Perry the Clueluess

I was struck by one of Governor Perry's defenses for his decision to mandate the controversial STD vaccinations in Texas. According to his spokesman:

"...after spending a lot of time thinking about it, talking to folks, not the least of which was Mrs. Perry, who feels very strongly about this issue, I think the governor felt so strongly that it was the absolute right thing to do to protect life, that when we had an opportunity like this to prevent a cancer in young women, that he needed to put the weight of the entire executive branch behind it."

Well, isn't that special. Mrs. Perry feels strongly about it, so she gets to decide for every parent in Texas that their little girl will have the vaccine, unless the parents make the effort to fill out paperwork to "opt out"?

I think many reporters tend to get sidetracked in issues such as the controversy over whether this vaccine could encourage promiscuity. The real issue, as I see it, is that this is the first step on the slippery slope toward governors everywhere making parental decisions. I'm a bit of a broken record on this one this week, but I find it such a sad commentary on the state of our country that a Republican governor thinks he's being "noble" by forcing every parent's daughter to have this vaccination, and by forcing parents to proactively sign waivers if they don't want it.

"Noble" would be informing parents that the vaccine exists, its side effects and the pros and cons, and offering it to parents.

Instead, the governor is angry and acting wounded because parents and lawmakers just don't understand that he knows what's best for their children. And oh, yes, how dare anyone question the contributions he took from Merck when he is just trying to save lives?

First it's Gardasil, next it's going to be an executive order preventing you from feeding your child foods with trans fats, or who knows what else.

Update: Hmmm, I wonder if Governor Perry is interested in mandating circumcision for all boys entering school. A new study shows that circumcision reduces the risk of contracting HIV -- which, like other STD's, can lead to a fatal illness -- by as much as 60%. After all, the governor would be "protecting life," just as he claims to be doing by mandating Gardasil. Parents could sign "opt out" forms. What's to stop him, and why is this any different from forcing young girls to have the Gardasil vaccine unless their parents protest?