This community opinion was contributed by resident member Randy Logue. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors.

Without any due process, without any questioning of strategy, without any public input, our elected and appointed officials have done what they thought was right. They have forced us to wear masks, they locked us in our homes, they dictated who we could and couldn’t associate with, and now they are telling us that we have to be vaccinated to participate in society. 

I am sorry but any way you slice it that is tyrannical, and I have stated since day one that COVID is not the biggest threat, but people’s response to it is.  Despite what some of you would like to think, no human being does everything for altruistic reasons. 

Money and power have been behind many of the decisions made regarding COVID. Unfortunately both have been made in the wrong direction.  The lockdowns have cost millions of people their jobs, businesses, dignity, and life savings. 

The federal government prints money like it was candy. In San Benito County, look at how many long-time businesses have closed, and how many open store fronts there are downtown. By giving people money for breathing they have been stripped of their dignity, self-worth, and desire to succeed. 

On the power side governors, mayors, health department officials, teachers unions, and many others have seized the opportunity to impose their will politically, philosophically, and morally on us.  No matter how you slice it that is tyranny, and quite possibly totalitarianism. 

As bad as all that is masks and now “mandatory” vaccines are worse. A mask is nothing less than a uniform that must be worn in order to participate in society. Pretty sure that’s one of the things we fought against in WWII.  If masks and lockdowns are so great why have over 30 million people been infected and over 500,000 people died. 

If Dr. Fauci was a football coach he would have been fired a long time ago.

That great oracle of knowledge, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that “70% of all people who test positive for COVID ‘always’ wore a mask, and 80% said ‘they almost always wore a mask.’”  There are several studies in Europe that indicate many thousands of people have died because of overwearing of masks and turning low grade infections into much more serious ones because of the rebreathing of the virus. 

And now I must risk my life to get a vaccine, (remember you have to stay for 15 minutes just to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction) which most of the people I have spoken with made them very sick to get, and what do I gain from it?  I still have to wear a mask, and no one will say when you won’t have to. 

That is tyranny, no way around it. 

Don’t be satisfied with “being thrown a bone” with small little concessions. Demand your life back, demand freedom and put an end to the tyranny that is occurring during the pandemic. And if you don’t believe me ask yourself this question. Are you free?  

Respectfully submitted, Randy Logue