You may be next…
Last Sunday Night
Our Sunday night: Patrick Mahomes hit Travis Kelce with the game winning TD pass. Our family erupted in cheers. Only a moment later, a half dozen hard pounds on our storm door rang out. Opening the front door, but keeping the storm door locked, I was greeted by a police officer.
“We’ve had a complaint, please open the door.”
Unmoving, I replied incredulously, “Seriously, for noise?”
“No, a neighbor complained that you have visitors in your house. I need to come in and look around.”
Adrenaline surging, I managed to say, “Show me a warrant, please. Ya know, 4th amendment rights.”
“I don’t need a warrant, I have probable cause. The complaint ya know, plus you have three vehicles with out of state plates in your driveway. I ran them, two belong to people with your same last name, who live in different cities.”
Meanwhile, my older son walked up behind me and offered, “We have already had Covid. Everyone in this house has over the last few months, and we are all recovered.”
“You need to all get in your vehicles and drive home… now… or risk going to jail!’
My courage rising, “You are enforcing the governor’s Thanksgiving insanity? I don’t lightly go the Nazi route… but this is Gestapo tactics. Unless you want to go all Waco on us, get off my property now.”
And I slammed the front door and dead bolted it.
Oregon…
Ok, yeah, this didn’t really happen… yet.
But versions of this might. Kate Brown, the governor of Oregon, has proclaimed, “I am not asking you I am telling you to stop your social gatherings, your informal social gatherings and your house parties, and to limit your social interactions to six and under not more than one household.”
The new order prohibits indoor and outdoor gatherings of more than six people from two separate households and anyone who violates this order can be charged with a misdemeanor crime. Violators of the order could face up to one month in jail, a $1,250 fine, or both.
And stunningly, she is asking neighbor to turn in neighbor, “This is no different than what happens if there’s a party down the street and it’s keeping everyone awake,” Brown said in the interview Friday. “What do neighbors do [in that case]? They call law enforcement because it’s too noisy. This is just like that. It’s like a violation of a noise ordinance.”
And many other states
Oregon is not an isolated case of governors threatening jail time and fines for having family gatherings for Thanksgiving. You would expect police chiefs to disregard such directives, but New York governor Coumo crazily brands police not enforcing such orders as the problem, “I don’t consider them a law enforcement officer, because you don’t have the right to pick laws that you think that you’ll enforce, and you don’t enforce laws that you don’t agree with. That’s not a law enforcement officer; that’s a dictator.”
So under the theory that most cops are good… but… get ready for the occasional Barney Fife cop to blindly follow a power drunk governor and intrude on a family’s Thanksgiving.
Yes, power drunk may be unfair. Most of these governors face the horrific impact of a second wave. I give them credit for trying their best to protect their citizens. Closing down indoor dining makes science based sense. Requiring masks in enclosed public spaces. Educate, cajole, bully pulpit people to limit social gatherings in their own homes this Thanksgiving… sure.
But when you direct law enforcement to arrest families who gather inside their own home… it is a bridge too far.
Are you gathering for Thanksgiving?
Personally, I would not consider having my family gather here inside for Thanksgiving. My wife and I have been extremely careful since February. Science based careful. We go to the beaches, dog park, etc every single day, mask free. Living here on the shores of Lake Michigan, social distancing has been easy and near risk free. We have frequented outdoor restaurants almost daily this summer. Ventured indoors to eat only during off hours in nearly empty, well ventilated restaurants.
So no, I would not risk having my adult children and their families inside right now. BUT… all four families have been infected and recovered from Covid in the last few months. What about the risk one of them comes here reinfected? Science tells us that only 5 cases of reinfection have been documented world-wide… out of 38 million Covid cases. Sure, their may very well be some undocumented additional cases. But still, the odds of our extended family getting or spreading Covid infection this week are much, much less than being struck by a meteorite, hit by lighting, hit by a tornado, or dying in a flood. Odds I can live with.
Your own odds may vary dramatically. If you are at high risk, I hope you have a safe and socially distant Thanksgiving. Effective vaccines are so very close!