How Nip This Police State In The Bud

Molly McCann, at The Federalist today tells How You Can Help Roll Back The Coronavirus Police State. The first thing that McCann makes clear is that we are now in a police state, and unless we assert our God given and Constitutionally protected rights. We are in this situation because we consented to it. And in fairness, we consented to it because we were already convinced to stay home for our own safety. It was us making our own analysis of the personal risk as well as the risk to others. That is as it should be.

Last week, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy released a three-minute video in which he vigorously ranted against the ongoing lockdowns. Portnoy’s basic point was that the goalposts have shifted from “flatten the curve” to “find a cure.” He pointed out, in blunt and colorful language, that economic suicide in pursuit of the latter goal is insanity. His video went viral.

Portnoy is not a political figure. His anger over the economic crisis and sense that, having done our best to slow the spread, we have the right to take a risk to survive, resonates with a lot of normal people.

One of Portnoy’s repeated questions throughout the video was, “When did this happen?” When did we go from flattening the curve to tanking our economy, our livelihoods, and our futures?

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Last night on Tucker Carlson, Andrew Napolitano offered a related reflection when he described a free state as “one where the laws are written to uphold personal liberties,” while the definition of a police state is “one where the laws are written, legitimately or not, to uphold what the government wants.” He went on to note that there has been a transition in America that has not been gradual: “In a period of six weeks we have gone from a free state . . . to a police state.”

Of course, one thing about a police state is that the people in power never want to give up any of that power. The unfortunate fact is that we must disabuse them of their fantasy. Now, if you are a billionaire, say, and you employ 10,000 employees in good paying jobs, say, like Tesla, you can get the petty tyrants to back down. That is what Elon Musk did. In doing so, he showed that the tyrants are all hat and no cattle. But most of us are not billionaires, and most of us have little influence.

So, how do we eventually get our liberties back?  Recognizing that most people can not afford to bring lawsuits (which is part of the strategy of these tinhorns...to starve us into submission) we an still make a difference:

We all need to step up and speak out. Everyone has a zone of influence, large or small, and when you speak, you add to a critical growing momentum.

We lose freedom ultimately because we let bad people take it from us. Freedom is not taken by force only; it is often taken slowly and quietly, with our foolish consent that is given by silence.

America was not founded to be a police or nanny state. It flourished because it was the land of the free and the home of the brave. It grew to greatness because people were willing to take risks to survive and succeed.

The one thing a police state can not tolerate is massive disobedience and mocking of the leaders. The more we express our displeasure with house arrest, and the more of a show of not consenting to their foolishness, the sooner this thing will end.t