July 1, 2020 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Wednesday, July 1, 2020 ‘Athlete A’ a lesson in courage, Opinion Page “ElkCituNews the importance of women in power Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 and journalism’s critical role States don’t need By Tyler Palmateer, The wasn’t even 18 years old yet. gedly pursued the case. newspapers being dropped They explain the reason- off at mailboxes and printed new lockdowns to Norman Transcript Nichols is still just 22. She It seems impossible that was an OU sophomore when ing behind their request that in bulk is an eerie and im- one could revisit Maggie she published the 2018 letter more than 100 women give portant detail “Athlete A” cut COVID spread Nichols’ decision and not feel inspired. saying she had been “Ath- lete A” all along -- the first impact statements during Nassar’s sentencing, where directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk included. It’s no Speak with her mother, to report Nassar’s abuse to he could hear them. Judge accident. Papers across the By Max Nisen, Bloomberg Opinion Gina, and you will feel her USA Gymnastics. Rosemarie Aquilina paved nation are being printed less Whether you call it a second wave or, more accurately, anger. Nassar is disgraced and the path for them to do that, frequently by the year. They the easily foreseeable continuation of a pandemic, CO- Speak with both of them imprisoned now. USA Gym- and slammed the gavel on have fewer bylines in them. VID-19 is still spreading unchecked in several American and you will come away nastics fell into bankruptcy Nassar’s fate. This downsizing only serves states. with a better understanding and its former CEO, Steve Women of power were organizations like USA Florida, Arizona, Texas and other states are reporting Penny, is awaiting trial for of what University of Okla- critical in deconstructing Gymnastics, which hope to record numbers of new cases. And many are neglecting to homa gymnastics meant to tampering with evidence re- USA Gymnastics, a corrupt operate in the weeds without take steps that could prevent outbreaks from expanding Nichols in the wake of the lated to the Nassar case. body that was operating to consequence. into possibly unmanageable surges in COVID-19 cases USA Gymnastics sexual as- Maggie Nichols was keep women pinned down. Early in its investigation, and deaths. sault scandal. robbed, but then she roared, USA Gymnastics should The Star earnestly bought State leaders understandably resist the notion of issuing OU was a haven, a soft and gave the world so much have been the good side. Kwiatkowski a plane ticket new stay-at-home orders, which would be painful, un- landing place, and part of more than gold medals. They weren't. They were the to Georgia to retrieve public popular and at this point difficult to enforce. Lockdowns Nichols’ important platform She reported Nassar’s American nightmare. records they feared might be averted millions of potential cases in the spring, and they for the greater good. abuse to USA Gymnastics Marisa Kwiatkowski, the sealed. Bigger newspaper may still be required if case growth gets out of hand. Even if the basic details in hopes the organization Indianapolis Star reporter budgets matter. But blunt quarantine isn’t the only way to check CO- are familiar to you, to watch would stand as her advocate, who was in the ground floor While The Star is helping VID-19. Over the past several months, scientists world- the new Netflix documen- not adversary. The documen- of the investigation and re- finish the fight, the paper wide have come to better understand how infections tary “Athlete A” is to see tary paints a clear picture that mains pushing forward, didn’t start it. occur and what specific measures can most effectively the heartbreaking picture of her decision fatally damaged still plays a critical factor in That responsibility rested prevent them. States can and should pay attention to what what all took place before her chance of making the checking the organization. the experts have learned and use it to steer public behav- with victims like Nichols, as Nichols soared as a Sooner. 2016 U.S. Olympic team. The public reporting on well as Rachel Denholland- ior toward safety. She commanded the world The rest of the film is an Nassar began with basic It won’t help to dismiss rising case counts as concen- know her as she won two important lesson in perspec- newspaper stuff: Kwiat- er, who was the first to pub- trated outbreaks or an illusion created by increased test- NCAA all-around _ titles, tive. What Nichols became kowski’s background work licly accuse Nassar of his ing, as the governors of Texas and Florida did last week. smashed records and stuck at OU as a symbol of cour- on nearby schools failing to crimes and would deliver a While hot spots account for some of the case growth, and Perfect 10s the past four age was far more important report child abuse and a tip 40-minute impact statement testing is up, neither of these explain why the two states seasons. She