The melee over the models

A conservative activist believes a lot of alleged “experts” are going to face some tough questions once COVID-19 crisis is over.

Over the past week, demonstrations by frustrated and angry Americans demanding to go back to work have swept the country. Many of those citizens can no longer afford to feed their families and pay their mortgages – and a growing number are convinced they are being financially crushed over a virus that isn’t that dangerous to the vast majority of the population.

Gary Bauer, president of American Values, says many of the “experts” promoted models that time is showing were just not accurate.

“We were being told all along the way that the death rate for this was somewhere between two and five percent – and it appears that that’s just not true,” says Bauer. “There seems to be a real lack of perspective on all of this. And I think a lot of people are going to have tough questions to answer down the road as we do a post-mortem about how some of the ‘experts’ advised political leaders and others about how to deal with this.”

And a fair history, he says, will not be kind on the media. “The media did an abysmal job. They did their best to stoke more panic,” he tells OneNewsNow. “And quite frankly, they were more interested in killing Trump politically then they were in killing the virus.”

Bauer also is convinced a fair history will judge President Trump’s actions as being extraordinarily sound and that America was fortunate to have him as president during this time.

The issue of religious liberty

Those same inaccurate models that ended up frustrating many Americans also opened the door for some governors to initiate actions that further frustrated their citizens. For example, a former Navy chaplain and Colorado state legislator isn’t happy with the ongoing shutdown of his state.

For four hours, citizens gathered at the steps of the State Capitol in Denver and demanded an end to the stay-at-home order of Democratic Governor Jared Polis, arguing it was an overreach of the state’s authority. Some of the protestors even referred to Polis as a “tyrant.”

Former Navy chaplain Dr. Gordon Klingenschmitt runs The Pray In Jesus Name Project, based in Colorado Springs.

“As a former state representative in the Colorado legislature, I have done battle with Governor Jared Polis in person – and we have clashed on a number of issues, especially religious liberty,” the former chaplain shares. “They are opening liquor stores and pot shops while churches are being threatened and closed in Colorado Springs. This is not right, and we are demanding freedom.”

Klingenschmitt cites a tragic consequence of the coronavirus in his state.

“We recently had two cadets commit suicide at the United States Air Force Academy, causing the Secretary of the Air Force to move up graduation by six weeks,” he states. “But because of the coronavirus shutdown and stay-at-home order issued by the governor, it is causing great depression and violation of religious liberty.”

Klingenschmitt is demanding that churches be declared “essential” services and be allowed to fully open.

“Thankfully, our House minority leader, Patrick Neville – a Republican – persuaded the governor to modify his order so that churches can be opened … but only if they follow very restrictive guidelines still issued by the governor,” he describes.

The ministry leader is requesting instead that Polis follow the example of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who declared churches essential services.

“[Churches] are spiritual hospitals,” Klingenschmitt concludes. “People are in need, especially when the suicide rate is up.”

He argues that all 50 states should follow the example of Texas and not what he calls the “bad example” of Colorado.

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