It’s been a year. A whole calendar year since we faced the first lockdowns and traceable spread of COVID-19. Much of the year we stayed patient. Many of us were scared. Most of us sincerely worked hard to protect one another and ourselves. But not all of us hoped for a way out. In fact, on this one-year anniversary, there are some who obviously plan to make COVID-19 a way of life and a permanent fixture of American culture.
We know what this virus is now. We understand whom it attacks. Many of us caught it and never knew we had it. Many of us got very sick. The oldest and sickest who caught it (with rare exceptions) sadly lost their lives. It isn’t that we don’t understand it can be serious for some. It’s that we know it’s not fatal, statistically for most. For most, that makes it yet another illness we don’t want to catch but we can’t endlessly shelter in place to avoid. It’s simply not the human condition.
The therapies and treatments are well known. The vulnerable know who they are. We know kids don’t spread this disease or even suffer from it in any meaningful numbers. Yet many schools still remain closed a year later. Why? You know the answer. This stopped being about the virus long ago.
Last year at this time, Dr. Fauci said masks weren’t necessary and we didn’t need to worry about changing our way of life. Today, he advocates wearing two masks and takes every holiday, special event, and change of season to warn the country we should shelter in place at all times.
Once upon a time, we were told social distancing was sufficient. Today, many restaurants and small businesses still have to go rogue or close altogether as blue state mayors and governors continue to insist social distancing isn’t enough. Social distancing AND masks aren’t enough. Being inside together - no matter the distance - is unsafe they falsely claim. Governor DeSantis of Florida made fools of all of them.
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If American news media weren’t an insane cesspool of partisanship, they’d honestly report what the Trump administration managed to accomplish inside of one year. It’s the stuff of greatness in presidential leadership. Truman and the bomb, Ike and the interstate highway system, FDR and the New Deal – “Operation Warp Speed” was one of those.
To clear the way and lead the charge to get three vaccines developed cleared, and into the arms of Americans within an eleven-month period is jaw-dropping. The vaccines are here. They’re now being injected into more arms than there are cases of COVID in the United States.
Yet, it’s still not good enough to let our guard down. This week the CDC and Dr. Fauci now suggest the vaccine might not be sufficient to allow us to travel. Just because you got the shot, they say doesn’t mean you can’t still pass along the virus. There’s even discussion the vaccine might not last all that long. "We can’t be sure," they say. Huh? So, it’s important to get the shot? Or it doesn’t matter?
And the variants of the virus! Don’t forget the variants! Brazilian, South American, and U.K. variants are now of concern because they “can’t be sure” the vaccines protect against those either.
Gosh, it’s all very confusing, isn’t it? We had to wait, wait, wait until a vaccine was here to get life back to normal. Then a vaccine arrived. Three to be precise. You’ve probably seen people in your social media feed celebrating, proudly displaying their vaccination card. "What a relief! I’m safe now," they’re likely thinking.
But of course, that’s not what we’re hearing now. Now, we’re treated to eggheads on cable news and in editorial pages of prominent publications wondering aloud if masks are here to stay. Maybe the vaccine isn’t enough? Maybe we should always be afraid of getting sick?
So, one year later ask yourself why. Why do the people who keep telling you if we just follow their simple instructions life will return to normal, then yank normal away like Charlie Brown’s football just as we reach their stated goal and we land flat on our locked-down backs all over again? The answer is not hard to understand. Fear is a useful tool for those who love control.
If you live in a red state where restrictions have been lifted or have never been in place, this may sound very foreign to you. For those living in communities and states where preening bureaucrats cling to their power by locking kids out of schools, shutting worshipers out of church, and ordering businesses shuttered at half or no indoor capacity – this is the one year anniversary of a prison sentence that simply won’t end. And the prison wardens are county commissioners, school board members, mayors, city councilmen, and governors more cruel and corrupt than the guy who ran “Shawshank.”
It’s been a year. That’s enough. It’s time to reclaim normal from those who have no intention of allowing normal’s return.
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