OPINION/LETTER: Mandates are not about freedom of choice
Mandates are not about freedom of choice
I am always impressed by the arguments against vaccine mandates. Not by the arguments, but by how it has been framed. It appears that mandates have something to do with freedom or specifically freedom of choice. No. They don’t.
To start with, mandates are nothing new. Let me quote from the Alabama public school district: “Children entering kindergarten need boosters of DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis), Polio, MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) and Varicella. These shots complete the childhood series for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella.” These shots are required by Code of Alabama 1975, 016-30-4. This looks like a mandate to me.
Despite the mandate to inoculate children. COVID-19 mandates are now some sort of restrictions on our freedom. I might point out that all laws restrict freedom.
The Capitol Police tried to keep out the Jan. 6 protestors, because they were violating the law restricting access to the Capitol. Yes, the protestors’ freedom to do anything they wanted was restricted, but by the law-abiding agency they, in theory, support.
By living in a civilized society, we all make concessions. Our freedoms are all restricted by the laws that our elected representatives or our courts enact.
This is especially true of our uniformed services and health care workers. At present all members of the military have entered voluntarily. They have agreed “to defend the Constitution” and obey the orders of “the officers appointed over me” If there is a mandate for COVID-19 vaccination, I believe that qualifies as an order. If you don’t want to follow orders, you have the freedom not to enlist.
I am immune compromised. I do not want one of my wonderful health care workers to give me a disease, which could result in my extinction. There are a few who claim to be good nurses, yet don’t want the shot. Fine, you are free to leave. I do not feel that you are a competent health care professional if you put the patient’s life in danger.
Nevertheless, the argument has been reduced to following a law about a vaccination equals no freedom. Black and white. Simple, but nothing is.
If you really cherish your freedom, there are certainly vast swaths of wilderness in this great country where you can do so. If you want to live in Newport, I suggest you get vaccinated and refrain from urinating in public. But it might be a hard sell. As Mark Twain said, "It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled."
William Gamble, Newport
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: LETTER: Mandates are not about freedom of choice
