Rant #2 Sturgis

Last Sunday morning, as was my usual weekly ritual that being reading cover to cover the Winnipeg Free Press, I came across an article about Sturgis South Dakota. Apparently 700,000 bikers were descending on this small town for a week of shenanigans with no requirement of masks or vaccinations in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and it seemed like everyone was okay with this behaviour. I renamed the title of the article to "Who Gives A Damn About Others, It's Only About Me!"

I never realized until this pandemic just how self-centred people are. I want to say Americans, although I do believe they might win gold in this category, but I can't because there are many examples of where Canadians are proving to be just as self centred. Experts are predicting this gathering of 700,000 will definitely be the Super-Spreader of the pandemic. And why you ask are they all going to this one location despite all of the scientific information against such gatherings, the deaths and illness that will be the result, that people will lose their jobs and their homes because of the continued fall of the economy--"just because I want to, it's fun, and you can stop me because it's my right!"--would be there answer.

By their behaviour are they saying, "To hell with the other people if I spread this virus and people die too bad, I just want to go to the rally and drink and pretend that COVID is a hoax (I read it on the Internet). However, it's not just the Sturgis people, all over North America people are demanding we go back to normal even if it kills them/others.

Here's a thought, we keep looking to the same activities to escape our miserable boring lives (okay, too strong, let's restate that to-- looking to the same activities to escape our usual way of getting relief from the sameness of our lives) even if people die as a result of those choices. In the middle of a worldwide pandemic can we not find or create a different way to cope with our lives and still be safe? Yes I know life has been on hold, it's boring and stressful but people die when we go back to soon to our old way of life. Surely we can make some short term sacrifices, you know the drill- wash hands, wear a mask, get vaccinated, stay out of large gatherings particularly if there is no mandate for masks and vaccination and find some safer activities to break up the boredom.

I guess you could say I am disappointed in some of the decisions my fellow human beings are making and I am definitely angry with self-serving politicians who make health decisions based on what they think will get them elected.

Reader Response-From Rant #1-- Aug. 16/21

I agree with you 100%, Dan!!!  And also for them to say that you need the vaccination card to get into football games but you don't need it to get into the grocery stores is pathetic. People like me, if you didn't need one to get into the football games just wouldn't go to football games. But we all have to get groceries and they're mixing vaccinated with non- vaccinated people in grocery stores when we can't avoid those. So they're protecting the people going to football games and making it a free-for-all for people who are trying to get groceries. And opening up the US border was just beyond ludicrous. For Canadians not to get into the United States but the Americans to be able to come into Canada makes no sense whatsoever when the United States is having problems with COVID and all the work we did to try to keep them out is now shot if they somehow produce bogus cards to get in.
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Totally agree! This is big mistake as the Gov./Pallister and his team members don't know what they are doing. I see stupid people. We still will be wearing our masks for indoor shopping and still will not go to any gym.
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I couldn't have even thought it more or even as clearly as you've stated it here.
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Thank you, thank you, and bless you for standing up for what you believe.
I'm with you and I pray many more will use the gift of a sound mind that has been gifted to all, but is lost from lack of use. We either use it and grow toward our full potential; or we lose it and suffer the consequences!
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Some times the "RIGHT" decision is absolutely NOT be a political one. The Political decision is often a selfish one made by the politician who wants to stay in office.
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We fully agree with your rant. The fools who run our province are more interested in personal political gain than the people they are elected to serve.
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Totally agree Dan! For the sake of a little choice and competition on the ballot against the Cocker Spaniel, can we add perhaps a Siamese cat to the voting ballot as well??
FYI: due to the Pallister govt, both my husband and myself working in healthcare- he was ever so kind to put anyone in getting wage increases over the past going on 6 years. After 5 years we received.075% wage increase. Not even .10cents an hour! It was an insult, not a wage increase. However he could boast about balancing the budget!  Yet we were all the same people he was so grateful and appreciative that we all continued and still continue to go to work every day with very strained and stretched far too thin staffing trying our best to keep everyone healthy and safe. Oh the fun continues!
Stay healthy and safe my friend!