Photo via United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area
August 30, 2021, 10:23 am
The Republican Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves raised eyebrows Thursday by making the claim that his constituents and others living in the South are not as afraid of COVID-19 as the rest of the country because they “believe in eternal life.” This, of course, is referring to the high proportion of Christians in states like Mississippi where hospitals are warning that their ICUs are at or near capacity thanks to high levels of serious COVID infections, almost exclusively among those who have not been vaccinated.
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At the same time, Hurricane Ida, as it grew to be more powerful than the devastating Hurricane Katrina, bore down upon the deep South, ripping the roof off of at least one hospital and causing widespread devastation as those too poor to evacuate hunkered down and waited. They may not have appreciated Reeves’ assumption that they are not so scared of death because maybe things will be great when they’re dead.
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Masha Fantemariam“I’m often asked by some of my friends on the other side of the aisle about COVID … and why does it seem like folks in Mississippi and maybe in the Mid-South are a little less scared, shall we say,” said Reeves at a Republican fundraiser event. “When you believe in eternal life — when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things.”
It seems that when Reeves says “a little less scared,” he means that they’ve been whipped into a conspiracy theory frenzy by his party to the point that they’re more scared of a vaccine that has killed maybe three people than an illness that has killed over 650,000 in the U.S. alone.
To be fair, Reeves did add that “God also tells us to take necessary precautions.” To be additionally fair, the Mississippi governor has not been doing that, refusing to reinstate a mask mandate for the state even as the new pandemic surge has hit his state hard and downplaying the risk to children as he makes them head back into in-person schooling. The recent death of a 13-year-old girl in his state is now being laid directly at his feet.
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“If you look at those individuals under the age of 12, what you find is that it is very rare that kids under the age of 12 have anything other than the sniffles,” he said at a Friday press conference. “Does it happen from time to time? Sure it does.”
This was not reassuring for the loved ones of Mkayla Robinson, who died the next day, one year outside of the age limit for just having the sniffles, according to Reeves. According to local reports, 12,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mississippi since the school year began early this month.
Mississippians who don’t want to die early regardless of what might be waiting for them on the other side, as well as anyone who could be affected by the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 (everybody), do not appear pleased at the assumption that they’re cool with his actions because heaven might exist.
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I am a Mississippian who does not believe in eternal life.
I also believe Tate Reeves is an idiot. https://t.co/ykWB0LG9EQ
— Dr. Cosmopolitan
FDA Approved
(@hotdiggityDR) August 28, 2021
Hi. I was one of Mississippi governor @tatereeves’ pastors. We did NOT teach him that.
What we DID teach him:
1. Do no harm
2. Do good.
3. Keep showing up in love for God and neighbor.(aka a summary of John Wesley’s 3 Simple Rules.)
Wear your mask. Get the vax y’all.
— I think it’s Elspeth! -Moira Rose (@elizabthcorinne) August 29, 2021
Featured Image: USCG Atlantic Area/Twitter
*First Published: August 30, 2021, 10:23 am
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