Doctor Compares Boise Mask Burning Gatherings To 'Child Abuse'

By now most of you have heard about these mask burning barrels that have been set up throughout not just the state of Idaho but the rest of the country in response to mandates that continue to be put in place in major cities. Recent gatherings in Boise made national news after video surfaced showing parents allowing children to participate.

It was just after 5:00 P.M. Monday, when I arrived home from work to find the television on and reporters covering an event happening outside Idaho's Capitol Building on West Jefferson Street. Families had gathered to burn masks in protest of the city's mandate. It was a controlled, peaceful display of dissatisfaction by Idahoans, many of whom allowed their kids to toss masks into fiery barrels.

Professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University Hospital, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, was being interviewed by Erin Burnett about the gathering. She asked him his thoughts on the matter. His response was that he believed the fact that kids were allowed to take part in the burnings was comparable to "child abuse." The doctor later went on to say such acts could be psychologically harmful, and might make children believe it's perfectly acceptable to burn things they don't like; he brought up "book burnings," as an example of such acts of defiance.

I thought it was a bit much coming from an individual who holds such a lofty position at one of the country's most respected medical institutions. It does raise the question however of whether or not it's something young children should be taking part in.

What do you think about the comments made by Dr. Reiner?