Rapid City Council President Laura Armstrong supports Caring Businesses of Rapid City, a Facebook page created to help shoppers find and support businesses that protect their workers and customers by requiring masks. In response, members of Rapid City’s radical fringe are cooking up a complaint to remove her from office:
Dozens of Rapid City residents and business owners filed complaints Monday against Rapid City Council President Laura Armstrong to the city attorney’s office.
Some of the complaints stem from social media posts and pages that opponents of a recent mask mandate proposal call a “naughty list.”
Tonchi Weaver, who brought almost 100 complaints to the city attorney’s office, said charges made against Armstrong range from her “condescension and attitude” toward those speaking before the city council against the mask mandate to “abuse of office, illegal activity and cyber bullying” related to her posts on social media sites [Kent Bush, “Group Wants City Council to Remove Council President for Facebook Post Regarding Masks,” Rapid City Journal, 2020.12.21].
Horsehockey. Pointing out businesses that follow good public health practices and those that don’t isn’t cyberbullying; it’s good science, good policy, and good neighborliness.
Councilwoman Armstrong says the complaint is a misinformation campaign:
“I am aware of the complaints that were filed, those, in conjunction with the letters to the editor that were submitted, are grossly misstating the facts surrounding this Facebook page,” she said. “The Caring Businesses of Rapid City Facebook page was created to promote local businesses that follow CDC guidelines and enforce masks to protect our most vulnerable members of our community. It’s unfortunate this public service was misconstrued and is being manipulated into a misinformation campaign” [Bush, 2020.12.21].
Let’s stop screaming about masks—all that screaming just spreads more droplets. If you want your “liberty” to not wear a mask, well, Kristi Noem has left you that, but please don’t expect the rest of the community to sit idly and silently by while you recklessly endanger the lives of your neighbors with your lazy selfishness. If people see you’re not requiring masks in your business and choose not to put themselves at risk, and if they warn their neighbors about the coronavirus risk you’re creating, don’t blame the messengers who spread the wise warning; blame yourself for not respecting your customers.
Tonchi wriggles onward with a 100% record of being a worm.
Jeez how many times do I have to type this? No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service. Its the American way fast city, you can’t continue to be anti-American slugs forever. Tonchi sure is a touchy one isn’t she?
A facebook page identifying businesses that do things customers don’t like so individuals can choose whether or not to patronize those businesses is literally the free market at work.
Via the AP:
“This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.
Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019.
U.S. deaths increase most years, so some annual rise in fatalities is expected. But the 2020 numbers amount to a jump of about 15%, and could go higher once all the deaths from this month are counted.”
https://apnews.com/article/us-coronavirus-deaths-top-3-million-e2bc856b6ec45563b84ee2e87ae8d5e7
Ditca, think about it.
Thats pretty much how the Michigan assault rifle takeover occurred.
The Michigan assault rifle takeover almost occurred because a bunch of neckbeards bought into conspiracy theories and decided to take illegal actions as a result. The sharing of information regarding local businesses is fine so long as it isn’t being used to coordinate criminal acts. That isn’t happening here.
Agreed, Dicta! One would think true conservatives would celebrate the sharing of information in the marketplace about the quality of service businesses are offering. It seems Trumpservatives are slipping into arguing that businesses deserve special protection from market forces, that their failure to adapt to changing economic conditions and consumer needs warrants special favors to sustain their profit margins.
Nope, that can’t be it. Consumers reporting on businesses so others can adjust their purchasing behavior on market information is harassment. Science.
The complaint tries to equate the exercise of free speech on Face Book with malfeasance in office. I would like to see this go before a court.
The fundamental issue–or at least the strawman argument—was why a city councilperson was setting up a group advocating some city businesses over others.
As far as I’m concerned, businesses hurt themselves by driving away customers which latter expect their health not be compromised in the case anti-maskers are everywhere within the respective establishments. These businesses would likely have more business if they required masks. IMHO these businesses are effectively undercutting their own business.
In other words, these businesses were themselves seeking to cater to a select group of anti-mask customers while driving away others.
