It’s no surprise that some of Florida’s leading politicians are opposed to mandatory vaccines for COVID.
But it might surprise you to learn that some of them are now questioning other vaccine mandates that have been around for decades — to combat diseases like polio, measles and the mumps.
Why might that surprise you? Because it’s no longer the 18th century. And most people even barely familiar with modern medicine know that vaccines have all but wiped out all sorts of crippling diseases.
But that didn’t stop Republican Sen. Manny Diaz — one of the Florida Legislature’s leaders on both education and health issues — from saying last week that he wanted to ‘review’ existing vaccine mandates for Florida students.
That’s according to Florida Politics, which reported last week that: “Diaz said it might be time to ‘review’ those mandates, in place for such illnesses as mumps and measles.”
Yeah, why not let the mumps and measles back into our classrooms?
After all, we’re all about “choice” and “freedom” here in Florida. And if parents choose to bring the mumps — a painful condition that can lead to inflamed testes, breasts and brains — back into our classrooms, why should big government stop them?
Heck, while we’re at it, let’s bring back polio and the iron lung wards, too.
Sure, we managed to essentially eradicate the crippling and deadly disease thanks to vaccination efforts — and school mandates — that have been in place for half a century. But now we’re all about some warped definition of “freedom.”
And if you want the freedom to give your child the chance of contracting a virus that could paralyze him — and potentially infect and paralyze another child who can’t take the polio vaccine because of allergic reactions — then God bless the USA.
One day after Florida Politics published Diaz’s vaccine-review proposal — and he received a torrent of criticism — the South Florida senator quickly retreated, telling the website: “I in no way, shape, or form intend to change the existing vaccination statutes for Florida schoolchildren.”
Wait, what? I guess nobody dislikes Manny Diaz’s idea more than Manny Diaz.
It’s hard to know which of Diaz’s words to take seriously. (He didn’t respond to my questions seeking clarification.)
But I don’t believe for one minute that these guys are done. It’s the natural conclusion to their culture wars against modern medicine and medical experts as Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislators mock face masks and try to prevent both public and private entities from protecting their employees, their customers and the public at large.
After all, Diaz claimed he was particularly concerned about the COVID vaccine because of potential side effects, saying: “I think there’s a distinction when you have something that is proven to work and doesn’t have any side effects.”
Newsflash for the senator: Virtually all of the world’s existing vaccines — and most modern medicines — have potential side effects.
For polio vaccines, they range from drowsiness to seizures. For the chickenpox, there can be fever and joint stiffness.
Heck, if you want to really work yourself into a tizzy, jump on over to WebMD and check out the possible (but rare) side effects for something as simple as aspirin … anemia, kidney inflammation and bleeding inside your skull.
Maybe some of you should start organizing protests against Bayer.
The reality, of course, is that such reactions are extremely rare, which is why virtually the entire medical community still supports these long-endorsed vaccines.
Yet somehow in 2021 we have reached the bizarre place where some people don’t want to listen to medical experts when it comes to medicine.
Clogged pipes? Call a plumber. Stalled car engine? Rely on a mechanic. But when it comes to a deadly virus, some people would rather listen to gasbag politicians or Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend.
I’m convinced that if Twitter and Facebook had been around when the polio vaccine was invented, we’d still be dealing with polio.
Jonas Salk would’ve said: Hey guys, I’ve finally figured out how we can stop this disease that paralyzes people.
And some would’ve tweeted back: OK, BUT DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM!!
“Freedom” was actually one of the explanations that Diaz — whom Florida Politics described as the unvaccinated chairman of the senate’s health policy committee — gave for opposing COVID vaccine mandates.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your freedom to swing your fist ends at my nose. And if your definition of freedom means you think you have the right to infect others with a potentially deadly disease, you have a warped view of freedom — one our Founding Fathers wouldn’t recognize.
Take it from George Washington who ordered smallpox inoculations for his troops back in 1777 when the disease was ravaging American forces.
Sure, Washington knew there might be objections and even side effects, writing: “This Expedient may be attended with some inconveniences and some disadvantages, but yet I trust in its consequences will have the most happy effects.”
And guess what? You don’t run into many cases of smallpox anymore.
But apparently the logic and settled science of revolutionary America in 1777 still manages to elude some of those leading Florida in 2021.
