The Emperor Has No Clothes

 

The Emperor Has No Clothes

 

The wife and I went in early this morning to exercise our right to vote in the Minnesota Primary Election.  As expected, it was an interesting experience, given our Emperor’s …oh wait, I mean Governor’s executive order that all subjects (whoops, there I go again – I mean citizens) wear masks in public.  Neither I nor my better half choose to participate in what I have branded “COVID-19 Theater.”  Since at this point in time it has become self evident that, like the recovery rate, the virus is well over 99% political with the health concern coming in at a fraction of a percent. Jane considers wearing a mask to be participating in a deception – in other words, immoral.  For me, it is simple: when a Governor violates the Constitution, it is he who is the lawbreaker and not the one who disobeys the unlawful order.

The former one room schoolhouse that now serves as the Township Hall (as is common here in rural America) was the busiest that I recall in the seven years that God has greatly blessed us in allowing us to live “out in the country.”  We were the only people there not wearing masks. As expected, we were met at the door with an offer of a mask, which we politely declined.  Upon reaching the first Election officials, I was VERY STERNLY informed by one lady that, “YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK!”  … to which I replied, “I won’t.”  To be perfectly truthful (which I strive to be), I may have added “we are not communists”, but perhaps I did not express that thought aloud.  In any case, the other Election official at the table jumped in at that point, confirming my name and address so that they could issue a ballot, and she did it in a friendly, non-confrontational manner.

By this time Jane was ahead of me, given that it became a near farcical effort involved with me being able to understand the instructions that the lady was trying to communicate to me through her mask AND a 6 foot tall plexiglass shield (and yes, I was wearing my hearing aids, but to little avail).  As Jane approached a voting booth, another Election Official jumped in front of her to “sanitize” it, but she brushed it off, saying she was not afraid of a few germs.  Another example of pure COVID-19 Theater. Having spent a goodly amount of time researching disinfectants in order to help formulate a “reopening plan” for our Church earlier this year, I m perfectly aware that according to the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control) website all of the disinfectants available require keeping a surface wet with the disinfectant for a minimum of 5 minutes (and many 10) in order to be effective.  Similarly, masks are just another theatrical device, but at least mask and disinfectant manufacturers are making profits, unlike the countless small businesses that are now bankrupt.

So, is anyone else out there willing to go out in public without a mask and in effect proclaim “The Emperor has no clothes”?