THE NON VACCINATED ARE IMPOSING ON MY FREEDOM

Those of us who have taken the trouble to be vaccinated and have and still wear masks when appropriate are starting to get a little perturbed by those who dismiss our concerns.  One of their arguments is that the rest of us do not have the right to infringe their "freedom."  BULLSHIT!

Freedom is an abstract concept that we all like to talk about and to be honest are always trying to increase by getting more money, getting more fit and by being smarter.  That should tell you that you don't already have unlimited freedom.  There are the physical limitations of your body (strength, gender, health, etc) and of your circumstances (housing, air, transportation networks, access to electricity, wealth, and yes, education).  On top of that society (that we have a small say in) has imposed lots of restrictions supposedly for our own protection.  When someone has been injured, say by a drunk driver, society sets up laws that limit your alcohol intake to a percentage before you start driving and we have programs to test this as we aren't at all convinced every driver would avoid going over their alcohol limit.  There are literally millions of legal restrictions on what we are allowed to do.   Some earlier thoughts on regulations:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/10/regulation-how-we-protect-ourselves.html

There is a another restriction we place on ourselves.  We are intimidated by society.  The sight of a gun makes one aware not to offend.  The law threatens with fines, public notice of our crimes and ultimately jail.  Beyond this most of us (including you) dislike ridicule which can range from a disapproving society to a family member.  Some of us have worked ourselves into a corner where we need to prove how tough we are or loyalty to someone.  There is suspicion that many of those refusing to comply with Covid-19 protocols are too proud to admit they are wrong.

I am doubly vaccinated, wear a mask when appropriate, try to keep my 2 meter distance and even wash my hands more often.  I am not so worried that I might suffer the Covid 19 disease, but realistically I have two sets of concerns.  First, we were told that not 100% of those vaccinated are actually immune and we are hearing about some vaccinated individuals who have tested positive, but with very few of them actually dying.  We are also are wondering about why we might need a booster--is it because the first two doses might not last more than a few months?

Second it appears some of the vaccinated might pass on the disease, especially to the more vulnerable such as children under 12 or those with compromising conditions.  That bothers me and should bother you.  Aside from those close to us what kind of society would we be left with as all sorts of people die or suffer serious consequences?

Complicating the matter the Covid-19 has developed new variants such as Delta that is not particularly threatening, except it is more contagious.   There are other variations and the longer the pandemic lasts there are certain to be other variants that require a different set of protocols with greater restrictions on our behavior that will surely impinge on our freedom.

In the meantime the situation has become so bad that medical resources are reaching and in some areas passed their limits.   If you have a heart attack or stroke or an accident you may have to wait in line, a line that creeps along as someone dies.

You can be part of the solution to this nightmare one way or another.  One way you can edge us closer to herd immunity by adhering to the established protocols including vaccinations.  Or you can edge us towards herd immunity by dying.  If enough people die the rest of us will be safe from this particular calamity.  

We in Canada have an election coming up.  I will not be voting for anyone who advocates banning mask mandates or is against vaccination passports.  I will not support businesses that do not take Covid-19 seriously.  It used to be said that your freedom ends at my nose, but today it should be recognized that if an un-vaccinated person not wearing a mask wants to intrude within two meters of my nose that freedom needs to be restricted at least as much as a person drinking over the limit.

Some of you may not have much of a choice.  Masks may be medically inadvisable and vaccination might be unsafe.  There are few alternatives--shields are said to be effective and two meter rule seems to be working.