I could have written the headline “Of Colorado and Texas: a COVID-19 story.”  But just covering airports and stadiums will allow you to get the gist. I’m also writing this off the top of my head because I’ll never get my head around the two Americas we’re living in related to the pandemic.

My story involves a trip to Dallas with some buddies to catch the Broncos game and enjoy a weekend in a place where freedom rings. Sadly, what this column should be about was the beers, football and brushes with greatness we had because of  the Draft Kings Lounge passes we got through an old — well, she’s young — friend allowing for such a cool experience. So I’ll briefly touch on them anyway. 

Boy was there football to watch. We were literally on the Denver sideline for the game against the Cowboys. The experience was nearly as enjoyable at Texas Live, the largest and coolest sports bar I’ve ever seen. Yeah. We had a few beers as well. After all, it was a guys’ trip. As for greatness, I missed out on the picture my buddies got with legendary Broncos running back Terrell Davis on the elevator coming back down to the lounge from the main concourse. But I did turn around and say, “Hey, that’s Lee Greenwood” from our vantage point, and he came over for pics and handshakes with my buddies and the crowd in the lounge pit area.  

We packed a lot into the 48 hours of freedom between our experiences in the gulags disguised as the airline industry in America. 

This isn’t about Grand Junction Regional Airport. It’s what the airport must operate under given all the laws, mandates and Sequoia-pulp-sized litany of regulations from our federal government. So masked up it was from the moment of entry to the moment we got on the plane, then it got worse. First, and to be frank (while hoping I get no one in trouble) we sat well away from our gate as a small group with masks basically off. And then as my “crew” tends to do, we followed the cart going up to the bar to be there at “opening” and sat pretty much mask-less at the table as well.
All thanks in no part to a county which wants freedom — our current leadership folks aside who want their version of it. 

Of course, I could write a novel about what the TSA has become, but I digress. 

If I heard about masks once on the plane, I heard it six times before takeoff — including the ever-popular threats of breaking federal law, losing flying privileges and the inference of harsh penalties for breaking the “law.” Then again, the feds run the airlines as well, so there’s always been a chance of that. The airlines are correct: Flying is a privilege. But a privilege is something we should go to a private business to obtain and adhere to its procedures, not the dictates of government. You’ll understand this more once shopping or eating out becomes a government-regulated “privilege.” 

After looking about the cabin for any curious eyes, I took my time eating my pretzels mask down-mask back up style with the occasional sip of water requiring the same insane actions. If you think the surge of in-flight problems are the result of anything but the mask policies due to government taking more control of our lives under the guise of safety from COVID, you couldn’t be more wrong. They are. If you are unconvinced, then why won’t the government allow airlines to start their own terminal access and flights for those desiring to fly with no mask — and better, more sensible security? Hint: They never give up control. For more proof, see gambling, cigarettes, pot and all the other industries in which the government controls the means of production.

For the record, the flight home airport to plane experience was a huge ditto. I’m just glad the American Airlines weather problems are restricted to the end of the month after employees run out of hours. 

Now, how ’bout that Cowboys stadium? I’ve never seen a smoother running operation handling 100,000-plus people over a few hours in such an efficient manner in my life. I’ve been to more than 100 University of Michigan games, and it’s like the Bataan Death March just to go to the bathroom or get a hot dog. Not in Jerry World. Ticket takers? No more than a couple of folks in the multitude of lines. Security gates? Come on through, pardner. And don’t mess with the three guys on the other end or you’ll have problems — of which my humor saved me after they started in on my Buccaneers gear. 

As my buddy asked, “Have you ever seen a place where you had so much room surrounded by 100,00 people?” And we did it all without masks, same as a bunch of other stadiums did last weekend. And as it has been since football season began. I assume without it being a super spreader event. 

Yet our airlines and airports mask us up despite being actually less crowded. Then again, Jerry Jones runs one and the government runs the other. 

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of the Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com.