Author: Rik Goodman

Vaccination

To vaccinate or not? That is the questions careening down our highways. City to city, state to state, should I vaccinate?

Of course, YES is my answer. Others I know say absolutely not. What are their reasons? What could possibly be their reasons? I have heard all the different excuses.

  • Vaccines are bad. This is the catch-all for anti-vaxxers.
  • Vaccines cause Autism. Fully debunked but still out there
  • MRNA vaccines are too new to be safe. MRNA technology has been around and in use for some time. We were able to create these Covid-19 vaccines so quickly due to the years of study in to MRNA feasibility.
  • Vaccines change our DNA. Just crazy, nothing more to say.
  • Vaccines insert GPS tracking microprocessors into our blood stream. See above comment
  • Vaccines are an infringement on our privacy and rights. Why then is it okay to get vaccines to travel to certain parts of the world?
  • Vaccines do not prevent the spread of Covid-19. That is true. No vaccine is 100% effective. It does, however, reduce the chance of serious illness, reduce the chance of one spreading the virus. There are those that say everyone has or will have the virus in their system so no vaccine will be effective. Common sense says that if the virus does not have the ability to multiply as effectively in a vaccinated person, that person will not have as much virus to spread to others.
  • Vaccines are a government (Democratic) plot to control the population. Another crazy conspiracy theory that should just be tossed out.

The above list contains the most common excuses I have heard. There are more. To those that refuse to be vaccinated that is your right. It is also my right to not have you near me. Please stay away until you see the light of day. I am not afraid of getting sick, I have been vaccinated. If I do contract Covid-19 it will probably be a mild case. However, I do not want to take the chance of spreading the virus to some of my very vulnerable relatives and friends. Even though they are vaccinated and boosted a case of Covid-19 would be tough on them. They either have underlying conditions or are elderly, or both. Or they are too young to receive the vaccination yet.

So quit trying to convince me you know better. Get your vaccines and your booster shots. There are those of you out there that I would love to be in contact with. But without this protection I must pull back and stay safe.

The End of the American Experiment

As we approach the one year anniversary of the 2020 Insurrection we must ask ourselves this question…. Do we want to maintain our democracy? Or are we looking to find another type of government?

Throughout our country there are those that are still trying to tear down the system we have been building since the American Revolution. There are those that wish us to move away from our known way of governing and towards an authoritarian vision, A vision that will take us down the path of so many countries before us. A vision that will divide our people into classes so that each class has it’s place in life. This is the road we are headed down if we continue to turn a blind eye to changes that have been taking place.

Republicans are trying to suppress the vote, ignore the science and turn our country into a white ruled monoculture. To this day continued lawsuits, back room antics and flat-out lies are the tools the right are using to destroy our country.

Our country should be one of compassion, conciliation, acceptance and belief that we all should have the same opportunities in life. Voting rights are the key to equality. One person, one vote. That is democracy. The Electoral College is no longer a valid method of electing a leader. A national voting system must be put into place, where every person in every town has the same opportunity to cast a ballot. The same methods and formats should be used everywhere. Take the states out of the equation. Election day should be either a holiday or a weekend day, no one should be forced to miss an election. On the other hand we, as citizens, must step up and turn out the votes. We cannot sit back and watch and then complain about the outcome.

As you know i lean left. And I am imploring all of the Democrats out there to fight. Call your congressperson, all your elected representatives, help out even outside of your city, county or state. Don’t let the Republicans turn other states into embarrassments like Texas or Florida. Show your power and vote.

Inauguration Day or Another Day To Live In Infamy?

I am of the belief that military force should never be used against our own citizens. In the case of violence police force should be sufficient to bring about peace.

I am changing my mind. Reluctantly. If domestic terrorists, insurgents, can come armed to the teeth with military style weapons, determined to undermine our democracy, we must act to protect.

We have all heard the reports, armed militias to stage acts of terror upon all fifty state capitols in the days leading up to the inauguration. And on Inauguration Day even more insurgents planning on targeting the events and the people involved.

I say, with much trepidation, that the military might be our only option. These assholes come much better armed and prepared that do the Capitol Police and maybe even the National Guard. It is a sad time in our history that we must take these precautions. What other choice do we have?

It’s not the inauguration of a Democrat we have to protect, it’s the inauguration itself. This is a hallowed day in our country, the start of a new administration, the belief that a new era is dawning. I would say this no matter who was being inaugurated. Be it someone I agree with or someone I don’t, Inauguration Day must be peaceful.

I don’t believe this will be a peaceful day or even a peaceful week leading up to Inauguration Day. If we have to surround the proceedings with military might, if we have to provide military security to all the state Capitols and government officials then we must do what is necessary.

Again, it is with a heavy heart that I write these words. I cannot imagine a time when my thoughts would lead to this conclusion. We live in distressing times and must find a way to heal the hearts and minds of our country. We have always been a country divided. We have always had opinions that varied widely. But we have never seen such anger toward one and another. I have felt it too. I may have destroyed important relationships with friends and family over my beliefs. Hopefully I can repair these relationships as I hope our country can repair itself. Differing ideologies, differing skin color, differing religious beliefs and more make up our society. Let us celebrate the differences and let us rejoice in the similarities that make this country special.

I implore upon those who would bring violence to our streets that this is not the way to settle our disputes. Do not listen to a mad man that cannot accept his own shortcomings. Stay home. Stay safe. Show the world that our country can adapt, can return to prominence, can be the shining light that once was the United States of America.