Protecting us...

 by Rain Trueax

In the middle of the night, I had this post written perfectly, knew exactly what I wanted to say... Come morning I only know the gist of it; so it might be a short one if I don't get into it.

I am disturbed that we are being told what we should know and by powers that often we didn't elect or even know sometimes. What gives them the right? It's our system of information infrastructure. From the beginning of newspapers, they were run by those who had the money to put one out or buy one. They decided on headlines. It led to a phrase still used today-- yellow journalism, which means-- journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration. It has always been used to get done what the newspaper owners wanted done. Make it look exciting and you catch people's attention. 

There has been plenty of opportunity for yellow journalism this last year-- not like there hasn't been before; but a plague, social unrest, and a heated presidential race certainly provided a lot of opportunity. Often we got conflicting reports and had to decide which source we trusted-- if any of them. 

Then came the vaccine for a deadly virus. I've read it was available in October but the pharmaceutical corporations held off on the announcement until the Presidential race had been decided. Whether that is true, who knows but they didn't like a lot of what one candidate was doing to keep the cost of drugs down and make pricing transparent; so maybe... maybe not.

The issue though had more coming after the vaccine was ready. The question was should people get the shots when their turn came. I read conflicting reports on that too whether it could be dangerous for some, whether it was needed at all if people keep their immune system healthy. Some have never believed in vaccines. We could read as much as we wanted-- the pros and the cons. The idea was figure out what is best for you based on the info.

We made our decision after having done just what I said-- read both sides, evaluated what it might mean for us. I hadn't been sure what I'd do for myself, since I haven't done flu shots in over 40 years. They had begun making me as sick as if I had the flu for days with a lump at the injection site that lasted for months. It seemed that if I kept getting sicker, the vaccine was not a good idea. I avoided people during the flu season and only caught the flu once during those intervening years. I continued though to get shots for tetanus, pneumonia, shingles, etc. None of them made me sick. 

Finally, though, since the Covid-19 vaccine is different than the flu for how it's  made, and since the consequences of getting the virus are still unknown, it seemed worth getting sick a day or so with the vaccine, I had decided I would. Herd immunity seemed important for those who could do it. When Ranch  Boss saw that we could sign up to get it in our vehicle, we made the appointment-- a little shocked when we got it for the next day. Just be over 75, wear a mask, bring a drivers license and insurance card, and be on time.

For us, it was nearby, a park parking lot where we could stay in our truck. It was very well set up with a sign that there were vaccinations only for those with appointments. One person handed us papers to read and sign. We handed over our drivers licenses and insurance card; though they said the government was paying for it. I am not sure how many were working with two small tents and tables. Someone came to the vehicle to administer the shot. Painless. We were then directed to another line to wait the 15 minutes to be sure no reaction.

The young man, going by the time written on our windshield in soap, asked if we were okay and handed us a card with our next appointment also written there-- assuming the vaccine is available *fingers crossed*. We had no delayed reaction from the first one, not even a sore arm (but we both followed the advice I got from a nurse when I had my last tetanus shot-- move your arm around a lot for the first hour or so). I guess it could be worse with the second one but we think it's worth it for being part of ending this pandemic. Maybe some have great immune systems but I already know mine is compromised by my intolerance to nightshades and a few other things.

I would not tell others to take the vaccine or not. It was a personal decision, and I hope it stays that way for everyone. I can see how some businesses might opt to demand their employees have the vaccine as a condition of employment especially if social distancing is not possible. I hope though that the government does not make it mandatory. Let people calculate what is best for themselves-- with full information in a time where we are all feeling our way through what is unknown..

When our decision was made, we benefited from having read all we could find about it. That is what social media wants to take away. They are banning someone, like Robert Kennedy Jr., who is an anti-vaxxer. What the powers that be want to do is deny people full information regarding different opinions and experiences. They do this politically too as they did during the campaigns where even newspapers were banned from social media if they posted a link to their article-- one that went against the "rules", where someone has decided must be shared and nothing else.

I find that all scary. It's supposedly done for our own good but why not let us see both sides, like about the vaccine and the virus? Because they don't trust the American people? In reality, I think this kind of banning leads to less trust. The people I know, who do not believe in vaccines have their own ideas-- there own reasons. They have also researched. I am uncomfortable that their voices are being silenced. They are not trying to force us to follow their way-- just give us what they believe.