END THE MASK MADNESS

After more than two years of pandemic hysteria, Americans are finally ready to get back to their normal lives. A new poll by YouGov/The Economist found that 57% of Americans believe the worst of the pandemic is “behind us.” Only 13% thought that the “pandemic is going to get worse.

This is a significant change from the February poll results which found only 44% of the respondents believed the “worst part of the pandemic is behind us.” At that time, the survey indicated that 17% of Americans believed the “pandemic is going to get worse.”

These results are positive and show that Americans are feeling confident about dealing with COVID-19 as there has been a significant decline in hospitalizations and deaths in recent months. Finally, the American people want to end the horror show of lockdowns and mandates.

While the American people want this nightmare to end, the Biden administration is addicted to the pandemic power trip. For example, despite the considerable progress in battling COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the mask mandate for public transportation until May 3. This will impact all travelers on planes, buses, trains, ferries, and other forms of public transportation.

The extension was made with the full support of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States, who warned Americans about “an uptick of cases that we are already seeing in certain states.” About 85% of the new cases are the Omicron subvariant, BA.2, which has been on the increase in Europe.

As Americans return to their normal activities, Fauci predicted an upsurge in “infections, even in people who are vaccinated.” With Fauci and the CDC sounding the alarm, mask mandates have been resumed at American University and George Washington University for the remainder of the spring semester.

In addition, an indoor mask mandate was reimposed in public places in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city’s Health Commissioner, Dr Cheryl Bettigole, projected “the start of a new COVID wave like Europe just saw.”

Fortunately, there are no statewide mask mandates in effect, but that could change as the new variant spreads across the country. If any states reinstitute mask mandates, it will certainly be the ones controlled by Democrats. In these “blue” states, Democrat politicians are enamored with mandates, lockdowns, and other measures to limit the freedom of their constituents.

Even if there is a surge in cases from the new variant, the American people do not want to resume the mask mandates. A recent Monmouth University poll found only 34% of Americans supported a continuation of mask mandates, while 62% were ready for them to end.

The mandates are not only opposed by average Americans, but by airline executives who are negatively impacted by these measures. Recently, the Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s) of Delta, American, United, Southwest, JetBlue, UPS Airlines, Alaska Air Group, Atlas Air, FedEx Express, and Hawaiian Airlines wrote President Joe Biden asking for mask mandates to be lifted for air travel.

In the letter, the CEO’s noted “It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks, despite none of these venues having the protective air filtration system that aircraft do.” The airline executives noted that the “air filtration system” makes airplanes “one of the safest indoor environments.”

The letter also referenced the huge increase in unruly behavior among passengers since the mask mandates were instituted. Masking has caused “daily challenges” that have made passengers “frustrated.” Monitoring such activity has taken a “toll” on the “well-being” of airline employees. The mask mandates have forced flight attendants to become referees among passengers, putting them at unnecessary risk of physical harm.

None of these compelling arguments persuaded the Biden administration to eliminate the mask mandate. The travelling public will have several more weeks, at a minimum, to continue to deal with these unnecessary, uncomfortable, and irritating masks.

With the extension of the mask mandates, at least one airport is enhancing their enforcement procedures. At Love Field in Dallas, airport executives have recently begun to utilize two seven-foot robots to monitor the mask compliance of travelers.

The robots, known as Security Control Observation Towers (SCOT), will issue ever increasing warnings meant to intimidate travelers into practicing proper masking techniques. If the travelers do not comply with the verbal commands, the robots will contact airport security or the police to alert them about individuals who remain maskless.

The continuation of the mask requirements and the new enforcement techniques are disturbing on many levels. Instead of moving toward more freedom and relaxing procedures, which were useless and impractical, there is an effort to perpetually extend this control.

Americans must demand this madness end immediately. It is high time for our citizens to “resist, defy and do not comply.”

As noted in a written statement by Delta Ed Bastian, “it’s time to move from mandates to guidance and personal health choices.” Of course, Mr. Bastian is correct, but it is in direct opposition to the core beliefs of the Biden administration and Democratic Party leaders who do not trust people to make “personal health choices.” Biden and the Democrats want to continue the mandates, control the activities of the American people, and perpetuate the pandemic fear throughout the country.

Their overall goal will be to make sure that the 2022 election is akin to the 2020 election with enhanced mail-in voting, a proliferation of “drop boxes” for votes, ballot harvesting and other measures that allow voter fraud to occur more easily.

Not only do Americans need to demand an end to the mandates and the fear, but we also must not allow the 2022 election to be hijacked by “COVID” hysteria.

Our goal must be a free and fair election, without fraud, and without the unprecedented procedures that were employed in 2020. Let us get back to normal with our lives and our elections.

By Jeff Crouere
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Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs nationally on Real America's Voice Network, AmericasVoice.News weekdays at 7 a.m. CT and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com