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Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) has said President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates are straight out of dystopian fiction.
In an opinion piece for Fox News, the Republican congressman said the treatment of those who refuse to comply with vaccine mandates reminded him of the Divergent film series based on Veronica Roth's bestselling novels.
In the series, people are divided into "factions" based on virtues, including selflessness, honesty and bravery, while those who do not fit into one of the groups are dubbed "divergent" and considered threats to the existing social order.
"Watching the film with my children, I was struck by similarities between the treatment of the divergents in the fictional series, and the treatment of divergents in President Biden's America, specifically as it relates to the unconstitutional vaccine mandate," Mast wrote.
"Through the mandate, President Biden is expelling independent thinkers from the ranks of the military and federal government."
Mast claimed those least likely to comply with mandates were those "most likely to question decisions and offer a different perspective."
He went on: "With this mandate, those divergent thought leaders—predominantly conservative and skeptical of big government—will self-identify via their vaccination status. That will make it easier for them to be fired or intentionally bypassed for promotions, meaning that their liberal peers will disproportionately become the rule makers in the future."
He also said that such action will make it harder for whistleblowers to expose wrongdoing.
Mast, a decorated military veteran, said vaccine mandates for service members mean the U.S. military "will be void of officers who are willing to think critically and stand up for the freedoms of all Americans" for at least four years.
He also alleged that Biden was seeking dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse to get the vaccine, which he said would "render it impossible for officers to obtain a security clearance or serve in another government agency."
Claims that Biden had ordered dishonorable discharges for service members who refused to get vaccinated were branded false by PolitiFact.
"America won't be safe if independent will is wiped away," Mast concluded. "If someone wants the vaccine, they should be able to receive it without involvement from a military branch or government agency, and those who refuse it deserve the same treatment.
"But this isn't about what Americans deserve, this is about how the liberal faction is crushing the will of public servants and grabbing power in order to control government agencies for generations to come."
Mast and the White House have been contacted for additional comment.
About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more