To the Editor:

I’m thankful that Governor Hochul, like President Biden, is instituting COVID-19 vaccine mandates wherever possible. Ultimately, the more Americans who get vaccinated, the fewer who will die. Sure, a fringe minority may whine, because emotionally they are petulant children who don’t like being told what to do, but most will suck it up and get a safe and free shot rather than lose their jobs. Our new governor rightly understands that public policy should not cater to the delusional whims of those who get their misinformation from charlatans that regularly appear on Tucker Carlson’s nightly White Power Hour. Which airs on FOX News, a company with the very vaccine mandates its newscasters pretend to oppose.

There’s no such thing as the freedom to spread an infectious disease in a congregate work setting, just like there’s no freedom to smoke in public indoor places or walk into a store with no shoes, no shirt, and presumably no pants. Very few of the 70 million or so adult holdouts actually believe the two EUA approved vaccines and the one FDA fully approved vaccine are dangerous. Like the over bloated orange creamsicle many of them voted for, they’ve constantly downplayed the severity of the deadliest pandemic in American history, and if they took a vaccine that not only would protect their own lives, but also speed up the end of the pandemic, it would be a tacit admission that, yes, the pandemic is real, and, no, it wasn’t some plot to end the presidency of their cult leader who himself got vaccinated after recovering from the virus.

Deep down, they know that prolonging the pandemic will slow economic recovery and hurt Biden. In the hopes of a restored Trump presidency, they are willing to risk their own lives, and for some essential workers, their jobs and livelihood rather than getting a safe and free shot.

I’ve noticed that Trump flags are quickly replacing Confederate flags as the angry white man icon of choice. Which makes sense, because both are ways to show your support for racists who hold power for four years before losing. Poor whites who owned no slaves fought and died for their wealthy plantation neighbors, and anti-vaccine Trumpers risk dying of COVID even though they need to be alive to vote for Trump again in 2024. Like their Confederate forebears, anti-vaccine Trumpers are willing to die for white supremacy.

Sean Pidgeon
Morristown