Best religious exemption letter I have ever seen. As an ignostic who believes grace to be in clarity and evil to be in intentional obfuscation, I so appreciated the focus on truth-telling. Wow. Choked me right up. Thank you for sharing this, Ms. Heying. In the 11 minutes since you posted, I've already forwarded it far and wide!
Amazing letter Jordan - I will share this far & wide. Heather, thank you for your work, both here & on the Darkhorse podcast - those of us who are searching have found clarity, reason and community. You have enabled so many of us to find each other - if only virtually - but that gives me hope every day for our world. And that hope is growing stronger each day!
This letter is a masterpiece -- the beauty of its logic is, no doubt, intellectually "above the pay grade" of a typical government bureaucrat who is primarily concerned with filing the pieces of paper required to keep *their* job.
I have been reading Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs" of late, and of course you're right that the filing of meaningless paperwork, which largely drives the person in possession of the bullshit job rather mad as well, doesn't bode well. That said, one takeaway I have from that book (which I recommend) is that many people with such jobs are looking for meaning, but have landed in positions that pay the rent, often very well, and so can't afford to quit. Therefore, one might hope that being able to actually make a difference, to actually grant exemptions when they are warranted--be it because the person requesting it is in particular need, or because the rule they are being asked to enforce is illegitimate--could be something that many people, no matter their official job description and duties, could get behind.
My close observation of the bureaucratic mindset within public sector work does not match this description, unfortunately. Some of the over-scrupulous behavior is, I think, correlated to just being incompetent, lacking the knowledge that it takes to, as you might say, "do stuff."
No one should have to do this. We should have the right to determine what goes into our bodies. No one should be forced to take an injection to keep their job. This is horrific. Doesn't this violate the Nuremberg protocol?
It infuriates me that medical personnel, police, firemen, EMS, TRUCKERS, are being forced to take the vaccine NOW when they stepped up for the past two years and worked every day. There are signs outside clinics and hospitals all over my area "heroes work here." Yet, these same "heroes" who worked long hours, under awful conditions, smothered in PPE, are now being forced out of their jobs and being victimized and stigmatized.
There is a high probability they have had the virus after all the exposure they had and have natural immunity. Does that count for nothing?
I urge everyone to listen to this video or read the article in Tablet Magazine. Excellent.
Dr. Norman Doidge wrote "Needle Points" and here reads it on video.
Thank you so much for providing us with these letters and stories!
I left my job in September over these vaccine mandates, and so I decided to start writing on Substack.
I sincerely empathize with so many people who were considered the best employees, who were constantly praised and who dedicated years of their lives to only be left by the wayside over these antiquated policies. Indeed, I would call them antiquated at this point considering that Omicron has completely shifted the COVID landscape. One would expect that the rampant push for these mandates would be reevaluated as well, but it seems like places will either keep trying to push these mandates or push for even more tyrannical measures!
All I can say is that I hope people continue to push and pressure their employers. It's only by trying that we may break through the walls of the vaccine narrative.
Best religious exemption letter I have ever seen. As an ignostic who believes grace to be in clarity and evil to be in intentional obfuscation, I so appreciated the focus on truth-telling. Wow. Choked me right up. Thank you for sharing this, Ms. Heying. In the 11 minutes since you posted, I've already forwarded it far and wide!
Amazing letter Jordan - I will share this far & wide. Heather, thank you for your work, both here & on the Darkhorse podcast - those of us who are searching have found clarity, reason and community. You have enabled so many of us to find each other - if only virtually - but that gives me hope every day for our world. And that hope is growing stronger each day!
This letter is a masterpiece -- the beauty of its logic is, no doubt, intellectually "above the pay grade" of a typical government bureaucrat who is primarily concerned with filing the pieces of paper required to keep *their* job.
I have been reading Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs" of late, and of course you're right that the filing of meaningless paperwork, which largely drives the person in possession of the bullshit job rather mad as well, doesn't bode well. That said, one takeaway I have from that book (which I recommend) is that many people with such jobs are looking for meaning, but have landed in positions that pay the rent, often very well, and so can't afford to quit. Therefore, one might hope that being able to actually make a difference, to actually grant exemptions when they are warranted--be it because the person requesting it is in particular need, or because the rule they are being asked to enforce is illegitimate--could be something that many people, no matter their official job description and duties, could get behind.
My close observation of the bureaucratic mindset within public sector work does not match this description, unfortunately. Some of the over-scrupulous behavior is, I think, correlated to just being incompetent, lacking the knowledge that it takes to, as you might say, "do stuff."
No one should have to do this. We should have the right to determine what goes into our bodies. No one should be forced to take an injection to keep their job. This is horrific. Doesn't this violate the Nuremberg protocol?
It infuriates me that medical personnel, police, firemen, EMS, TRUCKERS, are being forced to take the vaccine NOW when they stepped up for the past two years and worked every day. There are signs outside clinics and hospitals all over my area "heroes work here." Yet, these same "heroes" who worked long hours, under awful conditions, smothered in PPE, are now being forced out of their jobs and being victimized and stigmatized.
There is a high probability they have had the virus after all the exposure they had and have natural immunity. Does that count for nothing?
I urge everyone to listen to this video or read the article in Tablet Magazine. Excellent.
Dr. Norman Doidge wrote "Needle Points" and here reads it on video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfEkp_TFvY0
Now imagine living in a European country where vaccine exemption on religious grounds is not an option.
Thank you so much for providing us with these letters and stories!
I left my job in September over these vaccine mandates, and so I decided to start writing on Substack.
I sincerely empathize with so many people who were considered the best employees, who were constantly praised and who dedicated years of their lives to only be left by the wayside over these antiquated policies. Indeed, I would call them antiquated at this point considering that Omicron has completely shifted the COVID landscape. One would expect that the rampant push for these mandates would be reevaluated as well, but it seems like places will either keep trying to push these mandates or push for even more tyrannical measures!
All I can say is that I hope people continue to push and pressure their employers. It's only by trying that we may break through the walls of the vaccine narrative.