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Furious pilot spells out ‘F U’ above governor’s home to protest lockdown order

Furious pilot spells out ‘F U’ above governor’s home to protest lockdown order
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An angry pilot has flipped the proverbial bird to the state’s governor’s lockdown order by writing a very NSFW message in the sky.

Ed Frederick, 45, spent about an hour charting a path over Michigan’s Grand Rapids, spelling out a message for the state's governor Gretchen Whitmer: “F U”.

There was also an arrow pointing directly over the governor’s home, look:

Frederick said he was motivated to do this stunt after Whitmer announced an extension of the state’s emergency lockdown order until 28 May. He told the New York Post, who first reported the story:

It’s a power trip.

The government, no matter Democrats or Republicans, always seem like they’re trying to do something just to prove they’re doing something, without weighing the ramifications.

Frederick said he owns a small business with his sister, and explained that he believed a lockdown was unnecessary, Detroit and the surrounding area are much more badly affected than other parts.

That’s been an issue for a lot of people in the rural counties.

There are 82 counties, but really only four need to be locked down.

Frederick thinks Whitmer has settled with a “draconian” statewide order because a lockdown around just the state’s major city would anger her base of urban voters.

[Whitmer] says this is for the safety of Michigan, but I think it’s for the safety of her keeping her votes, because the southeast is highly democratic.

Frederick said he was still getting by, yet sympathized with “the people walking that precipice, living paycheck-to-paycheck.

But Whitmer and health experts have argued that state lockdowns help contain the spread of the coronavirus. She said that counties of northern and western Michigan have begun seeing cases double within a week’s time. She said:

We must all continue to be diligent, observe social distancing and limit in-person interactions and services to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Michigan now has more than 40,000 cases of Covid-19. The virus has killed more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam war. Extending this order is vital to the health and safety of every Michigander.

Tensions have been continuing to rise in the swing state, after armed protesters stormed the Michigan statehouse. Fredrick said he supported the message, but felt protestors should have left their weapons at home... which is probably wise.

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