This past Friday, crazy North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum defied the Base’s morbidly obtuse idol by pleasantly asking people to be nice. These are the governor’s words:

“I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where they’re trading a divide — either it’s ideological or political or something — around masks versus no mask. This is, I would say, a senseless dividing line, and I would ask people to try to dial up your empathy and your understanding.”

Senseless dividing lines are the meatiest part of Trump cult doctrine and no officially indoctrinated platinum card member is going to start understanding big words like monosyllabic.

“Agoraphobics? We detest them. These fake head cases are enjoying a free pandemic as far as we’re concerned. Many of them — the ones with insurance — will be getting services and drugs on false pretenses. Trump hates cheats and frauds. We keyboard up immediately after the boss utters his disdain for agoraphobics.”

Gov. Burgum continued: “If someone is wearing a mask, they’re not doing it to represent what political party they’re in or what candidates they support. They might be doing it because they’ve got a 5-year-old child who’s been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have covid, and they’re fighting.”

So, “we’re all in this together?” That’s hippy talk. Our 260-pound Don doesn’t even believe in cooperating or colluding with allies.

“I’ll cough on who I want. It’s in the Constitution.”

And Burgum finished: “I would just love to see our state, as part of being North Dakota Smart, also be North Dakota Kind, North Dakota Empathetic.”

Smart, kind and empathetic? Those words clash with Trump’s pro-cruelty policies like polka dots and plaid, so don’t hold your breath.

Most North Dakotans are smart, kind and empathetic.

Those who enjoy the chaos, on the other hand, are convinced that Donald Trump has none of those qualities, and “knowing he doesn’t” makes the flock happy.

Of course, the zealots in Trump’s merry band of nitwits mimic the head chimp. No masks. Hydroxychloroquine. Scientists are ignorant and so forth.

Speaking of zealots — Bastiat Rick Becker, B-N.D., attempted to pull off a demonstration against the Burgum tyranny, as they did in Michigan, with long guns handy and snarling spittle spraying protesters, but the event in Bismarck didn’t draw enough “patriots” to form a decent-sized posse.

Most who believe a facemask is simply too much for them to bear have forgotten that it was Trump who called the national emergency in the first place and then decided the pandemic is no longer a big deal. The virus only evolved to ruin Trump’s fantasy “best economy in history” and to spike sales of bleach.

Burgum made a perfectly logical wish. Oddly, it’s the exact opposite of what the Trump campaign espouses. Two worlds are colliding.

Also, according to the Fargo Forum; Doug Burgum “has maintained throughout the pandemic that widespread available testing is the key to restoring normalcy to work and home life.”

Moreover, Burgum spoke many times in terms not allowed in the Trump camp, mainly about testing. Trump doesn’t like testing because he thinks finding people with COVID-19 makes him look bad.

He’s right, but testing is seriously needed for many non-Trump-centric reasons. Nobody should have their future shortened to satisfy the ego of a novelty president. Pandemic Trump failures — past, present and future — will be responsible for most of the spread and all of the economic collapse.

Below is a teeny sampling of the reaction to Burgum’s remarks exactly as they were written for public consumption, minus the quotation marks:

• “Burgam has his nose right next to Cramers.”
• “Doug Burgum is the worst thing to happen to North Dakota since Custer.”
• “For one, that mask doesn’t prevent nothing; two, it’s unhealthy to wear one for 12 hrs a day in the heat where your job consist of alot of exertion. And 3, it’s my choice if your scared to catch the made up pandemic stay home”
• “Bryan — please site a study that proves, beyond a doubt, that flimsy cotton homemade masks protect against the aerosol that spreads coronavirus. I’ll wait …”
• “Oh, that’s real science! You got me there, Bryan. Now try to listen to Dr. Michael Osterholm ( Google it) on wearing masks. He’s an actual expert on the subject. There is NO benefit to wearing masks, period. I don’t care if you do, feel free to do as you please. And I will do the same.”
• “Perhaps if Democrats would stop continually using this pandemic to push their leftist political agenda, this wouldn’t be an issue. Just a thought.”
• Sso what it boils down to is Trump is a 73-year-old man who’s been exposed multiple times and to top it off according to Pelosi, he’s out of shape and morbidly obese and yet while he’s dealing with people every day like whiny reporters while he and Pence wear no mask, he still hasn’t managed to get this deadly contagious virus? Sounds like a joke. You must have to try pretty hard to get it like licking toilet seats. Meanwhile people people in their 20s and 30s are hiding at home wanting handouts while this obese old man is out doing his job? How pathetic is this generation? He is the one leading by example.”
• “The new normal is stay home if you want to wear a mask! Bullshit if I wear a mask! And make myself sick nah I’m good!”

These people walk among us.