It's day three of "open" California.  For me, "open" would mean I had the freedom to leave the face rag behind, go about my business unimpeded, and resume normal life.  But wait!  Newsom didn't actually mean it, and the populace appears not to want freedom anyway.

Here in the Bay Area, people are exhibiting irrational, uninformed behavior patterns.  Our citizens have entered a group psychosis of leftist lemming behavior.  The Constitution, rights, and normal life are forgotten.  Instead, they still hide behind masks and glare at anyone naked-faced.  Obviously, when it comes to COVID, real science has no place at the table.

Yes, here people on the street, even in their own cars, and in stores, mostly still wear masks.  I've engaged in battle at my gym because it will let us remove the mask only if we show a vaccination card, per CalOSHA instructions.  I have used logic, facts, references to medical experts, my own articles in American Thinker, plus desperate entreaties to change this, but it's useless because the policy is absolute.  It's simple: Newsom conveniently hyped "Freedom," then OSHA quickly whipped the lid back on, unless one is willing to be vaccinated and show the card at the desk.

This from OSHA's erstwhile Q&A (that page has disappeared in the last 12 hours since I started writing this): "Face coverings are required indoors and in vehicles for unvaccinated employees," and "Though face coverings are not required outdoors, employers must communicate to workers that face coverings are recommended for unvaccinated persons outdoors where six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained."

So distancing requirements and assembly restrictions are history, but only for the vaccinated.  "Employees provide proof of vaccination (vaccine card, image of vaccine card or health care document showing vaccination status) and employer maintains a copy."

The California government has a Q&A about COVID masking guidelines, apparently replacing the missing OSHA page.  That site simply states:

In addition to the places listed above where everyone must still wear face coverings, and consistent with CDC guidance, masks are required for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (for example: live performances, indoor malls, movie theaters, places of worship, indoor mega events, and indoor museums).

They're just following CDC "guidelines."  Those are written for about a 50 I.Q., and I don't know if any state but ours is actually adhering to them.  As of May 13, per the CDC, "fully vaccinated" people don't need to wear masks.  Unvaccinated people should get it, now, or else.

There appears to be no ongoing work being done to weigh the risks inherent in vaccines and masks against the fact that we have virtually no COVID cases.  There has been no accommodation for those who had COVID, even though there are hundreds of thousands, and those people have antibodies and don't need vaccination.

There's also a growing body of information that the vaccination could be dangerous to one's health, but nobody in a position to do anything about it is paying attention to that — even though we've had deaths aplenty after the jab and, especially, even as we irrationally force vaccines on youths, ruining young lives with blood clots and enlarged heart myocarditis.

Going from being an "elite" high school or college athlete (forced to be vaccinated to travel with the team) to the ICU with blood clots or needing a heart transplant?  Not so good!  Yet this is happening, and not just once or twice, despite the occurrence being downplayed and reports glossed over.  Where is the government, the CDC, or anybody else willing to take notice of "real" science and adjust policy?

The only thing that has changed, really, is that we now have two classes of citizens, at least here in California.  We become second-class citizens if we don't succumb to the pressure and get jabbed.  We who choose not to put our lives in the hands of medical "professionals" who ignore or gloss over the dangers might as well sew our yellow stars on now.  We may be able to go to the grocery store mask-free (even if we're the only one without), we may be able to dine out without a mask, but forget about the gym, a concert, or any place in which people are active — and that includes kids' summer camp.

In case you think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, take a look at Andrea Widburg's article from yesterday about the lab report reporting the pathogens found in half a dozen face masks that a group of concerned Florida parents submitted.  All you need to do is watch your kids in their masks for about five minutes to know how closely this report will be mimicked in your own household.

As for me, I must still don my quickly-damp, sweaty mask that does absolutely nothing except give me shortness of breath and infections under my eyes, if I want to run the elliptical in the gym.  That's hardly freedom!

Image: Face mask at gym (cropped).  YouTube screen grab.

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