Republicans have lost any and all credibility they thought they had regarding being “pro-life.” It may be true they are pro-zygote, pro-embryo, and pro-fetus, but even that distinction is cause for great suspicion. Based on their deliberate and coordinated deadly assault on America’s children, they now comprise what was once the mythical death panels; and they are specifically targeting children.
Apparently it wasn’t enough that most Republicans sat idly by while well over half-a-million Americans perished because Trump was running for reelection instead of protecting American lives. Now with the means in hand to get control of the deadly plague and get American lives back to a semblance of normalcy, many Republicans are working in concert to help spread the new variant of COVID-19 and they are rushing to see who can infect more of America’s children.
By now most sane human beings comprehend that the Delta variant of COVID is nearly twice as contagious as the previous iteration of the plague. And it is reported to cause more severe illness in those infected; it is the nature of the way infectious diseases mutate if they are allowed to go unchecked or are only partially controlled..
Despite a massive campaign to get as many Americans vaccinated against the disease as humanly possible, no small number of Republicans are doing everything in their power to keep the death toll rising. And they are doing so for political gain.
Unlike the original variant, Delta is infecting children at an alarming rate. In the past week alone, there has been an 84 percent increase in the number of children contracting COVID-19. That kind of increase should incite leaders to mandate mitigation efforts if for no other reason than to protect children who have little control over their ignorant parents who believe there is no cause for alarm.
It is a terrifying statistic anytime, but as states are rushing to open schools without precautions in place to mitigate the spread of the highly infectious variant, it is a recipe for disaster that should have parents in a panic. Predictably, some so-called “pro-life” Republican leaders seem thrilled to hasten the number of children infected and are taking extreme measures to see their handiwork reach fruition.
Most of the reporting regarding the spread of the delta variant has centered on the grim reaper posing as Florida’s governor, but Texas Governor Gregg (pro-life) Abbott is keeping pace. He certainly won’t stand up to anti-vaxxers and anti-mask advocates to protect Texas children.
According to Texas Medical Center CEO Bill McKeon, the rise of the highly infectious delta variant means “We’re heading into dark times.“
And in a plea for mask mandates, Dr. Christina Propst said:
“If children are not masking in schools, it will be a major problem.”
Despite Texas recently overtaking New York in terms of total statewide deaths, Abbott banned such mandated precautions even after big camp and daycare outbreaks all summer with the delta variant. Making matters that much worse, among teenagers for whom the vaccine is readily available, “inoculations are severely lagging.”
According to Abbott’s executive [execution] order:
“No governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a Covid-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization. No person may be required by any jurisdiction to wear or to mandate the wearing of a face covering.”
As if to make matters even more treacherous for students and their families, the Texas Education Agency said that schools are under no obligation to protect their students and do not have to inform parents of COVID-19 positive cases, or conduct contact tracing. Irresponsible Texas parents enjoy the freedom to send their children to school even if they have been in close contact with a COVID positive case.
According to the death panel that thinks it is smarter than immunologists and health care professionals, such precautions are completely unnecessary because:
“Data from 2020 shows very low COVID-19 transmission rates in a classroom setting and data demonstrating lower transmission rates among children than adults.”
As noted above, in the past week there was an 84% rise in cases of children contracting COVID-19 because the delta variant is “twice as contagious” as previous variants, and causes more severe illness, and death, in those infected. It is also noteworthy that children are reported having exactly the same long-term effects as adults including:
“Lingering physical, mental and neurological symptoms; even if they had a relatively mild reaction to the initial coronavirus infection.”
If Republicans showed a tiny fraction of regard for children as they do a single-called zygote, then the children they are hoping to infect with the delta variant may be spared. However, they have a brand new shiny social issue to distract Americans with and they are using it to deadly results for political gain; even if they have to sacrifice children they claim are so important to America’s future.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.