On July 29, 2021, the Sitka Assembly met to discuss a mandatory mask ordinance. I learned of the meeting three hours before the meeting started. Because I had so little time to prepare, I borrowed heavily from the writings of John C.A. Manley who publishes at MuchAdoAboutCorona.ca. Manley’s file is included at the bottom of this blog.
Based
on previous experience and on my understanding of human nature, I realize that
public testimony rarely influences assembly members. That fact is especially
true during this bizarre time when people’s capacity to think rationally is
compromised due to 24/7 fear mongering and the expectation of group compliance
to “the experts.”
As expected, the ordinance passed 6-0.
After
I spoke and during a break, Richard Wein, a former assembly member and a
medical doctor shook my hand saying he appreciated my thoughts on the subject.
I said to Dr. Wein, “I just don’t get it. Why can’t these people see that the
science supporting masks just isn’t there?”
He
replied, “Confirmation bias. They see what they want to see to confirm what
they already believe in.”
Later,
when I was leaving the meeting, the Chief of Police, Robert Baty, met me at the
drinking fountain. He also shook my hand and thanked me for my comments. We
spoke about the passage of the ordinance, and it was noted that there were many
problems associated with enforcing a fine for mask non-compliance. When asked,
he stated none of the sponsors had consulted with him regarding the ordinance.
It was also noted that no-one from the assembly asked for his opinion during
the discussion of the ordinance even though he was present during the entire
discussion.
I
addressed the assembly not because I believed it would change minds, but
because it was the right thing to do. I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t spoken, I
wouldn’t have met or conversed with Chief Baty. I feel safer knowing that a man
of his character is heading up the Sitka Police Department.
Following are my comments:
I’m Brett Wilcox. I’m opposed
to a mandatory mask ordinance based on the following:
After a review by the National Institute for Health on July 29, 2020, Dutch Minister for Medical Care, Tamara van Ark, asserted, “from a medical perspective there is no proven effectiveness of masks”.19
“We’re seeing inflammation in people’s gums that have been healthy forever, and cavities in people who have never had them before,” says Dr. Rob Ramondi, a dentist and co-founder of One Manhattan Dental. “About 50% of our patients are being impacted by this, [so] we decided to name it ‘mask mouth’ — after ‘meth mouth.’ ”2
Dr. Andreas Voss, member of the World Health Organization expert team and head of microbiology at a Dutch hospital stated that masks were made mandatory “not because of scientific evidence, but because of political pressure and public opinion.”21
Drs. Karina Reiss, Phd and Dr. Sucharit Bakdi, MD in their book Corona False Alarm?, wrote “In fact, there is no study to even suggest that it makes any sense for healthy individuals to wear masks in public. One might suspect that the only political reason for enforcing the measure is to foster fear in the population.”22
A hospital arbitrator ruled against the mandatory masking of nurses in Ontario: “Evidence that masking as a source control results in any material reduction in transmission was scant, anecdotal, and, in the overall, lacking… [and mandatory masking] is the exact opposite of being reasonable.” 15
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said, “If you look at the history of totalitarian regimes… they all do the same thing, which is they try to crush culture, and crush any evidence of self-expression. And what is the ultimate vector for self-expression? It’s your facial expressions…. [Yet] we’ve all been told to put on the burqa and be obedient.”23
Mark McDonald, M.D., a child psychiatrist, says, forcing a child to wear a mask is a form of child abuse. (Jeffrey I. Barke, M.D. “Faith Over Fear,” Rx For Liberty, February 17, 2021, https://www.rxforliberty.com/blog/faith-over-fear)
“Masks are utterly useless,” says Dr. Roger Hodkinson, a pathologist, certified with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. “…masks are simply virtue-signalling… It’s utterly ridiculous seeing these unfortunate, uneducated people — I’m not saying that in a pejorative sense — walking around like lemmings, obeying without any knowledge base, to put the mask on their face.”24
One size fits all medical
mandates are madness especially when made by non-medical government officials.
It’s time to stop following
sock puppet authority figures who profit from your fear and start following the
science. Several studies show little benefit or even negative efficacy of
regulated mask use in clinical settings.
If regulated mask use doesn’t
work when worn correctly by medical professionals in medical settings, how can
you possibly conclude that unregulated facial coverings would work when worn
until they stink in everyday use?
What’s the big deal with
mandated masks?
Dr. Lee Merritt, MD, answers
this question: “The big deal is, they may be soft, and they may look okay, but
this is George Orwell’s boot on a human face forever if we don’t get this
off.”
If you mandate facial petri
dishes, you are mandating fear, intolerance, discrimination, hatred and
disease. Nothing good will come of it.
