Politicians love force.
The idea of leaving us alone to make our own decisions goes against their nature.
To be sure, civilized society sometimes needs government force: police to punish killers, soldiers to protect us from foreign invaders, environmental police to stop my smoke from flowing to your lungs …
But the political class always goes too far.
Now some want medical police to force everyone to get vaccinated. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.
“It has!” you say. “I have to get vaccinated to keep my job, for my kids to attend school, to go to the movies, a restaurant, etc.”
That’s force, absolutely. But it’s not mandatory. There’s an out — we don’t have to work for the government, eat indoors or go to a movie theater. We can home-school our kids. We still have choice.
So far, politicians haven’t sent police into homes to force everyone to get vaccinated.
They did do that once.
In Philadelphia 30 years ago, a measles outbreak sickened 1,400 people, mostly children, and killed nine. The outbreak spread because leaders of two fundamentalist churches told congregants to refuse the vaccine; God would do the healing.
Philadelphia’s health department got a court order that compelled parents to allow their kids to be vaccinated.
Remarkably, “They complied with the law,” says vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit in my new video. “They were law-abiding.” The Philadelphia parents didn’t fight the order. That ended the epidemic.
But I doubt that vaccine-resistant Americans would be similarly compliant today. Now there’s an anti-vaccine movement. I’m surprised by the outpouring of hatred for Offit on my YouTube and Facebook channels that follows my video.
Some of it is nonsense from ignorant anti-vaxxers. But I respect commenters expressing versions of the chant, “My body, my choice!”
That slogan makes a good point.
We are not really free if we don’t own our own bodies. (It’s another reason to oppose the Drug War.) Individuals should get to decide what’s put in our own bodies.
But a deadly pandemic is a special case.
COVID-19 continues to kill, partly because some people refuse the vaccine. “This virus has a great many friends,” complains Offit. “Science denialists, conspiracy theorists, political pundits. It’s hard to watch.”
“People have reason to be suspicious!” I say. “The government has experimented on people and lied to people.”
(Officials once promised Black syphilis patients treatment but gave them empty pills. The CIA sneaked LSD into people’s drinks. More recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans don’t need to wear masks, and then he said we should wear masks.)
“I’m not saying that the government hasn’t done things that make one trust them less,” Offit responds. “Or that the CDC hasn’t made statements that were incorrect, (but) such is the nature of science. You do learn as you go.”
What we have learned now is that the vaccine does dramatically reduce hospitalization and death, and we’d all be better off if more people took it.
Vaccine skeptics point to media reports of “breakthrough” cases, vaccinated people who get COVID-19 anyway. Offit’s reply? “I’m on CNN and MSNBC a lot … I think they want to scare people.”
They do. It raises ratings, and it makes reporters feel important.
But Offit points out that even after delta, “99.5% of people killed by this virus are unvaccinated! Ninety-seven percent of those hospitalized are unvaccinated! No vaccine works 100%.”
Today’s COVID-19 vaccines have now been tested on millions of people. It’s clear that they are very safe and that they save lives.
It’s why Offit would mandate vaccinations.
That’s where we disagree.
I consider vaccine refusers foolish and selfish. I got vaccinated, and I wish you would.
But government should never force a treatment on people. That’s tyranny.
That said, I shouldn’t say “never.”
If you are proven a direct threat to others — if your behavior kills — then the safety police do have a right to step in to stop you from hurting others.
Short of that, politicians should never force us to put anything into our own bodies.
Photo by FRANK MERIÑO from Pexels
John,
I’d love to hear more about acquired immunity. The media fails to distinguish between vaccinated, non-vaccinated and acquired immunity individuals. From what I’ve read from Yale, Johns Hopkins and other medical resources, there’s really no measurable evidence suggesting vaccines are superior to acquired immunity. In fact, the vaccine manufacturer’s note the efficacy as preventing symptomatic infection in people with “no evidence of previous COVID-19 infection”. Why are those with acquired immunity not considered equal to vaccinated people???
