Thread by @juliettekayyem

Of course we should ban for all future flights non-mask compliant plane passengers. I'm not proposing a new crime. But governments have various tools outside criminal code -- laws, regs, taxes, zoning, budgets/grants, enforcement etc. -- to move citizens to act safely. 1/

These basically fall into two camps: carrots and sticks. Governments can give tax rebates for behavior it wants to applaud (buying hybrid cars) or seek financial penalties for those it doesn't (Vermont now makes hikers who disobey safety signage to pay for rescue). 2/

It can burden some citizens (so long as not based on protected classes) and unburden others (TSA preclear). It can seek more resilient societies by not allowing disaster reimbursement for people who rebuild in flood prone areas, or pay them to move elsewhere (post-Sandy NY). 3/

With public health, generally, we seek community safety compliance through carrots; it is the nature of health, intimacy and privacy. But we use sticks, in particular on vaccination where more and more states were adopting penalties (no school) for children of anti-vaxxers. 4/

Anyway, 100% masking compliance would be fine by me, but certainly if there is an area where the government has authority to mandate 100% compliance it is in the very regulated airline industry. The industry wants it. And there is more: "sticks" are also meant as a statement. 5/

Governments use the proverbial "stick," for example putting purposeful violators (those who knowingly disobey the airline rules) on no-mask/no-fly for a lifetime (or a year, you choose), because they also have to make a statement to others. 6/

I'm pretty convinced after am tweet proposing lifetime ban of anti-maskers on planes that there will be a concerted effort to disrupt air travel. Why? B/c these people cannot get on planes without a mask, so they are checking in fraudulently then claim some new "health" issue. 7/

It is a campaign. So the FAA should adopt flight banning across all airlines for mask violators. Trump would do this (not wishful thinking) b/c industry cannot survive if flights keep heading back and it won't have customers without masking. Win/win. And those are rare. 8/

Ok, made my case. What time is it? Soon. #2:48pmEST nasa.gov #endeavour 9/9