In response to the letter “Thank you,” published April 9
The next time someone like Mr. Kraft whines at me for leaving my house and not “sheltering (sheltering!) in place,” I’m going to pull out a copy of my permission slip… the Bill of Rights. James Madison did not stand before the Continental Congress and declare, “I present you with the greatest governing document in history, but just remember, none of this stuff matters if there is a virus.” Mr. Kraft—the same Mr. Kraft who on March 30 wrote to The Times, “The inability of many to follow this simple advice and protect their neighbors means the only way we will solve the pandemic is to institute martial law”—should mind his own business. If he is scared of getting sick, then he should by all means “shelter” on his multi-million-dollar piece of Malibu real estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean. But I won’t. I will work, I will exercise, I will socialize and I will surf. This is the United States of America, where Ben Franklin once righteously declared, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Marty Matheson