Up until the 1980s, gastroenterologists believed stomach ulcers, a debilitating (and sometimes deadly) ailment that affected up to 10 percent of people, were caused by stress. Australian internist Barry Marshall believed differently; he thought they were caused by a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.

“Unable to make his case in studies with lab mice (because H. pylori affects only primates) and prohibited from experimenting on people, Marshall grew desperate,” Discover reported in a 2010 article. “Finally he ran an experiment on the only human patient he could ethically recruit: himself. He took some H. pylori from the gut of an ailing patient, stirred it into a broth, and drank it.”

He developed gastritis, began vomiting, became sick and exhausted and had breath that could kill a small animal at 10 paces. Then, he biopsied his own gut.

The culprit? H. pylori, something that proved “unequivocally that bacteria were the underlying cause of ulcers” and antibiotics could treat them.

Heroic as the story may be, it also proves that there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Marshall was undeniably straddling it. But he managed to push science forward in the process.

Lawmakers: CDC May Be Manipulating COVID Data, Underreporting Vaccine Side Effects by Factor of 5

It’s also illustrative of an important precedent: Don’t expect others to take up your treatment if you’re not willing to put your money where your mouth (or thigh) is.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t developed any vaccine, although he’s looking to deploy it very widely. Earlier this month, he announced once COVID-19 vaccines receive full approval for 12- to 17-year-olds, all students will be forced to receive them.

“CA will require our kids to get the COVID-19 vaccine to come to school. This will go into effect following full FDA approval,” Newsom tweeted Oct. 1.

“Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work.

“This is about keeping our kids safe & healthy.”

BREAKING: CA will require our kids to get the COVID-19 vaccine to come to school.

This will go into effect following full FDA approval.

Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work.

This is about keeping our kids safe & healthy.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 1, 2021

Only one of Newsom’s children, a 12-year-old daughter, is old enough to be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination. So, has he had her vaccinated?

Well, uh, she’s got stuff to do first. She’ll get around to it.

In a piece in the Los Angeles Times, various experts in the People’s Technocracy of California discussed how to get as many jabs in as many pubescent arms as possible. This included adding “the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of school shots that qualify only for medical waivers or to craft a narrower exemption for personal beliefs, such as limiting them to religious objections.”

Vaccine Tyranny: UCLA Doctor Escorted Off Property for Refusing Vax, Then He Reveals His Plan

The Times was reporting on what’s become a grave concern for the nation’s vaccination hawks: the fear that people might be able to exempt themselves or their children from vaccine requirements because their trifling personal or religious beliefs might get in the way. The government will decide what you can do with your body, thank you very much. (Unless there’s an unborn child living in there, of course — then it’s your body, your choice.)

The concern, as the Times’ Melody Gutierrez wrote, is that when Newsom ordered the vaccine mandate, “a critical caveat was tucked within the nation-leading announcement: Parents can opt their children out of inoculation based on personal beliefs.”

“I think it’s likely we have to address this,” Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan said. “We don’t want schools closing down or classes in quarantine. If you have a loophole or gap that allows too many students to remain unvaccinated, then you won’t have a school that is safe where students can learn. We have already had enough disruptions.”

Whether this is going to lead to fewer disruptions is a matter of debate, but that’s not what we’re here for.

“The governor has said the state’s process offers an ‘accommodating’ personal belief exemption and will provide adequate time to hesitant parents to talk to their doctors and school nurses,” Gutierrez reported.

“He said his own daughter, who recently turned 12 years old and is eligible for the vaccine, has not yet received it because she has ‘a series of other shots’ to get first.”

Shenanigans have thusly been called.

California is the only state in America that plans to insist that 12- to 17-year-olds get vaccinated when the vaccines receive full Food and Drug Administration approval for that age group. It’s a problematic push when you consider that across the United States, roughly 500 individuals under the age of 18 have died due to the pandemic. There are concerns with younger patients that make the cost-benefit analysis a bit more skewed, particularly since long COVID isn’t as prevalent in the cohort.

But, no: Newsom and California Democrats are insisting school-age children get a COVID vaccine posthaste. As for the governor’s own daughter? Well, she has other shots and stuff to do. You know how kids are.

Sorry, no.

Gavin Newsom is the parent here. He decides what shots his children get and when. If this is both urgent and safe, that series of other shots can wait — particularly in the midst of a pandemic.

Yet Newsom, a governor who wants to force his state’s parents to inoculate their children against COVID-19, hasn’t gotten his daughter vaccinated yet.

Will this make a whit of difference in his daughter’s health? Probably not. But the same could be said for every aspect of this capricious and ineffectual order.

Through his actions as a parent — or rather, his inaction — Newsom has proved the point.

Get the COVID shot, Joe Biden demanded a few weeks ago.

Each business with over a hundred employees must see that each worker gets the jab, he said.

You must get the shot, Biden reiterated. You must, you must, you must.

Immediately, companies complied. If you’re a nurse and you’ve been a hero through the pandemic, you will be required to get the vaccine. Sorry, if you don’t want to get the shot, you won’t have a job. Bye.

Same to you if you are a police officer, a firefighter, or a member of the military.

Lawmakers: CDC May Be Manipulating COVID Data, Underreporting Vaccine Side Effects by Factor of 5

You must get the shot — no exceptions.

Wait a minute, some objected. The president can’t just issue an executive order like that. It’s unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, and un-American.

These people are right. Biden cannot issue an executive order of this nature.

According to Bloomberg Law, “Biden this month told the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to write a rule requiring that companies get workers vaccinated or show that the employees test negative for Covid-19 each week.”

Sonia Zeledón, Hershey Co.’s associate general counsel and head of ethics, compliance and data privacy, told Bloomberg, “It’s a lot easier for us to say that OSHA spells it out this way, and we have to comply. All the companies are looking forward to see how OSHA defines the mandate for us to then follow.”

He isn’t even issuing the order himself — other than in speeches.

The vaccine mandate is nothing more than Joe Biden posturing. In reality, it’s dictatorship by news release, according to an insightful analysis by Joy Pullmann, executive editor of The Federalist.

The Biden administration has said enforcement of vaccine mandates would be by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But “[t]he White House, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Department of Labor haven’t released any official guidance for the alleged mandate. There is no executive order. There’s nothing but press statements,” Pullman wrote.

So, there’s no mandate. This is why almost two dozen Republican attorneys general who said they would file suit against the mandate have done nothing so far.

How Biden Stole Christmas: WH Admits ‘There Will Be Things People Can’t Get’ at Christmas

Here’s the game Pullmann said the Biden administration is playing: They’re using an obscure procedure known as an emergency temporary standard.

In certain limited circumstances, OSHA says it can invoke an immediate special regulation if “workers are in grave danger due to exposure to toxic substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or to new hazards and that an emergency standard is needed to protect them.”

Once an emergency temporary standard has been issued, it then appears in the Federal Register for consideration as a permanent regulation. Normal regulation adoption procedures follow, with a final ruling to be made within six months, according to OSHA.

However, the “validity of an emergency temporary standard may be challenged in an appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals.”

Studying lawsuits surrounding an ETS are key because they show the smoke-and-mirrors aspects of Biden’s vaccine mandate strategy.

In 50 years, courts have upheld only one ETS of ten OSHA has put forth, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The legislation creating OSHA “imposes stringent limits on emergency standards precisely so OSHA can’t easily circumvent the ordinary rule-making process,” the Journal reported.

“Courts subject emergency standards to what appellate courts call a ‘hard look’ review, a more stringent standard than for ordinary economic regulations.”

But despite the Biden administration’s imaginary vaccination mandate, big businesses seem delighted to throw unvaccinated employees out the door.

In fact, use of the ETS gives companies a place to hide from angry workers.

“Everybody loves this cover,” Minneapolis employment lawyer Kate Bischoff said, according to Bloomberg Law. “Many were already looking down the road at doing this, but the fact that they get to blame Biden is like manna from heaven.”

Not all companies whose lawyers spoke with Bloomberg Law are completely favorable towards the vaccine mandates. There are some companies with a “mixed reaction,” said Jonathan Segal, a Philadelphia employment lawyer.

“Clients that don’t favor it think it’s impracticable or don’t like it because of the cost,” Segal said.

Whether or not companies are fully on board with this idea, vaccine mandates are being issued in companies across America.

See how easy that is? No pesky legislation. Not even an executive order.

It’s just Joe Biden and the Democrats telling you — and American businesses — what to do.

For them, this truly is “manna from heaven.”

A former nurse who was reportedly fired after his religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement was rejected has shed some rather harsh light on hysterical claims that ICU beds are at capacity because of all the sick unvaccinated people.

Speaking with LifeSiteNews, Brad McDowell, who was employed as an emergency room nurse at Valley Health Systems in Winchester, Virginia, explained that the “at capacity” status has less to do with unvaccinated patients and more to do with unvaccinated staffers that are being let go for their resistance to hospital, state and federal mandates.

“They can’t open a bed that they don’t have a nurse and a tech to staff,” he explained in a video interview that was published over the weekend, after being asked by interviewer Jim Hale if the health care worker shortage supposedly caused by the pandemic is, in reality, a result of strict vaccine mandates that many health care professionals have refused to adhere to.

“I can tell you that all those beds [at Valley Health] are not open, and I know that for a fact,” McDowell charged, referring to his former place of employment.

“There are beds closed, and they’re saying they’re … at capacity, but it’s not because there’s not enough beds,” he explained.

Lawmakers: CDC May Be Manipulating COVID Data, Underreporting Vaccine Side Effects by Factor of 5

“It’s not because of the patient load. It’s because of the workforce load,” he said.

In other words, the unvaccinated patients aren’t overwhelming the hospital; the hospital has let go so many workers who refused to comply with the vaccine mandate that it’s now short-staffed as a result.

This is all rather remarkable when you consider that it’s health care workers who not only have been the most intimately familiar with COVID-19 throughout the whole of the pandemic, but they’re the ones you’d think would be most likely to be clamoring for a vaccine.

First of all, as is the case with frontline workers like firefighters, EMTs, and police officers, most nurses and doctors have been exposed to the coronavirus. Many have contracted and survived it themselves.

Although it’s highly inconvenient to those manufacturing and mandating the vaccine, the fact remains that there is ample evidence to suggest that natural immunity can protect against the virus at least as well as the vaccine itself.

“If you think about it, you have the political elite, the media elite, the people at the highest levels of the CDC, the pharmaceutical industry, they are running, they run the whole narrative,” McDowell explained.

“They’re the ones pushing it, they’re the ones who benefit the most from everyone taking a vaccine,” he stated.

Meanwhile, it’s hospital patients and hard-working frontline workers who are suffering due to these mandates.

Southwest CEO Finally Says What We’re All Thinking, Bashes Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

A year ago, nurses and doctors were the celebrated heroes of the pandemic — now they’re being left in the dust for refusing to get a vaccine that they, with all their professional knowledge and experience with the virus, do not feel they should be required to get.

At the start of the pandemic, they were seen as the anointed saviors of all mankind. Their plight was often touted to convince the rest of us to shut up, get in line, and disregard any and all concern for our civil liberties and unprecedented violations thereof.

And suddenly, now that so many of them have their doubts about this vaccine and are willing and ready to work with COVID-19 patients without getting the vaccine themselves, they suddenly have no more clout?

Broad-reaching mandates by health care systems, states and the Biden administration are creating a health care worker shortage right in the midst of what they continue to tell us is a horrifically deadly pandemic that is being perpetrated by those who refuse to get vaccinated. Yet clearly, according to McDowell, this is far from the case.

How much longer are we going to tolerate this manufactured pandemic — and how much damage will be done to our nation’s vital health care infrastructure in the process?

Some will remember that comedy classic from 1961, “Divorce, Italian Style,”  starring Marcello Mastroianni. Unfortunately, sixty years later, we seem to be moving toward, even living through, a far less funny, real life “Communism, American Style.”

What is “Communism, American Style”?  As yet one would think it bears little resemblance to the Soviet kind with its Gulags and so forth.

Or does it?

On Oct. 6, the Los Angeles City Council proclaimed, nearly unanimously (11-2), COVID-19 mandates that require proof of vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, movie theaters, salons, shopping centers, and just about every other public indoor space you could think of in the entertainment capitol.

Others, with the encouragement of our federal government, will soon be following suit in varying degrees or already have.

Maybe Gulags aren’t needed when the entire society is living in one.

This occurred only a couple of days after Merrick Garland, the attorney general of our country—in what Mark Levin described as Stasi-like behavior—announced his jihad, apparently in cahoots with several other governmental education entities, against parents who deigned to criticize school boards for propagandizing their children with Critical Race Theory (son of Critical Theory, son of Marxism).

Garland called these concerned parents, who are springing up seemingly everywhere, “domestic terrorists.”

It turned out the AG’s own children were, via the “education” company Panorama, profiting mightily off purveying this same inducing of race hatred while pretending to be an anti-racist, totalitarian so-called theory.

Communism, despite its high-toned, ever-changing, moralistic rhetoric— more precisely thanks to it, when you think about it— is the most evolved system yet for preserving as much money as possible in the hands of elites (translation: communist leadership and their friends).

It’s no accident Fidel Castro died a billionaire while his people live on in squalor.  Or that General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping’ inhabits the opulent imperial redoubt, partly a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jade Spring Hill (Take a look. Mar-a-Lago may not have seemed all that impressive to him.).

Power to (some of) the People, indeed.

Nevertheless. China, Russia and, no doubt, Cuba, had he known much about it, were considered too impoverished by Marx to be fecund opportunities for communism, especially then. Pol Pot’s Cambodia would probably have baffled old Karl.

Marx assumed his system would first come to that more modern industrialized state that was prepared for the transition, Germany.

He was wrong about that (at least until East Germany came along, but that was only due to the intervention of the Soviets.  Yes, Nazism had elements of Marxism too.).

Or was he?  Perhaps he was just ahead of his time.

What modern industrialized state could be more fecund for communism than the United States of America, the country with the most-est of all?

And it wouldn’t even require a revolution. It could just walk in the door, especially since so many of its leaders seem ready for it.

Of course, they do not name what is happening communism, or even socialism.  That would just create dissension.  Often, conveniently, they do not even admit what they are doing, or calling it, to themselves.

But they are doing it.  And that is what is important.

Basic to this development is a one-party system, something more like China, which is communist in rhetoric and social control, but capitalist, in greater or lesser extents, economically.  Socialism, most intelligent people know, ultimately does not work as an economic system.

There’s nothing new about that.  Lenin understood it when he instituted limited capitalism, the New Economic Policy (NEP), only a few years after assuming power.

But the one-party system is still attractive.  It obviously can be successful when paired with capitalism of various degrees.  The so-called Chinese miracle is an outgrowth of that when millions, largely in the more capitalistic era of Deng Tsiao-peng, were lifted out of poverty.

Virtually all the Democratic Party and an unfortunate portion of the Republican—the uni-party, as it is known—believe the Chinese are the way of the future and, as I have aid before, have consciously or unconsciously joined up with them in deeds, if not in words.

The premature, surprise lifting of the debt ceiling on Oct. 7 with notable Republican participation was but one example of this growing tendency toward one-party rule.  Democracy, especially multi-party democracy, is just too unruly, too Eighteenth Century, too Enlightenment, for the modern high-tech era.

Helping in this transition to crypto-communism, or whatever you would call it, are many in the populace who would rather be led than to think or, more importantly, act for themselves. It’s the part of human nature that makes for good communists.  In fact communism owes its existence to them.

They are the part of America that will allow, indeed are allowing, communism to walk in the door.  Among them are some of our richest and most successful citizens, but that does not stop them from being fools.

They are not, moreover, the people that built this country.  Those who built the country are from the folks de Tocqueville saw when he wrote “Democracy in America,” the independent, self-starting citizens that formed so many non-governmental, patriotic organizations for the betterment of all.

Those people, thankfully, and here’s the good part, have not gone away.  The ideological war is not over. The Fat Lady hasn’t even begun to sing. She hasn’t opened her sheet music.

Merrick Garland and his allies made a big mistake in their frontal assault on the parents of America, many of whom were already outraged. Just think how many they are, parents fed up with an already atrocious public school system that served no one and was now being used for indoctrination.

They are forming a literal army across the country. Running for school board is turning into the number one vocation or avocation, depending on the situation, for patriotic, committed Americans.

But something even bigger is happening.  And it doesn’t take Outkick’s Clay Travis to see it—although he clearly has and is talking about it daily on his radio show with Buck Sexton.

Football season is here and the country is fed up to an unprecedented degree with their pro-communist leaders for a variety reasons from the totalitarian COVID mandates to the equally unprecedented national embarrassment of Afghanistan to a mainstream media that has done nothing but lie to them.

And more and more people are showing their displeasure for this state of affairs in football and NASCAR stadiums, in concert halls, and in the streets.

It’s a movement never seen before and it’s growing at an amazing clip.  Crowds of Americans are banding together and shouting:

LET’S GO BRANDON!

Well, this is a family newspaper, but you know what I mean.  “Let’s go Brandon!” is how a NBC reporter translated for her audience the expletive laced rejection of Joe Biden being shouted by a NASCAR audience. It’s another way of saying “Bye-bye, communism, good-bye.  We love our freedom here.”

Do as I say/mandate… [US Patriot]

A new claim is making the rounds of the media that members of Congress and their staff members are being treated with ivermectin.

The claim was posted on Twitter through the account of Dr. Pierre Kory, whose bio says he was formerly “ Chief of the Critical Care Service and Medical Director of the Trauma and Life Support Center at the University of Wisconsin.”

His tweet links to the website of the Front-Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance.

“Fun fact: Between 100-200 United States Congress Members (plus many of their staffers & family members) with COVID.. were treated by a colleague over the past 15 months with ivermectin & the I-MASK+ protocol at http://flccc.net. None have gone to hospital. Just sayin’,” he tweeted.

Fun fact: Between 100-200 United States Congress Members (plus many of their staffers & family members) with COVID.. were treated by a colleague over the past 15 months with ivermectin & the I-MASK+ protocol at https://t.co/OvU8SLfLJq. None have gone to hospital. Just sayin’

— Pierre Kory, MD MPA (@PierreKory) October 8, 2021

Video: Biden Humiliates Himself Again, Refers to ‘Everyone in This Room’ While Delivering Outdoor Speech

Kory later offered further comment to those questioning a similar comment posted through the Twitter account of the alliance.

“To all the comments asking for sources/names for the below: 1) This came from a highly credible source inside Congress who has asked to remain anonymous 2) I would never divulge the medical treatments of individual members, nor do I know them myself I fully stand by this tweet,” he posted.

To all the comments asking for sources/names for the below:

1) This came from a highly credible source inside Congress who has asked to remain anonymous
2) I would never divulge the medical treatments of individual members, nor do I know them myself

I fully stand by this tweet. https://t.co/Vt6UJ2K7sT

— Pierre Kory, MD MPA (@PierreKory) October 8, 2021

Daniel Horowitz, a senior editor a TheBlaze, tweeted,  “I can verify this.”

I can verify this. https://t.co/Vrs0qUShMz

— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) October 8, 2021

As of Saturday morning, further verification was not published.

Ivermectin has been a controversial drug affiliated with treatment regimens for COVID-19.

The major use of the drug is to treat internal parasites in large animals such as horses and cows.

There is also a human use, as noted by the Food and Drug Administration.

Joe Biden Seems to Admit He Attempted to Pressure Hospital Into Giving Preferential Treatment to a Friend

“For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea,” the FDA says on its website.

A doctor who was filling in at a rural Alberta hospital says he treated three COVID-19 patients with ivermectin, triggering a warning from the provincial health authority about the dangers of the controversial drug. https://t.co/Q3Fi5lB0vY

— CBC News (@CBCNews) October 8, 2021

The FDA has not approved ivermectin in any form for use to treat COVID-19. The World Health Organization has said that its use should only be limited to clinical trials, because of uncertainty over the drug’s impacts on people.

However, multiple reports have emerged of individuals taking the drug. Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas has touted the use of the drug, according to Newsweek. Podcast host Joe Rogan listed ivermectin among the drugs he used when he came down with the disease.

“Thousands of physicians on the frontlines…want the option of administering ivermectin. Yet they are widely discouraged, even demonized…they face the loss of their livelihoods if they discuss it publicly.”
Medicine has been perverted when MDs can’t use a safe approved drug. https://t.co/re2ztbcjfk

— Mary Beth Pfeiffer (@marybethpf) October 9, 2021

In the various anecdotal reports that have emerged, some individuals and doctors have reported success using the drug.

Other reports have emerged of individuals self-medicating who have suffered serious side effects.

Amid the various reports, it is often unclear which form of the drug was taken or in what dosage.

The damage has been done. We are on the cusp of vaccinating kindergartners. [US Patrtiot]

The New York Times issued a correction Thursday saying it severely misreported the number of child COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States by over 800,000 cases.

The NY Times report, “A New Vaccine Strategy for Children: Just One Dose, for Now,” first reported that about “900,000 children have been hospitalized” with the virus since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. However, the article has since been corrected to say that  “more than 63,000 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 from August 2020 to October 2021.”

A note from the editor was added to the article.

“An earlier version of this article incorrectly described actions taken by regulators in Sweden and Denmark,” the correction also said. “They have halted use of the Moderna vaccine in children; they have not begun offering single doses.”

The article, the editor added, “also misstated the number of COVID hospitalizations in U.S. children. It is more than 63,000 from August 2020 to October 2021, not 900,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, the article misstated the timing of an [Food and Drug Administration] meeting on authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children. It is later this month, not next week.”

The correction drew significant criticism on Twitter, where journalist and media critic Glenn Greenwald noted that the NY Times recently fired several senior staff members, including COVID-19 reporter Donald McNeil Jr.

“Now we have an incompetent in his place constantly doing this, or saying it’s racist to investigate COVID origins,” Greenwald wrote.

The correction comes after a recent poll from Gallup found that Americans, by in large, significantly overstate the COVID-19 hospitalization rate.

The survey, published late last month, found that 41 percent of registered Democrats believe that there’s a 50 percent chance that an unvaccinated individual will go the hospital for COVID-19, while 21 percent of Republicans and 26 percent of independents believe the same.

Gallup, citing federal health data, said that under different circumstances, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate for both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals is fewer than 1 percent.

“Democrats are more likely to overstate hospitalization risks for unvaccinated people, which may fuel efforts, often led by Democratic Party leaders, to enforce both mask and vaccine mandates,” the pollster wrote in a writeup on the survey’s findings.

Meanwhile, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Friday that the seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases has dipped below 100,000 this week.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The Epoch Times has contacted the NY Times for comment.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/new-york-times-pens-major-correction-after-overstating-child-covid-19-hospitalizations_4039143.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he will not force his employees to get vaccinated after the city approved one of the strictest COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the country, saying the issue of COVID-19 vaccines has become “so politicized.”

Speaking during his weekly Q&A on Facebook on Oct. 7, Villanueva said the new mandate puts him in a difficult position where he faces losing more employees at a time when the police force is already struggling with staffing issues.

“I’m not forcing anyone. The issue has become so politicized,” Villanueva said on Thursday. “There are entire groups of employees that are willing to be fired and laid off rather than get vaccinated, so I don’t want to be in a position to lose 5 to 10 percent of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate.”

Villanueva added that he is already struggling with “barebones” staffing issues due to the “defund the police” efforts.

“This is like the worst of two worlds right here. So, we have to pick and choose.”

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told The Epoch Times it has “no comment at this time.”

The city of Los Angeles approved the new vaccine mandate on Oct. 6, requiring anyone aged 12 or above to provide proof of vaccination to enter indoor venues such as indoor restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, salons, indoor government facilities, shopping centers, and more.

The mandate will become effective as of Nov. 4, but does not apply to pharmacies and grocery stores.

Exceptions will also be made for individuals with valid medical exemptions and for those with a “sincerely held religious belief,” which will be reviewed by the location the person wishes to enter.

For people with religious or medical exemptions, negative COVID-19 tests within 72 hours of entry will be required, according to the ordinance.

Unvaccinated individuals attempting to use government services will be provided with “alternative arrangements for access to government services,” including online or outdoor services, or providing proof of a negative test to enter, as per the mandate.

The city council vote on Oct. 6 was 11–2, with Councilmen John Lee and Joe Buscaino voting to oppose the new mandate.

An executive order from Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis in August also mandated vaccination for over 110,000 county workers.

Similar mandates have also been implemented in New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, and West Hollywood. A number of countries throughout Europe have also implemented various mandates and vaccine passport-type systems.

LA’s tough mandate has left residents divided. The Epoch Times interviewed residents and visitors at Manhattan Beach, California, pier asking their opinions on the new policy. Out of seven people interviewed, two of them opposed the mandate.

This is not the first time Villanueva has spoken out about vaccines and subsequent mandates. Earlier this year, the sheriff said that forcing vaccinated individuals and those who have already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is “not backed by science and contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.”

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/los-angeles-sheriff-alex-villanueva-says-he-will-not-force-employees-to-get-vaccinated_4038770.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Two Republican senators vowed late on Oct. 6 to try again to bar the Department of Defense (DOD) from dishonorably discharging members of the U.S. military who decline to be vaccinated against the CCP virus, also known as novel coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19.

“I just hope the people here realize what a dishonorable discharge really means,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told more than 2,000 conservative and evangelical family advocates at the Family Research Council’s (FRC) “Pray Vote Stand Summit” conference in Leesburg, Virginia.

“You’re never going to be able to get a job again. You’re going to lose your Second Amendment [rights]. They’re going to take away your VA health care benefits and your education. It’s a big deal, is what I’m trying to say,” Marshall explained in response to a question from the moderator, FRC President Tony Perkins.

Marshall was referring to a Sept. 21 position statement issued by the White House saying the Biden administration “strongly opposes” congressional efforts to bar dishonorable discharges when service members decline to be vaccinated.

“You’re treated worse than a convicted felon,” added Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who joined Marshall in the discussion with Perkins.

The U.S. military includes approximately 1.3 million active-duty members, as well as an estimated 800,000 reservists subject to immediate call-up. More than 700,000 Americans have died as a result of the CCP virus, with slightly more of the fatalities coming in 2021 than in 2020.

Marshall noted that votes will be taken later in October in the Senate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and he plans to introduce an amendment removing the dishonorable discharge option from the available disciplinary measures that military leaders can impose on unvaccinated subordinates.

“The National Defense Authorization Act will be coming up for a vote probably the end of this month, and we’ll be offering an amendment just like we did on the continuing resolution to stop that nonsense. And we’ll need to activate your folks to help us out,” Marshall said.

The FRC summit attendees are concerned citizens from across the country who tend to be actively involved in public policy discussions and advocacy at all levels of government.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued an Aug. 24 order requiring all service members to be vaccinated, using the vaccine developed by Pfizer. While Austin said President Joe Biden supported the decision, it’s been unclear whether service members would face a dishonorable discharge as a potential penalty.

Austin was asked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) during a Sept. 28 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing if he supports dishonorable discharges for unvaccinated service members.

“Taking a vaccine is a requirement. I’ll just leave it at that,” Austin replied.

Maj. Cesar Santiago, a DOD spokesman, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 7 that “service members cannot be unilaterally dishonorably discharged for declining the vaccination.”

Santiago explained that “a commander would have to court-martial a service member for a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice—in this case, failure to follow a lawful order, Article 92 of the Uniform Code—and then a court-martial would have to find the service member guilty and, in the sentencing phase of the trial, assign a dishonorable discharge.”

Nearly 96 percent of all active-duty personnel have received at least one dose of the vaccination, and more than 79 percent have received both shots, he said.

Lankford said he’s hearing from service members that military commanders in each of the five branches are often taking differing approaches on the vaccine issue.

“This is an issue all of us have been engaged in. So, as crazy as this sounds, the Air Force is handling this differently than the Army is handling it than the Navy is handling it. They don’t even have consistent policy agency to agency and even within the Pentagon.

“So when I talk to the Army, they’ve set their policies—and I’ve talked to the chaplains there, I’ve talked to the surgeon general there, the leadership for manpower—they’ll say, there’s no way we’re going to do a less than honorable discharge. We’re not going to do that. We’re just going to say you can’t get promoted anymore. You’re stuck at that level.

“The Navy and the Air Force will say, well, we wouldn’t give a dishonorable discharge, but we’d give a less than honorable discharge as a possibility. Basically, you’re kicked out and you lose some of your benefits.”

Marshall and Lankford were joined by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tuberville at the end of September in a failed effort to amend a Continuing Resolution to keep the government open.

On the House side, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) authored an amendment in the House Armed Services Committee that had support from both sides of the aisle, but the proposal wasn’t adopted.

The issue continues to boil in Congress, however, because of recurring reports of service members being threatened with dishonorable discharges. Two service members have filed a federal lawsuit naming Austin, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock.

The service members argue that the Pfizer vaccine being required by the Austin order is based on an FDA authorization for its use on an experimental basis. Federal law requires that individuals can’t be required to undergo treatment with an experimental drug. Days after they filed their suit, the FDA gave full approval to the vaccine.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/senators-vow-to-try-again-to-bar-dishonorable-discharges-for-declining-vaccine_4037228.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

A hospital in Colorado rejected a woman for a kidney transplant after she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine, officials have confirmed.

Leilani Lutali received a letter on Sept. 28 informing her that the transplant team at the University of Colorado Hospital decided to designate her inactive on the waiting list for transplants.

“You will be inactivated on the list for non-compliance by not receiving the COVID vaccine,” the letter states.

If Lutali continues to refuse to get a vaccine, she “will be removed from the kidney transplant list,” it added.

Neither Lutali nor her designated donor, Jaimee Fougner, have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Fougner hasn’t for religious reasons, while Lutali believes there isn’t enough known about the vaccines, they told KCNC-TV.

According to Lutali, hospital officials previously said vaccination wasn’t required to get a transplant.

“Here I am, willing to be a direct donor to her. It does not affect any other patient on the transplant list,” said Fougner. “How can I sit here and allow them to murder my friend when I’ve got a perfectly good kidney and can save her life?”

The hospital didn’t respond to a request for comment. It told news outlets in a statement that there are many requirements in place at transplant centers, such as requiring patients to avoid alcohol.

“In almost all situations, transplant recipients and living donors at UCHealth are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in addition to meeting other health requirements and receiving additional vaccinations. Some U.S. transplant centers already have this requirement in place, and others are making this change in policy now,” the hospital stated.

State Rep. Tim Geitner, a Republican who first drew awareness to the situation, said in a Facebook Live video that he spoke with Lutali and that she has tested positive for antibodies against the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19, but the hospital refuses to make an exception.

“That’s demonstrated through documentation. And still UCHealth is refusing to render this type of care, this type of life-saving care—this isn’t even just typical care, this is life-saving care. And that’s incredibly frustrating, incredibly sad, incredibly disgusting, that UCHealth would make this type of a decision and impact an individual in such a dramatic and profound way,” he told followers.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit that manages the U.S. organ transplantation system, such policies are not unique, but aren’t mandated for transplant facilities.

“Each transplant hospital makes its own decisions about listing candidates according to the hospital’s best clinical judgment, including whether or not any specific vaccination is part of their eligibility criteria. If you have questions about listing criteria at your transplant hospital, we encourage you to contact the hospital directly,” the network states on its website.

At least one other hospital reportedly rejected prospective transplant recipients over a refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Sam Allen was told earlier this year by University of Washington Medicine that his heart transplant surgery couldn’t be completed unless he got vaccinated.

“The cardiologist called me and we had a discussion, and he informed me that, ‘Well, you’re going to have to get a vaccination to get a transplant.’ And I said: ‘Well that’s news to me. And nobody’s ever told me that before.’ And he says, ‘Yeah, that’s our policy,’” Allen told KTTH radio.

The university states on its website that people must be fully vaccinated before undergoing a solid organ transplant “unless you have a specific medical exception that prevents you from getting the vaccine.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/colorado-hospital-refuses-kidney-transplant-to-woman-over-covid-19-vaccine-refusal_4036808.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

A culture of fear during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a massive infringements of the rights of the American people, according to Jeremy “Spike” Cohen, former vice presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party.

In an appearance on EpochTV’s “Crossroads” program, Cohen, who won the Libertarian Party vice presidential nomination in May 2020, argued that a culture of fear during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic led to a historical violation of personal rights, referring in part to the nationwide mask mandates and lockdowns implemented as part of measures to curb the transmission of the virus.

“We just saw it last year, that largely a culture that allowed itself to be guided by its fear led to the largest infringement on our lives and our rights and our livelihoods, and the largest transfer of wealth from those with the least to those with the most in human history, or at least in American history. And as a result of that, we’re now still suffering from that,” said Cohen.

In the first two months of the pandemic, and as lockdowns were implemented to curb the transmission of COVID-19 in the United States and across the globe, the nation shed some 22.4 million jobs. While economic output has fully bounced back to its pre-pandemic levels, the labor market recovery has a long way to go.

“We’re still having arguments with people as to whether or not that was justified, even though increasing amounts of data show that it … didn’t do anything to help slow the spread of the virus. And instead, what it did was caused a measurable harm to people’s lives and livelihoods.”

“That’s a direct result of people who were willing to accept that there is nothing that government can do to us or for us, that we are not willing to accept at large,” Cohen added.

And now, many critics argue that President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal and health care workers infringe upon the personal liberties of Americans. Nearly all Republican-led states have voiced opposition to the vaccine mandate announced by Biden last month, with many vowing to challenge the measures in court.

The president has said that 96 to 98 percent of Americans need to be vaccinated before the nation can “go back to normal.”

“But one thing is for certain: A quarter of the country can’t go unvaccinated and us not continue to have a problem,” the president told reporters at the White House on Sept. 27.

Cohen told “Crossroads” that he believes the United States does “best” when “we are most free,” saying that the nation can return to a “voluntary society… to what the founders originally intended.”

“We didn’t need the pandemic to show us that government management of health care and how it’s provided is a uniquely terrible way to do it. And we didn’t need the lockdowns to tell us that government has absolutely no business telling you whether or not you are essential,” Cohen said.

