Dakota Beacon

Things you can’t do during the world-wide shut-down, a partial list:

1. Buy an American flag in Michigan

2. Buy seeds to plant or gardening tools in Michigan

3. Obtain hydroxychloroquine in Michigan

4. Purchase makeup or clothing in Vermont

5. Walk your dog in the wilderness in Britain

6. Take your children to an empty parking lot to rollerblade 

7. Be left alone by yourself in your apartment without the cops breaking down your door to see if there’s a party going on

8. Drive out of town to watch a sunset

9. Try to take a dip in the pool all by yourself without being dragged out by a SWAT team

10. Try to let the sun shine on your whole face (yes, outside of your tiny apartment) or dare to walk 10 feet outside your door

11. Assemble (6 feet apart)  to petition for redress of grievances, namely, the edicts against earning a living

12. Buy paint in Michigan 

13. Go for a drive 

14. Ride on the lake in a motor boat

15. Drive to a church service and listen to a sermon in your car

16. Ride a bus without a mask (even if the cop dragging you off doesn’t wear one)

17. Sit on a park bench (even by yourself)

18. Take your son or daughter out to learn to drive

19. Run alone on the beach 

20. Be “under the illusion” that you can purchase anything at the grocery store that is not approved by the store screws or police

21. Post cherished photos of a vacation you took two years ago on Facebook to cheer you and your friends up while you sit in the gloom because you might have taken them yesterday - that’s right.  Even our memories are now contraband, just in case they are recent.

Is there any reason why we are expected to live this way?  Little, if any, of this has anything to do with transmission of coronavirus.  There are a few more things we aren’t supposed to do - like question whether China should be investigated over this, discussing whether we should stop trade with China or cease to recognize their government.  We are not supposed to talk about the wisdom of maintaining and controlling our borders or regulating who disembarks in our ports and airports. Yet these are things which might have a bearing on stopping the spread of disease.  And coronavirus is not the only disease we are seeing in America which we have not seen in a century, just the most rapidly spreading disease. We have seen a reappearance of the bubonic plague, tuberculosis, many other contagious diseases as a direct result of our open borders.

It’s time we straighten this out - time we guard our country from aliens who may be ill and a threat to our own country, whether due to disease or other - cultural - problems.  But it is also a time to take action to protect our own freedoms within our own borders. As this pandemic wears on our patience is wearing thin. Some things we can see the sense in and cooperate with - it is probably very wise to wear face masks when in public until this subsides.  It has proven very helpful in countries such as Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Singapore and other countries, whereas the usual casual, close physical contact which is part of the culture of many other countries such as Italy or France, has not served them well. So we get that. Observing a greater distance from one another in the supermarket is sensible. We understand that and most of us try to remember it.  Not inviting friends over, not meeting with our friends we get. But that is about the limit.

We are a free people.  We must not forget that.  Our governors must be required to adhere to the Constitution.  At the moment some of them have gotten out of control. Their moment on national news has gone to their heads.  The current governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer is one example. She has been on a tear like Susan Sarandon’s character in Enchanted - a combination of the most fearful Disney stepmothers ever, a role she emphasizes with maroon lipstick.  Petty rulers in some other states have made Christian worship their preferred whipping boy - to the point of littering the roadways to churches with nails so as to damage people’s tires if they should dare to attend a drive-up service on Easter.  A Kentucky governor was overturned in court over this but in many cases there hasn’t been enough time to corral a judge and get him on record making a decision on this.  

There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, however.  A group of citizens in Michigan have filed a lawsuit against Ms Whitmer for violating their civil rights.  One hopes that citizens in other states burdened with such government will take similar action.  In Canada, another place where freedom has been on the wane for some time now, people are finally getting enough.  Rebel News chief, Ezra Levant, is offering to pay legal fees for plaintiffs alleging overstepping of their Charter rights and fighting exorbitant fines.  (If you are interested in freedom in Canada you can contribute to this whether or not you have been fined, by the way.) This is all good news, because although we should not have to go to court to assert our basic rights as citizens it is best that people refuse to back down when it comes to these rights and the free exercise of them.  If that is what it takes we need to be ready to use the courts.  And there are a few stalwart sheriffs who actually understand their role in our government as the only elected law enforcement officers we have - there are some who have stated they will not obey Ms Whitmer's decrees where they violate the Constitution.  This is what all sheriffs should be doing.  It is the only reason we have them.

We are in a truly existential struggle - not so much against the virus.  That will eventually subside. But we must be careful what is left in its wake - if it means that our freedoms have been surrendered to it that problem will be much tougher than any Chinese virus could ever be.  

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