May 12, 2023: Revenge Of The Anti-Vaxxers? (ETA at 4:46 P. M. On February 11, 2023 That It Should Be Anti-*Maskers*)

Scary thought popped into my head as I was doing some late-night grocery shopping at the local Hy-Vee last/Monday night.  As per usual nowadays, I was shopping with a mask on.  You may have heard that President Biden is going to end the country's COVID-19 emergency declaration Thursday, May 11.  That will end free tests, vaccines and treatments, which sucks, so I'll have to stock up on tests to take home and, maybe, get one final COVID shot for old-time's sake.

But I thought of one ripple effect from this.  Even though the end of this declaration has nothing to do with it, and even though it's no longer a requirement anyway, I wonder if I'll be able to shop, or do anything in public, with a mask on after May 11.  It's the imprimatur, the message implied by this end: "THE PANDEMIC IS OVER!" (even though it's not).  And if The President Of The United States says the pandemic is over, well, you scared, paranoid freak, why won't you take off your mask?

Admittedly I'm thinking about this because of what happened when I went out to eat at the place our club watches our alma mater's football Games at downtown Minneapolis Sunday night.  Some dude, obviously drunk, saw me sit down with my mask still on and asked me, several times, slightly varying his wording, why the hell am I still wearing a mask.  He repeatedly said he was "Just asking questions," to which I wanted to say that he was being a JAQ-off (JAQ?  Get it?  It's an acronym!), but I am going to assume he was sincere, even though I know he thinks I'm stupid for still wearing a mask when everybody at the bar and, I guess to him, around the world has stopped.

Add to the supposed order stupid people will think President Biden has made the real law that private companies can deny service and even order people to leave their properties, and I don't think I'm paranoid when I say I'm afraid I'll walk into a grocery store or a bar with my mask on, some dude that works there is giving me a hard time by saying, "You know, the President says the pandemic's over, you don't have to wear that thing anymore," and I'll reply, "I know ... force of habit," and then he'll say, "Seriously, take it off," and I'll go, "No, man, I'm keeping this on, please leave me alone," and then this asshole will escalate things and I'll either be led out in handcuffs or literally thrown out with my face pummeled ... and no mask.

I totally think this could happen.  There are a bunch of idiots who don't believe this pandemic was ever real and rail against all these COVID restrictions that have not been in place for at least 18 months and want to react violently against anything that reminds them of that dark time if those restrictions meant, to them, that they had their "freedom" taken away.  Masks, as powerful a preventative measure against getting any airborne disease as we have (although, to admit, I usually wear surgical masks and they don't stand much of a chance of preventing COVID from spreading), are its most conspicuous symbol.  So once they are given what they see as a green light from The Most Powerful Person In The Free World three months from now, hoo boy, they're going to make people pay.  They are going to get their revenge on all they believe enslaved them two and three years ago, even though those mandates were put in place to save lives, including and especially their ungrateful asses.  And I'll bet maskers are at the top of the list.

Great.  Another damn thing to worry about.