“We can live in a society that is freer and as a result more prosperous and as a result safer and fairer and more equitable, in which good actors are rewarded, bad actors are punished, and we create a better future for our children than we can ever even imagine now,” he added.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/spike-cohen-culture-of-fear-during-pandemic-led-to-massive-infringements-of-rights_4036751.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Republicans and Democrats alike are now working for the Big Pharma lobby.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine rollout, pharmaceutical giants including Pfizer and Moderna have substantially increased their lobbying efforts, a National Pulse investigation has revealed.

The lobbying apparatuses at both vaccine-reliant companies – in terms of the number of lobbyists hired and the overall budget deployed to influence government officials – have seen dramatic increases since 2019.

The news comes one day after hidden camera footage revealed a Pfizer scientist admitting: “Basically, our organization is run on COVID money now.”

Democrat Operatives Turn Vax Lobbyists.

Many of the new Big Pharma hires have come from consulting firms with deep and historical links to the current White House, and President Joe Biden himself.

In October alone Pfizer tapped Sudafi Henry, Joe Biden’s former legislative affairs director from his days as Vice President.

Another recent hire is Kwabena Nsiah, a former staffer for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and top aide to director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Nsiah also worked in Congress for over eight years, most recently as Policy Director for the Congressional Black Caucus and on the Joint Economic Committee as a Senior Policy Advisor.

RINOs Turn Vax Lobbyists, Too.

Among Pfizer’s robust lobbying team are alumni of Republican presidential administrations and Congressional offices.

Justin McCarthy, who served under George W. Bush as a Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, and Ben Howard, who served as a Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs under Donald Trump, both lobby for the pharmaceutical giant.

David Schiappa, a longtime Republican staff member of the Senate holding the role of Secretary for Leader Mitch McConnell, is also lobbying for Pfizer.

Pfizer, which recently received approval for a third booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, has substantially increased its lobbying budget. In 2019, the company spent $11,000,000 on lobbying efforts before increasing the total to $13,150,000 – the highest total since 2010.

In 2019, the company retained 77 lobbyists before the total grew to a team of 102 lobbyists in 2020. So far in 2021, Pfizer has declared 92 lobbyists.

While Moderna retained just one lobbyist throughout all of 2019 and added one lobbyist the following year, in 2021, the company has already hired an additional twelve lobbyists, representing a 600 percent increase in the company’s total lobbying force.

In 2019, Moderna spent $40,000 on lobbying and $280,000 in 2020, and just halfway into 2021, the company has already spent $290,000.

The real scandal, however, is represented in the sheer number of political operatives who have recently gone on to work for Big Pharma, from both Democrat and Republican offices.

The National Pulse has assembled a list of those declared by Pfizer and Moderna alone, below. The list includes their previous jobs or affiliations. Of the 83 listed below, many come from high level backgrounds such as the White House, presidential candidates, the Speaker of the House’s office, and a number of congressional offices.

MUST READ:  Biden Govt, Secret Service, FBI Purchase Drones From Firm Complying With Chinese Government Data Requests.

The swamp, revealed:

Pfizer.

1. Justin McCarthy, Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs under President George W. Bush
2. Brian Arthur Pomper, Chief International Trade Counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus
3. Bill Morley, General Counsel to Senator Arlen Specter
4. Remy Brim, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren
5. Mark Mioduski, Democratic Clerk for the Committee on Appropriations in the U.S. House of Representatives
6. Brian Griffin, Senior Leadership Advisor and Floor Policy Director for Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Senator Byron Dorgan
7. Ben Howard, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs under President Donald Trump
8. Kate Keating, Chief of Staff to Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Congressman Joseph Crowley
9. David Schiappa, Secretary to Senate Republican Leaders
10. Lavita Legrys, Director at the Office of Legislative Affairs in the Department of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama
11. Mike Mckay, Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman Gregory Meeks
12. Cristina Antelo, Legal Fellow with the Senate Democratic Steering Committee
13. Tom Davis, former Congressman
14. Michael Werner, Policy Advisor to Senate Democrats Policy Committee
15. Daniel Elling, Staff Director for the House Committee on Ways and Means
16. Cookab Hashemi, Chief of Staff to Representative Raul Ruiz and Representative Jackie Speier
17. Robert Holifield, Staff Director of the Senate Agriculture Committee
18. Hannah Smith, Legislative Correspondent to Senator Blanche Lincoln
19. Blanche Lincoln, Former Senator and Congresswoman
20. Colin Roskey, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Trump
21. Thomas Scully, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Bush.
22. Brian Diffell, Legislative Director to Senator Roy Blunt
23. Kelli Briggs, Chief of Staff to Representative Pat Tiberi
24. Anne Wilson, Legislative Director to Representative Anna G. Eshoo
25. Peter Wallace, Legislative Correspondent to Representative Ric Keller
26. Katharine Hayes, Legislative Correspondent to Representative Mark Schauer
27. Akshai Datta, Senior Legislative Assistant to Representative Ami Bera
28. Darrel Thompson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intergovernmental and External Affairs to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
29. Shanti Ochs Stanton, Floor Assistant to the Democratic Leaders Office
30. Natalie Farr, Chief of Staff to Senator Cory Gardner
31. Steven Elmendorf, Chief of Staff to House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt
32. Steven Irizarry, Senior Counsel for Senate Special Committee on Aging
33. Stephen Northrup, Health Policy Advisor to Senator Michael Enzi
34. Jennifer Swenson, Deputy Legislative Director to Senator Pat Roberts
35. Catherine Robinson, Law Clerk on the Committee on Ways and Means
36. Emily Mueller, Deputy Legislative Director to Senator Pat Roberts
37. Stephen Claeys, Trade Counsel on the Committee on Ways and Means
38. Paula Burg, Director and Senior Advisor for Health and Entitlements on the Senate Budget Committee
39. Elissa Alben, Senior Counsel for International Trade and Competitiveness on the Senate Committee on Finance
40. Karissa Willhite, Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Robert Menendez
41. Gordon Taylor, Chief of Staff to Representative Chris John
42. Tucker Shumack, Tax and Finance Counsel to Senator Olympia Snowe
43. Todd Novascone, Chief of Staff to Senator Jerry Moran
44. Jerome Murray, Chief of Staff to Representative Stacey Plaskett
45. Moses Mercado, Deputy Chief of Staff to Representative Richard Gephardt
46. Tim McGivern, Chief of Staff to Senator Jim Brownback
47. Chris Giblin, Chief of Staff to Representative John Carter
48. Tony Bullock, Chief of Staff to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
49. Dee Buchanan, Chief of Staff to House Republican Conference
50. Dean Aguillen, Advisor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi
51. Eden Shiferaw, Representative Marcia Fudge
52. Jane Loewenson, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Democratic Leader Tom Daschle
53. Andrea LaRue, Counsel to Democratic Leader Tom Daschle
54. Brady King, Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Kendra S. Horn
55. Joshua Fay Hurvitz, Legislative Director to Representative Anthony D. Weiner
56. Lisa German Foster, Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Jack Reed
57. Irene Bueno, Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton in the Domestic Policy Council and Chief of Staff’s Office
58. Ashley Gunn,  Senior Director of Cabinet Affairs to President Trump
59. Monica Popp, Chief of Staff to Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn
60. Hazen Marshall, Policy Director to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
61. Christopher Wilcox, Staff Assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
62. Marti Thomas, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs under President Clinton
63. Karina Lynch, Legislative Director to Representative Scott McInnis
64. Cheryl Jager, Senior Health Policy Advisor for House Republican Leadership
65. Matthew Hoekstra, Legislative Director for Senator Ben Lujan
66. Susan Hirschmann, Chief of Staff to Representative Van Hilleary
67. Christopher Hatcher, Legislative Director to Representative Scott McInnis
68. Ann Marie Buerkle, Congresswoman
69. Shimon Stein, Senior Advisor to House Majority Leader/Republican Whip
70. Kristi Remington, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice under President Obama
71. Malloy McDaniel, Policy Advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell
72. Craig Kalkut, Chief Counsel of Senate Antitrust Subcommittee
73. Ashley Davis, Special Assistant to Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge under President Bush
74. Greg Nickerson, Tax Counsel to Representative Bill Thomas

MUST READ:  Anti-Vax Mandate Protests Continue Across France as Election Season Heats Up.

Moderna.

1. Darren Willcox, Assistant to Speaker Dennis Hastert for Health Policy
2. Erin Strawn, Legislative Associate to Representative Joe Cunningham
3. Valerie Henry, Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman Greg Walden
4. James Derderian, Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
5. Carmencita Whonder, Advisor on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee to Senator Chuck Schumer
6. Marc Lampkin, General Counsel for the House Republican Conference
7. Araceli Gutierrez, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Graduate Fellow
8. Emily Felder, Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee
9. Nadeam Elshami, Chief of Staff to Representative Nancy Pelosi

• Nick Karl, Pfizer Scientist: “When somebody is naturally immune — like they got COVID — they probably have more antibodies against the virus…When you actually get the virus, you’re going to start producing antibodies against multiple pieces of the virus…So, your antibodies are probably better at that point than the [COVID] vaccination.”
• Chris Croce, Pfizer Senior Associate Scientist: “You’re protected for longer” if you have natural COVID antibodies compared to the COVID vaccine.
• Croce: “I work for an evil corporation…Our organization is run on COVID money.”
• Rahul Khandke, Pfizer Scientist: “If you have [COVID] antibodies built up, you should be able to prove that you have those built up.”

[NEW YORK – Oct. 4, 2021] Project Veritas released the fourth video in its COVID vaccine investigative series today which exposed three Pfizer officials saying that antibodies lead to equal, if not better, protection against the virus compared to the vaccine.

Nick Karl, a scientist who is directly involved in the production of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine, said that natural immunity is more effective than the very vaccine he works on, and Pfizer produces.

“When somebody is naturally immune — like they got COVID — they probably have more antibodies against the virus…When you actually get the virus, you’re going to start producing antibodies against multiple pieces of the virus…So, your antibodies are probably better at that point than the [COVID] vaccination,” Karl said. Notwithstanding, Karl still believes that vaccine mandates are positive for society.

“The city [of New York] needs like vax cards and everything. It’s just about making it so inconvenient for unvaccinated people to the point where they’re just like, ‘F*ck it. I’ll get it.’ You know?”

A second Pfizer official, Senior Associate Scientist, Chris Croce, corroborated Karl’s assertion about COVID immunity derivative of antibodies:

Veritas Journalist: “So, I am well-protected [with antibodies]?”
Chris Croce, Pfizer Senior Associate Scientist: “Yeah.”

Veritas Journalist: “Like as much as the vaccine?”

Croce: “Probably more.”

Veritas Journalist: “How so? Like, how much more?”

Croce: “You’re protected most likely for longer since there was a natural response.”

Croce expressed dismay with his company’s direction and moral compass:

Veritas Journalist: “So, what happened to the monoclonal antibody treatments?”

Croce: “[It got] pushed to the side.”

Veritas Journalist: “Why?”

Croce: “Money. It’s disgusting.”

…

Croce: “I still feel like I work for an evil corporation because it comes down to profits in the end. I mean, I’m there to help people, not to make millions and millions of dollars. So, I mean, that’s the moral dilemma.”

Veritas Journalist: “Isn’t it billions and billions?”

Croce: “I’m trying to be nice.”

Veritas Journalist: “No, I hear you. I hear you. I do. I mean, I’ll still give you a hard time about it.”

Croce: “Basically, our organization is run on COVID money now.”

The third Pfizer scientist, Rahul Khandke, admitted his company demands that its employees keep information from the public.

“We’re bred and taught to be like, ‘vaccine is safer than actually getting COVID.’ Honestly, we had to do so many seminars on this. You have no idea. Like, we have to sit there for hours and hours and listen to like — be like, ‘you cannot talk about this in public,’” Khandke said.

Khandke also signaled that proof of antibodies is on par with proof of vaccination.

“If you have [COVID] antibodies built up, you should be able to prove that you have those built up,” he said.

Project Veritas will be releasing more Pfizer tapes in the very near future. To receive updates straight into your email inbox, click here.

About Project Veritas

James O’Keefe established Project Veritas in 2010 as a non-profit journalism enterprise to continue his undercover reporting work. Today, Project Veritas investigates and exposes corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions to achieve a more ethical and transparent society and to engage in litigation to: protect, defend and expand human and civil rights secured by law, specifically First Amendment rights including promoting the free exchange of ideas in a digital world; combat and defeat censorship of any ideology; promote truthful reporting; and defend freedom of speech and association issues including the right to anonymity. O’Keefe serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board so that he can continue to lead and teach his fellow journalists, as well as protect and nurture the Project Veritas culture. Donate now to support our mission.

Project Veritas is a registered 501(c)3 organization. Project Veritas does not advocate specific resolutions to the issues raised through its investigations. 

Subscribe to Project Veritas on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/veritasvisuals

Follow James O’Keefe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesokeefeiii/

Follow Project Veritas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_veritas/

Follow James O’Keefe on Telegram: https://t.me/JamesOKeefeIII

Follow Project Veritas on Telegram: https://t.me/project_veritas

https://www.projectveritas.com/news/pfizer-scientist-your-antibodies-are-probably-better-than-the-vaccination/

Family members say Jessica Berg Wilson was a one-of-a-kind person, a “beautiful soul” whose passions were motherhood and being a volunteer “room mom” at her community school.

But slowly, the stay-at-home mother felt her freedom to choose was being taken away by COVID-19 mandates, they say.

“She felt inwardly she no longer had a choice in the matter,” her husband, Tom Wilson, said. “These mandates are heavy-handed.”

In the end, Jessica, 37, agreed to receive a mandatory COVID-19 injection so she could continue her volunteer work.

Her family believes that decision cost Jessica her life.

“She had been vehemently opposed to taking the vaccine, knowing she was in good health and of a young age and thus not at risk for serious illness,” her obituary reads. “In her mind, the known and unknown risks of the unproven vaccine were more of a threat.”

On Sept. 7, Jessica died from COVID-19 vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia, her husband told The Epoch Times. Jessica’s doctor confirmed that diagnosis, he said.

At her Oct. 2 funeral service, Jessica’s uncle, Tom Ivancie, gave the eulogy.

“Jessica died as a direct result of an experimental vaccine—a vaccine that Jessica vehemently opposed taking,” Ivancie said. “She felt coerced. She felt robbed of her ability to choose. Her ability to say ‘no’ to a medical procedure she did not want, was taken from her.”

To add insult to a family tragedy, Ivancie said his Twitter posts about Jessica’s death are being censored and labeled as misinformation, “causing us to suffer a second death.”

Jessica leaves behind her husband, her daughters, Bridget, 5, and Clara, 3, her parents, Arthur Berg and Gwen Berg. She’s also survived by her sister, Elizabeth Berg, and brother, John Berg, many extended family members, and a large friendship group and community.

“Jessica fully embraced motherhood, sharing her passion for life with her daughters,” her obituary reads. “Jessica’s motherly commitment was intense, with unwavering determination to nurture her children to be confident, humble, responsible, and to have concern and compassion for others with high morals built on Faith.

“Jessica’s greatest passion was to be the best mother possible for Bridget and Clara. Nothing would stand in her way to be present in their lives.”

Hundreds of memorial messages to the Wilson family attest to the impact of her passing, even among those who didn’t know her.

“I did not know Jessica, but was touched by her story. So very sorry for your loss; too young, too soon! May your family be blessed with comfort, healing love and peace in the days ahead. Sending Heart Hugs from across the miles,” Yvonne Dixon wrote.

“I am so very sorry for your loss and praying you feel God’s comfort in this time. As a wife and mother to three young girls, I can only imagine your heartache. Jessica was a high school classmate, and I remember her kindness. God bless you,” Ali wrote.

Jessica’s decision to be vaccinated wasn’t an easy one, Tom said.

“We’re not against people getting vaccines,” he said. “We’re not telling people not to get the vaccine. There’s no politics here.”

Tom said he received a COVID-19 vaccine because his job requires him to travel. But Jessica “wasn’t about to get shut out” of volunteer service, he said.

“As a husband, I’m really disgusted by the social media” posts flagging Jessica’s online obituary as misinformation, Tom said.

“For the Wilson family, the world has lost an “irreplaceable person,” he said.

“You can’t replace someone like that—a beautiful soul.”

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/family-laments-loss-of-woman-who-died-of-blood-clots-following-mandatory-covid-19-vaccine_4033022.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

A woman in her late thirties has died in Washington state after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, according to public health officials.

The Washington State Department of Health said in a Tuesday news release that the unnamed woman had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The shot was given in late August.

The department said the woman suffered a blood clot.

“This is the first such death in Washington State. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones,” said Umair Shah, the state’s secretary of health. “Losing a loved one at any time is a tragic and difficult … pain that’s become all too familiar in the last year and a half of this pandemic.”

The woman was a resident of King County, which includes Seattle.

Skin Problems, Neuropathy, Paralysis All Part of Over 500,000 Adverse Events Reported After COVID Vaccine

“[The Department of Health] will continue working closely with Public Health Seattle-King County and the CDC as more details become available,” the health department said.

A news release from King County called the complication “very rare.”

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported only three other confirmed deaths nationally,” the news release said.

“The resident received her vaccination on August 26, 2021 and died on September 7, 2021.

“Her cause of death was determined to be thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a condition that has been identified as a rare but potentially serious adverse event in people who received the J&J vaccine.”

“In April of this year, the CDC paused its authorization of the J&J vaccine in order to study the risks from these rare complications,” King County officials said. “The CDC then lifted its pause after determining that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.”

Officials did not state if the woman who died had any pre-existing conditions.

King County assured those who have not been vaccinated that the “risk of any complication is extremely low.”

Citing the CDC, the county said there have been 38 reported cases of TTS associated with the vaccine and that “the majority of these people have recovered.”

California County with No Mask Mandate Has Lower COVID Rate Than LA County, Which Has Mask Mandate

“As with many medications, the risk of serious adverse events is small, but not zero,” the county said.

“It is vital for people to have this information in order to make their own informed decisions. For this reason, it is important to provide education about the risk for TTS and availability of other COVID-19 vaccine options, particularly for women aged 18-49 years.”

The Western Journal has published this article in the interest of shedding light on stories about the COVID-19 vaccine that go largely unreported by the establishment media. In the same spirit, according to the most recent statistics from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System, 7,439 deaths have been reported among those who received a vaccine, or 20 out of every 1,000,000. By contrast, 652,480 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported by the CDC, or 16,101 out of every 1,000,000. In addition, it must be noted that VAERS reports can be filed by anyone and are unverified by the CDC. Thus, as the agency notes, “reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.” The decision to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is a personal one, and it is important to consider context when making that decision. — Ed. note

The purpose of the China virus narrative is psychological control

The world has been bombarded with agitprop public messaging from state-run Chinese media and “wolf warrior” diplomats, as well as Western authorities and their media sycophants, since China first reported COVID-19 cases in Wuhan city, Hubei Province to the World Health Organization on Dec. 31, 2019.

The messages were uniformly and relentlessly propagated, all without a shred of scientific and epidemiological evidence backing up the various “health directives.” The purpose of the narrative was expressly psychological in order to condition people to accept ostensible health and security measures from the government “experts” in exchange for personal freedoms. Here are the main components of the narrative:

• Wear masks everywhere, including outside (while ignoring their relative ineffectiveness and also the hazards to children of wearing them over time).
• Practice social distancing everywhere (arbitrary distancing requirements).
• Implement total lockdowns and stay-at-home policies to “flatten the curve”—a public relations euphemism that has magically disappeared as a stated public health goal.
• Recommend vaccinations/injections to stop the spread, despite no long-term human trials or legal remedies for adverse reactions. Furthermore, Rochelle Walensky, the U.S. CDC director, has stated that “vaccines no longer prevent you from spreading COVID.”
• Press vaccines for demographic groups not at risk, including children who are at virtually zero risk of death from the virus.
• Suppress discussion of natural immunity in favor of vaccines/injections. This includes mandating injections for those who contracted the virus and have long-term antibodies as a result.
• Suppress discussion of early treatment protocols using existing therapeutic drugs.
• Suppress all public reporting of adverse reactions to vaccines/injections (one example reported here).
• Insist that the zoonotic theory of the virus origins was correct (despite much contrary evidence as noted here, here, here, here, here, and here); conversely, deny the lab leak theory at all costs.
• Ridicule, shame, and ostracize any and all who deviate from the above orthodoxy, especially independent doctors and physicians who have successfully saved lives using protocols associated with hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, quercetin, monoclonal antibodies, azithromycin, zinc, and other therapeutic drugs and medicines.
• Most of all, propagate and reinforce fear in the minds of everyone in order to force adherence to the above messaging.

Has there been a dime’s worth of difference between the virus messaging of state-controlled Chinese media and the U.S. legacy media? Not that is discernible to careful observers. But the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) goes further in its virus-related messaging. Despite the general debunking of the points in the above media narrative, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cleverly denies their virus agitprop: “Spreading disinformation about the epidemic is indeed spreading a ‘political virus,’” the ministry told The Associated Press. “False information is the common enemy of mankind, and China has always opposed the creation and spread of false information,” it said.

That phrase “false information is the common enemy of mankind” is the ultimate in CCP hypocrisy, as virtually everything spun by Chinese state-run media is a lie.

Fear of death is the ultimate psychological leverage being exploited in the virus information war by the CCP and authoritarian governments everywhere. According to data from Worldometers, as of Oct. 5, there have been 4,819,544 deaths caused by COVID-19. The data includes the grossly under-reported total of 4,636 deaths in China, a number that has remained unchanged since May 2020—this has strengthened the false narrative that “CCP health measures defeated the virus.”

With the purposeful misreporting of COVID-19 statistics as a result of government financial incentives to attribute deaths to the virus, no one will ever know the true number of deaths directly caused by the virus. Nor, for political reasons, will we ever know how many people might have otherwise been saved had they been administered therapeutic protocols when their symptoms first manifested, instead of adhering to delayed government supportive care treatment protocols in terminal stages of the disease, especially Remdesivir, steroids, and mechanical respirators. Yet, there is ample evidence of the effectiveness of Ivermectin and other drugs in treating people early who contract the virus, especially as reported in India here and here.

Beijing’s Psychological Warfare

The CCP’s virus messaging is an element of the Chinese strategy of Three Warfares, which includes concurrent psychological, media, and legal components. The strategy was officially “endorsed by the CCP Central Committee and the Central Military Commission in 2003.” During the pandemic, there has been far too much focus on the media component of the CCP narratives when the real danger is associated with the CCP’s psychological objectives. The media agitprop objectives are fairly obvious: shift blame for the virus away from China, push false Chinese altruism and benevolence (medical supplies for modest profits), create the illusion that China has “solved the virus problem,” demand multilateral cooperation under Chinese leadership to counter the virus worldwide, “get vaccinated,” etc.

The psychological goals are hidden and much subtler. A key element of psychological warfare is the demoralization of decision makers and especially targeted populations. Fear of death, economic lockdowns, the “new normal” of masks and social distancing ad infinitum, the transition from “two shots” to periodic (and seemingly unlimited) booster injections, and arbitrary authoritarian measures that have been implemented and changed willy-nilly over time are weighing heavily on the collective psyche of populations around the world.

A demoralized world population facilitates aggressive CCP actions aimed at asserting Chinese leadership in virtual every aspect of human endeavors. Those goals were discussed at length here.

There are two key indicators that point to an increasing demoralization and feelings of hopelessness as fears of the virus continue to be stoked. The first is a significant rise in drug use worldwide, as noted in a U.N. report from June 2021. Drug abuse is of course a way of avoiding the difficulties of real life, and the potential for the seemingly random and uncontrollable probability of death from COVID-19. The second indicator is the increasing incidence of depression and suicide, especially among young people. Lockdowns and the associated isolation are particularly devastating on the young, and the absence of social contacts with peers leads to feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and suicide. But economic lockdowns are also devastating to small business owners who have spent their lives building their businesses only to seem them shut down by state and local governments.

The bottom line is that national governments that are focused on domestic issues associated with their demoralized citizens are less inclined to counter CCP aggression in general. The CCP wins without fighting!

Perhaps the most important psychological component of the CCP’s Three Warfares virus campaign is the conditioning of people who are otherwise unaccustomed to authoritarian measures of control, especially in their personal lives. There has long been tension between federal and state governments promising to deliver safety and security and the American people, who wish to preserve their hard-fought individual freedoms and liberties preserved by the U.S. Constitution.

Conditioning people to willingly obey the arbitrary whims of government medical “experts” and politicians in order to “combat the virus” is only one degree of separation from getting those same people to accept and obey authoritarian measures on other topics deemed important to politicians: implementation of a social credit and control system, creation of an internal passport system based on individual social credits, monitoring and reporting of individual financial transactions greater than $600, confiscation of individual firearms, suppression of free speech rights on topics deemed unfavorable by the political class, etc.

People who accept unwarranted vaccine mandates, social distancing requirements, vaccine passports, and forcing children to wear masks at school are much more willing to accept other authoritarian measures dreamt up by governments and authoritarian politicians. The psychological component of the CCP Three Warfares campaign is aimed squarely at preparing people for government control in all facets of their daily lives—just like in communist China

Conclusion

The CCP is heavily investing in a Three Warfares campaign that exploits the pandemic to achieve their objectives worldwide. The psychological “softening up” of America in particular in getting people to accept the arbitrary authoritarian dictates of an amorphous, nameless, and faceless government is a key objective of the CCP’s ongoing campaign to demoralize and condition people for future exploitation and control by the CCP.

Individual freedoms and liberties are anathema to CCP control and must be vigorously defended at all costs—or else lost possibly forever. That means fighting and defeating unconstitutional mandates and directives by governments, as well as those same governments forcing businesses to implement those mandates.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-real-effects-of-covid-19-are-psychological_4031954.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Vermont, the state with the highest vaccination rate in the United States, is experiencing a CCP virus surge at levels not seen since the pandemic’s peak last winter.

The number of cases in Vermont is at a record level, hospitalizations are close to the records notched last winter, and the state recorded the deadliest day and the second deadliest month of the pandemic in September.

“I think it’s clearly frustrating for all of us,” Michael Pieciak, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation who monitors CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus statistics for the state.

More than 69 percent of Vermont’s population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Sept. 24, according to the CDC, far above the national rate of 56 percent.

The state recorded the highest rate of hospitalizations per 100,000 residents on Sept. 30, breaching a record set on Jan. 31 last year. Eight people died of the CCP virus in Vermont on Sept. 13, the highest grim total recorded since the outbreak of the virus.

In late August, four of ten cases of COVID-19 in Vermont were among vaccinated people, according to a letter signed by 90 employees of the Vermont Health Department, including state Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso.

Gov. Phil Scott (R) lifted the state of emergency in Vermont in June when 80 percent of the population had received at least one shot of the vaccine. He has since indicated he is wary of reimposing the state of emergency.

“We can’t be in a perpetual state of emergency,” Scott said this week.

The four states which follow Vermont in terms of the highest vaccination rates in the nation are also experiencing alarming signs.

The head of UMass Memorial Health, the largest health system in central Massachusetts, said recently that regional hospitals were seeing nearly 20 times more COVID-19 patients than in June and there isn’t an ICU bed to spare. Massachusetts has the fifth-highest vaccination rate in the nation.

In Connecticut, the second most vaccinated state in the U.S., the legislature recently extended the governor’s emergency powers to make it easier to cope with the latest wave of the pandemic.

On Sept. 22, Maine, the third most-vaccinated U.S. state, had nearly 90 people in intensive care units, a pandemic peak for the state.

The CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, is the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-state-with-highest-vaccination-rate-hit-by-virus-surge_4032144.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

“COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective,” a page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website reads.

No discussion. No question. No variation. If you dig around a bit, you might find the CDC saying there are some vaccine problems, but they are repeatedly linked to the word “rare.”

In fact, we’re told by the Biden administration that you need to get the shot. Or else.

But there’s a reason we refer to doctors as “practicing” medicine. Because it’s not just about science. It’s also about the personal skill and knowledge of specific medical professionals, about variations in technical applications and about some dimensions that can only be described as an art.

That’s why, when faced with a serious medical diagnosis, prudence dictates the seeking of a second opinion.

Skin Problems, Neuropathy, Paralysis All Part of Over 500,000 Adverse Events Reported After COVID Vaccine

So, without advocacy one way or another about one’s decision to take the mRNA shots, here’s what we might describe as a “second opinion” to what the CDC says: reported adverse reactions.

As of the end of September, there were 569,294 reported incidents linked to the COVID shots in just the U.S., with 2,433,730 symptoms reported in total. They are in the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and were compiled by Just the News.

These reported incidents did not occur to 569,294 people; these were the total number of incidents disclosed, meaning an individual may have had more than one complication and those problems were included in the total tabulation.

No matter how many symptoms occurred, there is the fact that, for whatever reason, 8,164 people died following vaccination, Just the News noted.

Among other adverse reactions reported to the CDC, here’s the Just the News analysis of some of the types and numbers:

• Problems with body temperature — 226,457
• Skin problems — 174,793
• Issues regarding movement, muscle, nerve, neuropathy, numbness and paralysis — 164,200
• Reactions at the site of injection — 121,538
• Headaches — 111,549
• Heart problems — 79,012
• Respiratory or lung problems — 77,976
• Abdominal problems — 40,415
• Catching COVID after being vaccinated — 34,589
• Blood clots or bleeding, including in the heart and in the brain — 32,023
• Mood or memory problems — 31,720

The analysis said irregularities occurring after receiving COVID vaccination “does not necessarily mean they were caused by the vaccine. The system is designed to collect adverse events that occur after vaccination to uncover any patterns of illnesses that were not captured during vaccine studies.”

Reports to the VAERS database are made not only by health care professionals — they are also made by patients themselves or their families. And they are subjective and not verified.

There is conflicting messaging on whether or not adverse effects are underreported. Some scientists believe they are; other individuals doubt that claim, given the attention and publicity connected with COVID, Just the News noted.

An estimated 56 percent of the U.S. population has received the mRNA shots: 391 million doses to 185 million people.

Black New Yorkers Gather to Protest COVID Vaccine Mandate: ‘Don’t Allow Them to Enslave Us’

But tabulations of adverse reactions following COVID shots are not limited to the U.S., according to Just the News. It reported that in the U.S. and around the world there were “hundreds of thousands of reports” of symptoms of functional neurological disorder in women in their 30s.

“FND Symptoms can include limb weakness, paralysis, tremor, spasms, problems walking, speech problems, tingling, vision loss, seizures, fatigue, anxiety, chronic pain, memory symptoms, and blackouts,” the outlet said.

There were 16,858 reports of lymphadenopathy. “Earlier this month, the Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was found to be associated with an increased risk of lymphadenopathy, swelling or inflammation of lymph nodes according to a real-world case-control study from Israel.”

There were 5,273 reports of facial paralysis, including a Hong Kong report of higher risk of Bell’s Palsy correlated with CoronoVac (Sinovac Biotech) shots, a vaccine not used in the U.S.

There have been 696 reports of Guillain-Barre Syndrome paralysis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned against the syndrome being connected to the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen shot.

The European Union has expressed similar concerns. The syndrome has a 5 percent fatality rate and the CDC says most cases have been in men over 50 years of age, according to Just the News.

There are possible links between the vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna and acute central nervous system demyelination, including multiple sclerosis, according to the Journal of Neurology.

“Demyelinating diseases damage the protective covering surrounding nerve fibers in the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord, causing neurological problems,” Just the News reported. “Ages ranged from 24 to 64 years old.

“Four patients were ultimately diagnosed with exacerbation of their stable MS. Two were diagnosed with new cases of MS. One was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica.

“An analysis of the VAERS database shows more than 650 related reports, including MS.”

The outlet additionally reported there have been 2,810 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis heart problems, prompting a CDC investigation.

An Israeli study said the Pfizer COVID drug tripled the possibility of myocarditis and the FDA has put out a warning about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and a possible link to heart inflammation.

By June 2020, the CDC said there had been more than 1,200 cases of heart inflammation in young people taking the Pfizer and Moderna shots. Most were men under 30 and half occurred after the second dose.

But as of August, an independent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed the heart inflammations were more than five times what the CDC said, according to blogger Sharyl Attkisson.

An Israeli study showed a threefold increase in the risk of myocarditis, according to Medpage Today.

Teenage boys are six times more likely to develop heart problems from the Pfizer and Moderna shots than they are to actually get COVID, according to the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph.

💉Teenage boys are six times more likely to suffer from heart problems from the vaccine than be hospitalised from Covid-19, a major study has found https://t.co/vFEiNfsiNb

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 9, 2021

Also, there have been more than 32,000 reports of blood clots and disorders, Just the News said.

Despite CDC assurances of the safety of the mRNA shots, a few months ago, there had been a brief suspension of the use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen medicine due to blood clots.

Their use was resumed in April, the CDC said, although there was a suggestion of “an increased risk of a rare adverse event called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Most reports of this serious condition, which involves blood clots with low platelets, have been in adult women younger than 50 years old.”

The CDC said the benefits of the shot outweighed its risk, although a CDC advisory report noted three deaths due to TTS.

A JAMA editorial recommended women under 50 avoid the J&J shot, Just the News reported, adding that “many countries have restricted vaccines in people under age 65, 60 or 50 due to reports of blood clots in young people.”

All COVID vaccine providers have developed products that are linked to menstrual cycle changes, with 10,318 such reports, according to Just the News, citing a British study last month.

While the CDC has said the mRNA shots are safe for pregnant women and their babies, the Just the News analysis of the VAERS database showed over 1,800 reports of problems.

Also, there were 1,803 reports of anaphylactic reaction or shock and, according to Israeli research, 6,339 reports of increased risk of herpes infection. There were additionally 926 reports of appendicitis following the shots, Just the News reported.

And to top it all off, despite receiving the mRNA shots, people are still getting COVID, as demonstrated by results in Israel.

Of 514 people hospitalized in Israel in mid-August, 59 percent were fully vaccinated, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.

Israel in August had two high rates: Israelis were among the most vaccinated people in the world (about 78 percent), and had the highest COVID infection rate. This disconnect was seen as declining effectiveness of the mRNA shots, Becker’s Hospital Review noted.

