“We do not consent to a masked America”
On June 24, USA Today invited Dr. Simone Gold, founder of A Doctor A Day, to give the “opposing view” to their editorial, “Mask wearing isn’t political. It’s life-saving.” Here is the “opposing view” Dr. Gold submitted:
It is clear to me as a physician-lawyer that the disinformation about both COVID-19 and the Constitution has caused us to turn a medical issue into a legal crisis.
The scientific usefulness of a mask has been so aggressively overstated, and the foundational importance of the Constitution has been so aggressively understated, that we have normalized people screaming obscenities at each other while hiking.
The COVID virus was supposed to be contained in the kind of lab where people wear astronaut suits and go through triple-sealed doors. It is a con of massive proportion to assert that now, having escaped those environs, a bandana will magically do the trick.
After all, size matters.
The pore size of cloth face coverings range from ~ 20-100 microns. The COVID virus is 200-1000x smaller than that, at 0.1 microns. Putting up a chain-link fence will not keep out a mosquito. Even the most esteemed medical journals admit their purpose is to calm anxiety. “Expanded masking protocols’ greatest contribution may be to reduce the transmission of anxiety…”
Of course, by knowledge or common sense observation, most Americans already know that masking everyone is superstition. But unlike privately carrying a lucky charm, mandating facial coverings requires the consent of the governed.
Many cultures mandate clothing that appears totally irrational to outsiders. Never have those cultures pretended that there is a scientific basis for their clothing requirement. Their leaders rule, and their citizens accept, that their choice of clothing is due to religious or cultural preference.
Not wearing a mask is not mere “personal choice” like deciding between a burqa or a t-shirt. It is a flashpoint for being a free human being who has consented to be governed but has not consented to be ruled. We do not consent to a masked America, because that is a fundamental change in American society, culture, norms, and rights.
People who are apathetic toward their own liberty cannot eliminate Constitutional rights for those who are not. This is not the first (or last) time that people who believe in superstition are screaming the loudest. The Constitution exists precisely to protect all people during times of mass hysteria.
The mask has become the most visible symbol of #socialconditioning to Americans determined to preserve individual freedom. Thus far most Americans have continued to give their consent to be governed. But you are trying our patience.
Dr. Gold is a board-certified emergency physician and a Stanford University Law School educated attorney. She practices on the front lines whether or not there is a pandemic. You can find her @drsimonegold and www.thegoldopinion.com. 1200 physicians signed her letter to the President calling the lockdown a “Mass Casualty Incident.”
Footnotes:
Here is the link to what USA Today published: https://tpp-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/USA-06-24-2020-Opinion.pdf
Unfortunately, USA Today made changes to Dr. Gold’s piece without her approval and did not publish it online as promised.
Here is the discrepancy:
Simone’s words:
The COVID virus was supposed to be contained in the kind of lab where people wear astronaut suits and go through triple-sealed doors. It is a con of massive proportion to assert that now, having escaped those environs, a bandana will magically do the trick.
USA Today’s words:
Expecting bandanas to stop the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus is a con of massive proportion.