Arch Madness bracket and schedule

[Mikovio]

I think the mandate is silly but I think the protesting can be equally silly. Studies are finding that people who get vaccinated are far more likely to avoid Covid hospitalization. If anybody doesn’t want to get vaccinated and risk getting it and spending a weekend in lovely Unitypoint that’s their decision. These mandates made sense earlier on when it was more deadly and we didn’t have any data. They’re just being too cautious to roll it back.

[Canton BU fan]

I don't know what's so extreme about taking 1 COVID test. They didn't ask for one every day. I'm sure there will still be plenty of Bradley fans there. If not I'll have to be louder to make up for it.

Here's an example made you'd understand...what if they didn't provide handicap access? Oh, we have laws for that you say? We also have medical privacy laws but in this case that laws are being broken.

[Mikovio]

HIPAA laws aren’t being broken. That just prevents medical providers from releasing info. Enterprise isn’t a hospital.

[Cousins Cuts podcast]

Here's an example made you'd understand...what if they didn't provide handicap access? Oh, we have laws for that you say? We also have medical privacy laws but in this case that laws are being broken.

There's no law against requiring these things. You don't have to tell them anything. If you don't like it, don't go. I won't enjoy it any less. No amount of protesting from Bradley fans will change their governor or whoever made the restrictions mind.

[Canton BU fan]

There's no law against requiring these things. You don't have to tell them anything. If you don't like it, don't go. I won't enjoy it any less. No amount of protesting from Bradley fans will change their governor or whoever made the restrictions mind.

You ignored what I said. Also, going along to get along never got anyone anywhere. Only more restrictions.

[Tommy]

I enjoy a good debate. Let me throw this one out there:
Black people must provide a negative COVID test, but white people don’t. Would that be allowed or does that break discrimination laws? Forgetting the 4th amendment right now.
How is that different than this current policy when vaccinated and unvaccinated can both spread and catch COVID?

Would love to hear a counter argument to this question.

[LongTimeFan]

DC, a daughter of a friend had a miscarriage due to the Omicron. I wonder if we would still have polio with this attitude?

[BUfan17]

I think the mandate is silly but I think the protesting can be equally silly. Studies are finding that people who get vaccinated are far more likely to avoid Covid hospitalization. If anybody doesn’t want to get vaccinated and risk getting it and spending a weekend in lovely Unitypoint that’s their decision. These mandates made sense earlier on when it was more deadly and we didn’t have any data. They’re just being too cautious to roll it back.

I completely agree.

[LongTimeFan]

That daughter had the miscarriage in the last two weeks.

[Da Coach]

DC, a daughter of a friend had a miscarriage due to the Omicron. I wonder if we would still have polio with this attitude?

I am not sure how your story relates to the current issue. I am not arguing against vaccines. I am arguing against mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and proof of vaccine/vaccine passports to participate in social activities.

I am as strong a proponent of vaccines as there is. Polio has been nearly eradicated from the world because of vaccinations, and a number of other serious diseases have as well. Smallpox is estimated to have killed 500 million in just the 100 years before it was eradicated in 1977. And even the common childhood diseases use to kill thousands in this country, and now are rarely seen because of vaccines.
And the Covid vaccine has saved many lives. That is not in dispute. But it certainly has not stopped the spread of Covid, nor has masks and mask mandates.
I stated my case above. The current state of the Omicron phase is declining sharply, and the disease is mild with extremely rare deaths or serious complications. In addition, there is simply no evidence that mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns have made any significant difference. There are states and countries that have never instituted any mandates or lockdowns, and their case numbers and death numbers are not significantly higher than comparable states and countries that have.
On the other hand there are real down sides. Suicides, opioid deaths, and other health issues related to masking, lockdowns and vaccines are reaching record highs, and killing hundreds of thousands of young people.
Are you in favor of continuing these extreme restrictions forever? Because there will always be viruses capable of causing illness, miscarriages, and death.
And as I said, there is now as much or more Covid spread by vaccinated people than by the unvaccinated. So pretending you are protecting the public by checking a vaccine card is not based on science, and has never shown scientifically that it has slowed or stopped the spread.
Why have over 90% of states and localities now lifted all restrictions? But St. Louis hasn't. I believe it is now more political than based on any science. Even the CDC has now recommended dropping the restrictions. But not St. Louis.
Sick people still need to be isolated or "quarantined", which is the way quarantines have always worked, not by isolating healthy people. But we have seen perfectly healthy people punished with restrictions that have never been proven to do any good.

