Hide Ya Wives, Hide Ya Kids: Worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic!

[RustyShackleford]

Aspen company refuses to give COVID test to conservative activist; owners stand behind decision

An Aspen business’s refusal to test Candace Owens for COVID-19 because of her outspoken views on the coronavirus has touched off both praise and condemnation for the decision. Said the owner about the email sent to Owens telling her the business was denying her a test: “There are things that I...

www.aspentimes.com

Aspen company refuses to give COVID test to conservative activist; owners stand behind decision
Candace Owens is in Aspen on business vacation and tried to get test at private downtown facility


An Aspen business’s refusal to test a person for COVID-19 because of her outspoken views on the coronavirus has touched off both praise and condemnation for the decision.

On Wednesday evening, conservative commentator Candace Owens went public to her 7 million combined followers on Twitter and Instagram with an email from Aspen COVID Testing co-owner Suzanna Lee. The email noted the business would not test Owens due to her stances on the virus.

A well-known conservative commentator and political activist and a best-selling author, Owens, in an interview Thursday morning with The Aspen Times, said she ended up being tested by a physician, and the result was negative.

Staff for Owens had registered her to be tested at the Hyman Avenue facility while she is in Aspen this week on a business vacation with her husband and baby boy. Lee, however, emailed back that they would not be accepting Owens’ business due to her influential platform. Owens is strongly against getting vaccinated and doesn’t wear a mask.

“We cannot support anyone who has pro-actively worked to make this pandemic worse by spreading misinformation, politicizing and DISCOURAGING the wearing of masks and actively dissuading people from receiving life-saving vaccinations,” said Lee’s email to Owens, which was dated Aug. 31.

Lee’s suggested Owens could be tested at kiosk behind Aspen City Hall.

“My team and myself have worked overtime, to exhaustion, unpaid and underpaid this past year, spending our own capital to ensure that our community remains protected. It would be unfair to them and to the sacrifices we have all made this year to serve you.”

Lee and her business partner, Isaac Flanagan, stood by the email’s remarks on Thursday evening in an interview with The Aspen Times. Had Owens shown symptoms or was “a potential risk to the community,” they would have tested her, but not in a “non-emergency scenario for someone working proactively to undermine the realities of this devastating pandemic,” Flanagan said.


Owens also had sought the test through the company’s concierge service, they said.

“We stand behind our staff and we’re not sending them to someone’s hotel room when they don’t feel safe,” Lee told The Times.

In a telephone interview, Owens said a private company has every right to turn away business. But in this instance, against the backdrop of public health, she questioned the call.

“She is a private business owner,” Owens said. “She does have a right to decline to give me service, and that’s not what the issue is here. I want that to be very clear. Assuming that she has not accepted any state or federal funding, assuming that she truly is a private-business owner, then she has every right to discriminate against who she serves. But it should be noted that she was seeking to prevent me from keeping the Aspen community safe.”

Lee and Flanagan said their testing business is strictly private and hasn’t received any public dollars at the local, state or federal levels. Pitkin County Manager Jon Peacock confirmed Aspen COVID Testing receives no local or state funding.

“We feel unbelievably good about what we do,” Flanagan said. “We do not discriminate, and we do not pick and choose who we do and don’t test. Our patients come from every walk of life and every political affiliation.”

Owens, however, said the letter sent the message that keeping the community safe is tied to politics.

“And in this particular regard, irrespective of what you think about my stance on vaccinations, I’m following COVID measures in Aspen,” she said. “I’m following COVID measures when I go to venues, when I go to events. I’m listening to what people want done. So if her goal is to keep the Aspen community safe … shouldn’t you say this a good thing that unvaccinated people are at least being responsible to make sure that they’re not spreading the virus?”

Lee said she was immersed all day in “crisis management.” She had to hire extra phone operators to field calls from people upset with her decision.

“It’s been horrible,” she said. “My inbox has been inundated with nasty, horrible messages.”

She said had to contact police because she was feeling threatened.

Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn said there “an active investigation going on” but he declined to go into specifics.

“I can say our No. 1 concern is overall public safety, so we are just being attentive to what’s going on over there,” he said. “We have a case number and we are actively keeping an eye on the developments in that situation.”

Owens said she regularly gets tested because she travels often, but her experience in Aspen was a first.

“Never,” she said. “I’ve been tested from Croatia to London. This has never happened. Ever. Actually, you would think health care would be free from politics. And actually what’s she doing is actually giving us fire and fuel, and when I say ‘us,’ I’m talking about us who feel that this virus has been politicized. You’re proving that it’s politicized. … This should have been, ‘OK, I hate you, Candace, but I’m glad you are at least doing the right thing and making sure that your are keeping the community and ensuring you don’t have COVID.’“

Last week, Owens posted on Twitter: “If you do not understand that there is something purely evil involved right now in terms of these vaccines you will never understand. It will NEVER enter my arm.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Republican who represents Aspen as part of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, also chimed in Thursday morning tweeting: “It’s a shame to see this in Colorado in this day and age. Denying Candace a COVID test because she’s a conservative? The Left just goes lower and lower every single day.”