John,
I think you might be missing a couple fine points here. A blanket everyone should get vaccinated for this, misses the rest of the science as we currently understand it and falls prey to the oversimplification that tyrants love. For example, natural immunity at this point seems to provide better protection than any of the vaccines. Not saying go intentionally get sick like some people did with chicken pox, but why get a vaccine if you already have natural immunity that appears to be better. While the risks seem to be very low for the various vaccines, they are not 0 and it should be up to the doctor and individual to be able to weigh the risk to benefit. Statistically children for example have very low risk of SARS-CoV-2 as compared to the flu. Doesn’t mean they can’t spread it, but the vaccines don’t seem to be doing much for that either. For some of those that think if everyone would just get vaccinated it would go away are likely very mistaken. This is a bad mutation of one of the viruses that causes what we think of as a cold. That and the flu has historically mutated so fast that we’ve never been able to totally irradiate them. It would be great if someone found a vaccine that did that but we don’t seem to have it yet. Bottom line is someone else not getting vaccinated really appears to only be putting themselves at risk and not you or anyone else, so let them make what is hopefully an informed decision along with their trusted doctor or other expert. BTW my wife and I chose to get vaccinated like we do the flu every year, but we made such an informed decision for ourselves.
I’ve been reading your books and watching your shows since I was a teen. I’m 37 and have always been a Stossel fan.
However, I’m a little disappointed. Saying you “consider vaccine-refusers selfish and foolish” is kinda silly. The vaccinated can still transmit the virus to others. What the vaccine does is just reduce the symptoms and the possibility of death in the individual who gets it.
So if you’re really a selfless person, wouldn’t you want to experience the symptoms in order to know when to stay home and not infect others? You, a vaccinated person, could potentially get infected and not know it, then go to an event surrounded by others… who you then unknowingly infect. (Both vaccinated and unvaccinated.)
So this is the question I’m surprised you’re not asking: If the vaccine allows you to carry it, transmit it, and not even know it, then doesn’t that make the vaccinated the new super-spreaders?
Well, wouldn’t you say that if a person refuses to get vaccinated, they are putting others at risk?
But Matt, the vaccinated are spreading the virus as fast as the unvaccinated, and yes, according to the authorized medical experts, more unvaccinated are being hospitalized & dying from it. If you still become infected & you still can spread it vaccinated, then how will vaccinating 90% of population stop it?
It won’t “stop it” but it will help by reducing the hospitalization and death (especially in compromised individuals) in that 90%.
I’m disappointed. What other pandemic have you seen physicians practitioners unable to practice? Ivermectin is a highly efficacious treatment. Hydro Clore Quinn with zinc and antibiotics is a very effective treatment. Yet health systems/hospitals are restricting their use. You can find a plethora of success in other countries, why is it being restricted here? Why are you not investigating it and exposing it? Studies that use 10 times the dosage in order to claim failure Are everywhere, why don’t you expose those?
Ivermectin is an anti-parasite drug, not anti-virus. Covid-19 is a virus. The FDA doesn’t recommend using Ivermectin for Covid-19. Especially the kind formulated for animals.
Hydroxychloroquine (sometimes known as “Hydro Clore Quinn”) is used for malaria. Malaria is a parasite, not a virus. Covid-19 is a virus. Hydroxychloroquine has been tested and found to be ineffective against Covid-19. The FDA doesn’t recommend using hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19.
Antibiotics are used for bacterial infections, not viruses. Covid-19 is a virus. The FDA doesn’t recommend using antibiotics for Covid-19.
Jeff: yet according to many who tried/prescribed it, it works very well against COVID too. And there are studies supporting it. This would NOT be first off-label use of a drug in history.
The unvaccinated are killing people. Not on purpose of course but none the less because of their refusal to get the vaccine. Hospitals are over flowing with covid patients are dying because for lack of service. I’m free to go through an intersection without stopping at a stop sign and I might kill someone. That wasn’t my intention but I am a murderer. I’ll stop there.
i have 3 hospitals near me not a single one is overflowing or even close to capacity. I am unvaccinated( allergic to vaccines) and have not killed any one and i believe i had covid prior to the “pandemic”. also how is it murder if there was no intent to kill, if that was the case then everyone should be incarcerated for getting sick. i think you need to do some more research and learning on what vaccines actually do, look at your local hospitals capacity status and stop listening to the news there pawns.
What if one replaced “COVID” with “flu” in this column? The flu also causes deaths, yet no one mandates anything in regard to the flu. Am I missing something?
Yes, Covid-19 killed a lot more people than the flu. That’s the difference.
Can you give us some numbers?
