Tag: freedom of choice

Republicans want to Intrude in My Life

First it was telling me when I can drink (not after 2 a.m.) and then telling my girl friend she can’t have an abortion even if the baby will not live for more than a few weeks (I know that thanks to an Ultrasound exam).

Just a few weeks into 2023, legislators in many states have filed strikingly similar proposals to those in Tennessee and North Dakota. Tennessee is set to become the first state this year to enact legislation to restrict public drag show performances. Similar laws have popped up in Texas, West Virginia, Nebraska and South Carolina, to name a few.

I went to a few drag shows in San Francisco years ago. The were fun and silly. What was the harm? The were in nightclubs where no children were present. There wasn’t any harm.

States are wanting to ban them are infringing on my rights to participate and watch. This needs to be appealed to the Supreme Court. I hope the actors involved start a court action.

What happened to GOP demands of smaller government and less intrusion? Or is that just when it conflicts with religious beliefs that they find offensive?

Where will this stop? What happened to “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Behavior that Infringes of the Rights of Others

The Los Angeles Times reports that vaccinations have become off-limits in many online forums. “For the moment we ask you to refrain from posting about vaccines or measles,” read an updated rule for the Moms of Inglewood and Surrounding Communities page.

OK that may be the case on those forums and on some Facebook and Meetup groups but I am not afraid to speak my piece.

When I was a boy I had measles and mumps and chicken pox. All are serious illnesses. My parents feared being exposed to polio. I have a friend who lost a major part of her hearing thanks to measles or mumps. A devastating result from high fever. One in 100,000 cases results in death. Most of those who are infected and who die are less than five years old. The risk of death among those infected is usually 0.2%.

Anti-vax people can provide no reliable proof that vaccinations cause autism or any other disease. Freedom of choice is not an option when your choice may impact my family. It’s not just vaccinations. Our society should enforce laws that protect the innocent from the behavior of a few misguided individuals. This does not translate to government interfering with your private life. Freedom of religion does have its limits. Practice of behavior that infringes on the rights of others is unacceptable.