Strap it up, and get ready for mask mandate 2.0 and other restrictions. For months I have sat back and watched and listened to the “experts” bloviate with respect to the positives and negatives of wearing masks. Everyone intones “follow the science,” and yet many of our political leaders and medical spokespersons do not. Instead, they choose to follow the politics. Politicians have been imposing draconian policies on the general public, which are not always based on science and which they don’t follow personally. Their motto is “rules for thee but not for me.” For example, earlier this year during the lockdown CA Governor Gavin Newsome and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot were photographed eating in restaurants without a mask. Nancy Pelosi and Lightfoot had their hair done when the rest of us could not do so. Pelosi has actually threatened to have any congressman who does not wear a mask in the House chamber arrested. NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio has threatened to bar the unvaccinated from any public venues, such as restaurants and the theatre. Several political leaders are talking about requiring a so-called “vaccination passport.”
The medical experts have been wrong continually from the beginning. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical “expert,” has flip-flopped on the mask issue and other aspects of the coronavirus daily (or so it seems). At this point his credibility is “shot.” He isn’t the only one. Most media outlets have repeatedly trotted out “experts” who don’t have the foggiest notion of what they are talking about, but who feel free to give authoritative advice to the rest of us.
The average person is confused and no wonder. The messaging seems to change daily. Wear a mask; don’t wear a mask. You don’t need a mask if you are fully vaccinated. Yes, you do because you might infect those who are not. In fact, wear a double mask. Wear a mask outside. Businesses such as hospitals and restaurants should require all employees to mask up. No, they shouldn’t. Close the schools to in-person classes. No, don’t do that. It is damaging to the kids in various ways. Do all who recover from COVID retain antibodies? Yes/no/maybe. If so, how long do they last? Do we need booster shots periodically? No one really knows, but many act as if they do.
Estimates vary, but according to the latest numbers published by the CDC approximately 50-60% of the population is vaccinated. After all this time the numbers should be higher. We are far short of the Biden Administration’s goal and the percentage needed to attain herd immunity. Some of the unvaccinated have legitimate reasons, but most don’t. Meanwhile, COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising, likely due to the Delta variant. According to a study published by Forbes the fully vaccinated are only half as likely to catch COVID if they have been exposed to an infected person, and they are less likely to die from it. Recently, the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated have been sniping at each other. Many of the former resent the latter as causing them to endure additional restrictions in their lives, which make them wonder what was the point of getting vaccinated in the first place. On the other hand, many of the latter feel it is their right as Americans to choose to forego the vaccines if they want to or if their personal physician advises them to do so. In my view, both sides have legitimate points.
Adding fuel to the fire is new Delta variant, which has shown signs of being more highly transmissible than the “regular” COVID strain. It is the cause of some 80% of new cases. Get ready for government mandates requiring one to show proof of vaccination to be able to engage in certain activities, such as flying, entering a restaurant or a gym, or attending the theatre.
Require your employees to wear a mask. No, you don’t have to do that. Is it even legal? Require everyone to be vaccinated. No, you can’t do that. This is America. We have freedom of choice, and some people have valid reasons for eschewing the vaccines.
According to WHO contrary to popular belief a mask alone does not provide sufficient protection against the virus, particularly the Delta variant. Therefore, those who assume it does are operating under a false sense of security. Furthermore, not all masks are equal. For example, how many people have you seen wearing a bandanna as their “mask?” How many people fail to clean and disinfect their mask regularly? How many people have you observed wearing a mask while exercising? WHO advises not to do so as it impairs one’s ability to breath properly.
Are you thoroughly confused yet? You should be. What should we do? Everyone has an opinion, but no one really knows. Repeat: EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION, BUT NO ONE REALLY KNOWS. Based on my observations people’s opinions are based, in large part, on their news source and political leanings.
In my humble view, these aforementioned mask mandates and other restrictions are not about the health of Americans, not even about combatting the virus. Yes, it dangerous. Yes, it kills people, especially the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems and those in generally poor health. Yes, we need to take it seriously. That said, the mask mandate and other safety measures are not about all that. Not really. What are they about? Power and control. That’s P O W E R and C O N T R O L.
Why do I say that? Simple. Despite all the talk about the dangers of the virus and its capacity to spread and kill, our fearless leaders adamantly continue to keep our southern border open to anyone and everyone. That makes absolutely no sense. Migrants have been pouring across every day. The visuals shown on tv are incomprehensible. It makes me ill just to look at it.
CBP data reports that in excess of 200,000 migrants were apprehended in July 2021, the highest monthly total since 2000. At that rate the annual total will approach 2.5 million, which is a phenomenal and unsustainable number. And those are just the ones we know about. We have no idea where they are from, what their motives are, nor if they are infected with COVID. Estimates run well into the thousands since the start of the year. Fox News has reported that the sheer quantity of these migrants has overwhelmed the system of social services in many border towns such as McAllen, TX. It is causing a humanitarian crisis. The Dem politicians in charge are focusing on penny ante safety measures while they allow the all-time super-spreader to continue. Don’t forget the kids in (Biden) cages subjected to insufficient food, water, toilet facilities, and medical facilities with a COVID positivity rate of up to 10%. The hypocrisy is unbelievable. The only explanation that makes any sense is that the Dems don’t care how many Americans die as long as they can grow their voting base.
Moreover, soon after arrival these migrants are being transported all over the US in many cases surreptitiously in the dead of night without the knowledge or consent of local authorities. I believe this policy is the cause of the spike in COVID cases in Texas and probably Florida as well. And Biden has the unmitigated gall to blame those spikes on Governors DeSantis and Abbott. More on this later. Here we are worrying about wearing a mask or not, gathering in public or not, opening schools or not and the infected migrants are being placed in our backyards. There is probably a cluster of infected migrants near you.
Memo to Biden. You are president of the US, not the world! Do your job. Protect us. Close the border!
CONCLUSION
Personally, I have concluded;
1. COVID has provided our elected officials with the opportunity to exert control over how we live, how we earn a living, how we worship, and how we educate our kids, among other things. Think about it. These restrictions would have been unacceptable and unthinkable two years ago.
2. Once again, the media has failed to do its job. Instead of investigating they have been enabling.
3. Fear of COVID has caused us to surrender many of our liberties and freedoms little by little under the guise of protecting us from an existential threat. Some changes have been radical, while others have been so imperceptible as to be barely noticed. None of them will be beneficial to our traditional way of life. We are literally witnessing the remaking of America.
4. In particular, the Administration has frequently gone out of its way to criticize the COVID policies of “Red State” governors, notably Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott. Here is where the politics comes in. DeSantis is seen as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024. The Dems desperately want to discredit Abbott and turn Texas “blue.” At the moment, COVID cases are up in both states (likely due to Biden’s open border policy) but in my opinion their overall performances have been stellar, and I am confident they will rectify the matter.
5. The virus has become a political football. We have been induced to cede much control over our lives to people who don’t have the foggiest notion of what they are doing. In many cases, they are literally making it up as they go.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 