To The Editor:
I believe that the mask debate deserves all of the time we can give it. Wrongly FPF has determined that they’re through with it even though there are new opinions every day. This is my opinion.
I believe that the anti-government mask mandate believers are missing two major points when they deny the need to mandate mask use. One is the misunderstanding of the nature of personal vs. community rights and responsibilities and the other is the nature of the coronavirus emergency.
Along with rights we all have responsibilities, both for the community and individuals. In this case, the community, under the auspices of select boards, has not only the right but also the responsibility to protect the vulnerable from the identifiable risks of COVID-19. One of the mistakes of the anti-maskers is the misunderstanding of the nature of personal freedom: Mask use has been compared to the difference between eating meat or not.
A better analogy would be drunk driving. There is overwhelming evidence that driving while drunk is dangerous to others. No one would think to say, “Okay you cannot drive drunk if you want, but I have the right to drive drunk.” That would be treated as absurd. There is overwhelming evidence that COVID-19 is also a threat to others. Therefore, it is not just the right of the community to mandate mask use, it is the responsibility of the community to mandate mask use. To not mandate use is gross negligence. (Communism has nothing to do with this.)
Robin Lehman
Warren
