It’s time to put an end to mask mandates, but some politicians just can’t break the habit. They are holding on to this last piece of control over the American public, like a junky trying to get the last drop of heroin out of the syringe.

In a recent post I discussed the absurdity of mask mandates for toddlers, the least vulnerable members of our population (Florida v. New York Covid Guidelines for Children). The good news of that story, however, was that mask mandates were eliminated for all public-school children over age 5. The distinction had to do with vaccinations, which are not available for children under age 5.

In nearly every other public circumstance, masks are no longer required – except for public transportation. The Biden administration continues to demand masks for everyone on pubic transportation, especially airplanes, buses, and trains. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a statement that said, “Public transportation and transportation hubs are places where people across communities congregate, often for extended periods and in close quarters. The determination of the timeline and circumstances under which masks should be required in these settings should be guided by science, not politics.”

I couldn’t agree more. The problem is there is no evidence that masks have any significant impact on preventing the spread of Covid. Yet the Biden administration claims they are “following the science.” Those three words have been repeatedly used to justify decisions that are in fact political, not scientific.

It seems there is bipartisan agreement on this issue, a truly rare phenomenon in this Congress. The Washington Examiner reports the Senate voted 57-40 to pass a resolution sponsored by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an ophthalmologist. The only Republican voting against the bill was Mitt Romney of Utah.  Eight Democrats supported the resolution. The resolution would use the Congressional Review Act to try to roll back the rule, which the Biden administration just extended to April 18 as it was about to expire on March 18. While the resolution probably won’t get the necessary votes in the House of Representatives, it demonstrates clearly that support for the administration’s Covid guidelines is collapsing.

Senator Paul said, “Since March 2020, unelected bureaucrats have incessantly declared that we should ‘follow the science.’ But the same bureaucrats continue to defy science by imposing an ineffective and restrictive mask mandate for individuals traveling on public transit and airplanes. As the entire world is learning to live with Covid, the federal government still uses fearmongering to stubbornly perpetuate its mandates rather than giving clear-eyed rational advice on how to best protect yourself from illness. That is why I am forcing a vote to repeal travel mask mandates on public transportation and put a stop to its anti-science nanny-state requirement.”

This requirement seems particularly unnecessary on airplanes which contain air circulation and filtration systems equal to surgical operating rooms. While travel may increase the risks of disease by close quarters with strangers, there is no evidence that masks lower that risk. Removing mandates does not restrict those who still feel more comfortable wearing masks, but rather frees those who are comfortable without them. Once people understand the risks of the disease, they should be free to take whatever precautions they choose – or not choose – to apply. It’s time for the government to give people back their freedom of choice.

Words matter. The proper use of the English language is vital to Americans communicating with one another. Communication is at the heart of good relationships. Accurate communication of information is critical to our society and the democratic process.

Yet some have learned to use the English language to misinform and further their ideological agendas. Examples of this abound. Those who favor abortion on demand don’t call themselves Pro-Abortion; they call themselves Pro-Choice. Who isn’t in favor of allowing freedom of choice? A much larger percentage of the electorate favors freedom of choice than abortion.

This brings me to the current controversy here in Florida over a legislative bill that opponents have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The actual name of the bill is the Parental Rights in Education Act. By now the word “gay” has become so common in our language as a description of homosexuals that you rarely hear the word used in any other context, even though Webster’s Dictionary lists that use of the word only as the fifth and last possibility. Opponents of the bill have cleverly managed to manipulate not only the media, but even some in the Florida legislature into believing the bill prohibits use of the word!

In truth, the bill says nothing about use of the word “gay” and it is never mentioned anywhere in the bill. But the Orlando Sentinel, a propaganda arm of the Democratic party, has repeatedly promoted the description of the bill as “Don’t Say Gay” in compliance with their liberal fans. Furthermore, they have pressured Walt Disney World into taking up this issue in defense of the gay community, even though this has nothing whatsoever to do with a theme park.

The issue has become so widely promoted in the media that even the Wall Street Journal editorial board felt it necessary to weigh in on the issue. In an editorial entitled, Does the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Say That?, they ask, “What does the seven-page bill actually do? One section says schools generally ‘may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.’ Parents also can’t be blocked from ‘education and health records created, maintained, or used by the school.’”

Not much controversy there. What parent doesn’t want that?

Another section says, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate.” Parents who think the law isn’t being followed could ask for the appointment of a magistrate to review the dispute. Or they could sue to get a declaratory judgement and attorney fees.

WSJ says, “To millions of parents, this no doubt sounds noncontroversial. Their children’s mental health and school records are eminently their business. Kindergartners are supposed to be learning how to read and peaceably resolve turf wars over Tonka trucks. To their tiny ears, ‘sexual orientation’ is a string of silly nonsense syllables. The bill says older children could be taught ‘age-appropriate’ material.”

