Tucker Carlson doesn’t want to become a fascist. But we are just pushing him so hard, he doesn’t have any choice:
In a rare appearance on the morning show he used to co-host, Fox News’ prime time host Tucker Carlson made clear his position on a government-managed Covid-19 vaccine passport, citing HIPAA regulations and Bill Gates-related conspiracies. The moment came as a new fight is brewing in the political media realm — or rather, a very old fight with a new front.
At issue? Should the local, state, or federal government oversee the management of a digital “vaccine passport” that would allow citizens to prove they are safe to attend public events? Or is that a gross overstepping of the government’s role and susceptible to massive technology companies to exploit, as they have proven to with database marketing over the past decade or so?
While there is still grave concern about a potential fourth wave of Covid infections, amid dire warnings from public health officials, there remains great optimism that the pace of vaccinations will allow a return to normalcy, which would include capacity crowds at concerts, sporting events, even bars, and restaurants.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on Monday, dismissed the idea of a vaccine passport, a clip of which aired on Fox & Friends Tuesday. Carlson then delivered his response.
“It’s completely unacceptable for the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply participate in normal society,” DeSantis said. “You want the fox to guard the henhouse? I mean, give me a break, I think this has huge privacy implications. It is not necessary to do.”
“Why is it left to the governor of Florida to say that?” Carlson asked rhetorically, before condemning the silence of GOP members of Congress. “Aren’t there 50 Republicans in the Senate? Why aren’t they standing in a line with Mitch McConnell in the center saying ‘No, we’re not doing this, I’m sorry, you’re not allowed.’”
Carlson followed by noting how HIPAA regulations keep medical records confidential, saying “You are not allowed to know if your kid has a sex change, and now your private information.—whether you are vaccinated or not —that information in the hands of the tech companies and that will determine whether you can participate in American life?”
He then argued that this is the exact sort of discussion that is keeping the “vaccine-hesitant” away from getting vaccines. “If you’re trying to calm people down about the idea of vaccines, and make them less vaccine-hesitant, and convince them it is not a conspiracy run by Bill Gates, then you won’t consider doing something like this.” Carlson was referencing a strange and ill-begotten viral conspiracy that the coronavirus pandemic was planned so that the Microsoft founder could implant a chip into vaccine recipients. That is not true.
“The amount of paranoia, and fear and distrust and social division this policy will engender is impossible to calculate,” Carlson concluded. “If you want to divide American society even further, would go ahead and do something Orwellian like this.”
ID to vote, on the other hand, is absolutely necessary.
You can see how this is working, right? They lie and create all kinds of insane conspiracy theories which their voters scarf up like M&Ms. And then everyone else has to do whatever they say in order to soothe the fears. Trump creates the Big Lie about the election. So now we have to restrict Democratic voters in order to make the Republican dupes feel more comfortable. Republican mouth pieces like Tucker Carlson create a paranoid conspiracy about vaccines so the rest of us have to put our health at risk so they are reassured that they aren’t being injected with tracking devices.
We really should be more careful not to upset these people. By winning elections or making scientific advances. They are very delicate and might just turn into fascists.
By the way: Vaccine cards have been common since vaccines were invented. I had one when I was in school and later when I traveled around the world. I still have the scar from the mandatory smallpox vaccine I received as a child. It’s not a big deal.
Here are a couple of forms I found just by googling vaccination forms. They are required all over this country for hundreds of reasons for adults and children alike:
