We must keep our eye on the prize.
This COVID thing must end or normalize at some point in the not-too-distant future. To be clear, by “normalize” I don’t mean we accept a pandemic that returns to overcrowded hospitals, shortages of ventilators and more deaths.
My plan is to live to be 100, to see my grandchildren have children of their own, and to dance at their children’s wedding.
I’m 67 years old, take no regular medication whatsoever, and maintain a fairly healthy diet. While I could use more regular exercise, I’m in generally good health.
My birth father, Marvin Lee Hooser, passed away at the young age of 57 from respiratory problems associated with emphysema. During the course of my life, when I have occasionally fallen ill with a cold or flu, respiratory issues, sometimes debilitating in nature including bronchitis and walking pneumonia, too often followed.
Given my history, it’s clear that any respiratory illness exacerbated or precipitated by a COVID infection is not something my body would likely handle well.
So, let’s move back to Zoom for now. And, please, if you have not already done so, get vaccinated. I have been vaccinated and will get a booster whenever it’s available and recommended by my primary-care physician.
While I believe in personal choice when it comes to health matters, if you choose not to get vaccinated please wear your mask and limit your social interactions. On a personal note — I prefer not meeting in person with anyone who has not yet been vaccinated.
There, I said it. I’m trying to respect those who feel differently on this issue, but the bottom line is the protection of my own life, my family’s personal health and the health of our community.
If you have religious or medical reasons for not being vaccinated, I respect your choice and wish you well.
But please don’t base this critical decision on YouTube videos, politics or the advice of people who claim a global conspiracy.
The current hysteria over vaccines and vaccine mandates is based on fear and driven by a seemingly endless wave of misinformation. And, of course, all good conspiracy theories are grounded in the premise that “it could be true.” Yes, it could be true — but it’s not. Most misinformation starts as a kernel of truth taken out of context, and quickly strays into speculation and hyperbole.
Modern vaccine history began in the late 18th century with the discovery of the smallpox immunization by Edward Jenner. Vaccines have been used since then to eliminate smallpox, fight the polio virus and prevent infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria and whooping cough.
Though the current angst reverberating around the state surrounds “vaccine mandates,” all 50 states have for years mandated the vaccination of students. Vaccine mandates are not new. Hawai‘i currently requires all those attending public/private school grades kindergarten to 12 to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox.
Hawai‘i Revised Statutes: §302A-1154 states: “(a) No child shall attend any school in the State unless the child presents to the appropriate school official documentation satisfactory to the department of health that the child has received immunizations against communicable diseases as required by the department of health.”
Similar to school-admission policies, employers, both public and private, have the right, and many would say the obligation, to require their employees to be vaccinated in order to protect all employees and customers.
Unfortunately, the escalating rhetoric has resulted in people claiming they are being “forced” to vaccinate. Actually, no one is forcing anyone to do anything. Parents are free to homeschool their children if they object to vaccinations for religious or health reasons. And, of course, individuals have the right to quit their jobs and find another one if they so choose. Apparently the job market is hot at the moment, and so that should not be a problem.
To all who have so far refrained from choosing to take the shot, I encourage you to review the credible data, speak to those in the medical community whom you trust, and make a decision that best protects your own life and the health of your family.
•••
Gary Hooser is the former vice-chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and served eight years in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kaua‘i County Council, and was the former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. He serves presently in a volunteer capacity as board president of the Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action and is executive director of the Pono Hawai‘i Initiative.
Gary, let’s see what the antivaxxers. Have to say. I for one have stopped going into a certain business because I found out the server was not vaxxed , I asked, and I saw maskless fellow employees or owners in the store as well.
It’s an upside down world at the moment, please , for you community, your family, please get vaccinated or Delta will find you, especially now. We are seeing it before our eyes.
Kauaidoug, do yourself a favor and check out RG Desoto’s link below as to what’s really happening in Israel, a country with a 90% vaccinated population. Then thank your non-vaccinated business owner for maintaining his or her sanity and refusing “The Jab”. Ignorance is no longer bliss; ignorance in this day and age can be fatal.
