When you were a kid, did you ever stick your tongue out at somebody?

Or did you ever get targeted by a boy sticking his tongue out at you? I asked my wife these questions the other day as I was thinking about the many ways mask mandates are harmful to kids. Besides spitting or popping bubble gum there are a lot of things a kid can’t do when his mouth is covered.

The mouth, after all, has an almost endless variety of ways to convey feelings. It can grin or smile, pout or pucker, bare gnashing teeth, curl in a snarl, lift a corner in doubt, gape in amazement. It can convey happiness, disappointment, sadness, surprise, distaste, even a sour mood. The mouth is useful for a lot of things besides talking, eating, and kissing.

The point is simple: putting masks on kids of any age deprives them of an essential means of communicating with others. If psychologists want to explain how masks do more harm than good, they can start here.

Most governors in southern and mid-western states have already banned masks in schools. But why are other governors, particularly the ones in blue states, still mandating masks when youngsters are least likely to get infected and don’t get a serious reaction to Covid when they do?

Some blue state governors are finally getting the message. Notably, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, one of the most tyrannical in shutting down his state to “save lives,” is lifting the school mask mandate as of March 7. His return to sanity no doubt is due to the close shave he got in the last gubernatorial election; he was expected to win by a landslide in the state with the biggest Democrat majority.

Instead, he almost lost to a relative unknown.

Speaking of gubernatorial candidates, how hypocritical was it for a mask-less Stacey Abrams to pose for a photo op sitting in front of a group of masked students?

Her explanation that she was facing away from the children is not just hypocritical, it is just plain stupid. The next time she runs for governor of Georgia, her opponent will flash this smiling, gap-toothed picture of Abrams at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, the clueless CDC continues to recommend masks for all K-2 school children, their teachers, their parents, and school visitors. The White House agrees, ever mindful of teacher unions that are ready to pull teachers out of school for the slightest sniffle.

This is one situation where facts are embarrassing experts who choose to ignore them. Here’s a fact: before the pandemic, the World Health Organization, after extensive studies, found no evidence that face masks are effective in reducing transmission of air-borne diseases. Since the arrival of Covid-19, there have been no reliable studies providing evidence to the contrary.

Why is the CDC still recommending masks? And why are the president and adamant blue-state governors still mandating them?

Three images are fresh in my mind. One is of a witness sitting 40 feet from her inquisitors at a congressional hearing—and wearing a mask!

Another is of an Olympic hockey game with players all wearing masks. Mindless sheep.

The third is of a classroom of little kids tearing their masks to pieces upon being told they didn’t have to wear them anymore.

If only the power-mad bureaucrats could have seen the children.

As they jumped for joy, some of the kids I bet were sticking their tongues out at them.

A longtime publishing executive and columnist, Claude Milot can be reached at cmilot@embarqmail.com