I’m not afraid of Lincoln Co. Sheriff Curtis Landers, who warned this week that his deputies are on the prowl for “groups” of people flouting Governor Kate Brown’s lockdown order.
As a member of the press, I am an “essential worker,” impervious to rules that apply to everyone else. I can lift the police tape and go anywhere I want, mix with defiant crowds of protesters and worshippers, or reserve a hotel room (an interesting exemption in the governor’s edict) if I get the urge. My skills are indispensable in this time of crisis, after all.
If I get smothered at the Post Office during a run on stamps or swept up by an unruly mob at the Safeway egg sale (99 cents doz.), I’ll simply raise my press credentials as the police arrive. Just doing my job, officer, now can I have my eggs back?
I’m not afraid of the Wuhan Bat Virus, either. I have a wife who loves disaster movies, and I’ve seen them all in the last few weeks: hair-raising films about earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, tornadoes, climate catastrophe, the Manson Girls and plagues so terrible that you’ll never visit another salad bar. Covid-19? It couldn’t sell a box of popcorn at the Saturday matinee.
As my wife and I sheltered-in-place one evening behind locked doors and a single layer of concertina wire purchased at an “essential” Ace Hardware store, we saw a film that seemed to capture the moment.
In the 1944 Alfred Hitchcock movie, “Lifeboat,” tensions rise among survivors trapped on a crowded dinghy after being torpedoed by a German U-boat in the middle of the ocean. Overwrought by their isolation and likely doom, they launch into hysterical diatribes while undercutting the lifeboat’s skipper, who is trying to save their lives. In the end, as rescue looms, they are left to contemplate their own actions.
As the pandemic peaks and then slowly ebbs, how will you be judged? Did you rat on a neighbor or slice the tire on an out-of-state car? Did you yell profanities at people on the beach from the deck of your oceanfront home? Were you the one who cleared-out the Fritos at Chester’s Thriftway?
Did our local governments and institutions rise to the challenge with furloughs, tax breaks or financial assistance, or were they the useless salary mills that we’ve long suspected?
Only one thing is certain. As I drive the lonely streets with my camera, notebook and boogie board, I know who I am.
I am essential.
We know who you are, “white supremacist”! Especially since you have exposed your irresponsible low self for everybody to see. Funny you don’t remind me of a writer but instead an instigator! “Wuhan Bat Virus” Do you ever think for yourself or just repeat other right-wingers! You know what it’s called, your just being an “instigator”. Your opinion pieces remind me of the continuation of right-wing ranting in the comment section of the Oregonian a decade or two ago!
Trump himself said his decision about easing restrictions “is going to be done in conjunction with governors.”
How will you be judged? One thing is certain. As I sequester in my home like the majority, I know who you are . . .
I talked with an ex-reporter who said the Press can even use a cellphone while driving. Gotta get me a press job.
Yo, Lincoln City Homepage..
Three Covid 19 deaths and 46 new cases in Oregon and you have some moron writing “amusing” commentary???!!
Did this idiot even read your own article about the deaths and new cases in Oregon?
I’ll be sure to forward this piece of enlightened “journalism” to the families of the poor souls who died gasping for air.
You ought to be ashamed.
Beasley is a joke and has been trying to spread racist propaganda in Lincoln County for two decades, starting with his own failed venture as a tabloid publisher. I really think, Mr. Warner, that you need to terminate any connections with this guy before you completely destroy your credibility with the community. Allowing publication of garbage like this “Wuhan bat virus” nonsense in the first place has already started Homepage down that path. Wise up.
Joe, we allow all opinions on the Homepage, but hateful speech has no place here. Be respectful, or take it elsewhere. P.S. See
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/03/11/sars-cov-2-chinese-coronavirus-isnt-racist-wuhan-covid-19-column/5020771002/
But most of what Joe said is true, Beasley said it himself in the News Guard.
https://www.thenewsguard.com/news/story-results-in-war-of-words/article_3d9d7fb6-b7dc-11e0-84d3-001cc4c002e0.html
The comment at the bottom of page is intresting.
To Help us, What article were you reading? I missed the white supremacist part of his post. I am thinking the snitch/toilet paper hoarder part might have struck a nerve. I have to be honest with you, I am flouter. Last week I coughed into my hand and did not practice proper social distancing.
By now, if you’ve been watching TV at all, you are probably familiar with Dr. Fauci and his views. He is an expert. But he is one man. There are other people with other views. I thought this interview was interesting. Meet Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. Hear what she says, and decide for yourself what you think. https://beforeitsnews.com/health/2020/05/dr-tenpenny-this-is-the-biggest-scam-ever-perpetrated-on-the-human-race-3022120.html