As if living in third world conditions in the US isn’t challenging enough, now the community, culture, and learning of the kids on the Reservation are being threatened…with no end in sight!
Yes, there is currently a pandemic and certain precautions must be taken on and off of the Reservation. Like with every crisis in history, there can be a prolonged overreaction due to widespread panic and the sheer amount of people affected.
As usual, the ones hardest hit are the poor and needy, the elderly, the sick, and the homeless.
At some point, safety will have to yield to people getting back to what is important in their lives.
Currently there is no treatment for Covid and supposed safety and security are a poor substitute for liberty and freedom.
Work, school, athletics, recreation, socializing, community, vacations, traveling without restrictions, and after-school activities are in the conversation to getting back to what matters.
There can be safety issues and some risks with work, sports, recreation activities, vacations, etc. and there always will be. Some of this risk can be mitigated and some of it must be assumed by the individual.
There are real dangers living on the Fort Peck Reservation as well as other reservations. These are poverty, crime, drugs, alcohol, and extreme hopelessness. Few take into consideration the mental and emotional toll this pandemic is having and interfering with the delicate infrastructure will have lasting effects.
You can’t just separate public safety from people’s lives. There are no simple solutions to complex problems. It’s not merely a matter of public safety and not taking everything else into consideration. Public safety and people's lives are like tongue and groove flooring, no beginning and no end. They go hand in hand.
Heart disease, accidents, diabetes, alcohol, and drugs dwarf the current pandemic with a 99% survival rate. These are unwelcome guests on the Reservation that were there before Covid and will be there after Covid.
At what point does a society make its own decisions based on what is good for the people, not for political institutions and companies that profit from other's sickness, etc.?
Following what others are doing is not leading. The conditions on the Reservation are unique to the Reservation.
Good intentions are not enough!
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