Biden: The Emperor has New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen (1837) insightful story never grows old so I made a few edits to his tale to reflect contemporary times.

It is no coincidence that Biden will speak on December 21, 2021, the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year. His “Dark Winter” speech will assert that the unvaccinated are “facing a very bleak and dangerous winter.” Using fear and dishonesty he will promote vaccines and boosters as means to stem the scourge of the Omicron variant. But among my circle of family and friends more are beginning to wake up and take notice that his rhetoric empty matches the clothes he wears.

So here is my edited version of Hans Christian Andersen’s parable for our times. 

There once lived a president, who thought so much of new vaccines that he spent all the taxpayer’s money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to promote vaccines no matter what the science showed,   He did not care for anyone else, and nothing amused him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was how to promote the vaccine.  He even had a booster for every hour of the day.

​Washington D.C.  where he resided was very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived.  One day two swindlers, Fauci and Collins came to this city; they made people believe that they were scientists and declared they could manufacture the finest vaccine to be imagined. Their RNA formula, they said, was not only exceptionally effective,  but the vaccines made of their ingredients possessed the wonderful quality of being unseen to any man or woman who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.

​“That must be wonderful vaccine,” thought the president. “If I were to be injected with this vaccine, I should be able to find out which men in my country were unfit for their places and would not take the vaccine, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this vaccine made for me without delay.” And he gave a large sum of money to Fauci and Collins,  in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up two labs, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever on their benches. They asked for the finest ingredients and the most precious RNA delivery method; all they got they did away with and worked in the empty labs till late at night.

​“I should very much like to know how they are getting on with vaccine,” thought the president. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not see it or how effective is was.  Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable quality the vaccine possessed, and all were anxious to see how unfit or stupid their neighbors were.

​“I shall send my vice president to the scientists ,” thought the president. “She can judge best how the stuff looks, for she is intelligent, and nobody understands her office better than me.”

​The good old vice president went into the room where the scientists sat before the empty lab benches. “Heaven preserve us!” she thought, and opened her eyes wide, “I cannot see anything at all,” but she did not say so. Both scientists requested her to come near and asked her if she did not admire  the beautiful colors of the vaccine as they pointed to the empty vials.  The poor old vice president tried her very best, but she could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. “Oh dear,” she thought, “can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see that the vaccine is ineffective.”

​“Now, have you got nothing to say?” said one of the scientists, while he pretended to be busily mixing his potions.

​“Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful,” replied the vice president looking through her glasses. “What a beautiful vaccine! I shall tell the president that I like the vaccine very much.”

​“We are pleased to hear that,” said the two scientists, and explained to her the curious formula. The vice president listened attentively, that she might relate to the president what they said; and so, she did.

​Now the scientists asked for more money for the drug companies,  and royalties which they required for making the vaccine.   They kept everything for themselves, and nothing came near the laboratory, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty benches.

​Soon afterwards the president sent Walensky to the scientists to see how they were getting on, and if the new vaccine was nearly finished. Like the vice president, she looked and looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.

​“Is it not a beautiful vaccine?” asked the two scientists, showing and explaining the magnificent formula, which, however, did not exist.

​“I am not stupid,” said the Walensky. “It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but I must not let anyone know it;” and she praised the vaccine which she did not see and expressed her joy at the beautiful product. “It is very excellent,” she said to the president.

​Everybody in the whole town talked about the vaccine. At last, the president wished to see it himself, while it was still in the lab. . With several health officials, including the vice president and Walensky, he went to Fauci and Collins, who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any chemicals.

“Is it not magnificent?” said the vice president and Walensky who had been there before. “Your president must admire the vaccines.” And then they pointed to the empty lab benches, for they imagined the others could see the vaccine.

​“What is this?” thought the president, “I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be president ? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me.”

​“Really,” he said, turning to the Fauci and Collins, “your vaccine has our most gracious approval;” and nodding contentedly he looked at the empty lab, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his cabinet who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the president, “It is very beautiful.” And all advised him to inject the new vaccine in his arm on television so all could see.  “It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent,” one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the president appointed the two scientists, Fauci and Collins, to be his trusted vaccine advisors

​The whole night before the day on which the televised injection was to take place, the scientists pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the president’s vaccine. They pretended to take the vaccine from the lab and worked about in the air with big beakers and mixed nothing at all and said at last: “The president’s new vaccine is ready now.”

​The president and all his advisors then came to the White House; the scientists held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: “Here is the vaccine!”  They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all going into the body; but that is just the beauty of it.”

​“Indeed!” said all the advisors; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.

​“Does it please the president to now graciously roll up his sleeve,” said the scientists “that we may assist you in putting this vaccine in your arm?”

​The president rolled up his sleeve, and the scientists pretended to put the vaccine in him

​“How well they look! How well it works,” said all. “What a beautiful vaccine!

​The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the canopy were ready to carry the president to the parade to taut his new vaccine.

​“I am ready,” said the president. “Does not my vaccine work well in my body?”

​The doctors, who were to give the vaccine to the masses pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to know that they could not see anything in the vials.

​The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: He is vaccinated!   How well it suits him!” Nobody wished to let others know they saw nothing, for then they would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never were the president’s vaccine more admired.

​“But there is nothing there,  the vaccine does not work at all,” said a little child at last. “Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent child,” said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. “But the vaccine is nothing and does not work,” cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the president, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, “Now I must bear up to the end.” And the doctors walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the vaccine which did not exist.  

And the President decided to give another speech to encourage everyone to take the vaccine and to condemn the unfit who could neither see the vaccine nor the benefit of being vaccinated.