In 1968 I had graduated from college, been accepted to grad school and had been granted a teaching assistant position with a university. However Uncle Sam decided that instead, and for the next few years, the government would tell me what my job would be; where I was to live; when I had to go to bed and when I had to get up; what I could eat; what I had to wear; give me vaccines for diseases I’d never heard of; and then send me to Vietnam for no good reason that I could see, where a lot of people wanted to kill me. I went because it was my duty as a citizen to respond when my government called, like it or not.
Some people now are refusing the government’s mandate to wear a mask when in a crowded place so as to help seniors like me avoid catching the virus. They claim it’s their right to refuse because government is asking too much of them. Because it infringes too much upon their freedom. Really?
Living in a free society doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want. Your individual rights stop when they unduly infringe upon the rights of others or violate the law. Freedom comes with responsibilities owed to your fellow citizens, to society in general, and to your government. I learned that lesson in 1968. Protest the mandate if you wish, but wear your mask until the law is changed. Seniors like me thank you.
Ken Williams
Everett
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