The ridiculous mask and social distancing mandates began dropping like flies this week after the people who tell Joe Biden what to say decided that it was time to drop a piece of candy on a weary public. The idiots at the CDC, who may comprise some of those very people, also announced that anyone who is fully vaccinated—as if there’s such a thing—can now do away with the masks and social distancing that have been a feature of our everyday lives for over the last year.
Why did they do this? Did a new scientific paper come out that said masks were ineffective at containing airborne viruses? Well, no—that was months ago actually, and there were many before it. Nothing really changed there. Was a bombshell report released that showed how lockdowns were ineffective at anything other than ruining small businesses and increasing suicide rates? Well again, no—that was several months ago, I believe. Was a certain threshold of COVID-related deaths or infections reached that made them feel safe in lifting all those restrictions? As far as I can tell, that didn’t happen either. The rise and fall of these infections is mainly due to seasonal changes, the appearance of new mutations, or changes in diagnostic criteria anyway—something which of course never stopped them from patting themselves on the back whenever numbers go down.
The truth of the matter is—I suspect—they sensed the public was growing tired of Lord Protector Fauci’s antics and inconsistencies by suggesting the vaccine was very effective while at the same time insisting that masks and transparent shower curtains at Hobby Lobby were necessary to prevent millions from dying. What does this tell us? They are NOT all about the science, as they constantly suggest. They are subject to the whims and fancies of the public and make up rules and theories as they go along, just as any other 3rd grader in a white lab coat might do. Their language might sound more sophisticated, but they don’t believe in “science” any more than they believe in God. Sure, they may vaguely acknowledge the existence of such entities but when push comes to shove, they will bend the knee to the mob just like everyone else. They are not leaders, they have no moral courage, and only have the stomach to invoke a controversial measure if it gives them more control or power.
Locally, the masks were already starting to come off last week. People were really getting sick of it and Friday the floodgates opened. People were so happy to see each other’s faces again. Waitresses had to put on full makeup rather than just the top half of their face. People could workout at the gym without the high-altitude training that restricted airflow creates. Personally, I haven’t been in a grocery store in a while and am really curious if they moved the Velveeta cheese.
Regardless, I’m happy these restrictions are being lifted but am tempering my enthusiasm because of two things. For starters, I hate that these restrictions affected me in the first place. I refused to wear a mask and as a result, my life was seriously affected by it. I tried to live normally as best I could but it really grated on me after a while. By me being happy because of the events of this week, it’s sort of an admission that they won, even though I never wore a mask. It’s kind of like honking your horn at an aggressive driver in traffic—you’re just admitting that they got one over on you.
The other reason I’m not as jubilant as I might be is because I’m guessing this is just a hiatus from harsher measures to come. I could be wrong, of course, and I hope that I am, but we all know there are many people who are probably forever scarred by a year of 24/7 hysteria and fear-mongering pumped into their brains. You can see them out and about now—“fully-vaccinated” and in their cars, alone, wearing their masks. In the fall or winter, when some new variants of coronavirus begin making their way around the world, we all know what’s likely to happen—the masks and social distancing and plexiglass shields will come out again and people will begin to panic. But this time, they’ll have an excuse—the unvaccinated. It will all be because of those anti-vaxxers who didn’t get their vaccines like they were supposed to.
Never mind that most of the people dying from the new variants will likely be fully-vaccinated, it will be blamed on people like you and me and that can only mean one thing: vaccine checks. Vaccine passports. It might be papers. It might be digital on your phone (or forehead) but I’m guessing many people in power will use the inevitable next round of coronavirus this fall or winter as justification for rolling out vaccine passports domestically. It won’t happen nationally at first—I’m guessing it will be a large chain that does it first. Maybe Trader Joe’s, maybe Walmart. They will say they have to protect their customers and employees from coronavirus and may add a little vaccine check feature to their mobile app. Just scan the QR code to get into your local Walmart. Another store may roll out a similar thing and before you know it, local government agencies like the DMV or courthouse will be clamoring to get something working—they can’t have Walmart protecting its customers more effectively than them.
Some states will make this illegal at the government level, but when private companies do it, I’m guessing it will become a grey legal area that will be difficult to challenge. Regardless, the ensuing confusion and inability for smaller businesses to enable an efficient vaccine-checking system will likely give rise to a call for the Federal government to step in and provide a universal system that will allow citizens to fly domestically, get their driver’s license, attend school, shop at grocery stores, or perhaps vote in elections—even if by mail-in ballot. There are a few states which will resist this medical tyranny, and they may form a confederation of states that becomes the New America—which may be a more faithful version of old America, ironically enough.
This is all just a hunch, of course, but I think it’s somewhere between plausible and likely. Governments have never given up control very easily once they’ve taken it, and we all know that new variants and mutations are on the way. That will mean more vaccines, more panic, more hysteria, and unfortunately, more lockdowns, more masks, and for people like me and you, the possibility of having to move to a more friendly state. I’m still waiting to see how things break but I think at last count there were at least 11 states that had indicated an aversion to vaccine passports. Where will you go? Or are you already there?
Courage, my friends. Do not despair. Things will get better. It may not happen overnight, but we knew things would have to get worse before they could get better. Sleep with your sandals on. Prepare for possibly having to move quickly. Embrace the struggle for now—it’s a temporary growing pain that will lead to much better things to come. And that is my incredible opinion.