PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 2, 2021
Former vaccine critics now
say it’s reckless not to take it
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Limiting voting is un-American
By LYNDON ZAITZ
Every American citizen should be
worried anytime there is a movement
to add restrictions to voting procedures
in the nation. Currently numerous state
legislatures across the country have seen
bills introduced to make voting difficult.
This is about as un-American as you can
get.
on my
mind
Some may dismiss the proposed
restrictions as 'just politics,' but it goes
far beyond that.
The United States was founded on the
tenet of self determination. Voting is as
sacrosant as freedom of speech and free-
dom of worship. When those rights are
under attack, the people need to stand up
and say they won't stand for their fellow
citizen's ability to vote be diminished.
Many of the proposed pieces of leg-
islation in other states are a response
to stories about stolen and fraudulent
elections. Reports of widespread election
fraud have been debunked, including
by the previous administration's Justice
Department.
There are few incidences of actual
voting irregularities. Some say that
vote-by-mail is rife with corruption.
We know that is not true, especially in
Oregon, which has been voting by mail
for two decades.
Those who decry the incemental
encroachment of government in citi-
zen's lives should not be natural allies
of those who seek to suppress voting by
any demographic. What is the purpose
of limiting the number of polling places
that could force voters to travel miles to
a vote? There should more polling sta-
tions, not less.
What is the purpose of outlawing pro-
viding food and water to those waiting in
line to vote? There can be no good pur-
pose. Neither one's socioeconomic status
nor one's demographic background can
be an impediment to being part of the
democratic process.
Just because a political party in
control of legislation can pass bills
that restrict voting does not mean they
should. The Oregon election system has
benefited from vote-by-mail, increasing
turnout from the outset; most can agree
that elections in our state have been fair
and honest. Citizens should be confident
that their vote will be counted, but that
only works if everyone who wants to vote
has a convenient way to do so.
It is the American way. All attempts to
suppress voting by anyone needs to be
nipped in the bud.
(Lyndon Zaitz is publisher of the
Keizertimes.)
An Easter week reflection
By JOSH GRAVES
Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your
hearts?
—Luke 24:38
The verse above has been on my heart
and my mind frequently over this past
year. For many of us, it has been a year full
of troubles: a global pandemic that has
changed even routine aspects of our daily
lives, rampant wildfires, and a rare, devas-
tating ice storm.
I know all this has created questions
for me. A dear friend's brother is a Jesuit
priest, and I asked him if it was okay that
I sometimes questioned the infinite wis-
dom of God. He responded, "Oh, heck
yeah. Asking questions is a solid indica-
tion that you believe. There is no reason
to ask a question if you don't believe." He
also said you may have to wait awhile for
the answer and trust in your faith along
the way.
Here at Catholic Community Services
our work is rooted in our core values of
love, justice, truth and freedom. Just as
you walk alongside CCS and support us
in promoting the common good, we walk
alongside the people we serve, support-
ing them to do everything they can for
Guest
COLUMN
themselves. When they stumble or make
a turn in an unhealthy direction, we strive
to make their path clear and ease their
burdens in alignment with these four core
values.
During this Easter week, as we remem-
ber the strength of the spirit of Jesus, we
are reminded of the strength and courage
we witness in the people we serve. While
Jesus had doubts, His strength in our
Father overcame His doubts. During His
time on the cross, He was not alone. The
people we serve are not alone, as you and
I are there to walk alongside them. I pray
that you are strengthened by our common
purpose of providing help and hope to
our neighbors in need, and in knowing
that even in our darkest hour, none of us
walks alone.
Easter blessings to you and your loved
ones.
(Josh Graves is CEO of Catholic
Comunity Services.)
By LARRY ELDER
Dr. Anthony Fauci wants former
President Donald Trump to tell his sup-
porters to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
It is true that a March 2021 NPR/PBS
NewsHour/Marist poll found that 47% of
Trump 2020 supporters said they would
not get vaccinated. It is also true that
Trump has urged Americans to take the
vaccine. He called it safe and said that
he and Melania have been vaccinated.
