A Bridge Player Questions Vaccination Passports
OPINION / FACT / INSANITY / COVID / LETTERS
NOTICE: The following is a letter that I just sent to executive Director Joe Jones of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). The letter details the reasons why I believe their tournament vaccination “passport” requirement is the wrong policy.
I know that many others feel the same way. My goal was to become vocal in my opposition and hope that this spurs others to raise their voices in logic and reason and not naming-calling and shaming.
We must push back against unreasonable and illegal governmental power grabs. Our bodies…our health…our choice (Fig. 1).
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September 21, 2021
Dear Executive Director Jones:
Last weekend, I read and re-read your latest e-mail messaging concerning the upcoming Austin tournament (“Will we see you in Austin?”). And, it is with a heavy heart and considerable thought and discussion that I am writing to answer you with an emphatic NO! I will NOT be attending that event or any other that requires vaccination passports!
Let me begin by noting that I understand your masking and social distancing requirements. These are prudent and reasonable. I also recognize that many ACBL members want the vaccination passport for “protection.” However, I have analyzed the COVID statistics from day 1 and talked with numerous medical people and I know just how unreliable these statistics are and how much we are being pressured to keep ourselves under lock and key and/or remain under governmental control.
I am a strong believer in keeping my medical information private. Unfortunately, your requirement for “passports” goes completely against my belief system. In fact, if you go back to history, Germany, some 70 to 80 years ago, under Nazi rule, required “passports” (a.k.a. papers) to travel within the country. It is for this reason (and others related to the “passport” framework) that I did not play at my local bridge club for the past 18-months and have stayed totally online (Fig. 2).
As a professional scientist and science writer, I have tried to follow the science. Yet, nearly all of the restrictions go against scientific reasoning (once reliable data comes into play). Instead, organizations such as yours are going that “extra mile” and becoming our personal medical directors, just to push for 100% safety. Alas, this goal of 100% will ensure that ACBL events will continue to be canceled and cut back ad infinitum as new virus strains emerge (which will surely happen – that’s what viruses do). Even Bill Maher has finally recognized that such limitations on group attendance are affecting his fiscal bottom line (https://ussanews.com/News1/2021/09/17/maher-on-kimmel-liberal-media-responsible-for-scaring-the-st-out-of-people-regarding-covid/)
Further, your passport requirement ignores “natural” immunity, which, according to a recent Israeli study, is 13 times more effective than vaccines. It also ignores medical impacts on some people who can’t take the “jab,” as well as people who have religious and other grounds for not being “vaccinated.”
Recently (June 16, 2021), Texas passed Senate Bill 968, a bill that prohibits any governmental entity in the state of Texas from issuing standardized documentation that certifies an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party for a purpose other than health care. This type of documentation is sometimes referred to as a vaccine “passport.” Here is a link to a summary of Senate Bill 968 and a related FAQ link.
To me, this means that anyone receiving a vaccination, after June 16, 2021, at a hospital in Texas cannot be issued documentation of proof of that vaccination (i.e. a “passport”). Hence, your policy will either require Austin attendees to get a second round of “shots” at a non-Texas medical site (including sites out of state) or be excluded from the tournament.
Under existing rules, people can fly to reach Austin; they can stay at hotels in the Austin area; and they can dine in Austin restaurants, all WITHOUT needing a passport. Why, then, is ACBL determined to assume a higher health care standard?
Just the other day, my wife and I agreed that we would attend a movie theater to view the latest James Bond film. While reserving our seats, we came across this web page –
https://www.paragontheaters.com/page?id=14828
The page details the extensive list of actions and policies that the theater has implemented to protect health and safety. It includes theater actions, employee actions, and expected guest actions. However, the bottom line is that “Paragon Theaters has implemented enhanced Health & Safety measures and participates in Cinema Safe protocols. Any individuals visiting any public places where people are present have a potential risk of exposure to COVID-19. Upon your visit to Paragon Theaters, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.”
That last sentence says it all! We are to be the choosers of what we do and how we respond. No one must attend an ACBL event; similarly, no one should be excluded, unless they visibly show signs of being ill and have not taken it upon themselves to stay away.
I hope that you will agree that ACBL members are probably among the smartest groups in the world (after all, we must think in order to play bridge). Most of us will make intelligent decisions about our health care and most likely go out of our way to take care of others, as well. Why not allow us to make these decisions about our own health care and not take our rights and responsibilities away from us?
I know that you probably won’t change your position after reading this, but I just wanted to voice my concerns over your policy and present, what I believe, is compelling evidence that you should at reconsider your “passport” mandate.
I just renewed my membership (9931716) and hope that someday soon ACBL will see the light and provide reasonable, but not seemingly “panic-driven,” 100% or else, health safety protocols. I really do want to return to in-person event attendance.
Until then, my best,
H Michael Mogil
CC – Governor Greg Abbott (Texas)
© 2021 H. Michael Mogil