Nelson Otto
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
About two weeks ago I saw reports of protests and riots in southern Italy. Since we are about two weeks behind what happens in Italy I made the comment on Facebook to prepare because it would be here in the USA in a couple of weeks. People scoffed and some were angry that I would suggest such a thing. A few days ago a call went out on the internet to hold "open the USA back up" protests from 2-5 p.m. Easter Sunday. I didn't hear any reports of protests happening on Easter but I did see today where protesters in Ohio, during their governor's press conference, demanded Gov. Mike DeWine's resignation and demands to open the state back up for normal business. They banged on the doors of the building, shouting to be heard. What shocked me was that many of the protesters were older people, who had the greatest to lose from the virus. Government officials forget who the American people are. We are brave, strong, intelligent and independent. They can only hold these restrictions in place so long before the spirit of freedom flares up and they are reminded that they work for the us. In many states governors and mayors have decided "this is a great opportunity to grab power" and take away the First Amendment rights of the people. They have banned the right of the people to peaceably assemble, they have prohibited the free exercise of our religion, to the point of ticketing people who attend drive up church services and issuing mandates that they would take down church-goers' license plate numbers and force them in to a 14-day quarantine. People arrested for playing golf, others for playing catch with their children in a park and one for being in a kayak by himself on the ocean.
Governors should heed a quote from a movie, I will paraphrase: "The more you tighten your grip, governor, the more people will slip through your fingers." People are tired, people are getting fed up with the constant vagaries on what criteria is needed to open the economy back up. The longer the game of being evasive and continually moving target dates the more distrust, unrest, protests and civil disobedience will occur. Give us clear, realistic, achievable goals and people will be happy to comply.