But after attacking Trump as a lying
incompetent who makes outlandish
statements, why should anyone on the
left be surprised by skepticism about
the vaccine?
On May 15, then-President Trump
announced Operation Warp Speed, a
$10 billion program with a goal of pro-
ducing 300 million vaccine doses to
administer to Americans by January.
But three days earlier, Fauci testified
before Congress and said, “There’s
no guarantee that the vaccine is actu-
ally going to be effective.” Two days
after that, Rick Bright, the former head
the federal government’s Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development
Authority, testified: “Normally, it takes
up to 10 years to make a vaccine. ... A lot
of optimism is swirling around a 12- to
18-month time frame, if everything goes
perfectly. We have never seen every-
thing go perfectly.”
In September, Fauci gave an inter-
view in which he said he “never liked”
the program’s name because it “sug-
gests, incorrectly ... that you’re prema-
turely putting something out there
that isn’t entirely safe.” Fauci earlier
cautioned that the name “subliminally”
implies “reckless speed.” And he won-
ders why some might be reluctant to
take the vaccine?
Immediately after Trump’s announce-
ment of Operation Warp Speed, CNN
analyst Jessica Huseman tweeted, “Go
ahead and flag this tweet for when we do
not have that vaccine by the end of the
year.” Joe Lockhart, former Bill Clinton
White House press secretary, tweeted:
“There is not an objective scientist on
TV right now that believe anything
that was said at the press conference
who believes anything like this can be
done by the end of the year. Caveat, I’m
not watching Fox.” Then-Sen. Kamala
Harris, in September, said: “There is
very little that we can trust that comes
out of Donald Trump’s mouth.” Later
that same month Joe Biden said: “I trust
vaccines. I trust scientists. But I don’t
other
VOICES
trust Donald Trump. And at this point,
the American people can’t, either.”
Remember this debate exchange
between Harris and then-Vice President
Mike Pence? “If the public health pro-
fessionals, if Dr. (Anthony) Fauci, if the
doctors tell us that we should take (the
COVID-19 vaccine), I’ll be the first in
line to take it, absolutely,” Harris said.
“But if Donald Trump tells us that we
should take it, I’m not taking it.”
In response, Pence said: “We’re
going to have a vaccine in record time --
in unheard-of time -- in less than a year.
We have five companies in Phase 3 clin-
ical trials. And we’re right now produc-
ing tens of millions of doses. So the fact
that you continue to undermine public
confidence in a vaccine, if the vaccine
emerges during the Trump adminis-
tration, I think is unconscionable. And
Senator, I just ask you: Stop playing pol-
itics with people’s lives.”
For decades, Democrats have com-
plained about governmental systemic
racism against Blacks. Actor Will Smith
once claimed, “AIDS was created as a
result of biological-warfare testing.”
Comedian/activist Dick Gregory said
that AIDS “was not passed from chim-
panzees to mankind, but was proba-
bly knowingly developed by doctors
and scientists working for the U.S.
government.”
Perhaps this explains why LeBron
James, when asked about taking the
coronavirus vaccine, said: “That’s a
conversation that my family and I will
have. Pretty much keep that to a private
thing.” James also said: “Obviously I saw
(NBA commissioner Adam Silver) had
his comments about the vaccination.
But things like that, when you decide
to do something, that’s a conversation
between you and your family and not for
everybody. I’ll keep it that way.”
To my knowledge, neither James,
Smith or Gregory voted for Trump.
Had Trump not, for four years, been
described as clueless, reckless and
incompetent—and had vote-seeking
Democrats not described government
as overtly, covertly, foundationally,
endemically or systemically racist—
maybe we’d have fewer vaccine skeptics.
(Creators Syndicate)
K EIZER times
PUBLISHER
& EDITOR
Lyndon Zaitz
publisher@keizertimes.com
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