Mom passed away on July 6, 2021. My brother, Steve, wrote an inspiring obituary. My nephew, Austin, created a wonderful slideshow featuring photos of my mom throughout her life. And Mom’s children and grandchildren paid tribute to her at her funeral. The obituary, slideshow, and funeral service can be view at this link: https://www.lindquistmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-Wilcox
My tribute to my mother follows:
Had Mary Yvonne Wilcox been
born under different circumstances, she might have been a scholar, a Ph.D. historian
or a college professor, but none of that would have changed the essence of who she
was and will ever be—a mother to her posterity as well as a mother to countless
others.
Mom learned from the best. Thelma
Over raised her two children, Vonnie and Butch, in both scarcity and in
abundance—a scarcity of basic necessities and an abundance of care, love and
service. As children, my siblings and I were doubly blessed as we grew up immersed
in the abundant love of both Grandma Over and our own mom.
I was one or two years old
when our family moved from the old house—now torn down—on Main Street in
Clearfield to the green house on 100 North, the home, yard, garden and
adventure land we grew up in, the home Mom’s grandkids played in, the home Mom
and Dad grew old and died in. Mom and Dad grew an amazing garden filled with
peas, cucumbers, green beans, spinach, onions, zucchinis, potatoes, corn, grapes
and the best tomatoes on Earth as well as several fruit trees. Mom turned those
garden blessings into Sunday feasts and wonderful meals most every day of the
week.
Yes, Mom and Dad grew gardens,
but more importantly they grew a family—rooting us in Gospel principles, protecting
us from life’s bugs, thorns and weeds, nurturing our minds and bodies, feeding and
watering our souls.
Over the years, Mom and Dad did
the same for countless individuals, filling their bags and boxes with fresh garden
fare while feeding their souls in the living room or under the shade of our
magnificent sycamore trees.
Mom mothered everyone in need
who stepped in the house because that’s who Mom was. I didn’t think anything of
it at the time because I didn’t know anything different.
Joel Turner lived up the street from us when we were kids. Joel is Steve’s age. When Joel was 12 years old, his mother was murdered in her own home. Losing our mom at the end of a rich life is hard enough. Losing your mom as a child in such a horrible way is incomprehensible, perhaps unless you’re a mother. Joel said to me a couple of days ago,
“After my mom was killed, Vonnie took me in and raised me as her own. If she hadn’t done that, who knows how I would have turned out?”
Joel was not the only child
who experienced Mom as a second mother.
Kenny Watkins—an adventurer
from his earliest years—is Kristi’s age. This is what Kenny said about Mom:
“Vonnie was a 2nd mother 2nd to none. She fed me, sat with me, talked with me and I’m sure more than one time kept me safe and out of the road! I would collect for the newspaper from the Wilcox’s last because I knew Vonnie would bring me inside and feed me dinner. That was just her way.
“When I saw her for the last time a few short weeks ago she called me her angel. She still saw me as a little child. And I still see her as my sweet second mother.”
Another young man from the
Clearfield 3rd Ward, Evan Heise, blessed our home for years as an
adolescent. I have fond memories of his dry wit and understanding beyond his years.
Evan said this:
“Vonnie made me feel special, like I was important. She knew what I needed to hear and freely shared her knowledge and wisdom, messages I still hold in my heart. I’m a better person because of Vonnie and the love I felt in the Wilcox home. I often think of Vonnie and my own mom, Devon, when facing decisions. I don’t want to let either down. Tears are running down my face wishing I had shared these thoughts with Vonnie before she passed, but I feel and hope she’s listening now.”
Mom was thrilled when—at the
advanced age of 28—I finally found someone who would marry me. She was less
than thrilled when I explained to her that Kris and I were moving to Japan shortly
after our wedding. The concept was inconceivable to her. “How can you do that
to her? How can you take her away from her family?”
Family connection was
everything for Mom perhaps because she didn’t always have it as a child.
Eleven years later, we left
our home in Clinton and headed North to Alaska with our four children and more
importantly with Mom and Dad’s grandchildren. Erika—our oldest—was eight at the
time and Olivia was only three months old. After we drove away, Mom and Dad
held each other and sobbed. “How can they do this to us?” Mom cried. “How can
they take away our grandchildren?”
Mom forgave us a few years later
after seeing how our children were thriving in Sitka and after joining us on a
road trip through Skagway, Whitehouse and Dawson City, a trip she described as
one of the best of her life.
At the age of sixteen, all three
of our daughters—Erika, Brittany, and Olivia—ventured to foreign lands with
foreign languages. True to form, Mom was horrified, struggling to understand
how their parents could send her grandbabies into this frightening world
at such a tender age.
Grandma never stopped mothering
her grandchildren with love, affection and chocolate chip cookies fresh from
the oven.
Erika remembers the
following:
“Grandma always supported my interests. When I was 6 or so, I loved to draw. Grandma bought me a how-to-draw animals book that I spent hours and hours working out of. When I was 12, I began to read Shakespeare, so she found and sent me a hundred-year-old Shakespeare anthology. Around that same time, I danced as much as I could, so she sent me the movie Silk Stockings and told me all about Cyd Charrise and her perfect legs. A couple years ago, Russell and I started to preserve our own food and, you know where this is going. She sent me home with boxes of jars and canning rings.”
