Letters to the editor July 26

It took the United States 95 days, on April 28, to record a million cases of Covid 19. Forty-three days later, on June 10, we reached 2 million cases; 28 days later, on July 8, we reached 3 million cases. On July 23, 15 days later, we reached 4 million cases.

This is the exponential growth that we have been warned about. Without an all out war or effort to stem this pandemic, we could soon be seeing a million or more cases a day.

You might recall your parent’s lesson of asking whether you would want a million dollars or a penny doubled every day for a month. Most of us would have jumped at the million, but in a 30 day month you would have over $5 million. A 31 day month would net you almost $11 million.

While that was a fun game to day dream about becoming a millionaire, we are faced with a real life devastation wrought by the exponential growth of future cases and deaths associated with this pandemic. It does not bode well for us.

One can only guess at the number of deaths and job losses yet to come. Yet, President Trump maintains, “I’ll be right eventually. I said it’s going to disappear. I’ll say it again: It’s going to disappear — and I’ll be right.”

Trump is correct. He will eventually be proven right. Just as I am right in stating that our sun will eventually die out and this heavenly planet we call Earth will eventually be consumed and destroyed by our expanding, dying sun.

But for the foreseeable future, one has to ask how much sickness, deaths and economic loss will we as a nation have to suffer before Trump is proven right?

—Tom Muri, Whitefish

I am a cancer survivor times two now, but recently have had a minor recurrence of cancer that requires chemotherapy. After a couple cycles of chemo, my immune system is no longer very robust and I am 73 years old.

I’m one of those vulnerable people that could be greatly harmed by the Wuhan virus. I wear a mask if I have to be in close quarters in public spaces, I’d prefer not to wear a mask, but I am responsible for my health, it is my job to take care of myself, and I thank everyone out there who are helping me by wearing masks, but I don’t expect anyone but myself to be responsible for my well-being. I see some people without masks and that’s OK, and it’s their choice. In some cases there are people with breathing problems, like COPD or asthma, that have a big problem wearing a mask. How would I or anyone know just seeing a person without a mask.

That doesn’t matter much to me because I am responsible for me, I can only control what I do and no one else.

We all must take responsibility for ourselves and do what is right. I don’t have to be told by the governor how to behave, I am certain of that.

—Darrell Christofferson, Kalispell

About six weeks ago, a damaging rumor was published on a local Facebook site that has a large and active social media audience. It was posted by the Flathead Republican Women, and contained the false information that Love Lives Here had started an effort to spread a petition to defund the police in Kalispell. (It also included the Liberian flag, but that’s another issue.)

Over the past month, I have contacted them multiple times to ask for a retraction as this rumor got a lot of interest, including scores of folks attending the June meeting of the Kalispell City Council to speak against defunding the police. There were still people commenting at the July City Council meeting about the fictional effort to defund the police by Love Lives Here.

Let me be perfectly clear: LLH has made no effort and has no interest in defunding the police. This is a complete lie that has done damage and caused division in our community. The Flathead Republican Women have done their best to ignore this issue, even though I have respectfully asked for a retraction several times. My last communication with them read as follows (sic): “We took down the post that was our retraction. It’s Facebook.”

I thanked them for their “retraction” and told them I would be informing the public through various media sites of their response. Disappointing, to say the least. I was taught to own up to my mistakes, and make it right. I would like think the Flathead Republican Women would do the same.

—Valeri Walden McGarvey, Kalispell

Responding to the letter by Roger Hopkins (Are you better off?), yes, I am better off.

President Trump remains true to his policy of draining the swamp, and I’m seeing how deep the swamp is. The writer is obviously disappointed by the current state of affairs in America, and I don’t like it either, but to suggest that President Trump brought this on doesn’t deserve the dignity of an answer.

I just wonder if the writer really thinks things will return to the old ways if Joe Biden gets elected. We’re seeing the tyranny of the so-called tolerant left put on full display. Pandemics have been planned by the globalists for decades, and President Trump seems to have upset their little apple cart. He gets my vote again in 2020.

My only real concern is taking House control away from the Democrats, and keeping GOP control in the Senate. It’s not that the Rino’s are much better, but another four years with Donald Trump can accomplish some good, unless of course the writer, and those like him, want Trump to assume some unconstitutional dictatorial status to stop this overreach by state and local governments. Gee whiz, then you can criticize him for being a dictator, but I hope you would at least thank him first.

—Eric Knutson, Dayton