Two times in the past two weeks, the Valley News has published opinion columns speaking out against the so-called “vaccine mandates” proposed by President Joe Biden as a means of combating COVID-19 (“President Biden’s vaccine mandate is government tyranny,” Sept. 24, and “Biden’s vaccine mandate is unconstitutional,” Sept. 14). I would appreciate it if those column writers could at least get their facts straight.
While part of President Biden’s proposal is indeed a mandate, it is in his administration’s appropriate role as the boss of the federal government and the commander in chief of the armed forces. There is little controversy about workplace rules imposed by an employer — any employer. After all, many of us submit to drug testing and also refrain from consuming alcohol on the job in order to keep our jobs. I suspect most are happy for the increased public safety such rules provide. As just one example, who wants stoned or drunken truckers careening down the nation’s highways in big rigs?
The controversy about President Biden’s “mandate” seems to be focused on a part of his announcement that is not a mandate at all — the part where he proposes to use the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s role in regulating workplace safety for employers of 100 or more people. Here his proposal was not a mandate, but rather an option: Either get vaccinated or get tested regularly.
The testing option makes the proposal not a mandate, and means it differs little from things like drug testing that we have all come to accept.
So, there is no government tyranny here, as other writers have contended. Rather, there is merely an effort by the current administration to get us all past the virulent phase of COVID-19 so that we can do what many folks long to do: get back to normal (safely).
MARK KIRK
Unity
Tyranny is defined as a government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. A mandate is an authoritative command or instruction. A law is a rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement or authority. Daniel T. Worts III’s commentary (“President Biden’s vaccine mandate is government tyranny,” Sept. 24) is specious and does not seem to reflect an understanding of tyranny.
Tyrants rule by fiat. A few examples: Caligula, Hitler, Stalin, Kim Jong-Un. The list goes on.
Mandates are issued by government officials. Laws are written by representatives and interpreted by the courts. Mandates expire once a particular crisis is over. The draft during World War II was a very necessary mandate. It did not lead to tyranny. Laws can be repealed by government bodies (remember “blue laws”?). In a Democracy, mandates and laws are created for the good of the people. A vaccination mandate would not be about “power.” It would exist to save lives — as most parents realize when it comes to childhood inoculations, of which there are many.
Nearly 700,000 American lives have been lost due to COVID-19, many of which could have been saved by vaccination. We don’t need more deaths. Community immunity could diminish new cases of COVID-19. The U.S. will not reach community immunity if the rate of vaccinations does not rise. The vast majority of COVID-19 deaths now occur among the unvaccinated.
We still have “checks and balances” in our government. The system works. We recently dismissed a somewhat unbalanced leader. (Dare we call him a tyrant?) Fear not. We will remain a democracy. Let us not take the rantings of Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin too seriously. The sky is not falling. Be well.
BOB CATTABRIGA
West Lebanon
In his Sept. 24 opinion column, Daniel T. Worts III argues that “President Biden’s vaccine mandate is government tyranny.” I wholeheartedly agree. The president now insists that we all wear masks and either get vaccinated or be regularly tested. Outrageous! Since this country is already overpopulated, why can’t we all be free to infect and kill each other as well as ourselves?
Actually, our would-be “land of the free” has never been anything more than a dog pound of the tyrannized.
At red lights we have to stop, sometimes for at least 90 seconds, or risk getting ticketed. What a bore! We can be fined for speeding, and we can lose our license if we’re caught driving drunk. We might even be sent to jail if our car hits someone. Incredible!
And what about gun laws? Since 2018, Vermont has mandated that gun buyers be at least 21 years old and submit to a background check. More tyranny! More roadblocks to freedom! Why can’t Vermonters of any age buy all the guns they want without anyone snooping on them? And for that matter, why can’t they shoot anyone they don’t like and thus reduce our surplus population?
If it is true that “we need to realize that COVID-19 is an endemic disease that we are all going to have to live with,” then we likewise must all learn to live with reckless drivers, drunken drivers and wild shooters — even if some of us have to die along the way.
COVID-19 has now killed almost 700,000 Americans. So what? It’s the price we pay — and proudly pay — for freedom from the tyranny of vaccines and masks. No human life is worth a millionth of that freedom. Even if the death toll tops a million, we’ll still be shouting, “Live Free and Die!”
JAMES HEFFERNAN
Hanover
When the novel coronavirus virus hit us, I believe that Democrats — in their hatred of President Donald Trump and willingness to take down the country and its economy in order to attack him — chose to make the virus a purely political matter, rather than a health issue. As a result of that, the entire issue remains one of politics, not medicine.
In my view, masks serve only to make a political statement: “I am a trembling liberal and I am eager to take orders from the government.” In addition, just look at the people wearing masks — they are constantly pawing and adjusting them. So any viruses that might have been caught by the mask are now on their fingers and spreading through everything they touch.
I, and many others, refused to wear a mask when New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu ordered it. We certainly won’t wear one now. We also will never get the vaccination. If the liberals don’t like it, they should have thought of that when they made the virus an issue of politics and hysteria, not science and medicine.
You can either succumb to the propaganda or you can stand and think for yourself.
BRIAN MEYETTE
Cornish
Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those who are not fully vaccinated wear masks in indoor public places, in crowded outdoor settings in areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, and for activities involving close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated. For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html.
The New Hampshire Special Committee on Redistricting is holding a Grafton County listening session on Tuesday, at 6 p.m., at Grafton County Superior Court, 3785 Dartmouth College Highway, Haverhill.
While I applaud the committee for holding these hearings around the state, it is has also preventing me from attending.
If you read the New Hampshire Bulletin article in Thursday’s Valley News (“Hearing to tackle redistricting”) you may have noticed that the committee did not include a requirement for masking or any other COVID-19 prevention details. But it is not providing an alternative either, such as remote access for people to watch this once-a-decade process.
When considering how to create a fair redistricting map, I would like to see the members of this committee consider preserving the cohesiveness of our communities, such as shared high school administrative units, emergency medical services, fire, water, sewer and sanitation, as well as census population.
It is obvious to me that the committee would prefer that no one show up.
SHARON RACUSIN
Hanover
Editor’s note: Testimony on the redistricting process may be submitted remotely by going to http://gencourt.state.nh.us/remotecommittee/redistricting/.