This is why the CDC is recommending a third booster shot, despite strong reservations by U.S. health officials who say it will have little effect.

Like many medical procedures, there are risks. Watch any television ads for pharmaceuticals and they tell you stories of a wonderful new life with their drug, although the voiceovers say it still might make you sick or kill you.

And there’s risk in surgery, even minor surgery. A prominent radio station programmer died while having his foot operated on. It stemmed from an anesthetist’s error.

Again, medicine is a practice. There are a lot of unknowns and good doctors realize this.

In consultation with our physician, we make what hopefully are rational decisions about risk and benefit before we enter a medical procedure or take a specific drug.

It’s prudent. It happens all the time.

If you are a senior citizen and possessed of certain comorbidities (obesity is a major issue), it might be in your interest to receive the COVID mRNA shot to reduce symptoms. Again, it’s a weighing of risks.

What we’ve attempted to do in this commentary is the job the American government seems reluctant to do: honestly and objectively give another opinion. Without the coercion, scolding and censorship, so you can make your own decision.

That’s important — You. Make. Your. Own. Decision.

The Western Journal has published this article in the interest of shedding light on stories about the COVID-19 vaccine that are largely unreported by the establishment media. In that same spirit, according to the most recent statistics from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System, 8,164 deaths have been reported among those who received a vaccine, or 21 out of every 1,000,000. By contrast, 694,701 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported by the CDC, or 18,281 out of every 1,000,000. In addition, it must be noted that VAERS reports can be filed by anyone and are unverified by the CDC. Thus, as the agency notes, “Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.” The decision of whether to receive a COVID vaccine is a personal one, but it is important to consider context when making that decision. — Ed. note

In early August, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He declared that all city employees, and even some private-sector employees who worked in “high-risk settings,” must be vaccinated by Sept. 30, according to the government’s website.

Jose Manriquez, a seven-year veteran with the Denver Police Department, faced with the prospect of losing his job, opted for the vaccine.

Manriquez and his attorney, Randy Corporon, appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday where he told his story to co-host Ainsley Earhardt.

Corporon represents nine officers from the Denver Police Department who have had their first dose of the vaccine and, for various reasons, do not wish to take the second dose.

“We’ve got officers who’ve had to retire early. We’ve got Jose, 34, who’s at the beginning of his career. He had trouble getting up here, to his chair,” he said.

Manriquez, a 12-year veteran with the Army National Guard and a father of four, had his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 22.

“That week, I started developing body ache, pain in my legs,” he told Earhardt. “The next week, August 31, I tried going into work. My legs hurt a lot more.”

“Ended up getting sent home,” he continued.

“And on my way home, I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. I couldn’t feel the gas pedal or the brake pedal. And pretty much had to call for help to get home. And I barely made it.”

Asked how he feels, Manriquez replied, “Uncertain.”

“I can’t be outside with my kids,” he said, fighting back tears. “We got soccer season. It’s life-changing, and the doctor says it could get worse before it gets better. And if I do get better, it’s going to be years.”

He explained. “So, I always carry my kids to bed. And they’re like, ‘Daddy, we’ll just walk to bed.’”

His lawyer shared that he’d been on the phone with Manriquez recently and he broke down. “He had fallen over putting his kids to bed, and you know, his little girls think Daddy’s broken.”

“This is a guy who had serious COVID last year and beat it,” Corporon said. “So, his body was raging with antibodies. And they gave him this jab, and now his hand was shaking like this, this morning when he came up. It’s outrageous.”

Ghoulish Fact-Checkers at Twitter Slap ‘Misleading’ Label on Obituary of Mom Who Died from Vaccine-Induced Blood Clot

https://video.foxnews.com/v/video-embed.html?video_id=6275068282001&loc=westernjournal.com&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.westernjournal.com%2Fdenver-police-officer-forced-take-covid-vaccine-now-says-lost-ability-walk%2F&_xcf=

His sister, Soila Hurtado, set up a GoFundMe page for Manriquez. She wrote, “He received the mandatory vaccine on August 22, 2021 and immediately started having a bad reaction. Since receiving the vaccine he has not been able to return to work and his future is uncertain as we do not know how long his road to recovery will be.”

“As the sole income provider for his family of 6. He was very involved with all of his children’s sports and activities. After receiving his vaccine my brother has developed severe tremors, he has trouble sleeping due to the amount of pain in his legs, he can’t walk without the worry of falling due to his legs giving out and has actually fallen a number of times.”

Although many individuals tolerate the vaccine well, the growing number of people who’ve suffered adverse effects after taking it should give the government, on both federal and local levels, pause.

On Sunday, I posted about a happily married woman with two young children, aged 37, who felt that the vaccination posed far more risk to her than the virus itself would. Faced with being unable to visit her children’s classrooms, she took the vaccine and died from a vaccine-induced blood clot.

This can only be called medical tyranny. And it is being thrust on Americans against their will.

What about the medical privacy that was provided to us under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act?

People must be allowed to choose what gets injected into their bodies.

This is the most dangerous presidential administration in our nation’s history. I hope that America survives it, and I mean that sincerely.

The Western Journal has published this article in the interest of shedding light on stories about the COVID-19 vaccine that are largely unreported by the establishment media. In that same spirit, according to the most recent statistics from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System, 8,164 deaths have been reported among those who received a vaccine, or 21 out of every 1,000,000. By contrast, 694,701 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported by the CDC, or 18,281 out of every 1,000,000. In addition, it must be noted that VAERS reports can be filed by anyone and are unverified by the CDC. Thus, as the agency notes, “Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.” The decision of whether to receive a COVID vaccine is a personal one, but it is important to consider context when making that decision. — Ed. note

Jessica Berg Wilson’s obituary described the Seattle woman as “an exceptionally healthy and vibrant 37-year-old young mother with no underlying health conditions” who “died unexpectedly on Sep. 7 from COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT).”

The obituary on Legacy.com continued: “Jessica fully embraced motherhood, sharing her passion for life with her daughters. Jessica’s motherly commitment was intense, with unwavering determination to nurture her children to be confident, humble, responsible, and to have concern and compassion for others with high morals built on Faith.”

“Jessica’s greatest passion was to be the best mother possible for Bridget and Clara. Nothing would stand in her way to be present in their lives,” it said. “During the last weeks of her life, however, the world turned dark with heavy-handed vaccine mandates. Local and state governments were determined to strip away her right to consult her wisdom and enjoy her freedom.

“She had been vehemently opposed to taking the vaccine, knowing she was in good health and of a young age and thus not at risk for serious illness. In her mind, the known and unknown risks of the unproven vaccine were more of a threat.

“But, slowly, day by day, her freedom to choose was stripped away. Her passion to be actively involved in her children’s education—which included being a Room Mom—was, once again, blocked by government mandate. Ultimately, those who closed doors and separated mothers from their children prevailed.

“It cost Jessica her life. It cost her children the loving embrace of their caring mother. And it cost her husband the sacred love of his devoted wife. It cost God’s Kingdom on earth a very special soul who was just making her love felt in the hearts of so many.”

This very sad story was made even worse by the Twitter Police.

When a Twitter user shared Wilson’s obituary on Friday, adding in the caption that she had not wanted to get vaccinated, the post was slapped with a warning label.

“This Tweet is misleading,” it said. “Find out why health officials consider COVID-19 vaccines safe for most people.”

It provided a link so users could “find out more,” adding, “This Tweet can’t be replied to, shared or liked.”

Seattle, WA — Jessica Berg Wilson, an “exceptionally healthy and vibrant 37-year-old young mother with no underlying health conditions,” passed away from COVID Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia. She did not want to get vaccinated. 😥

RIP🕊️https://t.co/0gz98R1YW4 pic.twitter.com/pF10pk2nDr

— Kelly Bee 🐝 (@ke11ybender) October 2, 2021

Here is a screenshot of the Twitter warning label, which apparently was removed after many users complained about it.

This is what popped up if you clicked on the retweet button.

Election Manipulation Nightmare: DeSantis Opens Investigation Into Facebook

Misleading? On the contrary, it’s very clear. A healthy young woman, who believed that the vaccine posed a greater risk to her health than contracting the virus itself, was forced to comply with the school’s vaccine requirement for visitors if she wanted to be involved in her children’s classrooms.

She took the vaccine and then died of a vaccine-induced blood clot. She was one of the unlucky ones.

The author of the tweet was not misleading readers, either. She was simply mourning the loss of a young mother who would not have gotten the vaccine (and therefore likely would not have died) had she not been forced to.

Nobody was trying to convince others not to take the vaccine or claiming that it will cause mass deaths.

I am not anti-vax. Vaccines are a potent tool in the fight against COVID. That said, these vaccines do pose a risk to some individuals. Some might have medical reasons for rejecting the vaccine, and others are highly skeptical about taking a vaccine that was developed so quickly. Not everyone needs to be vaccinated.

This is tyranny, and it’s hard to believe this is happening in America.

State lawmakers in Arkansas are attempting to take some of the teeth out of President Joe Biden’s burdensome vaccine mandate for private businesses by providing some loopholes for workers through proposed legislation.

Biden last month demanded that all companies nationwide with more than 100 employees require a COVID vaccine as a condition of employment. He threatened to use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to impose harsh fines.

While Republicans nationwide, in opposition to the mandate, attempt to find their footing to fight the unprecedented mandate for private companies, Arkansas Republicans are attempting to throw out a lifeline for those in the state who don’t want or don’t need the vaccine.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the state Republican Party, which holds majorities in both the state Senate and House, is working on bills which would exempt workers who can prove they have natural immunity following a COVID infection — ignoring the politicized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which advises against antibody testing for natural immunity.

Those willing to submit to regular COVID tests would also be able to navigate around the mandate, according to the report.

One Thousand Roses Delivered to Nancy Pelosi’s Office in Campaign to Move Her Heart on Abortion

“This is what we felt we could get through to give employees some protection,” Republican state Sen. Kim Hammer said.

The Democrat-Gazette reported both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly, and their respective public health committees, have embraced an identical bill to ease the burden for people who face losing their job if they refuse Biden’s mandate.

The legislation would offer a way for employees to opt-out, and also would make people fired for refusing a vaccine eligible for unemployment benefits — which is something the far left in the country seems largely against. That bill is one of the numerous pieces of legislation proposed in relation to the vaccine mandate.

Often in favor of government programs which pay people not to work, leftists have suddenly become opponents of unemployment benefits for people who might face hardships for refusing to be told what to put into their own bodies.

Look at these compassionate liberals:

And when someone quits or is terminated for not get a vaccine I hope this means they were fired for cause and are therefore ineligible for unemployment. They don’t deserve it.

— Cheryl Smith (@mscheryl58) September 29, 2021

If you’re fired for refusing to take the vaccine, you don’t deserve unemployment benefits. You quit.

— Milquetoast (@BlueRobotDesign) September 17, 2021

If you lose your job cause you refuse to get the vaccine you don’t deserve unemployment

— Riley Stone (@RileyStone420) September 15, 2021

FDA Approves ‘Horse Drug’ in Fight Against COVID

If Arkansas Republicans get their way, people fired over an overreaching mandate won’t be out on the street. But unfortunately for Natural State residents who do face being put out over a mandate from Washington, GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson doesn’t appear to support the bills currently in committee.

The Republican said he was not in favor of lawmakers using time during the legislative session to focus on protecting state workers and their jobs.

“To use [the extended session] as a means to bootstrap yourself into a whole host of other issues doesn’t make sense to me and it doesn’t seem to fit within the constitution,” Hutchinson told the Democrat-Gazette.

The governor said he hasn’t read any of the bills, and would rather the state legislature focus on redistricting following the release of the 2020 Census. Surely, if a bill passes with overwhelming support to give Arkansas workers a reprieve from Biden’s mad power grab, Hutchinson will jump aboard.

In any event, people nationwide are reeling from a historic mandate from the White House, and in places like New York, they’re losing their jobs and being denied unemployment benefits, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.

In Arkansas, the people with the power to oppose draconian mandates and their effect on working people are setting their noses to the grindstone.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday denied an emergency request filed by a group of teachers to block New York City’s school COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Four teachers filed for the injunction on Thursday with Sotomayor, seeking to stop the mandate from going into effect on Friday.

Sotomayor, an Obama nominee who oversees emergency requests from New York, denied the teachers’ petition (pdf) without comment. She also did not refer the case to the full 9-member court for review.

The decision effectively allows the mandate to go forward.

Vinoo Varghese, an attorney for the teachers, said in an email, “We are disappointed, but the fight for our clients’ due process and those similarly situated will go on.”

The city’s vaccine mandate requires public school workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by 5 p.m. on Friday. Otherwise, they would be placed on unpaid leave until September 2022 unless they were approved for a religious or medical exemption.

COVID-19 is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

The New York teachers had filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court last month, arguing that mandatory vaccinations violate their rights to due process and equal protection under the law, citing the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

The teachers argued that the mandate interferes with their freedom to work in their profession and discriminates against them because other municipal workers who don’t work for schools can opt out of the vaccine by undergoing weekly COVID-19 tests.

The teachers appealed to the Supreme Court after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Manhattan, denied their case on Monday. The panel did not explain their ruling, which reversed a decision by a federal judge last week to block the vaccine mandate.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/supreme-court-justice-denies-appeal-to-block-vaccine-mandate-for-new-york-school-staff_4028266.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Lawmakers in Arkansas advanced a bill on Sept. 29 that would allow workers to opt out of their employer’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement if they can prove that they have natural antibodies against the CCP virus or if they’re tested for the virus weekly.

Arkansas’ House and Senate Public Health committees endorsed identical versions of the legislation, according to lawmakers. The measure also requires the state to pay unemployment benefits to workers who are terminated from their jobs over the vaccine mandate

“This is what we felt we could get through to give employees some protection,” state Sen. Kim Hammer said, reported The Associated Press.

It’s not clear if Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican who has broken with the Republican-led legislature in 2021 over several key issues, will sign the legislation if it’s ultimately approved by state lawmakers. Hutchinson’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.

Previously, Hutchinson had criticized the vaccine mandates that were announced by President Joe Biden earlier this month, saying that they’re “counterproductive” and will “[harden] the resistance” to vaccines.

Republican lawmakers have filed numerous measures targeting vaccine mandates as the legislature reconvened this week to take up the issue of congressional redistricting. Those proposals came in response to Biden’s announcement that he would target private businesses with 100 employees or more, mandating that those employees get the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to regular testing.

Federal health officials have said that individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 should still receive the vaccine, although studies have suggested that people who have previously contracted the virus display long-lasting and robust protection against the Delta variant. A study from Israel several weeks ago suggested that those with “natural immunity” had better protection against the Delta strain compared to those who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine.

The White House hasn’t yet unveiled its plan to mandate testing or vaccinations at private businesses after Biden’s Sept. 9 announcement.

On Sept. 29, when questioned about the mandate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there’s no firm timeline on the plan.

“We never gave an exact timeline,” she said. “So—maybe we should have been more specific at the time. Obviously, it takes some time and we want to make sure when we put these out they are clear and they provide the guidance necessary for businesses.”

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is still “working on them,” referring to the plan.

“Hopefully we’ll know more in the coming weeks,” she said.

According to OSHA’s law on an Emergency Temporary Standard to implement the vaccine requirement, the federal agency is “authorized to set emergency temporary standards that take effect immediately and are in effect until superseded by a permanent standard” and “must determine that workers are in grave danger due to exposure to toxic substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful, or to new hazards and that an emergency standard is needed to protect them.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/arkansas-bill-creates-antibody-exemption-for-biden-vaccine-mandates_4025004.html?utm_source=News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-09-30-2&mktids=82d2d6689fd3c0de8b901ed17bf4eae3&est=iNhtW3QudJy0HfvKiXT4KsLUVYOnoUcpYIU0Dkwyyszh1InykH7F9xtQqLO%2FI69o1A%3D%3D

It is now Halloween season, so as parents you must be on alert for threats to your children. This year, make sure to carefully check your kids’ candy before they eat it, being especially on the lookout for vaccination needles.

The COVID-19 vaccine has not been approved for children, but some deranged individuals may try to vaccinate kids anyway by hiding needles inside the candy. If your children receive candy from anyone wearing a mask—like the paper ones, not werewolf masks—or if they have a “Hate Has No Home Here” sign in their yard, you need to be very cautious of the candy they receive.

Signs of a vaccine would be a needle sticking out of a candy bar. Also, there could be a label on it, such as “Pfizer Edible.” You may also find some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in your children’s candy; these aren’t a threat, but take a few for yourself, because checking candy is hard work.

Authorities say to be particularly suspicious if your kids trick-or-treat in Dr. Fauci’s neighborhood. He’s attracting kids to his house by giving out full-sized candy bars, but you want to check those carefully.

Watch our latest video on how to make sure your kids are absolutely terrified of COVID:

https://babylonbee.com/news/psa-remember-to-check-your-kids-halloween-candy-for-hidden-vaccine-needles/?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=telegram

The COVID-19 vaccine should not be mandated for children since it does not “necessarily benefit” them like the vaccines required for school and child care, according to former White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Scott Atlas.

“Those vaccines that are mandated for children, even if you believe they should be mandated, are for diseases that are highly dangerous to children and highly communicable to other children, who therefore have a high danger from that virus,” Atlas said in an interview with EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders.”

“That is not the case with this disease. Children do not have a high risk from this disease. Children do not necessarily benefit themselves from the vaccination of this,” he added.

Atlas, a senior fellow for the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, said that kids whose immune system is extremely compromised should consider getting vaccinated, but to require healthy children to receive the COVID-19 vaccines would violate the Declaration of Helsinki, a set of ethical principles developed by the World Medical Association to guide physicians and scientists conducting experiments involving humans.

“In fact, the forced vaccines, particularly for children, violate several of the codes outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki from 1964,” Atlas said. “And I think, when you start having a society that violates some of the most basic codes of ethics, I think we’re in trouble.”

Pfizer said that it had submitted preliminary data of its COVID-19 vaccine trial for children aged 5 to 11 to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tuesday. This comes only two days after the vaccine manufacturer’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla told ABC’s “This Week” that the company will soon request authorization of its vaccine.

Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said that the data on the 2,268 children aged 5 to 11, who were given a 10-microgram dose of a two-dose regime, showed that the vaccine was safe and triggered an antibody response similar to that observed in those aged 16 to 25 from a previous trial, who had received 30-microgram doses. But whether the vaccine was effective in preventing disease in kids is still unknown as the companies did not release this data in their press release last week.

Pfizer’s vaccine is the only one granted emergency use in adolescents aged 12 to 15 and approved for people 16 and older.

Although kids are at extremely low risk from COVID-19 and do not significantly spread the disease, there is still a push to get them inoculated. One of the reasons for the push is that it could help protect society, which is a big concern for Atlas.

“Are we a society, a civilization, where we are using our children, even if they did spread, as shields? We’re going to inject our children with an experimental drug that they don’t have a significant benefit from, to shield ourselves,” Atlas said.

He added: “I will never use my children as shields to somehow protect me. That’s really just a heinous violation of all moral principles in my view.”

Opponents of vaccinating children say that the vaccine uses “experimental technology” and lacks long-term safety data. Pfizer states in its press releases that the vaccine may cause adverse events including heart inflammation and other “serious and unexpected side effects” that have not been reported yet, since “the possible side effects of the vaccine are still being studied in clinical trials.”

The vaccines have shown that they do not protect fully vaccinated people from getting infected or transmitting COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, after several months.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 544 children aged 0 to 18 had died from confirmed or presumed COVID-19 between Jan. 4, 2020 and Sept. 18, 2021, out of a total of 672,020 deaths from all ages.

However, comprehensive studies from the United Kingdom that are still waiting to be peer-reviewed, found that the overall risk of dying or getting severely ill from COVID-19 was extremely low in children. The studies also found that COVID-19 caused 25 deaths in kids younger than 18 between March 2020 and February 2021.

Federal health authorities are likely to authorize the vaccine for children soon. The FDA said that it was “prepared to complete its review as quickly as possible, likely in a matter of weeks rather than months” and will “carefully, thoroughly, and independently examine the data to evaluate benefits and risks.”

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the health agency will urgently review the data for children once they’ve been reviewed by the FDA.

“As soon as they get submitted to the FDA, I know the FDA is urgently planning to review these data, it will go from the FDA to the CDC, and we will review it with similar urgency,” Walensky told Good Morning America on Monday.

Pfizer said that it will submit a formal request for emergency use of its vaccine for children to the FDA “in the coming weeks,” including to other regulatory authorities around the world.

Some medical experts are also questioning the need to inoculate children without long-term safety data.

“Why would an EUA [emergency use authorization] for C19 vax for 5-11 yo be given, w/o any efficacy and long-term safety studies? Why is it OK to accept efficacy based on seroconversion, when Ab [antibody] status for naturally immune are not accepted?” Dr. Mahesh Shenai, a neurosurgeon, asked on Twitter.

Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, professor of psychiatry at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine replied: “Exactly. And we have not just antibody (or even T-cell) lab data for natural immunity, but also robust clinical evidence of protection against reinfection, hospitalization, and death. Vaccines for 5-11 yo receive approval without this yet NI [natural immunity] is ignored with this data?”

Natural immunity from people who have recovered from COVID-19 continues to not be recognized by the federal government and businesses mandating vaccines and passports in the United States.

Atlas said that Americans should have the choice to decide whether they want to be vaccinated or not.

The CDC says that more than 183 million Americans are fully vaccinated as of Sept. 28.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/covid-19-vaccine-should-not-be-mandated-for-children-dr-scott-atlas_4021924.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

Tucked deep into the massive $3.5 trillion spending bill that progressive Democrats hope to ram through Congress is a new plan to put what one writer calls “crippling” fines on businesses that fail to enforce vaccine mandates to the extent the Biden administration wants.

The spending proposal before Congress has the support of a majority of House Democrats, but has so far not won over enough Senate Democrats to allow for passage there, even under a procedural gimmick that would allow the bill to pass with all Republicans opposed.

Although most of the bill is focused on doling out dollars to social programs, on Saturday, a provision was added in a version of the bill that cleared the Budget Committee and went to the House floor, according to Forbes.

The bill now features, on page 168 of its more than 2,400 pages, a change in the schedule of “crippling” fines for employers who are adjudged to have put employees at risk jacks up financial penalties by up to 10 times the level in current law, Forbes’ Adam Andrzejewski wrote.

Instead of fines of up to $7,000 for a serious infraction, an employer could be hit with a fine of up to $70,000.

What the Occupational Health and Safety Administration concludes is a willful or repeated violation could now cost $700,000, up from $70,000.

OSHA is the agency charged by President Joe Biden with enforcing his demand that businesses with more than 100 employees implement coronavirus vaccine mandates.

Over the summer, OSHA issued an “emergency temporary standard”  that classified COVID-19 as a workplace hazard for the health care sector, setting the stage for a similar ruling in all workplaces.

Some, like Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, have already called for pushback against Biden’s rules.

Those businesses should openly rebel against any such rule. https://t.co/v52ZNgTrGh

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) September 9, 2021

Andrzejewski, a Forbes senior contributor, explained the bottom line.

“If the legislation is enacted, OSHA could levy draconian fines to enforce Biden’s vaccine mandate, a move that could rapidly bankrupt non-compliant companies,” he wrote.

‘The crippling change described on page 168 of the Democrats’ bill isn’t a typo or a clerical error. It was inserted by design and, likely, with the hope that no one would notice before Democrats ram the bill through Congress,” he wrote.

YouTube Bans Prominent Vaccine Skeptics, Blocks All Content That Questions Safety or Effectiveness of Vaccines

“If this OSHA change becomes law, the Biden administration will force American businesses to choose between vaccinating their employees, testing them weekly for Covid-19, or going bankrupt under crippling OSHA fines.”https://t.co/BFA8sf3bm5

— AI Jared Bot (@ai_jared) September 29, 2021

Andrzejewski noted that companies could face a massive cost burden.

“If enacted, it could bankrupt a whole host of companies that do not believe they should have to comply with the Biden administration’s mandate or harbor the cost of intrusive, weekly tests.”

He said if that provision becomes law, “the Biden administration may force American businesses to choose between vaccinating their employees, testing them weekly for Covid-19, or going bankrupt under crippling OSHA fines.”

WASHINGTON–A group of Republican lawmakers threw their support behind doctors who advocate for the right to use ivermectin, an inexpensive antiparasitic drug, for treating COVID-19.

Ivermectin is the latest drug caught in controversy after demand surged dramatically in August. Physician and pharmacist groups, including the American Medical Association “strongly oppose” the prescribing of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients. Federal health agencies also issued warnings recently to prevent the use of the drug, stating that “adverse effects associated with ivermectin misuse and overdose are increasing.”

Critical care physician Pierre Kory, however, describes correctly administered ivermectin as “a gift” in the fight against COVID-19.

“I know ivermectin works. I’ve been using it to treat patients for 10 months now,” Kory told The Epoch Times.

During the pandemic, Kory led intensive care units in several hotspots, including New York City. He is one of the founding members of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, which “strongly recommends” the use of ivermectin in both the prevention and treatment of the virus.

Kory briefed more than 20 members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Sept. 27 about the efficacy of the drug.

During the briefing, Kory claimed that ivermectin has helped reduce COVID-19 deaths by 88 percent with early treatment and by about 75 percent in cases of hospitalization, based on data from Mexico City and Misiones, a province in Argentina where a large number of patients were treated with ivermectin.

Kory also said COVID cases significantly dropped in Uttar Pradesh, which was the first state in India to introduce large-scale use of ivermectin during the peak of the delta surge in the country.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who joined the briefing, criticized the efforts to quash access to the drug as a treatment for COVID-19. Johnson has been a vocal advocate for COVID-19 treatments beyond vaccines, including ivermectin. A possible explanation for the resistance “has to do with money,” he told The Epoch Times.

“The vaccine has been worth billions to these companies. Is that what’s driving this? I would like to think that’s not the case,” he said. “How many lives could have been saved had our federal health agencies robustly explored all these generic drugs?”

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved antiparasitic drug that has been used safely for more than three decades in the treatment of certain worm infections. The two doctors who developed ivermectin received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2015 “for improving the health and wellbeing of millions of individuals with River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis, primarily in the poorest regions of the world.”

While ivermectin was not developed to treat viruses, an increasing number of doctors around the world believe in the efficacy of the drug against the COVID-19.

Over 88,000 ivermectin prescriptions were reported in the United States in the second week of August, which is 24 times higher than the pre-pandemic level, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an article warning against use of the drug, stating that many have been taking the one intended for animals.

“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” the agency posted on Twitter on Aug. 21.

Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), a member of the Freedom Caucus and one of the supporters of allowing people the right to try ivermectin, criticized federal agencies and the media for smearing the drug as “horse treatment.”

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Gohmert called the efforts to suppress the use of ivermectin as “dishonesty,” which is preventing people from having access to an FDA-approved drug that is inexpensive and widely available. He likened these efforts to the disinformation tactics used for decades by the tobacco industry to dismiss the health risks of smoking.

“It goes beyond being wrong. It gets virtually to being criminal,” Gohmert said.

The FDA warned that it has not yet approved ivermectin “for use in preventing or treating COVID-19.” The agency said that the “currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective” against the virus, adding that the clinical trials are ongoing.

According to Kory, FDA approval for ivermectin use to treat COVID-19 is not required for off-label prescriptions. Off-label use refers to using an approved drug to treat a different type of disease that the drug is not approved to treat. Nearly 20 percent of all prescriptions written in the United States are off-label.

There are now threats from medical boards to take away licenses from doctors who prescribe ivermectin, Kory said.

“I cannot describe the harm, and the tragedy, and the actual humanitarian crisis that this is causing,” he said.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/republican-lawmakers-question-attacks-on-ivermectin-as-covid-19-cure_4021773.html?utm_source=Morningbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-09-29&mktids=cfd9ba0d5a1cea6c8d4be663921c6b70&est=wBKTcRmNPdp3BJijifC%2BSz%2B%2F1uotZ4Ku0arX6UwJzpnQ9YbRsXoZ0Bev9y4uzDpNHw%3D%3D

I cannot resist the setup, so…Karma is a b!tch- and so were you (and now you’ve Croaked!)! [US Patriot]

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — A 67-year-old former Notre Dame professor is dead, in what is fast-becoming a pattern of quick deaths after “booster” shots.

Mrs. Karen Croake Heisler received her first dose of Pfizer experimental mRNA on January 13, according to her Twitter account. Her age allowed her to be one of the first to receive the injections in December and January. It’s unclear when she received the second injection. But Mrs. Heisler declared on April 9 that she and her husband suffered only sore arms after their second injections.

Mrs. Heisler was a passionate, hardcore supporter of anything related to masks and COVID-19 mandates. She also displayed consistent animosity towards those who refuse to receive mRNA and viral vector DNA injections. She called non-vaxxed people “selfish” and ordered them to stay home “until you come to your senses.”

Ms. Heisler loved masks so much that she even made her dog wear them.

For reasons unknown, Mrs. Heisler received a third Pfizer mRNA injection on September 7.

Her health apparently deteriorated very quickly thereafter. Mrs. Heisler tweeted from Orlando Regional Medical Center on September 14. She was there to see a cardiologist. Mrs. Heisler tweeted three times that day, with all of them blaming the “unvaccinated” for her deteriorating health. She went out swinging, telling everyone to “get the damn vaccine” and “damn the unvaccinated.”

Mrs. Heisler died from “cancer-related complications” on September 19.

RELATED: Jovita Moore: Atlanta news anchor develops two brain tumors 12 days after second experimental Pfizer mRNA injection, still recovering from surgery (May 31, 2021)

Mrs. Heisler was well-respected by the Notre Dame community. She worked in the university’s Film, Television and Theater (FTT) department from 1993 until she retired in 2018.

Mrs. Heisler authored the book Fighting Irish: Legends, Lists and Lore in 2006. The FTT Television Studies Award is named after Mrs. Heisler and given to one graduating FTT student annually for outstanding academic performance.

Mrs. Heisler is survived by her husband and two sons.

Two dubious lists for Karen Croake Heisler

An advisory panel spoke today at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to debate who should receive third Pfizer mRNA injections and when. They recommended that only senior citizens and “those at high risk from the virus” receive third injections. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel rejected the Biden Administration’s wish to inject everyone with third Pfizer shots last week. The bureaucratic tug-of-war will continue for weeks. Meanwhile many vaxxed people are receiving third injections without FDA approval.

We’ve covered three stories thus far about people receiving third Pfizer mRNA injections. Michael Mitchell received a Pfizer injection after already receiving two Sinovac injections. He died six days later. James Cooper Sawyer died eight days after his third Pfizer mRNA injection. Now Mrs. Heisler is dead 12 days after her third Pfizer injection.

These three individuals were ages 65, 77 and 67, respectively. The average time it took for them to die after the third injection was about nine days. Yet the aforementioned CDC panel is recommending third injections for all seniors. Note that mainstream media are also pushing for Johnson & Johnson “booster shots” after the company touted its own studies on its own product. The original product was marketed as “one-and-done.”

Unfortunately Mrs. Heisler was also a hardcore virtue signaler who died after mocking and belittling the non-vaxxed. It’s a disturbing, common trend among vaxx zealots. Ronald Babb, Louie Knuxx, Jason Maurer, Jordan Hayes Dr. Witold Rogiewicz, Dr. Thomas Flanigan – it’d be overkill to keep listing them. It is what it is.

If you love your parents and grandparents, you will not allow them to get viral vector DNA and mRNA injections. You most certainly will not allow them to receive the third, guaranteed-lethal injection. Stay vigilant and protect your friends and loved ones. S/O to commenter “dddd” for the news lead.

Witch hunts carried out by frightened mobs never end well

An experiment without controls teaches us nothing. God bless the unvaccinated pioneers! [US Patriot]

Society loves a scapegoat. It’s comforting to be part of a majority that can point at a minority to blame for their ills.

The scapegoats that we are ostracizing today are those who are choosing not to get vaccinated.

As an exhausted population deals with the fourth wave of COVID-19, they want to see a way out. They want to blame somebody for this prolonged state of living in fear of infection and rolling lockdowns. They just want it all to end and they have decided to point their collective, judgmental fingers at the unvaccinated.

Witch hunts carried out by frightened mobs never end well. We could be driving some people to extremes.

For those who feel that vaccination is an essential component to breaking free from the pandemic, it is frustrating to watch vaccine uptake stalling. In most regions, vaccination rates seem to pause at around the 80 percent rate.

Governments initially began trying the carrot method in order to encourage vaccine participation. We saw everything from lotteries to gift cards offered as enticements for getting the jab. The carrot method had little success. Spurred on by an increasingly hysteric population, governments are now moving on to using the stick.

There are a number of reasons why people choose not to get vaccinated. Many are within an apathetic group who simply never got around to it. With access to nightclubs and sporting events being limited, I suspect that many of them will suddenly find the time and motivation to get the jab.

There are a number of people who are truly just vaccine-hesitant. They are concerned about side effects and want to see more data before injecting something into their bodies. These people can be convinced to take part in vaccination over time if they are approached with reason and respect. We aren’t seeing much of either of those traits from increasingly shrill vaccination advocates, though.

Shaming and threatening the hesitant will only make them dig their heels in. Vaccine advocates need to temper their approach or they will achieve the opposite effect of what they want to see.

The final, and likely smallest group of unvaccinated people are the true “anti-vaxxers.” These are people who are convinced that vaccines are going to harm or possibly kill them. They will never willingly submit to being vaccinated, or allow their children to be vaccinated.

Try to put yourself into the shoes of somebody who views vaccines as a toxin. If you believed that a vaccine would kill you or change your DNA, would anything ever convince you to put it in your body? Of course not.

We need to accept and make accommodations for the reality that a sizable segment of the population will never be vaccinated. Whether it’s through rapid testing schemes, separate schools, or segregated workplaces, we can’t let these people get cut off from all aspects of society.

If even only six percent of the population is deeply opposed to vaccination, that makes up millions of people. Many of these people work in the health-care system by the way, and drumming them out of employment won’t ease the burden on hospitals.

