Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

What Campbell Is Really Saying In the Photo

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by

Steve Haner
in

(Photo credit RTD)

“Mara, you call Haner back.  He’s really gonna be pissed he can’t come in Monday.”

Somebody has to explain to me how my getting a haircut in downtown Richmond Monday posed a threat to city residents, city residents who will now be crowding into the barber shops and salons of nearby Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover County.  The same city residents who can and will by the thousands visit stores, patio restaurants and other business in those localities, often just yards from the city line.  Mayor Levar Stoney’s unilateral decision had nothing to do with infection control and will accomplish nothing.  SDH

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41 responses to “What Campbell Is Really Saying In the Photo”

  1. sbostian Avatar
    sbostian

    Tyrants are going to do what tyrants do – even if they have to play the race card to do it.

  2. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    What’s the matter, Steve? Pam refuses to cut your hair?

    Just kidding. I try not to engage in pop psychology in dissecting the motives of those with whom I disagree, but I cannot help resist in this case. I can’t help but think that some people get a thrill acting out their inner dictator. This epidemic has allowed governors and mayors to wield unprecedented and unchecked power, and I’ll be it feels good to do so.

    Regardless of motive, it is ridiculous for the Mayor of Richmond to tell you where you cannot get a haircut. This is not a smallpox epidemic. This is not the bubonic plague.

  3. Steve Haner Avatar
    Steve Haner

    I get Accomack County. That made sense. It is far smaller than Richmond, yet has about the same number of cases, and is far from major health infrastructure. The same thing will happen, its residents will drive north or south to do what they want to do, but it won’t be as easy or as commonplace as driving just another 30 seconds out on Broad Street, Midlothian Turnpike, Patterson Avenue or Lakeside Avenue. I truly feel for the hundreds of local city businesses who may lose loyal customers who find and like alternatives. Just heard from a friend who had the 8 a.m. appointment today with Campbell.

  4. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead V

    I like that John Marshall Barber Shop. Reminds me of Burgess’s Barber Shop in Fredericksburg on Williams Street. I hope those in power can put the small business owner on at least one steady foot. I haven’t paid for a haircut in 20 years. I do it myself and safe the haircut money for old school hats. Mr. Haner I can cut your hair free of charge. Only one style available though. Not a mohawk either!

    1. TooManyTaxes Avatar
      TooManyTaxes

      One of my brothers has been cutting his own hair for years. He does a pretty good job too.

      Larry, as the shutdown continues and people are put out of work or denied services, the analysis should be sharper. Making differences between geographic locations makes sense. But so does looking at partial steps within regions/localities. If a barbershop/hair salon can open with limited capacity that incorporates social distancing, appointments and the use of protective equipment, why can’t it be opened on those conditions even in more dense areas?

      So often government decisions are made in a vacuum. It’s not evil intent but a lack of thought. Limited and controlled exceptions to general lookdowns should be considered and made when sensible.

      1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
        Reed Fawell 3rd

        My last professional haircut was in year 2000. That’s the year I moved from a village barber back into the big City. No urban trendy professional could get the hair right, not even for $40 back in 2000. My wife armed with electric clippers solved the problem forever.

        1. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
          James Wyatt Whitehead V

          Back in the 70s my mother used to cut my hair. It was always the same style. Bowl cut. It was torture.

  5. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Isn’t this a little of damned if you do and damned if you don’t between a uniform statewide approach and regional approaches?

    First you get hammered for not being “flexible” in having different restrictions for different regions, then as soon as you do, the argument shifts to why one region has one set of restrictions and others, different ones.

    no?

    1. Steve Haner Avatar
      Steve Haner

      The Loyal Apologist chimes in…No, Larry, a regional approach would involved all the Richmond Metro area. Else it would be silly. This is silly. Our Governor has gone from one irrational extreme to the other, in a very short period of time. The regional/metropolitan area approach actually makes sense.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        The same way as the NoVa region? But you’re still going to have boundary issues, no?

        1. Steve Haner Avatar
          Steve Haner

          So now you are agreeing with me. Good. Certainly on the edges of that region, the same things are going to happen. Prediction: in two weeks you won’t see data differences that reflect those artificial barriers. People have been out and about for a month now, with the crowds growing. This is just government pretending it knows what the %$#$ it is doing.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Governments – at all levels don’t know what the (&&% they are doing – granted. Fertile ground for lessons learned.

            But the political environment is so harsh and hyper that Govs are being directly challenged – by the courts and actually each other as some towns/counties are defying state restrictions, etc.

