"Relatively mild Omicron surge"

Also, this isn't a popular rebellion in Canada. The convoy is extremely unpopular and the covid restrictions continue to be popular. This is the far right freaking out because they've lost. 

Omicron in USA is being fairly letal, about as strong as Delta bases on the sheer number of the infection, as the virus itself is much less letal 

Here in Brazil we are having about 3 times more daily cases than Delta, but death rate is about less than 30% of what used to be with Delta

I honestly don't understand why are people freaking out with restrictions. Wearing masks is ok, many people I know are considering using it for good, I personally really like wearing it, specially when I'm having allergic crisis 

Showing documentation to prove we got shots is also OK, what's the matter? Right now most of people here are vaccinated, about 80% I think, the ones who aren't are mainly kids, so almost everything is working as usual. Business are open, restaurants, gymns, cinemas, etc. Even closed events are allowed 

It's also very nice every place is offering alcohol gel so we can clean our hands and arms, and I also feel stores, cinemas and restaurants are far more cleaner now than they used to be 

I don't know if Brazilians are adaptable, but I don't know, I feel like things are different now, we no longer love in terror, people are slowly accepting how to live with the virus and I think that's a very good thing. The next variant will probably be even less letal, so I hope by then Covid will be treated like just another kind of flu 

Omicron in USA is being fairly letal, about as strong as Delta bases on the sheer number of the infection, as the virus itself is much less letal 

Here in Brazil we are having about 3 times more daily cases than Delta, but death rate is about less than 30% of what used to be with Delta

I honestly don't understand why are people freaking out with restrictions. Wearing masks is ok, many people I know are considering using it for good, I personally really like wearing it, specially when I'm having allergic crisis 

Showing documentation to prove we got shots is also OK, what's the matter? Right now most of people here are vaccinated, about 80% I think, the ones who aren't are mainly kids, so almost everything is working as usual. Business are open, restaurants, gymns, cinemas, etc. Even closed events are allowed 

It's also very nice every place is offering alcohol gel so we can clean our hands and arms, and I also feel stores, cinemas and restaurants are far more cleaner now than they used to be 

I don't know if Brazilians are adaptable, but I don't know, I feel like things are different now, we no longer love in terror, people are slowly accepting how to live with the virus and I think that's a very good thing. The next variant will probably be even less letal, so I hope by then Covid will be treated like just another kind of flu 

The problem is letting the government take over your freedom. I use the mask and took the vaccine and think whoever doesn't use the mask is inconsiderate and who don't take the vaccine is dumb, but still I don't want the government using its power to obligate or anyone else of this type of thing.

I have asked several people what they want to do that they can't do, and have yet to receive any kind of intelligible response. Over the fast few months I've been to school, restaurants, gyms, movies, bars, concerts, trains, etc. The last couple of years have been tough, and people are just frustrated in general, and essentially throwing tantrums.

The government's job is sometimes to govern your behavior. 

We have had clothes mandates for literally centuries. I can't walk around with my dick out and that's (probably) less likely to infect anyone with a virus. When I went to school I had to get vaccinated. I had to prove my vaccination status to work as a lifeguard (for a children's camp), a teacher, and for college. The US government at least can legally force you to go to war and kill people. It is bizarre that people act like this is somehow a bridge too far.

The purpose of government is to organize responses to problems that can not be solved individually. We cannot effectively respond to a security threat if everyone gets to decide what they'll do about it and how. Like, I am morally opposed to the draft and that's obviously one of the biggest violations of freedom imaginable, but if there was a real threat to the United States could we fight it off if everyone got to decide whether or not they would fight, and what specific actions they would take if they fought? 

Currently, Covid has proved deadlier than any war in American history. We can't fight it effectively if every single person gets to choose how they want to respond. It's impossible. This is precisely the type of situation that government is made for.

If the government can never tell an individual what to do... what's the point?

If you like the government extending its power and diminishing yours, well I don't.

Comparing people walking naked (which isn't a natural behaviour for humans for like dozen milleniums) to something new that is being forced uppon (and certainly masks can be more troubling to use than cloth, several people have hardness to breath with masks. Myself I can even do gym and cardio with mask). Also not every country or school demands that you present your vaccination status (in Brazil from what I know it is just some public schools). Obligating people to go to war certainly isn't something good but the premisse is to defend your own country from being destroyed and your deared ones killed, and sure government abuse on that, but does that make it somewhat better to abuse in other fields as well?

You can take your vaccine and use the mask, and that protects yourself, other people have the right to well expose themselves to higher risk and die out of their dumbness. In USA you can even refuse medical threatment based on your faith believes.