is increasingly than any Olympic stint. line at the end of one of the during his sentencing. are seeing thousands of new infections every day. known as the best NCAA fe- Watch “Athlete A” and paper’s stories, which in- They spoke up. Some Case growth is widespread, and the percentage of tests male gymnast of all-time. you will come to know the spired a key victim to come knew damn well there would coming back positive - a measure that indicates the level But to watch her story in- infinite possibilities once a forward. be consequences. Others of uncontained community spread - is steadily rising. terwoven with others who person overcomes fear and In that vein, “Athlete A” is probably didn’t consider In Texas and Arizona, current hospitalizations are tick- suffered at the hands of prioritizes justice. also staunch defense of local the depths USA Gymnastics ing up. The same may or may not be true in Florida, which Larry Nassar, how it affect- It’s a slam-dunk argument journalism. Continual drone would sink to keep victims inexcusably fails to report that data daily. While gover- ed them and changed their that women should hold shots of the Star’s building quiet. nors are keen to note that hospitals have spare capacity, lives’ trajectories, gives bet- more positions of power. are no accident. The paper’s The athletes are more than that advantage could disappear quickly. Hospital beds fill ter context of their bravery. Michigan State police detec- work, which stunningly did victims now. They’re survi- up faster than they empty, and COVID-19 doesn’t strike In 2015, Nichols report- tive Andrea Munford grilled not claim a Pulitzer Prize, is vors and advocates who can according to where beds are available. ed Nassar’s abuse to USA Nassar almost to tears dur- arguably the greatest recent help others in a fight they Also, as more beds and hospital staff must be devoted Gymnastics. The organiza- ing an initial investigation, example of what a scrappy, know how to win. to COVID, other care gets pushed aside, with damaging tion sat on the information while he was not under ar- resourced newsroom can do They’re examples that results. for weeks and increasingly rest, Then she and lead pros- to stem evil. courage, and a little ink, can The most potentially reassuring news is that that the revealed itself as rotten. She ecutor Angie Povilaitis dog- The B-roll that shows stretch for miles. death rate from COVID-19 in the four states with the larg- est new outbreaks is holding steady. This may be because of improving treatment, broader testing that catches cases early when they’re easier to manage and widespread pre- We don’t need an economic collapse to curb emissions cautions that protect those most at risk, including the el- derly. By Andrew Langer of the world to follow suit. economy grew 2.3 percent. hovering near 30-year lows. On the other hand, it may simply reflect the fact that COVID-19 has caused a The coronavirus has Americans can thank natu- Additional emissions cuts death rates are a lagging indicator. It takes time to devel- worldwide economic col- wrought unprecedented ral gas for this progress. are surely on the way, thanks op a COVID infection severe enough to require intensive lapse. Yet some radical envi- physical and emotional de- When burned to gener- to initiatives like the Envi- care, and the sickest patients often spend weeks on ven- ronmentalists arecelebrating. struction. Here in the United ate electricity, natural gas ronmental Partnership, an tilators. Many of this week’s deaths stemmed from infec- As factories remain shuttered States, it has already killed emits up to 60 percent less tions that happened last month. alliance of top U.S. natural and drivers stay off the roads, over 120,000 Americans. carbon dioxide than coal. A younger-skewing outbreak will result in fewer deaths emissions are falling. World- Nearly half of American In the past decade, the Unit- gas producers. The group in the near term. However, each case represents an av- enue of possible transmission to someone more at-risk, wide energy-related carbon adults have reported declines ed States has become the is constantly implement- and scientists are still assessing the long term impact of emissions will drop as much in their mental health. Sub- ing new emission-reduction global leader in natural gas infection on people of all ages. as 5.4 percent this year, ac- stance abuse and domestic production, mostly because strategies. Recently, such Governors should understand that they can lower their cording to Goldman Sachs. violence are skyrocketing. horizontal drilling and frack- efforts have included a leak case rates without locking down their economies if they Many green activists can The financial carnage is ing have allowed producers and repair program to re- pay attention to what experts have observed about CO- scarcely contain their glee. equally severe. Over 26 mil- to extract the fuel from previ- duce emissions of meth- VID-19 contagion: Well-spaced outdoor activities appear Such callous disregard