Right now, those who are terrified of vaccinations are feeling pretty cornered. They are losing their jobs, their friends, and their ability to travel. They are being pushed into a miserable existence where they may end up virtually locked within their homes for the foreseeable future.

I can’t think of a better recipe for taking somebody who has challenges with mental stability and pushing them into actions that may harm themselves or others.

This feeling of fearful helplessness has now been exacerbated with the end of the federal election. Many people hoped that a strong electoral showing from Maxime Bernier’s PPC would protect them from coerced vaccination. The heightened tension was evident at PPC rallies and in some protests. Those people have now lost hope of protection through the electoral system and feel that they have no voice within government.

There are few people more dangerous than those who feel that they have nothing to lose and nowhere to go.

We can’t stop encouraging vaccination for fear of triggering an extremist. We can, however, work to change our tone and approach with those who are choosing not to get vaccinated. We are creating a caste of dejected, desperate people. We may not understand their point of view but we have to try to sympathize with it.

If we keep blaming, shaming, and marginalizing this minority, I fear that we may push somebody over the edge. The next act of aggression may be something much worse than a frustrated fool tossing a handful of gravel at the prime minister.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/time-to-call-a-halt-on-vilifying-the-unvaccinated_4021525.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

• Brandon Schadt, Johnson & Johnson Regional Business Lead: “It’s a kid, you just don’t do that, you know? Not something that’s so unknown in terms of repercussions down the road, you know?”
• Schadt: “Kids shouldn’t get a f*cking [COVID] vaccine.”
• Schadt: “It’s a kid, it’s a f*cking kid, you know? They shouldn’t have to get a f*cking [COVID] vaccine, you know?”
• Schadt: “J&J is like stepping in the best smelling pile of sh*t you could step in.”
• Justin Durrant, Johnson & Johnson Scientist: “Don’t get the Johnson & Johnson [COVID vaccine], I didn’t tell you though.”
• Durrant: “It wouldn’t make that much of a difference” if children are unvaccinated for COVID.
• Durrant: “Inconvenience [the unvaccinated] to the point where it’s like, ‘I might as well just f*cking do it [and take the COVID vaccine],’ you know what I’m saying?”
• Durrant: “It’s almost like — you’re almost like a second-grade citizen if you’re not vaccinated…you can’t do anything that a normal citizen can do.”
• Durrant: “If you can’t work, I feel like that’s punishment enough…Only way people really act and comply is if it affects their pockets, like if you’re working for a big company and you’re going to lose your job, best believe you’ll be the first one in line [to take the COVID vaccine]…That’s what we’re doing.”

[NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Sept. 27, 2021] Project Veritas released the third video of its COVID vaccine investigative series today exposing two Johnson & Johnson [J&J] officials, who argue children do not need to take the COVID vaccine in part because of the potential long-term side effects.

One of the exposed J&J employees, a scientist by the name of Justin Durrant, laughs about inconveniencing unvaccinated adults if they refuse to comply with mandates being imposed upon them:

Justin Durrant, Johnson & Johnson Scientist: “Inconvenience [the unvaccinated] to the point where it’s like, ‘I might as well just f*cking do it [and take the COVID vaccine],’ you know what I’m saying? Like ‘I can’t go out of state,’ I can’t – ‘my grandma’s in Canada and I can’t visit her,’ you know what I’m saying? You can’t go to France unless you’re vaccinated — you know you’ve just got to keep doing things like that where you’re almost like a second-grade citizen if you’re not vaccinated, but I know that’s awful.”

Veritas Journalist: “You’re almost what?”

Durrant: “Like a second-grade citizen, like you can’t do anything that a normal citizen can do.”

Veritas Journalist: “A second graded citizen?”

Durrant: “Yeah like top grade, like the ones that get it, and the ones that just like — then you can’t do sh*t.”

…

Veritas Journalist: “So then how do we punish [the unvaccinated]?” 

Durrant: “I mean if you can’t work, I feel like that’s punishment enough.”

Veritas Journalist: “People what?”

Durrant: “Only way people really act and comply is if it affects their pockets, like if you’re working for a big company and you’re going to lose your job, best believe you’ll be the first one in line [to take the COVID vaccine].”

Veritas Journalist: “Right, so if you’re working for a big company and you’re about to lose your job, you’ll be the first one in line?”

Durrant: “Yeah.”

Veritas Journalist: “That’s so true. That’s smart, that’s what we need to do.”

Durrant: “That’s what we’re doing.”

Durrant said he does not recommend taking his own company’s vaccine. He asked the Veritas journalist to keep that information private.

“Don’t get the Johnson & Johnson [COVID vaccine], I didn’t tell you though,” he said.

Both Durrant and Brandon Schadt, J&J’s Regional Business Lead, said that applying the COVID vaccine on children would not move the needle in the battle against the pandemic.

“It wouldn’t make that much of a difference” if children are unvaccinated for COVID, Durrant said.

“It’s a kid, you just don’t do that, you know? Not something that’s so unknown in terms of repercussions down the road, you know?” Schadt said.

“It’s a kid, it’s a f*cking kid, you know? They shouldn’t have to get a f*cking [COVID] vaccine, you know?”

Schadt compared J&J’s COVID vaccine efficacy to the other pharmaceutical companies.

“J&J is like stepping in the best smelling pile of sh*t you could step in,” he said.

More footage exposing Big Pharma will be released by Project Veritas imminently. To receive these upcoming videos directly into your email inbox, click here.

About Project Veritas

James O’Keefe established Project Veritas in 2010 as a non-profit journalism enterprise to continue his undercover reporting work. Today, Project Veritas investigates and exposes corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions to achieve a more ethical and transparent society and to engage in litigation to: protect, defend and expand human and civil rights secured by law, specifically First Amendment rights including promoting the free exchange of ideas in a digital world; combat and defeat censorship of any ideology; promote truthful reporting; and defend freedom of speech and association issues including the right to anonymity. O’Keefe serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board so that he can continue to lead and teach his fellow journalists, as well as protect and nurture the Project Veritas culture. 

Project Veritas is a registered 501(c)3 organization. Project Veritas does not advocate specific resolutions to the issues raised through its investigations. Donate now to support our mission.

https://www.projectveritas.com/news/johnson-and-johnson-children-dont-need-the-f-cking-covid-vaccine-because/

NBA players reject COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Woke millionaire Kyrie Irving and other NBA players are stupid conspiracy theorists who literally want all of your family members to die. Rolling Stone reports there is significant opposition among NBA players to the league’s proposal to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, considered by many to be a “non-starter.”

Irving, whose Instagram feed is filled with homages to Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party, has urged Americans to “do your own research”—not as it relates to the COVID-19 vaccine, but rather as to whether the Earth is round or flat. His views on the vaccine, however, can be extrapolated with a high degree of confidence.

For example, Irving has started liking Instagram posts from conspiracy theorists claiming that “secret societies” are using the vaccines to fulfill “a plan of Satan” by implanting black people with microchips connected to a master computer. Similar conspiracies have reportedly spread throughout the NBA.

Irving is a vice president on the executive committee of the NBA players’ union, which held its annual meeting last month to discuss vaccine mandates and other issues ahead of the upcoming season. According to the NBA’s most recent health and safety guidelines, the anti-vaccine players were successful in forcing the league to accept nearly all of their demands.

The league and the players’ union are still negotiating a number of contentious issues, such as “prohibitions on accessing indoor bars, clubs, and lounges.” NBA superstar LeBron James, who has repeatedly refused to discuss his vaccination status, violated the league’s health and safety protocols (but was not punished) earlier this year by attending an indoor tequila party with Drake and other celebs.

Weeks prior to the party, James’s former teammate Dennis Schröder told a German media outlet that “LeBron and I” were the only players for the Los Angeles Lakers yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. James has insisted that believing in science (or not) is “a private thing,” despite vowing to use his platform to speak out on “everything that’s going on around this country and around the world,” except for China.

Irving has also refused to comment on his vaccination status, but all evidence suggests he is not. His aunt, Tyki Irving, told Rolling Stone: “There are so many other players outside of him who are opting out, I would like to think they would make a way.”

The NBA may have caved to its anti-vaxx players, but some state and local governments have sought to impose their own vaccine requirements. New York City, where Irving plays for the Brooklyn Nets, will require athletes to show proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose in order to play indoors.

On Monday, the Nets hosted a media day at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Irving, who would have had to present proof of vaccination to attend, wasn’t there. In a virtual interview, he once again refused to discuss his vaccination status. “I like to keep that stuff private,” Irving said. “I’m not able to present there today, but that doesn’t mean that I’m putting any limits on the future of me being able to join the team.”

It remains unknown why Irving, who took a two-week leave of absence to protest the riot at the U.S. Capitol, wants his fellow Americans to die as a result of his reckless behavior. For whatever reason, sanctimonious white liberals were significantly less vocal, if not completely silent, in response to the Rolling Stone report.

Shut Up and Get Vaxxed: These Woke Millionaires Are Literally Killing People (freebeacon.com)

Kimberly Jenkins, a critical care nurse at Banner Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona, knows she could be out of a job soon—unless she complies with her employer’s COVID-19 vaccine program by Nov 1.

That’s just not going to happen, said Jenkins, who is pinning her hopes on a religious exemption to the shot.

“If it’s denied, I won’t be working for Banner any more,” she told The Epoch Times.

Dressed in hospital scrubs, Jenkins and several other nurses in hospital garb stood outside Arizona’s Senate Building on Sept. 24 to protest against the mandatory vaccines.

“I don’t care how I get a paycheck [but] I have to take a step back for my own mental health,” said Jenkins, holding a sign with a drawing of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

“It Appears To Be Mutating Into A Dictatorship,” the sign’s caption read.

Across the street from the Arizona Capitol, more than 1,000 people had gathered at a medical freedom rally sponsored by more than a dozen anti-COVID-19 vaccine organizations.

Among the sponsors were the Arizona Coalition for Medical Freedom, America’s Frontline Doctors, America’s Healthcare Workers for Medical Freedom, the Patriot Party of Arizona, and Arizona for Medical Freedom.

Jenkins, 41, shrugged when asked what she will do for work if and when she gets fired from her job.
“Other organizations are hiring in Arizona. The biggest problem is staff, and having to deal with the fact that we will lose a lot of nurses” over the vaccine mandates, Jenkins said.

“So, you now have new graduates working in high-security areas [in place of seasoned nurses]. We don’t have the staff to train new nurses.”

Since the Biden Administration announced vaccine mandates for federal employees and companies with 100 employees or more, health-care facilities across the country have suffered losses.

Earlier this month, Novant Health Inc. announced 375 staffers had been suspended for their noncompliance with the company’s COVID-19 program.

Meanwhile, Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville, New York, this month shut down its maternity ward when dozens of employees chose to quit their jobs rather than take the injection.

And at Indiana University Health, 125 staffers resigned this month after they refused to get vaccinated.

While Jenkins said she isn’t sure how many nursing jobs are on the chopping block at her facility, “it’s enough to make a huge dent to do proper care.”

She said the standard of care in ICUs is three skilled nurses per patient. Now, it’s common to see two nurses for every critical care patient, she said.

“I don’t like it when science is ignored,” said another unvaccinated nurse at the Sep. 24 rally, who works at Common Spirit Health in Phoenix. “I’ve seen adverse [side effects] happen to co-workers of mine,” after they received the vaccine.

“The vaccine was completely rushed through. It was being rushed through even when we were in a pandemic state,” she told The Epoch Times.

The irony, she said, is that during the pandemic in 2020 “we were heroes. Now, we’re zeroes.” Regardless, she said, “I’m not quitting. I’m not worried about their timeline.”

Another registered nurse at the rally who also works at Common Spirit Health told The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity, “I wouldn’t say I’m fearful [about losing my job]. I would say it’s wrong what they’re doing.”

Hundreds Gather Outside Arizona’s Capitol Building for Medical Freedom Rally (theepochtimes.com)

Dozens of Massachusetts state troopers have submitted their resignations ahead of a deadline to comply with the state’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

“Many of these troopers are going to be returning to their previous municipal police departments within the state that allow for regular testing and masks,” State Police Association of Massachusetts President Michael Cherven said in a statement. “To date, dozens of troopers have already submitted their resignation paperwork.

“Throughout COVID, we have been on the front lines protecting the citizens of Massachusetts and beyond,” he said. “Simply put, all we are asking for are the same basic accommodations that countless other departments have provided to their first responders, and to treat a COVID-related illness as a line of duty injury.”

The action comes as a Massachusetts Superior Court judge rejected the union’s request to delay the vaccine mandate, which goes into effect on Oct. 17. Exemptions are granted, under an order issued by the governor’s office, to those seeking religious or medical exemptions to the vaccine.

“We are disappointed in the judge’s ruling; however, we respect her decision,” Cherven said. “It is unfortunate that [Gov. Charlie Baker] and his team have chosen to mandate one of the most stringent vaccine mandates in the country with no reasonable alternatives.”

The State Police Association of Massachusetts recently filed a lawsuit saying the Oct. 17 deadline would cause troopers “irreparable harm” and sought more time to “negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment.” They also had sought to have troopers who are not vaccinated instead submit to regular COVID-19 testing and wearing a mask on the job.

But the judge, Suffolk County Superior Court Associate Justice Jackie Cowin, said that delaying the vaccine mandate wouldn’t serve the public’s interest.

“The public interest is, unquestionably, best served by stopping the spread of the virus, in order to protect people from becoming ill, ensure adequate supply of medical services, and curtail the emergence of new, deadlier variants of the virus,” according to her ruling.

At the federal level, the Biden administration earlier this month issued an order mandating that all federal workers and contractors, including law enforcement personnel, get a COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier, the federal government stipulated that federal employees and contractors who didn’t get the shot would have to instead wear masks, socially distance, and undergo routine testing.

A few dozen federal employees, including U.S. Secret Service members, have filed lawsuits against the Biden administration over the mandate. Some argued that a prior COVID-19 infection should preclude them from receiving the vaccine, while others said that mandatory vaccines would violate their religious freedom.

Gov. Baker’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

‘Dozens’ of Massachusetts State Troopers Submit Resignations Over Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for teachers and other Department of Education staffers is on pause after a federal judge late Friday granted a request to temporarily block it.

Plaintiffs, a group of teachers, asked for a temporary injunction pending review by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

U.S. Appeals Court Judge Joseph Bianco, a George W. Bush nominee, in a one-page order granted the request.

The panel will now decide whether to impose an injunction pending appeal or allow the mandate to take effect.

Rachel Maniscalco and three other New York City Department of Education workers sued over the mandate, which was supposed to start on Sept. 27.

They said the order, which requires all workers to show proof they’ve received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, is government overreach, violating the U.S. Constitution’s Due Process Clause. That clause states in part that no state can “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

The right to pursue a profession is a liberty interest and the mandate, which threatens to cost workers who don’t comply with their jobs, interferes with it, the suit said.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, another George W. Bush nominee, earlier this week declined to block the mandate, ruling plaintiffs failed to show they would likely succeed in their suit.

That prompted an appeal and led to Bianco’s ruling.

It’s not clear when the three-judge panel will make their decision.

In a statement to news outlets, the city’s Department of Education (DOE) said it was confident the mandate will ultimately be upheld “once all the facts have been presented, because that is the level of protection our students and staff deserve.”

“Our current vax-or-test mandate remains in effect and we’re seeking speedy resolution by the Circuit Court next week. Over 82 percent of DOE employees have been vaccinated and we continue to urge all employees to get their shot by Sept. 27,” the agency added.

Unions have urged the city to delay or restructure the mandate, asserting it would lead to teacher shortages.

Some schools have dozens of unvaccinated staffers, Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, a union representing principals in the city, told reporters earlier Friday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, has refused.

“We’ve been planning all along. We have a lot of substitutes ready, but I think the big story here is going to be that the vast majority, overwhelming majority of teachers and staff are going to come in vaccinated to serve our kids next week,” he said on a radio show Friday.

Federal Judge Blocks New York City’s School COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com).

I seem to have been fortunate enough to stumble upon the latest vaccine shaming “copy and paste” post some people have decided to share on social media. If you’re vaccinated, good for you. If you’re not vaccinated, good for you. I honestly don’t care what you do with your body because the only person I have any control over is myself.

That being said, I’m honestly tired of staying silent while everybody else, including Joe Biden, go off on their tangents.

You’re vaccinated, and you don’t know what’s in it? You don’t know what’s in hot dogs or treatments for cancer, AIDS, MS, etc.? You don’t know what’s in Tylenol and Ibuprofen and tattoo ink and shampoo and your food? Well, the great thing about living in the information technology age is a lot of that information is available right at your fingertips, presuming of course it hasn’t been censored. We live in a time where we have the ability to know a lot of things that we didn’t know before. There may be a lot of things you don’t know right now, but you have the ability and opportunity to educate yourself. If you decide not to take the time, that’s your business. But that also makes you incredibly lazy and ignorant.

Life is short. And it passes quickly and can change on a dime. I believe all of us still have a lot of things we want to do in this life and experiences we want to share. Places we want to go. People we want to see.

If you seriously think the answer is shaming people who HAVE done their research into getting injected with something that isn’t even a vaccine is going to allow you to get your life back, you’re wrong.

The problem is, we’ve been putting our lives on hold for almost 19 months now. We’ve listened to the science. We kept our kids home from school for a year. We shut down businesses, some forever. We closed our churches, our parks, our gyms, our hiking trails, our beaches, pretty much everything. Obesity of U.S. children increased among 5- through 11-year-olds from 36.2 percent to 45.7 percent. Where’s the outcry over that? How about the excess consumption of processed sugars like high-fructose corn syrup? Where’s your passport for being allowed to be a parent or a human being for that matter? Maybe it’s time for you to remedy that for your fellow man.

And yet some still keep believing the next hurdle you jump over will get you back to your normal lives. But the goalposts keeps moving!

Guess what? You can’t comply your way back to freedom. This will never end if we keep submitting to the latest and greatest “scientific suggestion” that’s being forced on us. Label me a conspiracy theorist? I don’t care. The stats are in my favor as I’m currently at about 50-0 as far as how things are going down. If anything, I identify as a walking spoiler alert.

Personally, I’m appalled and offended that certain people in certain occupations are having to choose between getting injected with an experimental gene therapy (yes, that’s what your “vaccine” is, read the FDA “approval”), or lose their jobs, livelihoods and ability to support their families. It’s abhorrent to think in order to have a place in society, we’d have to inject ourselves with this and show proof to anyone and everyone. I’m sure the Germans in the 1930s allowed fear and division to make them think what was being done to the Jews was fair and justified as well. It’s taken almost 90 years for history to repeat itself. The Nuremberg Code is still in effect and these people enforcing these mandates are in violation of it.

Are these hospitals seriously going to fire nurses and doctors for NOT getting a vaccine in the middle of a pandemic? That’ll be a sight to see. It may resemble our exit from Afghanistan! These medical professionals worked through COVID for 18 months on the frontlines and were last year’s heroes and are now deemed expendable because they don’t want to inject themselves with an experimental vaccine. How about teachers? Are we going to shut down schools again? Parents will LOVE that. Or maybe we should eliminate the teaching certification so any random person can teach our kids? In Oregon you no longer need to show proficiency in reading and math. Will that become the new standard?

I advise you all to read The Thirty Tyrants. There is a ton of corruption in this world and in our government. Our Founding Fathers NEVER meant for our representatives to make lifelong careers in Washington, DC. Some of these younger representatives show promise but if they’re there too long, it’s only a matter of time before their soul and morals obtain a price tag and they’ll be bought and sold to the Devil himself.

How is it okay for these politicians to mandate how we live our lives and lock us down and torment our kids while they go out to expensive dinners indoors unmasked nor socially distanced at The French Laundry? How is it okay to have a 60th birthday party with 600 guests when my father’s funeral was limited to 10 people? How is it acceptable to enforce mask mandates and no social gatherings and be caught at a backyard BBQ doing exactly what was mandated NOT to do? How is it acceptable to say we can’t travel while politicians are off vacationing abroad? How is it okay to close hair salons and most of us went without getting a haircut for a year when you parade maskless inside a salon you had opened especially for you?

I also advise you all to do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Turn off the news, the television and the radio. FOLLOW THE MONEY. There’s a medicine that costs 12 cents that could eradicate this virus but instead the $300 billion option is being forced on us. Stop shaming people for the decisions that they make. Stop buying in to this ridiculous rhetoric. This won’t end until we say it ends. People all over the world are starting uprisings because they have had ENOUGH.

I’ve been affected by loss from COVID. I’m not denying the reality or severity of the virus. But Fauci is not my God. Bill Gates’ software and computers get viruses all the time! What is he doing working on and funding vaccines? Ultimately, the only person who knows how many days I have left on this earth is Jesus Christ, and that’s who I’m choosing to put my faith in. Not Fauci, not Pfizer, not Moderna, or whomever else is trying to dictate how I live my life. I do not consent. I will not comply.

For those doctors and nurses who have blatantly stated they won’t treat people who aren’t vaccinated, for the nurse who posted on social media recently that they’ll mess with your ventilator if you’re not vaccinated, I’m sorry, didn’t you all take an OATH when you became licensed? It’s your duty to do your job no matter what state or condition a person is in. Those lives lost are on YOUR hands, not the unvaccinated. And for those people who say the unvaccinated deserve to die? You’re no better than the dictators and tyrants. And even with your vaccine you can still get and spread the virus so YOU also should have to submit to regular tests.

I woke up about 18 months ago. Waking up is painful and disillusioning. But honestly, walking around awake in a world that’s still asleep is more painful and creates a righteous anger inside of you. I pray every day that darkness comes to light, that the truth comes out, and most importantly that those who have committed these crimes against humanity be held accountable.

Danielle Price

Letter to the Editor: ‘You Can’t Comply Your Way Back to Freedom’ (theepochtimes.com)

Fox News on Wednesday ran a scroll listing the many controversies plaguing the Biden administration during its eighth month, and the moment really put things into context.

We’re n deep trouble.

Not that we didn’t already know our country has descended into complete chaos. That much has been obvious for some time. It’s everywhere you go, actually.

Grocery stores, gas stations, airports and the passable portions of the country’s southern border are all reminders of how terrible President Joe Biden has been for America.

Walk by a TV, though, and the larger picture comes into focus.

That was especially true on Fox News when “America Reports” anchors Shannon Bream and John Roberts rolled out a list of the ongoing crises, tragedies and other disasters plaguing the country and its inept leadership.

“It’s been eight whole months, but it looks like the honeymoon is over,” Bream said while Fox viewers were reminded of the many failings of the Biden administration.

A graphic displaying “current controversies” scrolled upward as the pair commented on the 18 different issues the network had keyed in on. Bream declared that not even the “mainstream media can ignore” all the trouble.

Those troubles include reports that thousands of Haitian migrants who have been camped out along the border in Texas are being released into the country. That occurred after the White House assured that no such thing would happen.

Roberts then noted that Biden was “getting called out for not calling out China by name at the United Nations” when he addressed the global body this past week and managed to make no mention of the world’s largest human rights abuser.

Fox’s scrolling Biden crisis graphic reminded viewers that while they face being treated as second-class citizens if they’re not vaccinated against the coronavirus, no such mandates exist for people who are literally breaking the law by being in the country.

It also pointed out Biden’s mixed messaging about COVID-19 booster shots, which are now not being recommended for the general population by the Food and Drug Administration. Biden sure stopped talking about that subject quickly.

The adults are back in charge, right?

The current administration has managed to anger France, the country’s oldest ally, while also moving to leave the Israeli people vulnerable to attacks from Hamas terrorists.

Landowners Fight Back Against Biden Plan to Control Americans’ Property

In case anyone had forgotten that the U.S. military surrendered full control of Afghanistan to the Taliban last month, Fox’s crisis meter reminded them.

That’s all going on, and we can expect, any day now, a capitulation to Iran over nuclear weapons. It feels like a matter of time before pallets of cash start landing in Tehran.

There was also present on Fox’s list the fact that not one single person in the White House or the president’s Cabinet has claimed responsibility for a drone strike in Kabul that killed seven children. There has also been no accountability over the fact that the Pentagon left American citizens behind in Afghanistan as troops were ordered out.

Labor shortages, rising prices on basic commodities and high gas prices are all still with us as domestic issues to remind everyone just how bad the Democratic Party’s ideas are.

The opening segment from Bream and Roberts on Wednesday served as a sobering reminder of just how much trouble this country is in. Simultaneously, it somehow also failed to capture the magnitude of the situation.

The good news: There are just under three and a half years left of this madness — if we’re lucky.

Fox News Runs Devastating List of Every Single Current Biden Controversy, It’s Worse Than You Think (westernjournal.com)

Last month, the Pentagon issued a military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

During the markup by the House Armed Services Committee, an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 716, was introduced by Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee. The proposal, which would “prohibit giving service members who refuse a vaccine anything but an honorable discharge,” was passed by the committee and added to the bill.

Section 716 acknowledges that “many Americans have reservations about taking a vaccine that has only been available for less than a year.”

The idea is that a service member in good standing shouldn’t be penalized with a dishonorable discharge because they refuse to take a vaccine.

The Military Times spoke to Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, the ranking member on the committee, who told them, “I believe that the military should be able to require these vaccines, and I think every person of sound judgment in this country should take a vaccine. However, if somebody in good faith in the military says they can’t do it, they shouldn’t be stained for the rest of their lives with a dishonorable discharge.”

As per the vaccine mandate, the Biden administration would like the House to strike this provision from the bill before it passes.

According to The Daily Mail, the White House wants any soldier who refuses the vaccine to receive a court martial, followed by a dishonorable discharge from the military. They also want to eliminate a provision that would allow soldiers who have already had COVID-19, and therefore have natural immunity, not to take the vaccine.

The White House issued a statement which said they “strongly oppose” Section 716. “To enable a uniformed force to fight with discipline, commanders must have the ability to give orders and take appropriate disciplinary measures.”

The Mail reached out to Green for his reaction. He replied with the following statement: “I am appalled that the Biden Administration is trying to remove my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that prevents anything but an honorable discharge for service members who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This was a bipartisan amendment — every Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee agreed to it.”

Green, an Army veteran, told the Military Times that a dishonorable discharge “significantly impacts an individual for the rest of their lives, including future employment. … We should not destroy their lives for this.”

The White House also opposes Section 720 of the NDAA, which establishes protocol for service members seeking exemptions from the vaccine for “administrative, medical or religious reasons, including on the basis of possessing an antibody test result demonstrating previous COVID-19 infection.”

The statement said that Section 720 creates “a new and overly broad exemption from the vaccination requirement for previous infection that would undermine the effectiveness of the requirement.”

It continued, “The department will make available a full range of resources to service members, including individual and professional medical advice, to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine and to ensure they are fully informed about vaccination.”

A court martial, followed by a dishonorable discharge, is the most punishing penalty the military can inflict on an individual soldier. This punishment is usually reserved for deserters, spies and murderers; it results in a forfeiture of all military benefits and bars them from reenlisting for life.

Hundreds of thousands of troops still remain unvaccinated, so this demand has broad implications for many people. Biden will undoubtedly make unvaccinated troops pay some kind of price for their refusal to get the shot, but trying to bring the ultimate hammer down on them is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment.

The Military Times reported that as of last week’s data from the Department of Defense, 60 percent of all service members have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

The military will no doubt lose a lot of good men and women because of this mandate. What will happen if/when the vaccine mandate is found to be unconstitutional?

Oh, right, President Joe Biden will simply turn the page, just as he did with Afghanistan.

Biden: Treat Troops Who Refuse Vax the Same as Deserters, Spies, Murderers (westernjournal.com)

These are the kinds of numbers that could add up to trouble for President Joe Biden’s Democrats.

A Morning Consult poll released Wednesday shows the president’s approval rating has dropped among the party’s most loyal voting bloc.

And, as usual, Biden has only himself to blame.

The poll found Biden’s disapproval rating among black voters had risen to 24 percent since his Sept. 9 announcement that any business with more than 100 workers would have to require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or impose weekly COVID-19 tests.

For Biden’s slavish supporters in the establishment media, it was a way to telegraph strength in the face of the continuing pandemic — and signal very clearly to Americans still resisting the vaccine that his “patience is wearing thin.”

Trump’s Surgeon General Says He Tried to Refinance His Mortgage, But Biden Admin Pulled a Dirty Move to Stop It from Happening

It turns out his support among black voters is wearing thin, too.

According to Morning Consult, “the president’s net approval rating — the share who approve of his job performance minus the share who disapprove — has fallen 12 percentage points among Black voters, driven by a 17-point drop among unvaccinated Black voters.”

Polling was conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8, before the vaccine mandate, and from Sept. 18 to Sept. 20 among more than 1,000 black voters. The margin of error was 3 points among those who reported being vaccinated and 4 percent among those who reported not being vaccinated.

Of course, Biden has healthy support among traditionally Democratic black voters. He still has a 71 percent approval rating among them, according to Morning Consult.

But the poll has to be worrisome for Biden’s party looking ahead to 2022. As Morning Consult put it, the results provide “a stark warning sign for Democrats ahead of next year’s midterms.”

“While Black voters, who helped push Biden over the top against President Donald Trump in key states last year, are unlikely to abandon the Democratic Party en masse to back Republicans on the ballot next year, low turnout from the group could have dire consequences for Democrats in Congress, who already face an early enthusiasm gap,” Morning Consult noted.

Black Americans have the lowest vaccination rate of any American ethnic group, according to Morning Consult.

Fifty-three percent of blacks have gotten the shots, compared to 66 percent of whites and 61 percent of Hispanics. A group Morning Consult characterized as “other,” presumably mostly Asians, leads with a reported vaccination rate of 72 percent.

(Other sources, such as Bloomberg, show different vaccination numbers by race, but the overall trend holds: The black population is trailing.)

Watch: This 83-Second Video Is Absolutely Devastating for Joe Biden’s Presidency

A variety of reasons have been offered for the lower vaccination rate among blacks — from the longstanding distrust of the medical establishment (see the Tuskegee experiments) to the questionable claim by rapper Nicki Minaj that the vaccine made her cousin’s friend impotent.

Obviously, some explanations have more validity than others, but there’s no denying Biden’s heavy-handed approach to vaccine skepticism is hurting his chances with an electorate he and his party rely on.

It’s no secret that Biden’s floundering presidential campaign was revived in the Democratic primary in South Carolina, where an endorsement from Rep. James Clyburn, a leader of the country’s black political establishment, powered Biden to a blowout victory in February 2020 and essentially won him the party’s nomination.

If Biden and, by extension, his party are losing support among black voters, it could wreak havoc on Democratic campaigns in the 2022 midterms.

Democrats have a majority in the House by a handful of votes; that could easily change if swing districts go red next year.

With the Senate tied and Democrats controlling it by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote, it would only take a net loss of one seat for Democrats to forfeit the chamber — and doom the progressive agenda (if West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin hasn’t done that already).

The plight of Democrats has certainly not been helped by an incident in New York City this week, where three black women were arrested following a melee at a restaurant that started after members of the women’s party could not show proof of vaccination.

The fracas led to a Black Lives Matter group demonstrating against vaccine mandates.

"Cancel Carmen" Chant as BLM marches through and confronts UWS restaurant Carmines accusing them of lying about what happened in a viral video

WATCH: New Carmine's fight footage shows moments leading up to altercation at UWS restaurant

Read more:

Originally tweeted by PIX11 News (@PIX11News) on September 21, 2021.

FULL VIDEO FROM THE PROTEST

Originally tweeted by Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) on September 20, 2021.

In short, for Biden and the de facto totalitarians who make up his party’s leadership and radical left wing, a serious hemorrhaging of black voters means serious trouble.

Biden spent his presidential campaign alienating conservative Americans, and he’s spent recent months alienating our allies abroad.

His disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan infuriated the U.K. government, and his ham-handed handling of a submarine deal with Australia led France — France! — to recall its ambassador from Washington for the first time in the two countries’ long shared history.

Of course, a year is an eternity in politics.

But Biden and his gang have done nothing over the past nine months to indicate they’ve learned anything, or care to learn anything, from the administration’s dismal record of failure — from the southern border to Afghanistan to the stalled economy.

If Biden continues to alienate his party’s most dependable voting bloc, election night next November could be a nightmare for Democrats.

More than two-thirds of fully vaccinated prisoners contracted COVID-19 during an outbreak inside a Texas prison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a study.

The vaccine, the CDC said, protected the prisoners against severe COVID-19 symptoms. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The agency said that 129 out of 185 fully vaccinated prisoners caught the CCP virus, according to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the CDC in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Tuesday. Separately, of 42 unvaccinated prisoners, 93 percent caught the virus during the outbreak in the undisclosed prison.

One unvaccinated person died, while four people needed hospital treatment in the outbreak, the data said. Three out of the four who were not vaccinated were hospitalized, the agency said.

The CDC data showed that seven unvaccinated and 21 fully vaccinated prisoners had previously contacted a documented case of COVID-19. Some studies have shown that individuals who previously contracted the CCP virus develop long-lasting and robust protection against the Delta variant.

Based on the new data, the CDC said that vaccinating most of the U.S. population should remain a priority.

And the agency said that “even with high vaccination rates, maintaining multicomponent prevention strategies,” such as “testing and masking for all persons and prompt medical isolation and quarantine for incarcerated persons remains critical to limiting [CCP virus] transmission in congregate settings where physical distancing is challenging.”

“Although attack rates, hospitalizations, and deaths were higher among unvaccinated than among vaccinated persons, duration of positive serial test results was similar for both groups. Infectious virus was cultured from vaccinated and unvaccinated infected persons,” the CDC also wrote.

Most prisoners in the facility were white males and had received Pfizer’s two-dose mRNA vaccine at least four months beforehand, the data showed.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced a sweeping plan that would mandate workers at companies with 100 or more employees to either submit to weekly COVID-19 testing or get vaccinated. The plan also mandates vaccinations for healthcare workers at Medicaid- or Medicare-funded facilities, as well as mandatory vaccines for federal contractors and federal employees.

