Rant #2,653: Moment of Truth

Well, remember when I told you yesterday the story of the fellow in the supermarket recycling area who said he didn’t have to wear a mask because he was already vaccinated against the coronavirus?
 
Let’s go over this again:
 
An older gentleman came in to the bottle return area, and he had no mask on, preferring to wear it as a bandana rather than as a face mask.
 
I said to him, “Sir, can you do me a favor? Can you put your mask on?”
 
He had a pretty novel reply to that as he momentarily stopped doing what he was doing.
 
'Did you get the vaccine?' he shouted at me.
 
'Yes I did,' I replied.
 
'I did too ... Then what the hell do we need the mask on for?' he shouted back at me."
 
Well, today we have a reason for him to wear the mask.
 
Two New York Yankees coaches, and another Yankees employee, all of whom received the vaccination, are suspected at having contracted the coronavirus.
 
One coach definitely has it, the other two are suspected to have it, and yes, they all got their shots in their arms.
 
In fact, the Yankees were one of the first teams in Major League Baseball to reach the “vaccination threshold,” meaning at least 85 percent of the team—players, coaches, front office personnel—were vaccinated.
 
And the coronavirus still somehow got into their bodies,
 
Sure, getting the vaccine probably will lessen their symptoms and their pain, but they got the vaccine, and they still got it.
 
And hopefully nobody else on the team will get it, even though 85 percent of them have the vaccination in their arms.
 
The other 15 percent or how much other percent haven’t gotten the shot?
 
Who knows? Based on the real world, they will either get it or not get it.
 
It is far from being an exact science, like some of our “experts” have led us to believe.
 
I made another proclamation yesterday that I think applies here:
 
“You know, even after you get the flu shot, you can get the flu. I remember my father getting the flu shot several years ago, and then getting the flu a few weeks afterward.”
 
So I guess the same holds true for the coronavirus vaccine, which doesn’t prevent you from getting the disease, as it has been advertised to do in some quarters, it can just mitigate the disease if, and when, you get it.
 
And you wonder why a certain percent of Yankees personnel won’t get the shot, and so many people in real life won’t get the shot either.
 
I have come to the conclusion that the so-called “experts” have no idea what they are talking about, spreading false information about the powers of this “miracle” vaccine, and that they are basically learning as they go along, just like everyone else is.
 
So the next question is this:
 
Why force people to get the shot to begin with if you don’t know just how valid the shot is?
 
It is another “follow the leader” type thing, the Pied Piper of Coronavirus leading the flock to the syringe for their shot, playing his flute of news and intoxicating the populace with it.
 
And in doing so, vilifying those who don’t want to take the shot.
 
Nobody in this country is forcing anyone to take the shot … or are they?
 
They are now setting up separate sections in stadiums for fans who have been vaccinated and those who haven’t gotten the shot, putting something of a “scarlet letter” on those who have not yet been vaccinated ... or worse yet, instituting a level of segregation in the stands that hasn't been seen since the Jackie Robinson era of nearly 80 years ago.
 
Certain colleges will not allow in-person learning for those who have not received the shot, and I am sure that is going to extend to the public schools once the vaccine has been approved for younger potential recipients.
 
And there are other instances which will pop up as we move along, where those who have decided not to get the shot will not be allowed to partake in certain activities without that shot in their arms.

And in many cases, you have to have valid proof that you had the shot, carrying around "papers" as if this was Nazi Germany all over again.

Are stars sewn into our clothes to identify us the next step?
 
As someone who was vaccinated, I find this attitude so wrong and so very misplaced.

 
I have never once gotten the flu shot, and I have gotten the flue exactly one time in my life that I can remember. I dealt with it, I fought it, I won, I survived, I moved on.
 
Nobody forces you to get a flu shot, and nobody should force you to get a coronavirus shot.
 
We are never going to reach the so-called “herd immunity” anyway; there is no way that 85 percent of Americans are going to get vaccinated.
 
This is just going to turn into a virus that we will manage each year, just like the flu.
 
Remember the term “flu season?” Well, get ready for “coronavirus season,” which is sure to take place around active social periods of the year, like during the November-December end of the year holidays.
 
Look, it is a true miracle that in a short period of time, our scientists have developed a vaccine that can at least mitigate the effects of this disease.
 
There are valid reasons to get the shot, and I think, listening to all the double-talk, valid reasons not to get the shot, at least not right now, waiting until the long-term effects of the shot can be studied.
 
Remember, the prior pandemic we had 100 years ago was not vaccinated against for 25 years, as that is how long it took scientists to come up with a vaccine against it.
 
Twenty-five years versus six months?
 
As I said, I was vaccinated, but I will not tell anyone to get the vaccine.
 
I will tell people to put on their masks, but that is the extent of my demands, and that is as far as I will go with this thing.
 
We will defeat this thing, but we have to stop putting people into the “have” and “have not” categories, and we must stop berating those who do not get the vaccine just yet as the villains of this situation.
 
It is just so wrong.
 
The true villains of this thing are the “experts” who don’t know what they are talking about and others who have used this sorry situation for political leverage.
 
They should all be ashamed of themselves.
 
You were vaccinated? Wonderful, you get a gold star, but the Yankees’ situation and the situation of many other people have demonstrated that that gold star isn’t going to fully protect you against this scourge ... no matter what we are being told. 

It is a nice thing to have in your back pocket, it will mitigate the virus if you get it to a certain extent, but it is not the panacea--political or otherwise-- that it has been made out to be.

But again, please wear a mask. It is a way to fight this thing, and takes so little effort to do ... whether you have been vaccinated or not.