One of the more fascinating aspects of the debate regarding COVID vaccine mandates over the past year has been the role of professional athletes in the conversation.
Most Hollywood and music industry celebrities have stayed quiet about the subject, with a few exceptions, such as Eric Clapton and Jim Carrey. But major sports stars have not only been vocal in their opposition to such mandates, they’ve put their money where their mouths are.
Kyrie Irving, who plays guard for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, missed most of last season over his refusal to get vaccinated. Tennis star Novak Djokovic was banned from playing in one of his sport’s major championships, the Australian Open, earlier this year due to his vax stance. And Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers created a firestorm last fall when he explained his reasons for not getting vaccinated and his objection to the mandates.
While there have been several MLB players who have also refused vaccination, none have done so in such a colorful manner as Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto did on Tuesday. Canada, as you may recall, has taken one of the more tyrannical approaches to vaccine mandates, as illustrated by last winter’s trucker strike. Under the leadership of clownish Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada has not backed off their approach and continues to require anyone coming into the country to be vaxxed.
Realmuto’s response was both rational and hilarious. Here’s the video:
When Realmuto lays out his reasoning for not taking the jab, his logic is perfectly sound. He consulted multiple doctors, considered his own experience with the virus and how his body reacted to multiple infections and made an intelligent, well-informed decision.
“I’m a healthy, 31-year-old professional athlete, and I just didn’t feel the need to get it. I got COVID a couple of times and super mild symptoms, back when it first came out. And when it came time to decide whether I needed the vaccine or not, I talked with a couple of doctors that I knew and told them my story and just really decided I didn’t think I needed it.”
But those who support vaccine mandates aren’t concerned with individual freedoms. They don’t give a damn about one’s own opinions and experiences. Similar to their embrace and promotion of abortion, for the pro-vax-mandate crowd, receiving the COVID jab is a secular sacrament. It’s not about protecting oneself against a virus, it’s about kneeling at the altar of governmental control and acknowledging the primacy of the so-called “greater good.”
When pressed by a reporter on the financial impact of his vaccination refusal, Realmuto’s response is priceless.
“What’s money when, I’m… I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body. For a little bit of money, it’s just not worth it.”
Bravo, JT, bravo.
As has happened consistently throughout much of the vaccine mandate saga, Canada has shown us what can happen without the checks and balances we enjoy with our own form of government. While we have had our own bouts with such tyranny, thanks to various legal system victories at the federal level, we’ve been able to mostly limit such oppression to the despots and obedient sheep in blue states.
North of the border, meanwhile, we’ve seen mob rule and the disintegration of individual rights. We’ve seen a judiciary system that acts merely as a dictatorial echo chamber. And we’ve seen the willingness to enforce the mandates at the point of the government’s gun without hesitation, with the swift deployment of law enforcement to confront the vaccine heretics.
There but for the Grace of God go we… and let’s give a big round of applause to JT Realmuto for reminding us of our good fortune.
Jordan Case Writes at The Blue State Conservative
