As the Speak Out person who wrote on “hinder versus help” regarding the coronavirus, my point of view may be different from this generation. I was an 8 year old at the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s. This was followed by World War II. I had three brothers serving our country in three different wars and all came back without one complaint of the time they served.

When I saw the coverage of the protestors rallying around our Capitol in Lansing, I was angry to see this happening in our country. I am not against a peaceful demonstration but this was far from it. To see armed men with assault weapons; signs of “Heil Whitmore!”; “Lock Her Up”; “I Won’t Comply”; and the Nazi swastika flag — I thought it was disgraceful and a bullish-type rally that incites anger and divides our country.

I think more energy could be aimed at our common enemy, which is the virus that has no limits on numbers it affects. The pandemic of 1918 is an example of moving forward too quickly, which brought them back to square one. This could be a lesson learned. I’m in favor of Governor Whitmore’s approach to dealing with this crisis. She is putting people’s lives first and still finding ways to open the economy at a pace that ensures the workers a safe place to work. It stands to reason that the U.P. is not as greatly affected as the larger cities, but I’d like to think our numbers of cases are lower here because our people are abiding by the rules. Wear a mask when necessary and stay safe.