of Supervisor’s Meeting without a mask. She refused to put one on, and when the officers of the court approached her and asked her to leave, she refused to comply, so they were forced to arrest her and remove her. Thank goodness the jury found her guilty of resisting arrest.
Now, a leader of the supposedly ‘new’ local Republican party has proclaimed her innocence on BenitoLink and paid her fine. Really? Innocent? A mask requirement was clearly posted in meeting information and signs were posted at the entrance. She was asked to put a mask on or leave and refused.
Her right to speak was not being denied. Everyone has the option of speaking online through Zoom and Ms. Evans has done this several times in the past. She knew the mask requirement–this was a person pulling a stunt for attention. She even attempted to go to her arraignment without a mask and was denied entrance to the court.
Innocent? Really Mr. Bernosky? This kind of egregious behavior that wastes taxpayer money- is that what the ‘new’ Republican group stands for?
A few weeks earlier, I watched a bunch of rude and obnoxious ‘christian’ people scream and carry on at a Board of Supervisors Meeting so much the meeting had to shut down. At one point, a supposedly Christian woman screams repeatedly at Supervisors “You have blood on your hands!”
Were they sentencing someone to death here? No. They were discussing a requirement for county employee vaccinations. I just don’t understand. These are Christians? What church in town teaches them this stuff? That it is ok to remain unvaccinated and unmasked in public, create a potential health hazard or even a death sentence for others if you are an unknowing carrier of the virus and spread a very infectious disease to more vulnerable populations? Yet they yell and scream at Supervisors who are attempting to stop the spread of a virus that has claimed over 700,000 American lives? I mean, who has blood on their hands?
One thing worth mentioning about vaccination mandates–this issue was decided by the Supreme Court back in 1905 when the court ruled a state can enforce compulsory vaccination laws. Two groups have recently attempted to bring this issue again before the current Supreme Court. Both were denied a hearing on this issue.
I was raised Christian, Catholic in fact, and I find these behaviors so troubling. The Pope has spoken out in support of vaccinations. As Christians we are taught to love our neighbors, take care of those less fortunate and help them. Wearing a mask, social distancing and getting vaccinated? That to me is being a good Christian. Not screaming about personal rights, insisting on your own way even though it could potentially kill someone else. I am so tired of this behavior being cloaked in Christian dogma. Do these people belong to a local church or are they in a cult? If this group had banded together to do the right thing from the beginning and work together to support the community, how many lives could have been saved? And I have to ask the question: don’t you think Christ would don a mask to save others from suffering?
Another troubling trend, even from one particular Supervisor, is continued referencing of “Constitutional” rights and seeing them be intertwined with faith. Again, what? I just want to clarify to anyone spouting about constitutional rights in reference to wearing masks or being vaccinated – the constitution doesn’t just talk about a right to Liberty. It talks about a right to “LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” If your behaviors in pursuit of your personal liberties deprives someone else of their right to LIFE, aren’t you violating the very Constitution you claim to believe in?
So yes indeed, the world has seemed crazy lately.
But a few days ago, I was shopping at Safeway. As I looked around, I saw 98% of the people shopping were wearing masks and giving each other space. Only a few individuals were maskless. I have noticed this again and again since then.
And it gives me hope. I realize although they make a lot of noise on social media, at local meetings, and here on BenitoLink, this band of crazies in our community is really very small. They seem to be part of some zealot, religious alt-right group. Is that the new Republican party here in town? I hope not, although given Mr. Bernosky’s involvement with the yoga teacher’s stunt I have to wonder.
To that other 98%. God bless you. You go about your work and daily family life quietly. Taking care of your neighbors and your community–social distancing when possible, masking and getting vaccinated. Supporting and helping the families of those that fall ill. Being kind to people working retail who make it possible to feed and provide for your family. Appreciating your local health officials and politicians, who are just trying to keep our community safe and slow the spread of a deadly disease. You may not scream and stamp your feet, but I want you to know that I see you, and I hear you now. And I thank God for you.
Your quiet strength will get us through this crisis. And those crazies who actually survive will just become a footnote in history about ‘what not to do’ in a pandemic.