a322x1n
2021-10-18 00:00:36 UTC
<https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/vaccine-resisters-are-a-real-pro
blem/ar-AAPD7Dd?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531>
<https://tinyurl.com/54rcuepd>
Vaccine 'resisters' are a real problem.
Albert Hunt, opinion contributor, 8 hrs ago.
As the country grapples to achieve sufficient vaccinations to produce a
large degree of immunity from the Delta virus and possibly even more
lethal versions, it's essential to call out the resisters, name the
names of those who are prolonging the COVID nightmare.
The good news: More than 56 percent of Americans have been fully
vaccinated; the Food and Drug Administration may soon give the okay for
children to be vaccinated; the number of cases and deaths are both
declining. The bad news: There still are nearly 100,000 cases and 1,500
deaths each day.
Under the claim of protecting personal liberties, opponents of effective
actions - starting with enabling politicians - are endangering others.
The states with the worst records - with few exceptions - are led by
right-wing governors, like Florida's Ron DeSantis.
No place is loonier than Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott issued an
executive order banning any private businesses or local governments or
schools from requiring vaccines; they'd face a $1,000 fine. Abbott also
opposes mask mandates. It's no surprise that Texas has a terrible record
on COVID.
Abbott may seem enlightened compared to his fellow Lone Star
reactionaries. The Texas Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, last year suggested
maybe the elderly - most vulnerable to the virus - should die so that
the economy could open up. Alan West, a former Republican Florida
congressman who wants to run against Abbott, sent anti-vaccine tweets
from his hospital bed while being treated for COVID.
Someone should tell them about the conservative gospel that government
should only rarely interfere with the private sector and that government
closest to the people is best.
Or look at Idaho, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the
country. With a surge in cases, intensive care units were full, and the
state had to turn to neighboring Washington state, which has one of the
highest vaccination rates.
When the Idaho governor was out of state for a couple days, the
right-wing Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin - you're not going to believe this
- issued an executive order prohibiting any schools or universities from
vaccine requirements or mandatory testing. (Fortunately, Republican Gov.
Brad Little rescinded it.)
In no small part due to Donald Trump's anti-science, anti-expert
screeds, Republicans dominate the anti-vaxxers.
"There has always been a fringe," notes Simon Haeder, a professor of
public policy at Penn State who tracks the vaccine controversies. "Now
it's the mainstream of the Republican party."
Two Republican senators - Kentucky's Rand Paul and Roger Marshall of
Kansas - both physicians, are critics. That's expected of Paul, who
embraces other far-out views. Marshall, an obstetrician and freshman
lawmaker, says it's good to be vaccinated but opposes mask mandates,
touts dubious drug treatments like hydroxychloroquine, and declared
natural immunity is at least as good as having had both vaccinations.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) complained about him spreading
"misinformation."
Just as there are quack lawyers, journalists and politicians, there are
a handful of anti-vaccine doctors. The respectable-sounding "American
Association of Physicians and Surgeons" warns against vaccines,
especially for children; for years every state has required
kindergarteners be vaccinated for mumps and other conditions. AAPS
opposes Medicare and Medicaid, and spins conspiracy theories: "It's a
hyper-conservative bunch of kooks with MDs," says Donald McNeil, a
leading science writer and former top medical reporter for the New York
Times.
But with social media, these outliers - the American Medical Association
reports more than 96 percent of doctors are vaccinated - have a
disproportionate impact on uninformed resisters.
National labor unions, starting with the AFL-CIO, have rightly embraced
the Biden administration's push for vaccine requirements to protect
their members. But a number of local unions - teachers, teamsters, and
some public employee unions even in places like affluent Montgomery
County - are fighting requirements. This is especially prevalent in
police unions. John Catanzara, head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of
Police, likened vaccination requirements to Nazism. "Cops," Professor
Haeder notes, "tend to be Republicans."
Unions have legitimate issues to raise, such as guaranteed paid sick
leave, if necessary, after vaccines. But protecting the health of
workers should not be a sticking point.
There are a number of Black Americans skeptical of vaccines for
historical reasons. That makes it especially incumbent on black role
models.
The National Basketball Players Association, usually one of the most
far-sighted unions, has dropped the ball; it won't let the NBA require
all players to be vaccinated. Especially disappointing is the silence of
LeBron James, an outspoken advocate for social justice.
He should listen to another advocate: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In a Rolling
Stone interview, the former all-time great declared: "There is no room
for players who are willing to risk the heath and lives of their
teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to
grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research." He
asks the vaccine deniers what would they do "if their child was sick."
That's the same question for companies, schools, restaurants, cops and
politicians. Lives are at stake.
Al Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously
served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for the Wall
Street Journal. For almost a quarter century he wrote a column on
politics for The Wall Street Journal, then The International New York
Times and Bloomberg View. He hosts Politics War Room with James
Carville. Follow him on Twitter @AlHuntDC.
blem/ar-AAPD7Dd?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531>
<https://tinyurl.com/54rcuepd>
Vaccine 'resisters' are a real problem.
