Letter to the Editor

Wear your masks

By Hal Chorny, Gardiner
Posted 7/30/20

Scientists told us that wearing a mask can reduce the pandemic’s spread. Ordering people to wear masks in public places became controversial because President Trump encouraged the naysayers, …

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Letter to the Editor

Wear your masks

Posted

Scientists told us that wearing a mask can reduce the pandemic’s spread. Ordering people to wear masks in public places became controversial because President Trump encouraged the naysayers, polarizing the issue. The Republican position ridicules wearing masks. They want freedom to do as they wish. Unfortunately, universal mask wearing is necessary to be effective.

Their false argument is that our Constitution provides for basic freedom and wearing a mask infringes on that freedom. All laws infringe on our freedom and that is their purpose. Without laws there would be anarchy. Imagine a day when we could decide whether to stop for a red light. Even worse, imagine a day when we could shoot everyone we did not like. We know it is illegal to cry fire in a movie theater because it would cause panic and a stampede. Passing a national law requiring universal mask wearing in public is not unconstitutional and is hardly a novel action. Every civilized society has multitudes of laws and enforcement makes them work. Republicans want small government and limited laws, a reasonable position, but not a basis for rejecting a law needed for the common good.

Mask wearing is the simplest and least expensive way to combat a raging pandemic. We have the worst outbreak in the world while other countries have shown that the pandemic can be brought under control. Refuters are uncaring about others and may bring peril upon themselves. We need a national mask law which is strictly enforced. Republican obstructionism is a pointless defense of unsound views of freedom accomplishing nothing but feeding the pandemic.