Regier working to protect us from government overreach

The April 23 article by reporter Chad Sokol should accompany an opinion piece, not a news article.

The misleading and disparaging headline reads; “Kalispell lawmaker promotes false vaccine conspiracy.” Senator Keith Regier’s mug shot appears on the front page as the guilty legislator.

That attention-grabbing proclamation contains an assertion that is not supported in the accompanying article. There is no evidence presented in the piece that Regier ever “promotes” a vaccine conspiracy theory. Is Regier even quoted as saying that today’s Covid-19 vaccines contain a RFID chip? No! Is he arguing that there is a nefarious plan afoot to develop that Nano technology? No! He is simply reporting what “I’ve read…” Funny, in America we once believed that people were free to read and consider all points of view.

Regier’s brief quote reads in part, “I’ve read articles about putting a little chip in with the vaccine…” and “…so what if that is federally approved and the employer requires that?” When Regier says “...what if…” he is referring to a possibility, not an actuality. Only the headline ever mentions a “vaccine conspiracy,” and only a referenced Tweet from Sen. Ellie Boldman D-Missoula mockingly fabricating the scope of such a conspiracy.

What Regier is promoting is HB 702, which as Sokol correctly tells us, “…would prohibit public and private employers in the state from requiring workers to get vaccinated…”

HB 702 would protect Montanans if 1) the technology to implant such a chip is ever technically possible and 2) if the federal government ever approves the use of such a vaccine.

Sokol is implying, without evidence, that neither the technology nor the regulations are possible. Boldman’s Tweet is a fabrication of Regier’s statement and intensions.

Thankfully, Regier is working to protect Montanans from probable new technologies and likely government overreach.

—Joe O’Rourke lives in Columbia Falls