The big news story from the Salem Statesman Journal was that over twelve people complained about masks. Over twelve people complained. That’s their breaking news story. It was such great news that it was picked up over 1,700 miles away in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Breathlessly, the story read,

Upwards of a dozen complaints were filed to Oregon's workplace safety agency this past weekend over concerns that the state's outdoor mask mandate was not being observed at the Oregon State Fair.

Reporters seem not to go out anymore in person to get the story, so they make a report like this with photos making it look like the fair is sparsely attended when in fact thousands are going. Maybe 350,000 if the media has not scared attendees away. The media reported that Governor Kate Brown said that the Oregon State Patrol would enforce masking. No, OSP did not. A memo from OSHA to vendors at the fair sent a ripple of compliance, but otherwise had little effect. Everyone was having fun. No one was being harassed or arrested.

The memo read, in part,

Under the Oregon Safe Employment Act and Oregon OSHA's rules related to penalty calculation, the minimum penalty for a serious violation is $100 and the maximum penalty is $12,675. Penalties are typically determined based on the severity and probability of the violation cited, as well as upon the size of the employer.

However, a willful violation -- including situations where the employer is aware of the requirement and chooses to continue to operate in violation of it -- carries a minimum penalty of $8,900 and a maximum penalty of $126,749.

Vendors, exhibitors, and other similar employers should therefore be aware that violations will be characterized as "willful" violat ions if Oregon OSHA concludes that the employer was made aware of the facial covering requirements -- including direction received from the operator of the venue -- and continued to disregard the violation. This is distinct from whatever sanction or enforcement mechanisms may be available to the venue operator as part of the contractual relationship.

So much for the 2021 State Fair slogan "Fun Make a Comeback." OSHA made sure that didn't happen.

In attendance for eight hours at the fair on August 30th an estimated 75-80% were mask free. Two days later it seemed like many more than that were mask free. It seems that many Washingtonians and Oregonians both seem tired of the world that Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and Oregon Governor Kate Brown put us in a year and a half ago.

Citizens, themselves, while the local media holed up in their homes, citizens went out since March 2020 and photo documented that no emergency was going on...not then and not now. With time at home citizens started doing their own independent research. Some have been on the trail of how many on social media posted they took the jab, posting memes to that effect, then how soon after there was an obituary about their "sudden” deaths. Many of them were young.

We will know after September 6, 2021, if the media fearmongering worked or citizens flocked to the Oregon State Fair, 350,000 strong, and had a fabulous time.


--Margo Logan

Post Date: 2021-09-02 18:10:32

Last Update: 2021-09-02 19:17:51