In the current and ongoing perhaps never ending COVID crisis, many elected and unelected people in authority are pushing the mask mandate as the means of salvation. Our Governor is a notable exception to this mania.Here’s the main problem in four words: Masks do not work. I say this regarding the purposes of preventing the transmission of micro bacteria such as COVID.This statement can be proved based upon not one but seven Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) over a period of 11 years- truly scientific testing that prove neither the commonly-used paper masks nor the more sophisticated N95 models prevent micro bacteria from penetrating the mask. For those that want to spend a few minutes, this research is summed up in the aptly titled “Masks Don’t Work” by Dr. Denis G. Rancourt, who holds a PhD in physics from the University of Ottawa. It was first published in June 2020 as a scientific response to the proposed global lockdown. The paper is 13 pages long, with two of those being references to document his research.
The secondary problem is that most people in our polarized short-attention span society won’t take the time to read the document or will discredit the author because they disagree with him. For many, this like gun laws has become an emotional issue versus one where facts are used to make a decision. It’s not unusual to hear an outcry of “DO SOMETHING!!!” from those that lack critical thinking abilities after something bad happens. Masks are the universal background check or $15/hour minimum wage of the COVID crisis. Of course, gun criminals still use guns where there are universal background checks, and the $15/hour minimum wage where it has been applied at places like Amazon and Walmart show it is not the easy button solution over 60 percent of Florida voters thought it would be.
These people would rather trust in some official or “expert”, who usually make a claim that there is a “Growing body of evidence” that masks work in this regard. The fact remains, not one RCT has proved the effectiveness of face masking. As Governor DeSantis mentioned (and I have also researched and written about last August) the rate of infections in Florida for both mask mandate and non-mandate counties was about the same. As Dr. Rancourt pointed out in a follow-up paper in August 2020 titled “Face masks, lies, damn lies, and public health officials: "A growing body of evidence,”” officials are making outright false claims in this area. These officials are not being held accountable for their misinformation. The fact is this is not about public health but instead about public control. Similar to sexual battery, which is not about sex, it is about power and control.
Even if one were to dismiss the provable facts put forth in the RCTs, there are still a couple of logical failures with the mask and now “vax” mania. If you get vaccinated, why is it you still need to wear a mask? Conversely, if masks really work, then why does anyone need to get vaccinated? The vaccination topic is a similar issue here. Suffice it to say the research I have done proves that you are more likely to become critically ill after a vaccine than if you contract and recover from COVID.
The recent Executive Order from Governor DeSantis banning mask mandates for students is based upon sound science and good governance. It allows the parents, not the government, to decide if their child wears a mask. I was pleased to see he is willing to put teeth into the order by fiscally penalizing those officials that violate the order. All too often those in government can violate the law and not be held accountable as the citizens they govern are.
Paul Henry