John W. McDaniel, Marion County, Ohio man dies from COVID-19 after condemning lockdown as a political ploy while arguing personal liberty trumped public health concerns.
Dying is believing ….
An Ohio man who dismissed the coronavirus pandemic as a ‘political ploy’ and condemned his state’s lockdown as ‘bulls–t,’ has died of COVID-19, according to reports.
John W. McDaniel, 60, passed away last Wednesday in Columbus — exactly a month after reportedly firing off a series of angry messages about the contagion.
‘Does anybody have the guts to say this COVID-19 is a political ploy? Asking for a friend. Prove me wrong,’ McDaniel posted on Facebook, March 13, the Marion Star reports.
Two days later, McDaniel reportedly called ‘bulls–t’ on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order closing bars and restaurants.
‘He doesn’t have that authority. If you are paranoid about getting sick just don’t go out. It shouldn’t keep those of us from living our lives,’ McDaniel posted.
Adding, ‘The madness has to stop.’
The posts have since been deleted, but were saved and shared widely on social media, including by coronavirus talking head Dr. Dena Grayson.
Ohio – which as of Tuesday afternoon has 13,725 cases and has recorded 557 deaths – is among the states where people feel the need to get back to work outweighs the public health crisis.
A quarter of the state’s cases are among the prison population.
There have been angry protests there this week in retaliation against the ongoing stay-at-home order.
McDaniel is the first resident in his county to die of COVID-19.
McDaniel’s obituary confirmed that he died ‘with his loving family by his side from complications from Covid-19.’
In sharp contrast to his reported posts, his family pleaded in his obit for ‘everyone to continue practicing social distancing to keep each other safe.’
McDaniel leaves behind a wife and two sons and will have a livestreamed funeral service on Wednesday. ‘You could not have known a more loving and loyal husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend,’ the obit said.
‘Simply put, Johnny McDaniel loved life and loved everyone he knew with his whole heart.’
