Broome’s Masking Order Violates Our Rights

I believe the mayor’s mask order violates our constitutional rights. If we wish to shop, worship, or do anything without a mask, the mayor has ordered businesses and non-profits to deny us entry and/or service. This includes essentials like food and medicine.

This is a blatant violation of our constitutional rights. She does not have authority to control every business and non-profit’s day-to-day activity and she does not have the right to deny citizens the freedom to shop, worship, or go about necessary activities either!

This is not about health. The hospitalizations and deaths are down nationwide and locally. Yes, there are some hot spots, but they must be examined individually. Moreover, there is NO widespread consensus by doctors or scientists that masks prevent people getting a virus, especially using loose, flimsy, makeshift masks used over and over. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that the public’s wearing masks actually puts the wearer at greater risk for infection, thereby putting everyone at risk rather than only the vulnerable.

Yes, doctors and nurses wear masks in surgery and infectious areas. They knew that was required when they chose that career. They did it voluntarily. (And any of us who wants to voluntarily wear a mask is free to do so.) In surgery, they wear masks to prevent infecting patients whose bodies are being cut open. They also take precautions of disposing of contaminated PPE properly between surgeries and/or patients. This is not at all true of the public at large.

Not only did the mayor threaten us if we do not comply by saying “closing bars is not off the table” and “none of us wants to have to go back to a stay-at-home order” (hint, hint), the mayor also gave evidence in her presser that she intends to continue adding more and more restrictions if she deems it necessary “until a vaccine makes this virus go away.” Will there be a vaccine?  There is no vaccine for most viruses. Will there be edicts to mandate vaccines? How will we know they are safe? Where and when will this stop?

We were all told the initial measures were to “flatten the curve” and to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. But here we are beginning our 5th month of these draconian measures, which are increasing not decreasing. The curve is as flat as a pancake. The hospitals are certainly not overwhelmed.

But we aren’t looking at that anymore. The narrative has changed… often. Now we are only supposed to look at inflated positive tests. Tests which may be performed multiple times on a single individual and counted as a new positive each time. Positive antibody tests are lumped in with active infections. Often false positives from inaccurate tests. 

Yet, what matters isn’t how many get the virus, because 99 percent recover with no permanent side effects and most have mild or no symptoms. Deaths have declined. In fact, the more of those cases we find, the smaller the death rate actually is. Consider also that nearly half of all deaths in EBR parish were in nursing homes. Nationwide that figure is 43 per cent.

Keep in mind, there was no order outcry when people were on the streets protesting or setting parts of our city on fire. But now law-abiding citizens may not buy groceries unless they wear a mask as the mayor commands. 

Privately-owned businesses are now controlled by Mayor Broome and Gov. Edwards. All is “driven by data,” but they manipulate the data! The governor can define what the employees of private businesses wear? The same with churches? The mayor goes further, telling businesses they will be punished if they allow healthy customers who do not need a mask inside doors. She decided who is allowed to spend money at a privately-owned business. This is outrageous! This is socialism! The government in attempting to control every aspect of citizens’ day to day lives.

The mayor’s order and the governor’s refusal to open up to Phase 3 (or all the way) are politically motivated. They are not keeping anyone safe, but are trying to use fear of the virus and their cooked-up penalties as motivators to compliance. 

The truth is they are violating our rights. How long will we continue to let them and how many rights will we surrender on this flimsy pretense of safety? If we remain quiet and let this happen, we will all regret it. The damage is never easy to undo. It won’t be this time either.”

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