As you may know, Asheville is among the areas with the highest rates of unvaccinated children in the country.
I’m not anti-vaccine, really I’m not. That said, I swear this whole controversy around vaccines feels to me like the secular liberal equivalent of homosexuality for conservative Christians. Of all the things the Bible in general and Jesus in particular seem to focus on, they want to make a big deal about homosexuality.
Of all the science we have pointing to the catastrophic crises unfolding right now that threaten to undermine the very life-support systems of the planet — what secular liberals want to get all hot and bothered about is whether or not every child in America has been strictly following the CDC vaccination schedule.
Let me just point out that we know and have known for decades that we are creating a future for our children and grandchildren that will be unrecognizable to us: a world with toxic air, poisoned water, radically reduced species diversity, depleted soils and a climate that will make it impossible to grow enough food to feed 7 billion people (hell, we’re having a hard time doing it now).
And they’ll have to deal with all this amid whatever kind of chaotic and unstable economic and political situation results from a century of anti-democratic, anti-egalitarian efforts by the ruling class to stop, kill or imprison the people who are trying to build a better world. But by all means, really the most important thing is that you vaccinate little Johnny and Suzy for measles, because it would be a real drag to get measles when you are dealing with the unraveling of the biosphere and the collapse of human civilization.
— Matt Rawlings
Weaverville
Perhaps you should educate yourself on just how bad Measles can actually be:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles
And vaccinating is not just about protecting the child vaccinated, it’s also about protecting those too young to yet be vaccinated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD6qtc2_AQA
I completely agree with the letter writer about the dire situation this planet is facing. It is more serious than most people know, primarily due to the de facto death of real reporting in lieu of the kind of scripted fluff and meaningless internecine political bickering that today’s newsreaders spew out. The puzzling part, however, is the inplicit notion that a person is unable to be concerned and focused on more than one serious matter at a time. It is somewhat like the idea that in order to learn something new, one must make space for it by forgetting something else. Completely illogical.
Personally, I think that the anti-vaccination controversy, and the reemergence of eradicated diseases is proof that we can always count on human stupidity to save the day. We’ll kill ourselves off one way or another.
I agree with Dionysis. The writer’s argument is similar to saying that just because we can’t cure every occurrence of hunger in the world, we shouldn’t bother to feed one person.
I love how this letter is using other problems in the world as a justification for steps backwards.
I honestly am baffled by the anti vax crowd.
They claim its a choice and bring up (incorrect) accounts of vaccines causing autism without regard for anyone else their kids might infect. It’s not like the big bad gubment is forcing you at gunpoint to accept vaccines ala the Tuskegee Study (and I’m not usually the apologist for ‘The Man’ that way). And never mind that nobody has seen real death and misery in this country since the polio epidemics, and never mind that African mothers will heft a young’un 10 miles on foot to get a vaccine (a continent that does see death on a regular basis).
Would anyone as a parent in their right mind actually believe the following:
-your kids don’t need to wear seat belts in cars- remember it’s a choice and Big Brother forced seat belts upon us.
-your kids don’t need to wear helmets for bikes or skateboards either. It’s a choice. If they get hurt, walk it off.
-your kids don’t need to wash their hands after using the bathroom either. Only communists do that.
Seriously, parents, if vaxes are bad, try explaining to another parent whose child died after being infected with the measles from your child that it’s a choice. I’m sure they will understand.
! All I could think was should all the ills listed come to pass, why complicate the situation with polio, measles, mumps, diphtheria, and whooping cough?? Is it o.k. to get the tetanus vaccine? I’m baffled.
No matter how bad things get, it is worse if you have the measles.