I live in a small town in Wisconsin.  Last week, our governor instituted a mandatory mask law for wearing masks in crowded areas, public buildings, schools, restaurants, and stores.  The pandemic stats for my county are 168 positive cases, for my state 61,545 positive cases, and for the country 4.86 million positive cases.  159,oo0 people have died from this disease across our country.  An incident occurred in the only traditional grocery store we have in the town; it has left my head spinning since.

There is one traditional grocery store, one Walmart, and a small blended store in the town.  The traditional grocery store has a monopoly over people who want to shop for groceries in a traditional store.  They won’t allow shoppers in the store without shoes or shirts.  The Walmart chain across the nation has implemented a mandatory mask wearing policy for everyone; they will provide a mask if you don’t have one.  The small blended store keeps track of how many people are in the store at one time, and its shoppers wear masks because they know it’s the right thing to do or because it’s the law.

I went to the traditional grocery store to buy some brandy and seven-up yesterday afternoon.  The store was crowded, and most people had masks on.  However, there were two single older men and a mother-daughter duo without masks.  When I stepped up to the cashier after patiently waiting three-six foot distances from her, I politely asked the young cashier this question; “Why are you serving people without masks in here?”  The young cashier stared at me; the older cashier behind me turned around and shouted at me.  “We are not responsible for enforcing the law here!”  Everyone in the crowded lines heard her screaming at me.  I stopped myself from responding to her because I am not one to start an encounter with someone else.  I am, however, one who believes in following the laws of the state and the country.  My cashier gingerly gave me my return cash, bagged and handed me my two purchases, and said, “Have a nice day.”  A tiny, eighty-year old woman who had been in the older cashier’s line was exiting the store as I was.  I paused to let her go first through the door, but she let me go first with a sign of her hand.  As she was doing this, she looked me in the eyes, whispered “thank you”, and a sweet, genuine smile showed through her mask.

Through these past four months, I have seen decent people act like animals, become such hateful people, and have shown more uncivilized behaviors than at any other time in my life.  Even after knowing our cases are rising and more people are dying from this disease, many people still see COVID-19 as a “hoax,” thanks to the lack of leadership in the White House.  There is a small population in America who hang on the “little man’s” every word as gospel, instead of listening to our medical personnel and scientists who know what we are facing.  What amazes me is that the “little man” has yet to realize that the only way to stop this virus is to put it as the top priority over and above the economy, our people over Wall Street and big business.  Millions should be spent to eradicate this virus, and mandates should be in place for the protection of everyone.  No small town policeman should be able to say, “I will not enforce these laws.”

Here in small town Wisconsin and across our nation, those elected officials who are supposed to enforce ALL laws are acting as though the wearing of a mask is an infringement on our civil liberties.  My town’s county sheriff is doing just that; he’s refusing to enforce the mandates that our governor put into place last Thursday.  By the reaction of the shouting older cashier, I realized she had already shouted at others yesterday.  All it would take in this small town to enforce the laws is for the grocery store to say: “No shoes, no shirts, no masks, no service!”  If people fail to comply with mandates, they could face reprimands and then fines.  The mask issue is not a political issue; it’s a dire health issue.  By wearing a mask, I protect myself as much as you protect me by wearing a mask.  Unfortunately, the “little man” in the White House has made this issue political and has made some Americans feel this disease will simply disappear, while blaming China for starting this world health problem.

If you look around the world, most countries have done a good job fighting the pandemic.  They have had surges since but they have worked together as a united people to get to the other side.  I have traveled enough around the world to know that other countries have faced dire problems, devastations, and diseases better than America more than once in their histories.  While it is true after the Depression, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11 we stood together as one nation fighting for the same things,  we had strong, courageous presidents and Congresses who knew how to help the American public fight for their lives and their freedoms.  Now, we fight among ourselves rather than fighting the worse health problem we have ever had and massive social problems that for years most White Americans thought didn’t matter.  We are fighting for ourselves, not one another.  We need to take to heart the adage, “I am because we are.”  Maybe then America would be in a better place to fight “the good fight!”

Right now, I don’t want to live in Wisconsin any more.  I want to move back “home” to Pennsylvania where most people in my small town obey the laws and mandates set up by the governor and most county sheriffs enforce the mandates of the state because it’s their job to protect all of us.  At least there, a shouting cashier wouldn’t step into my six feet social distance to let the whole world know she’s had a hard day.  Maybe she could learn how to respond politely to a customer’s question for its substance not as an attack on her.  And maybe, she could learn that God is watching us as we learn to live lovingly among our neighbors.  Maybe, there would be more people saying, “Thank you.”

William Shakespeare once wrote, “To be or not to be.  That is the question.”  To paraphrase his bold idea, “To mask or not to mask.  That is the question.  To live, or not to live.  That is the question.”  I wear a mask and I want to live.  There is no question.

Anna Hartt