“If World War II happened today instead of 1941, we would lose. Sacrifice? People won’t even give up a round of golf or a green lawn to stop the spread of a deadly disease.” — Kevin Shopshire
In my weekly “Bygone Days” feature, I routinely come across stories about community life in Wayland and environs from 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago.
I am particularly fascinated with how our ancestors in these parts coped with the influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 and with what life was like locally during World War II, 1941-1945.
What is so striking is that people were much more community-oriented, much less concerned about individual wants and needs. There was a whole lot of sacrificing going on back then.
Most folks seemed willing to give up personal perks for the greater good, doing things on behalf of the war effort. Young people often looked for scrap metal for use by planes and tanks and women left their traditional homemaking roles to work in factories while their men were serving overseas. And there was rationing of products such as gas and sugar.
I won’t say they did things without complaining, but my impression is that there was a very strong understanding that they were putting up with inconveniences and toiling at jobs for the greater good of American society.
Judging by what I’ve seen in just the last couple of days, times certainly have changed.
I’ve been monitoring on Facebook a public outcry against the directive from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to continue the “stay at home” orders on Michigan citizens, at least until May 1 because of the threat of the deadly Coronavirus. Many of the negative comments come from political opponents in the State Legislature and others are written by our neighbors and friends in this area.
The political opposition seems driven by public theater known as “Astroturfing,” in which legislators pen critical comments that look astonishingly similar, giving rise to the suspicion they were crafted by one source and then merely copied and pasted in a phony scheme to present an image of a grass-roots effort.
In my sordid career as a community journalist, I’ve seen plenty of examples of Astroturfing. One of the most memorable was a massive number of post cards with the same typing and message and the only difference being the signatures of different citizens who worried that government was coming to confiscate their guns.
State Rep. Steven Johnson of Wayland apparently was featured on television expressing his displeasure with Whitmer extending quarantines. At one point on Facebook he said his issue wasn’t political, he was only concerned about the future of closed businesses. Yet near the end of his commentary he accused Whitmer of simply playing up to her goal to be Joe Biden’s vice presidential choice.
I find it astonishing that so many politicians are more than willing to endanger the health, safety and welfare of citizens in order to restart the economy, indicating their greater interest in money changing hands than saving lives.
I agree with citizens who are disappointed that buying and implementing gardening tools somehow are not exempt, but other seemingly less important businesses are. But I am disappointed in those who, for example, rail against kayakers being permitted to continue their activities while motorboats are verboten.
It all seems so petty when we have to consider the wisdom of sheltering in place to slow or stop the spread of a deadly virus that has killed more than a thousand of our fellow Michigan citizens. Even more petty and wrong-headed is the purported petition being circulated to impeach the governor for not doing what we want.
It also takes me back to more than 75 years ago when Americans were much more willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of their country.
Ms Whitmer came into office apparently blind to her constituents. She showed her true colors by immediately campaigning to stick it to them through the insanity of dropping a 45 cent a gallon gas tax on commuters (many with limited incomes). Aren’t these the poor Michiganders she claims to represent? We deserved what we got because she was never made to explain how the “damn roads” were going to get fixed. Now we know, when our Governor didn’t get what she wanted, Ms. Whitmer put Michigan billions into debt. Now we get to find out why piling debt upon our State not a good idea. Maybe its because a national crisis might come along to further suck all of us together down the down the debt vortex.
When the Coronavirus crisis emerged, our Governor immediately denied chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine treatment to Michigan COVID patients until the FDA directly allowed its compassionate use. When a tsunami of anecdotal evidence suggested that that it works and if nothing else is safe, Michiganders died while she denied it to them. Her order almost killed Democratic State Representative, Karen Whitsett. I have no problem with appropriate orders here to prevent unscrupulous physicians from hoarding medication that could actually go to treat legitimate COVID patients and people already prescribed the drugs. Instead, her order was political and issued as a middle finger to the President that may have cost lives.
