Semi-Thoughtful Musings

August 19, 2021: One of many recent days that should be free from Covid … but isn’t.

Let’s talk about freedom for a little bit. No, not freedom from want or fear. Not freedom from tyranny or oppression (although there are some who are touting this level of freedom so they can rant and rave about the utter inhumanity of mask or vaccination mandates).

No, I’m talking about the freedom I thought we were going to have as we moved on from this stupid Covid pandemic. The freedom we were all hoping for when we heard about the miraculous vaccines that our wonderful scientists were able to develop in record time. When we would reach the mythical herd immunity that would allow us to get together again, go to weddings and parties and trips to Europe or Baltimore.

But NOOOO!!!! No, no, no, no. That freedom has been delayed. Diverted. Refunded. Held hostage because, apparently, there are other freedoms that are more important. Huge, important individual freedoms that no sane society would elevate to such a sacred status, but, this being Wonderland, has become the sword some are willing to die on (or at least have others die on): The freedom to not wear masks (and, apparently, to stop others from requiring masks in schools or shops), and, especially, the freedom to not get a vaccine (and, apparently, to be able to go wherever you want whenever you want and bring your sorry, unvaccinated ass with you and not bother counting all the new people you’ve infected and/or killed).

At what point are we all going to finally stand up to these knuckleheads and say, “Your important little “freedoms” are fucking up tons of other “freedoms” we all thought we were going to get when we did our civic duty and got the damned shot.

So let’s run through some of the freedom losing consequences these a##holes have created:

1. We just had to cancel our grandson’s one year birthday party because of fear of the Delta variant (okay, boo hoo, not such a big deal). Except it is a big deal to us. We thought we were over this. But now our plans have to change because so many thoughtless people did not do the right thing.

2. We are canceling two MBC advocacy trips to conferences (Utah and SanAntonio) because of the huge increase in the Delta variant. So the individual freedoms to remain unvaccinated and unmasked is more important than fundraising and research for Brest cancer. Or, one must deduce, any other conferences that could have been happening to help move our society forward but will probably get cancelled again as Delta prevails.

3. People are canceling the first trips they’ve scheduled in two years. It’s been a long wait. Finally we can do things again…. Um, but, maybe not. Thanks, you heartless numchucks.

4. We’re all rethinking when and if to go out to restaurants and when and if to wear those f-ing masks again (that’s right, I hate them too, but that doesn’t mean I won’t wear it).

5. What’s going to happen to all the rescheduled weddings now? Even if you’re vaccinated you still might get it or carry it somewhere else. All because some people needed to express their freedom to walk around and not worry if they or anyone else might get sick. And Lord knows, they absolutely don’t give a shit that your rescheduled wedding isn’t gonna happen, because , apparently they don’t give a shit about anyone but their unvaccinated, freedom loving asses.

6. Or any of hundreds of other events, concerts, parties, shindigs, drinking games, sporting events, cookouts, bachelorette parties, yoga classes, etc. etc. etc. that are all at risk of getting cancelled or not being planned.

7. And what about all of the front line health care workers who wake up every morning knowing that it is Groundhog Day all over again and that their ICUs will still be littered with squealing adults whining that “they didn’t know” (bullshit) and “am I gonna die?” (hopefully). And then they die and more sniveling unvaccinated morons slouch into the ER looking for the health care heroes to put aside their complete fury and exhaustion and fix the problem that the morons could have fixed themselves months ago by getting a f-ing shot.

Do they really not get that their intransigence has turned what should have been a simple solution to a devastating pandemic into an ongoing, deadly fight that will continue to kill thousands of people, including children, for who knows how long? Do they not know that because of them, we will return to an uncertain school environment where learning will again be challenged and children’s lives will be at greater risk (not to mention the whole political mask/no mask craziness)? Do they not know that because of them, all of us (ironically, including them) are going to have to keep dealing with this shit for months (if not years) to come.

At what point do those of us who have put up with all the restrictions for the last year and a half, who did our duties as good citizens of a country we actually do love, finally say enough is enough? When do we get our freedoms back? When will the stupid, moronic, nattering nabobs of science skepticism finally get shouted down from their poisonous perches and get shunted into the back rooms of history where they rightly belong so the rest of us can get back to living a semi-normal life?

To paraphrase the line from the movie “Network,” I’m mad as hell and not sure I’m gonna take it anymore.