            It’s the Mother of all Cluster_ucks…

            The Gov who get challenged the least are the ones who have their game faces on and dare you to come at them – cue Mr. Cuomo … challenge him and you better be ready for a whipping!

    2. Acbar Avatar
      Acbar

      Right on, LG – damned either way. But with a bias against any restrictions whatsoever on people doing what they damned well please. Well, unfortunately, even libertarians have to accept the caveat to that: do what you please if it does not harm others. Opening up businesses can harm others. Not opening businesses can harm others too. Which is worse? I accept the Mayor’s judgment on finding that balance. Some people don’t give the increased risk of covid infection harm any weight, apparently.

      1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
        Nancy_Naive

        “do what you please if it does not harm others”

        Problem is they insist on defining harm. Their rights end where your rights begin, and they’ll tell you where your rights begin.

        1. djrippert Avatar
          djrippert

          Stay home. Self-isolate. Hide under your bed. Let the hooligans who insist on getting their hair cut pursue their suicidal tendencies.

          If the economy were totally reopened tomorrow there are plenty of things I wouldn’t do. But I don’t begrudge people who are willing to take the risk their freedoms. According to the good Dr Fauci there may never be a vaccine. Never. Nobody is interfering with your right to be a hermit. Go be a hermit. Someday society will achieve herd immunity and you can come out from under the bed.

          https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/fauci-tells-congress-no-guarantee-the-coronavirus-vaccine-will-be-effective.html

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            You’re just flat wrong DJ. A young guy goes to a bar and gets COVID19 and goes to work on Monday where Jule , age 50 has diabetes and John age 45 has liver problems.

            Then the young guy goes home where he gives it to his wife who no longer can care for the kids… etc, etc..

            ya’ll don’t accept the reality of the pandemic.

            You want simple answers but they’re just not there.

            You have to buckle down and deal with reality.

          2. Nancy_Naive Avatar
            Nancy_Naive

            If it WERE only suicidal that’d be okay.

            See, you’re defining “harm” (none to me) and that my rights begin only at my door.

      2. Steve Haner Avatar
        Steve Haner

        Larry, I’m not going to a bar, but to a barber, where I will have a mask, he will have a mask and gloves, the chair will be wiped down before and after, and nobody will be sitting in the waiting area. EXACTLY LIKE THE DENTIST OFFICE, also in the city. Guess what, the scenario you describe is happening right now thousands of times, with people who flout the law. Might be a parking lot instead of a bar, but crowds are partying, with liquor from OPEN ABC stores. You need to face reality.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Steve – you’re going to a barber until you hear they had an outbreak there.. right?

          and no unless the barber is wearing PPE and a face shield it is NOT like the Dentist at all.

          Yes… people are going to engage in activities that they are warned are risky as long as they and their friends and family do not get the disease and maybe it might turn out that way but on the other hand – if several people who went to the same bar got COVID19 – you can bet your hindside that the others will be paying attention – the ones who have jobs to go to, the ones who have a spouse or kids or grandma at home, the ones that go to the Dentist and the Dentists asks them if they have been in contact with someone who had COVID19, and they either lie or tell the truth – they have to make a decision about which to do.

          people are acting like adolescents here .. talking trash – until the disease visits them or their family/friends…

          1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
            Nancy_Naive

            I told you, Larry, you aren’t allowed to tell them what endangers you or others. It’s THEIR bar or barber, and they’ll take the risk. Gee, how is their contracting a highly contagious disease ever going to possibly endanger you, or anyone other than them?

            If it were a hurricane, then yes, let ’em take a Sharpie and write their SSN on their chest and stay in their beach house.

          2. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            well NN… I’ve been advised to go hide under my bed..

            and I’m just trying to point out that there’s a whole bunch
            of folks who are actually still in the workforce than can’t do that unless they want to go hungry – yet they are also vulnerable to being infected…

            I like the idea of putting a tattoo on the “open up” folks so then we’d know when we encountered them and could be forewarned.

            so when that “open up” guy comes to work – others will know and ask to have him put somewhere where he won’t infect others… etc…

            or if you go to the barber shop and an “open up” guy is in the barber chair – then yep… try a different place..

            good idea!

  6. djrippert Avatar
    djrippert

    The Richmond area is more dysfunctional than NoVa. That takes some work! At least the large jurisdiction in NoVa could agree to postpone the reopening. The Richmond area couldn’t come to consensus. Wow. There is a special trophy room in the Governmental Hall of Shame for those localities “More Dysfunctional than NoVa’. Richmond just earned its place in that room.

