"You are just going to have to ask God and pray for wisdom. You can't trust the politicians. You can't trust the doctors, you certainly can't trust the CDC or any World Health Organization."
Josephine County Commissioner Darin Fowler, as quoted by Grants Pass' The Daily Courier
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| From The Oregonian |
Josephine County is Trump country. The county supported Trump 31,800 to 18,500. This week only 57.4% of Josephine County adults are vaccinated for COVID, well behind the statewide average. The Daily Courier, one of the sources for the quotations in this post, did an on-line survey of its readers regarding vaccine mandates. It was cited by the commissioners as justification for opposing vaccination mandates for employees involved in health care. The poll showed 75% of respondents opposed these mandates.
The Josephine County commissioners have lobbied aggressively in opposition to the national and state requirements regarding vaccination and masking. They wrote a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown saying, "Your vaccine mandate is extremely unpopular for a reason." They said the mandate would cause "dramatic harm" because many employees will quit their jobs rather than be vaccinated. Commissioner DeYoung said, "We plan on keeping our employees." Because the county jail has a health care clinic and because the county juvenile detention center provides education, almost one third of county employees would be subject to the vaccination mandate.
"People in America still have freedom to choose, Commissioner Fowler said. "I am shocked that people are willing to give that up for the good of society. That sounds very communistic, very socialistic."
Fowler said that "All the status [sic] about whether a person vaccinated died or one that was unvaccinated died, these are all just statistics. Remember the old saying that liars use statistics and statistics are for liars, or something like that." .
Local hospitals' ICU units have been overwhelmed with COVID cases, coming almost exclusively from the non-vaccinated segment of the residents of the two-county region that includes my home in Medford. The Jackson County commissioners have joined Josephine County in letters of protest to Governor Brown. Jackson County commissioner Colleen Roberts expressed doubts that deaths attributed to COVID are really from COVID. Victims were old, overweight, or ill from something else, and their deaths should be attributed to the co-morbidities, not to COVID, she said.
My farm is in "farm county," i.e. a rural part of the Jackson-Josephine County region. My conversations with people here--done outdoors and at a distance of a few feet--make unsurprising these comments by the commissioners. Their words reflect the point of view of a significant segment of the population. I know from experience that County Commissioners hear the public mood directly. Commissioners consider policy and then implement that policy, so they are exposed as the decision-maker. The buck really does stop there.
The people who are most adamant and outspoken about a policy are people in opposition to something. Those discontented people tend to have strong, clear opinions. The people who are generally content lack that intensity. It would misread rural people to think they are selfish and inconsiderate. They are as likely to "love thy neighbor" as people in town. Readers should not take Commissioner Fowler's indignation at being required to do something for the "good of society" as indication that the people who think like him litter, steal library books, cheat on their taxes, or otherwise act any worse to neighbors than does anyone else. The issue got defined by political leadership and conservative media as a matter of freedom, not as patriotism at a time of war. Trump early-on decided to downplay COVID, hope it faded away, and carry on. It was a guess and he guessed incorrectly. Trump's messaging set the tone.
The American public's response to COVID is a vivid example of the power of leadership in defining an issue. Democrats are understood to be tyrants, pushing a burdensome solution to a minor problem. This fits the observation and experience of many Americans. The 700,000 deaths in a country of 320 million people means just one death in 460 people, with those deaths concentrated among people who were elderly and sick. Their deaths are not a surprise.
Some of my readers will consider the comments by commissioners to be astonishingly ignorant and irresponsible. I agree. I am embarrassed for them, and disappointed in them, but I understand their political environment. They aren't apologizing. They are in a large body of people less worried about COVID than about government overreach. They are not out of sync with the loudest and most persistent voices in their communities, and very possibly a majority of the voters.
12 comments:
Take your shot, and shove it up your ass. It's MY body, and I'll do what I want with it. That's the democrat's mantra regarding abortion and killing babies, so STFU! What I do with my body is none of your business.
I wonder if Jane Doe above thinks the same thing about a woman’s right to get an abortion?
Dear Jane Doe: I could care less what you do with your body. If you don't mind getting sick and possibly dying, that's certainly your right. But, getting Covid and spreading it to other people who also might get sick and die is not your right. What you're saying is that the ONE is more important than the MANY.
You should change your name to Covid Karen.
I received the comment to this blog supposedly by "Jane Doe."