Lee had plenty of supporters on social media. Among the accolades were:

— “Just beautiful. I nominate Suzanna Lee for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

— “Suzanna Lee is an American hero.”

— “Oh wow, this is fabulous. Go Suzanna Lee!!! Amen, girl! Your business, your choice! Candace — head to the kiosk in the alley for your test Face with tears of joy you guys seem to think you’re above the ‘actions have consequences’ rule, you’re not… at all…”

— “Well, well, well. So now the lady that called Covid a scam and basically ridiculed the entire safely protocols, got shut down for a covid test by a private owned lab run by Suzanna Lee.”

— “Aspen is cheering on Suzanna Lee!”

The service was a concierge service for testing, for someone to come to Owens and get the sample. They claim they denied Owens because of a number of reasons. None of which being a conservative. They seem pretty open to testing conservative from their statement

But I'm sure friscostylez knows whats really up

 

[RustyShackleford]

well let me rephrase then

You are the one making assumptions. Not me

Stop projecting

And bless the rep button, b.

 

[elpablo21]

Expending energy for Candace Owens. Awful way to waste a Friday.

but it's about tribes as if The Libs weren't ****ting on Cuomo for the Nursery Home scandal?

I don't get it

 

[friscostylez]

RustyShackleford you have this weird unhealthy obsession of wanting all of NT to think just like you

 

[Mark Antony]

but it's about tribes as if The Libs weren't ****ting on Cuomo for the Nursery Home scandal?

I don't get it

Just gotta let da "centrists" who love to assign teams and point out "moral superiority" so they themselves appear morally superior rock. They are exhausting.

 

[friscostylez]

I love the constant circle jerk that goes on
here. U guys are really the morally superior ones

 

[RustyShackleford]

RustyShackleford you have this weird unhealthy obsession of wanting all of NT to think just like you

Miss me with this utter nonsense

People like you just have an issue when I challenge one of their arguments

I debate a point too hard, then the special peddling starts.

This is a discussion forum, I don't know after you offered a critique of other people's posts, you got an issue with me returning the energy.

Plus I am only active on a few threads on NT. There are plenty of regions on this site where you can preach whatever **** you want without me saying a word.

Just say you want me to let you have it, and spare me BS like this

 

[friscostylez]

Miss me with this utter nonsense

People like you just have an issue when I challenge their arguments

I debate a point too hard, then the special peddling starts.

This is a discussion forum, I don't know after you offered a critique of other people's posts, you got an issue with me returning the energy.

Just say you want me to let you have it, and spare me BS like this

do me a flavor & go reread my posts


you were so mad that someone said something different than what you wanted them to that you lost all logic

 

[Mark Antony]

Not even to defend Rusty, because he can handle himself, but at no point has he ever said "JUST THINK LIKE ME OR ELSE!!" He is a ferocious, persistent debater and knows how to argue his point and defend it. What really happens is dudes get engaged but can't do the same so it's easier to start labeling and make excuses. It's not me, Rusty is just an *** and has a circle jerk with him.

 

[RustyShackleford]

do me a flavor & go reread my posts


you were so mad that someone said something different than what you wanted them to that you lost all logic

I read all your posts the first time, I can read them again

I responded to the claims you made. You chose to handwave my points. The owner states her reasons for denying service, you are criticizing me because I didn't jump to the same assumption you did.

Logic to you seems to mean agreeing with what you said. And that is the core of the issue you have with me.

That I firmly tried to call out the holes in your take, as opposed to politely agreeing with you.

 

[Mark Antony]

That's foul as hell.

She plays for the other team so folks will turn a blind eye but that is foul as hell.

Actually know what, nvm.

 

[Methodical Management]

Did I violate ninjahood's "legal and human rights" by banning him from NT?!

 

[friscostylez]

I read all your posts the first time, I can read them again

I responded to the claims you made. You chose to handwave my points. The owner states her reasons for denying service, you are criticizing me because I didn't jump to the same assumption you did.

Logic to you seems to mean agreeing with what you said. And that is the core of the issue you have with me.

That I firmly tried to call out the holes in your take, as opposed to politely agreeing with you.

i have made two claims:
1. Candance was discriminated against because of her political views or political affiliation
2. One shouldn't get discriminated against and lose human and legal rights because of how one views the world

We can disagree about number 1. I literally said i don't want to spend time defending candace btw. But for some odd reason whenever I talk about #2 with others, you keep bringing the candace situation up.

 

[Comparison Ford]

So do you always believe the reasons why someone does something or just when they are in your blue tribe?

What evidence do you have that they're doing this for reasons outside of what was written?

Still curious to know.

