To the editor:
“Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters.” — President Grover Cleveland
On February 16, 2022, The Berkshire Edge posted a viewpoint by Mickey Friedman entitled “The Other Side: Great Barrington mandates and misinformation.” Although the hallmark of journalism is to present both sides of an issue to the public, so they can engage in serious critical thinking, there was no attempt to add a counterpoint of view. I think the author’s following quote sums it up best and perhaps parents should keep it in mind when reading his article: “I have lots of Corona Time on my hands. Unlike many of you, I don’t have kids to entertain or pretend to homeschool,” posted by the author on April 16, 2020 at www.redcrownews.com.
Perhaps we should keep in mind this quote by President Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
While Mr. Friedman, author, filmmaker, and blogger, is given a public platform to assail the Berkshire Hills Regional School District and the Great Barrington Board of Health for their courageous, measured, informed decision to affirm parents do have a Constitutional right to make healthcare decisions for their own children, his opening remarks in the February 16 article state all you need to know: “It’s very funny if you’re willing to embrace the new American reality, where everyone is convinced they’re an expert.” Mr. Friedman, who previously stated he has no children and apparently has no medical degree, is convinced he too is an expert, as he so eloquently forewarns us against.
The article goes on to state: “people like Dr. Robert Malone have suggested that and I agree with him that this is the greatest experiment in human history, because never have we developed and deployed en masse a novel technology like this in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.” Yet Mr. Friedman can’t imagine why parents may have reservations about subjecting their children to “the greatest experiment in human history.”
I applaud the Berkshire Hills School Board and the Great Barrington Board of Health for their recognition of the sovereign right of parents to make individual health decisions for their children and the wisdom and determination they have collectively demonstrated to find the best path forward.
Lucinda Shmulsky
New Marlborough