This week she closed garden centers until April 30th, harming West Michigan farmers directly. She obviously feels that people cannot do the equivalent of walking and chewing gum at the same time and maintain social distancing, wear a mask and be courteous of others space in of all places, a greenhouse or an outdoor garden center when buying mulch. I have been to Meijer and Walmart, both are more crowded every day than any greenhouse or garden center. The order could have moved all or a portion of garden center plants outdoors, mandated masks and limited traffic in and out of garden centers instead to prevent crowding. While taking steps that further killed business, she did absolutely nothing to ensure social distancing in the parts of the state where the numbers of daily sick and dying demonstrate rampant spread and a clear lack of motivated social distancing.
Updates to the Governor’s order denied the right of families to travel to their 2nd homes in Michigan. While this is understandable but appears unconstitutional on its face, its one that doesn’t really bother me because I know most of the people in Michigan with 2nd homes to travel to are out of touch elite Democrats anyway. I have no problem maintaining the lockdown until April 30th but the teeth added to it really seem pointless and not logically directed at the real areas of concern.
Ms. Whitmer isn’t a hero, but a typical out of touch liberal that thinks she knows whats best for everyone and demonstrates through uninformed actions, proposals and and policies that she hasn’t the slightest idea how real people in Michigan or anywhere make a living and exist on a daily basis. She is obviously a politician and craven opportunist that knows the fastest way to become a hero to the left is to maneuver to confront a polarizing President in a time of national crisis knowing that it will lift her to opportunities beyond simply being Governor of Michigan.
Mr. or Ms. MacDougal, thank you for a fine assessment of our governor and her actions against the citizens of Michigan.
Her bond for the roads is a way around the legislature and the voters. She is a devious and dishonest person. We need to limit her to being a one term governor in the next election in 2022.
The rush to open small businesses is attacking the problem from the wrong angle. Putting purchasing power directly into the hands of people eliminates the proprietor middle-man. When those people have money to spend and needs to be met, then business will rebound with or without a governor’s order. I would prefer SNAP type vouchers instead of pure cash that often gets spent foolishly by people unaccustomed to budgeting. SNAP credits often get traded for un-approved goods and services, but less easily than open credit or cash.
Mr Young.
There is a huge difference between a World War and fighting a biological virus.
The war showed us the enemy and all the atrocities committed against people for ridiculous reasons.
The virus is nothing as horrific as gassing and burning people in ovens.
The war had males from the households willing to give there life for a cause. Hence, those left at home did what was necessary to hasten the return of their loved one if possible.
This fight against the virus is not a war where only some are send to the front lines to die. There is no way to establish a front line ( as there is in war) …we can’t see this virus before we get it…when a bullet or bomb gets you , one usually knows it’s coming.
When it comes to scarficing as of today, the sacrifices made by supposedly non essential businesses and so called non essential workers is and will be viewed by history as greater than and war.
Those things given up during the war never shut down the whole Country or States. People were able to gather, play, education went on etc.
The virus has you and your family locked in isolation… the human being a social animal will not survive or endure isolation for very long.
The number of deaths, the thought of dying, are the only things War and this virus have in common.
As for the Governor, she has truly turned this into something other than just the safety of Michigan residents. Hopefully, all who applaud many of her restrictions will come to realize in the end numbers will not change. X amount will live ..X amount will die. The difference will be do they die at the beginning of the pandemic or near the end.
While are State and Country are brought to their knees economically, mentally, and physically….as each citizen will also be
Mr. Smit,
I’m sorry that I have to take issue with your claim that this war against COVID-19 doesn’t require anyone to be sent to the front lines. Every hour of every day first responders, doctors and nurses are on that very real front line facing a fierce, invisible enemy.
Like a physical land war there are warriors and soldiers, and there are victims as collateral damage. As in traditional war, soldiers die and civilians die.
You also seem to believe that the number of dead will be the same whether the war is fought or not.
The truth is that each day medical professionals work with this disease they learn something new. They experiment with various drugs to alleviate symptoms. They devise new ventilators to stand in for the dearth of those who are tried and true.