  7. Lift Avatar
    Lift

    With Bacon’s lighter-hearted post, maybe we can have a kumbaya moment.
    *No one, no matter how expert, has the answers we crave for this challenge. We shouldn’t be surprised
    *Generally, we cannot expect bureaucrats, politicians, or government to be swift, accurate, or all-knowing
    *We cannot, as a whole, arrive at a standard counting metric, an acceptably reliable test, let alone cohesive policies in answer to those data
    *This is a pandemic. It may or may not threaten you, personally. You are entitled to your response, and I mine, and respectfully, we need to limit actions that impinge on others’ liberty. Wearing a mask is not a sign that I am a fan of Greta Thunberg, and refusing to wear a mask is not bravery. Minimal inconvenience that may or not keep someone else safe
    *The best path forward will not fall on party lines, and we won’t know if we’re on it.
    *Take a deep breath, buckle up, it’s going to be really hard for a really long time; we’re going to need a lot of patience.

  8. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    geeze, Lift… I could not agree more… thank you!

  9. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    I have to agree with Steve and others–the exemption of the city of Richmond does not make sense. The city, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover counties constitute a true region in which commerce crosses boundaries frequently. NoVa is different. The western and southern boundaries of Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William do not abut well-developed commercial areas. The people who live in western Loudoun may drive into adjacent Clarke County or Berryville to get a haircut, but there are not that many and they probably did that before the pandemic, rather than drive to Leesburg.

    Furthermore, in recent years, the Richmond localities were beginning to function and think more in regional terms. This decision just emphasizes the “differentness” of the city and confirms the worst instincts of many in the counties.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      I agree.

      What we are witnessing now is the hemorrhaging of the public’s trust in their government across the board. This decision acerbates that loss of trust. There appears to be no viable and justifiable rationale behind the favors and sacrifices being demanded by government of its citizens and the various constituencies who are impacted by the governments decisions. Indeed, the data behind the decisions offered by the government are proving highly unreliable, suspect, or nonsensical. Government credibility then vanishes. The Emperor suddenly has no clothes.

  10. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    There are no perfect answers in part because the virus moves differently in different locations – and it’s human nature to think that places that don’t have it – won’t get it “more”.

    That’s were human nature/politics clash with the science that says the virus does not care about boundaries and if you have a low number of cases right now, stick around a few weeks and see what happens.

    Does anyone know what the deal is with Accomack?

    1. Steve Haner Avatar
      Steve Haner

      Poultry plants. Per capita spread in that county is way, way higher than Richmond – up in the NoVa range.

    2. Acbar Avatar
      Acbar

      Re conservatives and their “clash with the science” — here’s Mike Gerson’s reflection on the subject: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/who-needs-science-when-we-have-trumps-tremendous-instincts/2020/05/14/414f7f6e-9604-11ea-91d7-cf4423d47683_story.html

  11. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    I had my haircut at 11 am promptly in Chesterfield. I feel much better. Snd to think i used to be a hippie.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      Peter, send us a picture. Love to see a Chesterfield cut, how they do it there.

      1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
        Nancy_Naive

        Sheep shears. Or Emasculatome if necessary..

  12. Nancy_Naive Avatar
    Nancy_Naive

    Psst, Steve. Judging from the profile photo a haircut is a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      hmmm… NN.. speaking of profile photos and hairdos…

      1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
        Nancy_Naive

        You’re right Larry, that mightn’t be his photo. Jeff Dunham’s Walter maybe?

      2. Nancy_Naive Avatar
        Nancy_Naive

        That was a cheap shot on my part. Walter is nowhere near as surly.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          lord………

  13. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Reed. Thank you but my Iphone is acting up. As far as stephen d. Haner, and i don’t want ad hominem, but i am not sure there is a lot to work with. But i can provide instructions at 288 and hull street road. She’s great but different and into gun rights and the free market. She does doubt that opening the economy so soon is a wise idea.
    Best to all

    1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
      Nancy_Naive

      “She’s great but different and into gun rights and the free market.”

      Oh, so the Emasculatome then.

  14. Atlas Rand Avatar
    Atlas Rand

    Is anyone enforcing these shutdowns? Out here south of the Richmond area I haven’t seen where anything really ever shut down. Hair dressers, antique stores, strip malls, furniture stores, vape shops, gun stores, even some restaurants all were still open. The banks went to drive thru only, as did a majority of restaurants, and a majority of churches. Beyond that the only thing I’ve seen shut was the actual mall, and state park beaches. That and the courthouse last and government offices.

  15. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    City limits matter my DC friends moaned and cried when Hogan shut down when MD golf courses. Not in VA. Oh boo, you fat cats.

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