What do you call a pediatrician who administers a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to a crying preschooler? According to Russ Diamond (R., HD 102, Lebanon), that person is a rapist – in this case a child rapist. In an August 23 Facebook post, Diamond implies that “rape” is tantamount to any bodily penetration that the person detests.
In responding to criticism from The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, he cements the connection between rape and vaccinations with the statement:
“For the woke crowd: Learn to think. In this analogy, the vaccine is akin to sexual activity, due to the physical nature of both. Voluntary engagement in either is fine. But forcing someone to do either is wrong.”
Since my small “woke” brain cannot compete with the elegant logic of Mr. Diamond’s remarks, the only conclusion that I can draw from his reasoning is that many, if not most, pediatricians are rapists.
Such anti-mandate rhetoric is part of a larger Republican strategy of siding individual freedom and choice against the public good. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than at school board meetings with anti-mask parents and community members screaming about their rights to sicken themselves and others. While these people view themselves as freedom fighters, parents familiar with such behavior call it the “terrible twos”.
Steve Lynch, a Republican candidate for Northampton County executive, epitomizes this “I don’ wanna” attitude by pledging to bring “20 strong men” to replace the pro-mask mandate of the Republican dominated Northampton District School Board.
To stand back and do nothing is to choose demagogues over democracy. If you believe in the democratic process, here are a few things that you can do.
WHAT TO DO?
Canvassing
Sunday, September 12, at 10 AM
Booth's Corner (parking lot)
1362 Naamans Creek Rd
Garnet Valley, PA 19060
Canvass for township supervisors in Concord and Bethel townships, two areas that have been turning progressively blue, particularly over the past four years. Sign up here.
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Support a Voter Registration Policy in the Philadelphia Schools
In the upcoming elections, voter registration is crucial. Out of the roughly 20,000 17-and-18 year olds currently eligible to vote in Philadelphia, only a little more than 4,000 are registered. Therefore, please consider taking the following actions toward creating a voter education and registration policy for the School District of Philadelphia:
· Testify before the School Board of Philadelphia. The board meets once a month. The schedule for the next meeting is September 23. To register, go to: tinyurl.com/PhillySchoolBoardSpeaker
· Write a letter. For the Inquirer, (Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com) Max 150 words
· Write an op-ed. For the Inquirer, Op-eds are reviewed by Erica Palan (epalan@inquirer.com) and Elena Gooray (egooray@inquirer.com) Max 650 words
Don’t know what to say? Here are some of the previous testimonies on the topic.