Playing Defense in the Pandemic
By John E. Simms, Ph.D., Ed.D., CMA, CSCA
We have heard so many individuals arguing that they have a Constitutional Right not to wear a mask, and the argument has been presented as an issue of individual rights, states’ rights, and even declaring that the Covid-19 vaccine is a means of implanting computer chips into our bodies as a huge conspiracy by the government. In my mind, there are too many hugely flawed assumptions that go into that idea as to make it even remotely plausible.
First, individual rights have always been outweighed by public health concerns. Since antiquity, there have been laws that make it illegal to endanger others. A ship in a harbor had to abide by rules that were strictly enforced in Pireas (Athens), Ostia (Rome), and Alexandria (Egypt). Inciting a riot puts others in danger and is therefore punishable by incarceration. The right to drive your vehicle can be taken away if you endanger others by recklessness or do so under the influence of chemicals that impair judgment or reflexes.
Second, states are not allowed to pass laws that subvert federal law, endanger the population, or undermine their rights. We fought a truly horrendous war about those issues in the 1860s if you remember.
Third, the idea that the handling of the pandemic is somehow a complex government conspiracy is patently ridiculous. We vote people into office, and when they arrive in Washington, D.C. they can’t agree on the color of paper. The idea they could agree on an intricate plan to track citizens via implanted chips is not even vaguely realistic, in my opinion. Besides, the government doesn’t need to track us because Google, Apple, and Microsoft are already doing that through our smart phones, and we happily oblige by continuing to use their products.
In conclusion, allow me to remind you that Covid-19 is so dangerous because it is highly contagious before there are any symptoms.
A number of people have used the analogy of the Spanish Flu epidemic of a century ago. I think a more fitting analogy is that of smallpox. In the 20th century, it is estimated that up to 300 million people died from smallpox worldwide. Many countries made the vaccine mandatory (including the US) and as a result, it was officially declared eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1980.
YOU DON’T HAVE MY PERMISSION TO PUT MY LOVED ONES IN DANGER!
GROW UP AND GET VACCINATED!