Biden’s plan also entailed offering booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine by Sept. 20, although those plans hit a snag last week when the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory panel recommended against providing Pfizer’s booster to the general population. Instead, the panel voted to recommend booster doses for individuals aged 65 and older.

Some scientists in the FDA advisory committee meeting last week expressed concern about possible side effects from the boosters on younger Americans.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/70-percent-of-fully-vaccinated-prisoners-caught-covid-19-in-texas-outbreak-cdc_4010523.html?utm_medium=epochtimes&utm_source=telegram

• Taylor Lee, FDA Economist: “Go to the unvaccinated and blow it [COVID vaccine] into them. Blow dart it into them.”
• Lee: “Census goes door-to-door if you don’t respond. So, we have the infrastructure to do it [forced COVID vaccinations]. I mean, it’ll cost a ton of money. But I think, at that point, I think there needs to be a registry of people who aren’t vaccinated. Although that’s sounding very [much like Nazi] Germany.”
• Lee: “Nazi Germany…I mean, think about it like the Jewish Star [for unvaccinated Americans].”
• Lee: “I’m gonna go door-to-door and stab everyone [with the COVID vaccine], ‘Oh, it’s just your booster shot! There you go!’”
• Lee: “So, if you put every anti-vaxxer, like sheep, into like Texas and you closed off Texas from the rest of the world, and you go, ‘Okay, you be you in Texas until we deal with this [pandemic].’”
• Lee: “All of the wealthy white people are getting vaccinated because they’re educated.”
• Lee: “There are political appointees [at the FDA] that are generally scientific advisors or are appointed by the president or the commission…They’re being paid based on if the other people are staying in power.”
• Lee: “Unfortunately, everyone ends up playing politics, but I don’t think that the career scientists are — I think that it’s the people that they’re unfortunately having to report to because these political appointees are being put in place and that’s part of like — the Senate confirms the people to then just pick their people.”

[WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept. 22, 2021] Project Veritas released the second video of its COVID vaccine investigative series today exposing U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] economist, Taylor Lee, who was recorded calling for forced COVID vaccinations and a registry for all unvaccinated Americans.

Lee said that U.S. Government policy could emulate Nazi Germany when it comes to the COVID vaccine.

“Census goes door-to-door if you don’t respond. So, we have the infrastructure to do it [forced COVID vaccinations]. I mean, it’ll cost a ton of money. But I think, at that point, I think there needs to be a registry of people who aren’t vaccinated. Although that’s sounding very [much like Nazi] Germany,” Lee said.

“Nazi Germany…I mean, think about it like the Jewish Star [for unvaccinated Americans],” he said.

“So, if you put every anti-vaxxer, like sheep, into like Texas and you closed off Texas from the rest of the world, and you go, ‘Okay, you be you in Texas until we deal with this [pandemic].’”

Lee said that due to a large portion of the African American community being hesitant to take the COVID vaccine, the solution would be to “blow dart” on them:

Taylor Lee, FDA Economist: “I think that a lot of the time — so there’s also this issue of — I remember reading about how with COVID [vaccine] trials, they were having an issue recruiting African American people. It was because of a different medication the government tried to do that was specifically designed to kill African Americans.”

Veritas Journalist: “Oh, so like a mistrust thing.”

Lee: “Yeah.”

Veritas Journalist: “But this thing [COVID vaccine] is safe, though.”

Lee: “We know that now, but like again, I think there is still this big mistrust and like it’s deep-rooted.”

Veritas Journalist: “Yeah. Can’t blame them [African Americans].”

Lee: “I can’t. But at the same time, like, blow dart. That’s where we’re going.”

Lee affirmed that “wealthy white people” are more likely to get the COVID vaccine because they are “educated,” and added that he would be willing to force COVID vaccines upon Americans himself if needed.

“I’m gonna go door-to-door and stab everyone [with the COVID vaccine], ‘Oh, it’s just your booster shot! There you go!’”

Lee also said that FDA officials can often be political appointees rather than actual scientific experts.

“There are political appointees [at the FDA] that are generally scientific advisors or are appointed by the president or the commission…They’re being paid based on if the other people are staying in power,” he said.

“Unfortunately, everyone ends up playing politics, but I don’t think that the career scientists are — I think that it’s the people that they’re unfortunately having to report to because these political appointees are being put in place and that’s part of like — the Senate confirms the people to then just pick their people.”

ORDER JAMES O’KEEFE’S UPCOMING BOOK AMERICAN MUCKRAKER TODAY

About Project Veritas

James O’Keefe established Project Veritas in 2010 as a non-profit journalism enterprise to continue his undercover reporting work. Today, Project Veritas investigates and exposes corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions to achieve a more ethical and transparent society and to engage in litigation to: protect, defend and expand human and civil rights secured by law, specifically First Amendment rights including promoting the free exchange of ideas in a digital world; combat and defeat censorship of any ideology; promote truthful reporting; and defend freedom of speech and association issues including the right to anonymity. O’Keefe serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board so that he can continue to lead and teach his fellow journalists, as well as protect and nurture the Project Veritas culture. 

Project Veritas is a registered 501(c)3 organization. Project Veritas does not advocate specific resolutions to the issues raised through its investigations. Donate now to support our mission.

Subscribe to Project Veritas on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/veritasvisuals

Follow James O’Keefe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesokeefeiii/

Follow Project Veritas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_veritas/

Follow James O’Keefe on Telegram: https://t.me/JamesOKeefeIII

Follow Project Veritas on Telegram: https://t.me/project_veritas

Four Republican senators introduced a measure on Sept. 21 that would prevent the Pentagon from dishonorably discharging military service members who have opted to hold back from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Senate bill, introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), is called the COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act.

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a member of an Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department subject to discharge on the basis of the member choosing not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may only receive an honorable discharge,” the text of the bill (pdf) reads.

According to the text: “Reports of adverse actions being taken, or threatened, by military leadership at all levels are antithetical to our fundamental American values. Any discharge other than honorable denotes a dereliction of duty or a failure to serve the United States and its people to the best of the ability of an individual.”

The proposed legislation comes after the Biden administration announced mandatory shots in August and began to compel all military departments to implement the COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Meanwhile, service members who have survived a previous COVID-19 infection aren’t automatically exempt from being required to be fully vaccinated.

The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps all have set deadlines for COVID-19 vaccination for service members and reserve members. If they fail to comply and don’t have a pending exemption request, they could be punished via “relief of duties or discharge.”

A dishonorable discharge would mean that the individual would have to surrender a slew of rights and benefits, including ownership of any sort of firearm or ammunition, access to the G.I. Bill for further education, Veterans Affairs home loans and medical benefits, military funeral honors, and reenlistment in another military branch.

Marshall, who led in introducing the measure, said in a statement, “As a physician and veteran who is confident that the vaccine has saved countless lives, I believe vaccinating our service members against COVID-19 is an important effort; however, whether or not to receive the vaccine should be a personal choice between an individual and their doctor.

“Service members who refuse to get vaccinated, and are subsequently separated from the service, should not receive anything other than an honorable discharge,” he said. “There is no question about it: American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices.”

Cruz echoed Marshall’s sentiments, adding in a separate statement: “Forcing all service members, including pregnant women and those who have already had COVID-19, to receive the vaccine is just one more example of President [Joe] Biden and his administration putting politics ahead of science. I am proud to join Sen. Marshall on this crucial bill to ensure the proper steps are taken by the military chain of command in response to those seeking exemptions from this vaccine.”

The proposed legislation comes after Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a physician and a former Army officer, earlier this month introduced similar language in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

Separately, the Biden administration has been imposing mandates on other groups and earlier this month issued COVID-19 mandates that involve all federal workers, government contractors, and their employees to be vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Biden is also seeking to compel private-sector companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing, which is expected to affect more than 80 million workers.

GOP Senators Propose Measure to Ban Dishonorable Discharges of Unvaccinated Military Members (theepochtimes.com)

President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday came out against efforts to prevent dishonorable discharges for U.S. troops who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Office of Management and Budget said in a policy statement it “strongly opposes” an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that bars any discharge but honorable for service members.

The provision “would detract from readiness and limit a commander’s options for enforcing good order and discipline when a Service member fails to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccination,” the office said, adding that commanders “must have the ability to give orders and take appropriate disciplinary measures” in order to have “a uniformed force to fight with discipline.”

The amendment received support from members of both parties during a markup of the act on Sept. 1. It was authored by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a military veteran and a doctor.

At the time, Green said he understood the need for a vaccine mandate but noted that no longitudinal data is yet available for the COVID-19 vaccines, adding that service members who decide not to get vaccinated and are ultimately discharged should receive an honorable discharge.

“I am dismayed and concerned that the Biden administration is trying to remove my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that prevents anything but an honorable discharge for servicemembers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” Green told The Epoch Times in an email.

“This was a bipartisan amendment—not one Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee opposed it. Nothing is more telling of the current political climate than the Biden administration refusing to respect the rights of our military that every House Democrat on the Committee voted for,” he added.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month ordered U.S. troops to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine shortly after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The order was backed by Biden, who has imposed mandates on all government workers and has ordered a mandate on the private sector.

Service members who aren’t approved for a religious or medical exemption and still do not get vaccinated will face discipline, the Pentagon has said.

“Our commanders have a range of tools available to them short of using the Uniform Code of Military Justice to again try to get men and women in the department to make the right decision here,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in one briefing.

The Biden administration also said it opposes another amendment, which would exempt troops who demonstrate they have recovered from COVID-19 from the mandate.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The protection afforded by recovery is known as natural immunity, and some scientists argue those who have it should not have to get vaccinated.

That amendment “would create a new and overly broad exemption from the vaccination requirement for previous infection that would undermine the effectiveness of the requirement,” the Office of Budget and Management said.

If the provisions don’t stay in the NDAA, they could be passed separately. Four senators on Tuesday introduced a bill that would prevent dishonorable discharges for troops who don’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Biden Administration ‘Strongly Opposes’ Honorable Discharge for Troops Who Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine (theepochtimes.com)

The state of Texas is looking to challenge President Joe Biden’s recently announced COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses by arguing that it is unconstitutional, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday.

Paxton’s remarks come after Biden on Sept. 9 said businesses would have to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements or face fines of up to $13,600 per violation.

White House officials have said the order will be implemented through an emergency temporary standard, or ETS, issued by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The agency has said it is still developing the rule.

The rule “will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work,” an OSHA spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

In an interview with EpochTV’s “Crossroads” program, Paxton, a Republican, said that he agrees with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s description of the rule as a “power grab” and an “assault on private businesses.” He said he believes that Biden is overstepping his authority with the new vaccination rule.

“The reality is, the president of the United States cannot just make up laws, that’s outside of his purview, outside of his constitutional role. The executive branch implements laws … that’s their job,” said Paxton.

“That’s not the way the constitution works, so we are pretty sure what he’s doing will be unconstitutional, if it is what he said when he made the statement,” he added. “So obviously, that would be for our first line of attack, just to say, look, you didn’t have the authority to do this.”

Many have raised concerns that OSHA’s effectiveness is undermined by its shortage of inspectors and resources. While OSHA is empowered to fine employers up to $13,600 per violation of the new rule, it is spread too thin to catch some violators.

Currently, OSHA has an estimated 800 safety and compliance inspectors to cover the more than 100,000 private-sector companies affected by the new rule.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has insisted that Biden’s new rule is on strong legal footing, citing a 1970 law that authorizes ETS.

“The law basically requires the Department of Labor take action when it finds grave risk to workers. And certainly, a pandemic that killed more than 600,000 people qualifies as ‘grave risk to workers,’” she said.

The Epoch Times also reached out to the White House for further comment.

Paxton told The Epoch Times that Biden is not granted these types of powers under the Constitution, insinuating that his conduct is in line with what could be observed under “dictatorships.”

“It’s not just this issue. We allow any president to do this, then we are moving away from the people having a government that they control as opposed to having more of a kingship like England had or like some of these dictatorships have,” he said.

“That’s the direction that Joe Biden seems to be comfortable with, and I don’t think that’s the direction that our founders intended.”

On Wednesday, Biden is set to meet with executives from Walgreens, The Walt Disney Company, and Microsoft to discuss the mandate.

It comes as two major U.S. retail industry groups, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and the National Retail Federation, on Tuesday asked the Biden administration for at least 90 days before imposing the new rules “to allow retailers and other employers to create the systems necessary.”

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said that the OSHA rule is expected “in a matter of weeks.”

“The president can’t just overrule individual liberties and constitutional rights … those rights are not from him. Those rights are from God, they’re inalienable, they’re given to us by our Creator, they cannot be taken away by any government,” Paxton said.

He added, “If we don’t stop this now, we will end up with a tyrannical government, much like the rest of the world has, we will not have the government that we were set up with a couple 100 years ago by some very wise founders.”

Texas Gov. Abbott said this month that the state is “already working to halt this power grab.”

Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Private Businesses ‘Unconstitutional’: Texas AG Ken Paxton (theepochtimes.com)

Top American health officials are ignoring or downplaying so-called natural immunity, or the protection people enjoy after recovering from COVID-19, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told The Epoch Times.

Science the senator has reviewed, including a real-world study from Israel, indicates that natural immunity is at similar levels as or even better than vaccination. But U.S. health authorities continue urging everybody, regardless of prior infection, to get a COVID-19 jab.

“We’re ignoring natural immunity, even though the Israeli study now shows it’s 27 times more effective,” Johnson said.

That makes sense because natural immunity “recognizes the entire virus” while the vaccine was designed to prevent infection from the original form of the virus, he added.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and top health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said immunity post-infection exists but is not as strong as vaccination. They have downplayed or dismissed studies like the one from Israel.

Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said earlier this month he did not have a “firm answer” on why people who recover from COVID-19 should get a shot.

“It is true they do have protection,” he added on CNN on Sunday. But he argued that data does not yet show how durable the protection is and whether it’s affected by different variants of the CCP virus.

“I’m not denying at all that people who get infected and recover have a considerable degree of immunity. We also know—and I think we should not let this pass without saying it—that when you get infected and recover, A, you get a good degree of immunity, but, B, when you get vaccinated, you dramatically increase that protection, which is something that’s really quite good,” he said.

Asked for what informed that assertion, NIAID pointed The Epoch Times in an email to an opinion piece from June that was funded by the institute, an NPR article, Twitter posts by Scripps Research Translational Institute founder Eric Topol, and a Google search for “hybrid immunity,” a term that refers to somebody who recovered from COVID-19 and has received a vaccine.

The CDC has promoted a similar view. Director Rochelle Walensky last month cited a small Kentucky study that researchers said showed people who were vaccinated had more protection than the previously infected and that natural immunity plus vaccines were best.

But others, including some researchers, have questioned the push. Among the concerns: the focus should be on vaccinating people who don’t have natural immunity and remain unvaccinated, including people in other countries.

One of Johnson’s main concerns is the huge jump in reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a passive database run jointly by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Between Jan. 1, 1996, and June 30, 2021, the number of adverse events reported following administration of flu vaccines totaled 171,732. In the nine months leading up to June 30, there were over 701,000 such reports for COVID-19 vaccines.

The number of reported deaths post-COVID vaccination, meanwhile, totaled 14,925 as of Sept. 10. Reports of death following every other vaccine were 9,001.

People who have suffered side effects following vaccination “feel abandoned by the drug companies, federal health agencies, and the medical community,” Johnson wrote in a letter this year to Walensky, FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock, and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins.

Federal officials have said there’s no proven link between any of the deaths and a COVID-19 vaccine. They have added some side effect warnings to the labels of vaccines after investigating adverse event reports, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, but are still recommending virtually everybody get a jab.

The CDC still utilizes data from VAERS to evaluate vaccines but also draws from active surveillance systems. It cited data from the reporting system in April when lifting a recommended pause on Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. Officials with the agency and the FDA regularly use the data in presentations to their respective vaccine advisory committees.

The CDC and FDA did not respond to requests for comment.

Johnson has received little information from the agencies on questions regarding natural immunity, VAERS, and other pandemic-related topics, including early treatment for COVID-19.

The pattern is one of a lack of transparency, the senator told The Epoch Times. He also denounced what he sees as health agencies not focusing enough on treatment.

Few treatments are officially sanctioned for COVID-19 some 16 months after the start of the pandemic, and one of the main ones is being rationed because there’s apparently not enough to go around.

“Had our federal health agencies devoted sufficient effort and research to help develop effective early treatment, thousands of lives could have been saved,” Johnson wrote in a recent letter.

Doctors, that the senator has spoken to, say treatments that have proven successful include vitamin C, vitamin D, and hydroxychloroquine. He plans to send a letter, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), on behalf of a group of doctors, to regulators asking for emergency use authorization for budesonide, which has shown signs of working against COVID-19.

“We’re going to always need early treatment. We’ll always need it,” Johnson said.

Sen. Johnson: Health Agencies Are ‘Ignoring Natural Immunity’ (theepochtimes.com)

It must have been the algorithm.

It was a mistake. Done in error. A bit of data went astray at a server bank in Utah and — wouldn’t you know it? — GOP Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey found herself locked out of her Facebook page. And after she spoke out about President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate, too!

Of all the rotten luck.

According to AL.com, the online home of the Birmingham News and affiliated publications, the governor’s campaign page was unpublished from Facebook Sept. 14 but was restored after her campaign appealed the suspension. Ivey said her campaign “fought back and won.”

“Evidently, they’re upset that I said I’m standing in the way of President Biden to protect Alabamians from this outrageous overreach by the federal government,” Ivey said.

Facebook banned my campaign page this morning. We fought back and won. Evidently, they’re upset that I said I’m standing in the way of President Biden to protect Alabamians from this outrageous overreach by the federal government. (1/2)

— Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) September 14, 2021

“If big tech thinks they can silence us and that I won’t fight back, then honey, they haven’t met me. They have another thing coming,” she continued.

“I’m not backing down. I never will. We’re fighting Washington. We’ll fight big tech, too.”

If big tech thinks they can silence us and that I won’t fight back, then honey, they haven’t met me. They have another thing coming. I’m not backing down. I never will. We’re fighting Washington. We’ll fight big tech too. — KI (2/2) #alpolitics

— Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) September 14, 2021

In an emailed statement to The Hill, Facebook acknowledged that the governor’s campaign page was  “mistakenly restricted for less than an hour.”

“When we learned of our mistake, the page was quickly restored,” said a spokesperson from Facebook said.

The suspension came days after Ivey had used her social media to hit back at the president’s vaccine mandate, according to an earlier AL.com report.

In particular, Ivey targeted part of Biden’s speech where he said, “if these governors won’t help, I will use my power as president to get them out of the way.”

As The Associated Press noted, this came during a portion of the speech dealing with states that have battled teachers’ unions on statewide mask mandates in classrooms; Alabama leaves that decision up to individual school districts.

“You bet I’m standing in the way. And if he thinks he’s going to move me out of the way, he’s got another thing coming. I’m standing as strong as a bull for Alabama against this outrageous Washington overreach. Bring it on,” Ivey said.

You bet I’m standing in the way. And if he thinks he’s going to move me out of the way, he’s got another thing coming. I’m standing as strong as a bull for Alabama against this outrageous Washington overreach. Bring it on. — KI #alpolitics https://t.co/sFT8cfgdjt

— Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) September 10, 2021

“I encourage Alabamians to take the vaccine — have been since the beginning, but we’re never going to mandate it. And we certainly aren’t going to allow Washington, D.C. and this president to tell Alabama what to do. Here in AL, we don’t put up with that nonsense.”

She’d also described the mandates as “outrageous” and “overreaching,” saying they would “no doubt be challenged in the courts.”

And it’s just a coincidence that their page was “mistakenly” taken down by the social media giant. Facebook insisted the content on her page played no role in the temporary unpublishing.

The Associated Press reported that it was flagged as an imposter account, instead.

Ivey’s campaign called this a “nonsense excuse,” citing the fact they had been told the page was being unpublished because of “harassment and bullying.”

Gov. Ivey apparently doesn’t remember this is always a mistake. Whenever a social media platform or some other organ of big tech bans a conservative who’s recently said something inconvenient, it’s a big misunderstanding. Something went screwy with the doohickey. A piece of data made a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Don’t worry about it.

Surely big tech has given you every reason to trust them, right?

Facebook Cancels GOP Governor After She Posts Withering Criticism of Biden’s Vaccine Mandate (westernjournal.com)

Bowing to the threat of legal action against it, one Alabama hospital has rescinded its requirement that all staff be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

UAB Hospital in Birmingham said it will wait to learn how the federal vaccine mandates announced by President Joe Biden play out before imposing any requirement, according to WBRC-TV.

Last week, the Alabama Center for Law and Liberty said the hospital was violating state law, according to Al.com.

The letter said the state’s ban on vaccine passports means government entities cannot require anyone to disclose vaccine information.

“As the Supreme Court of Alabama has recognized, UAB Hospital is a state-run hospital,” the letter said.

“Consequently, UAB Hospital may not require its employees to disclose whether they have been vaccinated or not. Likewise, the Alabama Attorney General has examined the law and concluded that ‘no government, school, or business in Alabama may demand that a constituent, or customer, respectively, be vaccinated for COVID-19 or show proof of his or her vaccination for COVID-19,’” the letter said.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall also questioned the legality of the Biden administration mandate, saying he had received complaints about privacy violations, according to the Alabama Political Reporter.

“The Attorney General’s Office has received complaints from healthcare employees who believe their COVID-19 immunization status was obtained by their employers through the ImmPRINT registry for the purpose of verifying compliance with the employer’s immunization requirement,” Marshall said, referring to a statewide immunization database.

“In several of those cases, a shared employer specifically acknowledged accessing the state immunization database for this purpose. This privacy violation is unlawful,” he said.

Marshall said other health care providers should also take note and not be asking employees about their immunization status.

He has said that when the vaccine mandate takes place, Alabama will file a lawsuit against it, according to Al.com.

Attorney General Steve Marshall Warns President Biden to Drop Illegal Vaccine Mandate or Face Lawsuit https://t.co/kfZewlLxwc pic.twitter.com/C5fQZUtEFA

— Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) September 16, 2021

“The vaccine mandate is unprecedented in its audacity and unlawful in its application,” Marshall said. “The Biden administration knows this full well. The State of Alabama will not allow such an authoritarian power grab to go unchecked.”

Despite Rain, 30,000 Trump Supporters Turn Out to Hear Trump Speak on Saving America

Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said voluntary efforts have produced vaccination rates of 50 percent to 80 percent depending upon the facility.

“It’s not a small issue if we have unvaccinated employees,” Williamson said. “Hospitals have successfully navigated the waters of getting people vaccinated and for the most part, they have been able to do it without mandates.”

The UAB Hospital in Birmingham issued a statement explaining why a mandate imposed one month was scrapped the next.

“The UAB Health System’s policy requiring COVID vaccines for its workers was implemented in August prior to the announcement of forthcoming federal directives,” it said.

“President Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 indicating that federal rules and regulations will be issued in the coming weeks that will require COVID vaccines for workers at health care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid dollars.

“Because UAB Health System must follow federal law, UAB Health System will remove its vaccine policy at this time. UAB Health System will wait for the detailed federal guidance to develop a replacement vaccine policy in order to ensure full compliance with federal law.”

The statement noted that a voluntary incentive that rewards employees who get vaccinated with $400 remains in place.

Alabama Hospital Defies Biden Administration, Ends COVID Vaccine Requirement for Staff (westernjournal.com)

A Scottsdale, Arizona, woman is livid after being injected with a COVID-19 vaccine at a California pharmacy without her knowledge or consent, thinking she was being given a flu shot.

Savannah Courtad said the mix-up happened on Sept. 14 at a Walgreens pharmacy in Fresno, California, and that it has left her feeling confused and violated.

“A few days ago I went to Walgreens for a flu shot. I arrived a bit early and filled out the necessary paperwork, signing for the flu shot,” Courtad wrote on Instagram. “As I was being given the shot the nurse said nothing to me other than asking me which arm I would like it in. She gave me the shot and as I was leaving told me to come back for my 2nd dose in 21 days.”

Courtad said she literally “stopped in my tracks and asked, ‘I’m going to need a second dose?’” The nurse then assured her that she would, and Courtad continued to walk out of the pharmacy.

“That’s when I looked down at the card she gave me. It said COVID-19 vaccine. I quickly rushed to the counter (my boyfriend and his mom came with me),” Courtad wrote.

Courtad said the woman at the counter reassured her that she had in fact received the flu shot and that she probably had been given the wrong vaccine card.

“She talked to the nurse that gave me the shot and confirmed that no the card was not wrong. I was given the COVID-19 vaccine instead,” Courtad wrote. “They proceeded to say ‘sorry we are super busy,’ ‘things like this happen sometimes,’ and kept repeating ‘we all make mistakes.’

“I appreciate the fact that they at least apologized, but this is more than just a ‘little’ mistake!

“Nurses can’t just go around injecting people with the wrong shot. I never gave consent for the COVID-19 vaccine to be injected into my body. Regardless of one’s position on this vaccine I would hope that we can all agree that having something injected into your body should be your CHOICE. I feel like my rights have been violated.”

Courtad couldn’t be reached for comment, although she pleaded on social media: “Please share this story to help me prevent this from happening to others!”

Walgreens didn’t return an email and a phone call requesting comment.

Courtad told The Gateway Pundit that she plans to file a lawsuit against Walgreens.

“That’s absolutely a legal issue,” and a “guaranteed win,” said Ohio attorney Jeff Renz, a vocal opponent of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates, who described Walgreens’ error as “absolutely unacceptable.”

“It’s an egregious violation of her body. Now she’s got to live with whatever [chemicals] they put into her for the rest of her life,” Renz told The Epoch Times.

“How is it a mistake if they gave you the vaccine card? If you can’t get the prescription right, I don’t know why I’d want them [as a pharmacist].”

Courtad’s social media post received more than 174 comments sympathetic to her ordeal.

Babybluecrayon wrote, “I am devastated that this happened to you. That seems like a slap in the face to you for them to give you the wrong thing, like I appreciate them apologizing, but it’s not an easy mistake to forgive. That’s your health that they could’ve potentially messed up. Nevertheless, I’m glad you’re telling your story. Would love to hear a follow-up story if you decide to do something more about this.”

Sondrapower33 advised Courtad to “lawyer up!”

“This is malpractice and you might be damaged without fully knowing yet. And get on a detox asap,” the comment reads.

Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for Arizona governor, wrote on Twitter: “Spoke to an Arizona woman who went to get a flu shot at a large pharmacy chain. They gave her the Covid jab instead. They apologized for the ‘mix-up.’ She’s devastated. She didn’t want the Covid shot. If you are getting a flu shot double-check the vial BEFORE you get jabbed.”

In April, a Walgreens pharmacy in North Carolina reported that it had given some people a saline shot instead of a COVID-19 vaccine in error.

Also in April, a California woman was mistakenly injected with the Moderna vaccine as her second dose, even though her first dose was the Pfizer vaccine.

Arizona Woman ‘Mistakenly’ Injected With COVID-19 Vaccine (theepochtimes.com)

“Our tolerance for people who do not get vaccinated has run out,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Sunday, exasperated that his vaccination strategy—arguably the most aggressive in the world—has failed to curb the Delta variant coursing through the country [Sound Familiar? US Patriot].

Instead of defeating the virus, as he had been promising for weeks in pushing a third COVID shot on Israelis, the number of Israelis at peril climbed steadily: 246 on Sunday were deemed critically ill, 178 of them on ventilators; a week earlier the numbers were 206 and 157, and two weeks earlier 203 and 153. About 400 Israelis died in the last two weeks, up from about 300 in the previous two weeks.

The happy talk from some Israeli medical experts earlier this month, when they expressed optimism the worst was over, is gone, replaced by dire reports of hospitals being swamped, staff in a state of post-trauma panic, and patients needing care instead hurriedly sent home—a situation deemed “catastrophic” in early September by Dr. Amir Neuberger, the director of the Rambam Health Care Campus’s coronavirus ward.

The head of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer’s Infectious Disease Unit, professor Galia Rahav, last week echoed that view, saying “the morbidity from coronavirus here is insufferable. … Patients who weren’t given a chance to live die because there aren’t enough beds and ICU staff. I see this at a lot of hospitals. It’s heartbreaking.”

The government’s response to the failure of its policies, in this, its fourth wave, is to blame the relatively few who remain unvaccinated and to double down on more vaccinations. Three shots are becoming mandatory to qualify for vaccine passports, and a fourth is on its way, in anticipation of future waves.

There’s a logic to accelerating the rate of vaccinations, just as there was a logic to Israel’s strict lockdowns and other measures to stop the spread of the virus—vaccines do seem to have a short-term benefit in reducing serious hospitalizations and deaths. A study (pdf) that Israel trumpeted last month shows that, after at least 12 days, those who received the third dose had 10 times the protection of those who only had two shots.

But the ongoing benefit is less clear since the vaccines wane, rendering them ineffective after five to six months, as seen in Delta’s success at felling Israelis. There’s also fear that the vaccine may prove all-but worthless against new virus mutations—the Israeli Defence Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate warned as early as January that mass vaccinations during a pandemic could lead to such a mutation entering Israel, and many fear that the South African C.1.2 variant will prove it right. The government’s response is to the improve detection of viruses at Israel’s Ben Gurion International airport, in the faint hope that future viruses won’t be able to penetrate Israel’s porous borders, and attack defenseless residents.

Israel does have a COVID success story, which ironically occurred where its government most failed to implement its policies. Unlike most of the Israeli population, its ultra-Orthodox largely shunned lockdowns and vaccination early on, leading to a high rate of natural infection, followed by natural immunity and long-lived protection (pdf). The ultra-Orthodox represented 4 percent of Delta cases, according to Israeli Health Ministry data in August. Overall, Israelis with natural immunity represent 1 percent or less of Delta cases.

The same phenomenon of acquiring natural immunity appears to also apply to Sweden, which adopted policies diametrically opposed to those of Israel—no lockdowns to speak of, no shut down of the economy, few restrictions of any kind. As a result, Sweden’s population is believed to have acquired an early herd immunity, before the vaccinations became widely available, leading to only a modest hit to its economy, manageable loads at its hospitals—Sweden’s hospital system never exceeded its capacity—and, since June, an average of less than one COVID death per day.

Sweden is now removing its few remaining restrictions and its naturally immune population may be well positioned to weather future coronaviruses, in the same way it weathered Delta. Israel, in contrast, is besieged, unsure of when its fourth wave will subside or how well it will weather the waves to come. Not long ago, after Israel vaccinated a large proportion of its population and before the vaccines had the opportunity to wane, Israel was everyone’s model of how to tackle COVID. As the world learns more of Israel’s vulnerability, it may provide a cautionary tale of allowing short-sighted expediency to trump far-sighted policies.

San Fransisco Mayor London Breed was seen dancing and singing maskless at a nightclub, apparently violating the city’s public health restrictions.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported the mayor was at the Black Cat jazz club in the Tenderloin, where she enjoyed a late night performance, along with other equally maskless guests.

“The fact that we have not been able to enjoy live music in this way since the beginning of this pandemic made it even that much more special and extraordinary,” she told The Chronicle after the performance.

One of the photos published by The Chronicle shows a smiling Breed celebrating with with Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, who was also not wearing a mask.

According to San Francisco’s public health department, every resident, including people who are fully vaccinated, “must wear a well-fitted mask in indoor public settings at all times,” except when they are actively eating or drinking. It also states that “indoor settings, whether public or private, are higher risk for COVID-19 transmission, especially when you are with people you do not live with.”

In a video published by The Chronicle, Breed can be seen standing and dancing along behind a table full of drinks, but she was not actively drinking or eating, or holding food or a drink.

A statement from the mayor’s office acknowledged that it can be hard to follow public health orders.

“The mayor was excited to be out and had an incredible night at the Black Cat, and wants to support small businesses,” the statement reads. “She was with friends at her table, not wearing a mask while eating and drinking and enjoying herself. She knows health orders are hard and asks everyone to do their best to follow them.”

Breed is not the first California Democrat who has been caught violating COVID-19 restrictions. At the height of the pandemic in November of last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was broadly criticized for attending a party at the famed French Laundry restaurant in Napa without wearing a mask and with visitors from multiple households, after he discouraged state residents from having holiday gatherings.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced similar criticism in September 2020 during the height of the pandemic, after a security camera footage was posted online, which showed her visiting a San Francisco hair salon, which at that time was closed under the city’s lockdown order. The congresswoman, who advocated for a nationwide mask mandate, didn’t wear a mask during the salon visit.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed Caught Breaking City’s Indoor Mask Rule (theepochtimes.com)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was grilled during Thursday’s press briefing about the administration restricting the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments to states after several predominately Republican-led states in the South increased the amount usage of the treatments in their states.

A reporter asked Psaki about why states like Florida are reportedly seeing a significant cut in the number of treatments that they are receiving.

“That’s not accurate,” Psaki claimed. “First of all, we are increasing our distribution this month by 50%. In early August, we were distributing an average of 100,000 doses per week, now we’re shipping an average of 150,000 doses per week.”

Psaki then said that the treatments are used after a person becomes infected and said that the way to save more lives was to get more people vaccinated, even though vaccinated people can still sometimes become infected with the coronavirus.

Psaki then said that the administration does not have an unlimited supply of the antibody treatments and that the administration is focused on making the distribution of the treatments “equitable.”

“We’re not going to give a greater percentage to Florida over Oklahoma,” Psaki added.

WATCH:

REPORTER: “Why is the Biden administration cutting” antibody treatments in Florida?@PressSec: “That is not accurate… Our supply is not unlimited and we believe it should be equitable… We’re not going to give a greater percentage to Florida over Oklahoma.” pic.twitter.com/K8P41ZTnRc

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 16, 2021

“Federal health officials plan to allocate specific amounts to each state under the new approach, in an effort to more evenly distribute the 150,000 doses that the government makes available each week,” Politico reported. “The approach is likely to cut into shipments to GOP-led states in the Southeast that have made the pricey antibody drug a central part of their pandemic strategy, while simultaneously spurning mask mandates and other restrictions.”

