You're Not Alone

 By Matthew Hayward

Every day my inbox is flooded with emails about businesses forced to close and the "lockdowns in general."

Individuals, families, and small business owners are suffering.  They are rightly angry and don't want to take it anymore.

You are not alone. While not everyone expresses their frustration with the ongoing COVID lockdown at the top of their lungs, they are all around us.

There is a lot of power in isolating people and making them feel alone. But you are not alone, and when you see or learn about a business standing against the tide, show your support and let them know that they are not alone.

Take the time to send them an email, give them your business, or consider acting in solidarity.

Here is one of many emails I regularly receive:

"My name is XXXXXXXXX; I am a stay-at-home mother of two young children, and we currently live in what feels like the extreme liberal progressive microclimate known as XXXXXXXXX (we moved here in XXXXX of this year for the access to good organic, sustainably grown food, we had no idea of the political climate at the time, but then this whole thing started and we were hit with a hard reality about our community).

At any rate, as we head into another forced lockdown with even more ridiculous "measures," I'm just wondering what I can do. I feel like there are groups of people who feel the same as me (surely I can't be alone!), but it has been very difficult finding anyone (I've basically given up on locating like-minded people in my area), let alone trying to figure out what I can do to help stop the tyranny.

I suggested to my husband that we host a large Thanksgiving dinner on Jay Inslee's lawn, but he frowned upon the idea. Are there organizations you know of where I can meet others who refuse these mask/social distancing/limited-contact mandates? I know they are not laws, and basically what keeps this whole thing operating is simply the compliance of the people; I wake up most mornings wondering why I do not hear about the resistance...is there one??

Thanks in advance for any support or advice you have. I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX"

Thank you for your letter. You are most certainly not alone. The Freedom Foundation stands with you, and so do tens of thousands of like-minded citizens in Washington state.

Consider this: Most upset people are not overly vocal and have not attended protests against the lockdowns numbering in the thousands. Most do not reach out to the Freedom Foundation or consider being part of our litigation challenging the governor’s draconian lockdown mandates.

Most business owners fear speaking out publicly, believing it will put a target on their backs

For every person willing to be part of lawsuits, thousands of Washingtonians feel the same way.

For every person willing to go on video and share their frustration and story, tens of thousands of people feel the same way.

For every person willing to attend a protest/rally, thousands of people feel the same way.

Please stay healthy, be safe and respectful but do not shrink from standing up for your rights and know you are not alone.