Of all the losses experienced in 2020, the greatest was the certainty as Americans that our civil liberties are strong enough to withstand any challenge.
In just a matter of days last March, and without any debate or weighing of consequences, the basic rights we’ve enjoyed for nearly 230 years were stripped away or severely curtailed in the name of fighting a viral enemy.
With little evidence to support the theory that saving our lives required forfeiting our freedoms, we suddenly found ourselves living under martial law.
We were locked in our homes and out of our churches. Severe limits were placed on our freedom to assemble. Even the sanctity of our homes was invaded. We were told who could come through our doors, and how many.
Education became a luxury. Those with technological means could assure their children continued to grow and learn; those without fell further behind.
Families were forced to endure long separations, and our loved ones were allowed to die in hospitals and nursing homes without the comfort of kin in their final moments.
Commerce was shut down by government fiat; thousands lost their businesses and jobs to severe economic shutdowns arbitrarily and inconsistently applied, without the bother of justification.
Our government assumed we were too stubborn or too frivolous to protect ourselves, so it placed us under its thumb.
Representative democracy was suspended indefinitely by governors who unilaterally seized dictatorial powers, shredding constitutional checks and balances aimed at preventing tyranny.
Police and regulators were empowered to harshly enforce capricious executive orders issued without the approval of lawmakers, heaping further pain on those desperate few who dared defy them.
That precious space carved out by the Bill of Rights for the individual to stand safe from a powerful government all but disappeared.
In a nation that has faced numerous existential threats in its history, this loss of liberty was unprecedented.
Even after 9/11, when Americans willingly chucked their rights on the bonfire to fight terrorism, the casualty list of freedoms was not this great.
Questions about whether such an extreme affront to the Constitution was necessary, or actually worked, were shouted down with one word: Science. This fickle new deity replaced nature’s God as the author of our rights.
We assume the arrival of the new year and the promise of a vaccine will soon restore our ability to decide for ourselves how we live.
There’s no guarantee. Already, the incoming president is talking about booting federalism to the curb and imposing broad protective mandates from Washington, and the frightened mob is clamoring for him to do so.
Even should COVID-19 disappear before this new year is out, “normal” is not a place we may ever return to in terms of civil liberties. A precedent has been set that will make freedom expendable whenever there’s a perceived threat to safety and security.
The pandemic has caused our nation a lot of damage. Most destructive has been the acceptance that our rights are no longer unalienable.
Twitter: @NolanFinleyDN
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Make it mandatory that all of us take courses, in how great communism is, for all of us. After all, losing our civil rights and freedom in society, is great for society and for the “greater good”, right politicians?
no compliance
I’d rather DIE, than comply!
liberty and freedom on 1-20-21 will be extinguished for good.
my vote did not count for anything in the last election or in any possible election in the future.
unless we rid ourselves of the rino and the ultra liberals in the peoples houses of congress it will become the kremlin or the reichstad
these people already hate america and religous freedoms EXCEPT islam.
barry sotero ruined the race relations in america and to me what you saw yesterday was his fault as well.
jews christians be prepared to lose your bibles and church in the dark days ahead.
Establishment RINOs will think the demonstrations were a problem, but true conservatives will view it as an opportunity to fix the problem so there is no more need for it to happen again, not cover it up which insures that it will happen again, but next time on a larger perhaps more violent measure.
This President’s conduct did not precipitate what happened. His revelation of the Democrat criminal activity is what gave birth of the rebellion. Do not let the media divert you to think otherwise. If Biden prosecutes the protesters while letting the ANTIFA and BLMs walk free, it will only create more division and give birth to more violence. Past examples of UNequal justice under the law proves it does not seem to be their forte.
no compliance
That’s the whole big part of this, that irks me the most. FOR MONTHS UPON MONTHS we saw literall TEARING DOWN OF statues, assaults like crazy on all forms of LE, ALL THE WHILE those who were perpetrating them, got off SCOTT FREE AND DEMOCRATS WERE funding their bail…
YET there’s not only already calls to JAIL all those who ‘stormed the capital, but do FAR WORSE to those who support them….
We;ve truly become an UN-United states…
We are no longer the “United States”.
It has become clear that the Democratic Party’s intentions are to rule this country. One way or another.
About half of the U.S. population, that is citizens and the illegal immigrants believe that the government owes them everything.
Where do you think the government gets its money from??
YOU, Those who work.
Big corporations that manufacture stuff add their taxes to the product price and YOU pay their taxes.
just think about how many times the government taxes a loaf of bread.
1. Tax the sale of the wheat seed
2. Tax the fuel needed to produce the wheat.
3. Tax the farmer when he sells the Wheat.
4. Tax the mill that turns the wheat into flour.
5. Tx the mill when it sells the flour.
6. Tax the bakery who makes the bread.
7. Tax the bakery when it sells the bread.
8. Tax the company that delivers the bread to stores.
9. Taxes the store who sells the bread.
10. Tax on income on everyone involved with the bread.
And YOU pay all of these taxes when you buy the bread and this applies to everything.
So YOU that work are paying for those who do not work and get free stuff and are supported.
The Democrat Party has convinced the population that they will take care of all your needs. SO WHY WORK?
We have seen how this works out in Venezuela and any country that has coned it’s population into thinking that the Big government will take care of them.
WE THE UnUnited States are next unless the fools wake up.
I doubt those fools, WILL EVER wake up…
no compliance
BUT CAN we ever hold, those rinos, accountable??
If they think they can buy our freedoms and our silence with $2000 checks,,,,thay have no idea of the American Checks and balances built into our Constitution, namely the second ammendment. The demostrations yesterday should have done the politicians a favor and given them another PEACEFUL opportunity to secure our sacred votes. Next time if THE PEOPLE have to come to Washington they will most likely be bearing arms, and the corrupt politicians who betrayed THE PEOPLE will find many in the ranks of their imagined now defunded police protectors, lining up with THE PEOPLE seeking redress. This is how successful revolutions begin ,,,,the sloten ones never last…and if Schumer and Pelosi don’t address the redresses they wil get a violent undressing themselves. Denying the reality of what just happened, and failing to at least secure the inviolability of our elections will not end peaceably. Your temprarty theft of power will become your own demise. NOBODY wants that so act like THE PEOPLE you were elected to represent.
no compliance
The GOP has successfully committed suicide. They never wanted to fight back and are just as responsible as the Old Democrat Party for allowing their weak Party to be taken over by the Chinese Communist Party. Americans will not cower in fear but will assemble a new Political Party that will follow the demands of the the people. We will eradicate the New American Communist party from what is now a Wasteland and rebuild our nation. What the New Peoples Party will be called or when it forms is not known at this time, but, it will arrive and the corrupt scumbag politicians both past and present will be banned from being allowed to serve. The Swamp Rats need not apply and we know who they are also.
THIS IS why i am going to remove my name, from the voter rolls. WHY BOTHER voting, when the choices are either TRAITOR A or Traitor b???