Biden demonized Republican Governors Greg Abbott (TX) and Ron DeSantis (FL) during a press conference earlier in the day, claiming that they were undermining “the life-saving requirements” that his administration is pushing, calling it “the worst kind of politics.”

A spokesperson for HHS said in a statement:

HHS will determine the amount of product each state and territory receives on a weekly basis. State and territorial health departments will subsequently identify sites that will receive product and how much. This system will help maintain equitable distribution, both geographically and temporally, across the country — providing states and territories with consistent, fairly distributed supply over the coming weeks.

Donald Trump Jr. responded to the news by saying that Biden was restricting the treatments as a form of punishment against his political rivals.

“Americans will die because of Biden’s despicable decision to punish his political enemies in red states by restricting their ability to secure life-saving monoclonal antibody treatments for all that need them,” Trump tweeted. “Their blood is directly on Joe’s hands.”

“Antibody treatments aren’t a substitute for vaccines but they have prevented thousands of hospitalizations including in breakthrough cases,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) added on Twitter. “Now in a move that reeks of partisan payback against states like Florida, the Biden administration is rationing these treatments.”

“We were happy to see that Biden’s COVID plan announced last week included a 50% increase in monoclonal antibody deliveries to states this month,” DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw told The Daily Wire in a statement. “So it’s surprising and deeply disappointing that the Biden Admin would break this promise just a week later and cut MAB allocation to Florida, so they aren’t even providing half of the doses of life-saving treatment that COVID patients in Florida will need. But Governor DeSantis is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs the treatment will be able to get it, even if we can’t count on the Biden Administration.”

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.

WATCH: Psaki Pressed On Why Admin Is Seemingly Restricting Antibody Treatments That Have Surged In GOP States | The Daily Wire

Raytheon Technologies announced on Sept. 14 that it will require all its U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by January.

The company, which is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, said in a statement that its U.S. employees will have to get vaccination shots by the middle of December in order to meets its Jan. 1 deadline.

“In keeping with our ongoing commitment to maintain employee health and safety, Raytheon Technologies will require its U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated to further protect employees and communities from the risks and uncertainty of COVID-19 and its variants,” the statement said.

Raytheon Technologies is a multinational aerospace and defense company and serves as one of the largest aerospace, intelligence services providers, and defense manufacturers in the world. It manufactures everything from aircraft engines and guided missiles to satellites and drones.

The company has about 181,000 employees worldwide but it is unclear how many U.S. employees will be affected by the new vaccine policy.

In its combined Missiles and Defense division headquartered in Tucson, there are roughly 13,000 workers, the Tucson Sentinel reported, noting that the company said it will allow exemptions to the vaccine policy on the basis of medical issues and religious beliefs.

The policy comes after President Joe Biden last week signed a new executive order mandating that federal workers get a COVID-19 vaccine, and removed the option for workers and contractors to choose not to get vaccinated.

“If a federal worker fails to comply, they will go through the standard [human resources] process, which includes counseling, and face disciplinary action, face progressive disciplinary action. Each agency is going to work with employees to make sure they understand the benefits of vaccination, and how the vaccines are free, easy, and widely accessible. But it will start to be applied once the executive order is signed,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

Earlier this week, Raytheon CEO Gregory Hayes said the company expects to face inflation pressure in the coming years, amid a rise in the cost of raw materials and precious metals.

“The shortages out there are real, especially on the logistics side… and inflation, especially on the commodity side, is real. And we’re starting to see it on the labor side as well,” Hayes said at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference on Wednesday.

However, the CEO noted that the higher costs wouldn’t see price increases for customers due to Raytheon’s long-term supply agreements.

Raytheon Technologies Requires All US Workers to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations by Jan. 1 (theepochtimes.com)

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va.—At another contentious school board meeting on Sept. 14, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) parents protested the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all student-athletes participating in the Virginia High School League winter and spring sports.

The mandate was announced on Aug. 31 by LCPS Superintendent Dr. Scott A. Ziegler. The requirement would take effect on Nov. 8, after which unvaccinated student-athletes would be required to take weekly COVID-19 tests.

The vaccination requirement is a new addition to LCPS parents’ frustration. Parents have still yet to get the town hall they asked of the school board. For months, they have criticized the school board during public comment at the bi-weekly board meetings.

Seventy members of the public signed up to speak in person at the Sept. 14 school board meeting. The participation was not at the same level as June (over 250) and August (about 120), but still a significant turnout. Concerns expressed during public comment centered around COVID-19 vaccine side effects and individual vaccination choice.

Clint Thomas, an LCPS parent, expressed his “strong opposition” to the vaccine mandate during public comment, “Can you imagine your own child growing up in a world where individual freedom over their body was replaced with ‘the government made me do it?’” Thomas said that the schools taught students “complete autonomy over their bodies,” and it “should apply to every aspect” and not just pro-transgender policy. His daughter is in the Loudoun County Woodgrove High School soccer program.

Heather Applegate, a mother with a senior athlete in LCPS, said that the Pfizer vaccine under the FDA’s emergency use authorization for children between 12 and 15 is “still an experimental vaccine.”

Marie Dean, an LCPS employee and a mother of an athlete, had concerns over the vaccine’s side effects, “Statistics from the CDC show young men like my son are more at risk from serious side effects like myocarditis than the virus itself.”

Medical professionals are divided on the risk-benefit evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines on children.

Lawrence Gostin, professor of Global Health Law at Georgetown University, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times: “The fact that the vaccines are not fully licensed for this age group gives me pause. And I would ideally like to wait for full FDA approval. But the disruption of educational activities is so great that vaccinating the eligible student population will enable a much safer and more certain return to normal in school education.” Gostin is also the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.

Jennie Lavine, a biologist at Emory University, published an editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on May 13, 2021, stating that it’s “hard to justify right now for most children in most countries.” Another BMJ opinion article in July argued, “hypothetical benefits to adults do not outweigh risks to children.”

Marsha Lessard, a co-founder of Virginia Freedom Keepers (VFK), said that her organization started as mothers in Virginia self-organized to fight against H.B. 1090, a bill that gave power to the Virginia Department of Health and Department of Education to mandate vaccines for schools without going through the previously required legislative review in Virginia’s House and Senate. The bill was enacted with a delayed effective date of July 1, 2021. VFK opposes one-size-fits-all medical mandates and has about 20,000 members, according to Lessard.

Michael Rivera, a Loudoun County employee and resident, said he has a problem with many federal agencies with no law-making authority passing policies that are enforced like laws. “The county school board is no longer representing the people; it represents a political party.”

The school board adopted a revised professional conduct policy (pdf), requiring school employees to adhere to LCPS’s “commitment to equitable treatment” during work. The new policy also encourages employees and students to report any violations to supervisors.

Parents Protest Vaccine Mandate on Student Athletes in Loudoun County (theepochtimes.com)

Scientists say a third shot isn’t necessary, but masks and social distancing are

A group of international scientists came out swinging against booster shots on Monday, saying that the coronavirus vaccines have kept severe disease at bay even as breakthrough cases have increased. Since the vaccinated are already well protected, the scientists argued in the Lancet, the risk posed to them by the Delta variant is too small to justify a third dose.

But the same scientists have spent months warning that Delta necessitates a return to masks and social distancing—even for the vaccinated.

The paper’s authors, which include top officials at the World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration, have consistently opposed lifting public health restrictions in the face of new variants, guidance that seems to contradict their argument about the mildness of breakthrough cases.

The vaccinated “need to continue to wear masks,” the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, tweeted in August, adding that the Delta variant “demands that.” The FDA officials who resigned over the Biden administration’s plan to offer booster shots later this month, Philip Krause and Marion Gruber, likewise touted masks and social distancing in July as a way to “control viral variants.” Of the 18 scientists who criticized boosters, more than half are on record as supporting burdensome interventions since the summer surge.

The Washington Free Beacon asked those scientists why, if boosters aren’t necessary, masks and social distancing are. They did not respond to a request for comment.

The tension is the latest example of how confused the campaign against COVID has become. Part of that confusion reflects scientific debates—the Lancet paper calls into question Israeli data on waning immunity that formed the basis for Biden’s booster plan—but much of it also reflects a political debate about what beating COVID should mean. Some countries, like Singapore and Denmark, have said they will drop all restrictions provided severe disease remains rare. Others, like Australia and New Zealand, have pursued a “zero COVID” strategy, attempting to completely contain the virus with masks and periodic lockdowns.

The political debate has been complicated by concerns about what the World Health Organization calls “vaccine equity” and by the way scientists have framed those concerns as a matter of impartial expertise. The first world is on track to receive its third dose while the third world has not received its first, the Lancet paper stresses. But it also asserts that decisions about boosting should be “informed by reliable science more than by politics.”

That sleight of hand has not gone unnoticed. Paul Romer, a Nobel-prize winning economist who’s written extensively about COVID policy, blasted the Lancet paper on Twitter, calling it “advocacy that pretends to be science.”

The back-and-forth over boosters is a proxy for the debate over the pandemic endgame. Some data from Israel suggest that a third dose strongly boosts protection against even mild cases, making it a potentially powerful tool in the zero COVID arsenal. But if the goal is just protection against severe disease, additional shots seem superfluous—as do measures like masks for the already vaccinated.

At the same time, critics of boosters may have a tactical incentive to support those measures anyway. Many U.S. public health officials, including some in the Biden administration, lean toward the zero COVID approach that logically favors boosting. To sell those officials on vaccine equity, some haziness on goals might be necessary.

One author of the Lancet paper, Dr. Peter Figueroa of the University of the West Indies, has explicitly warned against moral arguments in the booster debate. “The cry of Inequity is unlikely to elicit an increase in global access to COVID-19 vaccines,” he said in an August presentation, because “it suits the pharmaceutical companies to have booster doses.”

More effective arguments would appeal to enlightened—but not necessarily epidemiological—self-interest. For example, Figueroa said, it’s possible that “wider distribution of vaccines” will “reduce illegal migration to developed countries.”

Critics of Boosters Still Want Lockdowns (freebeacon.com)

A Sheriff in California said on Monday that he will not force department employees or job applicants to be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite a state public health order mandating workers in “high-risk congregate settings” such as jails get vaccinations or are tested regularly.

In a video podcast posted to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page on Sept. 10, County Sheriff Chad Bianco had previously stated that he would not be mandating new or current employees of the sheriff’s department to have the COVID-19 vaccine, but maintained that he himself was “not an anti-vaxxer.”

“I’m not anti-vax, I’m anti-vax for Chad but that doesn’t mean that I’m anti-vax for someone else that feels they may need it, or that does need it, for high-risk categories, or even if it just makes you feel better,” Bianco said.

“A lot of department heads, different law enforcement agencies are coming up with policies or things like that, and as far as I’m concerned, I will not mandate a vaccine for our employees, we will not make it mandatory for any new employee to be vaccinated or current ones,” he continued. “I believe that is a very personal choice and that you need to make a decision.”

Following the podcast, Bianco shared a statement on Sept. 13 in which he claimed that a local newspaper was set to publish a story about the podcast and an unnamed reporter had “cherry-picked statements from supposed health experts in an attempt to paint me … in a negative light.”

Bianco reiterated his position regarding vaccinations and what he described as “tyrannical government overreach,” noting that it is his constitutional duty and responsibility to protect the public. He added that the soon-to-be-published article was “nothing but sensationalism trying to gain readership and further divide us as Americans.”

“Over the past couple of weeks, the idea of forced vaccination has caused much concern across the entire country,” Bianco said in Monday’s statement. “To repeat the context of the podcast, I will not enforce the vaccine mandate on Sheriff’s Department employees.”

“The government has no ability and no authority to mandate your health choices. As your Sheriff I have an obligation to guard your liberty and freedom,” he continued.

“I am certainly not anti-vaccine. I am anti-vaccine for me. That decision should be made in consultation with your doctor after discussing the potential benefit and the potential negative side effects.”

“It is time our government and our politicians come to the realization that the only reason they exist is because ‘we the people’ formed our government to secure the blessings of individual liberty and freedom,” Bianco added.

The state of California has mandated that those working in “high-risk congregate settings” such as state and local correctional facilities and detention centers, get vaccinated or submit to twice-a-week COVID-19 testing. It also applies to health care workers and employees of nursing homes and the state gave employees until Aug. 23 to comply.

Bianco’s comments come shortly after President Joe Biden issued sweeping new federal vaccine requirements that could affect as many as 100 million Americans.

Biden last Thursday announced he will direct the Department of Labor to develop a rule that companies with more than 100 employees will require vaccinations or once-per-week testing for their workers, potentially affecting tens of millions of U.S. private-sector employees and health care workers.

California County Sheriff: ‘I Will Not Enforce Vaccine Mandate’ (theepochtimes.com)

Twenty-seven Republican governors or attorneys general have vowed to fight the latest executive order issued by President Joe Biden mandating that over 80 million private employees receive COVID-19 vaccinations or undergo weekly testing, or their employer will be fined.

The executive order directs the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require private businesses with more than 100 employees mandate that their workers receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. Noncompliance would result in fines of $14,000 per violation.

The governors who’ve expressed opposition include those from Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Republican attorneys general from states with Democratic governors who also vowed to fight include Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Louisiana AG Jeff Landry.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with whom Biden has sparred over mask mandates and vaccine passports, said Florida would fight back.

“When you have a president like Biden issuing unconstitutional edicts against the American people, we have a responsibility to stand up for the Constitution and to fight back, and we are doing that in the state of Florida,” he said. “This is a president who has acknowledged in the past he does not have the authority to force this on anybody, and this order would result potentially in millions of Americans losing their jobs.”

Texas, which is already embroiled in several lawsuits with the Biden administration, vowed to sue. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said after hearing Biden’s announcement that “Texas is already working to halt this power grab” and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Texas would be suing the Biden administration “very soon.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said, “OSHA cannot dictate personal health care decisions for Missourians. Missouri is not under an OSHA state plan, and Parson will not allow state employees to be used to enforce this unconstitutional action.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster vowed to fight Biden, saying, “The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats. They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution, and empowered our enemies abroad. Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said, “Governors don’t report to Joe Biden. Governors don’t report to the federal government, the states created the federal government, and Joe Biden has stepped out of his reach,” Ducey said. “These mandates are outrageous. They will never stand up in court. We must and will push back.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita indicated he was working with a group of AGs to file a lawsuit. “My team and I, along with other like-minded attorneys general, are reviewing all legal action on how to stand against these authoritarian actions by the Biden administration,” he said in a statement.

The Republican National Committee also announced it was suing “to protect Americans and their liberties” if the proposed rule change were to go into effect.

In response to Republican pushback, White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond, a former Democratic congressman from Louisiana, told CNN the White House expected the opposition.

He said, “… those governors that stand in the way, I think, it was very clear from the president’s tone today that he will run over them. And it is important. It’s not for political purposes. It’s to save the lives of American people. And so, we won’t let one or two individuals stand in the way. We will always err on the side of protecting the American people.”

More Than Half of US States Vow to Fight Biden’s Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Nebraska’s attorney general is working with other attorneys general to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Nebraska’s governor said Sunday.

“He’s coordinating with the other attorneys general across the country who share similar views about the overreach,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“This is an egregious overreach of federal authority. And as we see what these rules are, we will be able to know exactly how we will be able to challenge them in court. I’m also talking with my colleagues around the country as well, the other governors who feel the way I do, and we’ll be working on other strategies,” he added.

Biden is, through an executive order released last week, forcing federal workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine unless they are approved for a religious or medical exemption. He’s also directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to work up an order that would require private businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccination.

Ricketts, a Republican, and 18 other governors immediately condemned the mandates, arguing they were the wrong approach to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Some governors and attorneys general indicated that they would turn to the courts.

“I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration,” Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, wrote on social media in the wake of Biden’s announcement.

Ricketts, asked when he would be going to court, said that would come when the exact rules are laid out.

“When we get an idea of what these rules exactly will be, we’ll know how to be able to attack it in court,” he said.

Biden administration officials have defended the mandates, asserting that they’re legal and would withstand scrutiny.

“The law basically requires the Department of Labor to take action when it finds grave risk to workers,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. “And, certainly, a pandemic that killed more than 600,000 people qualifies as a grave risk to workers.”

“The requirements that he announced are not sweeping requirements for the entire nation. These are focused on areas where the federal government has legal authority to act,” added Surgeon General Vivik Murthy on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Others aren’t so sure.

Mandates of the kind Biden announced are “generally relegated to the legislature in our system of government, so I think the courts will focus on that issue first and say that the president may not have the authority to do this without congressional authorization,” Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said over the weekend.

That’s what happened with the eviction moratorium ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Supreme Court blocked the latest moratorium last month, ruling the agency lacked the authority to impose such a ban and that Congress had not authorized it.

“We expect Congress to speak clearly when authorizing an agency to exercise powers of ‘vast economic and political significance,’” the majority wrote.

States Analyzing How to ‘Attack’ Biden’s Vaccine Mandates in Court: Nebraska Governor (theepochtimes.com)

A group of six employees with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city on Sept. 11, claiming that the city’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy violates their rights.

The lawsuit challenges both the city’s mandate and LAPD’s alleged failure to provide a process to submit requests for medical or religious exemptions. The plaintiffs include LAPD employees who have contracted COVID-19 and recovered who believe they should be exempt from the mandate.

“Subjecting City employees to a new condition of employment—which neither they nor Plaintiffs contemplated when they were hired—forces them to choose between their livelihood, in a time of acute nationwide economic hardship, and preservation of their fundamental constitutional privacy rights to control self-disclosure of sensitive personal information,” reads the suit.

“The order further seeks to embarrass, humiliate, shame and deprive the liberty of persons who decline to state their vaccine status by requiring Plaintiff to treat them as unvaccinated and impose testing, masking, and other punitive measures such as denial of promotions, transfer, appointments, etc.”

In addition, it states that the city “ignores peer-reviewed studies comparing naturally acquired and vaccine acquired immunity that show overwhelmingly that the former provides equivalent or greater protection against severe infection than immunity generated by mRNA vaccines.”

The LAPD employees are represented by attorneys Daniel Watkins of Watkins & Letofsky and Kevin Snider of the Pacific Justice Institute. The lawsuit names the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAPD Chief Michel Moore, and City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo as defendants.

The lawsuit argues that the LAPD is also violating the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which require reasonable medical or religious accommodation. It asks the court to declare the vaccine mandate unlawful and block the city from enforcing it.

Watkins told The Epoch Times that the attorneys also plan to file a class action lawsuit regarding the exemption issue, which could potentially affect thousands of employees.

An LAPD officer who requested to remain anonymous told The Epoch Times that the size of the group affected by the lawsuit could grow to as many as 3,000 or more employees of all ranks and classifications, including civilian workers.

“Our particular group has had 1,300 people sign up to get assistance in filing exemptions and retain legal counsel in the event of denial,” the officer said.

The City Mandate

The Los Angeles City Council approved the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination ordinance (pdf) on Aug. 18, requiring all current and future city employees be fully vaccinated (including boosters as deemed required by the CDC, FDA, or Los Angeles County of Department of Public Health), or request an approved medical or religious exemption, and report their vaccination status no later than Oct. 19.

The ordinance states that as of Oct. 20, COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be a condition of city employment unless approved for an exemption.

“Requests for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination must be submitted no later than September 7, 2021,” states the ordinance.

According to the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), an employer may require employees to receive an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, as long as the employer complies with all state and federal laws (pdf).

The FEHA protects employees from discrimination, retaliation and harassment in employment. The FEHA anti-discrimination provisions apply to all employers with five or more full-time or part-time employees.

Under the law, in mandating vaccinations, the city must provide reasonable accommodation based on disability or a sincerely held religious belief or practice, cannot discriminate against or harass employees or job applicants based on their disability or religion, and cannot retaliate against anyone for engaging in a protected activity such as requesting a reasonable accommodation.

Exemption Request Confusion

The city ordinance does not designate a specific form, application, or process to be used by employees to request religious or medical exemptions, leaving some confused about the exact requirements.

As of Sept. 7, LAPD employees had only received a link sent via mass email to submit an “exemption interest form” allowing them to note their interest in applying for accommodation, according to Watkins.

He said many employees began submitting their requests for exemption using the department’s default employee report Form 15.7, generally used to report issues not addressed by other specific departmental forms, since the employees were concerned they would miss the deadline.

Adding to the confusion, some personnel have received exemption denials on the basis that Form 15.7 was the incorrect form, according to the LAPD officer who requested to remain anonymous.

The exact number of intent forms that were submitted by the Sept. 7 deadline is unknown because they were submitted via a link to the city, not one established by the LAPD.

Watkins said that while some exemption requests have been accepted by different city precincts, more than half have been refused by division chiefs, and still others are being held due to the lack of an implementation plan. He hopes that the request for injunctive relief will compel the city and LAPD to implement a process consistent with the law.

“The law calls for an individual review of the requests, and yet now you have at least 1,300 requests,” the attorney said. “And that requires a significant process, man hours, and putting into place a system for individual review and criteria for evaluation, and they’re [LAPD] just not doing it.”

Another officer, who also requested to remain anonymous, received an email after submitting an accommodation request via Form 15.7. It stated:

Per this official DOC notice, the Department has advised not to submit any other forms to request exemptions. Hence, we are not accepting 15.7s for exemption requests. Officers need to be directed to complete the process as stated on the DOC Notice. I have already contacted OSS and we are not accepting a 15.7.

We WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE for an officer saying he/she turned in a 15.7 requesting the exemption and we lost it or didn’t process it.

Officers in another area of the city claimed that some requests were collected by the department and destroyed.

Awaiting City Guidelines

According to Lt. Raul Jovel of the LAPD Media Relations Division, the department has not yet received direction as to how the ordinance should be implemented. Therefore, he couldn’t comment on handling requests for medical or religious exemptions.

“The process and procedures have not been developed yet. There’s talk that the city is still coordinating or working with the labor unions, the League and different employer organizations to try to figure out how this is going to work,” Jovel told The Epoch Times. “Once that’s written, we’ll know exactly the process but also the other half of that coin is trying to figure out, if people don’t do this [get vaccinated], what are the consequences.”

According to Jovel, Chief Michel Moore has stated that he will not comment on what he can or cannot do regarding the implementation of the ordinance at this time until he acquires more input from city leaders.

Jovel said that the intent forms that were sent out before Sept. 7 went directly to the city and the LAPD did not have access to how many of its personnel submitted their intent to request exemption.

“At all departments across the city, employees were asked if they intend to file an exemption, either religious or medical, to log in to a login portal with the information, and that went to the city. I’m not sure what they intend to do with that data,” Jovel said.

‘Push to Mandate Vaccines’

The city’s move towards mandatory vaccinations has been in play for several months. On July 27, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez announced that they would “push for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for City employees, beginning with a requirement that workers either submit proof of vaccination or a weekly negative test.”

The vaccine requirement, the memo stated, “is part of a broader push to mandate vaccines for all employees once the federal Food and Drug Administration gives full approval. It comes as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to drive an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated in Los Angeles County and across the country.”

“Angelenos have stayed inside for over a year to protect themselves and others. I think it’s safe to say that we’re getting tired of putting our lives on hold to protect people who don’t want to protect themselves and get vaccinated,” Martinez said in the statement.

Martinez said that as the largest employer in the City of Los Angeles, they are doing their part and must set an example in asking Angelenos to get vaccinated.

The LAPD’s Chief Police Psychologist, Dr. Edrick H. Dorian, also sent out an emotional email on Aug. 30 encouraging employees to get vaccinated, stating that it would alleviate guilt and shame, as well as the worry of family members already taxed by the dangers and uncertainty of them working for the LAPD.

The letter told employees that if they are not vaccinated, they can still change their minds, “if only because you want to protect others’ safety or because you do not want to jeopardize your livelihood.”

Dorian’s emailed letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, reads:

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late… It’s rare that I, the Department’s Chief of Police Psychologist and commanding officer of Behavioral Science Services (BSS), have the opportunity to communicate with all of you directly. As your police psychologists, dietician, and addiction prevention unit, most of our work at BSS occurs behind closed doors, out of plain sight, under the strictest of confidentiality. For the past 53 years, our primary purpose has been to help preserve or enhance the good in your life. We are here because we value and support you and the mission of law enforcement.

In that vein, I write today to acknowledge the stress and turmoil you have all experienced over the past 18 months. If a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic was not enough, you have experienced one of the most challenging periods in policing history. We have seen you, listened to you, and learned from you-it has been brutal at times, both for you and for your family members. Frankly, it has been incredibly heartbreaking for us to witness some of the hardships you and your loved ones have endured.

Today, some of our most prominent conversations in the Department center around the impending mandates for vaccination, which have understandably caused some concerns about personal rights and adverse health consequences. There is likely little you have not already heard a thousand times on the subject, whether it be medical facts, an array of theories about ulterior motives, or stories about terrible or miraculous outcomes. Yet, I implore you to put all of that aside for a moment and consider the following.

We at BSS have witnessed an extraordinary amount of personal suffering, fear and guilt over the past many months. These stories are often not publicly shared, as they involve feelings of embarrassment and shame, coupled with fears of judgement and ridicule about the consequences of coronavirus-related choices and behaviors. Two of the greatest points of pride for officers are in exercising good judgement and being among the few in society who are trained in, and committed to, protecting safety. When we know that vaccines are effective, immediately available, and a form of invisible body armor against serious illness or death, it is tough to look back with regret.

If you have not been vaccinated by now, it is because you have your reasons. You have thought about it a lot. It is OK to change your mind, if only because you want to protect others’ safety or because you do not want to jeopardize your livelihood. Getting vaccinated now is an easy way to remove one major area of worry for your family, given all the dangers and uncertainty they know you regularly face.

If you have concerns about the vaccine, we can help point you to resources for the accurate information you need. If you feel your rights are being violated, remember that those rights are intact, but that public safety officers commit to many requirements of the job from day one. Take a moment to consult a trusted friend, colleague, or police psychologist on whether this is “the hill” on which you want to take a stand—whether that is best for you and your family. If you think you will be judged for getting the vaccine, the unvaccinated who become ill when vaccines were widely available will tell you that the alternative is often much worse. You have a choice. And because you do, don’t wait until it’s too late…please vaccinate. Thousands—the majority—of your fellow LAPD family members already have.

Navigating Exemption Laws

According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), leaders of police departments in the U.S. may require employees to be vaccinated without violating federal law but are required to consider religious and medical accommodation requests.

The organization emphasized that employees have the right to refuse to be vaccinated if they have a valid medical or religious objection.

Police departments have also required employees to receive other vaccines, such as tetanus, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella, and flu vaccines, as well as meet certain health and fitness medical requirements.

Those seeking a medical exemption or accommodation must establish a qualifying disability that prevents them from taking a vaccine, while those seeking a religious exemption or accommodation must establish that the vaccine or immunization would violate a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance. In addition, an employee that has deep moral or ethical values in conflict with vaccinations can also qualify for a religious exemption and accommodation.

Employers must also allow discussion on whether an individual’s objections can be accommodated. This might include increasing the level of personal protective equipment, moving an employee’s workstation, temporary reassignment, working remotely, or minimizing interactions with other employees or the public.

Depending on the size of a department, the accommodations may be impossible or place an undue burden on the employer, making the request unreasonable. If no reasonable accommodation can be found, employees may be placed on unpaid leave or terminated.

Potential Impacts on Policing

According to the LAPD officer who spoke to The Epoch Times on agreement of anonymity, the impact of employees leaving due to the vaccine mandate would be catastrophic in terms of the LAPD’s ability to protect the public.

“It takes at least five years for an officer to become proficient at their job,” the officer said. “Less than that and they are placed with more senior officers to assist them in navigating the complexities of liability and a procedurally intense environment, not to mention, just being able to remain alive at the same time.”

He said that monthly police academy classes usually consist of 40 to 60 candidates who are selected from a pool of those applying.

“We usually hire one out of 300 to 1,000 candidates. This means in the best of times we will need 12,000 applicants for 40 new officers.”

And, while most of the candidates graduate, some will not pass probation.

“Taking that into consideration, we also have to factor in retirements each month, which usually ranges from 20 to 50 personnel. The Department is already down 700 employees from the 10,000 we were at a few years ago prior to the pandemic, defunding, etc.,” said the officer.

“It could take up to two years to fill that gap alone. If we were to lose an additional 3,000 employees or more, it would take at least five years to replace those losses, and that would be without allowing a single retirement during that time.”

The officer explained that the department has 1,800 to 2,200 officers total assigned to respond to citizen calls, but on any given night the department has fewer than 800 employees working in the field. Most areas also have about 15 to 25 percent of employees who are unavailable at any given time due to training, vacation or duty-related injuries.

Additional attrition, he said, would result in a “complete disaster.”

“With violent crime climbing to levels not seen in decades and looking at both the World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Olympics potentially coming to the City of Los Angeles in the next seven years, the impact of these possible losses—the time it would take to replace them and allow them to mature and become effective—will result in truly dangerous conditions for the community, and a tremendous loss in revenue for the city.”

Lynn Hackman

Lynn is a reporter for the Southern California edition of The Epoch Times, based in Orange County. She has enjoyed a 25-year career as a senior-level strategic public relations and contingency planning executive. An editor, blogger, and columnist, Lynn also has experience as a television and radio show producer and host. For six years, she was co-host of Sunday Brunch with Tom and Lynn on KOCI 101.5 FM. She is also active in the Newport Beach community, serving as chair emeritus of the Newport Beach City Arts Commission, among various positions with other local organizations.

LAPD Employees File Federal Lawsuit Against City Over Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Doctors call on AMA to speak out against threats to Hippocratic Oath

A growing number of doctors have threatened to withhold treatment from the unvaccinated, sparking backlash from doctors and bioethicists who say such sentiments violate the Hippocratic Oath. Those critics are even more troubled by the silence from professional organizations tasked with upholding medical ethics.

Doctors in Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama have announced they will refuse to treat unvaccinated patients, while Dallas hospital workers reportedly discussed considering vaccinated status when delegating ICU beds. Such comments have infuriated top medical professionals. Dr. Brian Callister, governor of the Nevada chapter of the American College for Physicians, said doctors should never blatantly refuse to treat unvaccinated patients who are otherwise willing to comply with the rules set out by the practice.

“It is absolutely unethical, period, end of story, to not treat a patient in need,” Callister told the Washington Free Beacon. “It is absurd and amoral for any physician to say they will not treat unvaccinated patients.”

Callister has served as the state chairman of the American Medical Association, the largest doctors lobby in the country. The group sets the standard for not only medical professionals and ethics, but also shapes public policy as a resource for lawmakers and regulators. While the AMA has publicly supported vaccine mandates, it has remained silent on the public campaign to refuse treatment to people based on vaccination status. An AMA spokesman declined to address the issue, though he did refer the Washington Free Beacon to a webpage outlining traditional reasons for refusing patients.

“The simple fact is unless a significant percentage of our population is vaccinated against COVID-19—we could be stuck fighting this virus for many more months or even years to come,” Gerald Harmon, president of AMA, said in a statement. “Now is the time for the public and private sectors to come together, listen to the science, and mandate vaccination.”

AMA has more than 200,000 members, representing roughly one sixth of all physicians in the country. It represented three-fourths of physicians in 1975 then saw a sharp decline in membership in the coming decades. The organization spends roughly $20 million on lobbying annually, according to the Center for Responsible Politics.

Michael Shapiro, a retired professor at the USC Gould School of Law who focused on ethical medical treatment, criticized AMA for not speaking out on a key matter of medical ethics. He said the organization’s stance leaves open questions as to whether vaccination status is a justifiable reason for refusing service.

“Such ‘guidelines’ generally serve as matters of show,” he told the Free Beacon. “They sound good, but say little.”

The AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 1.1.2 states that doctors cannot decline services based on infectious disease status, race, gender, or any other characteristics irrelevant to needed care. Doctors are allowed to deny patients for other reasons so long as they are not seeking emergency care.

“Physicians should not decline patients for whom they have accepted a contractual obligation to provide care,” the opinion states. “However, physicians are not ethically required to accept all prospective patients. Physicians should be thoughtful in exercising their right to choose whom to serve.”

Roy Spece Jr., a professor at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law who focuses on medical ethics, cited a number of additional AMA ethics opinions that he said create confusion on when exactly doctors should be able to deny care. A common theme in the opinions, he said, is that doctors get the benefit of the doubt. 

“Many people believe that the AMA is an organization devoted to helping doctors first rather than advancing quality, access, and fairness in health care distribution,” Spece told the Free Beacon. “Most of its opinions are written in subtly contradictory ways that bear at least one interpretation generally allowing the physician to do what she wants.”

Kevin Pham, MD, who advised the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, said the debate over refusing care to unvaccinated patients is hurtful to the medical profession because it divides doctors into opposing camps. This, he said, is why the AMA should still take a specific stance on the issue to clear up any potential confusion.

“A code of ethics is meant to cover a wide variety of issues, scenarios, and matters, but when the narrative of dividing vaccinated from unvaccinated is gaining momentum, the AMA and every medical association ought to come down on the side of patients against the virus,” Pham told the Free Beacon. “The public’s trust needs to be earned, and if physicians hope to convince holdouts to take the vaccine, they cannot join in on the needless partisanship.”

Doctors, Ethicists Blast Colleagues Who Threaten To Withhold Treatment From Unvaxxed (freebeacon.com)

A hospital in Upstate New York won’t have the capacity to deliver babies after six employees in its maternity ward resigned instead of taking the COVID-19 vaccine as part of an executive order handed down by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo several weeks ago.

Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville said that it will work with state officials to ensure that the maternity unit doesn’t shut down permanently, officials said, reported WWNY-TV. Six employees who were employed in the unit resigned, while seven more who are apparently not vaccinated are undecided, Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cayer said.

Due to the staffing shortage, the hospital won’t be able to deliver newborns, Cayer said.

“If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County,” Cayer said at a news conference on Sept. 10.

About 165 hospital employees have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, Cayer said. That’s about 27 percent of the workforce, he said.

