This is Pastor Tim’s newspaper article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Oct 11.
I was going back through some of my old articles, and I reread the one from March 1. I wrote about the COVID Vaccine. I had just gotten the second dose of the vaccine myself and I was being optimistic that the end COVID was right around the corner. Soon, the vaccine would be available to everyone, and all of this would be over. I wrote that article 7 months ago. If you would have told me that over a half a year after the beginning of COVID, we would be talking about federal mandates for people to get the vaccine, I would not have believed it. If you would have told me that we would be approaching another winter with COVID even still an issue, I would not have believed it. Yet here we are.
For the record, the fact that I got my vaccine in February should give you a clue on my opinion of vaccines. I am also planning to get a flu shot this year just like I have every October for decades. I believe that unless you have a compelling reason not to get the vaccine, you should get it. I am very much pro-vaccination.
Having said that, I can’t think of anything more wrong than the government mandating this vaccine. It is your choice as to whether you get it. I know that many people have compared COVID to smallpox or measles, two diseases that we are required to get vaccines against. This is an apples and oranges comparison. If COVID was anywhere as close to as deadly to children as smallpox or measles, there would not need to be any mandate because everyone would be in line for the vaccine. Yes, COVID is deadly but in a very small number of cases. And I doubt the numbers on fatalities because if you will notice, no one dies of anything else anymore. We have apparently cured heart disease, the flu and pneumonia because people with these conditions are very susceptible to COVID.
We have had a flu season every year since shortly after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. Every year, hospitals are overrun with it. I know a few years back; the flu was so bad that St Rita’s Hospital had people on gurneys in hallways to keep up with the people who needed help. Even then, there was never any conversation of shutting down or mandating vaccines.
It is not the government’s job to take care of us. That is not what it was designed to do. It was designed to protect us and preserve our freedoms. I fully understand that we have to give up a few rights to live in a society, but mandating this vaccine feels wrong to me. What will the government mandate next? What I eat, because not only is being overweight a risk factor for COVID, but it is also a risk factor for a large variety of health problems. If the government has a right to protect me from getting a glorified cold, then doesn’t it also have to right to protect me from cardiovascular disease? What next? Protect me from bad drivers by putting so many safety features on cars that I can no longer afford to own one? Maybe they should stop selling me detergent to make sure I don’t mistake it for Kool-Aid? Where does this line get drawn between my personal responsibility and the government’s ability to do all my thinking for me?
My personal opinion is that vaccines are a good idea. My opinion also is that government has provided the vaccine for those who want it, and it is time for the government to no longer be a part of the conversation. Cloth masks do nothing and even M95 masks do nothing because your average person has not been trained on how to wear it. However, I fully support your choice to wear one if you want. I do not believe the Government needs to have an opinion either way on this issue.
I know it has been said many times, but our situation today is starting to look more and more like George Orwell’s 1984, which is the most terrifying book ever written. There may be compelling reason for the government to take control, but just remember that governments never willingly give back power. My fear is that what comes after COVID will continue to mandate government control and even bigger crackdowns for our safety.
Please take precautions and be safe, but also please continue living. There is more to life than avoiding COVID.
Nice article Pastor Tim!