Abuse of power was one of the charges that the Democrats tried to hang around PDJT’s neck during their faux impeachment. The COVID-19 crisis has allowed the American public to see just how many politicians in positions of power become tinpot dictators and worse. It has not been pretty.
Some governors, mayors and law enforcement have become tyrants. This sudden ability to control all aspects of the lives of others has allowed their inner totalitarianism to come out. Most, but not all, are Democrats. Most are Democrats because those who would abuse power gravitate to the Democratic Party. As Democrats, they know that it is unlikely that they will ever be held accountable for their abuses.
President Lincoln once said,
Of course, in this day and age we need to extend that quote to women as well. And perhaps one the worst offenders is Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer, who aspires to be President Vice President, shut down virtually every aspect of life in Michigan, including earning any type of living. Whitmer used the excuse that this was the only way to prevent millions of people from dying. Tyrants always insist that they are only doing these things for the “good of the people.”
Some of the things that she did are seen in other lockdown states as well. No in-person public meetings. No medical or dental procedures unless they were “essential.” Releasing criminals back onto the streets, etc.
However, Whitmer went way beyond this. Whitmer banned traveling from one residence to another if you happened to be fortunate to own two. Whitmer created a long list of items she deemed to be non-essential and banned their sale even if the store was remaining open to provide other “essential items” like groceries.
Andrea Widburg noted,
Stores bigger than 50,000 square feet may advertise only groceries, medical supplies, and “items necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and basic operations of residences.” Tobacco stores, vape shops, cigar bars, etc., are all closed. Hunting clubs and gun ranges – closed. Law firms – closed. Sporting goods and outdoor stores – closed. Motorboats, jet skis, and similar watercraft – shut down. All but emergency construction work – stopped.
Craft and hobby stores to keep the children from killing each other – closed. Outdoor maintenance (landscaping, gardening, etc.), even for someone who’s 90 and has a dangerously overgrown garden – nope. Selling or buying a home is off the table because the real estate business is a no-no. And this is only a partial list of Whitmer’s ukases.
Perhaps the worst of Whitmer’s pronouncements was declaring abortion, that is, the killing of a living human baby by choice, “life-sustaining” health care. Abortion is all about ending a life. And there are a lot of cases where the abortion does not even preserve the life of the distressed woman who has opted for the procedure. But, according to Whitmer, it is “life-sustaining” to keep on killing unborn babies.
Such language is completely Orwellian. Death is life. Freedom is slavery. Night is day.
Thomas Sowell once noted that “…totalitarianism recognizes no moral limits on the state. It’s the most convenient ideology for aspiring tyrants….” And Whitmer is clearly an aspiring tyrant.
This kind of abrogation of an American’s basic rights can only last so long. Most Americans are community minded. Most were okay with voluntarily adopting CDC guidelines on how to conduct themselves during this crisis. People are willing to wear masks, wash their hands, disinfect things, and keep some distance from each other. What they’re not willing to see, though, is their lives and futures destroyed.
The reality is that Americans can acclimate to a lot of different situations. However, giving up their freedoms indefinitely is not one of them. The Bill of Rights was not a suggestion and there are no asterisks for a pandemic.
It should be noted that the governors of these states are making the decisions that are killing the economy over something that is looking more and more like just a bad flu season. In 2009-2010 the swine flu sickened some 60+ million Americans. The economy was not shut down.
On Wednesday a true grassroots protest took place in Michigan. This was not one of those protests funded by some George Soros super PAC. This reminds one of the Tea Party protests in 2010. Thousands of people (mostly in cars) descended on the state capitol to protest the governor’s heavy-handed suspension of their basic rights as American citizens.
Thousands of people from all over Michigan are converging on our state Capitol today to protest the governor’s restrictive “Stay Home” order and get their voices, and car horns, heard. #OperationGridlock pic.twitter.com/bgjH4wKCUQ
— MI House Republicans (@MI_Republicans) April 15, 2020
Whitmer dismissed the protestors as dangerous. I suppose that is true. They may be quite dangerous to her continued job as governor of Michigan. They may also derail her run toward the Presidency Vice Presidency. Perhaps it is time to recall the governor of Michigan.
People are mad. People in other states are beginning to rise up against these assaults on all rights guaranteed by the Bill Of Rights. More of this kind of courage is needed.
Wake up, America. Protect the rights our founding fathers gave us.