Recently the Hamilton Spectator published an article titled "The Greatest Hamiltonian" with profiles of many affluent citizens. The idea was to poll the readers for their ideas and opinions on who should be considered the "Greatest Hamiltonian". I think the answer is pretty simple...
George Hamilton.
1787-1836
Without him, there wouldn't be a contest for the Greatest Hamiltonian as there would be no Hamilton as we know it! The list is comprised of many amazing and talented citizens that all have different talents and attributes, but none of this would matter without our buddy, George.
Like many of the other nominees, George Hamilton served in the War of 1812, where he was a Captain, participating in the capture of Detroit, the Battle of Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane. Hamilton's purchase of 257 acres from the Barton Township led to the housing of a courthouse and gaol. He was a private land developer that used his cunning to draw commercial activities to his land all the while financially benefiting himself. He has said to have literally created the town.
Another focus of Hamilton's was to encourage immigration to Hamilton. He built a canal to link Hamilton Harbour to Lake Ontario. He had the ability to recognize the colony's special needs and possibilities before most.
Without George Hamilton, there would be no Hamilton Spectator to run this article, no Hamiltonians to be nominated, and no Hamilton to call "home".
Moral Issue? No way. Has anyone actually researched what HPV is and how it can be contracted? It's not just an STI. You don't need to have sexual intercourse to contract it so why is this a moral/religious issue? To me, this is an ignorance issue. Too many people with opinions, too few with solid facts.
The debate about whether to innoculate our children with this vaccination has been largely blown out of proportion.
If you were to take away the sexual aspect and promote this as a normal prevention drug of cancer, no one would have any objections, but as soon as you put sexual connotations on it, it becomes a huge controversy. Why is this? Sex is a natural phenomenon, and face it, 'white wedding' or not, sex happens with everyone's daughter at various ages so why not protect them before it's too late? People need to learn the facts before they begin making their outrageous conclusions. It's true, the HPV vaccine only covers strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, but it's better than nothing and just because one person in the relationship is STI-free, doesn't mean the other is. I have read numerous articles claiming that these strains are incredibly rare and that HPV is virtually impossible to contract if you use a rubber, but in truth, these are not the rarest strains of HPV and contagious warts can be on areas of the genitalia that are not protected by condoms. And let's face it, cancer or not...warts on your Hoo Hoo is not exactly the most attractive thing ever, nor is having them cauterized or frozen off.
The debate over whether to provide these innoculations is being settled by votes with different school boards and governments, but who are the people voting? Are they males or females? This is an issue that affects both sexes, but cervical cancer affects only females, so ideally, who should be making these decisions? How can a male understand the impact of cervical cancer or hysterectomies? Sorry guys, you just can't. These are events that have severe psychological and emotional impacts on women, and women only.
Another argument by over-protective parents, who have the notion that their child is, and always will be completly pure and innocent, is that this is a marketing ploy by large pharmaceutical companies. News flash: Sure, it may be, but what drug isn't?
One final issue, is the idea that this vaccination will promote young teenagers to have promiscuous, unsafe sexual intercourse. Just because this vaccine may prevent cancer and rather unattractive genital warts doesn't mean it will stop someone from procreating or contracting some other grotesque STI, so parents need to man-up and encourage their kids to wrap it up. Stop blaming the media, and start taking some responsibility.
I've also posted a 5 minute video from Fox-13 called "Vaccine Vote" which highlights key research about HPV and the new vaccine. Enjoy!
