First, I want to apologize to all of the people who have written me e-mails - I've responded to very few. This is not my normal modus operandi - I sincerely try to answer every single e-mail sent to me - but...
There is a war being fought in my mailbox - and I'm curious which side is going to win. I've received e-mails across the entire spectrum - from people who don't believe COVID-19 exists (after all, it managed to completely kill the old flu virus we've seen pop up every year!), to people who hate me because by not wearing a mask I'm killing them, and everywhere in between. Where my beliefs fall in that spectrum is purely philosophical because I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep myself and my family safe.
Does the government have the Constitutional power to force us to wear a mask. On the one hand, they have the power to force us to wear clothing (because otherwise I'd have become a practicing nudist long ago). On the other, a mask interferes with our ability to breathe, forcing us to inhale unhealthy levels of carbon dioxide.
So, do they have the power? I don't believe they do. I don't believe they have the power to dictate how I breathe as breathing is a fundamental right (unlike the right to healthcare - anything which another person provides is NOT a right, it's a service).
I can hear a part of my mail spectrum now - '...but they have the power and responsibility to make sure other people are safe!'. I disagree most vehemently. If I'm stupid enough to risk my health by not wearing a mask, that's on me. My not wearing a mask, whether sick and contagious or not, has no bearing on your ability to wear a mask and avoid me; by LIVING you assume the responsibility of keeping yourself safe. How you do that is your right - something I consider 'common sense' which, I fear, is not so common anymore - so long as you don't impinge on me or my rights. It is NOT the government's responsibility to keep me safe; they are not my parent. It is the government's job to defend our borders and provide me the opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's it. That's all I want them to do. If I want to jump out of an airplane without a parachute, I don't expect the government to stop me. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ME.
If I want to have a 10,000 person meeting in my backyard (other than having to stack people up like cordwood to make them fit) and not wear a mask - that is my right to risk getting ill. As long as I didn't kidnap them, it is the right of those 10,000 people to meet in my backyard assuming risk of infection on their own. We each are responsible for ourselves (and, obviously, for our children until they reach an age to be responsible for themselves).
I *KNOW* this is going to get me much hate mail. However, I think I've taken this topic as far as I'm going to. I will read every single hate mail you send me - I read every single mail anyone sends me - but I'm not going to argue the point any further. I may respond but I might not.
I'm here to tell stories - hopefully good stories that people will enjoy. I'm not here to tell you how to think. Maybe some of what I write will educate you - maybe it won't and you'll send me e-mail to educate me. THAT'S what I like about this site. Learning, living and growing.
Thank you for your time. I hope you - the collective 'all of you' - along with all of your families stay healthy, safe and prosperous. I give you all my familiar birthday greeting - 'May the worst of the days in front of you be better than the best of the days behind you'.
Most Sincerely,
Kenn Ghannon