It is absolutely ridiculous to mandate the wearing of masks.

At the most basic level, this is a usurping of the individuals Natural Rights - many of which are enumerated in our Nation's - and our Commonwealth's - founding documents. "...endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights..."

At the Constitutional level, forcing citizens to wear masks is a violation of both the United States and Virginia Constitutions, which our elected officials have sworn to uphold and protect. These documents do not grant these liberties to our citizens - they are freedoms that all humans naturally possess. Instead, these documents prohibit our government - at both the Federal and State level - from infringing on those freedoms. Anyone who has sworn such an oath and then limits the rights of the citizens is acting in direct opposition to the oath he/she took - and is therefore unfit to govern. Our elected officials simply do not have the authority to mandate mask-wearing, nor do the agencies and/or boards of our Commonwealth.

People are quite capable of deciding for themselves if masks are warranted. People know their own health situation far better than any official or agency ever could, and can discuss their concerns with their own physician who has full access to their medical records. For the majority of individuals, the re-breathing of their own exhaled carbon dioxide due to wearing a mask is much more dangerous to their health than a virus is.

In addition, the forced wearing of masks gives those who would break the law an additional way to hide their identity. Mask-wearing also has a dehumanizing effect psychologically; when one does not see another's complete face, it makes it easier to direct violence towards others.

Stop this Governor's continued and wanton infringement of ALL of our rights NOW!!!