November 16, 2020
Dear Dr. Scott Atlas,
I understand you are a member of the President’s Corona Virus Task Force team. So, just to be clear, you are not the Surgeon General of the United States nor are you the leader of this team, nor are you an infectious disease specialist. You are, however, one of the most prolific tweeters on the team. Recently you tweeted, “Masks work? NO”, in spite of the advice of all the rest of the health experts in the world.
Late last night, after Governor Whitmer put into effect new public health measures for Michigan, you tweeted “The only way this stops, is if people rise up. You get what you accept.” # FreedomMatters and # “StepUp.Here’s what I have to say, WAY TO GO! What I mean is, find the nearest exit and GO! Those two tweets plus your promotion of the dangerous belief that so called “herd immunity” will be all the protection we need, indicate that you should GO, immediately! Look, there are a couple of reasons why you should go. The current president and the current vice president, the one who used to be in charge of the team, have already quit so you can quit too. Just follow in their footsteps, but maybe wear a mask and stay 6 feet behind them. Here’s another reason; your tweet about encouraging “the people” to “rise up” could be seen as a call for violence. If, heaven forbid, that did occur, you might be held liable for inciting violence. If you quit the team now you could look for a lawyer to advise you on this matter. If you decide to use the lawyers the president uses, you know, Guilliani and Barr, then all I can say is good luck. Otherwise, check out the names on the benches at bus stops or the back of packages of matches or even on your local Craigslist. I’m sure you can find a better lawyer than those two.
As I think more about this issue, I’d like to thank you for using the idea in your tweets that freedom does matter, and we do need to step up. Putting on a mask in public, washing hands and sanitizing, staying away from crowds, keeping indoor groups to just the family you live with and trying to keep socially distant from others you do not live with, are actions that are about freedom. Can you imagine the political prisoners in other countries who have been jailed, tortured or killed think wearing a mask means you have lost your freedom? If you think losing your freedom is about not going to the bars, the gyms and indoors to restaurants, I have solutions for that. Walk in your neighborhood or at a park, buy some beer or better yet, spirits (from Mammoth Distillery or Three Chords Distillery), order a to go meal from your favorite restaurant or open a can of beans. It’s the families of children of school age, college kids, essential workers and people living in assisted living and nursing facilities who have lost their freedom due to the rampant spread of the virus from people following your advice.
Please, just go.
Dear Mr. President 