Jim Wetzel notified me of the following tactic a blogger proposes:

Force me to wear a mask, I will make it out of cheesecloth to force you to form a committee to decide legal threadcount.

The bloggers says she

posted this on Facebook.

I mean it.

I have plenty of cheesecloth.

I will do it.

I will force stores and government officials to begin nitpicking further to define what is an acceptable mask, maybe perform some actual legit studies on mask efficacy in the proces [sic], but ultimately anger more people in doing so. …

Meanwhile, a gentleman writes from a state forcing serfs to muzzle themselves,

I paste the following from one of your posts today as prologue to my tale of the day.

“Health privacy norms and laws make it difficult, if not impossible, for store managers to question whether, or how, customers might have a medical reason for not wearing a mask…”

This afternoon, I purposefully ventured out for the first time since the local county-wide and cities-wide mask ordinances went into effect, earlier this week. I put a paper “procedure” mask in my shirt pocket, out of sight. I went bare-faced into three businesses in two mask-mandating cities.

1. At the book store (front window plastered with wear-a-mask posters), I went to the front desk, asked for my book on hold, paid for it and left without undue word or incident.
2. At the gun store (only sign: Please do not enter if you are sick), I made a simple purchase from one of the five unmasked employees.
3. At the liquor store (one mask sign, on door), I walked in, chose my poison, paid for it and left.

I am a large person, and have sometimes been told that I can look mean or scary without intending to. I did my best to look benign. I had a simple line prepared for any official (i.e. proprietor’s) challenge: “It’s OK; medical exemption” (delivered low-key and with a smile). I was also prepared for possible escalation. Turned out to be three nothing burgers.

I hope all of us likewise languishing under totalitarianism and the promotion of the occult will take courage from Mr. A’s example. Can I promise you’ll suffer no more adversity for your civil disobedience than he did for his? No: in addition to all its other charms, totalitarianism is arbitrary.  But defying these despots is the only way to win this war, short of an actual shooting one.

Numbers ensure success when flouting authority. Ergo, recall the “flash mobs” from a few years ago (here’s my favorite in this genre!). Those of you on social media might want to try raising one of unmasked folks to descend on a grocery store at the same time—or any other establishment you wish to patronize. And we who eschew Facebook et al probably have friends or family who don’t: ask their assistance in recruiting like-minded shoppers.

Never give in! Your naked face inspires others who long to move about as God made them but lack the courage to do so—until they see you. Most Americans wholeheartedly reject masks: hence, these ludicrous, illegal “orders.” But we’re more effective en masse. A hundred dissidents descending on a single mall is more potent than single individuals scattering to 100 malls.

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