Monday, August 10, 2020, 8:55 am | Randy Thomasson
…and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 5:40-42
I want to publicly commend the California pastors who have reopened for in-person congregational meetings. In addition to acknowledging virus science and history, which informs them that the COVID-19 scare and unprecedented lockdown have been grossly overblown for evil purposes, these pastors have not forgotten or “justified away” their Biblical commands to preach, assemble, and fellowship. And they haven’t forgotten or disregarded their First Amendment guarantee of “free exercise…of religion.”
Every pastor who has reopened despite warnings or threats is showing his loyalty to King Jesus. This is not a comprehensive list, but prominent pastors taking this Biblical stand include:
Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park (Ventura County) Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills (San Bernardino County) Tim Thompson of 412 Church in Murrieta (Riverside County) John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley (Los Angeles County) Greg Farrington of Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin (Placer County) Jon Duncan of Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi (San Joaquin County) Jim Franklin of Cornerstone Church in Fresno
What’s more, there are 3,000 other California pastors who previously committed to reopen earlier this year, in defiance of Gavin Newsom.
Who are these pastors? Their resistance to tyranny shows they’re men who are loyal to the New Testament, who know the guarantee of the First Amendment, and who recognize the threat of dying from COVID-19 is less than the seasonal flu. So it’s Christian for them to reopen — and stay open — for church fellowship and corporate worship of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. They are your role models for obeying God despite pain or loss.
No threat of a politician or judge will stop them. Neither will they submit to the unscientific, unconstitutional bullying of a public health officer. For the Word of God and the written U.S. Constitution are above these tyrants. Making this all the easier is few police are motivated to hassle pastors beyond mere warnings, if even that.
This current test of pastors is so important. For if a pastor avoids conflict and doesn’t study facts, isn’t this tantamount to avoiding pain (loving pleasure) and being a people-pleaser? Quite frankly, unless Biblical pastors get some hair on their chests now, in the face of verbal opposition and this mild oppression, how easy will it be for them — and their congregations — to, in the future, cave to even more government persecution, more infringement of constitutional liberties, and eventually, avoiding martyrdom by doing the will of the Antichrist?
Now is a time for testing — and training — of those who are true worshipers, who worship God in spirit and truth.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” Jesus Christ in John 10:11-13
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”‘ Revelation (of Jesus Christ) 2:8-11
Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 11:37 am | Randy Thomasson
Because I knew the lockdown, social distancing, wiping down, and mask mandates were not based on science, I determined not to block my own oxygen intake, or be treated like an animal, or satisfy the Tyrannical Left by “drinking their Kool-Aid.”
Today, I can confirm that if you shop at a large chain store (which I’ll just refer to as “W”), you don’t have to wear a mask. This is despite the store’s new mask mandate. On the day it was implemented, exemptions appeared on a brand-new sign at the store entrance. Despite stating face masks were mandatory for all customers, the sign also said infants and young children, as well as persons with health conditions, are exempt.
So, if you want to avoid mask mandates, here’s what I suggest:
2. Print the CDPH “guidelines” with the state-recognized exemptions, and highlight them.
3. Place all in a folder, and take the folder with you whenever visiting a business.
A winning strategy is to quickly get past the door attendant. Without breaking a stride, walk straight ahead and don’t look at the attendant. If he or she calls out, “Medical exemption?”, just keep walking, but quickly turn your head to clearly say, “Yes.” Or if they call out, “Have a mask?”, keep walking and turn your head, saying, “I’m exempt.” (After you’ve successfully done this once at a particular store, if you see the same door attendant, look them in the eye, smile, greet them, and say “Hi, I’m exempt.” They’ll want to remember you like bank tellers do.)
This will satisfy most door attendants. But at stores where they chase after you or block you, and tell you, “No exemptions,” you need to stand your ground. Be friendly but firm, and say, “Please bring the store manager here now.” You must demand to talk with the manager (who’s the likely only employee who can make independent decisions). When he or she arrives, greet them friendly, open your folder to display the CDPH document’s highlighted list, and say, “The State recognizes my exemption; I’m asking you to also recognize it.”
