Friday, April 10, 2020

Bill of Rights in Intensive Care Unit (Knifed in the Back by Government at All Levels)

Finally, the human tragedy from the virus – deaths and massive economic dislocation, depression, and contraction – is not the only long-term consequence. The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights may not survive this slow-motion march to Martial Law. What do I mean?
There are five freedoms in the First Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and the right to petition your government for a redress of grievances. Each one of those is under attack from the C virus. For example, you may be prohibited from going to synagogue or church this weekend to celebrate Passover or Easter.

I always thought the power-seeking psychopaths from Big Government would come for the Second Amendment first. And they sort of did, with the proliferation of “red-flag” laws passed last year. These laws allow your neighbor to inform on you to the cops, have you designated as a dangerous person, and have your gun confiscated.
But that’s not the greatest danger to individual liberty now. The greatest danger is that in the space of a few short weeks, we’ve gone from a nominally federal system with limited government and the Rule of Law to a complete trashing of our rights at almost every level of government. And to be honest, it appears most Americans have embraced it. It’s sad.

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