such that ANY attempt by government to impede the natural proliferation of this virus: whether by mandating masks or proof of vaccination or even testing, is viewed as a fundamental violation of human rights and civil liberties. I mean this seems to be the SCOTUS majority view…
And it definitely seems to be the view of Republican governors; that NO governmental or even private action may be taken to stop the coronavirus from spreading; that it MUST be allowed to spread “naturally,” and that the only allowable course is treating the resulting illness.
And the fact that the treatments — both the genuine ones and the quack “miracle cures” — happen to enrich particular corporations and create opportunities for Youtube gurus, Facebook and TikTok marketers to profit from snake oil mania is far from incidental. It’s a viral circus!
And yes, the Big Pharma companies who make the vaccines are raking in profits too. The vaccines may be free to you but they’re not FREE. So it’s a money maker in both sides of the pro-vax/anti-vax aisle. Equal opportunity capitalism with just a few million bodies along the way!🎉
But what’s not taken into account by these “pandemic libertarians”— these governors, or the right wing SCOTUS majority, conservative judges or right wing media — is the very real threat of unvaccinated COVID sufferers collapsing our state healthcare systems. They just don’t care.
They ignore the millions of deaths which they seem to view as “natural” and thus acceptable, because they mainly occur among the physically weak, elderly or otherwise infirm. Their bottom line seems to be: you cannot protect public health. Ever. Those weak people aren’t worth it.
It’s a philosophy that makes millions of dead people-even including children; and the shattered lives of loved ones left behind, preferable to even a brief pause on capitalistic activity or the inconvenience of a piece of cloth over your nose for a short time or taking a vaccine.
It’s a philosophical embrace of absolute self-absorption; placing personal convenience ahead of any sense of the public good. Even worse, it demands that government STAND DOWN and stop fighting the virus. It must instead be let in at any cost, so that “freedom” & profit prevail.
With the stipulation that I have lived long enough to outgrow the capability of surprise; this new philosophical trend, which crosses the right-left and even the racial divide, truly baffles me. But it does explain how a zombie apocalypse could EASILY happen. God help us.
@JoyAnnReid 1) They assume "other" people will die, not them or their loved ones. 2) The plan is to blame Biden (and Democrats more broadly) for not ending COVID, even though their efforts have focused on stopping Biden's efforts to end COVID. They hope people don't notice that connection.