If numbers keep rising will caution matter?

August 17, 2020

We have, in general, given the benefit of the doubt to those who are siding with caution in the battle against COVID-19. Health experts and political leaders, such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are doing the best they can to weather the storm. We believe they are acting with sincerity and concern. But it is difficult sometimes to absorb the view of the devastation that anti-COVID measures have had on the rest of life. Especially as the same experts who urge caution have said that for most people the virus causes only mild symptoms that run their course and are ...

Et Cetera …

August 15, 2020

Churches’ rights denied If you hold a mass protest in Minnesota, and even throw in a little arson and looting, the authorities will stand aside and never speak once about limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people because of COVID-19. But if you wish to exercise your constitutionally protected right to practice your religion, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will come down on you. So some churches are suing Walz, challenging his executive orders on 6 feet of social distancing and mandated mask wearing at church services. We can’t blame the churches for trying. Not sure they will win, but ...

Report adds urgency to fight against COVID

August 14, 2020

Virtually every passing day demonstrates that the world does not know enough about COVID-19 to combat the virus effectively. Research on it — and on identifying other emerging disease threats — needs to be a higher priority. A priority should be how the coronavirus affects racial minorities. We know in our country that Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans have been more vulnerable than whites to the disease. A recent report adds urgency to finding answers about that. It came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which investigated children who require ...

Big Ten rightly puts student athletes first

August 13, 2020

The Big Ten Conference this week became the first major college athletic conference to say no to fall sports, including football season. “The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. “As time progressed ... it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.” This is, of course, a major blow to college ...

Gullible Americans help spread disinformation

August 12, 2020

Thank heaven for those gullible Americans. Let’s hope they never wise up. If they do, we’re out of jobs. One wonders whether that thought crosses the minds of Russian disinformation specialists who have had success sowing dissension in the United States. If not, it should. Many Americans seem to be determined to allow internet liars from Moscow and other U.S. foes manipulate them. Just a few days ago, a website linked to the Kremlin put out a false report that five Ukrainians died after taking a COVID-19 vaccine made in the United States. Media outlets in Russia picked up on ...

More time, not less, needed for Census work

August 11, 2020

Giving Americans a month less to respond to the 2020 Census may be the most ridiculous proposal to come out of Washington this year. The idea should be discarded. Original plans for the Census called for an Oct. 31 deadline for people to respond to it with information about themselves and their families. But Census Bureau officials reportedly want to change that to Sept. 30. During this, of all years, people ought to be given more time to comply with government mandates, not less. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 epidemic has slowed collection of Census data. Moving the deadline ...