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Graham, Donna

From: Andy Cooper <andrewjohn.cooper@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 8:10 PM

To: Board of Aidermen; Mayor's Office Email
Subject: The wrongness of wearing face masks

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links’open attachments if source is
unknown.

Dear Aldermen

Enough is enough! Along with Mayor Jim Donchess, your ineptitude and gross mismanagement of the COVID-
19 situation constitutes a grave assault on personal liberties.

What you are attempting to do by attempting to pass an ordinance requiring mask usage has no basis at all in
statistical inference, no rational basis in scientific fact, and runs counter to World Health Organization
recommendations regarding the usage of face masks, amongst other things. I urge you to read the actual
document at hitps://Awww.ewho.int/publications-detail/advice-on-the-use-of masks-in-the-community-during-
home-care-and-in-healthcare-settings-in-the-context-of-the-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)-outbreak - and
specifically note:

"Advice to decision makers on the use of masks for healthy people in community settings. As described above,
the wide use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not supported by current evidence and
carries uncertainties and critical risks."

Also note that the document highlights the fact that there is no evidence that community transmission is
impacted at all by the use of non-surgical face coverings, and the evidence for surgical face coverings is
confined to healthcare settings where multiple other protocols are also in place.

Furthermore, the actual numbers regarding the spread of covid-19 and the prevalence of severe cases simply
does not justify the draconian measures you are attempting to enforce,

Let's look at the facts here. As of May 13,

1, 3,299 - the number of *confirmed* cases of covid-19 - 0.24% of the NH population
2. 150 - the number of deaths from covid-19 - 0.01% ofthe NH population
3. 126 - the number of current hospitalizations - 0.009% of the NH population

These numbers, at any other time, would not be something that anyone would be concerned about. This is life
and reality. And lest you counter with "but Massachusetts...” - the numbers there are broadly similar, with a
population fatality rate of 0.07%, and a confirmed infection rate of 1.2%. And remember furthermore that the
*observed* case fatality rate does not in any way correspond to the actual infection fatality rate of covid-19
which has been pegged at 0.4-0.8% by scientific studies around the world.

As of May 11:

1. 101 deaths associated with long term care settings (out of a total of 133 deaths). 76% of the deaths occurred
in long term care situations. As callous as it sounds, long term care is not a place where people recover from
things. When the influenza virus hits long term care facilities, it is expected that one sees spikes in mortality

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rates.
2. 7 deaths of people under the age of 60. Seven. Out of 1.36 million NH residents.

You are effectively denying employment to tens of thousands of people in the state and the city of Nashua,
unjustifiably affecting the lives of all residents. This must be reconsidered, and rational thought guided by
statistics and science must come to the fore.

Furthermore, remember that you are ali elected officials. The longer you perpetrate this injustice on the
population, the more likely you will find yourself- Republic *or* Democrat - voted out of office. Rest assured
that not a single one of you will get my vote.

Once again, please read the WHO guidance. Please take some time to research the facts around mask wearing.
The notion of "it may do something” does not constitute sound scientific thinking, and is outweighed by the
risks that attempting to enforce mask wearing in public entails.

Graham, Donna

From: Jeff Locke <jlocke07@comcast.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 8:28 PM
To: Graham, Donna

Cc: Jeffrey Locke

Subject: Face masks

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.

Please advise all of the alderman that my family and , all of who live in Nashua are totally against mandating
the wearing of face masks. There is no law that requires this. If you want to make it the law, then put it on the
ballot for a vote. Also, there is not 100% proof that they are successful. It needs to be an option for citizens to
decide .. [TS OUR CHOICE, NOT YOURS . Thanks

Jeff Locke,CFP®
603-860-2080 cell

Graham, Donna

ee

From: Mary Ellen Carter Gilson <maryellenc@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 12:05 AM

To: Board of Aldermen

Subject: Please support the mask ordinance

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.

Hello;

I am writing to ask you to please, please support the mayor's proposed ordinance requiring masks in public
areas. | work in a public-service job, and both | and my husband have health conditions that put us at very high
risk of death if we contract COVID-19. We are as careful as humanly possibile -- we stay home, we socially
distance, we wash our hands until they're raw, and we always, always wear masks when we have to go out. We
know that wearing a mask is a proven way to reduce the risk that we might spread germs to other people. We
know that, the more people wear masks in public, the more we can flatten the curve and reduce the number of
infections. But a lot of people refuse, citing their preference not to, or their personal freedoms. I have had
people tell me that 1fI'm so scared if a few little germs, I should stay home and never go out. That's not an
option, though -- we need groceries, We need prescriptions.

