Timothy Pease: All Americans should defend our country from any threat

To The Daily Sun,

I thought by now someone would realize that the anti-vaxxers/maskers are not freedom loving Americans but rather betrayers of their society. If you substitute an invading army for COVID-19 than those who would not participate in the defense from that army would be labeled traitors. How many of our MAGA senators would stand up and say fighting the invader is a matter of choice. None? Would they whine about their loss of freedom? I doubt it and hope not. I won’t even go into the notion of how many of these anti behaviors compromises any notion of Christian love and sacrifice.

What is interesting is that the likely adverse impact of participating in the defense of COVID-19 (mask and a vaccine) is trivial compared to the likely impact on those who would fight the invading army (rifle and fox hole). I wonder how the anti-vaxxer line of “I am young healthy and can avoid the Army” (draft dodgers?); or, “I am a gambler; the Army won’t get me or my family” would play out? Not well, I am sure. Or maybe “the 600,000 people killed by the Army really doesn’t constitute a reason for me to defend anything” line would go a whole lot better. Only the Spanish flu and the Civil War have had more casualties than COVID; but, it is just not enough. What number is enough? Where is the sense of outrage?

The balanced between societal obligation and freedom is screwed up. As a member of society freedom is not your only consideration. There are obligations to societal participation. I always find it interesting that those who think their freedoms are trampled want the “freedom offender” to leave the society/state/country; when in fact it is the “freedom nut” who shirks his obligation to the group and should be shunned. How about “America help it or leave it.”

And it is ironic at least to me that the “my body my choice” group see nothing wrong with legislating abortion, a classic “my body” decision. Or that our freedom lovers find it necessary to decide how we talk about gender and race.

We are overrun with wrong think.

Timothy Pease

Gilmanton Iron Works