One Texas dad wanted to make a big impression on why mask mandates were necessary at the school board meeting he was attending.
He did by making a very large choice—stripping down to a bathing suit.
James Akers stood up to give his piece and lead with:
"I do not like the government, or any other entity, telling me what to do."
"But sometimes I've got to push the envelope a little bit."
"And I've decided I'm not just going to talk about it, I'm going to walk the walk."
From there, he started removing bits of his clothing, noting each and every piece was mandated by his place of employment.
Akers, while stripping, then said he ran a bunch of stoplights and red lights as well as co-opted a handicap parking space because he sardonically noted he has "every right to drive as fast as I want to."
@therecount PS I love this dude 💪— Pèndé Ô. Connard (@Pèndé Ô. Connard) 1629913465.0
@therecount Dropping trou in a board meeting. This is where we are. Fighting crazy with crazy.— WuWei2019 (@WuWei2019) 1629914334.0
@therecount I LOVED it! What a hoot. Clearly explaining that there a dozens of things we do every day to be part… https://t.co/7Z9MiY0jFz— Mary 👉Get Vaccinated👉FDA Approved (@Mary 👉Get Vaccinated👉FDA Approved) 1629914154.0
@therecount Can this gentleman do this at all the government hearings where people think mask wearing is a person's free choice?— Mat Kostrinsky (@Mat Kostrinsky) 1629949352.0
@therecount I’m betting all the anti-maskers thought he was on their side at the start. :-) EXCELLENT demonstration!— Ed Loebach (@Ed Loebach) 1629983021.0
@therecount Gotta say, dude took it to them. Took a lot of balls - well ok, that’s hyperbole.— Hoodie4u 🇺🇸 (@Hoodie4u 🇺🇸) 1629914593.0
@therecount That’s one way to get your Point across… I’m all for it, but better camera angle next time please🙏🏻— RUTHless VACCINATurner (@RUTHless VACCINATurner) 1629934677.0
@therecount That was awesome and funny! Great way to support masks!— Sabrina❤️ (@Sabrina❤️) 1629913736.0
Eventually, by the time Akers was down to his bathing suit, he made his point.
"It's simple protocol, people. We follow certain rules. We follow certain rules for a very good reason."
"There are too many voices out there that I think are digging in for political reasons, and absolutely just not thinking about the common sense decisions we make every day to comply with everything from driving down the road and being safe and courteous to other drivers to not parking in handicapped spots...."
"All these rules that we're given every day that we follow, because they make sense."
@therecount Pants mandates are communism!!— Hirdygirdyman (@Hirdygirdyman) 1629917289.0
@therecount Devilish genius!— @carlofiori (@@carlofiori) 1629917664.0
@therecount You dropped this, King 👖— Ken Moodie (@Ken Moodie) 1629929330.0
@therecount Are you SURE he was being sardonic?— D.J. Ponsegrau II (@D.J. Ponsegrau II) 1629913327.0
Some Texas school districts are currently considering mask mandates to mitigate the spread of the delta variant, which has caused a nationwide surge in cases.
They come in direct conflict with Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who has banned mask orders in schools. However, some schools have loopholed masks in by making them a part of the dress code.