RECOGNIZING CHOICES, COUNTING BLESSINGS
COVID highlights debate between rights, responsibilities
They say there’s a pandemic, but you think it’s just fear mongering by politicians, special interest groups, the deep state or whatever else you fear or distrust. Besides, weren’t all those nearly 875,000 Americans going to die, anyway? A lot of them were old or sick from pre-existing conditions. Even those younger ones were going to die from some underlying illness, we just didn’t know about it at the time. Epidemiologists say these deaths are way above our usual rate, but you think they are just making that up to frighten you — and it won’t. You’re standing strong.
They say this virus is way more deadly than the flu, but you have your doubts. After all, you had it, maybe more than once, and it wasn’t all that bad. Good for you, but recent evidence from the CDC shows it is still deadly to those who are not vaccinated. But then, those are only numbers. They have their numbers and you have yours.
They say we should all get vaccinated, but you’re not so sure. You’ve heard this vaccine was rushed and inadequately tested. However, the making of this type of vaccine for this type of illness, caused by this type of virus, was underway years before due to our experience with SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2012, both caused by a coronavirus. About 200 million Americans are vaccinated against COVID to varying degrees — and we’re not sicker or dead yet.
But what about that myocarditis in young vaccinated people? According to the CDC, myocarditis, primarily in the younger population, occurs at a rate of about 9 cases per 100,000 and is caused by many factors and variety of viruses. The risk is about the same after the COVID vaccine — about 8 cases per 100,000. The only difference is the preponderance of males, which is the opposite of the usual risk. The mortality risk of myocarditis overall prior to COVID was about 4-7%. The mortality risk of myocarditis from the vaccine so far appears to be exponentially lower than that.
Looking at the numbers, if I were a young person, I’d take my chances with the vaccine.
But you say you have your rights, and I agree. You have the right to refuse vaccination. You have the right to get COVID as many times as you allow. You have the right to spread it to family, friends and others though you may be asymptomatic. You have the right to keep this epidemic going so the virus can develop new, possibly more contagious or more deadly variants.
I have the same rights, too, but I choose to get vaccinated and wear a mask around others. The vaccination is to protect me and does protect others to some degree. The mask is not to protect me so much as to protect others. You see, with rights also comes responsibility. Our Bill of Rights in the Constitution guarantees our rights, but they are limited by our responsibility. This has been upheld in the Supreme Court many times over our history.
That is ultimately what this comes down to — rights vs responsibility. What harm do I do by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask vs. what potential harm by not doing so? I think the numbers are clear. We’d have more healthy caregivers in our schools, daycares and hospitals if we all just took a little responsibility. We’d have far less chance of hospitals becoming so overwhelmed with sick people whose care must be postponed or refused and of people dying unnecessarily.
After all, haven’t we got bigger issues to face? Let’s not allow this to get in the way of doing other, perhaps better, things. Just consider it.
Here we go again.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission met Thursday and — SURPRISE — accomplished nothing.
So it’s time for drastic measures. It’s time to throw some people in jail.
The seven-member commission voted along party lines to reject a map proposal by Democrats. The five Republican members didn’t produce a map of their own, instead claiming there’s no way to produce what the court has ordered — a fair redistricting plan — without violating other parts of the state Constitution.
If this wasn’t so absurd it would be laughable, especially since Republican members didn’t explain how drawing fair and proportional maps violates the state Constitution.
Let’s review. On Jan. 12, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the maps submitted by the Republican-controlled commission unconstitutional. The commission drew new maps that didn’t at all move the needle, and on Feb. 7, the court once again ruled the maps unconstitutional.
The court gave the commission until midnight Feb. 17 to draw new maps and guess what? Ohio House Speaker. Bob Cupp, R-Lima, waited until the last minute — well, 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 — to call a commission meeting. He could have called one Feb. 3 or 4 or 5, but instead, he purposely waited 10 days to call a meeting.
Remember, back in 2015, 71% of Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment that was supposed to do away with partisan gerrymandering.
Now it’s time to take extreme measures.
When the court meets next, it should threaten the five obstinate commission members with contempt of court and jail time if they don’t comply.
That, in essence, is what the petitioners in the case have asked for. Here’s what a Friday night press
release said: “In response to the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s defiance of an order from the Ohio Supreme Court to produce a new set of legislative maps, the petitioners in Ohio Organizing Collaborative v. Ohio Redistricting Commission filed a motion today asking the court to
enforce that order. The petitioners propose that the court require the commission to explain why it should not be held in contempt for failing to draw new maps. The petitioners, who are represented by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and Reed Smith, are the Ohio
Organizing Collaborative, CAIR-Ohio, Ohio Environmental Council, Ahmad Aboukar, Crystal Bryant, Samuel Gresham Jr., Prentiss Haney, Mikayla Lee, and Pierrette “Petee” Talley.”
Republicans have spent the last few months telling voters — and this includes their own base — they couldn’t care less what they want. Their members keep passing partisan maps that would give the GOP far more than the 54% of the vote they’ve won over the past decade. They apparently refuse to consider any fair maps that are in line with the state voting average.
Let’s be clear. No one, not even Democrats, suggests Republicans should not receive the majority of seats in the House and Senate. They should. But they shouldn’t rig the system.
The state GOP will issue another incredulous and disingenuous statement about how power-hungry Democrats are trying to game the system when Republicans have shown the opposite to be true.
Staying in the majority isn’t enough; nothing short of dictatorship will do.
I don’t expect the commission members to spend one day in jail. I do expect such a move would make national headlines. I expect GOP lawmakers to lose their minds in Columbus for two reasons — the nerve of the Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor making such a threat; and the stain such a ruling puts on every Republican running for reelection.
Republican commissioners could do the right thing and accept one of the maps with the 54%-46% split. I don’t know which one’s best, but they’re out there. They’re being ignored because it doesn’t cement GOP dictatorship. Nothing more, nothing less.
So since they refuse to do their jobs, the court should do its job.
Throw those who stand in the way in jail.