Vancouver resident Lisa Gean shares her concerns about reasons area billboards are being taken down
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
Hello Clark County, I just wanted to share a concern that I have about free speech. We are seeing attacks on freedom of speech on many levels in society. I truly enjoy the freedoms of speech that we have and it is certainly a right worth fighting for.
Through a friend, I heard that some billboards in Vancouver about vaccines are to be taken down (the contract being abruptly terminated) because of the content. I saw them and if anything, they are only encouraging more education on the topic.
As a mother who fully vaccinated her kids, I am not anti-vax or pro-vax. I am simply pro freedom-to-choose, and most certainly, pro hearing all sides of an issue. We are seeing government leaders trying to shut down internet searches on vaccine safety (i.e., Congressman Adam Schiff in Feb/Mar 2019, and others), and also shut down freedom of speech if they don’t agree with the topic. This is outrageous in America.
We need to entertain and be open to all viewpoints, do our own due diligence in researching a topic, and then come to an informed conclusion. Many people do not realize that there is a vaccine court, set up expressly to compensate vaccine injured persons. Addressing vaccine safety is a worthy endeavor and improvements should be sought. Signs that raise awareness should not be censored.
One of the tenets of fascism is to shut down opposing viewpoints. We live in a country that upholds wonderful freedoms not seen in many other countries. If we do not support freedom of speech on every level, we are in danger of losing it.
Lisa Gean
Vancouver
