When Do We Get Our Freedoms Back?

Lee Duigon

Surely the most inane argument we get for continuing our national lockdown is, “If it saves one life, it’s worth it!”

Automobile accidents are far and away the leading cause of accidental death in America. Banning the use of cars would save many lives—wouldn’t it? Or they could limit driving a motor vehicle to “essential persons”—government officials and their families, unionized public employees, LGBT characters, undocumented migrants, Democrat Party operatives, Hollywood big shots: because, you see, most car accidents involve—well, those of us they call “deplorables.” Us peasants are murder on the highways.

Another prime cause of accidental death is slipping and falling at home. Shouldn’t government get involved in that? Maybe you shouldn’t be allowed to go up or down a flight of stairs without permission. Maybe they ought to ban throw rugs. For throwing people.

Thing is, ordinary activities in everyday life all involve some element of risk. You could keel over playing bingo. Bad eating habits can kill you. Think of Michael Bloomberg’s soda ban: and he spent a quarter of a billion dollars this year trying to become our president. Imagine the fun he could have had with that.

But the lockdown, we are told, is necessary because the risk posed by the Chinese Communist Death Virus From China is tantamount to an extinction event. It’s also a wonderful way to get people angry and frustrated—maybe even mad enough or crazed enough to put a Democrat wacko in the White House. Hey, it’s worth a try.

I want to think our elected officials are simply doing their best in a difficult situation for which no one was prepared. But then I think of Nancy Pelosi.

If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget how fast—how terrifyingly fast—our national economy got flattened (we were supposed to be “flattening the curve,” but we also flattened our economy) and with what dreadful haste our civil liberties got put on ice. Free exercise of religion, freedom of assembly—kiss ‘em goodbye. At least until the coronavirus germ is history. Then we’ll give you your rights back. Honest.

But these rights are not sweet treats doled out to us by an indulgent government for being good little boys and girls. They are God-given rights, enshrined in law: we are born with them. The government’s only involvement is a duty to protect them.

Where does it say our rights get put on hold whenever there’s a crisis? During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus. He was wrong for doing so. During World War II, Franklin Roosevelt’s government—apparently believing that due process rights ceased to exist in time of crisis—imprisoned Japanese-Americans, American citizens who had committed no crime. They were forced into camps only because they or their parents or their grandparents had come here from Japan.

Does anybody remember that “lockdown” was originally a prison tactic for controlling the prisoners? Is there more jailhouse lingo in store for us?

Well, at least now we’ve all had a little taste of socialism. How do you like it? And remember that months before anyone heard any mention of COVID-19, assorted Democrats were campaigning to let convicted felons out of prison. And abolish the police, while we’re at it. The virus gave them an excuse to spring thousands of jailbirds. Again, it was something they’d been wanting to do for quite some time. Gotta use some of that prison space for Climate Change deniers and other Enemies of the People.

Endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights, says our Declaration of Independence. Not endowed by government. And “Inalienable” means that they cannot be given away, sold, or taken away by force: they are not canceled by any crisis that happens to come along.

A tyrant may be strong enough to tread on us, maybe even crush us; but he can never do it lawfully. And as the philosopher Plutarch noted, tyranny is a fine, high perch with a lovely view; but there is no safe way down from it.

We want our rights back.

I have discussed these and other topics throughout the week on my blog, http://leeduigon.com/ . My articles can also be found at www.chalcedon.edu/ .

E-Mail Lee Duigon: leeduigon@verizon.net