There are documented examples of many people who died “with” COVID rather than of it. Plus, the test to diagnose COVID, I’ve been told, cannot distinguish between the Flu and COVID. Consequently, the reported number of COVID “deaths” is not a reliable number. And, in any case, if we’re talking about the number of deaths, are you saying that there’s an “acceptable” number of deaths for either disease here? Flu deaths are “OK”, but COVID “deaths” are not? Both diseases cause deaths in people with comorbidities, yet there is near hysteria about getting COVID vaccinations, and not Flu vaccinations. And, yes, I get both vaccinations.
And yet, tens of thousands of people are consistently killed by vehicle accidents. In addition, millions are injured. However you don’t see us banning cars, that would be rediculous; we know the risks of driving and tolerate it so that we may continue our way of living. Historically, our government, and others, has proven that we cannot trust them to not violate our basic rights in the face of tragedies. The biggest example being tragic day of 9/11. As Mr. Stossel has previously made videos about, the government went far above and beyond what was necessary or legal in the name of protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entities (although, during Snowden’s interview with Stossel, he has proven that such actions did not actually affect public safety or stop terrorist events).
The big takeaway from this is that we know and have seen we can’t trust the government with authoritarian policies.
Since everyone is so gung-ho on getting their shots, I’ll assume you all get your yearly flu shots…Right??
Every year on average:
The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, annual influenza epidemics result in about 3-5 million cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths.
And that’s AFTER we all get the yearly shots..RIGHT???
How can I make an informed decision when I have been lied to over and over again? Why has it become almost impossible to get a test for antibodies? Why does one doctor tell my wife to avoid the vaccine shot and another avoids the subject completely? Why is the data skewed always in favor of one political position? (Notice that the % of people that are infected is not divided between “from” & “with” as if there is no difference) A mandatory shot could easily kill me if past medical history holds true. Why do I not have access to hydrozexiclorequin, a know, safe, drug that has a 50 year history of success
Why do you infer that government is in control of employers requiring vaccine of workers to keep jobs. This is NOT a true statement. In America employers set requirements for employment, not the government. Please do not make false statements to stir the pot just to keep your name in the news. Thank you.
People must be allowed to make choices….it is what freedom is. Many of the choices we make have consequences. As a person who has been fully vaccinated I do not understand why those who choose to avoid this vaccine for ideological reasons do so, but I respect their right to make this choice. I also do not understand why these same people do not understand why I (and the vast majority) do not want to be in their presence. Their choice has consequences….
Many of the facts you state above are dis-proven by other doctors and scientist. We have another strain coming out, this will never end. We will soon be like Australia if we don’t become more like many European countries and stand up against the tyranny. How about getting help for our service members who don’t want the jab. Their choices are the jab, and possible horrible side effects, or a DISHONORABLE discharge which is life destroying. They protect freedom, but don’t have any. Sad
FACT: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines utilize a radical and relatively new operational technology (mRNA) which has never before been widely disseminated to humans.
FACT: The current crop of vaccines have not undergone long-term safety and efficacy testing (5-10 years).
FACT: Both Pfizer and Moderna terminated their Trial Control groups receiving a placebo, making it impossible to scientifically compare outcomes between Agent and Placebo communities.
FACT: The vaccines do NOT confer protection against infection and transmission of the virus and the majority of current hospital patients in highly immunized countries like Israel are VACCINATED.
The vaccines are either effective or not at preventing serious illness associated with the virus. If they are effective, the vaccinated have nothing to fear from the unvaccinated and Mandates are an unreasonable and oppressive government tactic. If they are NOT effective, Mandates are an unreasonable and oppressive government tactic. FULL STOP.
you are right on!!! But I guess it is very difficult to convey these points to “deaf ears” or “blind eyes”. I am responsible for my health and I will decide what to do with it. Do we not do that? eating, sleeping, exercising, gathering, and so forth. The difference will depend on us, quality of those activities.
How are you NOT questioning the push to “save” people from something that doesn’t pose a threat to the vast majority of the populace? They are threatening our very livelihood.
Yes, this virus is new and Yes it is scary, but it has been weathered by millions now and their natural immunity works far better than the attempts of scientists to alter our internal nervous system. The insistence that every human subject themselves to this shot is very strange.
the fact of the matter, it is our decison as an adult whether or not accept a procedure or any medical treatment and John, I do not call you selfish and foolish for your decision you made. It is your decision and I am glad this far you do not have any side effects which I am more terrify than this illness or others. I had two terrible illness in the past I made it obviously worst than this one. My inmune system was the main “help” on both cases since there is no vaccine or magic pill for them. Our health is our responsibality nobody else.