Political

The state of Virginia recently took up the mantle of forced masking. The order issued by the state’s Department of Health mandates that children 2 years of age and older must wear a mask while attending school.  Virginia isn’t alone in this extremism, though. They are one of twelve states to issue a mask mandate in schools, and the number continues to grow. 

School choice has been touted for years as an alternative to the government-run public education system. However, private institutions are no longer safe. Many of these state mandates include private schools. With nowhere for parents and teachers to seek relief from these totalitarian government policies, they are starting to make their voices heard.

School boards across the country may get a bad rap, but there are some that have chosen to defy mask mandates. The school board of Highland County, Virginia, is making headlines by doing just that. With only 2,200 residents, it is considered the smallest locality in the state. However, they have decided to buck the mask mandate. With a total of 121 COVID cases in over a year, and none reported in children, it’s laughable to require their students to wear masks.

Surprisingly, even counties that we would consider “left-leaning” have dismissed mask mandates. A school district and two private school networks in San Diego County, California, are refusing to forcibly mask their students. It’s just a matter of time before we see cases like this one heading to the Supreme Court.

Multiple states have decided to give parents freedom to decide what is best for their children. Seven states banned mask mandates in schools.  However, this doesn’t come without blowback. The Biden administration has resorted to bullying Governors who have undermined their abhorrent policies. The U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has promised to give federal funding to school districts in Florida that defy Governor Ron Desantis’s ban. This is a huge federal government overreach that belittles the rights of state sovereignty. 

It’s no surprise that the Biden administration is trying to gain control by force. When they realized that pushing out Tik Tok influencers to do their bidding for them was a huge failure, they began grasping for straws. President Biden issued an order that all federal workers have to be vaccinated and his minions in Congress are passing legislation to fund states in their vaccine and mask efforts.

Although outnumbered, our allies in the Senate are doing their best to fight against these terrible policies. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced legislation that would ban mask mandates on public transportation. He stated to Fox News:

In a free county people will evaluate their personal risk factors and are smart enough to ultimately make medical decisions like wearing a mask themselves.

He even made a video explaining the science behind the ineffectiveness of masks. Of course, YouTube labeled it as “misinformation” and took it down. Senator Paul was quick to condemn their censorship and provided ways to access the information through his website.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) followed suit as well. He and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced legislation that would ban mask and vaccine mandates for all Americans. While these bills are unlikely to see a vote this year, it highlights the importance of regaining a Republican majority in both the House and Senate as quickly as possible in order to pass these.

Eagle Forum rejects all forms of mask and vaccine mandates. Senator Paul is right. Americans should have the right to decide what is best for us and our children. We have multiple ways you can get involved in this fight. You can sign our petition to stop mandatory vaccines. You can also donate to our Political Action Committee (PAC) as we begin selecting Congressional candidates to endorse for November 2022.