“Our hope is as we get closer (to the deadline), the numbers will increase of individuals who are vaccinated, fewer individuals will leave and maybe, with a little luck, some of those who have resigned will reconsider,” Cayer said. “We are not alone. There are thousands of positions that are open north of the Thruway (a highway system spanning Upstate New York) and now we have a challenge to work through, you know, with the vaccination mandate.”

In August, Cuomo, a Democrat who resigned over alleged inappropriate behavior with staffers, issued an order that all healthcare workers in New York state have to get their first COVID-19 shot by Sept. 27. And last week, President Joe Biden issued an announcement saying that healthcare workers at facilities that receive Medicaid or Medicare funding have to get vaccinated with no exceptions, with officials estimating that 50,000 such employees would be impacted by the mandate.

Hospital workers in California, Tennessee, and Texas have demonstrated against recent vaccine mandates. In June, a number of employees at Houston Methodist hospital in Texas walked out of their shifts to protest the company’s vaccine mandate.

Biden’s announcement also targeted more than 80 million workers who are employed at companies with 100 workers or more, saying that these employees have to either get weekly testing for the CCP virus or the vaccine. Although few details about the plan have been released about how it would be enforced, some officials said that harsh fines would be imposed if the workers don’t adhere to the mandate.

The Epoch Times has contacted Lewis County General Hospital for additional comment.

NY Hospital Will Stop Delivering Babies as Maternity Workers Resign Over Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate as well as his overall handling of COVID-19 while accusing the president of avoiding “responsibility for anything.”

Speaking to reporters last week after Biden imposed vaccine mandates on businesses with more than 100 employees as well as most federal employees and contractors, he said that the president was “obviously referring to” the Florida Republican as well as other red-state governors in remarks criticizing them for blocking other pandemic-related requirements in schools and businesses.

“Well I would just say generally when you’re taking action that’s unconstitutional, that threatens the jobs of the people in my state, many, many thousands of jobs, I’m standing for them,” DeSantis said in response to a question about the issue from a reporter.

“We’re going to protect their jobs against federal overreach. This is a guy who criticizes the state of Florida for protecting parents’ rights,” DeSantis continued.

NEW – Florida Gov. DeSantis says Biden’s vaccine mandates are “not based on science” and “will ultimately lose in court”.pic.twitter.com/qmFzMiehSa

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 10, 2021

“He says school boards should be able to eliminate parents’ rights and force five-year-old kids to wear masks all day. That’s what he thinks is appropriate government,” he added.

“Yet, here he comes from Washington, D.C. instituting an unprecedented mandate, which even his own people have acknowledged in the past is not constitutional. That’s not leadership.”

The Florida governor also criticized Biden’s overall pandemic policies.

“And I think the problem I have with Joe Biden, more than anything, this guy doesn’t take responsibility for anything,” DeSantis said.

“He’s always trying to blame other people, blame other states. This is a guy that promised when he ran for president, that he would shut down the virus,” he noted.

“If you look now there’s 300% more cases in this country today than a year ago when we had no vaccines at all. So his policies are not working.”

“He’s doubling down on things that are going to be very destructive for the livelihoods of many, many Americans, and obviously going to be destructive to our constitutional system and the rule of law,” DeSantis went on.

“And so these are times when you believe in that constitution, you got to stand up. And obviously the substantive issues’ important because there are places that are going to toss aside people who’ve worked, they’ve worked this whole time throughout COVID, now all of a sudden they should be tossed aside? They were working when nobody had vaccine, you don’t know their history, you don’t know why they’re making decisions that they’re making,” the governor added.

“Many of these people have already recovered and they have immunity. The idea that somehow you have somebody that gets a Johnson and Johnson, they can work, but someone that’s got natural immunity somehow can’t?” he said.

“You know, at the end of the day, we don’t live with a one-person rule in this country. We live in a constitutional system, which people’s rights are respected, but particularly in this juncture, their livelihoods and their jobs have to be protected,” added the governor.

DeSantis Blasts Biden’s Failures: ‘This Guy Doesn’t Take Responsibility For Anything’ (trendingpolitics.com)

I spent all of August working all hours of the day to help fight back against the medical tyranny going on around the world while also fighting off the slings and arrows of the Globalist American Empire who wasn’t too happy about it.

At the end of July I published religious exemption documents in response to the overwhelming amount of private messages I received on Gab with people telling me that their school, workplace, and even our military would be forcing them to get inject an experimental vaccine into their body or lose everything.

The documents went wildly viral, not only on Gab, but across the entire internet. This caught the attention of the Enemy, who swiftly began their usual tactics of defaming me for reminding people that they have religious liberty, bodily autonomy, and human rights.

The first attack came from the New York Times and a Facebook-funded “research firm.” They claimed that by sharing religious exemption documents that I was spreading “misinformation.” Next the far-left blog New Republic did their best to smear me, but ended up making Gab look pretty based if you ask me. Finally, the far-left establishment activists at Media Matters said I was trying to “sabotage” vaccination efforts. 

All of these attacks made me double down on my position of educating and helping the public, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ, navigate the most tyrannical attack on freedom in recent memory.

We created the No Vax Job Board group on Gab, which was a massive success and is leading to people finding new jobs without vaccine requirements.

Then I published a religious exemption template for college students as they faced being kicked out of school at the start of the fall semester for refusing to be injected.

I even sent an email (and encouraged others to do the same) to my own alma mater after learning that they were rejecting religious exemptions.

Oh and in case you missed it, Congress sent a letter to Gab and we responded here.

Needless to say, it was a busy month.

We must do everything we can right now to peacefully protect our freedom by building a parallel society. It’s baffling to me how people do not recognize the urgency of the situation we are in. We have lost so much over the past 18 months and we will never get it back unless we start taking a stand right this second.

That means putting in the work. You may need to find a new job. You may need to move. You may need to pull your children out of school. You may need to find a new doctor, a new church, a new everything. You may even have to show up at your local city council and school board meetings to let them have a piece of your mind.

What does a parallel society look like?

It looks like homeschooling your kids, turning off the television, deleting your Facebook account, reading your Bible, spending more time with your kids, moving to a better area near people who share your values, getting involved in local instead of national politics, finding a church that isn’t woke, supporting businesses who support your values, consuming content from people who share your values, and radically removing each and every last corrosive system of control and fear of the globohomo society from your life.

It won’t be easy, nothing worthwhile is, but it can and is being done by so many people in your exact position.

Let me ask you something: what is your freedom worth to you?

To me it is worth everything.

The freedom to worship in my church without permission from the State. The freedom to work without being forced to inject myself with a substance that I do not want in my body. The freedom to have a political opinion on the internet without being banned from banks and social networks. The freedom for my children to learn without having a disgusting and unhealthy dirty mask over their faces for eight hours a day and being told they are evil for their skin color.

Are these freedoms worth making an effort to preserve and protect? Absolutely. If they are to you, you better start acting like it because no one is coming to save you. Not politicians. Not Presidents. Only Jesus Christ saves and God helps those who help themselves.

Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor. Proverbs 12:24

We are faced with a choice as we undergo one of the most radical power plays in human history by the global elite. We can shut up, put on the mask, take the 4+ (and counting) vaccines, and be treated like cattle, or we can peacefully take action by exiting their entire system and forging our own path forward in a parallel economy, a parallel internet, and a parallel society.

To God be the Glory,

Andrew Torba
CEO, Gab.com
Only Jesus Saves

The Parallel Society – Gab News

President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers will exempt United States Postal Service (USPS) employees who pumped millions of dollars into the 2020 election campaign.

A USPS spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon that Biden’s mandate, announced Thursday, will not apply to the nearly 500,000 workers who deliver mail to American residents each day. The postal service’s status as an independent agency frees it from the purview of the executive order. The exempted workers happen to be members of two of the most influential government workers unions in the country.

The American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers spent about $3 million on the 2020 elections, with nearly all of the money going to boost Biden and other Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Neither union responded to requests for comment.

Biden ordered a federal vaccine mandate on Thursday afternoon shortly after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debuted plans to require vaccination or weekly testing for workers at private companies with more than 100 employees. The mandate carries fines as high as $14,000 for employers that refuse, but it is unclear if those rules will apply to the postal service. A postal service spokesman said the agency is examining the OSHA regulation.

OSHA did not respond to a request for comment.

Biden’s labor backers within the postal service have expressed opposition to vaccine requirements as a condition of employment. In August, the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 USPS workers, announced its opposition to federal vaccine mandates.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Postal Service Unions Spent Big on Biden. Now They’re Exempted From the Federal Vaccine Mandate (freebeacon.com)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. public health official, said that a new study regarding so-called natural immunity following COVID-19 infection is provoking discussion among government experts.

The real-world study, conducted by Israeli researchers, found that previous COVID-19 infection confers better protection against infection and hospitalization than COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked Friday about the research in the context of convincing people who have natural immunity, or recovered from COVID-19, to get vaccinated.

“I get calls all the time people say, ‘I’ve already had COVID, I’m protected.’ And now the study says maybe even more protected than the vaccine alone. Should they also get the vaccine? How do you make the case to them?” Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked Fauci during an appearance on CNN.

“I don’t have a really firm answer for you on that,” Fauci responded.

“That’s something that we’re going to have to discuss regarding the durability of the response. The one thing that paper from Israel didn’t tell you is whether or not—as high as the protection is with natural infection—what’s the durability compared to the durability of a vaccine? So it is conceivable that you got infected, you’re protected, but you may not be protected for an indefinite period of time,” he continued.

“So I think that is something that we need to sit down and discuss seriously because you very appropriately pointed out, it is an issue, and there could be an argument for saying what you said.”

Some experts who have studied the matter have expressed confusion as to why vaccination efforts are not focused on those who have not gotten a shot and have not recovered from COVID-19.

“We’re trying to update policy such that people who have recovered have the same privileges and access as people who are vaccinated,” Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, clinical professor of preventive medicine and medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, told The Epoch Times previously.

The Israel findings, because they’re based on real-world data, even led Pfizer board member Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to call for natural immunity to be part of policy discussions.

“The balance of the evidence demonstrates that natural immunity confers a durable protection,” Gottlieb said during a recent television appearance.

Official guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges people have some level of immunity after COVID-19 recovery. But the agency still recommends the vast majority of Americans get a COVID-19 vaccine, asserting the protection is even better when combining natural immunity and a jab.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, last month pointed to a study conducted by CDC and Kentucky researchers that suggested vaccines actually provide better protection than previous infection.

“These data further indicate that COVID-19 vaccines offer better protection than natural immunity alone and that vaccines, even after prior infection, help prevent reinfections,” the agency said in a statement.

Fauci: No ‘Firm Answer’ on Why Americans Who Recovered From COVID-19 Should Get Vaccinated (theepochtimes.com)

An Arizona public school district faces a lawsuit following its decision to demote buildings manager William Bishop to a substitute teacher in response to his declining to get the anti-CCP virus vaccine.

Cartwright School District in Phoenix is being sued for its “refusal to grant—in fact, its refusal to even respond to—Mr. Bishop’s request for an accommodation that would allow him to honor his religious convictions that prevent him from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine,” Bishop’s attorney, Rebecca Dummermuth, told Superintendent Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor in a Sept. 9 letter made available to The Epoch Times.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus is also known as the novel coronavirus. It has killed more than 660,000 Americans since the first death occurred in January 2020 in California.

Dummermuth is counsel with the First Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas-based public interest law firm that specializes in First Amendment and religious freedom issues.

Dummermuth said in the letter the school district’s refusal came “despite the fact that 95 percent district staff were carved out of its vaccine mandate. The district’s refusal to accommodate Mr. Bishop’s sincerely held religious beliefs, and its adverse employment action of transferring and demoting him to a position as substitute teacher, violate of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Arizona Free Exercise of Religion Act, and executive orders by [Arizona] Governor [Doug] Ducey.”

A spokesman for the school district told The Epoch Times that Aquilar-Lawlor was unavailable to comment on the First Liberty letter due to a bereavement. The superintendent will return to the office next week.

Bishop’s demotion comes as President Joe Biden warned the estimated 80 million Americans who have not yet been vaccinated that “we have been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us.”

Biden’s warning came in a speech in which he announced his signing of an executive order directing the Department of Labor to issue regulations mandating all private companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccination as a condition of employment.

But Biden’s announcement almost immediately sparked new protests to an already surging public resistance, with at least 19 governors and two attorneys general issuing statements disagreeing with Biden’s decision and vowing to defy it.

The defiant governors, all Republicans, include Arizona’s Ducey, as well as those of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Two state attorneys general also did so, including Sean D. Reyes of Utah and Todd Rokita of Indiana. Rokita is a former U.S. congressman. In addition, the Republican National Committee (RNC) said it is suing in federal court in opposition to Biden’s forthcoming directive.

Many of those declining to be vaccinated cite religious grounds for doing so, including Bishop, according to Dummermuth.

“As a Christian, he believes that his body is a temple of God (I Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19), and therefore he has a God-given responsibility to protect the physical integrity of his body and not to defile it (I Corinthians 8:7; II Corinthians 7:1),” she said in her letter to Aquilar-Lawlor.

“Additionally, he believes that human life begins at conception, and he staunchly opposes abortion. Therefore, receiving a vaccine that has been developed using aborted fetal cell lines would violate his conscience.”

The health care industry appears to be especially hard-hit by the growing resistance to vaccine mandates, with severe staffing shortages in multiple states, according to Liberty Counsel (LC).

The Florida-based LC, like First Liberty, is a public interest law firm that specializes in civil liberties issues, especially those involving religious freedom.

“There are thousands of nurses all over the United States that are refusing the injection because they don’t believe it’s been thoroughly tested or vetted, that it’s being forced, and/or they have a deeply held religious belief against it. Many of these nurses have either been put on unpaid leave or have been fired due to refusing the injection,” LC said in a Sept. 8 statement.

“In Texas, weeks after 150 hospital workers were fired by Houston Methodist, one of several hospitals struggling has reached a breaking point amid the COVID-19 outbreak,” the LC statement continued.

The statement quoted a California physician, Dr. Tom Sugarman, who said, “Oftentimes at hospitals, there are long waits and long delays. There’s not enough staff to keep beds open, and patients can languish waiting.”

Sugarman is an emergency physician and senior director of government affairs at Vituity, a physicians and medical services group.

In addition to clients in the health care industry, LC is representing hundreds of Department of Veterans Affairs employees who seek exemptions from Biden’s vaccine mandate last month for government workers.

Arizona School Buildings Manager Demoted to Substitute Teaching for Declining Vaccine, as Mandate Resistance Grows (theepochtimes.com)

On Thursday evening, President Joe Biden unveiled two executive orders that could mandate vaccinations for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus for millions of working Americans in both the public and private spheres. But absent from these mandates are similar requirements for members of Congress, federal judges, or their staffers.

Biden’s executive orders would unilaterally require vaccination for federal employees, the military, and government contractors. The president also asked Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require that firms with over 100 employees either mandate vaccination or weekly CCP virus tests. In total, these mandates could affect over 100 million American workers, making it one of the widest-reaching vaccine mandates in world history.

Biden wrote, “It is the policy of my Administration to halt the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, by relying on the best available data and science-based public health measures.”

The order continued, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services has determined that the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent infection by the Delta variant or other variants is to be vaccinated.”

In the second section, Biden lays out this rigorous policy, requiring all executive agencies to “implement, to the extent consistent with applicable law, a program to require COVID-19 vaccination for all of its Federal employees, with exceptions only as required by law.” Such exemptions are few and strictly defined.

The order would cover civilian employees of executive offices like the State Department and Department of Defense, and would also require all military personnel to receive the vaccine. In total, this no-excuses order would affect millions of civilian and non-civilian federal employees.

The president went beyond this, however, laying out a framework that would require private-sector employers to mandate vaccines or weekly testing for their employees. To achieve this, Biden turned to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency tasked with ensuring that companies protect the safety of their employees.

OSHA’s “emergency temporary standards” policy does allow for some immediate action from the agency. Under “certain limited conditions,” according to OSHA’s website, “OSHA is authorized to set emergency temporary standards that take effect immediately and are in effect until superseded by a permanent standard.” To issue such a temporary order, OSHA “must determine that workers are in grave danger” from toxic substances or other “physically harmful” agents.

If OSHA complies with the request from the president, workers in mid-sized to large firms—any firm with more than 100 employees—across the country will be affected. These employees would be forced to choose between weekly testing and vaccination in an effort to further push the unvaccinated into getting the new medication.

But not included in the executive orders are mandates for members of federal employees in the legislative or judicial branches, including members of Congress, their staffers, as well as federal judges and other court employees.

Earlier in the year, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked about requiring that members of Congress be vaccinated.

“Public health officials are encouraging wearing masks indoors,” Pelosi began.

She continued: “So here’s the thing—we cannot require someone to be vaccinated. It’s just not what we can do.”

The vaccination status of any member of Congress, Pelosi said, “is a matter of privacy.” She noted that she “cannot go to the Capitol physician and say ‘give me the names of people who aren’t vaccinated’ so I can go encourage them or make it known to others to encourage them to be vaccinated.” Pelosi closed, “So we can’t do that.”

While Democrats in Congress claim to have a 100 percent vaccination rate, some Republicans in both chambers expressed hesitancy. It is unclear exactly what percentage of members are vaccinated. Under this executive order, holdouts in Congress would not be forced to get a vaccine.

Likewise, because federal courts are not under the executive branch, federal judges and their staffers are not covered under Biden’s sweeping mandate.

Members of Congress, Federal Judges, Staffers Exempt From Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Footage from 2020 surfaced on social media Friday showing senior COVID advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci saying he would not recommend vaccination mandates on a national level because it “encroaches upon a person’s freedom to make their own choice.”

“When a vaccine becomes available, are you going to suggest it’s mandated for Americans to get?” asked one questioner.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a situation where you mandate it for the general population,” said Fauci. “I can see individual institutions mandating a vaccine… I don’t see it on a national level merely because of all the situations you have upon encroaching upon a person’s freedom to make their own choice of their own health.”

Anthony Fauci, July 2020: “I don’t see [a vaccine mandate] on a national level merely because of all the situations you have upon encroaching upon a person’s freedom to make their own choice of their own health” pic.twitter.com/iHHr2TwIUj

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 10, 2021

Fauci on Biden’s vaccine mandate:

“I think the president is being somewhat moderate in his demand, if you want to call it that.”
pic.twitter.com/s0gmWPFynE

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 10, 2021

Joe Biden outright rejected criticism of his federal vaccine mandate Friday, telling Republicans to “have at it” should they choose to file lawsuits against his administration.

[Some Governors] are calling your vaccine requirements an overreach and are threatening to challenge it in the courts,” yelled one reporter.

“Have at it,” said the President. “I am so disappointed that -particularly some Republican governors- have been so cavalier with the health of these kids. So cavalier with the health of these communities”

“Have at it.” — President Biden to those governors threatening lawsuits over the vaccine-or-weekly-testing mandate for large businesses.

He adds, “I am so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids.” pic.twitter.com/rYc0QWHkOX

— The Recount (@therecount) September 10, 2021

“My plan will extend the vaccination requirements that I previously issued in the health care field. Already, I’ve announced we’ll be requiring vaccinations that all nursing home workers who treat patients on Medicare and Medicaid, because I have that federal authority.,” said Biden Thursday night.

“Today, in total, the vaccine requirements in my plan will affect about 100 million Americans — two-thirds of all workers. And for other sectors, I issue this appeal: To those of you running large entertainment venues from sports arenas to concert venues to movie theaters, please require folks to get vaccinated or show a negative test as a condition of entry.,” he added.

“My message to unvaccinated Americans is this: What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We’ve made vaccinations free, safe and convenient. The vaccine is F.D.A. approved. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us,” concluded the Commander-in-Chief.

FAUCI 2020: No National Vaccine Mandate Because it ‘Encroaches’ on ‘Freedom of Choice’ | Sean Hannity

As President Joe Biden launches via executive order a sweeping vaccine mandate for all federal government workers, and now a brand-new initiative for private sector mandates, the issue has once again risen to the forefront of the national dialogue. United Airlines, for example, recently became the first U.S. airline to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all its employees. United Airlines’ mandate takes effect on Sept. 27, and it might augur a broader trend: A poll conducted last month by insurance and advisory firm Willis Towers Watson, for example, suggests that 52 percent of private sector employers surveyed expect to have a workplace vaccine mandate by the end of 2021. As Biden’s brand-new announcement of a Department of Labor rule for private sector vaccination requirement now makes clear, that poll was prescient.

Against this backdrop, several Republican-leaning states have advanced laws or executive orders that prohibit private sector vaccine mandates for employees, customers, or in some other respect. That tally is now at least eight states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Texas, South Carolina, and South Dakota. The legal mechanics and specifics differ from state to state. But the highest-profile and most mechanically straightforward Republican-led assault on vaccine mandates is the one in my new home state, Florida.

In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has emerged as a talismanic figure of sorts for those standing athwart COVID-induced hysteria, signed into law SB 2006. The legislation bans private businesses, local governments, and schools from issuing vaccine mandates for customers or members of the public. On Aug. 27, Florida’s Department of Health announced that it will enforce SB 2006 via $5,000 fines “per individual and separate violation.” That rule will go into effect on Sept. 16, though DeSantis had previously already taken aim at mandatory private sector vaccinations via executive order even prior to the passage of SB 2006.

Amid the pending Biden Department of Labor vaccination rule for all employers with 100 or more employees, there will now inevitably be mass litigation between the states and the federal government. But while that litigation begins to percolate, the battle lines were already clarified.

Progressives, whose various echo chambers have led them to believe COVID is a modern-day apocalypse despite a 98 to 99 percent (at least) survival rate, predictably march in lockstep against bans on vaccine mandates. It is perhaps the only time progressives defend private enterprise against public regulation, broadly speaking. But those on the right have divided over the question of what role, if any, the state should play in regulating private sector vaccine mandate promulgation and enforcement.

The private sector vaccine mandate, much like the roiling debates over Big Tech regulation, is a proxy for a broader intellectual fault line on the right. That divide is between the more adamantly classical liberal, libertarian-inspired pundits and politicians who believe the quintessence of sound governance is simply permitting individuals and private entities to do what they wish, and the more common-good-inspired figures who believe the breadth and depth of the threat from our wokeist ruling class is such that we must be less skittish about the prudential use of state power to secure the deplorables’ basic way of life.

On this matter, as in many other matters, the DeSantis-style common-good conservatives have the better of the doctrinaire “let businesses do whatever they want” libertarian absolutists. It is important to understand why.

President Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” That was probably true when the Gipper said it, but times have changed. The new, 21st century threat comes in the form of a sprawling, paninstitutional ruling class whose public and private sector branches alike worship at the secular altar of wokeism. That ruling class has no interest in abiding by any sort of neutral “live and let live” niceties; its interest is in banning conservative speech from social media, soft-banning conservative ideas from the academy by means of “microaggressions” and “safe spaces,” and so on. As I have argued, we should think of the new “most terrifying words” as, “I’m from the ruling class, and I’m here to subjugate you.”

Vaccine mandates will be a convenient fig leaf for a ruling class already gung-ho at the possibility of precluding conservatives from the full panoply of in-person public life: air travel, concerts, or even private banking services. Accordingly, the governing imperative is to use state power to protect those who may harbor not-unreasonable reservations about the COVID vaccines against woke capital and woke businesses champing at the bit to forsake those who have made a different decision about what to do with their bodies than what our elites may wish. Dispensations will always be made, but the default legal rule should be a general ban on private sector vaccine mandates. Those still very concerned about COVID, after all, can always vaccinate themselves: The vaccines presumably work well, as we are constantly told.

It is the obligation of patriots in 2021, to quote Claremont Institute senior fellow David Reaboi, to “know what time it is.” On vaccine mandates, that means following the DeSantis lead, and, as now appears to be necessary, launching strategic state-led lawsuits against an overzealous Biden administration dead-set on making COVID hysteria the law of the land.

The Vaccine Mandate Assault on the Common Good (theepochtimes.com)

President Joe Biden issued a series of vaccine mandates Thursday night that applies to federal employees and private employers, directly contradicting comments he made in December 2020.

“Do you think both vaccines should be mandatory?” asked one reporter in December 2020.

“No, I don’t think it should be mandatory. I wouldn’t demand it be mandatory, but I would do everything in my power, just like I don’t think masks have to be made mandatory nationwide,” said then President-Elect Biden.

Republican Governors are planning new lawsuits to stop the mandates that could impact upwards of 100 million workers.

“This is not about freedom, or personal choice,” Biden said during his 5pm address. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you — the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love … We cannot allow these actions to stand in the way of protecting the large majority of Americans who have done their part, who want to get back to life as normal.”

“This is not a power that is delegated to the federal government,” South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem told Sean Hannity Thursday night. “This is a power for states to decide. In South Dakota, we’re going to be free and we’re going to make sure that we don’t overstep our authority. So we will take action. My legal team is already working, and we will defend and protect our people from this unlawful mandate.”

“COVID-19 is a contagious disease, it is still with us and it will be for the foreseeable future,” added Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “President Biden’s solution is hammering down on private businesses and individual freedoms in an unprecedented and dangerous way … How many workers will be displaced? How many kids kept out of classrooms? How many businesses fined?”

FLASHBACK 2020: Joe Biden Says ‘I Don’t Think’ Vaccines ‘Should Be Mandatory’ | Sean Hannity

More than a dozen governors and two attorneys general late Thursday issued statements defying the Biden administration’s impending vaccine mandates for federal workers and private-sector workers.

President Joe Biden earlier in the day signed an executive order to require all federal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. There would be no option to opt out via COVID-19 testing. The mandate also applies to government contractors and their employees.

The president later announced he would direct the Department of Labor to create a rule to have companies with over 100 employees mandate vaccinations or weekly testing, a move that impacts more than 80 million workers in the private sector.

At least 19 governors and two attorneys general immediately issued statements disagreeing with the administration’s move, with several vowing to defy it.

They include the governors of Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

They were joined by at least two state attorneys general as of Thursday night—Sean D. Reyes from Utah and Todd Rokita from Indiana.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the chair of the National Governors Association, said in a statement, “I fully support continued efforts to increase vaccination rates across our nation, but the federal government mandates on private businesses are not the right answer.

“I have been consistent in freedom of businesses to require their employees to be vaccinated, and I have opposed the government from saying businesses cannot exercise that freedom,” he added. “The same principle should protect the private sector from government overreach that requires them to vaccinate all employees.”

Multiple Republican governors, including for Arizona, Georgia, and South Dakota, hinted or announced that they would seek legal avenues to resist the mandates.

“The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective tools to prevent the disease, but getting the vaccine is and should be a choice,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement. “These mandates are outrageous. They will never stand up in court. We must and will push back.”

“I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Twitter.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement on Twitter, saying, “South Dakota will stand up to defend freedom. @JoeBiden see you in court.” She later shared another Twitter post saying that her legal team is prepared to stand up to the Biden administration’s mandates.

The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Biden earlier in the day commented on the issue of vaccine mandates in schools, saying, “if these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as President to get them out of the way.”

Biden said the matter of getting more shots into arms is “is not about freedom or personal choice. It’s about protecting yourself and those around you—the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.”

Statements from the remaining governors and attorneys general as of late Thursday are as below:

• Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (in part): “I support the science and encourage folks taking the vaccine. However, I am absolutely against a government mandate on the vaccine, which is why I signed the vaccine passport ban into law here in Alabama. This is not the role of the government.”
• Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy: “This is ridiculous and unenforceable. If there was ever a case for the 25th Amendment…”
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (at a press conference): “I do not believe that people should lose their jobs over this issue, and we will fight that. If they try to do that through a rule like the Department of Labor, I don’t think they have the legal authority to do that, but we obviously would want to support protections for people who are just trying to earn a living.”
• Idaho Gov. Brad Little: “Today’s actions from President Biden amount to government overreach. Government should stay out of decisions involving employers and their employees as much as possible. I’ve advocated for and championed fewer government regulations and mandates on business.”
• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds: “President Biden is taking dangerous and unprecedented steps to insert the federal government even further into our lives while dismissing the ability of Iowans and Americans to make healthcare decisions for themselves. Biden’s plan will only worsen our workforce shortage and further limit our economic recovery. As I’ve said all along, I believe and trust in Iowans to make the best health decisions for themselves and their families. It’s time for President Biden to do the same. Enough is enough.”
• Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (in part): “Vaccination protects us from serious illness, but the decision to get vaccinated is a private health care decision that should remain as such. My administration will always fight back against federal power grabs and government overreach that threatens to limit our freedoms.”
• Mississippi Gov. Mike Reeves: “The President has no authority to require that Americans inject themselves because of their employment at a private business. The vaccine itself is life-saving, but this unconstitutional move is terrifying. This is still America, and we still believe in freedom from tyrants.”
• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte: “President Biden’s vaccination mandate is unlawful and un-American. We are committed to protecting Montanans’ freedoms and liberties against this gross federal overreach.”
• Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts: “President Biden’s announcement is a stunning violation of personal freedom and abuse of the federal government’s power. This plan isn’t about public health—this is about government control and taking away personal liberties.”
• North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: “President Biden’s misguided plan steers our country down a dangerous path away from states’ rights and the freedom of private businesses to make their own decisions on vaccinations. We stand opposed to this blatant federal overreach.”
• Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt: “It is not the government’s role to dictate to private businesses what to do. Once again President Biden is demonstrating his complete disregard for individual freedoms and states’ rights. As long as I am governor, there will be no government vaccine mandates in Oklahoma. My administration will continue to defend Oklahoma values and fight back against the Biden administration’s federal overreach.”
• South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster: “The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats. They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution, and empowered our enemies abroad. Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”
• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee: “‘This is not about freedom’ is a phrase that should never come out of a U.S. President’s mouth. For a fight that requires working together, a lot of cynical and divisive edicts came out of the White House today pitting the vaccinated against the unvaccinated, businesses against employees, and the federal government against states.”
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: “Biden’s vaccine mandate is an assault on private businesses. I issued an Executive Order protecting Texans’ right to choose whether they get the COVID vaccine & added it to the special session agenda. Texas is already working to halt this power grab.”
• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (in part): “I have asked the Attorney General to stand prepared to take all actions to oppose this administration’s unconstitutional overreach of executive power. It has no place in America. Not now, and not ever.”

19 Governors, 2 AGs Resist Biden’s Vaccine Mandates (theepochtimes.com)

President Joe Biden will direct the Department of Labor to develop a rule that companies with more than 100 employees will require vaccinations or once-per-week testing for their workers, potentially affecting tens of millions of U.S. private-sector employees, according to the White House.

The administration’s rule will require that “all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work,” which will affect more than 80 million workers in the private sector.

During remarks on Sept. 9, Biden said that the United States “can and will turn the tide” against COVID-19 by mass vaccinations, while casting blame “at the 80 million” people who haven’t been vaccinated. “We’re in a tough stretch,” he said. “This is not about freedom or personal choice” but is about protection against COVID-19.

The president further claimed the “unvaccinated” are “crowding our hospitals” and said vaccines provide protection against COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to implement the requirement, the White House document stated. It didn’t mention religious exemptions or individuals whose doctors have recommended against getting COVID-19 shots.

Biden will sign an executive order requiring most federal employees and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccine without the option of getting regular testing, according to the document. Federal workers unions suggested on Sept. 9 that they would accept the vaccine mandate. It isn’t clear if the U.S. Postal Service will be under the new mandate.

“As part of this effort, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institute of Health will complete implementation of their previously announced vaccination requirements that cover 2.5 million people,” the document states.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The new measures are being unveiled as part of a more aggressive attempt to push for vaccination.

Such mandates will likely create more opposition. A recent Gallup poll found that about 52 percent favored employer vaccine mandates but 38 percent opposed, with 29 percent saying they were strongly opposed.

A number of unions also have issued statements in recent weeks saying they are opposed to vaccine mandates, including some hospital workers unions, firefighters unions, and police unions.

Some other unions have voiced opposition to vaccine mandates. Hospital workers with Service Employee International Union 1199 held a rally in July to oppose a mandate imposed by New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. Firefighter and police unions from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, are also opposing mandates.

The plan has received widespread criticism from Republicans and conservatives who said that it’s tantamount to federal overreach.

“My legal team is standing by ready to file our lawsuit the minute [Biden] files his unconstitutional rule. This gross example of federal intrusion will not stand,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) wrote that he’ll introduce a measure to block what he called an “egregious assault on Americans’ freedom and liberty,” adding that “we must fight against these attempts to force vaccine mandates on the American people.”

Under the plan, the administration would also require vaccinations for some 17 million health care workers at hospitals and other institutions that participate in Medicaid and Medicare programs, or for programs serving disabled and older Americans.

Biden also will use the federal government’s authority under the Defense Production Act to spur companies to produce COVID-19 tests, which will then be sold at large retailers around the country.

Meanwhile, the plan is also calling on entertainment venues such as arenas, concert halls, and others to mandate vaccine passports or show a negative test to enter.

“Our overarching objective here is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Sept. 9. “We want to reduce that number, decrease hospitalizations and deaths, and allow our children to go to school safely.”

The White House also plans to offer booster shots for “fully vaccinated” individuals and has a goal of Sept. 20 to begin rolling them out. The World Health Organization and other groups have said that with limited global vaccine supplies and production, wealthier countries need to issue a moratorium on boosters until more people are vaccinated around the world.

According to the White House fact sheet, the administration also will continue to mandate masks on federal property and aboard public transportation.

Previously, the White House stated that the federal government can’t mandate vaccines nationwide, but it has pressured school districts, businesses, and other entities to require shots.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Biden Plans COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for 80 Million Private-Sector Workers (theepochtimes.com)

The LAUSD Board of Education voted 7–0 on Sept. 9 to require students over the age of 12 to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend in-person classes in the LA Unified School District (LAUSD).

Students with “qualified and approved exemptions under LAUSD’s existing immunization policies” are exempt from the vaccine requirement, according to the district.

“Today’s decision furthers our longstanding commitment to ensure the safety of our students, families, and staff,” Board President Kelly Gonez said in a statement.

“The vaccine is the single best way to protect students and schools from COVID-19. Los Angeles Unified is committed to meeting our families where they are and providing them with reliable medical information about this safe, effective vaccine.”