[Mikovio]

I enjoy a good debate. Let me throw this one out there:
Black people must provide a negative COVID test, but white people don’t. Would that be allowed or does that break discrimination laws? Forgetting the 4th amendment right now.
How is that different than this current policy when vaccinated and unvaccinated can both spread and catch COVID?

Would love to hear a counter argument to this question.

That would violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits private shop discrimination on the basis of race, religion or gender. But the unvaccinated are not a protected group under the Civil Rights laws.

[bigjimmy]

St Louis Blues fans haven’t seemingly had a problem with the regulations as they’re at 97% capacity for the current season. If you don’t want to get a vaccine, fine. Don’t want to wear a mask, fine. It doesn’t mean that you’ll be allowed into a business that has a policy about vaccines and masks. It’s pretty simple. As for the tournament according to the BU ticket office only about 125 all session tickets have been sold. Will be curious to see how many people do show up.

[Tommy]

That would violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits private shop discrimination on the basis of race, religion or gender. But the unvaccinated are not a protected group under the Civil Rights laws.

Religion is the reason many give for not being vaccinated, including myself. I asked for a religious exemption.
Beyond that point, if you can swap out white and black for vaccinated and unvaccinated and the outcome is different, I think I’ve made my point. If one is discrimination, you can’t say the other is not regardless of how the law is written.
Let’s remember, it used to be legal according to laws to discriminate against blacks, it also used to be legal to own slaves. Did that make it right? The reason those things changed is because our founding document, the very first one, the Declaration of Independence states that ALL men are created equal, not some, not white, not rich, and certainly not vaccinated, but ALL.
The Declaration and our Constitution supersede all other writings. If that is not the case, then all laws are left up to the whim of the people in power to decide how and when to enforce it. I understand that that is EXACTLY what we are seeing these days, and that is exactly what I am arguing against.

[Mikovio]

Religion is the reason many give for not being vaccinated, including myself. I asked for a religious exemption.
Beyond that point, if you can swap out white and black for vaccinated and unvaccinated and the outcome is different, I think I’ve made my point. If one is discrimination, you can’t say the other is not regardless of how the law is written.
Let’s remember, it used to be legal according to laws to discriminate against blacks, it also used to be legal to own slaves. Did that make it right? The reason those things changed is because our founding document, the very first one, the Declaration of Independence states that ALL men are created equal, not some, not white, not rich, and certainly not vaccinated, but ALL.
The Declaration and our Constitution supersede all other writings. If that is not the case, then all laws are left up to the whim of the people in power to decide how and when to enforce it. I understand that that is EXACTLY what we are seeing these days, and that is exactly what I am arguing against.

Since the requirement doesn’t discriminate against any creed on its face courts would apply a test to determine whether the Civil Rights Act applies, like whether it has a disparate impact. What’s legal and what is right are two different concepts. I’ve gotten the vaccine, my girlfriend hasn’t. I agree with Da Coach that since it isn’t key to stopping the spread like measles or polio and appears to only protect the vaccinated from its effects it should be a personal choice.

[Tommy]

Since the requirement doesn’t discriminate against any creed on its face courts would apply a test to determine whether the Civil Rights Act applies, like whether it has a disparate impact. What’s legal and what is right are two different concepts. I’ve gotten the vaccine, my girlfriend hasn’t. I agree with Da Coach that since it isn’t key to stopping the spread like measles or polio and appears to only protect the vaccinated from its effects it should be a personal choice.

Thanks for the thoughtful debate, Mikovio. Appreciate your thoughts and comments.