 

[RustyShackleford]

i have made two claims:
1. Candance was discriminated against because of her political views or political affiliation
2. One shouldn't get discriminated against and lose human and legal rights because of how one views the world

We can disagree about number 1. I literally said i don't want to spend time defending candace btw. But for some odd reason whenever I talk about #2 with others, you keep bringing the candace situation up.

Maybe you should reread the post.

You stated this, which is point #2...

One shouldn't get discriminated against and lose human and legal rights because of how one views the world

My response...

None of that happened in this situation though

That was it. I responded to you stating basically #2, I said the current situation didn't apply. I didn't take issue with the statement itself.

I then make a comment toward Comparison Ford which was...

And it must be stated again, the owner clearly stated she denied Owens because of her action surrounding the pandemic.

She didn't say it was because she was a conservative or Republican

You insulting my response...

That's full of crap but ok

My come back where I jab you for your stance....

You are wrong

But feel free to hit me with another rep to look in control, and repeat the same argument again if you would like

Then I proved evidence as to why I held my position. To push back on a point you quoted and disagreed with...

friscostylez

Could you point out where the owner says she is denying service because Owens is a conservative or Republican?


I can't seem to find it

But you seem to be acting like it is most definitely there. So I must be be missing something

Don't forget to rep this post too BTW

Then it went to you basically accusing me of defending someone because they are a liberal/Democrat (when there is not a way for me to even know that)...

So do you always believe the reasons why someone does something or just when they are in your blue tribe?

From you are free to read the rest. I made one comment about point #2. I made another comment to another poster, and you not me, decided that needing addressing.

So yeah, miss me with the special pleading. If you didn't want to talk about Owens, then why quote my post not directed at you about Owens?

Seems like when someone disagrees with you, you do this weird thing where you try to move the goal post after the fact to act like you were wronged in the exchange

 

[friscostylez]

Still curious to know.

hard evidence none & the one of the few ways to actually prove it is through confession. it doesn't take much to come up with a plausible lie to discriminate. plus there have been times when there's no hard evidence of discrimination happening but that doesn't mean it's not happening & basing it mainly on the political climate of the country

 

[Blake P]

Can y'all just agree to disagree and keep it moving?...

 

[Comparison Ford]

hard evidence none & the one of the few ways to actually prove it is through confession. it doesn't take much to come up with a plausible lie to discriminate. plus there have been times when there's no hard evidence of discrimination happening but that doesn't mean it's not happening & basing it mainly on the political climate of the country

So you're talking out of your ***. Noted.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Can y'all just agree to disagree and keep it moving?...

-Srs, I'll stop responding to dude. Since he thinks I'm sort of bully on here anyway. We spent to long on this already

 

[friscostylez]

That was it. I responded to you stating basically #2, I said the current situation didn't apply. I didn't take issue with the statement itself.

I then make a comment toward Comparison Ford which was...



So yeah, miss me with the special pleading. If you didn't want to talk about Owens, then why quote my post not directed at you about Owens?

you brought up the owens situation when me & ford was talking about in general. to me, that looked like a weak shot at me so i addressed it.

Then I proved evidence as to why I held my position. To push back on a point you quoted and disagreed with...

Then it went to you basically accusing me of defending someone because they are a liberal/Democrat (when there is not a way for me to even know that)...

one of the few ways to prove discrimination is through confession. it's not hard to come up with a lie.

my point was that would you be fully willing to take the reasons if you didn't think/assume she was on your team (her actions signaling that to you, of course you don't know for sure unless she stated somewhere)

Seems like when someone disagrees with you, you do this weird thing where you try to move the goal post after the fact to act like you were wronged in the exchange

remind us when this has happened before

 

[toooldforthis]

Texas teacher trying to decide about Covid vaccine dies three days after testing positive | CNN

One of two teachers at a Texas junior high school who died last week of Covid-19 was nervous about returning to school because of the Delta variant, her sister told CNN.

www.cnn.com

 

[friscostylez]

So you're talking out of your ***. Noted.

please tell us what are some ways to fully prove discrimination has happened

 

[RustyShackleford]

you brought up the owens situation when me & ford was talking about in general. to me, that looked like a weak shot at me so i addressed it.




one of the few ways to prove discrimination is through confession. it's not hard to come up with a lie.

my point was that would you be fully willing to take the reasons if you didn't think/assume she was on your team (her actions signaling that to you, of course you don't know for sure unless she stated somewhere)



remind us when this has happened before

I would respond to this weak sauce, but I made Blake P a promise, so...

-But you can check the political thread around June for what lead me to think what I think about your goal post moving.

 

[friscostylez]

I would respond to this weak sauce, but I made Blake P a promise so...

-But you can check the political thread around June for what lead me to think what I think about your goal post moving.

Wow you're such the bigger man, saying you won't reply but then replying anyways

Good for you

 

[RustyShackleford]