Cal Thomas comes to wrong conclusion
The Free Press editorial page has done its readers a disservice by publishing Cal Thomas’ musings on July 20. Thomas misleads us.
From the true fact that health officials such as Fauci, Walensky and Gebreyesus (all subject to intense political pressure) have wavered in their public COVID statements, Thomas draws the unwarranted conclusion that – being less than infallible – their opinions are worth no more than yours or mine. Consequence? We are no safer following their advice (to mask up or not, to accept vaccinations) than by trusting our own hunches. If they can misjudge things, so much for them! Accepting a vaccination is a coin-flip.
This does not follow at all. Pandemics do not follow just one predictable course; there are unforeseen developments (for example, the delta variant). These developments require earlier judgments to be revised. Medical commentators need not be infallible to advise the public; they are only required to have superior understanding to what ordinary citizens possess. We should listen to them and take their advice.
Of course, many Americans want to see it as Thomas does; that is why we now have a preventable pandemic of the unvaccinated.