Your Rights Or Mine?

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Rants, religion, Social commentary

When the pandemic hit the shores of the U.S., when non-essential businesses were ordered to close and mask mandates became widespread around the nation, I rebelled a bit against the restrictions. However at the time, I had no idea of the scope of this pandemic, no idea that some 16 months later we would still be in dire circumstances.  As I saw the new cases skyrocketing, saw the death toll rise to more than a thousand people a day, I made a conscious decision to stay out of public venues to the largest extent possible, and to dutifully wear a mask when I couldn’t avoid being in a public place.  I may be stubborn, but I’m not stupid!  Other folk, however, might just qualify as being a special kind of stupid and it annoys the hell out of me that they have so little regard for anyone, even their own children!

The Catholics vs the lives of children

I thought I had heard every excuse in the book for not wearing a mask.  They are all bullshit, for if I can wear a mask when out in public, I with severe breathing problems, then almost anybody can.  But those who choose not to don’t even claim to have health issues, they simply don’t want to and they view civil rights as basically being … whatever they want to do.  They are disgusting and crude, but I’ve gotten used to it and usually just tune them out or flip them a middle finger.  But it turns out that no, I hadn’t heard the worst of it.

Resurrection School, a Catholic school in Lansing, Michigan, and two parents are suing the State of Michigan for a mask mandate that was in effect for schools last year when they first filed the lawsuit.  The mask mandate, of course, was put in place in order to keep children, their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends safe from the coronavirus.  But the Catholic school and parents argue that Catholic doctrine holds that every person is made in God’s image …

“Unfortunately, a mask shields our humanity. And because God created us in His image, we are masking that image.”

OH For Pete’s Sake!!!

The school’s lawsuit argued that in addition to physically blocking God’s image, face coverings make people anti-social and interfere with relationships.  In addition, the school argued, wearing masks “conveys the message that the wearer has surrendered his or her freedom to the government.”

OH FFS!!!

In December, Judge Paul Maloney of the Western District of Michigan denied the school’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would have banned enforcement of the state’s mask ordinance for kindergarten through fifth-grade students at religious schools. Resurrection School notified the court of its intention to appeal two days later, court records show.  That appeal was heard last week, but as of yet no verdict has been handed down.  Surely no court in their right mind would put a church’s vanity over the lives of the children!  Stay tuned …

Re-defining ‘Rights’

Humans.  Bah humbug!  Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take a mile.  Tell them they have the right to free speech and they will tell lie after lie after lie under the protective dome of the 1st Amendment.  Tell them they have the right to ‘bear arms’ so long as it is as a part of a well-organized militia, not some ragtag group of uneducated bozos, and they will demand that they be allowed to carry assault rifles, grenade launchers and any weapon known to mankind.  Tell them they have a right to free choice, and they will thumb their nose at you, will demand the right to kill their own children in the name of ‘freedom from being forced to be vaccinated or wear a mask’.

I treasure my constitutional rights, but I am not so stupid or unconscionable to try to assume they give me the right to do whatever the Sam Hell I want to, no matter who it puts in the path of danger.  See … I have this thing in my head called a brain, and some days it even kicks into gear and produces coherent thought processes!  Sadly, my late-ex-husband hit the nail on the head when he said that some people, when they were giving out brains, thought they said, ‘trains’ and answered, “No thank you”.

This seems to be the case with those who seem to believe they are immune to the ravages of the COVID pandemic.  In France, President Emmanuel Macron has put into place a mandate that people must show a “health pass”, similar to a vaccine passport being discussed here in the U.S.  The health pass would be required to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus when entering cinemas, theaters, museums, restaurants, long train trips, bars and planes.  The French people are whining that the President is taking on powers with dictatorial overtones that crush basic freedoms.  Bullshit!  Connerie!

Here in the U.S., people are whining over everything everywhere.  They don’t want to have to be vaccinated, don’t want to have to show proof of being vaccinated, don’t want to wear a mask … wah wah wah.  Big bunch ‘o babies!  EVEN people in the healthcare industry!  Wouldn’t you think they would know better???  How the hell are they going to convince the populace to be vaccinated when they themselves are refusing???

Some areas are moving into a region of sanity.  The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) and the State of California (CA) have made the vaccine mandatory for healthcare workers in their areas.  It only makes sense!  Do you really want to visit the doctor, knowing that his nurse and maybe even himself are walking covid breeders?

And at a time you might expect churches to take the high road, for the most part they have lowered the bar.  Churches have argued against forced closing back when all but the most essential services were shuttered.  And now, some are arguing against protecting their congregation by the requirement to limit attendance and wear masks.  One pastor, Greg Locke, says that mask-wearing is forbidden in his church and anyone entering wearing a mask will be ‘thrown out’.  He claims to be standing up for people’s ‘rights’.  Wait a minute … doesn’t forbidding the wearing of masks intrude on the rights of those who wish to protect themselves by wearing a mask?  Think on that one a minute!

