I resigned from my position as co-chair of the Lane County chapter of the Pacific Green Party in April of 2020 because a major portion of the Lane County chapter attendees were playing the COVID-19 denial game. It is completely inappropriate to compare death rates for the flu under free range conditions to death rates for COVID-19 under lockdown and try to say that because the numerical values are the same in one study, why worry.
The evidence that we now have has validated my position compared to theirs. A quarter-million deaths is not 0.001 percent of anything, as the COVID-19 deniers would want you to believe. It is almost 0.1 percent of the total USA population of 330 million, where the average percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 is 10 percent. This means that about 1 percent of the people who have COVID-19 will die, including those who were never tested.
Compounding this is that COVID-19 is more contagious than the flu, so more people will get it.
I’m still the best of friends with a few Trump supporters despite my liberal beliefs. However, I refuse to have anything to do with any COVID-19 deniers. They should be shunned like the plague for their complicity in perpetrating a crime against humanity.
John Thielking
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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