February 09, 2015
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Much of the fear about vaccine skeptics is misplaced. Cynics on the right are not all backwoods “stick it to the gov”mint!” fundies; some simply abide by Aristotle’s view that “all law is universal but about some things it is not possible to make a universal statement which shall be correct.” Vaccines are unquestionably good for the vast majority of people. But in certain cases, allergic reactions are possible. This is why many states allow exemptions for particular circumstances. The U.S. government even has its own vaccine injury compensation program. So how is questioning imperfect medicine a loony thought?
The answer is, there is nothing crazy about it. The hypothesis that vaccines lead to autism has been thoroughly debunked. And few skeptics base their claims on it anymore. That doesn”t stop the calumny, though. Liberals are so wed to science-inspired government control, they would rather treat their opponents like fatuous barnyard animals than accept the truth. That includes smearing anyone, like Paul, who questions their militant ideology.
For all the talk of America being the land of liberty and individualism, that spirit quickly vanishes in the face of a manufactured crisis. The slight threat of measles”a disease that’s fatal to .2% of the population”has caused hysteria over a national mandate. Conservatives are giving in to fear, attempting to trump the Democrats in the totalitarian game. The U.S. as a country is too spread out for a federal vaccine mandate to be feasible. But that won”t quiet the hot-headed politicians and sniveling pundits who want to control every aspect of our lives.
“¨The vaccine mania will soon fade from the pages of the press, only to be replaced with the latest and greatest threat to our prosperity. Whether it’s ISIS immolations, the release of Gitmo prisoners, or Ukrainian civil war, danger awaits us everywhere, according to the paranoid type-A personalities in Washington. Anything to take away the tiny fraction of liberty left in a nation that increasingly looks to government for safety.