Rights, folks.  Many people aren’t understanding them.  With rights come the responsibility of ensuring you use those rights wisely.  Your rights end at the point they step on mine or somebody else’s.  Rights.  They are enumerated in the U.S. Constitution … I would suggest it be on the mandatory reading list for every single person over the age of 12 in the U.S.  Read it, think about it, then tell me that you have a right to come into a restaurant, unvaccinated and sans mask with the pandemic once again skyrocketing in certain areas.

And then there is Basilico’s Pasta e Vino restaurant in Huntington Beach, California …

When restaurants across California halted indoor dining as the pandemic took hold in March 2020, Basilico’s Pasta e Vino in Huntington Beach continued to welcome patrons.

When officials issued an order for establishments to mandate face coverings to stem the spread of the virus, the Orange County eatery declared itself a mask-free zone and required that diners remove them before entering.

This week, the Italian restaurant issued another decree: Proof of being unvaccinated is required for entry.

We have seen a lot of ignorance, a lot of blatant stupidity, a lot of cruelty since the start of the pandemic, but … this one takes the cake.  I would love to see this restaurant shut down by the Department of Public Health and told never to re-open their doors again.

33 thoughts on “Your Rights Or Mine?”

  1. In some senses, I can relate to the leave the mask at the door mentality. It seems somewhat ludicrous that’s it’s fine to not wear the mask while seated, eating and drinking, but not while standing, either at the table or otherwise.

    I think the verdict is in… in almost all cases, the virus is spread to due to the concentrations of viral particles in the air. In indoor spaces, this means that if there is not a large influx of fresh, non-circulated air, the likelihood of catching the virus increases substantially, regardless of the mask while wandering about. It’s about concentrations and exposure time, simply put. And let’s face it, in the restaurant, the time spent standing and using the restroom is negligible compared to the amount sitting and dining. Whether or not it’s ludicrous, a false sense of security, or something else is up to you to decide.

    Respectfully, PB.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’ve often wondered the same. However, I suppose the logic is that when you’re waiting to be seated, you are in close proximity with others who may or may not be vaccinated, hence the increased danger as opposed to sitting at a table with only your own family or friends. However, as I am not willing to take chances with my own life, the lives of my family, or the lives of strangers I might run into, I simply continue to stay home as I have done for the past 17 months. My once-a-week grocery trips are with a mask, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer and I am in the store no more than about 20 minutes. The rest of the week, I stay home. I used to very much enjoy going out to eat and then to the bookstore on Saturday afternoons with my daughter and granddaughter, but … it cannot be and may not ever be again in my lifetime, yet … we do what we must.

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      • Thanks for the response Jill, however, in this case specifically, whether or not you’re around someone vaccinated or not, you will have no safety net. With Delta, asymptomatic people, regardless of vaccination status, have around 1000x the viral load of the original strain of C19. A study was done showing that vaccinated people, although more likely to be asymptomatic, still carried the same viral load as those who were not vaccinated. What this means, is that vaccinated people can still easily transmit the virus. The study confirmed that so far, the vaccine still lessens the severity and longevity (statistically speaking) of the infection however. Transmission though, is no longer a question of vaccination or not. The fact is that both can and do transmit. Hence the CDC mask mandate regardless of status. I do hope you see your family soon.

        PB

        Here’s a link to a study for reference:

        https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.31.21261387v1.full-text

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Supreme ignorance, twisted logic, and croc tears prevail. They won’t take the vax because they think it unsafe. Their proof? None is usually offered. Mewling about it being rushed or not being FDA approved is often served. So, do they drive cars? Ride in them and aircraft? Those vehicles have resulted in multiple deaths. Surely they’re avoiding them if they’re so damned worried about their health and death. Must surely be aggro over gun laws and gun deaths, right? I mean, they can be shot in the street….

    And the mask covers God’s image? Guess they’re agin costume balls. Motorcycle helmets. Law enforcement riot gear and the like. Sure. I believe their bullshit. Can’t you tell?

    And sorry. A mom lost her son to COVID-19. Twenty-nine, he’d decreed it a hoax. Mom didn’t want the vax. Felt it unsafe. So did her daughter. Now the son is dead and they’re wailing, “It’s all true.” Her son died after almost sixty days on ventilation. But has she apologized for spreading pandemic misinformation? Would she had shifted if her son had survived? Doubtful, based on the evidence. No, it was only after her loss, which was within predicted circumstances, that she embraced the information.

    Yeah, I’ve lost my compassion for such people. It’s a GRRRR subject for me, you know?

    Hugs and cheers. M

    Liked by 1 person

    • They can offer no proof that the vaccine is unsafe, because even they don’t believe that … they just don’t want to be told what to do … they are suicidally stubborn.

      Oooohhh … you make a great point about costume balls … and what about Trick or Treat on Hallowe’en? Don’t those cute little princess masks and the annoying Darth Vader masks cover ‘god’s image’ too? But as to motorcycle helmets … nope, the very same who refuse the vaccine also refuse to wear a helmet, then their loved ones look for somebody to sue when their brains are splattered on the pavement one day.

      Yep, how well I understand that this is a GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR subject for you, as it is for me. I am so sick and damn tired of people’s selfishness, protecting their ‘rights’ to the detriment of all the rest of us. Sigh. Hugs ‘n cheers, dear Michael!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Good post!!!

