Pelosi: Smile; you're on -- maskless -- camera

Who would have thought anyone would be interested enough in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hair to have even one conversation -- much less several days' worth -- about a trip to a salon? And to think that no one is even discussing her hair. Instead, it's her face getting attention -- her maskless face.

Now, perhaps we would all have looked the other way at Pelosi's decision not to wear a mask during the coronavirus craze, but when you have been lecturing everyone on wearing one, and Joe Biden, the leader of your political party, has advocated -- before denying advocating -- mandating mask-wearing, even outside, you can't expect to escape unscathed when you get caught slipping.

Pelosi herself has pushed masks, saying such things as, "Members and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the hall of the House" and "any person not wearing a face cover will be asked to put on a face cover or leave the building" and recently, she took to Twitter to criticize Republicans and President Donald Trump in particular, writing, "President Donald Trump's actions prove that he still does not grasp the gravity of the coronavirus crisis, even as America passes the tragic milestone of more than 6 million COVID-19 cases nationwide."

Well, all of that sounds consistent, but consistency and dirty politics don't last long together. Enter SalonGate. Pelosi got busted doing what elitist politicians do: preaching one thing to mere mortals while doing another, then explaining away the hypocrisy.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, salons were not allowed to conduct business until the next day -- outside. Pelosi, however, sauntered inside without a mask and upon being caught on camera, alleged the salon set her up -- 'cause, you know, when the jig is up, you've gotta come up with something. The salon's owner denied a setup and told Fox News's Tucker Carlson, "This isn't even political. It's the fact that she actually came in, didn't have a mask on, and I just thought about my staff and people not being able to work and make money and provide for their families, and if she is in there comfortably without a mask and feeling safe, then why are we shut down? Why am I not able to have clients come in?"

I have no idea whether this was a setup or not; it's not even important. You can't get set up unless you're setup-able, and clearly, Pelosi was. What is important is that these politicians want to choke the breath out of us, lecture us, infringe on our rights and accuse the other party of killing folks by not wearing masks, yet their own actions reveal the falsity of what those annoying, innumerable, inane commercials tell us: "We're all in this together." Pelosi thought she could defy "together" and play by separate rules, without the world watching, which speaks volumes about her judgment. Knowest thou not, Nancy, that in today's tech age, the world is always watching?

The speaker claimed she was told the salon would accommodate one customer inside at a time. Here's what I'd like Pelosi to tell us: One person cannot transmit the virus to one other person doing her hair? Is that how it works? So at what number does it become transmittable? Two customers? Three? Ten? I mean, if we're all in this together, would you, Pelosi, mind sharing the rules with the rest of us -- between lectures, of course?

Furthermore, Pelosi, if you want to flick your fingers in our faces, you best remember there are three fingers flicking back at you -- and usually a few cameras flicking pictures, too. And don't forget to say "Cheese!"--because since you're not wearing a mask, we get to see your lovely smile.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.