Albert Hunt, opinion contributor, 8 hrs ago.
As the country grapples to achieve sufficient vaccinations to produce a
large degree of immunity from the Delta virus and possibly even more
lethal versions, it's essential to call out the resisters, name the
names of those who are prolonging the COVID nightmare.
The good news: More than 56 percent of Americans have been fully
vaccinated; the Food and Drug Administration may soon give the okay for
children to be vaccinated; the number of cases and deaths are both
declining. The bad news: There still are nearly 100,000 cases and 1,500
deaths each day.
Under the claim of protecting personal liberties, opponents of effective
actions - starting with enabling politicians - are endangering others.
The states with the worst records - with few exceptions - are led by
right-wing governors, like Florida's Ron DeSantis.
No place is loonier than Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott issued an
executive order banning any private businesses or local governments or
schools from requiring vaccines; they'd face a $1,000 fine. Abbott also
opposes mask mandates. It's no surprise that Texas has a terrible record
on COVID.
Abbott may seem enlightened compared to his fellow Lone Star
reactionaries. The Texas Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, last year suggested
maybe the elderly - most vulnerable to the virus - should die so that
the economy could open up. Alan West, a former Republican Florida
congressman who wants to run against Abbott, sent anti-vaccine tweets
from his hospital bed while being treated for COVID.
Someone should tell them about the conservative gospel that government
should only rarely interfere with the private sector and that government
closest to the people is best.
Or look at Idaho, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the
country. With a surge in cases, intensive care units were full, and the
state had to turn to neighboring Washington state, which has one of the
highest vaccination rates.
When the Idaho governor was out of state for a couple days, the
right-wing Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin - you're not going to believe this
- issued an executive order prohibiting any schools or universities from
vaccine requirements or mandatory testing. (Fortunately, Republican Gov.
Brad Little rescinded it.)
In no small part due to Donald Trump's anti-science, anti-expert
screeds, Republicans dominate the anti-vaxxers.
"There has always been a fringe," notes Simon Haeder, a professor of
public policy at Penn State who tracks the vaccine controversies. "Now
it's the mainstream of the Republican party."
Two Republican senators - Kentucky's Rand Paul and Roger Marshall of
Kansas - both physicians, are critics. That's expected of Paul, who
embraces other far-out views. Marshall, an obstetrician and freshman
lawmaker, says it's good to be vaccinated but opposes mask mandates,
touts dubious drug treatments like hydroxychloroquine, and declared
natural immunity is at least as good as having had both vaccinations.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) complained about him spreading
"misinformation."
Just as there are quack lawyers, journalists and politicians, there are
a handful of anti-vaccine doctors. The respectable-sounding "American
Association of Physicians and Surgeons" warns against vaccines,
especially for children; for years every state has required
kindergarteners be vaccinated for mumps and other conditions. AAPS
opposes Medicare and Medicaid, and spins conspiracy theories: "It's a
hyper-conservative bunch of kooks with MDs," says Donald McNeil, a
leading science writer and former top medical reporter for the New York
Times.
But with social media, these outliers - the American Medical Association
reports more than 96 percent of doctors are vaccinated - have a
disproportionate impact on uninformed resisters.
National labor unions, starting with the AFL-CIO, have rightly embraced
the Biden administration's push for vaccine requirements to protect
their members. But a number of local unions - teachers, teamsters, and
some public employee unions even in places like affluent Montgomery
County - are fighting requirements. This is especially prevalent in
police unions. John Catanzara, head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of
Police, likened vaccination requirements to Nazism. "Cops," Professor
Haeder notes, "tend to be Republicans."
Unions have legitimate issues to raise, such as guaranteed paid sick
leave, if necessary, after vaccines. But protecting the health of
workers should not be a sticking point.
There are a number of Black Americans skeptical of vaccines for
historical reasons. That makes it especially incumbent on black role
models.
The National Basketball Players Association, usually one of the most
far-sighted unions, has dropped the ball; it won't let the NBA require
all players to be vaccinated. Especially disappointing is the silence of
LeBron James, an outspoken advocate for social justice.
He should listen to another advocate: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In a Rolling
Stone interview, the former all-time great declared: "There is no room
for players who are willing to risk the heath and lives of their
teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to
grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research." He
asks the vaccine deniers what would they do "if their child was sick."
That's the same question for companies, schools, restaurants, cops and
politicians. Lives are at stake.
Al Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously
served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for the Wall
Street Journal. For almost a quarter century he wrote a column on
politics for The Wall Street Journal, then The International New York
Times and Bloomberg View. He hosts Politics War Room with James
Carville. Follow him on Twitter @AlHuntDC.
