Last April, the "Washington Post" published an article titled, "Will Americans wear masks to prevent coronavirus spread?" It listed a variety of reasons why some will not wear masks. Unfortunately, it missed the main one -- masks help make and keep America afraid.
The media, WHO and the CDC have been wrong on virtually every aspect of the virus, from early predictions of American deaths, from 2 to 3 million, to even the practicality of wearing a mask. For many, wearing masks represents submission to those with little regard for the Bill of Rights, not selfish insensitivity to others who might get the virus from the unmasked as those who wish to take our liberty openly say.
One bluntly said, "If Donald Trump had not been elected president, it would not be hyped." Another, "Nothing more will be said of it if Joe Biden is elected president."
The media began with the horrific death prediction of millions. When those numbers were not high enough, opponents did two things to inflate them: 1) Counting deaths with covid-19 as the same as those dying from covid-19; and, 2) Infecting nursing homes with patients with the virus. It turns out that more than 40% of those deaths were in nursing homes. When a drug used to treat malaria -- hydroxy-chloroquine -- was found to cure the coronavirus as well, instead of excitement over the finding, the media and its accomplices unsuccessfully did everything to discredit its use. Clearly the media agenda was to make and keep Americans afraid.
It is clear to most that the virus had been weaponized for the election of 2020. It damaged Trump's best economy in U.S. history, nearly ended the popular Trump rallies, justified Biden's non-aggressive presidential campaigning because of his obvious cognitive failings, provided the rationale for three or less presidential debates and vote by mail efforts -- all benefiting the Democrat Party.
The absolute best strategy for keeping Americans afraid is to keep them wearing and practicing the symbols of fear -- masks, distancing, partially closed churches, and small groups. It is a constant reminder that the emergency is present and ongoing. The next best is to keep children from returning to school. That there exists no science proving that keeping children out of school is a benefit to them does not matter, nor that virtually all of Europe has opened its classrooms.
Nor did it matter that the Asian Pandemic of 1957, with a death toll of 116,000 Americans, or the Hong Kong Pandemic of 1968, with 100,000 deaths, may still be more than the 130,000 dying from covid-19, subtracting at least 25% of those who did not actually die from covid-19 but with it. The populations were much lower then and they wore no masks, closed no businesses, restaurants, churches, sporting events, schools, colleges or large gatherings. The population of America is 328,239,523. Do the math, dividing this number by 130,000 deceased equals .0004 x 100 =.04% -- infinitesimally low. Dividing by the three million who got it and recovered, .009 or 0.9% is not even 1% of the population.
This is why the vast majority of Americans cannot identify a family member or close friend dying from covid-19. Still, the Left has Americans paralyzed and perpetually afraid. The death rate of the flu two years ago, 61,000, did not even make the news, but this is a presidential election.
Again the media has lost credibility. The same sources now pushing the narrative that those not wearing masks are doing so because of their selfishness and insensitivity toward others are the same people and outlets that were wrong at every turn respecting the coronavirus.
But none of this is new! We count nine times when these same media outlets, organizations and persons attempted to upend, even by coup d'etat, the 2016 presidential election.
Let's review these attempts, three happening simultaneously before Trump took office. Spygate the Trump Tower wiretapping, demonstrations in cities all over the United States (presumably funded by George Sores, to refuse the results of the 2016 election with signs "Not My President"), and finally, the Republican "Never Trumpers" movement. Once inaugurated, the effort to get someone in his administration to declare him unfit so as to use the 25th Amendment to remove him followed. Then the Russia hoax and the resultant 2 1/2 year Robert Mueller investigation. This followed by disclosure of the FBI/CIA coup attempt to unseat him, next came the Ukrainian hoax, followed by the failed impeachment attempt. Nine easily documented attempts to remove Trump from office. On issues relating to Trump, it is hard to find anything upon which these media sources were accurate.
Trump endured three congressional investigations: the Mueller and Horowitz Reports, each exonerating him, and the U.S. Senate impeachment trial acquitting him. Trump suffered more unjustified opposition/persecution than all U.S. presidents combined.
So what is the main reason so many refuse to wear masks? Americans cannot be convinced that the politicization of the coronavirus is not the tenth attempt to oust Trump and bring down America, with the anarchists being the eleventh. Many feel used, betrayed and unprotected as they watch these same sources excuse nonwearing of masks for rioters and anarchists but condemn such for the rest.
If most cannot identify a family member that has died from this pandemic after almost six months of headlines of death, why would they trust these falsifying sources? To many, the preservation of the Bill of Rights and not wearing the symbols of control and fear are all they have to resist those who want to make and keep Americans afraid and take away our liberty.
Harold W. Pease, Ph.D., is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for more than 30 years at Taft College. To read more of his weekly articles, visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.