    As I read about that place in Huntington Beach, I thought to myself … I wonder how long it will be before the sign says … “Closed due to lack of employees to operate.” (Of course, they’ll NEVER mention that it had anything to do with COVID infections.)

    The idiocy of some people continues to amaze and astound …

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Nan!!! Yep, you are exactly right … it’s only a matter of time, but not only will they find themselves without employees, but also customers who are being exposed in this environment. People are so damn stupid sometimes. Yes, it amazes and astounds me, and also infuriates me. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Jill, as my USAF veteran brother-in-law said about the mask mandate the first time, “it is not like you are being asked to storm the beaches at Normandy, so wear a mask.” Governor Kay Ivey finally gravitated to saying the correct thing about the unvaccinated. As for careless ministers putting their congregation at risk, I find that to be dereliction of authority. People look up to their ministers, so they need to be the best of stewards, not political muckrakers. Keith

    Liked by 1 person

    • Exactly! For most people, the wearing of a mask is naught more than a minor inconvenience, but you’d think we were asking them to sell their firstborn! I have no empathy for Kay Ivey, for she has known all along that vaccines would save lives, yet she didn’t speak up until just now. And yes … the pastors/ministers are the ones that people look to for help, for answers, and to act as irresponsibly as Mr. Locke is not only dereliction of duty, but should be grounds for expelling him from his church. I feel the same about medical professionals who refuse to be vaccinated … how are we supposed to be encouraged to get the vaccine when a group of nurses is suing their hospital for insisting they set a good example and be vaccinated? Sigh. Some days it seems the whole world has gone nuts, y’know?

      Liked by 1 person

      • Jill, I agree on Kay Ivey. She is six months too late on the vaccine and a year too late on the masks. As for the nurses, this bothers me. First and foremost, it is more than OK for an employer to have conditions of employment as long as they are not discriminatory in that practice. Think wearing uniforms or abiding by a code of conduct. So, requiring health professionals to be vaccinated, unless they have a medical reason, is not a burden, unless they discriminated and said only Asian-American nurses must be vaccinated, picking one group as an example. Keith

        Liked by 1 person

        • You’re so right! Companies can require periodic drug tests of their employees, and if they fail, they’re out, so why is this different? And frankly, if I have to visit a doctor in this time of the pandemic, I want to feel reasonably comfortable that it is a safe environment, that I’m not going to go home in worse condition than I was when I went there. It is a responsibility of the healthcare community, I should think. Chris’ company mandated their medical staff be vaccinated last autumn, and I was happy that she was able to get it so easily.

          Liked by 1 person

  7. It seems that some American’s attitude to personal freedoms is all based on self, self, self, How can anyone deny the truth of this virus and the lethal variants coming off it. It’s such a crisis with so many lives lost people should be clamouring to protect others an not just themselves especially a many of the people hey put at risk are family and no age group is immune.
    The Catholic Church should be showing their clergy the error of heir says. A mask Mandate was put in place to protect the children, surely that’s in line with his job. I take it he just wants some notoriety and remarks about all children being made in Gods image is very confusing, which one looks the most like him? If God existed I’m sure he’d agree that it’s a good thing hat someone tries to care for the children while a future evangelist is prepared to leave the at risk,
    Cwtch

    Liked by 1 person

    • In so closely guarding what they consider their ‘right’ to go sans mask and refuse the vaccine, they are giving up their ‘right’ to stay alive, the right to life, without which none of the rest will matter. And, they are taking away others’ right to life. Doesn’t that make them murderers of some degree?

      The Catholic church needs to be taken down a few pegs … they have gotten far too arrogant and ‘dominant’ not only in this, but in many other areas. Hopefully the appeals court will show them the error of their ways!

      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

    • I fully agree with you! And yes, it’s happening all over the western world … people seem unable to get their priorities straight. If they could, we would have no need for mask mandates and to practically beg people to be vaccinated. Fools and idiots … we all have our share of them. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. The people living in the U.S. are upset, because they feel that the government is, taking away their freedoms, but in this time of pandemic, if we don’t make sure that we’re, protected ourselves, by wearing those masks, by restricting ourselves, of the usual “freedoms” we are so used to, then, we will, ALL get, screwed, because this just does NOT concern only you or me, it’s, the entire, population that the epidemic will spread over, if we don’t, give up some of these, so-called, freedoms we take for, granted.

    Liked by 3 people

    • You are SPOT ON! By wearing masks, being vaccinated, avoiding crowds, we are exercising our rights … our right to life! And while we’re keeping ourselves alive, we’re also trying to help keep our families, friends, and even strangers safe from this terrible disease that has already taken over 4 million lives around the globe.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I’m pretty sure God and Jesus, wouldn’t look to fondly on “Pastor” Greg Locke. I saw one moron say that Jesus wasn’t vaccinated. People pointed out to him, that one Jesus is a mythical being. Jesus actually healed the sick, very much doubt he’d tell people not to help one another, and he also died when he was 33, lol

    Liked by 3 people

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