Today I got a flu shot in the left arm. Ouch, that hurt a little bit. I suspect getting the flu shot today might be a sign of old age. I used to be young and daring and that has changed. I stand in line like a cow waiting to be branded to get my injection of dead virus. I remember my last flu shot. The year was 1976. The president was Gerald Ford. A Swine Flu Epidemic was forcast. The president was on television urging all of us to be vaccinated against the deadly swine flu. I stood in line at an elementary school in St. Cloud to get my flu shot. The line wound through the school hallway and out into the parking lot. I stood in that line for hours listening to everyone debate the merits of getting the shot. Swine flu vaccinations were the talk of the town. Everyone was getting innoculated. The swine flu vaccination goes down in history as the greatest public health endeavor ever and the worst government propaganda ever depending on who is writing the history. Some people say it made them sick. Others said the swine flu vaccination was deadly to some. Gerald Ford didn't get a lot of respect as a president. He is viewed more favorably now. People didn't like the fact that he pardoned Nixon. I didn't like the fact that he pardoned Nixon then. I understand why he did that now. So maybe my feelings for Gerald Ford contribute to why it has taken me 31 years to get another flu shot.
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