False, Reckless, Dangerous
The irresponsibility of Rep. Diane Grendell is beyond astounding. To claim the Amish don’t have the COVID virus anymore, as she did at the hearing regarding the ill-advised H.B. 90, is false, reckless and dangerous.
Grendell has long made claims without facts to back them up, but in this case, her lies will cause harm to the very people she was elected to represent. And, her apparent endorsement of the Amish people’s refusal to wear masks because “they believe in God” is equally reprehensible. I believe in God, as do many, many people who are taking the necessary precautions against the virus.
And I believe God gave us the brains to understand, treat and prevent disease. He gave us the ability to help ourselves, and we can do this by following the recommendations of the vast majority of scientists and the medical community.
Shame on you Diane. You ought to know better; you once were a nurse. Perhaps it’s a good thing that you aren’t any longer.
Rosemary Macedonio
Chester Township
Misguided Sense of Liberty
I am writing in response to your lead story about Rep. Diane Grendell’s comments at a hearing on limiting the governor’s and public health director’s authority during this pandemic.
As a qualification, I have over 35 years of experience in infectious disease research. In addition, I have taught the history of epidemics and how they shaped human history for many years.
Rep. Grendell is once again spouting false, misleading and dangerous information about COVID-19. In addition, her comments in the legislative hearing are quite insensitive to the suffering of families, Amish and others, who have had a loved one die during this pandemic.
Rep. Grendell does not appear to understand the concept of herd immunity. Nor does she have any actual information about the incidence of COVID-19 in the Amish community. If there were herd immunity among the Amish, there would be few, if any, new COVID-19 infections in that population. The same article quotes the Geauga County Department of Public Health and UH Geauga Medical Center as saying they still have numerous Amish coming in infected with COVID-19.
Rep. Grendell’s support of the bill stripping the governor’s office of its ability to respond to public health emergencies is incredibly dangerous. The governor’s office and the Ohio Department of Public Health are in a position to access the facts about this pandemic and respond immediately to any public health crisis. The legislature is not.
The representative frames her opposition in the usual terms, as an infringement of freedom. If that is so, why does she not support doing away with traffic lights and stop signs or those pesky seatbelts and the state insurance and license requirements?
The history of response to epidemics and pandemics is unequivocal. Wear a mask and reduce interaction between people. That is what works. That we now have vaccines does not alter these precautions. Not everyone has been vaccinated yet, and apparently a large number of people won’t get vaccinated. This means that mask wearing and social distancing will be with us indefinitely.
Rep. Grendell and her colleagues need to follow the science, not their misguided sense of personal liberty.
Michael E. Maguire, Ph.D.
Chester Township
GOP Interested in Own Agenda
Not a single Republican in Congress voted for the “American Rescue Plan,” even though it will help local schools reopen with pandemic protections in place, provides needed support to small businesses and pays for faster distribution of COVID vaccine.
Conversely, every single Democrat in Congress voted for the $1.8 trillion COVID “Cares Act” passed last year during the Trump administration.
It’s no wonder traditional Republican voters are beginning to understand that the Republican Party and their officeholders are interested in their own agendas and not the welfare of the American people.
Terry Carson
Bainbridge Township
