Overnight, the vast majority of America has been placed under varying degrees of lock-down as one governor after another issued orders mandating that people stay at home as a way of stopping the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
And while most people were willing to go along with the orders, it’s become quite plain now that many governors have simply gone too far.
Here are some examples.
In North Carolina, it is now illegal under that state’s coronavirus shutdown order to protest.
Yes, that’s right, protesting has been deemed a “non-essential” function and thus protesters are in ‘violation’ of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s order.
The First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and redress government is now illegal in North Carolina. Or so says the edict. But is it really? Or are people just putting up with it because it’s safer, easier, less stressful, and doesn’t involve doing anything?
The state of North Carolina is one of the least affected states in the country with regard to the current COVID-19 outbreak. With just over 5,000 confirmed cases and only 108 deaths related to the virus, many citizens are growing wary of the state’s lockdown order and are demanding things go back to normal.
On Tuesday, more than 100 protesters took the the city streets of Raleigh, North Carolina to voice their desire to reopen the the state’s economy. They were quickly met with police action but the well-organized protesters stood their ground through multiple threats.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, another Democrat governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has essentially banned gardening, home improvements, and visiting neighbors — all under the auspices of ‘saving us’ from coronavirus.
“Liberty once lost is lost forever,” read one sign draped across a commercial van. “Security without liberty is called prison,” said another, which was stretched across the Capitol’s front lawn. “Recall Whitmer,” a third sign said.
The governor’s response? She said she was “disappointed to see people congregating and not wearing masks.” Is she kidding?
“We know that this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health,” Whitmer said. “When people gather that way without masks … that’s how COVID-19 spreads.
“The sad irony here is that … they don’t like being in this stay-at-home order and they may have just created the need to lengthen it, which is something we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”
Did you get that? Because Michiganders dared to stand up for their constitutional rights and liberties, Whitmer’s response is to lengthen the time she will attempt to deprive them of those rights and liberties.
We can socially distance on our own, if that’s what we choose. We don’t need government to tell us how and when to do that. We can choose to stay indoors because we’re concerned about catching a virus we still don’t completely understand. We can do that without being forced to do it.
We can also make decisions about what to buy and what not to buy at stores. We don’t need tyrannical governors telling us that it’s not ‘safe’ to buy seeds and plant gardens. Or redecorate our homes. Or buy paint for our walls.
If you’re getting the impression that many of these governors are simply using coronavirus as an excuse to take away your freedoms, you’re not alone. Though right now, most Americans appear willing to go along with a certain amount of regulation in order to stop the spread of coronavirus, a growing number are realizing we can still mitigate without losing our liberties.
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