Only eight of Kentucky’s 120 counties have reported vaccination rates above 50%. Clearly, chuckleheads are the majority in the Bluegrass State.
Therefore, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is stepping up to attempt to alert people in his state why being smart by taking the COVID-19 vaccine is in their best interest. Why at this stage in the pandemic such outreach efforts are needed underscores the rot that exists within a sizable segment of the nation.
The Senator will use his campaign funds to pay for radio ads encouraging people to get vaccinated. This is a most unusual spending choice but truly reflects the deepening crisis posed by the delta variant of Covid. It also shows how dangerous to public health those who refuse to be vaccinated pose for the greater good.
Look, acting with common-sense and care for others should not be such high hurdles to clear.
My dad’s brother in Wisconsin was impacted his whole life by contracting polio. I mention this as McConnell had his own personal experience with polio.
My mom, who grew up as a youngster in Arkansas, spoke of the dread families would experience when bouts of disease would spread through a community. Protecting children and loved ones was the obvious priority, but without preventive measures, such as vaccines, there was only so much that could be done.
So when I read the news reports of people refusing to accept science and advice from medical professionals about the COVID-19 vaccine I think of those who knew what it was like to truly have no options to fight certain viruses. I think of those in the family who have shared their stories long before this pandemic struck.
Trying to spin, rationalize, or deceive oneself against the danger of this virus, or the necessity and prudence of the vaccine that can contain it, is absurd. The chuckleheads among us are doing great damage to the needs of their families, communities, and the nation at large.
There are not many times this blog has commended Senator Mitch McConnell for actions he has taken. I am glad, however, that on this matter of science, medicine, and rational thought we have a shared place on which to stand.
And so it goes.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 