As bad as a drunk driver

There was a Texas woman who insisted that the pandemic is not real, but "media driven, and controlled by the radical people in powerful places." She posted that anyone who didn't agree with her should, "go back to sleep under the rock you crawled out from."

Today she is dead. From the very virus she mocked.

It's sad that she died. She left two young sons.

But this is important: her Facebook post appeared on 3/14 and she died on 4/2. Two weeks. That means she'd already been exposed to Covid-19 when she wrote it.

Every time she left her house armed only with her faith "and, of course guns!" instead of hand sanitizer, she put people at risk. The people in line in front of her at the drug store. The congregants in the pew next to her. The health care workers who fought to save her life. Her sons! In that way, she was just like a drunk driver. Anyone who has been over-served and gets behind the wheel puts not only their own lives at risk, but also everyone they encounter on the road.

I'm glad to be one of the "idiots" this poor woman derided. I'm grateful that I've listened to our elected leaders and taken precautions to save my own life. I appreciate that my Christian faith encourages me to treat others -- and their health -- with respect.

I believe that saying: "Science is an answer to our prayers." I also believe that we're all in this together. And that it's my government's responsibility to do for me what I can't do for myself. I thank God that (so far) I'm healthy, and that I was wise enough to choose to be an "idiot."

Perhaps her sad story will be a wake up call and will save lives.