Re. Greg O'Meara’s letter, Make vaccines mandatory (Castanet, July 11), Katherine Arrowsmith’s Vaccines work, helpful (Castanet July 15) letter and Duane Arthur’s letter Opposed to mandatory vaxx (Castanet, July 14) Castanet letter writers Greg O'Meara, Katherine Arrowsmith and Duane Arthur are arguing completely different points. Yes, vaccines have proven very successful in preventing illness and/or death from many dreadful diseases. Yes, getting vaccinated can help prevent illness in those people who, through no fault of their own, are not able to be vaccinated but no, vaccines should not be mandatory in a free society like Canada. The role of government in a free society is to protect property rights, to provide a strong and fair justice system and to secure its borders from internal or external threats. Full stop. The role of government in a free society is not to tell its citizens what car they can or cannot drive, what food they can or cannot eat, what furnace (or light bulb) they can or cannot use, and, most importantly, what substances they must inject into their bodies. The point is not the efficacy of the vaccines. The point is whether or not I own my body and, as a result, get to choose what goes into it. What's next? Sending the RCMP to my house (like a Monty Python sketch) to pin me to the dining room table and inject this week's vaccine into my arm or force me to give blood? Having a bureaucrat in Victoria cut off my health benefits because I ate too many potato chips last week? Having a by-law officer impound my car because its fuel is deemed illegal? Think it can't happen? Think again. There is a news story every week regarding the overreach or expanded powers of government in this country. When right-wing governments do it, it's called “facism.” When left-wing governments do it, it's called "keeping everyone safe". No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. It's not a conspiracy because it's already happening in plain sight with many advocates writing letters to Castanet scolding their neighbours for their opinions. Be careful what you wish for because once a right has been involuntarily forfeited, it's never coming back. Lloyd Vinish