Of Course Sovereign Citizens Have A Special 'Get Out Of Wearing A Mask Free' Card

If that doesn't work, they can always just yell 'AM I BEING DETAINED?' at cashiers.

If there is anything we can count on Sovereign Citizens for, it is that in almost any given situation, they will be doing something that is extremely stupid. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different, and in fact, some might say it is the event they have been preparing for all of their lives.

In case you are unfamiliar, Sovereign Citizens are basically weirdos who don't believe in the legitimacy of the government, don't believe they have to pay taxes or follow the law in most situations. They think that filling out certain paperwork and handing out certain cards and saying certain words they can get out of doing these things or access secret bank accounts in their name, and are famous for showing up in court with piles of paperwork that they insist means things it doesn't.

On social media this week, many people who consider themselves Sovereign Citizens, along with others in the "anti-mask" movement, are recommending that those who don't want to wear masks print out this very official looking card exempting them from mask laws.

It reads:

I am exempt from ALL REGULATIONS mandating face mask usage in public. Wearing a face mask poses a health risk to me.

Under the ADA and HIPPA, I am NOT required to disclose my medical condition to anyone.

Department of Justice ADA Violation information line: 800-514-0301.

Organizations and businesses can be fined up to $75,000 for the first ADA violation and $150,000 for each subsequent violation

ATTN GOVERNMENT AGENTS
PLEASE PROVIDE LAWFUL AND NECESSARY CONSIDERATION TO AID THE BEARER IN THE UNIMPEDED EXERCISE OF CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED RIGHTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND ASSISTANCE.

We assume they mean HIPAA and not HIPPA, but given who we're talking about here, HIPPA could just be a thing they made up. However, if they are talking about HIPAA, the mask mandates fall under several of the 12 exemptions for situations in which people can be required to disclose a medical condition.

- When required by law
- Public health activities
- Victims of abuse or neglect or domestic violence
- Health oversight activitiesJudicial and administrative proceedings
- Law enforcement
- Functions (such as identification) concerning deceased persons
- Cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donationResearch, under certain conditions
- To prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety
- Essential government functions
- Workers compensation

So that's out. As far as the Americans with Disabilities Act is concerned, it does not cover people just making shit up. That's not a thing. I can't claim I have a disability that requires me to not wear clothes and then walk around naked all of the time without any need to explain that to anyone. The ADA some free pass for able-bodied people to be able to do whatever they want, it's there to help people with actual disabilities.

A similar card going around has pretty much the same text, with the added flair of claiming that the mask could pose a "mental health" risk to the wearer, and includes a Department of Justice seal at the bottom, just to make it look super official. Like the Department of Justice itself is going around handing these out to doofuses who want to schlep around Costco maskless.

The thing with these cards though is that not everyone is going to understand that they are bullshit. Someone seeing one might be scared by the potential fines and just let the person do what they want. However, considering these people have a history of terrorism and being rather dangerous, the best thing to do in this situation is just call the cops.

But America is not the only place where Sovereigns and others are weirdly asserting their "rights" not to wear masks. In Singapore this week, a woman was arrested for being a public nuisance and not wearing a mask while claiming that she was a Sovereign Citizen of Singapore .

Sovereign Citizens also believe they have a constitutional "right to travel" — which they believe entitles them to drive around without a license or registration. Sure, they made it up, but it's likely to be the next well they go to with this upon finding out that their non-mask wearing habits are not, in fact, protected under the ADA and "HIPPA."

[Photo: "Surgical Face Mask" by NurseTogether is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 ]

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