Opinion

Political theater amid a pandemic

What would readers guess goes on behind the locked-down Oregon capitol these days?  

Well, some surmise that there could be legislators wandering the silenced halls in search of doors not locked so Proud Boys, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists can enter when needed. Others may seek solace by engaging in muted chats with the wall-hung paintings of long-departed governors. Meanwhile, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown, a record of her posturing suggests, just could be active in her search of obituaries among the state’s 65-years-and-older crowd, anticipating huge numbers of them by her decision to deny them COVID-19 protection until her personal favorites are served. This gubernatorial action came about in defiance of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommended seniors before them due to staggeringly higher morbidity rates among the older folks. Such is political theatre in the state of Oregon during our death-wielding pandemic.

Gene H. McIntyre

Keizer