I’ve heard all the information on how safe the vaccine ( mRNA therapy) is. I’ve watched and listened as almost every political, celebrity, and sports figure has insisted that we should all do our part and get the jab. Why won’t most of us look into the other side? Don’t be scared there are alot of real doctors and scientist s speaking out about real problems and findings due to this unapproved shot. Let’s meet half way at least and research each others sides. I agree to leave as much politics out as we can, but at this point that’s very hard as most of the push is from the government. The government that we pay for and are supposed to work for us? The power grab is real and it’s in disguise. I wish nothing but good health and a long life for you and yours and for all of us to listen to each other and look up what is being told to you on every side of the vaccine debate. We all just want to avoid serious illness. Some of us believe the shot is the answer and some of us believe it’s doing more harm then good. Let’s be good neighbors and check each others information and not judge just because we’re scared. Research. Love. Peace. Aloha
I love conspiracy theorists! They are so entertaining; bring us some more wacky stuff!
While you are not a doctor you sure do a good spin doctor routine, like a bologna prescription.
In keeping with your levels of maturity @hoagey “he who smelt it dealt it” which make you “ a way with b-o-l-o-g-n-a “.
I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you.
“The current hysteria over vaccines and vaccine mandates is based on fear and driven by a seemingly endless wave of misinformation.”
Really, Dr Hooser? Have a look at this interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvnHkp14Ne4
This is from an Israeli doctor. In Israel, the heavy handed state mandated vaccines early on.
RG DeSoto
It’s only too easy to find ‘confirmation’ from an ‘expert’ online for any belief you may have. It doesn’t necessarily make it true. Use you own words rather than pester people with another ‘expert’s’ position.
Nonsense….what could be more directly evidentiary than the doctors on the front lines? This one happens to be from Israel where vaccination rates are 90+% and yet majority of the new “cases” are among the vaccinated. Jokers like you are always asking for references, data etc….well that’s what you have with that post.
Now, go back to drinking more of the cool-aid handed out by the propagandists in control of your life. Be a compliant weakling: mask up, even though it’s a worthless exercise; then lineup with the other lemmings to get your shot and participate in a massive clinical trial that history will record as a catastrophic period for the world.
PS-all my words.
RG DeSoto
It is simple.
If you aren’t vaccinated, stay away from me.
If you don’t want to wear a mask, stay away from me.
If you are selling fake medical exemptions for $12, you should be prosecuted.
https://hawaii.forourrights.org/store/
It’s official! If you are vaxed, stay away from me! You’re still spreading everything around, you will still get the Virus, and now your body’s polluted with something for which you have no idea what long term consequences may raise their ugly heads for you, because NOBODY DOES! I wonder why the vaccine companies would not give their miracle cure to the public, unless they were relieved of all responsibility for any effects, side effects, or health crises that may arise over time that could be disastrous for you. You can’t even sue them! I, on the other hand, have had the Covid flu already, survived nicely with little or no effects, and I’m 50 times more immune than you vaxed Guinea Pigs will ever be! Unless you get the virus. And oh yes, you will have to get the reengineered RNA shots, or shot, every 6 months to a year! Why? Because it’s not a vaccine at all! The protection is minimal, Pfizer and the druggies have notified us that the jab is only good for 6 months of optimum protection so you must take their shot every year FOR LIFE? No Thanks. You keep your failed vaccine, I’ll go the natural route on this one. Not to mention that thousands of people, including a friend of mine, have died from taking the vaccine! Shhh….they don’t want you to hear about them!
Here’s another side of the story! First of all Hoosier is comparing all the other vaccines everyone takes to the Covid RNA experiment, which is an amusing and naïve “Apples compared to Oranges” attempt. Those vaccines (Small Pox, Measles etc.) all worked! Primarily because they took the actual disease viruses, killed the viruses, and then introduced their dead bodies into you so your white blood cells would respond, hunt, and kill all the viruses, “dead or alive”, Many actual vaccines work so well you’ll never need another shot, FOREVER! You can not compare those real protection “vaccines” to a never before tried, artificially altered, RNA manipulated, experimental shot? A shot that you may have to take every year for life, for just partial protection! Did you know a significant percentage of those who have the shot will become infected, feel sick from, and experience Covid regardless of the shot? Their infantile reaction is to proclaim “Well, you won’t get as sick as you would have without the shots!