Feb. 17, 2021 update: Trader Joe’s and Costco now mandate masks. But you can go mask-free — by using your exemption — at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Winco, Raley’s/Bel Air, Ralph’s, Von’s, ALDI, Michael’s, Home Goods, Dollar Tree, Barons, Home Depot, Marshall’s, Ross, Jersey Mike’s, Salvation Army, Petco, PetSmart (all of these provided by Californians who’ve successfully tested these stores).
Remember, you don’t have to describe or justify your exemption, but simply claim it. The key is being informed and confident. And everyone can use SaveCalifornia.com’s medical condition obstruct breathing form, since all face masks obstruct normal breathing one way or another.
Ultimately, it’s a business’ God-given ownership right whether to demand customers wear masks. However, the tactics I’ve successfully used and have provided to you here will give you the best chance to avoid this. If you’re completely rebuffed by the store manager, you can always leave and attempt to shop elsewhere, and urge your friends to do the same.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Biblical civil disobedience in Daniel 3
Never before have our basic freedoms been taken away from us as Americans. And I have to tell you, I’m having “mental health issues” over the prospect of wearing a face mask.
But it doesn’t really matter how I feel about it, does it? Because what matters is whether face masks are helpful or necessary, right?
This is my study of these questions over the past 24 hours. And I’ve made my decision.
1. It’s not helpful: The last two months, I’ve learned several COVID-19 facts, including:
“People infected with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic (which is most people) do NOT spread COVID-19.”
“Emerging science shows no spread of COVID-19 in the community (shopping, restaurants, barbers, etc.).”
“Published science shows COVID-19 is NOT spread outdoors.”
“Science shows masks are ineffective to halt the spread of COVID-19, and The WHO recommends they should only be worn by healthy people if treating or living with someone with a COVID-19 infection.”
“There’s no science to support the magic of a six-foot barrier.”
What’s more, I discovered that top “authorities” spoke out against general public mask use BEFORE the political correctness set in. For example, on February 29, 2020, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said don’t wear masks — because, unless you’re a trained expert with the best face masks and face mask protocols, face coverings don’t protect you and will actually invite infection:
“Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” Adams, an anesthesiologist who has been surgeon general since 2017, wrote on Twitter. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” Adams wrote.
Adams also tweeted: “The best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventive actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness.” He also said: “Avoid touching your [face] w/ unwashed hands, and wipe down surfaces with cleaning solution or wipes.”
With the mainstream media feeding the frenzy of fear, Americans have bought up millions of masks, even though they won’t be effective in prevention. Unless they are the right kind and fit perfectly, masks are ineffective — and Adams said they may even worsen the spread. “You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider,” Adams said during an interview on Fox & Friends on Monday morning.
And in the month of May, this study of decades of face mask studies appeared on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, which reported, “In our systematic review, we identified 10 RCTs [randomized controlled trials] that reported estimates of the effectiveness of face masks in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infections in the community from literature published during 1946–July 27, 2018. In pooled analysis, we found no significant reduction in influenza transmission with the use of face masks … Proper use of face masks is essential because improper use might increase the risk for transmission. Thus, education on the proper use and disposal of used face masks, including hand hygiene, is also needed.”
Also this year, the World Health Organization (WHO), in a moment of candor, said face masks are NOT recommended for the general public: “If you do not have any repository symptoms such as fever, cough or runny nose, you do not need to wear a mask,” Dr. April Baller, a public health specialist for the WHO, says in a video on the world health body’s website posted in March. “Masks should only be used by health care workers, caretakers or by people who are sick with symptoms of fever and cough.”
Let’s put masks to the test.
According to a study of coronavirus particles (pre-COVID-19) published in the Journal of Virology in 2006, “Particle diameters ranged from 50 to 150 nm, excluding the spikes, with mean particle diameters of 82 to 94 nm.” (copied from above Figure 1). This year, it’s been found that the COVID-19 virus “is in the size range of 65-125 nm [nanometers]” — which is comparable to the flu virus’s common size of 100 nanometers.
And no doubt you’ve heard N95 surgical masks are among the best, if not the best, masks you can wear to protect yourself from COVID-19. But how good are N95 masks at filtering out COVID-19 particles?
