Corona Mask Mandates: Science or Political Dogma?

By Michael J. Talmo (originally published in Global Research Dec. 2020)

When it comes to masks, U.S. government officials have more waffles than a pancake house. Back in March we were told not to wear masks. Then, starting in April, they do an about-face and for the past several months have been telling us to wear surgical and even cloth masks.

But they insisted that the masks won’t protect the people wearing them from COVID-19—only the people they come in contact with. “My mask protects you, your mask protects me” was the mantra. This is because respiratory droplets are supposed to be the primary mode of viral transmission which the masks supposedly block. This is mainly why surgeons wear masks in operating rooms—they prevent droplets from their nose and mouth from going into a patient’s open wound. Now, since November, we are being told that masks protect both the wearer as well as the people they come in contact with.

For years the scientific literature has demonstrated that the primary mode of transmission for respiratory viruses are fine aerosol particles that can remain suspended in the fluid air for up to 16 hours and can travel much further distances than 6 ft. Back in July, more than 200 scientists asked public-health agencies in a letter published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases to recognize these facts.

In September the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) added aerosols as a primary mode of transmission for SARS-CoV-2—the virus that supposedly causes COVID-19. Then they took it down. Why the flip-flop? Because in my opinion, claiming that droplets and close contact are the primary mode of transmission make the mask and social distancing nonsense easier to sell. But if aerosols are the primary mode of transmission, there’s no point in forcing people to wear masks or socially distance.

As explained in my previous article, “The Plain Truth About Face Masks,” the only scientific studies that matter are Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) with verified outcomes because they test the masks directly with control groups to see if they actually prevent viral diseases. In contrast, observational studies, such as statistical correlations (epidemiological) are based on speculation, are heavily subject to bias, and are highly inaccurate as explained in this 2015 report in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). All epidemiological studies do is show a correlation between mask wearing and case numbers and deaths. But correlation doesn’t prove causation. RCTs have to be done to verify the observational studies.

Computer modeling is even worse because as explained in ResearchGate: “Models are not the real world.” As explained here, “their forecasts always contain errors.” Simply stated: “All models are wrong, but some are useful.”

All oppressive COVID-19 policies, which include masks are based on these kind of weak observational and modeling studies, and are the “growing body of evidence” touted by public health authorities, as explained in this August 2020 paper by Dr. Denis Rancourt, PhD.

Here are three RCTs to consider:

CDC Website: a May 2020 study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases did a systematic review of 10 RCT’s on masks from 1946-2018. That’s a period of over 70 years. Results:

“In pooled analysis, we found no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks…either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure…Proper use of face masks is essential because improper use might increase the risk of transmission.”

Canadian Family Physician in July 2020 published a study that conducted a “PEER umbrella systematic review” that included 11 systematic reviews and 18 RCTs involving a combined total of 26,444 participants in both clinical and community settings. Results:

Synthesis: “Overall, the use of masks in the community did not reduce the risk of influenza, confirmed viral respiratory infection, influenzalike illness, or any clinical respiratory infection.”

On November 18 2020, the Annals of Internal Medicine published an RCT study from Denmark. This is the first RCT conducted to determine if masks are effective against SARS-CoV-2. The study involved over 6,000 Danes. Three of the world’s top medical journals, JAMA, the Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine rejected it. Could the reason be because it yielded the same results as all other RCTs on masks when it comes to viral diseases? Yep! It found that the infection rate between the control group that wore masks as opposed to the group that didn’t was less than one half of one percent in favor of the masks. In other words, the benefit, if any, turned out to be insignificant.

The reason masks are useless against viral diseases is because viral particles are much smaller than the microscopic pores that are present in all masks. The rigorous 2008 U.K. study conducted by the HSE (Health Safety Executive) found that huge quantities of viruses contained in aerosol particles easily penetrate all types of medical masks. And this was in a controlled environment under optimal conditions with the masks fitted and worn properly. Numerous other studies show the same thing. This is why mechanistic studies that show the amount of droplets a mask blocks or the percentage of viral particles they might filter out are worthless. As long as some viral particles get through the mask, and they always will, you can be infected. It’s like spraying water from a garden hose at a chain link fence as opposed to a screen window. The holes in the screen are a lot smaller but plenty of water will still get through.

What especially irks me are the legions of corrupt bureaucrats and ignorant brainwashed nincompoops who cackle that wearing a mask is a small thing—a minor inconvenience. The scientific literature disagrees.

Clinical Research in Cardiology July 2020 study evaluated the effects of surgical masks and FFP2/N95 masks on 12 healthy males. Conclusion:

“Ventilation, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and comfort are reduced by surgical masks and highly impaired by FFP2/N95 face masks in healthy individuals. These data are important for recommendations on wearing face masks at work or during physical exercise…Medical face masks have a marked negative impact on cardiopulmonary capacity that significantly impairs strenuous physical and occupational activities. In addition, medical masks significantly impair the quality of life of their wearer. These effects have to be considered versus the potential protective effects of face masks on viral transmissions. The quantitative data of this study may, therefore, inform medical recommendations and policy makers.”

If this is the effect masks have on young healthy people, imagine what they are doing to the elderly and to people who aren’t healthy.

