CoronaVirus vs Liberty
Isolation seems to be the only way that a close-contact pandemic can be stopped. With isolation comes many limits on our liberty. School and business closings, sports leagues shutting down … basically anywhere people gather in large numbers in close proximity to each other. These make sense in terms of slowing transmission rates and eventually burning this one out.
However, in times like these, people who desire power and control rise to the surface. They will enact punitive laws and restrict freedom, all in the name of ‘public safety.’ Following are some of examples of people in positions of leadership capitalizing on this virus scare to take away liberties:
City Cousel of Champaign, Illinois ‘Emergency ‘ Power Grab
The Mayor and City Counsel of Champaign, Illinois gave themselves sweeping powers to take away all basic freedoms from the people of Champaign. These include, for some reason, restricting the sale or distribution of firearms, alcohol and fuel. The City Attorney, Fred Stavins was practically gleeful (as far as lawyers get gleeful) as he listed the various powers he wanted to control and restrict … all in careful lawyer speak. You can see his speech to council here.
Copy of the Ordinance Related to the Emergency Created by the Impact of the COVID-19 Virus. Page 8 is where the list of new powers and restrictions begin. It’s quite the list.
Now why would firearms be added to the list of things restricted to help stop a virus? There is only one logical scenario: they are worried that as they take away peoples freedoms, the people might resist; civil unrest. Nothing about guns or ammunition have anything to do with the virus … nothing! This is an anticipatory law enacted under the guise of ‘widespread impacts on the health of members of the community.’
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde, doubled down the next day claiming that these sweeping powers were needed for the health and safety of the people and that citizens should just trust her with these powers:
That’s why people need to trust us. I’ve been doing this over 25 years. … Everybody working on this is working very hard and doing their very best.
Council member Tom Bruno admits its a broad list, but insists that:
(restricting) the temporary sale of firearms” is necessary to “protect the citizens from an infectious virus.
This would be laughable if it wasn’t so evil.
Latoya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana Declares a State of Emergency Limiting Sale or Movement of Firearms, Fuel and Alcohol
Much like the Champaign City Counsel, the mayor of New Orleans, Latoya Cantrell has given herself power over “alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, and combustibles.”
Other measures such as evacuation routes, closure of government offices, etc. all make perfect sense in the light of an infectious disease issue … the restriction on firearms, alcohol and fuel does not. This is strictly about control and removing power from people and placing it solely in the hands of government officials.
Read her declaration of power grab here.
This, of course hearkens back to the gun confiscation that New Orleans implemented during Hurricane Katrina. If they are allowed to do it once, in the case of a true emergency, then next time they will do it in the case of a possible emergency. This is how power works … it chips away at freedom, bits at a time till you are completely powerless and ‘they’ have all the power.
Not seeing much about this one in the news … yet.
Hoboken, New Jersey Mayor Ravinder Bhalla Enacts a Citywide Nighttime Curfew
Yes, this virus is particularly virulent at night, so we must restrict your movements at night. Or so the thinking goes.
Hoboken, NJ has imposed a citywide curfew from 10pm to 5am.
Again, I think people understand the restrictions based on group gatherings to try to slow transmission, but forcing people to stay in their homes at night by law is a whole other thing. This has nothing to do with ‘public heath’ and everything to do with power and control of the people.
Interesting to note that this curfew is not listed on the City of Hoboken website yet (today being March 15, around noon.) It has simply been given straight to the media.
As I find more government power grabs over freedoms not related to the virus, I’ll post them here.