Coronavirus: Thread

[grarpamp]

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/americans-have-traded-their-freedoms-for-safety-from-covid-and-now-we-have-neither/

Americans Have Traded Their Freedoms For Safety From COVID, And Now We
Have Neither

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/03.16.20_coronavirus-guidance_8.5x11_315PM.pdf
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/triple-masks-votes-covid/
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/covid-spending-6-trillion-american-taxpayers/
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/new-research-shows-coronavirus-lockdowns-cost-more-lives-than-they-saved/
https://www.nber.org/papers/w28930
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/lockdowns-unemployment-police-state-mit/
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/lockdowns-harvard-data-crushed-working-class/
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/dr-fauci-says-no-end-to-covid-pandemic-before-spring-2022-at-the-earliest/
https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions10.html
https://www.dhs.gov/ntas/advisory/national-terrorism-advisory-system-bulletin-august-13-2021

On March 16, 2020, the Trump administration released a 15-day plan to
slow the spread of the coronavirus in the US. That was 528 days ago.

Over the last year and a half, one of the largest power grabs in the
history of the world has taken place as fearful citizens willingly
surrendered their rights to the state for the promise of safety. But
that safety never came and it never will.

What did come, however, was a slew of arbitrary and often ridiculous
mandates and decrees from politicians who think that government force
can stop a pandemic. Despite the economically devastating draconian
lockdowns that killed countless small businesses, vaccine passports,
and mask mandates, COVID-19 returned.

As TFTP has reported, we predicted this. Several studies have shown
that the lockdowns were not effective at stopping the virus. In June,
we reported on the study from the National Bureau of Economic Research
which analyzed data from 44 countries and all 50 states. The study
from the NBER found that these restrictions not only failed to save
lives, and greatly exacerbated the destruction of the working class —
but have in fact resulted in an increase of excess mortality. At the
end of the day, they cost more lives than they saved.

Also in June, TFTP covered the findings of an MIT scientist who
reported a data analysis of the economic impact of the lockdown —
noting that whilst it played a key contributing role to the sharp rise
of unemployment, it did not make a significant reduction in deaths.

And on June 22, a Harvard University study reiterated the fact that
while this policy did not save lives it decimated the economy; while
modern robber barons such as Zuckerberg, Gates, and Bezos saw their
portfolios expand exponentially. This was yet another report, as
TFTP’s Don Via Jr. pointed out, that much like the aforementioned, did
not receive national headlines from the corporate media.

On top of the sheer despotism brought about by team lockdown,
government spending has reached historical levels and the
already-unsustainable nature of such irresponsible fiscal policy has
been fast tracked to complete meltdown. As the government prints more
money, your savings is devalued, forcing more and more people to lean
on the already stressed system. It is a recipe for disaster and the
ones who have been paying attention know it.

What’s the tyrant class planning next? Well, more of the same it seems.

To be clear, no one here is claiming that COVID-19 is not serious and
you shouldn’t take precautions. However, granting government
tyrannical powers in the form of business closures, mandates, vaccine
passports, and more lockdowns, is most assuredly not the answer.

As John Locke famously stated in A Letter Concerning Toleration, “It
is one thing to persuade, another to command; one thing to press with
arguments, another with penalties. This the civil power alone has a
right to do; to the other good-will is authority enough.”

In summary, good ideas do not require force.

What’s more, as the data analyses above illustrate, it is difficult to
tell the difference between places which had strict lockdowns and
mandates verses the ones that did not. You can’t tyranny your way out
of a pandemic — but you can pandemic your way into tyranny.

Sadly, Americans have a short memory when it comes to giving up their
freedoms for a false sense of security. When a society surrenders
individual liberty to the state, the state never gives it back.

Case in point: 9/11. After the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001,
the U.S. government declared a state of emergency. That order granted
the Office of the President broad discretionary powers over the
military, powers that the President normally does not have. It also
gives the Executive far more power than it should have which allowed
for the creation of the massive surveillance state we see today.

Since that September day, we’ve entered into multiple wars of
aggression while bypassing Congress, waged a massive domestic spying
campaign, eroded the Bill of Rights, and constructed a monumental
police state hear at home.

Under the National Emergencies Act, national emergencies expire after
a year, unless the president renews them by notifying Congress. Since
George W. Bush declared a national emergency on September 14, 2001,
every president after him has extended it.

Because Americans have such short memories, we are once again yielding
our freedom for the perception of safety. And, just like the
government has done since 9/11, they will hold on to those freedoms
and refuse to give them back.

Now, as the bogus and freedom-diminishing war on terror comes
crumbling down, the tyrant class needs a new war to keep you in line
and ready and willing to relinquish your rights. The targeted
“terrorists” are no longer brown people in the Middle East, the new
enemies are those who refuse to give up their rights at home.

This is why the Department of Homeland Security — which coincidentally
did not exist before 9/11 — issued a terror bulletin this month,
claiming that anti-lockdown protesters could be potential terrorists.

Now is not the time to sit idle and hope for things to get better. As
Rand Paul said earlier this month, “we are at a moment of truth and a
crossroads. Will we allow these people to use fear and propaganda to
do further harm to our society, economy, and children? Or will we
stand together and say, absolutely not. Not this time. I choose
freedom.”

The definition of freedom is not safety. Freedom comes with risks and
it is up to us to assess those risks and make our own choices.
Governments cannot eliminate risk and only tyrants claim to be able to
do so as it gives them complete control over your life.

Will you be one who chooses freedom and assess your own safety, or,
will you continue to believe in the totalitarian fantasy that is the
government creating a world without risk? The choice is yours.