Another problem with long-term mask wearing is what dentists are calling “mask mouth.” An August 5 2020 article in the New York Post reported that wearing a mask all the time causes a decrease in saliva which helps cleanse the teeth and prevent the growth of bad bacteria which causes bad breath. Saliva also helps neutralize the buildup of acid which helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists quoted in the article said all of these conditions have been increasing in their practices since people have been wearing masks. They also warned that Periodontal diseases increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

More people than I can count, especially employees who have to wear masks in order to keep their jobs, have told me how much they hate them. They tell me about the headaches, and the fatigue all of which are symptoms of oxygen deprivation as well as the damage to their skin. But I’ve encountered a few people who claim that wearing a mask doesn’t bother them at all. Over the years I’ve also encountered a lot of smokers who claim that they enjoy puffing away and feel great, but admit that they know they are slowly poisoning themselves. The same applies to mask wearers who for whatever reason don’t feel any ill effects. Depriving yourselves of oxygen is damaging your brain and weakening your internal organs and immune system. Deny it all you want but remember this: the head and the tongue in it may lie, but the body doesn’t.

Masks have become a global dogma. Truth doesn’t matter. Science doesn’t matter. Compliance is all that matters. Globalists like Bill Gates and the Rockefeller Foundation have created a cult. Masks have become our penance—the cross we must bear. It’s our fault that cases and deaths continue to rise because we’re not doing what the high priests of science are telling us to do. We’re not obedient enough, were not compliant enough. Never mind that none of the COVID tests look for an actual virus and have high false positive rates. Never mind that the CDC’s own website says that the survival rate for everyone under 70 years of age is well over 99%. Never mind that there is no excess mortality. Less people have died this year than the 2.8 million national average. Nevertheless, vaccines that would normally take years to test for safety and efficacy have been rolled out that we’re supposed to shut up and take. We need this vaccine like the Sahara Desert needs a pile of sand.

How much whackier can it get? Take China, for example, a December 2020 article in Business Insider reported that the Civil Aviation Administration of China is advising flight attendants to wear diapers on planes instead of using the bathroom in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But for some mysterious, unfathomable reason it’s okay for the pilot and flight crew to use the bathroom.

Honestly folks, how much longer are you going to put up with this lunacy? Do you really want to go through life with a diaper on your face? Do you really want to be afraid to hug or kiss a stranger and even members of your own family ever again? Do you really want to be dehumanized, controlled, degraded, and humiliated? Do all of you really want to walk around in masks looking like a bunch of idiots while your globalist overlords sit back and laugh at how easily they can frighten you into doing whatever they want you to do—including taking a vaccine that they will have no liability for even if it kills you? And in case you haven’t been paying attention, they intend to keep that mask on your face even now that the vaccines are here. This nonsense isn’t going away unless you make it go away.

Most people have bought into the idea that government can do something against viral diseases. Abandon this delusion people. I know it’s difficult because of all the fear mongering generated by politicians and the media. But the grim reality is that viruses have to run their course. This ultimately makes our immune systems stronger and allows us as a species to survive. We have as much if not more bacteria in our bodies than we have cells and many more times that in viruses. We infect each other with numerous microbes all the time. All of us have unknowingly killed who knows how many sickly, frail, inmmunocompromised souls with our germs. It doesn’t make you Typhoid Mary—it’s part of the human condition. All the masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing in the world won’t change this.

One of the biggest obstacles to ending this dystopian nightmare is that human beings, like many members of the animal kingdom, have a herd mentality. They follow the leader, they are awed by the voice of authority, and can be captivated by charisma. But as I learned a long time ago, appearances can be deceiving.

Back in the early 1990s, I used to secure locations for vending machine routes. It was an easy job. I would just walk into a small business, show the owner or manager a picture of a gumball machine, and ask if we could put it there. Either the business owner or a charity would get a percentage of the profits.One day, in New Jersey, I go into this beauty salon and do my usual 15 second routine. The owner was eloquent and charismatic. He proceeded to give me a friendly but firm ten minute lecture as to why beauty salons were not the place to put them. I was mesmerized by his words and physical presence—and I don’t mesmerize easily. But what he said made so much sense that he convinced me. So I walked out of his salon and just stood there thinking to myself: “beauty salons are my best customers. What am I going to do without them?” Then, it hit me: “Hey, wait a minute, beauty salons are my best customers, they love the machines—I just placed ten today.” Then, my inner voiced literally screamed: “HE’S AN IDIOT!” Lucky for me I woke up.

The point is: Government, scientific institutions, and the medical profession are filled with idiots just like that beauty parlor owner. People who look and sound impressive but couldn’t find their way out of a single occupant toilet. And they are incapable of admitting they are wrong so if you’re expecting an apology forget it. Positions of authority are often filled with narcissists, psychopaths, and other types of power hungry fanatics. They will never own up to the carnage they have caused. So, to everyone everywhere I say, wake up before it’s too late. End this nonsense, Take your masks off, get rid of the plexiglass barriers and the hand sanitizers. Throw all of this junk away. Stop obeying. Stop complying.

Copyright © Michael J. Talmo, Global Research, 2020