Up North Progressive

Up North Progressive loves reader comments, even the critical ones. From Gary Glenn complaining about the cropped image of him used with an article with a famous person, to former employees of convicted felon Dr. Steve Ingersoll sharing their experiences working in his for-profit charter schools.

Sometimes reader comments are too good to be left in the comment section and deserve their own spot on the front page.

Up North Progressive published an article about Friske Orchard Farms and Farm Market and their lawsuit against Governor Whitmer on August 13, 2020. The family business refuses to follow state-mandated guidelines regarding wearing face-covering in their store. The contempt this business had for the Governor’s executive order was so great they printed a leaflet for their customers and used false information to justify it.

A reader named TomQ replied to Up North Progressive on August 24, 2020:

This is a red herring argument. Are we all responsible for what our great grandpa has done? If so; then we have not learned from our past? How does a dead person who repented Germany and became a success in USA deserve this slanted opinion? Republicans are not Nazi! Republicans actually freed the slaves! Opinion doesn’t equal fact. Bet the Friske’s pay more in taxes than the writer of this blog. Friske’s are just about stopping the Government overreach. How come there are no authors listed on this blog? Who are the writers hiding from? Every writer owns their message and how come you don’t? Hiding from fear?

TomQ then calls Up North Progressive a bully.

I had to register to leave my opinion on your site and no name of the person writing. Would love to be able to blatantly write my opinion without financial loss. This blog is just a bully. Why do you bully!

Nobody likes to be called a Nazi. There’s even a term to describe calling someone who is not a nazi a nazi – Godwin’s Law. The law states anyone who resorts to calling someone a nazi in an argument has already lost the argument.

Now let’s take a look at some examples of calling someone who is not a nazi a nazi.

Governor Whitmer works hard trying to keep the citizens of Michigan safe.

Despite this fact, selfish, stupid people slightly inconvenienced with social distancing and mask-wearing decided to call the Governor Hitler.

And even put Hitler’s mustache on her face.

So it’s OK to call the Governor Hitler and a nazi when she clearly is not is fine with her detractors.

But mentioning the historical fact that Richard Friske served in the Luftwaffe under Adolf Hitler is not.

It’s sad that TomQ and every other person angry at Governor Whitmer thinks wearing a mask to stop the spread of COVID is the same as forcing Jewish people to wear a six pointed star every time they went out in public in Germany and the parts of Europe Germany occupied. Wearing a mask doesn’t restrict where you can go. It doesn’t prohibit you from shopping in certain stores, attending certain schools or other institutions. Wearing a mask doesn’t strip you of your citizenship, or force you to live in segregated ghettos. In fact, equating wearing a mask to the holocaust is extremely insensitive to the people who actually lived through it.

Governor Whitmer isn’t the only governor called Hitler. Selfish bullies all over the United States call their governors nazis too because they require people to wear a mask in public.

The real irony of all of this is that Friske’s Farm Market was listed by the state of Michigan an exposure site for COVID-19 on August 13, 2020. That means TomQ knew that when they replied to Up North Progressive on August 24, 2020.

The article published to this blog on August 13, 2020, was not a red herring. Do you know what is a red herring? The leaflet Friske Farm Market passed out to customers justifying why they won’t wear masks or require customers to wear them either. Some examples include:

• All EO’s after 28 days do not hold the force of law. This is why the Governor issues new ones.
• Masks can’t stop COVID-19 because the virus is too small. Masks stop the vehicles that carry the virus – saliva and mucus.
• People in certain work environments, medical history, age, genetics (???), and other factors shouldn’t wear masks. That is a list of everyone who needs to wear a mask. No clue what Friske Farm Market means by genetics.
• There is also scientific evidence non-symptomatic people cannot spread the virus. The OPPOSITE is true! Children are the largest non-symptomatic age group, and also the largest group that spread the virus to others.
• Wearing a mask increases the risk of recirculating carbon dioxide and germs. No.

With Friske Farm Market outright lying to customers about the risks of not wearing a mask listed with the state as an exposure site now, it’s good they respect people’s rights to not shop at their store, something Up North Progressive emphatically recommends keeping the public safe.