In point of fact, the bill will have little immediate impact. According to The Tampa Bay Times, “In practice, it is unclear exactly how things will change in the classroom because sexual orientation and gender identity is not something that is being taught in grades K-3 at the moment.” If that’s the case, you might wonder why this is controversial.

Apparently, earlier versions of the bill said that primary schools could not “encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation.” Critics said this was vague. The bill’s sponsors then eliminated this language, but the liberal media narrative train had already left the station. The result is reporters, aka media activists, are still quoting the wrong version of the bill.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki got in on the act when she claimed that maybe the bill’s sponsors want to hurt children! She said, “Why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community? Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school?” After all this false narrative posturing, Disney CEO Bob Chapek caved to the pressure and apologized to the gay community saying, “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down.” The implication is that Disney will restrict its fundraising support of Republicans in future elections.

The Parental Rights in Education Act passed in the Florida Senate this week by a 22-17 vote with all of the Democratic Senators voting no in opposition to parental rights. Two Republican Senators also voted against the bill, saying they opposed the bill based on the negative public perception, founded on inaccurate media narratives.

In other words, they opposed the bill based on what opponents perceived was in the bill, but wasn’t, rather than voting based on what was clearly laid out in the text of the bill. It seems that misuse of the English language is effective, unfortunately, and therefore we can expect more of the same in the future.

What a difference a state makes! If you’re a kid in Florida you’re free to breathe the air without a mask and getting vaccinated is a choice your parents make, not your politicians. However, if you live in New York, you’re doomed to forever wearing a mask unless you get a shot, which is unavailable if you’re under age five. Maybe the air in Florida is cleaner.

While the climate in Florida is certainly more pleasant most of the year than in New York, the differences in these states’ Covid requirements have more to do with the color of their politicians – red v. blue.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recently announced children ages 5-17 without underlying health conditions can forego Covid-19 vaccinations. “It is essential for health care practitioners to analyze existing data on the Covid-19 vaccine alongside parents when deciding to vaccinate children,” said Ladapo in a new release. “Based on currently available data, the risk of administering Covid-19 vaccination among health children may outweigh the benefits. That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated.”

In New York City, they finally lifted its public-school mask mandate, but only with an exception. “The indoor mask mandate is still active for children in LYFE, EarlyLearn (infants and toddlers), 3-K, Pre-K, and 4410 classrooms,” the city’s Department of Education tweeted March 4. This means the city will continue to force masks on the segment of the population at lowest risk for Covid, children ages 2 to 4.

The ostensible reason for this policy is that children under 5 aren’t eligible for vaccination. New York Mayor Eric Adams explains, “People wanted to say, ‘Let’s lift it across the board,’ but that’s not what the science was showing us. I know some people are concerned. I would rather people complain against me, than losing my babies in our city.”

Karol Markowicz, writing in The Wall Street Journal, says the mayor is reduced to cheap emotional appeals because his position lacks logic. The New York State Health Department released a study last week that found “there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine on children, particularly those 5-11 years and after the Omicron variant’s emergence.” That describes the Pfizer vaccine, the only one approved for minors. Its effectiveness at preventing infection dropped to 12% for 5–11-year-olds during Omicron.

The mayor is leaning on the CDC, which is the only public health agency in the world to recommend masking toddlers in the first place. This age group is at almost no risk for contracting Covid and not a single study has found that masks help stop viral spread in this age group.

Drs. Marty Makary and H. Cody Meissner have reported in The Wall Street Journal there is no science to support the CDC guidelines on masking children. In fact, they report only one retrospective study even has addressed the question of whether masks reduce Covid transmission in children – and the results were inconclusive. They say the CDC recommendations are based on theory, rather than science.

More importantly, they say there are mask-related harmful effects in children including:

• Children with myopia have difficulty seeing due to fogging of their glasses
• Severe acne and other skin problems
• Distraction from learning due to mask discomfort
• Increased levels of carbon dioxide from airway resistance and rebreathing
• Lowered levels of oxygen for the same reasons
• Masks can be vectors for pathogens if they become moist or are used too long

By now the futility of mask mandates has been widely demonstrated and most states have eliminated them. Even New York is recognizing this for adults and older children. Making an exception for the least vulnerable population makes no sense at all.

The difference in these states is freedom of choice. In New York, politicians believe they should decide when people must be vaccinated or wear masks. In Florida, politicians believe that’s a choice best left up to individuals and their doctors. Maybe that difference accounts for why people are leaving states like New York in droves and moving to Florida.