This previously ran in our October 2021 print issue.

“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin.” This is Joe Biden’s threat to Americans who have decided not to become vaccinated. What the government does not realize is that those Americans are thinking the same thing.

Those Americans have been patient with lockdowns that destroyed their businesses. Those Americans have been patient with school closings that have their children falling behind. Those Americans have been patient with a media and corporate class that has demonized them for “failing” to inject themselves with a certain new drug. Now, though, as the federal government holds tens of millions of jobs and livelihoods hostage, something is different. Those Americans have been patient, but it’s wearing thin.

None of the prior mitigation requirements have been outright dangerous in the way this vaccine mandate is, because the effects of this mandate will be permanent. These vaccines make irreversible changes to the body, as Pfizer and Moderna turn it into a spike-protein factory with brand new mRNA-based technology–something no distributed vaccine has used before. Beyond that, they don’t even work as promised; they don’t prevent infection or transmission. Proponents of mandates cite research suggesting the shots are at least safe, but this research is missing a critical element: time. No scientist can say for certain what the long-term effects of these vaccines will be. We’re only months away from their expedited development–not the years normally required. If adverse effects are discovered a decade from now, it will be too late. Masks can be taken off and (some) businesses can be reopened, but this vaccine is forever. One cannot be un-vaccinated.

This issue is concerning, but the real problem with the mandates runs deeper than health. It’s about freedom.

The people of this nation cannot allow the government to force injections. Bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right, one that should never be violated. Ben Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” We must not allow freedom to be sacrificed at the altar of the “greater good.” Government exists to protect freedom, not give and take it away as it pleases. Particularly with drugs that have not withstood the test of time, the public must not cave under the pressure. We must stand strong.

Not only the unvaccinated, but also the vaccinated should rise up and fight You don’t have to be anti-vax to be anti-mandate. Never show a vaccine passport. If your employer plans to enforce the mandate, get fired. If a sports or concert venue requires it, don’t go. If a university requires it, attend elsewhere.

Thus far in the pandemic, young Americans have put up with a lot. We watched as suicide rates climbed and as our parents lost their jobs. We sat homebound, helplessly, as two of our irreplaceable teenage years slipped through our fingers, never to return. We’ve lost so much, but we won’t give up our freedom. This is the issue of our generation. If the government can coerce you into injection with an unwanted drug, they own you. So the message is this: do not comply. Stand together and stand strong. For freedom.