A boycott over mask mandates? Don't try to punish a local business.

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·2 min read

Don't punish a local business over your opinions

Re: Boycott shops that don’t enforce mask rules (Letter, Jan. 25)

Thanks, George Hanover, for sharing your opinion and decision on your trip to a store that has no mask mandate.

A lot of people are thankful for those strong owners. Glad you have chosen to not support a struggling local business because your opinions are not the same. But to call for a boycott? So your opinion is more important than others'?

We all have opinions and make our own decisions on what we believe, and yes, that’s allowed. You triple-vaccinated people can carry and spread COVID, as can a non-vaccinated person, and you can both catch it ... but hopefully be less ill with vaccination.

Millions of us have had COVID — yes, millions — and have natural immunity that can make us less likely to get severely ill.

There is no end to COVID, like the flu, which has been taking its own toll this year. When a completely safe FDA-approved yearly or lifetime 100% safe vaccine comes out, I’m sure all those anti-vaxxers will re-evaluate.

Until then, try to find the compassion to hold your beliefs to yourself instead of calling for the demise of a struggling business.

I have mine but tend to understand that the brain always has room for more than one truth.

Lisa Carnie, La Quinta

The essence of 'trumpery'

A seldom used word in the English language is "TRUMPERY." Although all dictionaries define this word, the best definition of it I found is contained in the Urban Dictionary.

"TRUMPERY (noun): The use of outright lies, political (smears), bait and switch tactics, demagoguery, deflection, namecalling, political shell games, blameshifting, threats, fearmongering and any side show-con man methods to try to shield oneself from prosecution as a traitor, criminal , liar, fool, madman, and/or imbecile."

Can you identify which current politicians fit this description?

Stan Sanoff, Palm Desert

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Don't try to punish a local business over opinions on mask mandates