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From Membership ChairRevision of
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Comments from the ChairMANISTEE COUNTY DEMOCRATS April 2020 2
I hope this newsletter finds everyone safe and healthy during this unprecedented public health emergency. Thankfully, most citizens in our area are practicing behaviors that are proven effective against this virus and following the guidelines ordered by the state. So far, we have seen very few cases of the infection in our part of the state. We all need to continue behaving responsibly so that the whole community can remain safe. I was very disturbed by the comments of the four sheriffs in our region that were publicly released on April 15. As elected public officials they have a sworn duty to uphold the law and to serve the public’s best interests in keeping us all as safe as possible. By picking and choosing which laws to enforce and which to ignore, they are communicating a dangerous message to the public and setting a poor example of how government officials should behave in office. Law enforcement officials have always had discretion in applying the law. When stopping a motorist for driving 5 mph over the speed limit, for example, they can issue a ticket or give a warning. Publicly announcing that they will not enforce speed limits only encourages drivers to ignore speed limits and thereby make our roads more dangerous than they already are. This puts everyone at risk. Similarly, announcing that certain restrictions will be ignored by law enforcement sends a dangerous message that can only result in more people being exposed to this highly contagious virus. Like it or not, we are literally and irrevocably, in this health crisis together. We are highly social beings that depend on each other for our very lives. Too often we forget about the connections we have to other people and how fundamentally important they are to our everyday well-being. If there is a positive side to this pandemic, it is a reminder to us of just how connected and dependent we are on each other and other people around the world. How we behave as individuals effects the whole of humanity. It is this social power that is the driving force behind our success as a species. To place our imagined individual rights above the health and safety of our community is suicidal. Yet that is exactly what these sheriffs have done. The right to rake our lawn, go fishing, or put our boats in the water should not be more important than public safety. This emergency has come upon us very quickly and has called for rapid responses from leaders at all levels, especially in the areas of health services and government. By now it is abundantly clear that we were not fully prepared. Restrictions had to be devised and communicated to the public very quickly. In such an environment, some restrictions were probably not thoroughly thought out with all implications considered or all bases covered. Its not unreasonable for those who have to enforce restrictions to have doubts or objections about them. The proper way to deal with such a situation is to communicate concerns to higher authorities so that policies can be reasonably adjusted or reevaluated. Our sheriffs instead chose to go public with their objections and act in defiance of the Governor’s orders, accusing her of “overstepping her authority.” This kind of open defiance is shameful and should not be forgotten by voters in November when it is time to elect a new county sheriff. In their statement, the sheriffs seem more concerned with getting the economy opened so that businesses can resume making money than with public safety. It is true that the current situation places a great burden on working people and businesses. It is also likely that many more people will die or become seriously ill if we all resume our normal activities too soon. Many experts in science and medicine have warned that the viral pandemic could worsen if we reopen too soon. Finally, you have to wonder why these and other sheriffs around the state have behaved so irresponsibly in ignoring the common good. My own feelings are that they have simply taken a page out of the Republican playbook to politicize a major national health crisis. You know, the page about divide and conquer. Instead of trying to face this crisis with unity and purpose, they are trying to make this a personal rights issue, a position guaranteed to divide us along political lines. Perhaps this is their way of supporting Donald Trump and his eagerness to resume business as usual with a casual disregard for the lives of citizens. What does that say about our national values and the importance of human life? If you believe, as I do, that the health, well-being, and safety of people ought to be our first consideration in response to this pandemic, it should be our duty to communicate our displeasure with this shameful declaration from our sheriff. His e-mail address is: falkk@manisteesheriff.org. Please let him know how you feel. |
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Monthly Meeting
Meetings via Zoom
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: May 21, 2020 06:30 PM
Topic: Manistee Dems May Meeting
Speaker: Christina (Tina) DeMoore, Voter Protection Expert
The presentation will provide an overview of the Michigan voting process, including registration, early/absentee voting options and
voter protection-related issues.
Christina (Tina) DeMoore
Tina is a self-employed attorney/ facilitative mediator in Petoskey. She has been involved with volunteer voter protection efforts in northern Michigan since 2008. Tina was a 2014 Michigan Political Leadership Program Fellow and is currently enrolled in the Public Leadership Credential Program at Harvard University Kennedy School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Honors College at Michigan State University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and her Juris Doctor at Wayne State University.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86736838870
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 867 3683 8870
When: May 21, 2020 06:30 PM
Topic: Manistee Dems May Meeting
Speaker: Christina (Tina) DeMoore, Voter Protection Expert
The presentation will provide an overview of the Michigan voting process, including registration, early/absentee voting options and
voter protection-related issues.
Christina (Tina) DeMoore
Tina is a self-employed attorney/ facilitative mediator in Petoskey. She has been involved with volunteer voter protection efforts in northern Michigan since 2008. Tina was a 2014 Michigan Political Leadership Program Fellow and is currently enrolled in the Public Leadership Credential Program at Harvard University Kennedy School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Honors College at Michigan State University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and her Juris Doctor at Wayne State University.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86736838870
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 867 3683 8870
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