I thought I had heard the most ridiculous thing in the Covid-19 era when states were saying they were going to throw people in jail for having Thanksgiving dinner. Almost laughable.
Then I woke up Sunday morning and read a headline from a Boston Globe editorial. The headline reads: States Should Prioritize Vaccinating Prisoners.
Like all of you, I thought this was just click bait. Then I clicked on it and read the sub header. “Prisoners in Massachusetts will be among the first to get vaccinated. Other states — and the federal government — should follow suit.”
Like the rest of you, I was shocked. Prisoners should get a vaccine before law abiding citizens? Citizens that have been forced to shut down their lives, after doing nothing illegal, to control the spread of Covid. This is just pure idiocy.
I get the prioritization of the vaccine. There are some people who just need it more than others. With only a limited amount of shots to go around, we should give them to those that really need them. Personally, I think it should go to healthcare workers and first responders before it goes to anyone else. Then it should go to older Americans and those with compromised immune systems. One thing I also understand, that I’m pretty low on the list. I’m 28 and very healthy. I don’t need it yet. It should go to people who really need it.
I previously wrote a blog saying that politicians shouldn’t get the vaccine before any healthcare worker or first responder. I stand by that. But even I think politicians should get the vaccine before any prisoner.
Do people forget that prisoners broke the law? I totally understand that there are some laws that are totally unjust. And I guarantee that there are more than a few people in prison that didn’t do anything. That being said, the absurdity of giving anyone in prison a vaccine before someone who hasn’t broke any laws is just offensive.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, I am a tad biased here. My father was a first responder for over 30 years, my mother has been a nurse for 30 years and my aunt is a respiratory therapist for the better part of 20 years. If ANY prisoner gets a vaccine before one of them does, it is an absolute travesty of government.
Moving past the absolute putrid idea that prisoners should get a vaccine before anyone, let’s move to “newspaper” that published it.
I’ve written about the troubling history of the Boston Globe in the past. Whether it be sexual harassment allegations or plain old journalistic dishonesty. But this editorial they chose to publish is despicable. They are actually shaming states that are prioritizing the vaccination of first responders and healthcare workers. This 100% shameful.
Sometimes, news outlets have to report some terrible things that happen. It is just part of the business. When it comes to editorials, the news outlet has complete control over what is in them. If something is just flat out ridiculous, they don’t have to publish it at all. I’m all for free speech, anyone can write anything they want and publish it if they want. As crazy as that may be. But when it comes to the court of public opinion, this is an absoljte nightmare.
Why people still read the Globe, I have no clue. But this nonsense should push those who are on the edge to some other paper. And if people read the editorial and agree that prisoners should get a Covid vaccine before a nurse treating the actual disease, I don’t know what to tell you other than, you are just flat out wrong.
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