I understand that no one likes being told what to do. But I also don't think that my necessary trip to the grocery
store should cost me my life. Wearing a couple of layers of cloth over your mouth and nose to protect other
people isn't trampling freedom. It isn't too high a price to pay. Our neighbors' lived are worth the inconvenience
-- or at least they should be. They are to me. I hope they are to you, too.

Thank you for the work you're doing. I know it isn't an easy time, for any of us.

Mary Ellen Carter-Gilson
Ward 3

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Graham, Donna

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From: s.e.merrigan@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 1:27 AM
To: Board of Aldermen
Subject: Support becoming a mask city

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is unknown.
Dear BOA:

[am writing in support of becoming a mask city and hope you will vote to make this happen. Our proximity to
Massachusetts makes this vital to our safety. | have already noticed an increase in the number of cars from across the
border in just the last week. The fact that Dick’s Sporting Goods has opened all NH stores and no MA stores will only
cause this to increase. My boyfriend lives in Hampton and the number of cars from MA on any given day is unsettling
considering the virus statistics in that state. In addition, there are still plenty of people in the supermarkets who don’t
wear masks and don’t respect the traffic flow patterns that mandating mask wearing would make the experience that
much safer. There is still too much that is not known about this virus that we should be taking every precaution
available.

Sincerely,
Susan Merrigan

Graham, Donna

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From: Willie Reed <williebreed@gmail.com>

Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 8:02 AM

To: Board of Aldermen

Subject: A letter against mandatory mask wearing

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.

Dear members of the board,

I respectfully wish it to be known that ifa governing body attempts to dictate what I must wear in public I will
consider it a gross violation of my rights. I and my wife, along with every other adult of sound mind and body,
have every right to determine our own level of risk and what we are comfortable with as free adults. People who
are concerned for their health and place that concern above other considerations should absolutely 100% be free
to wear a mask and I support their right to do so. However, those of us who have deemed not wearing a mask an
acceptable risk should under no circumstances be required to take precautions we deem unnecessary for our
own safety.

I will draw the comparison to New Hampshire's lack of a seat belt law for adults. It is well known that wearing
a seat belt GREATLY increases your chances of surviving an accident. It is also known that not wearing a seat
belt poses a greater threat to others in the car with you. By choosing to not wear a seat belt, you are choosing to
increase the risk of injury or death of everyone in your vehicle. And yet, we in New Hampshire trust adults to
make the right decision for themselves, We understand that it is not the governments role to protect people from
themselves, Again, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE TO PROTECT
PEOPLE FROM THEMSELVES.

It may be cliche, but in case anyone has forgotten, our state motto is "Live Free or Die". That motto means
something. The words were chosen carefully. Quite literally it says that it is better to die, than to be dictated
how to live by an overbearing government. In the case of Covid-19, this motto clearly says that there are worse
things than dying from this disease. If you vote to require people to wear masks, you are in gross violation of
our state motto and our state spirit. Respectfully, the very fact that you are considering this ordinance at all tells
me that you do not understand what it means to "Live Free or Die", you do not understand why people move to
this great state, you do not understand what this state means to people. This state means freedom. And freedom
has risks. Freedom has ALWAYS had risks. As Ben Franklin said (and I'm paraphrasing), "he who would give
up freedom for security will soon find he has neither".

Public safety is NOT the number one role ofa governing body. It is to ensuring people's rights are not being
violated. I can ensure my own safety and decide what precautions I would like to take better than you can.

On that note, I fully support a business's right to ask that I wear a mask when I enter their establishment. A
private business has every right to deny customers for any reason, and some businesses are already doing this.
As a governing body, if you feel it is right, you have every right to encourage this. But you have NO right to
force the hands of businesses that otherwise do not want to force people to take these precautions. Personally I
am unlikely to support a business that requires me to wear a mask. And I as a free citizen should be able to
voice my opinion in such a way. I would NEVER refuse the request and refuse to leave. That is immature and
wrong. Ifa business wishes to enforce mask wearing they have every right to ask me to leave and I must
comply. By the way, it is my understanding that it is ALREADY illegal to refuse to leave a store that is asking

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you to do so. So businesses already have all the tools they need to enforce mask wearing themselves. There is
no need for government interference.

