Never let a crisis go to waste.
-- First attributed to Winston Churchill, later popularized by Rahm Emanuel
Tragedy recently struck the small community where I grew up and still live. A well-loved school employee, an instructional aide who had long been a volunteer in the school system, died while suffering from the Chinese virus.
I did not know the young lady -- something that's happening with increasing and surprising frequency in my town of 1,000 and county of 7,000 that's always been a tight-knit place where everybody knows everybody else (and everyone else's business) -- but a whole lot of people did. The outpouring of love for her and sympathy for her family was astounding when her death was announced by the local school district and word spread. Her passing was the lead story in both local newspapers.
It probably should come as a shock to no one that her family had not even had time to process their loss and make funeral arrangements until the usual suspects on the left had taken to social media (mostly Twitter) to politicize her death. Scant hours after her death was announced, they were using the tragedy to push an agenda and try to cast blame for her death on those who don't share their beliefs.
In the days that followed, politicians jumped on that train. There's no need to publicly identify them here, as their names are readily apparent to Kentuckians, but their statements and social media posts are a matter of public record.
A family's privacy is always something that should be respected, and it's likely the family gave the school system permission to announce their loved one's death, but there were lots of unreported facts surrounding her illness and death. Was she vaccinated? Did she have any pre-existing conditions (formally known as "comorbidities") that may have been enhanced by the virus? Did she die of the virus or did she die with the virus? (They are two separate and distinct things.) And finally, would she have approved of her death being used to further an agenda? Was she in agreement with those who hitched their advocacy to her passing, or did she oppose what they believe? Would she want her death used in that manner, or would she be appalled at the thoughts of it?
(It should be noted that on the day this is written, a 15-year-old Kentucky student's death was announced, and those same loud liberal voices on Twitter started before lunch trying to blame the other side for the kid's death. One has to wonder how that child's family feels about that happening so quickly).
No question, the pandemic has been politicized, but far more of that has occurred on one side. With every surge in cases and with every death, there are calls for more restrictions on individuals and businesses, for closures and cancellations, and for mandatory vaccinations. It's been disgusting to watch, but it's even more painful when it hits close to home.
Our community could certainly continue to use prayers, not only for the loss suffered by this family and by those who knew and loved her, but for other well-liked people who are ill. What we don't need is out-of-towners who probably couldn't find us on a map using our grief for political purposes.
