Over on his Facebook page yesterday, former/two-term Lt. Governor Bill Bolling – a conservative Republican, albeit not of the Trumpist variety – posted a very simple and obvious message, one that should be 100% non-controversial in a sane world:
There is no good reason to not be vaccinated. Vaccines are safe and effective. Do your part, get the shot! The life it saves might be your own, or someone you love.
And while your at it, wear a mask in public places, especially around larger crowds. It will also help protect you and those around you.
Except, sadly, we don’t live in a sane world. Instead, we live in a world where Trump cultists, Republican governors, Republican members of Congress, Fox “News” hosts, and millions of denizens of the right-wing echo chamber don’t appear to live in a world governed by fact, science, empiricism, reality, etc.
Case in point? Check out the following (unhinged, false) responses to Bolling’s commonsense, no-brainer message about getting the vaccines and wearing masks in public places. Nuts, eh? Note that Bolling doesn’t really respond to or engage with these people, other than to say: “That is absolutely not the case,” “Don’t be a goofball” and “There you go again…” That’s probably a wise move on Bolling’s part, as these people aren’t going to listen to him (again, a conservative Republican who served two terms as Virginia’s Lt. Governor), or anyone else for that matter who encourages them to do what public health experts almost unanimously recommend to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and to protect people’s lives.
- “It doesn’t stop me from getting it… it doesn’t stop me from spreading it… there are thousands upon thousands of cases with negative side effects. As a healthy 27 year old I think I’ll pass and take my chances. Nobody can say it’s safe when nobody has a clue what that long term effects are. That is also my god given right to make that choice for myself. The federal government works for us, sometimes y’all’s egos make you forget that”
- “According to the VDH website, Covid hospitalizations are a third of what they were this winter. The line about hospitalizations being the highest since the start of the pandemic is, at best, misleading, or a blatant lie. Stop fear mongering and spreading misinformation.”
- “Why would anyone who has already had Covid need a vaccine. We all still have antibodies. The fact that nobody is addressing this makes many people suspicious of these vaccines”
- “You sound like a liberal, with your fear mongering. The shot does not keep you from getting it or spreading it, so why take the chance. The VAERS database shows more than enough evidence that this shot is not completely ‘safe’. And it’s not a vaccine, it’s a shot, just like the flu shot.”
- “If Vaccines are effective, why are we seeing the greatest number of cases after at least %60 have been inoculated? You lie!”
- “instead of shaming people into getting vaccinations maybe a better discussion would have been some possible causes. You know, like unvetted illegal aliens crossing the border and being resettled in our communities or the unvetted refugees from Afghanistan by the Biden Administration! Shame on you! Unbelievable!”
- “By the way, Bill Bolling, these unvetted Afghan refugees have been moved to Ft. Lee, Virginia and other places of Virginia for many month!”
- “And since when does wearing a mask protect the wearer as you stated. Read the science! Unbelievable!”
- “[T]he number of cases plummeted when the mask wearing mandates ended. Masks actually are proven to cause more pneumonia, the cause of death when COVID is the culprit. Masks are not a good choice to wear for very long or improperly”
- “[T]hey are nasty and harbor bacteria. They aren’t designed to be worn every day either.”
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