The mainstream news media, government health experts and the titans of tech agree, the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. All Americans must take it for our country to return to normalcy. Otherwise, masks will be necessary and millions of American lives will be put at risk needlessly.

Americans have been subjected to endless public service announcements with celebrities touting the merits of the vaccine. Local and national media reports have also emphasized that vaccines are essential for the country to escape the plague of the pandemic.

This public relations campaign is not limited to the United States, as it is happening across the world. In Brazil, the famous Christ the Redeemer statue was emblazoned with a lit message. Projected onto the revered statue was the slogan, “Vaccine saves, United for vaccines.” In this effort to expand vaccine usage, no landmark, no matter how sacred, is safe from such public service announcements.

In the United States, federal health officials are not resting in their efforts to convince Americans to take the vaccine. While some governors have issued executive orders prohibiting vaccine passports in their states, federal health officials are trying to make it as difficult as possible for Americans to reject the vaccine.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed their guidance regarding masks. Henceforth, all unvaccinated Americans will no longer need to wear a mask indoors. In an interview, CDC Director, Rochelle Walensky, claimed that the new guidance was possible because “We now have science that has really just evolved even in the last two weeks that demonstrates that these vaccines are safe, they are effective.”

While the CDC ludicrously claimed that science “just evolved,” it is more likely the change was made because the vaccine rush was slowing down and there remain millions of unvaccinated Americans. The new guidance gives Americans the vaccine “incentive” of ditching the dreaded masks.

It was also announced to mitigate the damage done by President Joe Biden. It was not helping their cause when Americans continued to see Biden wearing a mask indoors and outdoors despite being vaccinated and being surrounded by vaccinated staff members.

For a variety of reasons, there continues to be a high rate of vaccine hesitancy. Thus, politicians are now springing into action. In New York City, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio is offering free French fries and a burger from Shake Shack for anyone who becomes vaccinated. At his Thursday press briefing, de Blasio munched on a Shake Shack meal while announcing, “I want you to think of this when you think of vaccination.”

This pathetic bribe was not only laughable, but it was also quite small fry in comparison to what is happening in Ohio, where Republican Governor Mike DeWine is engaged in extravagant vaccine bribery. All those who have received at least one vaccine shot will be entered into a weekly drawing for $1 million. The lottery will commence May 26 and last for five weeks. Vaccinated teenagers will also be entered into a lottery for full four-year college scholarships, including room and board, at a public university in Ohio.

If the vaccine is so wonderful, why is this unseemly bribery and continual public relations campaign necessary? After 15 months of being frightened about the dangers of COVID-19, shouldn’t all Americans be excited to take the vaccine and end the threat permanently?

The problem is that some Americans are fearful of the vaccine. The statistical report from the CDC, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), shows that approximately 4,434 Americans have died after taking one of the three available COVID-19 vaccines. According to the CDC, “Reports of death to VAERS following vaccination do not necessarily mean the vaccine caused the death.” While anyone can report this information and the statistics have not been verified, the numbers should still cause concern and lead to more investigation.

There have also been severe adverse reactions in other countries. In the UK, famed rock star Eric Clapton announced in a publicly released letter, “I took the first jab of AZ [AstraZeneca] and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days…My hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again…I should never have gone near the needle…But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…I’ve been a rebel all my life, against tyranny and arrogant authority, which is what we have now.”

The diminution of freedom is a worldwide problem, as is the vaccine propaganda campaign. In this country, leftist celebrities have been fully engaged in selling the vaccine. However, one major vaccine proponent, comedian Chelsea Handler, was shocked there were negative vaccine side effects. After taking the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, Handler announced that she felt “really sick and it’s only been four hours and I’m deaf in one ear.” She asked her Instagram followers if they experienced similar reactions.

She should have asked Dr. Ryan Cole, who is the owner of Cole Diagnostics. He has been a leading critic of the COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates such as masking. Cole has also been very outspoken about the potential dangers of the vaccines.

According to Cole, “We’ve seen more deaths from this shot than all vaccines in the last 20 years combined — and that’s just in the first 4 to 5 months.” During a radio interview, Cole noted one study indicated that 3% of all side effects from the vaccine will be “permanent.” He said, “If you figure 100 million people got the shots, that’s 3 million with a permanent injury.”

Despite the censorship, this information is reaching the American people through independent media sources and the personal experiences shared by friends and family members. No offer of free fries, lotteries, or celebrity pressure is going to force millions of Americans to take the vaccine.

How will the government react to this situation? The answer should worry every American.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs nationally on Real America’s Voice Network, AmericasVoice.News weekdays at 7 a.m. CT and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com