It isn't about the government never telling what individuals can do. But do you want to go from the extreme of lack of any government to a dictatorship that tell everything the people can do? Because your last phrase make it seem like if you don't accept government demanding mask and vaccination status they can't ask anything not even "don't go out in the street shooting others".

Why does it matter that we've been wearing clothes for a while? There still should be a rational basis for the law, right? If I want to free willy, why should the government be able to tell me not to? If we can't mandate masks during a pandemic, what is the justification for other clothing? Is seeing penises, vaginas, and breasts really more dangerous to society than Covid? 

Drafts don't necessarily make another form of restriction more justified, but at the same time it questions why when we've put up with so many more extreme restrictions, we should suddenly be enraged by this one. It would suggest that government overreach isn't exactly the point.

Whether you vaccinate or wear a mask has an impact on other people. Vaccines are not 100% effective, and not everybody can vaccinate. Just like we send people to wars to defend our citizens, we implement mask mandates to do the same. It is in our collective best interest to contain the virus, and that can't be done if the government has no authority. 

This isn't about the government telling everything people can do. It's them telling them to do one thing, cover their face. It is a very mild restriction in the face of something that has killed millions. So, yeah. If you argue that's not a legitimate use of government power, then I really do question what authority the government actually has.

Let's assume that mandating masks in public areas during a pandemic is too extreme. In that case, what can the government legitimately do? Can they enforce speed limits? Make me wear pants? Take 30%ish of my salary? Tell me how many deer I can shoot? Tell me what kind of weapons I can or can't use? Control what price I could sell certain crops for? Fine me for littering? Force me to recylce? These are all things that most people agree the government can do that I see as more restrictive and that would cause less harm if they were not enforced. So, if mask wearing is too extreme, how can those actions be justified?

If you want my opinion there shouldn't have any law regarding you being mandated to use clothes. Again I don't know why you want to use people accepting government having power to control your life as justification to control even more.

The reason people accept laws regarding clothing and drafting but don't like the one about mask is because the first two they are already used to the other is change (which people usually don't like). The other reason may be the infamous the needle that broke the cammel back.

One of the justifications people use to not being mandated to vaccinate is just what you gave, it isn't 100% effective and worse it can have adverse effect (which includes possible death in sure very rare cases). Most don't complain about the mask as most as they complain about the vaccine and being mandated to take it.  And not to forget that much isn't know about the vaccines and colateral yet. Unfortunately in the end the government have to much autorithy already.

Don't know how serious you are on your last paragraph, but on my opinion government shouldn't really have law for any of those you listed.

I actually didn't make any argument for mandatory vaccination. Forcing a vaccine is more extreme than masks, so I'd have to think of the range of situations that might be acceptable. I think vaccine mandates for people working with vulnerable populations would be appropriate. For other situations, I would probably prefer a vaccination or negative test policy.

I was serious about the last paragraph... And your position essentially seems to be advocating anarchy. Particularly in regards to mandating speed limits and taxing. Speed limits are a case where the benefit of having everyone drive the same speed seems to vastly outweigh the imposition on personal freedom. Without taxes governments would mostly be completely gone, although income tax isn't necessarily the only way.

So I guess then, yeah, what do you think the government could legitimately demand of people? 

Gotcha. Yes the defense of mandatory mask is easier to defend as really very few people have a legitimate reason to oppose using and really needs to be in crowded spaces. Since I don't leave in anyone else body can't say for sure, but several people put that they really can't breath decently with the mask and I can't say it is a lie just because I breath easily (unless I have sweat a lot or took rain... once I took a lot of rain and the mask was soaked, it was almost a drowing training, was like 1min to reach home so I didn't remove the mask to see the results, well I was very short of breath).

I'm in favor of prohibiting reckless driving not exactly of speed limits, not really because of the prohibition but on what is done (hidden cameras to give you fines instead of very exposed ones and other engineering methods to allow you to see and reduce speed). Forced taxation is something I'm against again because it mostly go to fill out the pockets of politicians and their friends (incoming tax is one that is a little more logical than our very complex variable tax system).

Basic stuff is easily defendable of demanding from people like I put reckless driving, killing, stealing, things that directly harm other (not indirectly or potentially).

I'm not sure what you're advocating for in terms of driving. Setting aside intoxicated driving, how would you define driving recklessly if not by a particular speed.

You are arguing I think for essentially what would be an ultraminimal state. Basically the most extreme version of libertarianism before you hit anarchy. You could read some of the work of the philosopher Nozick who takes a similar view. That being the case, I think we're just really far apart on what we think government should be, and don't think we're going to get to an agreement on this. We have to get to a general agreement on what the purpose of government is before we can really get into any particular situation, and it'd just take too much time.