Caller says not being vaccinated against Covid is "freedom"

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

In a discussion on my SiriusXM program about companies mandating that employees returning to offices be vaccinated against Covid-19 — which companies have a legal right and responsibility to do — Thomas from Texas called in.

I had underscored that federal, state an local governments — per a 1905 Supreme Court ruling regarding the smallpox pandemic — can make vaccinations mandatory for all citizens, subjecting them to fines if they refuse, something that the federal government currently is not doing with regard to coronavirus. But many private companies are making vaccinations mandatory for employees.

Thomas was concerned about the power of the “central government over the individual” and said you have to “hold to principles when it comes to freedom.”

He said we were “normalizing discrimination” against people who choose not to be vaccinated, and then went off on a tangent about children under 12 — who currently can’t be vaccinated anyway.

I brought the discussion back to public health and the “freedom” and “liberty” of the entire community to be protected from disease, and what they should expect and deserve from government. He then went in the direction of talking about the common cold, another ridiculous diversion.

I then asked him if he believes in seat belts and if he was wearing one, since he was driving. He really was stumped by this question — “I’m currently wearing a seat belt,” he said— as well as by my asking him if he was drinking while driving and why he shouldn’t be able to drive while drinking.

“That’s a good point,” Thomas said. But then he tried to say this was different because it’s about being able to"freely breath air,” which made no sense.

I had to just end it there because, well, he lost the supposed debate big time.

Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report. Most of it is free to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.