My right to swing my fist …

… ends where your nose begins.
When I was studying criminal justice to prepare for law school, this illustration of the limitations of individual rights really stuck with me. 
We live in the ‘Land of the Free,’ but in order for all of us to be free, we are restricted in what we are allowed to do as part of a larger society. The idea is that as soon as I have unlimited freedom to do exactly as I please, I am taking away the rights and freedoms of everyone around me. Therefore, the government places limitations on my rights.
And I’m okay with that.
I have a car that will go 120 miles an hour (at least), but I never drive that fast because there are laws against it, and more importantly, it’s really dangerous to me and other drivers on the road.
I am of legal age to drink alcohol, but I don’t drink and drive, or go to work with a buzz because that is illegal and dangerous to myself and other drivers, and a really fast way to get myself fired if I’m showing up tipsy.
I know how to shoot a gun, but I don’t go around firing off rounds all willy nilly when in the presence of others — for reasons that don’t need detailing.
The Constitution guarantees us certain civil liberties which are protections against arbitrary acts of government, and civil rights in which the government provides us protection from each other, however, none of these are absolute.
Our Constitutional rights are further limited because we live in a society with many other people, so sometimes, in cases of national crisis, our rights are further limited for the greater good.
While we may not like that, we also are usually pretty happy that the government is protecting us from dangers that we cannot control as individuals.
We are living in just such a situation right now, and because of it, my right to spew my bodily fluids also ends where your face begins. 
Wearing a mask does not protect the health of the person wearing it. It protects others from the mask wearer’s potential to spread COVID-19.
Being asked to wear a mask is not a violation of our Constitutional rights.
Being asked to wear a mask is not a means for the government to take over our lives.
The coronavirus is real, and Wyoming is finally seeing a surge in cases that other states had experienced early in the pandemic. It is a virus that has a high rate of recovery, however it is also a new virus that is constantly mutating, and about which we know very little concerning the long-term effects of infection. 
People do die because they contracted COVID. There are many who will argue loudly and often that no one dies of the virus, but of co-morbidities, but here’s the rub. Whatever pre-existing condition that may have existed at the time of infection, probably wouldn’t have been lethal had the virus not raged in a compromised body.
And if we get right down to the nitty gritty, the only true cause of death is cardiac arrest. When the heart stops beating, we die.
I am diabetic and I have the disease well under control. As such, I should live a long life (God willing and the creek don’t rise). If I were to contract the coronavirus and die at 53, these naysayers would argue that it was my diabetes, and not COVID, that killed me. And they would be wrong.
People die of cancer, the flu, car accidents and a multitude of other reasons. However, when we hear of these deaths, do we ever ask what the statistics are of other causes of death? The answer is no. 
So why, when people are given news of an outbreak of COVID-19, is the first question out of their mouths asking how many cases of the flu are there? For that, I have no answer. 
What I do know is that people who refuse to wear a mask, and name call and deride any who have a different opinion regarding the issue, have absolutely no regard for the well-being of others and are wearing blinders which only allow them to see what they want to see.