When authorities use harsh lockdown enforcement tactics, it makes news, but perhaps the stunning feature of the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic is how rarely it happens. While it’s always wise to be vigilant about our freedoms, it’s also important to take a clear-eyed view of the situation on the ground.
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30 replies on “Harsh Lockdown Crackdown: Is Your Liberty in Jeopardy?”
Scott, I disagree that everyone who goes out needs to wear a mask. If you are ill, stay home. If you are ill and need to go out, then definitely wear a mask to protect others. If you are not ill, why should you wear a mask? Are you, personally, going to wear a mask every time you go out for the rest of your life? Or only until this quarantine is over?
I’m not trying to be facetious, but there have always been cold germs, flu germs, etc. and there always will be.
I will contend that the two scariest words in the English language and specifically for America is SPENDING just like a drunken sailor and DEBT, the accumulation which now stands at $23,00,000,000,000 (TRILLION with 12 ZEROES). This year America and that indirectly is you through TAXES will have to BORROW $3,800,000,000,000 (TRILLION) simply because we over Spent. This DEBT excludes Unfunded Liabilities which total in the neighborhood of $200,000,000,000,000 (TRILLION) that includes Social Security and government Pensions.
To IGNORE Reality and SPEND SPEND and to continue to SPEND does one and ONLY one thing. It puts on the backs of your children, grandchildren and Posterity an enormous burden of Pain and Suffering. And please do not foerget that you through your VOTE did i governmentt.
The Average Credit Card DEBT in the USA is $8000 per person. BUT, it is not just the $8000 of DEBT. That DEBT comes with interest which will eventually crush the individual. The same Economic Principal holds true for the government. The government does have one advantage unlike the individual, business and STATES. The Federal government has the ability solely to PRINT money. The MORE dollars printed the less a dollar bill is worth.
The Greatest Generation went through BOTH the Great Depression and World War II and their children and grandchildren were rewarded for their sacrifices. The grandchildren and their children are now in charge. Did they learn from their parents and grandparents? It seems they did not.
Life is not FAIR, period. It does not pick sides. It wants from each individual either, an education, talent or skill to navigate through the everyday ups and downs. Ignore its demand and then one’s LIFE can become a HORROR show. Added to what the individual MUST offer, Life also expects the individual to understand and comprehend COMMON SENSE. One does not NEED a Phd, Masters or a BA/BS to apply to one’s life Common Sense. Common Sense is defined as Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.”. Thus, “common sense” equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have.” Yet today in 2020 America, Common Sense seems to have taken the path of the dinosaur. Either it is Witness in Protection, on a Milk Carton, on Vacation and/or by far FAR too many have forgotten being totally unnecessary. The PRICE of abandonment is colossal and salvation and redemption from not using Common Sense is riddled with Pain and Suffering. There is niot another choice.
Making CHOICES/Decisions is NEVER an easy process. A CHOICE takes time, effort, commitment and perseverance. Then add in follow-up and evaluation.
Free Will defined as “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion. Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of responsibility, praise, guilt, sin and other judgements which apply only to actions that are freely chosen. It is also connected with the concepts of advice, persuasion, deliberation and prohibition. The classic problem of free will is to reconcile an element of freedom with the apparent determinism in a world of causes and effects, a world of events in a great causal chain. Determinists deny any such freedom.”
Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence wrote of each and every individual’s “unalienable rights” of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. At the foundation of BOTH the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution being Vital and MOST necessary importance for the individual, Family and GOD. Without those historic bedrocks, America would not nor could not be the MOST EXCEPTIONAL and UNIQUE Nation every in 6,000 years of civilization’s long and storied History.
In 2020 because of a pandemic called the Wuhan China Virus, the CoronaVirus mutation that individuals are sacrificing FREEDOM/LIBERTY for Safety and Protection from government. WHO? specifically knows WHAT? is BEST for you other than you. The Founders and Founders created a system of government that at its pinnacle is YOU, the individual, Family and GOD and especially not the government. Government was a tool of the individual, Family and GOD to ALWAYS remain LIMITED and Necessary in those areas of the US Constitution. To add even MORE safeguards to each citizens “unalienable rights,” the Bill of Rights was added after ratification. And without COMMON SENSE applied equally across the board, HOW? would the individual, Family and GOD survive?
The foundation of AMERICANISM is slowly being torn apart. Its destruction is We, the People’s DESTRUCTION.