Jane Doe said...
Take your shot, and shove it up your ass. It's MY body, and I'll do what I want with it. That's the democrat's mantra regarding abortion and killing babies, so STFU! What I do with my body is none of your business.
People have inquired with me what "style clues" I use to conclude a comment is from Curt Ankerberg. The comment above has several. Since he--or someone who writes like him--persists on commenting here, my usual policy is to remove the comment and then remind readers that a federal tax judge determined that he committed fraud, so potential voters should beware of his integrity, and that he himself admitted that his brain damage and disability was so profound that he should not be judged guilty for filing tax returns that significantly underpaid his taxes. My intention is to make clear to readers that Ankerberg is not a trustworthy source of information, although his behavior is a reflection on Republicans since some of them vote for Ankerberg.. If he quits commenting on my blog I would be in a position to quit reminding readers of him fraudulent behavior and his admitted and self-declared mental incapacity.
Peter Sage
Whether or not the "Jane Doe" comment is from Angerberg, the tone and contempt for facts is pretty representative of today's Republican Party.
Vaccines have been mandated for as long as I can remember - that's how we wiped out such devastating disease as smallpox, polio and others. Why should the pandemic be any different? It's killed over 700,000 of our fellow Americans and wreaked havoc on our economy and healthcare system. Those who refuse the vaccines are a danger to themselves and others. I'm surprised insurance companies are still covering their treatment.
Angry denunciations by urban liberals of rural people for prioritizing individual freedom over getting the vaccine are clearly not helping. I have a suggestion:
Why not widely publicize statements by unvaccinated rural people who ended up in the ICU with Covid and who now wish they had gotten the vaccine?
At this point, many rural people despise urban liberals (who, by the way, massively return the favor), and will not listen to them, or possibly even do the opposite just to annoy them. But there is a good chance rural folks would listen to their own.
Sadly, some Americans don't understand the difference between a woman being pregnant and a contagious, dangerous, novel coronavirus. I hope someone is tracking all of the prominent COVID deniers, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers who have become seriously ill or died. These people are stupid, oppositional and self destructive.
C'mon, surely we can find middle ground and a mutually satisfactory compromise with those who disagree that humankind is no longer in the 19th century.
Another fundamental issue regards how individuals deal with uncertainty. Since science and public health acts responsibly, taking into account that no therapy is 100% effective, even if nearly so, those who fear monger have an advantage. They promote anti-vaccine sentiments with such adamant confidence that it takes on the ring of truth and resists even the most scientifically rigorous debunking.
Nonetheless, as has always been true historically with regard to vaccinations, those in opposition, whatever their motives, are responsible for prolonging the scourge of diseases that are mankind's adversaries for survival on the planet.
To M. Trigoboff:
Stories such as you describe have been in the media. The problem is that anti-vaxxers are impervious to facts. What catches their attention is money, which is why mandates are effective. United Airlines issued a mandate a couple months ago. Employees balked and threatened to quit. United said fine, go ahead. Over 99% of its employees are now vaccinated.
If these three commissioners actually believe that god will answer their prayer for wisdom, this must be the first time they’ve sought wisdom. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be acting so ignorant, right?
Incidentally, Peter, et al, the courier's surveys are for entertainment, not enlightenment. They admit what is already clear to anyone with the most fundamental understanding of statistics: these surveys are not scientifically designed, and don’t really mean a damn thing as far as indicating actual preferences.
Want to convince a few manly-men to brave that ever so painful (lol) covid shot? Spread the word, as I did during my bcc wbs testimony two days ago. I pointed out to the studly republicans what I learned from my doctor friend and neighbor. Those who study such things have announced that covid survivors are like six times as likely as those of us who’ve had our shots to become impotent. As we speak, they are trying to figure out if this soft dick syndrome lasts 6-12 months, or the rest of their fearful lives.
I’m of the belief that most “real men” care more about getting floppy dicks than they do about their alleged concern about communism, socialism, liberty or freedom. Time will tell.
“Hiya, Floppy? Still looking for a new girlfriend?” Is viagra still not working? Y'know, even viagra can’t force your choked penile veins to admit enough blood to your manhood to get that “boner of steel” so sought after by young republican females!
BTW, I’ve confirmed this issue at several (legitimate) medical sites.
If you want to know why Josephine County has so many problems ...
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