MORE GLENN BECK LUNACY

Being all that you can be means getting a mandatory H1N1 flu shot. Here's a Defense Department official explaining why we want our military personnel to have the shots: "We have been preparing for pandemic flu because of its potential impact on the mission."

Put another way, national security means that we take care of our troops. This includes protecting them against a potential pandemic with mandatory vaccines. Via Daily Kos, we get this from Public Lunatic #1, Glenn Beck.



Where do I begin?

First, in spite of what Beck says at the end of this clip, not "everybody" who works for New York is required by "the government" to have the flu shot. Just health care workers.

Second, this is largely a state's rights issue (you know, the stuff Glenn Beck was for before he was against it). In the case of New York - which has a history of dealing with unintended disasters - they've decided to err on the side of caution.

Finally, the primary concern of the health care workers is that the vaccine has not been clinically tested to the same degree as the regular flu vaccine. In their view, they could suffer from unintended side-effects. While this may be true, in our society, this is not their call.

At the heart of the issue - which Glenn Beck and his lunatic fringe followers miss - is that when it comes to domestic security, national defense, public health, and other matters, it's the role of the state to determine what's necessary to protect society. This is why the U.S. military - as opposed to individual soldiers - can make the call on vaccines.

In fact, the reason why we even have a functioning society is because we have agreed to give up some of our individual rights so that we can be protected in other areas. This "social contract" is why we mandate vaccine shots for all kids who want to go to our public schools, even though there may be side-effects for some. It's also why the state of New York decided to mandate vaccine shots for public health workers. CBS News correspondent Declan McCullagh explains why we do it this way:

... routine vaccination has virtually wiped out, at least in developed countries, once-rampant diseases like mumps and whooping cough. The horrors of smallpox -- variola major, which slays about a third of its victims, and the less deadly variola minor -- have vanished, thanks to a successful worldwide vaccination campaign. Even where mandatory vaccination can cause complications, the overall side effects in a population of millions will almost certainly not be as harmful as the infectious disease itself.

Got that? The role of the government in areas like public health is to protect society by mandating certain activities that we can't or might not otherwise do on our own.

Glenn Beck's irresponsible hate for "the government" is so irrational that he's willing to drag a potential pandemic through his media mudpit just to make a point. At the end of the day, we need to keep one thing in mind: If it's good enough for our military, it should also be good enough for our public health workers.

- Mark