President Reagan decades later said, “Freedom is no more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on to them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in the United States where men were once free.”
This time…totally agree with you guyz .. thanks
The tyrants are shooting across our bows. We go along because 1)we trust authority and basically are rules followers & 2)we know it’s temporary.
We are rapidly approaching that moment of social proof when we tire of waiting at the red light when no one is coming. And as BW reminds us, Social Proof Alphas can easily break that thrall and cross on the red.
=stepping off the curb in 3…2..=
The pastor referenced by Steve and Scott was a respected community leader in Richmond, Bishop Gerald Glenn. After his passing, Senator Mark R. Warner wrote, “Bishop Glenn was my great friend for more than 20 years. He was an extraordinary spiritual and community leader, and we will all miss him very much.” Another senator, Tim Kaine, wrote, “My heart sinks as I learn this morning that Bishop Gerald Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, died yesterday from COVID-19. He was a friend and pillar of Richmond faith community. May all do as much for so many.”
He held his last service on March 22, two days before the governor’s ban on gatherings larger than ten people. It has been widely reported in the media that he held his last meeting in defiance of the governor’s order, but the governor’s order did not take effect until March 23 at 11:59 PM (Executive Order). His congregation followed the intent of the executive order and closed their services for the following weekend.
He has been lied about in some news releases, but we expect that of them. We should strive to do much better than just passing on their misinformation.
I thought that’s probably who it was. He deserves a public apology.
Re: “This whole situation is making me hate people.” I second that, but for a different reason. If you’re wearing a mask to protect ME, don’t bother. I’ve had the flu before and I’m not too worried… on the other hand knowing I could succumb to it. I’ll certainly die of something, eventually. (Note: I know per media mandates it’s blasphemy to compare COVID-19 with the flu… but there. I did it. The media can bite me.)
The bottom line for me is, from the very start of this I recognized it for what it really is – another coup attempt. While I believe the virus is real (just like H1N1 was real), I think the “don’t let a good crisis go to waste” mentality was evident. H1N1 was a big shrug, but this virus was worthy of a lockdown, trampling on people’s civil liberties, and destruction of the economy? No.
I’ve heard it said that no president has ever failed to be re-elected if the economy was good. The Trump economy WAS excellent. Dems knew they had no chance of a win in November. The Russian hoax didn’t work. Impeachment didn’t work. So they HAD to do something to destroy the economy so they’d have a chance in November. This virus was the ticket. And as a bonus, it’s a justification for mail-in voting (to keep us safe, of course), which is highly prone to fraud. IMO, that’s what this is about, which is why I refuse to wear a mask. I keep my distance from people naturally, but I’m not buying into this charade.
P.S. Props to Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota who showed true leadership as opposed to a herd mentality “one size fits all” approach.
I largely agree with you on all counts, but I think that Bill’s also right in that we’re going to come out of this better than we went in at so many levels, including freedom.
I worry sometimes about the economy hurting Trump’s re-election chances, but I think this was yet another backfire for the Dems. I’m still not fully convinced that every decision he made was the absolute correct one, but he has the precise set of skills we needed in a president at this time, from forcing the establishment media to show themselves to knowing the exact moment to re-open the economy. If he hadn’t announced a plan to re-open by, say, the end of next week (not the end of the month), I think people would just start to ignore the stay-at-home orders and go back to work. By announcing it now, and maintaining federalism by leaving it to the governors, he’s prevented that. That’s just an example, of course I could write a book about everything he’s said and done since January. But I can’t think of another president who could have navigated these waters successfully. I’m so grateful that when this happened, he was at the helm.
Excellent take on the matter Bill. I will say that I am very troubled by the scenes of police arresting people for ‘committing’ ordinary acts when they are not endangering anyone.
Thousands of Michiganders showed up in Lansing yesterday to protest the gubernator’s excessive action. These people were there in defiance of her dictate. The Michigan State Police were patrolling the ‘event’. No arrests.
Bill – for one of very few times I am going to disagree with you. This “emergency” has brought out the little dictator in many local and regional politicians. That they are not making national news is due more (IMHO) to the newspeople thinking its a good idea.
There is ZERO evidence that this is transmitted outside, but we are closing parks, and in my area, shutting GREENWAYS!. That did not make national news.