But blame councilwoman Laura Armstrong for doing exactly what these businesses themselves were doing, ie., looking out for a select group of customers who, in Laura’s case, care about their own health and that of others by wearing a mask.
Armstrong was instrumental in closing Rapid City businesses back in March, and if she had her way they’d still be closed, if not bankrupt. She deserves every bit of this.
Meanwhile, new cases continue to decrease quite dramatically, along with hospitalizations, even before widespread use of the vaccine, and without a statewide mask mandate. Looks like SD played it right.
Neal—-Blaming one councilperson is foolish. Businesses were closed in March by authority duly exercised and by majority vote of the city council.
True that websites such as below reflect that we’ve seen a precipitous drop in SD cases since 15 November.
I doubt that people suddenly started to mask up or isolate or both in mid-November and that the drop in our case counts was due to those factors.
In other words, what confidence do we have/not have that this precipitous drop in case counts was because even fewer tests started being performed? We know we are definitely undertested in comparison to other states: ~40% of South Dakotans have been tested for COVID compared with ~86% of Minnesotans, for example.
SD did change how they report deaths in mid-December, differentiating between people who died with COVID-19, versus death by COVID-19, although physicians who sign death certificates will more than likely tell you that, other than in trauma deaths, there are always underlying health conditions for any death.
Just how accurate is the information we are getting here in South Dakota regarding these case counts? It’s a fair question and one that requires an answer.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/south-dakota-coronavirus-cases.html
Somebody better do something quick, if these numbers are close to being accurate for today’s body count. Day started off at 326,668 deaths…
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
18,671,860
Deaths:
330,563
Monday’s total was 1963 deaths.
The mistake is to assume these are conservatives. Torchi and Flo are by no means conservatives, they are really nut cases. The republican party would do well to jettison these fools and form a brand new party…the sooner the better. The beer and board dude is another piece of work. Death shouldn’t be in the way for his blood profits. Ms. Armstrong is clearly someone who could actually lead this state and do us all proud.
The city of Rapid City, should put their city attorney on them and file suit for frivolity by wasting taxpayer resources.
Tonchi has long been the leader of the CAVE people (Citizens Against Virtually Everything)
Neal you are entitled to express your opinion but without mass testing we really don’t know if cases are down…My theory is that the recent big spike in new confirmed cases and hospitalizations and deaths here in South Dakota (and the grimm deadly daily statictics in California) scared the bejesus out of MANY of us and so we changed our behavor. Now 1-2 weeks later we see fewer of positive, hospitalation and death. OK no chance of a mask mandate here in western South Dakota…. we be just too stupid and stubborn to listed to SCIENCE……but anybody with a brain can see a MASK UP campaign from our GOvernor, US Senators and Reps.(PS…THANK you Dusty you do the right thing) would help stamp down this panademic. Instead we have a POTUS and parrot Governor who expouse mask doubting and spread mis-information. Kristi if you don’t want to believe SCIENCE please keep your mouth shut so Coronavirus germs don’t kill any more elderly residents.
Neal, what are the legal grounds for demanding the expulsion of a council member who takes policy actions you don’t like? What are the legal grounds for expelling a council member for exercising her First Amendment rights outside of council?
The best thing for business is to control the virus. Other nations have been able to do this, and have had businesses open with small upticks that are quickly stamped out. The US failed repeatedly, and the result was massive infection that was impossible to control.. Testing was insufficient. Mask use was not mandated. Technology was not used to aid citizens. It was a cluster**** led by incompetent anti-science leaders at national, state and local levels.
I have friends living in Rapid City. I thank Ms. Armstrong for stepping up and providing leadership when there are so many cowards and nutcases standing in the way of common sense.
3239 bodies were counted yesterday. drumpf/noem body count for today…
Last updated: December 24, 2020, 00:29 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
18,907,430
Deaths:
334,079
Today’s count started at 330,563. Approx 3500 bodies for today.
Recall just what a scapegoat is, namely, a person who is blamed for the faults of others. In this case the ‘others’ are businesses that find themselves in a double-bind. If they or city government —-for it makes little difference —require masks of their customers, they fear they will lose business. If they don’t require masks, the health-consciousness will avoid them with the same result, namely, those businesses will lose business. The solution? Designate a scapegoat to blame for the sins of business, the sin not being trying to keep business alive, but being doing so at the very expense of human life. In the case under discussion, this scapegoat has become Laura Armstrong. Innocent on all counts and at the same time doing something positive to elevate the health and well-being of the community in this time of a deadly pandemic.
10,780 confirmed covid in Pennington County. Tonchi and Florence are a disgrace to Pennington County and should just sit down and shut the hell up. Take that beer dude with ya in the sit down corner. Laura Armstrong stands for the health of the rest of us and actually should be elevated for her insight. These bozo heads that signed and sent the letter should move to Mar-a-Lago pronto.
drumpf/noem body count for today…
Last updated: December 25, 2020, 00:50 GMT
United States
Coronavirus Cases:
19,093,638
Deaths:
336,863
Blew right past 19 million cases today.
Listening this morning to NPR on SDPB it is becoming clear that RC businesses that want your money regardless of the pandemic are doing the same thing that racists who didn’t want to rename Hin Han Kaga Paha—Black Elk Peak, rather than after the 1855 trespass and massacre of Little Thunder’s village of Miniconju or Brule’ with several Oglala tipis gathered on Blue Water creek down by what is now Lewellyn NE, by some thousand federal troops. The peak is one of several Indian sacred places in SD and WY. Pretty typical behavior by boisterous naysayers, most often of the local Republican variety. Rub your nose in their vitriol. Using phone/text/Face Book lists repeating false and hateful (“Hin Han sounds like Owl’s Screwing”—wrote well known Black Hills Rittenberger rancher) tantrums ad nauseum, and their bold organized bullying became official State policy under Daugaard’s administration and cabinet.
In a word—“bullies” taught to turn every contestable fact and message on its head from constant toxic exposure to Fox news and Duhamel’s (and now Grey Media) KOTA radio’s example, constantly bombarding of the airwaves from Kadoka to RC to Gillette with radical, right wing, obnoxious lying—Rush Limbaugh followed by Sean Hannity, followed by all the rest (Levin, Drudge, you name it, even the local anchors). Why? Toxic capitalism.
Face Book is something I don’t use. Never really have. Why willfully sign up for an advertising feed? An alderman did briefly mention on the phone, with concern, the backlash at the recent city council meeting.
Council President Armstrong’s FB action has stirred the hornets nest of mask hate that Kristi created for the entire state on behalf of her benefactor, our idiotic right wing President. There are council members with much greater, broader experience that perhaps could lead the council with less naivete, perhaps. Armstrong however likely deserves the praise received here. The fact that the Republican party has largely, and historically, packed RC and Pennington County governments, is part of the problem.
Another part is the reach of FB which is renowned to push toxic storylines. Politics has been a dirty business since 1776 in this country. Earlier even. Thick skin is always better.
Guns however, are the danger behind the hate and rage rising around the pandemic. Southern California family members express real fear in their own neighborhoods and businesses. Some communities show *no* awareness of the statewide pandemic lockdown. In other words, Right Wing contempt of the Kevin McCarthey, Mitch McConnell and John Thune contempt since last January.
In fact I believe I just read a brand new McConnell quote vowing to obstruct every action Biden will propose to lift the nation out of the pandemic’s slaughter. If leaders fail to lead, as the right has failed since Trump was elected, Tonchie Weavers of the world will have their field day.
At least Noem isn’t openly dog whistling AR 15 bearing red neck militias anymore. But businesses like local Black Arms assault rifle customizers certainly do.
… a variety of gun rights and anti-abortion groups, including Minnesota Gun Rights, Missouri Firearms Coalition, Ohio Pro Life League …. Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine, … seized on a variety of states’ stay-at-home orders, using Facebook to urge citizens to share information about their lockdowns and gather in protest.
https://www.newsweek.com/facebook-quarantine-protest-groups-dorr-brothers-coronavirus-covid19-social-media-campaign-1499154