September 15 2021
We had decided almost a year ago that vaccine passports were our LINE. I had asked Jeff, “at what point is it too much?” Because of the boil-the-frog analogy (and my brief foray into researching German history around WWII), I knew that governments and authorities use small incremental steps, each innocent enough on their own, to eventually lead us into something that would seem absolutely insane if it happened all at once.
Psychologically too, we adapt quickly, and might not realize how far into oppression we might slide if we aren’t aware at the outset of what the lines are for what we’ll tolerate for ourselves and our family.
We’ve been saying for months that Kenney’s “Open For Summer” probably means “Closed For Fall.” We also remember how Hitler opened Germany and relaxed all restrictions on non-Aryans during the olympics in 1936 to bring funds into the country, and to loosen the constriction so people would have a false sense of security and relax, therefore not rebelling against the regime which they were starting to be suspicious about. “Covid’s over!” people were saying. Trudeau calls a random election. This coincides perfectly with flu season. Then, Trudeau sneaks into Calgary to yell at a few people.
He shrieks desperately “we can’t force you to get vaccinated because this is a [sneer] ‘democracy,’ but don’t think for a second that you can get on a plane or a train next to a vaccinated person and PUT THEM AT RISK.” Ummmm. What. This is the dude running the country? Follow the science indeed. His 40 minute speech was on YouTube for two days before it was taken down and only the first eleven minutes were left online (the part where he was being nice and actually making sense).
We adopted a cat by accident a few weeks before our decision to leave for Mexico. We were “babysitting” her for a friend of mine because this cat and their other cat were fighting too much, so we offered to watch her until she found a new home for her. Obviously, we all fell in love with her and kept her. Our 2 year old named her Fina, a combination of the three other cats’ names she’d known in her life (Rafina, Visa, Felix). So the cat was destined to come as well.
We rented out our house for 3 months to a lovely family who’s building in town and was currently camping - but the weather’s getting cold and the campground is about to close for the season. Perfect timing.
A few days before leaving, right after masklessly voting PPC at the advance polls, I phoned my doctor to ask for a replacement mask exemption letter. He’d written one for me a few months prior, without even blinking. The answer now? “He isn’t giving those out anymore. At all.” Hmmm. Called it.
I searched high and low and found mine.
WestJet’s size requirements for kennels online and with the telephone agent were ridiculously small, so we put Fina in the nice big one we’d bought, and brought the extra kennel that’s small but she hates, just in case they gave us any grief about the size. Nobody checked.
I brought my mask exemption letter and a printout of TSA policies and WestJet exception policy along with it, so I could wear my mask on my chin on the plane because even though I wore the very breathable mesh mask all through the airport, I was still feeling panicky and like the lower half of my lungs weren’t oxygenated. But I didn’t want to have eighteen fights or be denied boarding. However, I had my paperwork in case the flight attendant said anything.
I tried to mention it to one of them, and she was like “oh I don’t know I’ll have to check,” and wandered off and got distracted and never came back so she must not have been THAT concerned about it. I wore it on my chin and nobody fussed one bit. When we flew in January 2021, WestJet was MILITANT about nobody’s nose showing. I guess even they are sick of all this.
Our two year old had a dry cough the entire way, so that was fun. I was amazed none of the other passengers said anything. I guess we passed the temperature checks hidden all over the airport, so no fever.
Between the meowing and the coughing, I just had to laugh at the ridiculousness of what we were doing. Thank the Lord for feline sedation because the meowing only got loud on takeoff.
………Scratch that. She busted a hole in her new kennel when the first dose of drugs wore off. I gave her another dose, sacrificed the skin on my hand to keep her in, and Jeff and the flight attendant duct taped the kennel shut eventually. I truly wish I took pictures.
Oh, did I mention that Kenney et al announced vaccine passports WHILE WE WERE IN THE AIR??? The timing blows my mind.
A day and a half later….
I just realized….
We forgot to fill out our “required” health forms upon entering Mexico. The cute little questionnaires they get you to fill out (you know, in lieu of other countries’ obligatory and expensive tests and injections of questionable validity).
Nothing happened.
Immigration didn’t ask.
Mexico entry requirements?
NOTHING.