After disrespecting military service members for the last few decades, the GOP’s most recent attempt at pretending they give a rat’s ass about Americans is to attack the federal requirement that our United States military personnel all be vaccinated against COVID-19. Military vaccines mandates are one of the oldest requirements of virtually every army in the history of the world because nothing hurts a country’s military more than unchecked disease and viruses.
On Jan. 3, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction “blocking the Defense Department from taking action against a group of 35 Navy sailors who had refused to get a coronavirus vaccine.” Judge Reed O’Connor granted the injunction on the grounds that there is a chance that the pandemic did not allow the government to “abrogate” a military member’s “religious liberties.” Of course, the fact that the Department of Defense has administered 17 different vaccines since 1995, and that now, suddenly, everybody is religious about the 18th is … peculiar.
Sen. Ted Cruz took time away from licking somebody’s—anybody’s!—shoes, to tweet out that he led “an amicus brief in support of service members seeking a religious exemption to Biden’s vaccine mandate.” He then called President Biden’s COVID mandate’s “tyrannical,” and blah blah blah.
As many people have pointed out, the argument that the COVID-19 vaccine impinges on certain religious beliefs comes from the fact that in some cases, cells grown from three-decade-old human fetal cells “have been used either in the testing or development and production of COVID-19 vaccines.” Unsurprising, there are many civil servants attempting to claim a sudden orthodoxy to a sect of Judeo-Christian belief in order to keep their jobs while endangering everyone around them. Unfortunately, if you believe that your belief system compels you to not receive this potentially lifesaving immunity boost, there are quite a few other drugs you’re going to have to compel yourself to stop taking.
First things first. This is from LA County’s public health site:
Second things second:
The fact of the matter is that most Judeo-Christian organizations and followers—even those with anti-choice platforms—find COVID-19 vaccinations and their development ethical. But whatevs! Let us say that your narrow form of orthodoxy requires that you keep your body as clean as possible from interaction with what may have been derived over 30 years ago from an elective abortion. That’s fine. Our country has always prided itself with allowing even most cultish religious and spiritual pursuits the freedom—within reason, and sometimes without reason—to let their freak flags fly.
So you believe that your spiritual wellbeing would be irrevocably damaged by a COVID-19 vaccine derived from or tested on fetal tissue? Okie dokie. Here are some other drugs and treatments and things you are going to need to avoid in order to be a true whatever religion you are:
And there are so many more! Everything from cholesterol treatments (Lipitor) to common allergy treatments and antihistamines (Claritin and Benadryl) to decongestants (Sudafed) to hemorrhoid treatments (Preparation H) all used fetal cells at some point during their development.
So if you want the kingdom on the terms that allow you to claim a religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccinations, you’re going to have to start walking that narrow path with more purpose. And guess what? Most people I know are fine with that. The number of people who are willing to follow a strict orthodoxy to the letter with regard to medical exemptions is small.
So go forth with your specialized religious belief. But remember, if you are going to put all of us and everybody else at risk because of your moral compunction, then you better not start whining about needing an Advil. You find out exactly what you cannot take and you don’t take it, across the board. Either that or you’re full of hot garbage.
On Jan. 3, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction “blocking the Defense Department from taking action against a group of 35 Navy sailors who had refused to get a coronavirus vaccine.” Judge Reed O’Connor granted the injunction on the grounds that there is a chance that the pandemic did not allow the government to “abrogate” a military member’s “religious liberties.” Of course, the fact that the Department of Defense has administered 17 different vaccines since 1995, and that now, suddenly, everybody is religious about the 18th is … peculiar.
Sen. Ted Cruz took time away from licking somebody’s—anybody’s!—shoes, to tweet out that he led “an amicus brief in support of service members seeking a religious exemption to Biden’s vaccine mandate.” He then called President Biden’s COVID mandate’s “tyrannical,” and blah blah blah.
As many people have pointed out, the argument that the COVID-19 vaccine impinges on certain religious beliefs comes from the fact that in some cases, cells grown from three-decade-old human fetal cells “have been used either in the testing or development and production of COVID-19 vaccines.” Unsurprising, there are many civil servants attempting to claim a sudden orthodoxy to a sect of Judeo-Christian belief in order to keep their jobs while endangering everyone around them. Unfortunately, if you believe that your belief system compels you to not receive this potentially lifesaving immunity boost, there are quite a few other drugs you’re going to have to compel yourself to stop taking.
First things first. This is from LA County’s public health site:
Second things second:
The fact of the matter is that most Judeo-Christian organizations and followers—even those with anti-choice platforms—find COVID-19 vaccinations and their development ethical. But whatevs! Let us say that your narrow form of orthodoxy requires that you keep your body as clean as possible from interaction with what may have been derived over 30 years ago from an elective abortion. That’s fine. Our country has always prided itself with allowing even most cultish religious and spiritual pursuits the freedom—within reason, and sometimes without reason—to let their freak flags fly.
So you believe that your spiritual wellbeing would be irrevocably damaged by a COVID-19 vaccine derived from or tested on fetal tissue? Okie dokie. Here are some other drugs and treatments and things you are going to need to avoid in order to be a true whatever religion you are:
- Those monoclonal antibody treatments Trump and Joe Rogan and anyone with money and connections are super hyped on? Sorry, Regeneron and Remdesivir were derived from aborted fetal tissue. That means that Sen. Ted Cruz’s political theater push to “remove federal barriers to states purchasing” things like Regeneron and Remdesvir isn’t for you. Sorry. Your God, not mine.
- Tylenol: Bummer right? And that’s specifically because of acetaminophen, which is the generic. Just saying.
- Ibuprofen: Ouch! Great anti-inflammatory.
- Aspirin: Egad!
- Tums: No more tomato soup for you, amiright?
And there are so many more! Everything from cholesterol treatments (Lipitor) to common allergy treatments and antihistamines (Claritin and Benadryl) to decongestants (Sudafed) to hemorrhoid treatments (Preparation H) all used fetal cells at some point during their development.
So if you want the kingdom on the terms that allow you to claim a religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccinations, you’re going to have to start walking that narrow path with more purpose. And guess what? Most people I know are fine with that. The number of people who are willing to follow a strict orthodoxy to the letter with regard to medical exemptions is small.
So go forth with your specialized religious belief. But remember, if you are going to put all of us and everybody else at risk because of your moral compunction, then you better not start whining about needing an Advil. You find out exactly what you cannot take and you don’t take it, across the board. Either that or you’re full of hot garbage.