lion Americans have lost ously inaccessible shale rock ane, a greenhouse gas. to pose little risk. People don’t seem to easily pick up the for the tens of millions of their jobs. One in four small formations. Utility com- virus from food or surfaces that others have touched. But Radical environmentalists workers losing their jobs businesses could soon go panies have switched from the disease spreads readily among people who engage in - and the hundreds of thou-belly up. Food banks have coal to natural gas - which have made it clear that they’Il prolonged close contact in crowded and poorly ventilated sands of patients fighting been completely overrun. is considerably cheaper - as trade Americans’ economic spaces. So it’s possible to limit transmission by restricting for their lives - is revolt- Fringe environmentalists their primary fuel source. well-being for emissions crowds and calling for social distancing indoors. People ing. Global shutdowns can’t might accept this pain in ex- In fact, natural gas now ac- cuts. They’d like the lock- who stand just one meter (a little over three feet) away become the new normal. change for lower emissions. counts for over 38 percent downs to continue forever. from others stand a drastically lower chance of infection Fortunately, humanity can But the rest of us won't of America’s electricity, up Fortunately, sober-minded than those who get closer, and the risk decreases further cut carbon emissions with- - and we don’t need to. from about 24 percent a de- Americans don’t have to with greater distance. out submitting to statist lu- America has proven that cade ago. In 2010, coal pro- choose between a function- Widespread use of masks in high-risk situations reduc- nacy. For years, America has it’s possible to reduce emis- vided about 45 percent of es the risk of infection still more. Mask mandates in 15 slashed emissions by transi- sions while maintainingour power supply, but now ing economy and emissions states may have prevented as many as 450,000 COVID tioning its energy sector from economic growth. In 2019, generates just 23.5 percent. cuts. They can have both. cases in the U.S.,a recent study reported in Health Affairs Andrew Langer is President dirty coal to cleaner natural U.S. emissions declined ‘Thanks to this energy revolu- found. Effective public health efforts to track new infections gas. It’s time for the rest 1.7 percent, even as the tion, total U.S. emissions are of the Institute for Liberty. and trace and isolate the contacts of those infected can also lower the risk of infection in a population by more than half, new modeling from U.K.-based researchers aren’t following them. Unfortunately, neglecting In the face of the country’s behavior, bend their CO- suggests. While such efforts are useful in stemming any Clearly, it’s not enough to this basic human courtesy worst new COVID outbreak, VID-19 curves downward infectious disease, they are especially so for one like CO- merely ask people to protect has become a form of protest Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and strengthen their econo- VID, which often produces no symptoms and transmits themselves. It takes effort against government over- has finally allowed local of- readily within homes. mies. It’s simply a matter of and consistent communica- reach. ficials to require masks, but The caveat is, the more virus there is circulating in a tion to shift behavior enough State leaders he’s still leaving policy up paying attention to how the can and community, the harder it is to stay ahead of the spread with testing and contact tracing. Targeted suppression ef- to change transmission dy- should try to discourage to individual communities. coronavirus spreads. namics. such protest - including by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott forts take longer to work than broad lockdowns do. To This is particularly true broadly mandating mask- now allows local mask man- Max Nisen is a Bloomberg avoid the need for new stay-at-home orders, in other when it comes to masks, wearing, as California Gov. dates, but only if officials Opinion columnist covering words, states need a greater sense of urgency about tak- ing more targeted steps. which have become politi- Gavin Newsom did last impose them indirectly by biotech, pharma and health Of course, most states, including those seeing rising cized in the U.S. Covering week. Governors still drag- placing rules on businesses, care. He previously wrote case counts, recommend social distancing and maintain your face before entering ging their feet on mask use not people. about management and cor- some capacity limits on retail businesses. But widespread a grocery store is properly seem not to care as much as There are many ways reports of careless behavior and renewed case growth viewed as an easy way to they need to about saving in which state leaders can porate strategy for Quartz suggest that either the rules are too lax or people just protect yourself and others. lives. steer people toward safer and Business Insider.