“The researchers pointed that normal N95 masks currently used by most health workers can filter about 85 per cent of particles smaller than 300 nm. However, the size range of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is 65-125 nm, which means some virus particles could potentially slip through these coverings. Moreover, N95 masks are intended for single use only. But due to the shortages, many health care workers are compelled to wear the same N95 mask repeatedly.” Source
Back to the study of studies on the CDC website: “Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
In other words, N95 masks won’t necessarily protect you and there’s hardly any reliable evidence that they will. N95 masks require individual fitting, training on proper use, and daily replacement. Cloth masks are even lower efficacy. No wonder the early voices, including the U.S. Surgeon General, the CDC, and even the WHO, all opposed general public use of face masks. Contrary to what you’re hearing now, face masks are not the solution.
Bottom line, wearing a mask doesn’t protect you against COVID-19 infection, and might even increase virus transmission. And even the best masks do better if you can acquire them, are properly trained, and use a new one every day. As for my own health, I know that wearing a mask depletes my oxygen intake, makes me inhale toxins, and inhibits my immune system from improving. Therefore, wearing a mask doesn’t help me or others.
2. It’s not required
California’s June 18, 2020 so-called “statewide mask order” is nothing of the sort. It’s not a law that’s been passed by the California State Legislature and signed by the governor. Nor is it an executive order of the governor clearly justified under the Emergency Services Act.
Already several California county sheriffs have announced they won’t enforce anything regarding face masks: Sheriffs of Sacramento County and Placer County, Yuba County, Calaveras County, Stanislaus County, Tulare County, Orange County, and Riverside County. And you can expect the anti-lockdown sheriffs of Merced and Sonoma counties to agree. In addition, we’re hearing from several city police chiefs, who’ve announced they won’t cite or arrest business owners for not requiring masks, or individuals for not wearing masks.
Now, it’s the right of individual businesses whether to require face masks on their own property. But consider using one of SaveCalifornia.com’s mask exemption forms:
Note that the “mental health condition” exemption is very broad, and could include anxiety, depression, panic, sudden rage, etc. The “obstruct breathing” exemption is also very broad, for whose breathing is not obstructed by a face mask? Confidently show your chosen form to a manager to explain you are exempt from any face mask requirement. Be prepared to argue, using the California Department of Public Health’s list of exemptions. If they let you in, you win; if not, tell them they’re violating your rights, and shop elsewhere.
3. Forced masks aren’t the mark of free Americans
As you’ve witnessed this tumultuous year, the New Communism is trying hard to take over the United States of America. And the Democrat politicians represent this tyrannical spirit, coupled with their own lust for power and attention.
They already robbed you of your God-given and constitutional rights to work, earn, own, fellowship, socialize, play, and purchase. And they looked the other way as Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters destroyed property and targeted equal justice under the law.
Now these Democrat politicians want to force us all to wear face masks. They claim it’s because of a spike in COVID-19 cases, while failing to remind us that 97-99% of infected persons completely recover, or that hospitalization spikes in California counties are from infected Mexicans being helicoptered in, skewing the data. And they deserve your trust?
Our elected officials have lied to and seriously hurt us. First, they overly-scared us with false projections about COVID-19. Then they imposed an unnecessary, destructive lockdown, destroying our basic rights. And now they’re enjoying seeing masks on people’s faces, without scientific justification. Who are your domestic enemies, mentioned in these Democrat elected officials’ oaths of office? The very same Democrats doing this to you.
As an American, I know my constitutional rights. As a human being, I know my God-given rights. As a growing disciple of Jesus Christ, I know my life’s purpose includes supporting good and opposing evil. The New Testament informs me that I’m called to be free from the bondage of sin and the father of lies, and to live in love for God and people. I’m neither an animal nor a number, and I refuse to see others or let myself be treated as such. This is why, for the sake of love and liberty, I refuse to be masked.
“I am not afraid of Covid — I am afraid of what Covid’s creating. I am afraid of the ugliness, the distance, the anti-social, the communism. All of this — that’s what scares me. I’ve seen so many patients recover from this virus just fine. Some of these people don’t even need hospitalization. They really could have just gone home.” Registered nurse Megan Hill of Riverside County on June 18, 2020
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