I am writing in response to Graham Dowden’s letter titled “Make immunization mandatory” (Chilliwack Progress letters, March 21).
I do not agree with Mr. Dowden’s point that families should be required by law to immunize their children. I cherish my individual freedom to choose, and Dowden’s ranting diatribe suggests that the state should now have oversight of even more of my right to lead an individual and private life.
Everywhere I turn, I find my personal activities are being scrutinized. It isn’t even a secret anymore that all my electronic communications, including niceties between my wife and me, are routinely recorded and stored by agencies sanctioned to do so by our government. It is even common knowledge that the web access microphones and video cameras, standard equipment on home computers and games such as the Wii or the Xbox Kinect systems, scan your home and provide the data to those who know how to find it on the Web.
My car, my GPS, my cell phone, and my iPad track me and make my position known as sure as any air traffic control system. Telecom companies maintain extensive data bases of all this material. .
It used to be only after you were arrested and accused of a crime that you would be entered into the police criminal data files. A federal law now requires teachers to be fingerprinted. The unlikely possibility that a released sex offender may try to impersonate a teacher has been cited as reason enough for this law. As a result, law-abiding, longtime educators who are well established in their community must be treated as if they are criminals who prey on our young people.
I want out of this prying, spying culture, but Mr. Dowden’s plan would increase the presence of the snoops in my life. I will choose if my children and I are vaccinated. I also want to choose who has access to my personal data and my whereabouts. I urge everyone to make it known that our current super-surveillance, government controlled, Nanny State is not acceptable. A note to your elected public servant is a good first move in controlling this creeping invasion of our privacy and personal rights.
Gary Raddysh
Chillwack