It’s always about freedom

You may remember the words of our Great and Benevolent Leader when he opined that getting vaccinated, or not, “…is not about freedom or personal choice. It’s about protecting yourself and those around you.” A lot of people agreed and continue to agree. Regardless of how I may or may not feel re: the various covid vaccines and whether I have or have not received one or more of them,* Biden and those who support(ed) his statement was wrong. Of course it’s about freedom.

Let’s begin with a quote I’ve shared more than once. William Pitt the Younger once said that “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” It’s important to note that, at least in this quote, Pitt didn’t address whether the necessity was real or whether the abridgement of freedom was reasonable. It was still about freedom. Government cannot mandate/order/require something without infringing on freedom. That is simply the nature of government, of government mandates and of laws. Freedom is always a casualty. Pretending otherwise is, at best, self-deceptive folly which hides the cost of what government forces one to do or to which it forces one to submit.

As soon, then, as there was a government mandate intending to force businesses with over 100 employees to pressure their employees, under threat of loss of their livelihood, to accept the vaccine or submit to testing, it became about freedom. Most of us recognize that the federal government lacks the constitutional authority to require the bulk of the population to be vaccinated. The mandate is an attempt to do indirectly and through the private sector what it lacks the authority to do on its own. Which leads us to this: “Since we (the federal government) lacks the authority to mandate x, we are going to force the private sector to mandate x with the understanding that if you do not submit, then you will suffer consequences y, also enforced by the private sector.” To put it another way, “We’re going to force the private sector to carry water for the infringement of your freedom for which we have no authority whatsoever.”

Look. Get the vaccine…or don’t. Either way, do it because it is what is right for you in your circumstances. Don’t do it because a bunch of authoritarians, busybodies and quislings, many wearing the guise of public servants, insist you must or else, or even because they promise a benefit they simply cannot guarantee.

Remember, those who so easily, so readily and seemingly so giddily bend the knee to the cry of “necessity” (whether to obey or not) will always belittle those who decline to do likewise. And don’t buy into the lie that it’s not about freedom.

It is always about freedom.

*I’m a registered nurse and a big believer in vaccines in general. That said, I assure you I haven’t shared enough information here for you to accurately determine whether I’ve received the covid vaccine or not. I intend to keep it that way.