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Dear Editor,
Massachussetts (1905) The Supreme Court upheld in a 7-2 ruling compulsory mandatory smallpox vaccination law over the challenge of a pastor who alleged that it violated his religious Liberty rights. The U.S. Supreme Court in an opinion by Justice John Marshall Harlan I , ruled that the State of Massachusetts acted Constitutionally to pass a law to protect the health and safety of the public. “According to settled principles” such reasonable regulations may by legislative power enact laws that will protect the public welfare. Harlan wrote, “Individual right must sometimes give way to the common good”. The Court emphasized that state officials were acting out of necessity to protect the health of the “Public” therefore it is in the interest of the “Whole” that States may mandate immunizations for pandemics such as Covid 19. Otherwise individuals do not have the right to unnecessarily endanger others by refusing vaccination in a Pandemic. Are you socially responsible?
Bruce Dawson
Taylorville
Dear Editor,
We are past the point of blaming this on incompetence! We are looking at knowingly and willful actions and inactions of the Biden Administration, aided and enabled by Senators Durbin and Duckworth. The lack of any action to address the wide open Southern Border, allowing the historic and unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants, illegal drugs, human trafficking and considerable health risks is what I consider Treasonous! Senators Durbin and Duckworth, why won’t you take any action? You could push the cabinet to administer the 25th Amendment or assist the House of Representatives draft Articles of Impeachment on President Biden for failing to Lead? Or at a minimum DEMANDING the firing of Secretary Mayorkas for failing to secure the border – again failing to Lead? Senator Durbin just the other day, you DEMANDED the firing of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, for failing to address employee misconduct – in other words, failing to Lead! What a HYPOCRITE! There are only two ways to look at this, you can be a part of the solution or part of the problem. Senators Durbin and Duckworth are part of the problem! You have no respect for the office you hold, nor the people you serve. You serve your party and your checkbook! Please don’t just write me back and say you support immigration and I don’t, because I do support legal, merit based immigration, as most Americans do! However I don’t support open borders, for the simple reason of National Security! As members of the United States Senate, you should care about it as well – remember you did under President Trump! While you both failed to call out President Biden for the ongoing, messy and deliberate Afghanistan withdrawal. And you have failed to call President Biden out on the deliberate and messy southern border crisis. Senators Durbin and Duckworth, you are a part of the problem! Let’s just look at one aspect of your open border policy….illegal drugs! You would know the negative impacts of this policy if you just sit down and listen to our law enforcement officers, our emergency room teams, our faith leaders, our community leaders, and your citizens. Maybe just try reading “police blotters” and newspaper articles/stories on families being destroyed by these illegal drugs, a majority with direct lines to the southern border! You talk about helping, but no you aren’t! Helping isn’t sending more of our federal taxes back to Illinois to spend in drug rehab programs! Although rehab programs are needed, we NEED TO STOP THE FLOW FIRST! Secure the border (physical and electronic means) and stop the flow of the illegal and deadly drugs! It is time for informed, hard working, common sense, patriotic leadership! Not self serving, hypocrite, millionaire, party first political elitists, Senators Durbin and Duckworth!
Eric Murray
Pawnee