Earlier this week, we reported about how My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell was invited to the Republican Governor’s Dinner in Nashville, TN. After Mike checked in and received his VIP credentials, he was told by the event organizer that he had been uninvited. Mr. Lindell blamed Governors Kemp (R-GA) and Ducey (R-AZ) for the decision to prevent him from attending the dinner over their fear that he might call them out for refusing to address the voter fraud issue in their states.

Idaho Governor Brad Little attended the two-day Republican Governor’s event in Nashville, TN.

While Governor Little was in Nashville, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is running against him for governor in the 2022 election, signed an executive order banning masks in Idaho.

Janice McGeachin tweeted images of her executive order with the following statement:

Today, as acting Governor of the State of Idaho, I signed an Executive Order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses by prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions — including public schools — from imposing mask mandates in our state. #idpol

Today, as acting Governor of the State of Idaho, I signed an Executive Order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses by prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions — including public schools — from imposing mask mandates in our state. #idpol pic.twitter.com/Nmb6DX9v6X

— Janice McGeachin (@JaniceMcGeachin) May 27, 2021

 

The Secretary of State’s office confirmed that it had received the order from McGeachin on Thursday morning. The executive order went into effect at 11 am MT Thursday and applies to all government facilities except for hospitals, health care facilities, and federal buildings.

On Thursday morning, McGeachin said she was primarily concerned about children being forced to wear masks in schools.

“It’s just especially hard for me to see the little kids being forced to wear a mask in school,” McGeachin told Idaho Reports. When asked if she was concerned about children younger than 12 who aren’t currently eligible to get the vaccine, she said no.

“That’s not the population that is at risk,” she said, adding that nothing prevents teachers from wearing masks if they wish to do so.

What’s behind McGeachin lifting the mask mandate while Governor Little was in Nashville?

On May 11 Governor Little ended Idaho’s participation in all federal pandemic unemployment compensation programs, telling Idaho residents, “It’s time to get back to work!”

In his official statement, Little told Idaho residents: “Employers are telling me one of the big reasons they cannot recruit and retain some workers is because those employees are receiving more on unemployment than they would while working. We see ‘Help Wanted’ signs everywhere. Idaho has the strongest economy in the nation, and we are a top 10 state for best employment, but there is more we can do. It’s time to get back to work,” Governor Little said. “My decision is based on a fundamental conservative principle – we do not want people on unemployment. We want people working. A strong economy cannot exist without workers returning to a job.”

The Governor also noted in his May 11 statement that he is requesting citizens continue to wear masks, as per CDC guidelines that have since changed, allowing vaccinated citizens to go maskless. The only time he mandates wearing a face covering is in nursing homes, or “long-term care facilities,” unlike MI Governor Gretchen Whitmer and NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who intentionally sent COVID infected patients into nursing homes in their states.

From Governor Little’s May 11 statement:

On January 20, Governor Little announced that he would instruct the State Board of Education to revise its high school athletic plan to allow more spectators at sporting events.

On October 15, Governor Little urged citizens of Idaho to take PERSONAL responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe. He asked citizens to ramp up personal actions to slow the spread of the virus to protect lives and our economic prosperity.

“Our personal actions work better to slow the spread of coronavirus than anything else. Our personal actions are free of cost and a minor sacrifice relative to the rewards,” Governor Little said. “This is about personal responsibility – something Idaho is all about. Wear a mask. Watch your distance from others. Wash your hands. Do these things so our kids can stay in school, our loved ones stay safe, and our economy can continue to prosper.”

While the Lt. Governor’s executive order appears to be a bold move, it also appears to be somewhat of a political stunt. When choosing the person to lead your state, it’s important to access their actions. From what we can tell, we would give Governor Little high marks for his handling of the COVID pandemic, thus far.

Governor Little could have and should have followed the lead of Governor DeSantis (FL) and Gov. Abbott (TX), and announce that masks are no longer required in the state, but in his May 11 statement, he is only recommending citizens wear masks, a far cry from mandates placed on citizens by hypocritical Democrat governors like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer who continues to destroy businesses over her wreckless policies while ignoring her own tyrannical rules when she thinks no one’s looking.

Here’s a recent photo that was taken last week of  MI Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer sitting maskless, at a crowded table in a local bar, while placing tyrannical restrictions on citizens of MI that require them to wear masks and limit the number of people per table.

Most of the comments under McGeachen’s tweet come from angry parents who don’t want to allow their kids to go maskless to school. Many of them accuse her of using the executive order as a political stunt. What do you think?