The Politics of Masking, Part II

A call to action calls on Chairman Kurt Gibbs to invite a speaker to address the county board over the masking issue - Gibbs suggested an alternative

I struggled for some time to write something about the Health and Human Services Committee meeting recently. The committee passed a resolution that called for a ban on mandates related to COVID-19 - no mask mandates, no isolation mandates, no vaccine mandates within the county. ¹

The resolution will be going to the county board — Thursday’s education meeting and next Tuesday for action.

One Marathon County resident is calling for other residents to “overflow the courthouse” with supporters. That resident is also calling for County Board Chair Kurt Gibbs to allow an expert speaker to address the board at its Thursday education meeting. Gibbs is, according to my sources, not allowing this. Here is what happened.

About the resolution

County attorney Michael Puerner told the committee he believed the resolution was in order, but also that it didn’t insulate the county from potential mandates related to masks or vaccines coming from the state or federal level.

Health Officer Laura Scudiere says she really doesn’t have the ability to issue a mandate anyway. Enforcement powers were discussed at the same county committee during the height of COVID. Those powers were not granted.

County Board Supervisor Stacey Morache is the one who brought the resolution. She said she did so because of a campaign around fear she says is being spread. She says she brought forth the resolution to protect civil liberties.

Others said it was a reaction to right-wing conspiracy theories.

A call to speak

I was forwarded an email calling on residents to flood the county board with emails and calls. Why? Because he wants to invite Dr. Pierre Kory to speak to the county board. He’s specifically calling out County Board Chair Kurt Gibbs because, instead of allowing Dr. Kory to speak at the county board’s education meeting on Sept. 21, he suggested a larger venue because of the potential for overflow at the meeting (last meeting’s attendance created a standing-room only situation in the Assembly Room at the Marathon County Courthouse).

Gibbs also suggested a future date for the speaking event, according to the email. It’s clear supporters of the mandate want Dr. Kory to speak at the meeting on Sept. 21, and from the email it appears Dr. Kory is planning on showing up to speak at any rate, even if it is just during the public comment period.

As the email reads:

LET’S OVERFLOW THE COURT HOUSE!  LET’S UNITE AND MAKE IT CLEAR WE’VE HAD ENOUGH OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES NOT REPRESENTING US, THE PEOPLE!

The last Health and Human Services Committee meeting dealing with this topic was already packed to standing room only. If this email is any indication, this meeting could be even more full.

Who is Dr. Pierre Kory?

Dr. Pierre Kory is a critcial care physician and a proponent of using ivermectin and other drugs to treat COVID. He has written two books, one on ultrasound, and the other on ivermectin. Specifically, it’s called The War on Ivermectin. Positive editorial reviews on its Amazon page come courtesy Bret Weinstein, Presidential candidate RFK, Jr., Dr. Peter McCollough and Wisconsin’s own Sen. Ron Johnson.

According to what I’ve read, Kory once worked for Aspirus and appears to live close enough that he could attend the Thursday meeting. He has committed to doing so, whether as an invited guest speaker or one of several speakers in the public comment period, according to the email.

Kory claims that the medical journals refuse to publish promising ivermectin research but that he found studies in other countries where ivermectin was studied, and did very well against COVID-19.

Kory, an intensive care physician, has testified to the U.S. Senate that ivermectin is a “wonder drug” with “miraculous effectiveness” in treating COVID. Critics have suggested he is spreading misinformation, pointing to a journal retracting one of his papers and another journal issuing an expression of concern over another paper.

The last time a guest was invited to speak to the county board (the last one The Wausonian covered anyway), the guest slandered Wausau’s mayor when he accused Katie Rosenberg of wanting to exterminate black people.

Gibbs apologized and said he regretted not stopping the speech the moment it got personal. It’s possible that factored into his decision about this particular invited guest.

The Wausonian reached out to Gibbs about the request and his decision. He had not responded to request for comment as of publication Wednesday morning, but The Wausonian will update the story with his comments when he does.

1. That only applies to Marathon County - county attorney Michael Puerner told the committee state or federal mandates would supercede county ordinances in that manner.