So let’s try a little logic and common sense? Try to follow this? According to the Wall Street Journal and many other sources, we have a virus that was created in a lab which was paid $3.7 million dollars by a group who called themselves EcoHealth Alliance to do research on the Corona Virus. It turns out that EcoHealth Alliance had been given the money by the National Institute of Health in Washington, DC., and then EcoHealth gave the money to a Wuhan China lab from which the virus “escaped” into the world. Hmmm…. logic says follow the money! Corona madness started with the SARS Corona virus in 2003. The CDC filed a patent application on Corona Virus as a result of the SARS outbreak in China. According to a Wall Street Journal article dated May 7, 2003 titled “CDC Seeks Patent on SARS to Keep Discovery Public” quotes the CDC as saying “they wanted a patent on the Corona Virus simply to guarantee the discovery remains in the public domain”. A confidential high profile medical physician at the time said “The CDC saw that a virus they knew could be easily manipulated was something that was very valuable. They wanted to make sure that they controlled the proprietary rights to the disease, to the virus, its detection, and to all of the measurement of it!” They got the Patent! So we got a new Corona 19 Virus in 2019. How did Dr. Fauci predict in 2017 at a medical conference that a pandemic was eminent. His exact transcript of words in 2017? “There is no question that there will be a challenge to the coming “administration” in the arena of infectious diseases”. An “administration” only lasts 4 years! He some how “knew” a new infectious disease would hit within a short 4 year window? And his “wish” came true! Impossible! Mr. Fauci has become incredibly wealthy and has gained more power over our lives than any other living human being! Was your comment one of preparing the world to watch you take control of Americans and make millions of dollars for yourself and your partner Ralph Baric Mr. Fauci? Then in 2020 this Fauci predicted Virus miraculously started in Wuhan! Power was now vested in the CDC, NIH, and the Federal Government to orchestrate their new “Pandemic”! A pandemic virus that kills nearly zero healthy children, very few if any perfectly “healthy” adults, and very few “healthy” old people! But wait! Everyone’s dying of Covid! Wrong! The CDC actually just admitted that the death count was blown out of proportion. Where did the 25,000 to 61,000 yearly deaths from the flu that had been going on for decades go? Did they all die of Covid! Why did Medicare pay money to the medical establishment if deaths were identified as Covid caused? Die of a Heart Attack, test positive for Covid, so did you die of Covid!? The best immunity to the Corona Virus is getting the Corona flu and recovering, which nearly 100% of children do, nearly 97% of everyone does, and around 99% plus of everyone without pre-existing diseases does! That is your families best protector and immunity creator! Our benevolent, and somewhat corrupt, Government has mandated that you shoot the first RNA/DNA altering soup shot into your blood stream and the bodies of your children. A shot you can’t sue anybody, get free medical help for, or get compensation, if something goes wrong now, OR EVER! Why? Because our Government (backed by the NIH and CDC) signed an agreement relieving the drug companies, and everyone involved, of all liabilities if reality and the long term studies show you will have problems with Heart Inflammation 5 years from now, or women might have birth complications, and even defects, from an “unintended” molecular reaction to the altered RNA. Will it have a catastrophic effect on your shot filled young girls later in their child bearing years? Pfizer and the other Drug groups have stated the shot will only maximally protect you for maybe 6 months, and you may need to get “booster” shots of this soup every year, FOREVER! What might be the effects on you and your children’s health with that coming reality!? All for our benevolent Government’s desire for you to be the Drug groups RNA/DNA altering lifetime Guinea Pig? You choose to give your family these multiple experimental shots, year after year, or not! Whether you’ve been vaccinated, or not is nobodies business but yours and your doctors! I had Covid, felt a little sick for a few weeks, went through all the symptoms, recovered back to perfect normal, and now I’m less likely to get Covid than any “vaccinated” person on earth! My natural immunity is many times more effective than this stupid shot can provide the Guinea Pig for a few months! And do not let your Big Brother Government ever demand “papers” in order for you to travel, go to a restaurant, any other business establishment, or for anything else you should be free to do! When, and if, that ever happens you will finally realize just how nearly the entire population of Germany, except for our Jewish brothers and sisters, felt compelled to say they were devout followers of Adolph Hitler!