CoVid-19 & Freedom of Speech
Current mandates require the wearing of face protection by everyone while in a public place. Theoretically, this is supposed to help bring down the number of Corona virus cases. The “frontline” workers are the heroes of the day and this is a label we attach to their occupations even though they are basically just doing their job in their chosen field of employment. Heroes? It’s true that the risk of daily exposure is there and today is not the day for me to argue the definition of the word. You say they’re heroes, that’s fine. I choose to place that label on someone who has gone out of their way, putting their own safety and well-being at risk in a spontaneous situation, all for the purpose of providing aid to someone else who may be unable to help themselves out of a predicament of some kind. While it takes a special kind of person to choose an occupation that involves risk to one’s health and safety, that choice is often made not only with a calling to serve and protect but other benefits as well, such as financial rewards and a secure and stable job field. We will always need doctors, nurses, firemen, police officers but with these and other related choices comes risk and reward.
Anyway, back to CoVid-19 we go. So what do we suppose was bigger news in the year gone by? The virus? The President? Our outgoing president has been in the news since before he took office. To me, it’s a tossup and if I talk about him I would once again be leading myself astray from the real aim of this segment. Thank you, Republic of China for your generous donation of the corona virus to the world. I thank you every time I put that damn mask on my face. I’ve got quite a collection of different masks that I’ve accumulated since this whole business began last year. To be honest, I’m not totally convinced that wearing a mask is providing me the protection from exposure. like I’m being led to believe. I’d like to see some hard evidence that will show that I’m minimizing my risk by masking up. Am I protecting myself from others or vice versa? Am I equally protected if I just wear a face shield and nothing else. (Some people obviously think so) If I happen to be breathing,(with a mask on) airborne contaminants from someone who is positive and may have been coughing, is my mask still preventing or at least minimizing my chances of getting the virus? Or is the mask just absorbing what eventually will be inhaled. If you’re mask is disposable, are YOU disposing of it after each use? If it’s “reusable”, then are you washing or at least disinfecting it often? (We use a device (Lumin) that disinfects our mask with ultraviolet light). If everyone around me is wearing a mask, is it okay for me to not wear one? No? Is the cheap blue disposable mask, so common and readily available in the hospital and everywhere else, just as good as the $30.00 cloth mask with the Under Armour logo that Dick’s Sporting Goods is selling or the one with the San Francisco 49er logo on it? i was just wondering. And……..have you noticed how it’s sometimes difficult to understand what someone is saying because they have a mask on? Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment but be careful WHAT you say because it can trigger insane behavior, depending on who is listening or get you banned for life on Facebook and other social media platforms. I’m just saying! Mask up, folks….breathe shallow and if you’re opinion is likely to instill violence and stir controversy, speak softly.