The tweet shown at the right is actually a screen capture rather than an embedding of the original, just in case her superiors ordered Ana Cabrera Neilson to take it down.

Just boarded a flight to Atlanta. I think I’ll stick with my mask a little longer. (I’d say it’s about 50-50 on this flight. Everyone treating each other respectfully)

Mrs Neilson’s Twitter biography lists her as “@CNN Anchor and Correspondent, Mom, Wife, Runner, Traveler, Gardener, Dog lover, Skier, Huge Denver Broncos Fan, Proud @MurrowCollege alumna, RT ≠ endorsements.” I suppose that I will have to forgive her for being a Broncos fan; no Oakland — never Las Vegas! — Raiders fan can ever truly like someone who likes the Denver Broncos.

What Mrs Neilson wrote is the way things ought to be! She does her thing, other people do theirs, and they leave each other alone.

Of course, for the Karens among us, we had one styling himself fandelos responding:

Actually, if it’s 50/50 masks, then no, not “everyone is treating each other respectfully”. Waved mandate aside, those without masks are showing zero respect for higher risk individuals who are undoubtedly on their flight.

I get it: those Americans who have been thoroughly imbued with fear by the government are still filled with it. But the facts are pretty obvious: Americans are mostly done with masking and fear. Jamie Apody, a sports reporter for WPVI-TV, Channel 6 in Philadelphia, tweeted that she didn’t see many people at the Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers first round NBA playoff game taking the city’s indoor mask mandate seriously, including what a 16 second video of a mostly mask-free crowd.

My good friend William Teach reported that the Biden Administration are considering an appeal of District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s order. Personally, knowing that the decision was before a brilliant and highly-qualified judge, who had clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas, I am surprised that the Justice Department didn’t have an emergency appeal and request to stay the judge’s order ready to go the moment the judge’s decision was handed down. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t be: the Biden Administration are full of people with their ears to the political ground, and they know that Americans are simply tired of the panicdemic restrictions. Already fearing huge losses in the 2022 elections, the last thing they want to do is piss off more voters. If this is not appealed, the mask mandate is gone, and the Administration can, and will, blame a federal judge appointed by President Trump for it if cases increase.

Though he was addressing another issue, Glenn Greenwald noted that fear was crucial for state authority, and fear is what governments, at all levels, have been using to control the public. But most Americans have gotten well over their fear of COVID-19, and that means most Americans are no longer susceptible to government fear-borne mandates. To alter a common phrase, Americans have voted with their bare faces against the mandates.