Alligators and Bureaucrats

In 1979, Redstone Arsenal in Alabama was besieged by beavers. There were so many beavers building their little dams, that the southern part of the arsenal was getting flooded. So some bureaucrat came up with this brilliant idea: let's import 55 alligators and release them into the waters and nearby streams of Northern Alabama. Alligators are natural predators to beavers, so alligators on the loose would surely solve the beaver problem. But what about the alligators, who are also natural predators to dogs, deer, and the unlucky human who gets too close to the water? Not to worry, said the bureaucrat - alligators can't survive the cold temperatures of the Northern Alabama winters. They will all die before next spring. The low temperature that winter was 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Very chilly. But in the spring, someone at Redstone Arsenal snapped a photo of a mama alligator, round and pregnant, emerging from the pond near one of the old Arsenal test sites.

Lesson #1: It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.

Lesson #2: Don't put too much trust in the assurances of a bureaucrat.

We've spent the past three years bullied into wearing masks and taking an endless series of vaccines and boosters - all with the assurance that it's for our own good.

"It will prevent a cataclysmic epidemic."

"It will flatten the curve."

"It will save Grandma."

Government officials insisted we comply, so companies and venues and organizations fell into line. They barred the doors and closed the schools if we didn't mask-up. They checked our vaccine cards at the door. They made the unvaccinated wear yellow stars on their sleeves - no, wait, that was a different regime.

And when anyone questioned the "experts," we were assured they were following the science. But science is an evolving discipline (at least, when real research and honest scientists are in charge). The truth is, we didn't know that much about COVID-19 when it first hit our shores. And so, at least in my view, there was a reasonable excuse to be cautious.

But there is no excuse for the latest round of ridiculous threats from the Biden bureaucrats. We hear rumblings of a "new wave" of COVID cases. We read warnings about masking up again. We see TV ads hawking the latest booster shot. All this has no basis in science. Masks have been quite clearly proven to be - at best - only marginally effective, and only when N-95 masks are used. Your home-made cotton mask with the kitty print? Not doing a damn thing. The vaccine is also not as advertised. It is still unclear whether or not it reduces the severity of the virus; it's quite clear it doesn't prevent you from getting the virus, nor does it prevent its spread. In fact, it might increase the spread, with more asymptomatic people walking around thinking they are fine and spreading the virus. And that's before we fully understand the risks of the vaccine, which have already demonstrably included heart attack, encephalitis, blot clots, and more.

Last week, I heard a TV commentator say he'd had 6 shots, he'd had COVID 3 times, and he was eager to get the next booster. You can lead a horse to water...

But here's the bottom line for me: If you want to wear a mask, wear one. Just respect everyone else's freedom to choose whether or not they will wear one. As for the vaccine, we are getting into silly territory when there is a new booster every six months. Again, if you -- as an independent adult -- decide to boost, fine. But do not force me to do so, do not force my children to do so, and do not pretend that I am endangering anyone by not getting a shot. Clearly, those shots do not prevent the spread of the virus, and natural immunity (from having COVID) is more effective than yet another booster.

The Fish and Wildlife commissioner in Alabama told a reporter from the Redstone Rocket, back in 1979, that the alligators were being brought in to save them from extinction. Culling the beaver population was just a side benefit. Perhaps. Today's bureaucrats tell us that new mask mandates are being considered for our own good. Perhaps. Or maybe, Joe Biden is looking at the prospect of campaigning against a robust and passionate Republican and thinking, you know, I need a good reason to avoid getting on that debate stage, just like last time.

At least he probably won't catch COVID quarantined in his basement.