In the beginning, with ventilators, survival rates for those who were placed on a vent was 20%. Now it is 40%. Is it because doctors and nurses have more equipment, or more staff, or more PPE? Is it because necessity is the mother of invention? Who knows? But fighting the war IS making a difference in the number of dead. And one of the most effective weapons has been social/physical distancing and the closing of the economy.
I am very well aware that it is a subjective task to delineate which businesses are essential and which are frivolous. Here in AZ, where it took the governor forever to order a shutdown, golf courses and salons of all kinds were determined to be essential.
Some people consider access to a regular haircut or manicure to be essential. That I do not is irrelevant What is relevant is that salons require close proximity of the provider and the client, thus a high risk for infection. It should be forbidden.
Some people consider golf to be essential. Though I don’t play, I understand that there is a far lesser risk to players who are outside, carrying their own bags, don’t have flags in the cups, and can easily stay ten feet apart. Golf can safely offer exercise, fresh air, communing with friends and nature, and a means of breaking the boredom of isolation. It probably is a fair decision to allow gold courses to stay open.
I know that many missteps are being made in determining what businesses should be open or closed. If we could trust the public to avoid large gatherings of people on their own, the governors wouldn’t have to make lists that sometimes miss the mark.
And, finally, you seem to think that death and the fear of death are the only things this virus and war have in common. If you have been listening, psychiatrists are warning that the aftermath of this COVID war will have large numbers of medical people suffering from PTSD, just as military members do. And I’d wager that there will be non-medical people who suffer from their own mental maladies because of their isolation and protracted anxiety.
We are in a pandemic crisis. People in every nation will be “brought to their knees economically, mentally, and physically,” not just the state and national governments.
War is hell. And this war is no different.
Ms Mandaville
Thank you for your comments, we will never agree and only time will tell how this will all end.
I do think there is a huge difference between a war between Countries and a war against a virus.
Especially in the things we are asked to sacrifice….I understand, you will never agree that we are setting a precedence on what freedoms we are willing to give up. And this could come back to haunt us in the future.
But since we both have different opinions we will just hope everything turns out ok
Mr. Smit,
A young woman whom I admire greatly for her intelligence and thoughtfulness broached the same subject you mention, specifically the freedoms we are willing to forego during this trying time. Which is to say that I have been giving this matter some considerable thought even before you brought it up. So your emphasis has given it more importance to me.
While I still view this crisis as a war with much of the same trials and tribulations, I am beginning to see your point about the specific sacrifices we are being asked to make.
During WWII people could join together physically in their war efforts, such as metal drives and rationing vital goods. When someone lost a loved one, families could hold one another in their grief. There were more tangibles that could be offered up, such as trading or giving up rationing coupons. And people didn’t have to give up their personal information like that shared now in disease tracing. I’m sure you could list others I haven’t thought of yet. So you’ve opened an area of discussion I haven’t thought about, so I will try and do that.
I’m not sure you and I will ever see eye to eye on some issues, but I think we may come to share similar thoughts regarding our “adventure” in COVID-19. Especially the part where you say “we will just hope everything turns out ok.”
Peace and health to you, Harry.
I may not agree with every step the governor has taken but I generally think we are better off following the steps she has outlined. Maybe we can’t golf for a couple weeks, so what. I think she is closer to being correct than the guy in the White House who said ” we will have 15 cases and they will go away in a week’ or some such nonsense. I can’t keep track of the untrue statements coming out of the daily briefings. As for her road funding at least we may get the roads fixed which is more that I can say after 8 years of control by the other party. Neither party is perfect or blameless. If you have a problem with the governors policies call her office and tell them . Lets try to get thru this with a little less poison.
Our Governor has done a lot better job than President HOAX.
You mean the President that the Representative from Detroit credits with saving her life with that drug that the Governor wanted to keep away from people? And said that she plans to meet with the VP personally, since the Governor has not been doing enough to help? That Governor?
Wildcat,
Thanks for stating the facts!! Some folks are quite delusional.
Cheers!!!
Please Sleepy Joe, pick her for your VP selection! She’s killing Michigan in more ways than one.