The greatest lie that conservatives tell themselves is that “the desire for freedom resides in every human heart.” The events of this past year should have taught us that there are those in the bureaucracy who enjoy the power and attention they have garnered and will refuse to relinquish it.
The Delta variant is the latest, greatest example of this power grab. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has mandated vaccine passports for many indoor activities. He did this on the basis that not enough people are vaccinated, and the Delta variant could cause a third wave in the city.
Dr. Anthony Fauci began recommending wearing masks indoors again. The CDC echoed him and changed their guidance to do so. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said that parents should mask at home in front of their unvaccinated children (he later walked that back). CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is refusing to share the data that caused her organization to perform an about-face on masking.
Meanwhile, in the land of science and data, the numbers that we are seeing do not warrant these moves. While the number of cases is spiking, the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths are not. New York State – not the city, but the whole state – averages around ten deaths per day from COVID. The seven-day average in the country is around 400, which makes it around a tenth of what it was at its worst. For context, it’s lower now than it was when the masking guidelines were lifted, and data from the United Kingdom suggests that Delta is going to wane soon.
The issue isn’t that these wannabe dictators are passing these new restrictions; that’s what they do. The issue is that so many are following them, even cheering them. Corporations are mandating vaccinations and masking for their employees. CNN fired three unvaccinated staffers. Media personalities are berating politicians into pushing for more and more restrictions on freedom.
The elites have decided that the unwashed masses must be controlled, but they do not care when their fellow elitists flaunt the rules themselves. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot attended the music festival Lollapalooza and then instituted a mask mandate the following day. Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser instituted a mask mandate, then violated it that same day to officiate a wedding. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was seen donning a mask for pictures, then immediately removing it. Another Biden official was seen walking maskless to the side of a stage, putting on a mask, walking to a podium, and taking off the mask. It’s all theater.
The greatest example of this hypocrisy is former President Barack Obama, who planned a 600-person birthday party for himself on his palatial Martha’s Vineyard estate. After receiving criticism, he said he would scale back. However, videos and pictures emerged of the party this weekend, which appeared anything but “scaled back,” and included many celebrities and politicians who parrot the authoritarian talking points. Most attendees were not masked, and according to Candace Owens, there was no mandate to be vaccinated to attend the party. So, while tens of thousands of people are restricted from living their everyday lives, liberal elites are having the times of their lives.
All of this goes to show that there is no end to these restrictions, and freedom will not be given back. It’s time for the people to just ignore the guidelines and mandates. Get vaccinated, or don’t – it’s your decision. Just don’t wait for someone to tell you that you can now be free. They never will.
Moshe Hill is a political columnist and Senior Fellow at Chovevei Zion. You can find Moshe on his blog at www.aHillwithaView.com, facebook.com/aHillwithaView, or twitter.com/TheMoHill.