First, students who participate in extracurricular activities will be required to get at least one dose of the vaccine by Oct. 3 and are expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of the month. Then, all students over the age of 12 must receive the first dose by Nov. 21 and be fully vaccinated by Dec. 19.

Other students must get their first vaccine dose no later than 30 days after their 12th birthday, and their second dose no later than 8 weeks after their 12th birthday.

Currently, the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine to have received emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 12- to 15-year-olds; it is fully approved for those over 16.

According to the statement, the LAUSD will require proof of vaccination to be uploaded to the LAUSD’s Daily Pass system by Jan. 10. So far, the Daily Pass system has been used to track COVID-19 tests after the LAUSD mandated weekly tests for students and employees regardless of vaccination status in July.

“Eligible students who do not have proof of vaccination against COVID-19 will not be permitted on school campuses and referred to the District’s independent study program at City of Angels,” according to the district’s FAQ page.

The mandate would affect approximately 225,000 middle school and high school students, 80,000 of whom are not yet vaccinated, according to district officials.

LAUSD staff are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.

A COVID-19 vaccine mandate that was handed down by the Tucson government for its employees was deemed unconstitutional by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office, according to a Tuesday news release.

The mandate, he said, violates state law and goes directly against a law—Senate Bill 1487—passed by the Arizona Legislature earlier this year, meaning Tuscon must amend or repeal the ordinance or lose state funding. The law bars local and state government entities from imposing COVID-19 mandates on employees, although it does not go into effect until Sept. 29, creating what Brnovich described as a loophole that was exploited by Tucson’s government.

“The Legislature’s intent was clear when it passed S.B. 1824 earlier this year—government entities from the local to state level cannot mandate COVID-19 vaccines,” said his office, adding that the “City of Tucson could subject itself to potential liability claims if it were to take adverse action against an employee who relies on” the state law or an executive order handed down by Gov. Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) to refuse the vaccine.

What’s more, Tucson has 30 days to rescind or amend the ordinance otherwise the attorney general’s office will notify the Arizona Treasurer to withhold funds from the city, which is located in Pima County, the release said.

The announcement from Brnovich comes about three weeks after Tucson’s government adopted the ordinance that required public employees to give proof of vaccination against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, by 4 p.m. on Aug. 24. Those who refuse or cannot provide vaccination proof will face a five-day suspension without pay, the city said.

As a result, Ducey issued an executive order to stop cities from imposing vaccine mandates until Senate Bill 1824 goes into effect later this month. However, Tucson has continued to mandate employees to either get the vaccine or face a suspension without pay.

Private businesses in Arizona have to allow medical or religious exemptions for employees when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the attorney general’s office said in an opinion issued last month.

“A sincerely-held religious belief includes a moral or ethical belief against receiving a COVID-19 vaccination that has the strength of a traditional religious view. The sincerity of that belief should be judged based on the employee’s words and conduct at the time the conflict about the COVID-19 vaccine arises and not based on prior words or conduct,” said Brnovich’s office on Tuesday.

The Epoch Times has contacted the City of Tucson for comment. The city hasn’t issued a public response to Brnovich’s Tuesday announcement.

When the ordinance was handed down, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, a Democrat, said the government has a “legal duty and legal obligation to provide and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for its employees” and claimed that unvaccinated people “unjustly” expose COVID-19 to others.

A Pima County judge in August rejected a request by the Tucson police union to stop the city’s vaccine mandate. Tucson’s city attorney previously has said that Ducey’s executive order doesn’t block the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Arizona Attorney General: COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for City Employees Is Unconstitutional (theepochtimes.com)

A New Jersey student has said he is barred from taking online classes at Rutgers University because he hasn’t received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Logan Hollar, 22, told the New Jersey Advance Media that he largely ignored the school’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate because his “classes were remote” and he attended them online from his home in Sandyston, located about 70 miles from the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick.

Hollar said that he was locked out of his Rutgers email and other accounts due to his vaccination status. When Hollar tried to pay his tuition last month, he was told by a representative that he needed to get vaccinated even though he doesn’t plan to attend classes in person.

“I’ll probably have to transfer to a different university,” Hollar the paper, adding that he knows of at least one other student who is in the same position. “I find it concerning for the vaccine to be pushed by the university rather than my doctor,” he told the outlet.

“I’m not in an at-risk age group. I’m healthy and I work out. I don’t find COVID to be scary,” he added, likely referring to the numerous studies that show the COVID-19 death rate among young adults in his age group to be far less than 1 percent. “If someone wants to be vaccinated, that’s fine with me, but I don’t think they should be pushed.”

Rutgers was the first college in the United States to mandate vaccines for students at its campuses, although it did not require the shots for students in online degree programs or online-only programs.

But Hollar said that he’s not part of the online-only programs.

“When they put out the guidance in March, I was reading through all the verbiage, which was if you plan to return to campus, you need to be vaccinated,” he told the outlet. “I figured I wouldn’t be part of that because all my classes were remote.”

Keith Williams, his stepfather, told the paper that he is vaccinated but is “dumbfounded” by Rutgers’ move.

“I believe in vaccines, but I am highly confident that COVID-19 and variants do not travel through computer monitors by taking online classes,” Williams said.

“He chose to remove himself from an on-campus experience so he would not need to be vaccinated,” Williams said. “Now to be removed and shut down from his Rutgers email and online classes during the start of his senior year seems a bit crazy.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Rutgers for comment.

In March this year, Rutgers said that all students will have to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus in the fall.

“We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community, and adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway at the time.

A spokesperson for Rutgers, in response to Hollar’s comments, told news outlets the college’s policy hasn’t changed since March, when it was announced.

“Since March, we have provided comprehensive information and direction to students to meet vaccine requirements through several communications channels, including our university websites, direct emails, and messages relayed throughout the registration and enrollment processes,” spokeswoman Dory Devlin said.

Rutgers Student Says He’s Being Stopped From Taking Online Classes Because He’s Unvaccinated (theepochtimes.com)

Typically, employees are allowed to opt out of things such as vaccination mandates for one of two reasons—health concerns or religious exemptions.

However in the new world of adios personal liberty courtesy of power-hungry governors, we take you to Washington State, where incompetent Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has decided that religion is no longer an adequate excuse to avoid the jab.

According to Jason Rantz of 770 KTTH in Seattle, Inslee has now told troopers with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), who have successfully worked for the past 18 months without a vaccine by wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) to avoid the ‘rona, that the religious exemptions no longer apply.

In an email sent to WSP staff Thursday, Inslee wrote that “there is no accommodation that can be provided for the religious exemption requests.” A subsequent email sent by a WSP captain confirmed the directive.

So as a result of the decision, which impacts any “public-facing” position, troopers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or state dictator Inslee says they will be fired. Rantz said the decision was made after human resources consulted with the Attorney General’s office. The email specifically puts the blame for the decision on Inslee’s office.

This decision could have a significant negative impact on staffing within the Washington State Patrol, which Rantz notes could “cripple the entire department.”

According to the email obtained by the Jason Rantz show on KTTH, a high-ranking official within the WSP confirmed that “there is no accommodation that can be provided for the religious exemption requests.”

“I wish I had better news on this as I know many of us have been waiting to hear back regarding accommodation requests,” the email, sent to some WSP staff read.

“I know this is hard news to hear for many of us. I wanted to share this with you directly as soon as I found out instead of waiting for the daily bulletin to come out.”

Rantz said that WSP troopers can expect to see their religious exemption requests denied in the coming days.

The second email, sent on Friday morning and written by a WSP captain noted that the guidance was provided by state human resources from “guidance provided by the Governor’s Office.”

“At this time, it has been confirmed that for any public-facing position, there are limited accommodations available,’ the email reads, and continued that “there is no accommodation we can provide for their religious exemption requests.”

Continuing, the email read, “I have already asked how this is possible and I’m seeking clarification on how we have been working in this Covid environment for the past 17-months utilizing the appropriate PPE and social distancing protocols to complete our mission.”

Leaked emails obtained showing correspondence between Inslee and representatives for Attorney General Bob Ferguson showed the state of Washington wrote the religious exemption form to be as “narrow as possible.”

This was done in order to prevent religious staffers from receiving accommodation. However the forms provided to assorted staff members noted that any exemption would be subject to the ability to provide accommodations.

They are not only trying to limit religious exemptions but also medical exemptions. According to the email, “the employee [seeking medical exemption] will have to take leave during that waiting period until they can come back to work fully vaccinated.”

While the email left a small opening that perhaps things might change, many state employees are preparing to lose their jobs.

One such person is a Washington State Trooper, Phillip Berg who is only five years into his career with the WSP. Berg previously served in the military and felt the call to join the state patrol and give something back to the community. He said that he is being forced out over the vaccine mandate.

“The public needs to be made aware of the repercussions of what October 19 looks like if medical exemptions and religious exemptions are not granted,” Berg said on Rantz’s show on KTTH, speaking in his personal capacity and not as a state trooper.

Berg believes the mandate will have a devastating effect on WSP staffing if accommodations are not provided.

“I disagree with the premise of [a] mandate on its face, [but] I decided to put in my religious exemption form for a specific reason,” he said.

“That it’s a chance to stand up for the unborn. That is my objection to it. The fetal cell lines used in the process to create this vaccine. So it’s an opportunity for me to have a voice for the unborn that didn’t have a choice in this.”

He emphasized that he will not let the feckless Inslee take that away from him.

“There’s nothing that anyone or any governmental entity can to do get me to disregard what God has placed on my heart,” Berg said.

“There’s nothing that can be done to me, promised to me, or taken away from me to dissuade me from my God-given convictions. So, yes, I’m 100% ready to be terminated October 18, and I can’t be swayed from that.”

Rantz said that if employees who seek accommodation or are ideologically opposed to Inslee’s mandate are fired, the Washington State Patrol will suffer what he describes as an “unprecedented staffing crisis.”

In a poll taken of members between Aug 9-17, troopers were asked if they plan to refuse the vaccination, even under threat of termination, 296 said yes. A more general question which asked troopers if they disagree with mandatory vaccinations showed 449 troopers in opposition to the plan while only 19 supported it.

In an email sent to members last week by the State Patrol’s association that was obtained by Rantz, they asked:

“Important questions need to be addressed, including what the agency will look like with a 20-35 percent loss of employees? How will the agency deploy resources to the areas that are most impacted?” the letter asked.

One trooper who said he will not take the vaccine and will accept termination is Robert LaMay, a 22-year department veteran who is refusing the vaccine. Also speaking in his personal capacity, LaMay warned of the implications of terminating so many troopers much as Berg did.

“I don’t know if people understand the amount of numbers, we’re talking about for state employees that are looking at leaving, LaMay told Rantz.

“I mean, we’re talking, just patrol, 400 or 500, 600 people. We have probably 800 guys that actually work the road, the rest of them are management positions, things of that nature…detectives. So if just a quarter of those types of people actually refused to get the vaccination and they are terminated on [Oct. 18]? That’s what the citizens of the state are actually looking at.”

This is something that bears watching. A number of power-hungry governors and mayors have decided to push mandatory vaccinations on their employees, and a number of those employees are going to push back. Even in a case such as Washington State, you’re talking to a substantial decimation of its authorized strength. 

Extrapolate that out to a city such as New York or Chicago and the results would be absolutely devastating. In a battle of wits, our money is on the cops. 

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

Inslee is no stranger to screwing over law enforcement in Washington State. In May, he signed a police “reform” bill that will significantly impact (in a negative way) police in the state. For more on that, we invite you to:

DIG DEEPER

OLYMPIA, WA – On Tuesday, May 18th, Democratic Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a dozen bills that are designed to improve accountability for law enforcement. 

According to the Associated Press (AP):

“The dozen bills Inslee signed include outright bans of police use of chokeholds, neck restraints, and no-knock warrants such as the one that helped lead to Taylor’s killing in Louisville, Kentucky.”

Washington Gov. Inslee signs sweeping police reform measures https://t.co/ScdooL7Vl5

— Daniel Shunra (@shunradan) May 19, 2021

The legislation requires officers to intervene if their colleagues engage in excessive force, which is reportedly a demand that was inspired by the officers indirectly involved in the George Floyd incident. 

The bills also create an independent office to review the use of deadly force by police, making it easier to de-certify police officers for bad acts, and require officers to use “reasonable care,” including exhausting de-escalation tactics in carrying out their duties.

The bills make the use of tear gas and car pursuits restricted and it is now easier for individuals to sue officers when they inflict injury.

Before signing the bills, Inslee said in a statement:

“As of noon today, we will have the best, most comprehensive, most transparent, most effective police accountability laws in the United States.”

He added:

“These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation.”

A bold move towards serious police reform by Jay Inslee.

The Associated Press: Washington governor signs sweeping police reform measures.https://t.co/FJyHloUuLN

via @GoogleNews

— James Sayer_The Breakdown (@JamesSa75888275) May 19, 2021

In 2020, Inslee convened a task force to suggest ways to guarantee independent investigations of police use of deadly force. This task force was put together after community outrage over the death of Manuel Ellis, who was reportedly claiming he could not breathe while being restrained by Tacoma police.

When signing the bills, Inslee did so at a community center in Tacoma. Under the legislation recommended by the task force, the state will have an independent office that will hire regional teams to review such cases.

There are also restrictions on hiring police or former police officers as investigators and eventually the investigations will be conducted by civilians with other areas of expertise, such a behavioral health.

Reportedly, the measures were driven by Democrats, who control both houses in Olympia and several of the key lawmakers pushing the bills were people of color.

According to Rep. Jesse Johnson of Federal Way, these individuals worked closely with families of people killed by police, community activist groups, and police groups themselves, such as the Washington Fraternal Order of Police, in developing some of the other bills.

He said:

“This process was deeply collaborative, deeply visionary, and deeply intentional about lifting up every voice from community to law enforcement.”

Washington Gov. Inslee signs reform measures banning police chokeholds, no-knock warrants https://t.co/28PNU7WaXN pic.twitter.com/YkYdE0JcNQ

— Jairo Rodriguez (@RealtorJairo) May 19, 2021

Some of the bills, including one signed earlier by Inslee that reforms the private arbitration system by which officers can appeal discipline, had bipartisan backing. 

A coalition of Washington state law enforcement unions, representing more than 14,000 officers, said it could accept some measures, including the arbitration reform and duty-to-intervene bills.

However, the coalition did express concern that the decertification bill threatened the due-process rights of officers.

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, which represents 60% of the states fully commissioned law enforcement officers, opposed the bill restricting police tactics and the measure requiring” reasonable care” in using force.

Marco Monteblanco, Washington State FOP’s President, said that the organization worked hard to bring these bills into a place that is workable to allow officers to still do their duties and keep communities safe.

He said:

“We need to go out there and do things to make sure ALL citizens, including our law enforcement professionals, are safe.”

Governor Inslee Signs 12 Police Reform Bills, Local Police Respond https://t.co/aw6de6RsYR pic.twitter.com/pVD720bdEF

— TriCities WA News (@tricitieswanews) May 19, 2021

Rep. Johnson, who is also a member of the legislature’s Black Members Caucus, said in a statement:

“All of these bills together I think are a constellation of efforts to create accountability and justice within the system and I think it’s going to make things safer.”

Many Republicans have disagreed. Sen. Mike Padden, the ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, went so far as to call the package of bills “hostile to law enforcement.”

Padden specifically criticized the ban on the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint, a technique used by many departments nationally, which he argued if applied properly, can be safe and effective.

He stated:

“It’s a shame to see that tool take out of the tool box.”

Monteblanco, who is also a Kennewick Police Department detective, also said:

“I’m optimistic, even with the bills I didn’t particularly agree on.”

Monteblaco was reportedly involved in the entire process of these laws, communicating with lawmakers and community members and giving his input from a police perspective.

He said:

“We are having these discussions on a local and national level and it is an obligation of police to listen and be at the table of those discussions. We may not agree on everything, but we are listening and that helps build trust and open communication from all sides.”

Religious, health accommodations for Washington state troopers rejected (lawenforcementtoday.com)

A coalition of Oregon police officers and firefighters have sued Gov. Kate Brown over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees.

The plaintiffs—including the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police and the Kingsley Firefighters Association—argued in a lawsuit filed Friday in a Jefferson County court (pdf) that Brown’s executive order violates a number of laws and want it blocked.

“Plaintiffs seek an order declaring EO No. 21-29 is unenforceable because it conflicts with Oregon statutes, would result in a common law wrongful discharge of the Plaintiffs, conflicts with the Oregon Constitution’s guarantee of free expression, and conflicts with the United States Constitution guarantee of equal protection, free exercise, and due process,” the complaint states.

Brown issued an executive order (pdf) on Aug. 13 that imposed a mandatory vaccine requirement on all executive branch employees. In the order, Brown said that, to date, around 70 percent of the state’s executive branch employees had taken the vaccine voluntarily, prompted in part by state efforts like organizing onsite vaccine clinics and financial incentives.

Citing the rise in COVID-19 infections and noting that both private and public employers across the United States have imposed mandates, Brown said it was time for tougher measures in Oregon.

“With the Delta variant raging in Oregon, with the state’s ability to fully return to in-person work continuing to be hampered by the risks from COVID-19, having implemented a series of incentives aimed at achieving voluntary compliance, and with full FDA approval of the COVID-19 vaccine expected within weeks, the time has come for any remaining state employees and those who work alongside them in state government to get vaccinated,” she wrote in the order.

Ten days after Brown’s order, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full regulatory approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The order gives Oregon state workers until Oct. 18 to provide proof of vaccination or face consequences that could include dismissal.

The plaintiffs argued in the complaint that enforcement of the order would result in wrongful termination, and they have asked the court to declare it unlawful and block its enforcement.

“The individual plaintiffs are Executive Branch employees … who want to exercise control over their own medical treatment and are being forced to choose between their rights privileges and liberties as citizens on the one hand and their employment, careers, and financial futures on the other,” the complaint states.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the suit.

Brown’s spokesperson Liz Merah defended the executive order in a statement to The Associated Press.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, employer vaccine requirements have become an important tool, and state government plays a part. It’s critical to protect state workers, workplaces, and facilities, as well as members of the public who use state services,” she told the outlet.

The lawsuit comes as Oregon has faced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with a seven-day average of 2,222 daily cases on Sept. 2, compared to fewer than 500 in mid-July, according to state health authorities.

Oregon Police and Firefighters Sue Governor Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

While there is technically no federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the United States, widespread vaccine mandates among public and private institutions have formed a “de facto…nationwide mandate” that is “creating a two-tier society” in which the unvaccinated are systematically ostracized, warns economist and author Jim Rickards.

“Whether you had [COVID-19] or not, need [the vaccine] or not, young or not, vulnerable or not, you have to take it, or you’re going to be pushed to the margins of society,” Rickards, author of “The New Great Depression: Winners and Losers in a Post-Pandemic World,” told The Epoch Times.

In addition to government institutions mandating vaccines—including the Pentagon recently requiring that military members get vaccinated—private companies requiring employee vaccinations include Walmart, Google, Netflix, Disney, and Tyson Foods. President Joe Biden specifically thanked these companies in an August press briefing “for their recent actions requiring vaccination for employees,” and said, “I know this isn’t easy—but I will have their backs.”

“One by one, these private institutions, think tanks, universities, state and municipal governments, the military, federal police … federal contractors … uniformed military, etc. … when you add up all these individual mandates, public and private, they’re tantamount to a federal mandate, even though there’s no single federal mandate,” Rickards said.

“This is just a drive, almost a monomaniacal drive, to get everybody in America to take the vaccine. Everybody,” he added. “If you want to participate in society, whether it’s going to school, dining out, social life, sports, whatever, you have to be vaccinated. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re going to be, in effect, in the basement. You’re going to be crammed down in the basement. You’ll be treated like a leper.”

Rickards further described a new societal dynamic that he sees taking shape, saying that there is an institutional drive to make life difficult for those who resist receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

“[Institutions are] not content. They’re saying, well, in some situations, we can’t force you to take the vaccination, but we’re going to make your life miserable in the meantime by saying you have to be tested once a week or you have to sit apart,” he said, using sporting events as an example. Earlier this year, Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners provided special “vaccinated-only” seats without social distancing for fans who had received a COVID-19 vaccination, while those who had not been vaccinated were seated in socially distanced “unvaccinated” sections. Other perks for vaccinated fans included access to special sections in the Mariners’ stadium, including a space next to the bullpen in center field and a terrace above left field.

“Some places, they say, ‘Well, [unvaccinated fans] can come to the sporting event, but we have a special seating section in the upper deck, and the hot dog guy doesn’t go there. So, you can go to the ballgame, but you get the worst seat and no hot dogs and no beer, etc.’ But that’s what we’ve done.”

Rickards said that there are major questions about why so much institutional pressure is being brought to bear to enforce blanket COVID-19 vaccinations, pointing out that there has been serious discussion in the United States about potentially needing a vaccine passport for interstate transportation.

He asked, “Is it about pharmaceutical company profits? Is it about basically using COVID vaccination as a handle for a national ID system?”

Censorship and Mandates

On Aug. 28, former New York Times journalist and author Alex Berenson, who is a noted critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and lockdowns, was permanently suspended from Twitter after posting: “It doesn’t stop infection. Or transmission. Don’t think of it as a vaccine. Think of it—at best—as a therapeutic with a limited window of efficacy and terrible side effect profile that must be dosed IN ADVANCE OF ILLNESS. And we want to mandate it? Insanity.”

Rickards considers that available COVID-19 treatments commonly referred to as vaccines are, by definition, not actually vaccines.

“It doesn’t stop you from getting [COVID-19], and it doesn’t stop you from spreading [COVID-19]. And so, that’s not a vaccine as it’s understood, and it’s not a vaccine as it’s defined in law,” Rickards said of available COVID-19 treatments. “So, is it a treatment? Yeah. Is it effective in some ways? Yes. I don’t deny that.”

In his book, Rickards cites Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University, who previously said, “There aren’t any vaccines for human coronaviruses … We don’t have a single vaccine for any of them.”

“Dr. Bhattacharya makes a point that is often lost in the Wall Street chatter and hype about ‘silver bullets’ and ‘miracle drugs,’” Rickards writes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies have said that COVID-19 vaccines “are safe and effective” after clinical trials and say that side effects are rare. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walenksy and others have cited studies saying that the vaccines don’t necessarily prevent transmission of COVID-19, but have stated that the shots limit the severity of the illness.

The CDC, on its website, also says that mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are considered vaccines.

“mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, work differently than other types of vaccines, but they still trigger an immune response inside your body. This type of vaccine is new, but research and development on it has been under way for decades,” it states.

Pfizer and Moderna did not return requests for comment.

Berenson, the former New York Times journalist, also hinted that he will be filing a lawsuit related to his suspension from Twitter, writing on his Substack page, “I can’t wait to hear what a jury will make of this.”

Prior to his Twitter suspension, Berenson had also posted tweets about university COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In July, after a federal judge rejected a request by eight Indiana University students to block the university’s requirement that students be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive an exemption, Berenson noted in a tweet, “Another court ruling in favor of vaccine mandates/quasi-mandates – this time for a public university.”

Later, in August, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused an emergency request from the eight students to block Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The students had argued that they “have a constitutional right to bodily integrity, autonomy, and of medical treatment choice in the context of a vaccination mandate.”

Regarding university COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Rickards said: “Basically the entire class, the entering or returning class of 2021, is being told, ‘you can’t go back to school without a vaccine.’ By the way, [these students] are college kids, you know they’re 18, 19, 20 years old. They’re the least vulnerable [to COVID-19] other than children.”

The author, who completed his undergraduate studies in the 1970s, said that those who are older statistically have different risk calculations with respect to COVID-19 vaccination than university students.

“My chance of a severe case of COVID is much higher … Statistically that’s just true, and I’ll take my chance with the vaccine, but 18- and 19-year-olds have no business taking the vaccine because the trade-off is different, your risk of a serious case is very low and [of] side effects—they could be a lifetime—are high,” he said.

Rickards predicted that there will likely be more cases similar to the lawsuit brought by Indiana University students in the near future, with “inconsistent decisions” in various courts and “one or more landmark rulings over the course of the next year.”

“The history of cases like this when you get back to other vaccines … in terms of public school admissions and so forth, has tended to favor the vaccine requirement. Not in every case,” he said. “I’m not highly optimistic that the courts are going to come down on the side of the individuals in these cases. But again, these cases have a long way to go.”

‘Live Free or Die’

Rickards noted that, in addition to vaccine mandates, “mask mandates are back in a lot of places” in the United States, and are impacting interstate travel.

“I live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and our motto here is ‘Live Free or Die,’” Rickards said, referencing the state’s motto, which was originally written by John Stark, a Continental Army general during the American Revolution. “And I’ll give the [New Hampshire] governor [Chris Sununu] a lot of credit. So far we’re standing up for that … right now there’s no mask mandate, there’s no vaccination requirement for indoor dining.”

In other parts of the country, however, mask mandates are in effect. Rickards described a recent mask-related standoff that he experienced in Los Angeles: After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, Rickards rented a car to drive to his hotel, and pulled up to an airport parking lot checkpoint, staffed by an attendant who would open a gate to let Rickards drive the rental car out of the parking lot.

“I pull up to the booth, I’m not wearing a mask, and the guy says, ‘Put a mask on.’ I said, ‘I’m in a car by myself. Why do I need a mask?’” Rickards recounted. “And he said, ‘If you don’t put the mask on, I’m not opening the gate.’ And he was 10 feet away. He had a mask on.”

Rickards was carrying a mask in his pocket, and put it on to comply with the attendant’s demand.

“He opened the gate, and I ripped it off before I drove through to let him know what I thought of it,” Rickards said.

He stated that varying and inconsistent pandemic-related rules across the United States discourage travel and create an “enormous” economic headwind.

“There are all kinds of constitutional and curtailment-of-liberty-and-freedom-of-choice issues all around this,” Rickards said, referring to pandemic-related mandates. “But if you just want to convert it to dollars and cents, this hurts business, travel, leisure, resorts, restaurants, cruise ships, airlines, hotels, you name it. It’s hurting all of it.”

Vaccine Mandates ‘Creating a Two-Tier Society’ in the US: Expert (theepochtimes.com)

Terminations, job walk-offs could be ‘devastating’ to communities

A nationwide shortage of nurses and health care workers may soon worsen as thousands of medical staff face losing their jobs by refusing to obey new COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

“It will be really terrible. We’re already understaffed,” said one veteran registered nurse who works at a health care facility north of Seattle.

She said she will lose her job after her employer’s Aug. 31 mandated vaccine goes into effect unless she complies with the requirement.

She estimates that as many as 400—20 percent—of the health center’s 2,500 employees refuse to take the vaccine. That number will likely shrink due to the financial hardship of job loss, she said, though “even losing 5 percent would be devastating to the community,” she told The Epoch Times.

The nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her only solution is if her employer grants her a religious exemption, which appears unlikely at this point.

“It looks like they’re going to reject my religious exemption. They need more information, but they’re not telling me what information they’re going to need. It puts me in a really tough situation,” she said. “I have two [elderly] parents who live with me. It would be extraordinarily disruptive to move them. It’s extremely scary trying to start again somewhere else.”

Stephanie Thorpe, a registered nurse in the UCHealth Colorado system, is also stuck between an employee rock and a medical hard place over her company’s pending vaccine mandate.

Thorpe said she, too, could lose her job if her application for a religious exemption is denied.

UCHealth reports more than 92 percent of 26,000 employees systemwide are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That leaves a reluctant 8 percent who refuse the shots.

These medical professionals—Thorpe included—will have until Sept. 1 to comply with UCHealth’s Oct. 1 vaccine mandate, or else they will face disciplinary action up to and including termination.

“We do allow if there is a religious exemption or a medical exemption as well,” said UCHealth spokeswoman Kelly Tracer. “UCHealth has been facing the same staffing challenges that hospitals around the country are, definitely. It’s a national shortage.”

Thorpe estimates “a couple hundred” staunch opponents to the vaccine mandate “are willing to walk away” because of the vaccines.

“Right now, [UCHealth] is working short-staffed at many facilities,” she told The Epoch Times.

Thorpe said that even if a small percentage of UCHealth employees are fired or walk off the job, their departure could be significant.

“I’m concerned that the people who are vaccinated and are going to stay are going to take the majority of the workload,” Thorpe said. “We can’t even get people now to fill positions. It could get very scary.”

UCHealth, however, states that over the past six months, more than 4,400 new employees, including 1,100 new nurses, have been hired.

“Our new employee orientations often have hundreds of people in each class, and today, we have about 7 percent more employees than at this time last year,” UCHealth said in a statement. “These new employees are making a difference, but especially when our hospitals are as full as they are right now, recruiting employees and retaining our current employees are top priorities for us.”

However, it’s not only UCHealth employees that refuse the vaccine that may soon join the ranks of the unemployed.

A partial list of other U.S. hospital systems that have mandated or plan to mandate vaccinations for their employees includes Allegheny Health Network (19,000 employees) in Pennsylvania, Banner Health Network (52,000) in Arizona, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (13,000) in New Hampshire, Kaiser Permanente (216,000) in California, Ascension Health (160,000) in Missouri, Advocate Aurora Health (75,000) in Illinois, Bay State Health (12,000) in Massachusetts, and New York-Presbyterian (20,000) in New York.

Ballad Health Care CEO Alan Levine told reporters that mandating shots on the 22-hospital system’s remaining 38 percent of unvaccinated workers would likely worsen an ongoing nursing shortage.

While at least one media outlet referred to those medical professionals who refuse to take the vaccines as “unlikely” to be hesitant because of their knowledge and medical training, several nurses interviewed by The Epoch Times said it’s their scientific training that gives them pause.

The nurse in Washington said there’s “a lot of distrust of the vaccine and the media narrative ‘safe and effective.’”

“There are a lot of credible doctors out there,” she said, “and they’re being shunned” by the medical community because they oppose the mRNA shots.

Another registered nurse, in Virginia, said she chose to give notice to her employer rather than be compelled to take the vaccine.

“This is a new type of vaccine—an mRNA vaccine that has never been used on humans before,” she told The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity. “It’s different from any of the other vaccines.”

“I am not against vaccines,” she said. “I encourage people to get vaccines that have been studied for years. I don’t think I’m being hypocritical by saying I’m pro-vaccine, but not pro this vaccine.”

Like Thorpe, the nurse said COVID-19 vaccine mandates will make the shortage of health care workers much worse.

“Who is going to take care of people with the [COVID-19] influx? You can only work short-staffed to a degree without compromising patient safety,” she said.

To illustrate her point, the nurse said she was recently offered a position at a health care facility without an interview ever taking place. The offer was rescinded when she refused to comply with the company’s vaccine mandate.

“I’ve been in health care over 10 years. I’ve never been given a job offer prior to an interview,” she said.

Currently, there are nearly 4 million registered nurses in the United States. However, the need to hire thousands more qualified staff was present even before the pandemic.

“Without decisive action, nurses will practice under increased stress. As the health care system is strained by an aging population and broadened access to public health care, it will be nurses that feel the weight of patient responsibility on their shoulders,” according to the American Nurses Association (ANA).

The ANA adds that by 2022, there will be “far more registered nurse jobs” than any other profession.

With more than 500,000 seasoned registered nurses (RNs) anticipated to retire by 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for 1.1 million new RNs to replace those that have retired and to avoid a nursing shortage.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the United States will also see an estimated shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many of the deepest disparities in health and access to health care services and exposed vulnerabilities in the health care system,” said AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton in a statement.

To bridge the gap, hospitals and health care systems now offer various incentives to lure qualified nursing staff.

At Duke University Hospital in North Carolina, for example, a recent job posting sought an experienced RN Clinical Team Lead with a $15,000 sign-on bonus.

Nationwide, a skilled RN can earn anywhere from $70,000 to $130,000, and even more in states such as California.

In Arizona, there are currently 75,600 total nurses to serve an aging population that continues to grow.

Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association, said the shortage is mainly due to nurse retirement and normal attrition, as well as COVID-19 burnout.

Only “a handful” of hospitals in Arizona currently require a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment, Alameddin told The Epoch Times.

“This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” she said, and likened those employees who get vaccinated to honoring a “social contract” to keep people safe.

Jennifer Bridges, a former nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital, said: “The thing that’s really scary is now [hospitals] are mandating [the vaccine], like everywhere.”

“I mean, nurses and other staff are contacting me from so many different states and all over the place right now. And a lot of them are not going to take [the vaccine]” or they’re getting fired or seeking an exemption. “A lot of times they deny exemptions, so it’s just going create more of a shortage all the way around the board,” Bridges said.

In June, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit brought by 117 employees at Houston Methodist who were suing the hospital system over its COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

The social cost of the vaccine mandates being felt, however, has nothing to do with public health or safety, the nurse in Washington said.

“It’s really shocking and devastating to me. I’m going to lose a whole number of [vaccinated] people I consider friends. I feel like I’m going through this feeling of grief. I’m really scared what this means for society,” she said.

Nurses Warn of Staff Shortages Due to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates (theepochtimes.com)

In light of the Biden Administration encouraging employers to mandate vaccines in order to retain employment while ironically not requiring vaccination mandates for their own staff, Gab has created a No Vax Mandate Job Board group.

You can view and join the group here.

This job board is for sharing job openings that do not require employees to inject themselves with an experimental substance or violate their bodily autonomy and religious beliefs in order to retain employment. This is also a board for job seekers to share their resume, skills, and story.

Related resource: DOWNLOAD COVID VACCINE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION DOCUMENTS HERE

At Gab we do not require our employees to be vaccinated. In fact we don’t pry into any of the personal health choices of our team because frankly it’s none of our business. We know there are many businesses who share these values with us and many people looking to work for those businesses.

This job board aligns with Gab’s vision of building infrastructure for a parallel economy and we hope to expand further on this job board initiative in the coming months.

As Facebook and other Big Tech giants work to silence and “fact check” any and all vaccine dissent Gab remains committed to mission of being the home of free speech, individual sovereignty, and the free flow of information online.

Andrew Torba
CEO, Gab.com
Jesus is King

The No Vax Mandate Job Board – Gab News