The idiocy—and the hypocrisy—is astounding. Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Trump-wannabe governor of Florida, has mandated, in effect, that school districts must not require students to wear masks. If they do, they risk losing state funding, upon which most districts heavily rely.
In Texas, the famously failed state where a winter storm left millions without power or safe drinking water and summer heat has resulted in hundreds of power outages, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order also denying school districts the right to require masks on campus.
As I write, Arkansas and South Carolina are similarly restricted, though the former’s Gov. Asa Hutchinson has expressed regret over signing the bill that put the ban in place.
With luck, by the time you read this, those states (and others) will have come to the common sense recognition that they need to change their ways. A mask mandate is a no-brainer.
However, it seems the Dark Ages are upon us once again. Ignorance reigns. A former political party, now a cult, has led millions into a wilderness where healthcare decisions are based not on science, but on the rantings of politicians and a spurious belief that a vaccine is more dangerous than the disease that has taken over 600,000 American lives.
In banning mask mandates, Gov. DeSantis declared that they deprive parents of the freedom to make decisions regarding their children. Apparently, he's willing to risk the lives of the innocent and powerless. Children rely on the "wisdom" of grown-ups. De Santis betrays that trust.
And where's the logic? Critical thinking, to use the lingo of the day, has been canceled.
Think about it: Parents, these hands-off states say, should be free to make decisions in an arena where their choices may have a devastating impact not only on their child, but on unknown numbers of people in contact with that child. However, in those same states a female facing one of the most profound decisions of her life, a decision which endangers no-one, must first participate in state-directed counseling or undergo invasive procedures or face unrealistic deadlines—or, in some cases, all three. Because apparently the state knows best. You know what I’m talking about.
There’s also this: If we can’t get people to face the imminent and obvious danger posed by a here-and-now deadly disease, how on this (temporarily) green earth are we going to get them to take seriously the devastation promised by climate change? How many more fires, floods, and famines will it take? If climate change continues unaddressed, soon—like the movies—they’ll be coming to a theater near you. The unthinkable continues.
In Texas, the famously failed state where a winter storm left millions without power or safe drinking water and summer heat has resulted in hundreds of power outages, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order also denying school districts the right to require masks on campus.
As I write, Arkansas and South Carolina are similarly restricted, though the former’s Gov. Asa Hutchinson has expressed regret over signing the bill that put the ban in place.
With luck, by the time you read this, those states (and others) will have come to the common sense recognition that they need to change their ways. A mask mandate is a no-brainer.
However, it seems the Dark Ages are upon us once again. Ignorance reigns. A former political party, now a cult, has led millions into a wilderness where healthcare decisions are based not on science, but on the rantings of politicians and a spurious belief that a vaccine is more dangerous than the disease that has taken over 600,000 American lives.
In banning mask mandates, Gov. DeSantis declared that they deprive parents of the freedom to make decisions regarding their children. Apparently, he's willing to risk the lives of the innocent and powerless. Children rely on the "wisdom" of grown-ups. De Santis betrays that trust.
And where's the logic? Critical thinking, to use the lingo of the day, has been canceled.
Think about it: Parents, these hands-off states say, should be free to make decisions in an arena where their choices may have a devastating impact not only on their child, but on unknown numbers of people in contact with that child. However, in those same states a female facing one of the most profound decisions of her life, a decision which endangers no-one, must first participate in state-directed counseling or undergo invasive procedures or face unrealistic deadlines—or, in some cases, all three. Because apparently the state knows best. You know what I’m talking about.
There’s also this: If we can’t get people to face the imminent and obvious danger posed by a here-and-now deadly disease, how on this (temporarily) green earth are we going to get them to take seriously the devastation promised by climate change? How many more fires, floods, and famines will it take? If climate change continues unaddressed, soon—like the movies—they’ll be coming to a theater near you. The unthinkable continues.
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