Weekly Opinion Editorial
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!
by Steve Fair
The Holocaust aka
the Shoah refers to the killing of over six million European Jews during WWII
by Nazi Germany. Approximately two
thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was killed between 1941-45. It remains one of the most brutal, depraved
acts in human history. In order to readily identify Jews, the
Germans required them to wear a badge in the form of a yellow star of
David. The badges were printed on coarse
yellow cloth and were a garish yellow.
Last week, the
OKGOP Facebook page had a post comparing Oklahoma business owners who are
requiring their employees to be vaccinated before they come back to work as being
required to wear a yellow star. A yellow
star was photoshopped in the post to read ‘unvaccinated.’ The post encouraged readers to contact Lt.
Governor Matt Pinnell and ask him to call a special legislative session to
address private employer vaccine mandates.
Governor Kevin Stitt is out of the country and when he is not in the
state, the Lt. Governor is the state’s top elected official. The post has been commented on 2,500 times
and shared 1,000 times.
Some took offense
at the post. Roberta Clark, the
executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater OKC said, “It’s sad
and ironic that anyone would draw an analogy from one of the largest recorded
genocides in the 20th century with public health attempts to save
lives.” In a combined statement, several
elected officials; Governor Stitt, Lt. Governor Pinnell, Senators Inhofe and
Lankford, Congressman Mullin and Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg
Treat said, “It is irresponsible and wrong to compare an effective vaccine-
developed by President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed- to the horrors of the
Holocaust. People should have the
liberty to choose if they take the vaccine, but we should never compare the
unvaccinated to the victims of the Holocaust.” Three observations:
First, no individual
should be mandated to take or excused from taking the vaccine by government. That is an individual choice. There is a significant percentage of the U.S.
population who are hesitant and have resisted taking the vaccine. They have a right to not take it and not be
harassed by the vaccinated or the government.
Conversely, those who take the vaccine have a right to take it without
being harassed by the unvaccinated or the government. Each person should make up their own mind
regarding the vaccine. Government has
done enough by making the vaccine available.
Second, private business
owners have a right to require employees to take the vaccine. Republicans believe businesses should not
face regulations/restrictions on their business. If a business owner is trying to keep his
business viable and believes mandatory vaccinations are necessary to accomplish
that, it is their right to require it.
Businesses must be pragmatic. They
can be charitable, but they are not a charity.
If they don’t remain profitable, they don’t stay in business and in turn
don’t create jobs. Requiring employees to be vaccinated may
put an employee in a tough situation. If
they feel that strongly about not being jabbed, they may have to find another
job.
Third, there should
not have been a comparison between the Holocaust and being unvaccinated. The Jews in Europe were exterminated/murdered/slaughtered. The worse the unvaccinated in Oklahoma would
face is the possibility of losing their job.
That’s not the same.
Opinions vary on the vaccine. Some believe the government is injecting poison into people. Others believe the government is injecting a microchip that will be used in the future to track people. Still others believe the vaccine is the solution to returning to a normal life. Take the shot or not- it’s your choice. But business owners should also have a choice. They must be afforded autonomy, freedom and liberty to operate their business without government interference, to remain viable. That is a fundamental Republican principle.
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