It is important for you to understand that every law and every regulation the government passes comes with a
gun pointed at its citizens. Ifa law is not backed by force it has no weight; it is unenforceable. If you intend to
pass an ordinance requiring mask wearing, you will need to exert force and violence to give it meaning. You
will need to arrest people when they don't pay the fine. You are effectively saying that people who don't want to
wear a mask should be jailed. You need to understand that is the end result of any regulation. In the end,
(capitalizing for emphasis because this is a long email) ANY LAW OR ORDINANCE IS NOT ABOUT
WHETHER THE BEHAVIOR (in this case mask wearing) IS DESIRABLE OR WHETHER WE WISH
PEOPLE WOULD DO IT. IT IS A STATEMENT THAT IF SAID BEHAVIORS SHOULD NOT BE
ADHERED TO, THE GOVERNMENT IS WILLING TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE.

There is an absolutely poetic example of this in the book Altas Shrugged where Henry Rearden refuses to sell
the government steel. There was a law passed called the Fair Share Law, which basically stated that if the
government required the use ofa "strategic material" for "the public good", the business was required to sell it
to the government at the government's set price. Rearden refused to sell. People kept saying "but you have to it's
the law". So he said "I will not sell my steel to the government. If they wish to come here and take my steel by
force, they are welcome to do so but I will not sell it", to which they replied "but that's theft!" Yes, it is. Exactly.
Later on, he's called before a tribunal and continuously, the judges try to make it clear that this is in the public
good, that their price is fair, they cannot understand why he won't comply. He won't comply for the very simple
reason that it is not a voluntary transaction. It is theft. He brings the logic to its final conclusion in such a
wondrous way, by basically saying "I will not sell my steel. If you choose to fine me for that, I will not pay it. If
you choose to arrest me for that, you had better send guns because I will not come willingly. I will make you
take me by force because that's what this law is: it states that I must give you my steel or you will send men to
my house with guns". When the tribunal says "no one is talking about sending men with guns", he says "then
why are we here"? (here is a link to the scene, it's only 4 minutes long https://youtu.be/_iHRJ4s9Ety, for
context Rearden owns the steel that is used to build the railroads which is basically the only way the economy
stays afloat. The blonde woman the camera keeps panning to is the owner of the railroad company, with whom
Rearden has been in business for a long time. I highly encourage watching the entire two part movie, but it is
really long and somewhat difficult to follow, not a light watch. So clips on YouTube may be the way to go!)

With that in mind, I want it to be known, that should an ordinance be passed requiring me to wear a mask in
public, I will not comply. Should a fine be instituted for not wearing a mask in public I will not pay it. You will
need to exert physical violence to enforce your ordinance (like any law). Is that something you are willing to
do? If so, you have become the textbook definition of tyrants.

Respectfully,
A concerned citizen

PS. In the spirit of constructive feedback and suggestions, it is well within the role and scope of government to
enable businesses to enforce these rules themselves if they so choose. You could pass an ordinance raising fines
or making it easier for businesses to remove people who refuse to comply with their own private rules. That
way if a business deems this requirement necessary for their safety, they will be able to enforce it themselves,
and businesses that do not want to impose such restrictions on their customers will not. This is a freedom-
friendly way to achieve your goals.

Graham, Donna

From: Kathryn Blair <kblair250@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 9:39 AM

To: Board of Aldermen

Subject: i support the mandatory use of face masks

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not elick lmks/open attachments if source is
unknown.

To the Board of Alderman,

lam an immunocompromised 61 year old citizen of Nashua. Whenever I go out (which is seldom), I wear a
face mask. Whenever my family members go out they wear face masks. I understand it is not comfortable to
many but I feel that the risks are too great not to. The news of children getting extremely ill is very concerning
and J don't think we've seen everything this virus has to show us yet.

Please vote yes for face masks in Nashua.

Thank you,

Kathryn Blair
2 Birchwood Dr, Nashua, NH 03064

Graham, Donna

From: kdaughan <kdaughan@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 9:50 AM

To: Board of Aldermen

Subject: Mandatory mask opinion.

CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.

| am wholly in favor of an ordinance for mandatory mask wearing particularly | in inside public buildings

including apartment buildings such as the Cotton Miil.
Kathleen Daughan, ward 3.

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