Erika continues,
“Around Easter time this year, Grandma wanted to do something fun for the little girls in her life. She and Kristi collaborated to create the ultimate sleepover. Grandma planned the whole thing, down to the menu, snacks, and activities. This wasn’t the strong Grandma of my youth, either. She was only walking with considerable help, but she used her energy to plan a party for her granddaughters and great-granddaughters, then she sat in her big comfy chair and watched the girls as they played.”
Brittany had this to say:
“When I was 17, Grandma told me I was iridescent. Yes, iridescent. Whenever I visited or called, she’d share her knowledge of the gospel and history, family and bits of decades old gossip, and that I was and that I am iridescent.
“I saved the wrapper of a small hard candy because of the way the plastic refracted light and illuminated colors. I stuffed the wrapper in my wallet and whenever I glanced at it, I heard Grandma Wilcox’s voice telling me that I’m iridescent.”
David called me a few months
ago from Mom’s house. “Dad,” David said, “Grandma’s trying to give me money
again—a lot of money. What do I do?”
I wasn’t surprised by the
call. Mom, Dad, and Jesus never really understood the way most Americans keep
their money to themselves. When Mom and Dad saw a need, they filled it. They
didn’t have a lot to give, but they gave a lot to a lot of people. I’m sure I’ve
never heard about most of their giving.
Olivia shared the following:
“I remember Grandma as an incredible storyteller, drawing stories from her rich life. And she was an avid learner.
“One recent conversation illustrates her love of learning. I had just returned from Alaska and I was showing Grandma photos from my trip when she stopped me on a picture of a tide pool. I thought it was one of the least significant images I had taken but Grandma thought otherwise. She pointed at one corner and said, ‘Those little things are barnacles. How the heck are they supposed to live like that?’
“I was confused. ‘Like what?’ I asked.
“‘Well, they’re just stuck on a rock. Where’s the food come from?’
“So I told her. ‘Barnacles use a feather-like foot to wave through the water when the tide comes in, sweeping up the tiny plankton.’ I told her that we usually only see them when they’re above the water line, so we don’t see them feeding. She was fascinated and kept zooming in and out on the image.
“Eventually, she asked Dad to hand her a large barnacle she had gotten from Alaska years ago. I continued reciting barnacle facts as she inspected every nook and cranny in her gnarled hand. She asked me to light up the inside of the barnacle with my phone light so she could see it better.
“Why was Grandma so interested in barnacles? I wondered.
“Then it hit me. Even as she was approaching death, Grandma was still very much alive and still learning. And she had no plans to stop.
“I’ll always remember and admire her love of learning and hope to live out my life doing the same.”
I also experienced Mom’s love of Mother Nature in recent months. When Mom could no longer make it outside, I took photos from my runs on the Shoreline Trail East of Layton. She loved those photos. I did the same with photos from her yard and garden. When I showed them to her, she named the bushes and flowers and she told stories about the old wheelbarrow and her beloved plants.
Mom and Mother Nature got along splendidly. Erika captured that special relationship in a poem she wrote in high school, the same poem that’s printed on the program.
As Mom aged, we had the privilege of mothering Mom just as we had done for dad eight years ago. Mom said as she declined that she was surrounded by angels. We’re not the most angelic family, but we did a great job caring for Mom. Steve and Aletta spent hours at Mom’s place on a near daily basis since Dad’s passing. The rest of us stepped in when needed or as able. Mom specifically asked me to thank Rob and Stacey’s daughter-in-law, Amanda, who cleaned Mom’s home nearly every day for months. Just as Mom protected us from the bugs, thorns, and weeds of life, we protected Mom from an increasingly heartless and senseless world. I believe Mom lived as long as she did partly because of our care and protection.
I saw Mom for the last time several
weeks ago. Erika and her baby, Axel, were by my side. Axel had just journeyed
from heaven and Mom was about to make the trip back. Grandma, lying in bed, lit
up when she saw Axel’s face just as she always did in the presence of her youngest
angels. She held on to Axel’s hands and arms as if to give and receive as much
love as possible. Looking at me, she scolded, “Now you drive carefully. Don’t
let anything happen to these kids.”
On the morning of Mom’s
passing, Kristi called and gave Kris and me the news. “Dad came and got Mom this
morning.”
I’m not sure why it took Dad
so long to come, but we’re glad and heartbroken he finally made the trip. It was
time. Mom had fulfilled her mission and was at peace.
I don’t know how things work
in heaven, but if Mom has any say in the matter, she’s near us now doing what
she’s always done, watching over us, encouraging us, protecting us, and loving
us because the essence of Mom is mothering, mothering her posterity and mothering
countless others.
We are forever grateful, Mom. Please hug Dad and Grandma Over for us. We love you and look forward to a Celestial feast with you and the rest of our heavenly family.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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