My fear as stated in our member chat is that these little fascists will like the authority and will impose “emergency” conditions any chance they get from now on.
We need to fight back vigorously at these little impositions lest they become big ones.
I don’t know about you all but I’m done with the quarantine crap. All of this over a hyped-up flu virus.
Absolutely agree. “Quarantine” is when you put SICK people in isolation. I’m not sick, so what I’m under is essentially house arrest, and I don’t like it.
I’m surprised you guys aren’t more upset about this loss of freedom. Maybe most people are doing this voluntarily but what about the slippery slope we always talk about? We are letting these dictators (governors) single handedly put the entire state into house arrest and order tons of businesses closed. They have threatened and been close to pursuing more strict enforcement but people gave up because they didn’t want to fight. Look in NC where they sent prison transport busses to arrest protestors sitting in their cars to protest the house arrest order and would have arrested more than the one they did if the rest didn’t split up. Their reasoning for all of this was that the 1st amendment was “non-essential”. Whats happening in Michigan and states all over too is terrible and its giving these governors the idea that they have more power than they do. And if it wasn’t for the threats of fines and imprisonment many more businesses would be open and people making a living to feed and house their family. I think our liberty is in Jeopardy.
I was very disappointed when I read that Texas was closing state parks. I don’t recall a rationale being given but I suspect it has to do with liability. You would think that a big sign saying “Use at Your Own Risk” would be sufficient.
My local city government is trying to eat their cake and still have it. They are encouraging people to get out and use the city parks while practicing social distancing. So they take down the basketball hoops and cordon off the picnic tables and playground equipment. Better than closing the parks, but only moderately rational.
Some parks were closed in Wisconsin for two listed reasons: lack of distancing (I didn’t see pictures, but it sounds like people started crowding in when the weather got nice for week) and also vandalism.
I mean to state this in the spirit of a fellow Conservative and a man that has appreciated the vast majority of your collective works.
There was a time when firehoses were turned on Americans that were marching for their freedoms in the streets of America. You might say that they had “stay away from our homes and businesses” orders. We do not currently have that evil among us…But is that a reason to celebrate? The repeal of those laws and the revulsion at the recollection of those acts is a basic minimum.
It seems an awfully low bar for those hoping to expand liberty from an incremental creep of government expansion that we break out the pom poms for a “relatively” small number of very clear government overreach incidents.
We were, after all, hoping to push back against that overreach prior to this COVID19 incident, as a definitive part of out political philosophy.
It seems uncharacteristic that you minimize these incidents and have a laugh at the preacher passing away from the virus.
If I have misinterpreted the gist of your video, I apologize in advance.
I’d like to know what that preacher actually said and in context rather than a paraphrase of a single line from a sermon. I’m very doubtful that he deserved to be mocked after his death.
I can not fish in Washington State
According to the scriptures it would appear in error to lay blame to God the condition of a sin cursed world. God is no respecter of persons and indeed neither is nature. Just saying.
You wan’t coercing and threats, check out what the Brit cops are up to.
https://youtu.be/fn5SRmLZ4mo
This guy tells it like it is and on the other hand, I wonder how long it took for the police to put together their “rap show”. Obviously they have too much time on their hands.
Well, they can barely dance and they’re not even close to being in-time.
As I just said over at Insty, I think people would respond better to these new rules if they weren’t so random and seemingly capricious.
“Protest is a non essential activity.” I appreciate that the state isn’t more authoritarian than it is, but I think one of the reasons the state is limited is because citizens pay attention and call out the state for its abuses of power. The people getting welded into their homes in China could give an argument about how things could be worse, too. We’ve got to have standards, and we’ve got to pay attention. We don’t want to get slowly boiled as the temporary emergency measures are mostly backed off, but not quite completely.
The best take I sw on Twitter on “Protest is a non essential activity.” was:
It probably sounded better in its original German
Non-essential Activity https://imgur.com/a/ChGS5B0
Look at just the title of the list of demands released by California. Click through to the pdf which is linked on this site.
13 pages on this pdf. file, “California’s 6 indicators for modifying the Stay-at-Home Order”. I hope and pray that the rest of the states doesn’t follow suit and if any do, that California’s is the worse at best.
https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/California-Roadmap-to-Modify-the-Stay-at-Home-Order.pdf
(Duplicate deleted)
Note that those are the requirements to modify the stay-at-home order, not to revoke, modify.