To the editor: You can blame President Trump for our failure as he has abdicated responsibility for protecting American citizens, disseminated false information and flat-out lied. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. (A nurses plea: Please tell me my life is worth a LITTLE of your discomfort? July 8)

We know what we need to do: Wear a mask, social distance and wash our hands. But many refuse to take this simple set of actions because it is inconvenient or a violation of our freedom or unconstitutional (what?). Nobody is asking us to storm Omaha Beach (although given Europes reaction to our incompetence, it might be the only way Americans can visit France in the near future).

I am embarrassed that we have fallen so far short of how my fathers generation responded. We are a failed society, and we will fail when the inevitable next pandemic or other crisis arrives.

Peter Kinman, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: A real-life example shows why I wear a mask.

I was exposed to COVID-19. The woman who exposed me didnt know that she herself had been exposed. When she found out a few days later that someone she had been with had tested positive, she notified those she had been in contact with and got tested.

Her test was positive, but she had no knowledge for several days that she had the potential to infect others.

Fortunately, during our contact we were both wearing masks and were socially distanced. My test results were negative.

So, thats why I wear a mask to protect myself and to protect others in case I unknowingly contract COVID-19. To me, its a social contract.

Nancy Gardner, Corona del Mar

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To the editor: I live in Orange County. Many here are not just skeptical about masks, they are downright defiant. (Many in Orange County resist masks even as coronavirus cases soar, July 8)

Forceful and raucous protest led the Board of Supervisors to cave on Orange Countys mask order; now it only strongly suggests that residents wear a mask in public, despite the state order.

Your article soft-pedaled Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes position in the subject. He said (on video, for the record), We are not the mask police. Those of us who live here and are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 are told to stay home if were scared.

I remain bewildered that others can be so selfish that wearing a mask is a bridge too far.

Elise Power, Garden Grove

Read more:

We're told to wear a mask, not storm the beach on D-Day - Los Angeles Times