Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, in the Declaration of Independence, that we are “endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. On this premise, the 13 colonies revolted against their colonial masters and won independence in 1783.
Those words were not enough, even for Jefferson. In Paris as our envoy to the French Government during the writing of the Constitution, he realized that an enumeration of these rights should be enshrined in our basic founding document for the framework of the new United States. Assured that this would take place after ratification of the Constitution, Jefferson was home when the Bill of Rights was ratified in December 1791.
Since then men and women in this country claim those rights for themselves during the subsequent 228 plus years of our existence. Yet, in the space of just three months, several of those rights have been abrogated by fiat, not by vote of Congress, but by the arbitrary decisions of governors of states of the union.
Where is the outrage? Is the fear of the COVID-19 so terrifying we meekly submit to the tearing away of our God-given rights, rights which should be protected by government, not ripped from us?
Examples abound. The First Amendment is stuffed with the people’s rights, those we enjoy simply by being. Rights which are not granted by government, but which are ours wherever we go in this country or world. Listen again to those words in that First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Governors in several states, including Illinois, declared that churches were not “essential” to the life of the populous, and so prohibited services from being held. Everyone of those edicts violated that phrase, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. We, the people, yielded without a battle. Only recently have those of faith started to push back, yet the heavy hand of government was felt. In one state, a pastor held a Palm Sunday service with 16 attendees, scattered across an auditorium that seated 293. He was charged with a “crime” and faced jail time and a $2500 fine.
In another state, abortions were deemed essential, but not church services. Even the state legislature in that locale is fighting back against their governor’s overreach. The blanket prohibition of services having no more than 10 in Illinois prompted a lawsuit against the governor for issuing the edict. (The resolution of this is still be adjudicated.)
“Or the right of the people peaceably to assemble” has also been violated, as states order people to say inside and will break up any attempt to protest the draconian orders issued from the statehouses of the nation.
Until ordered to change policy by federal courts, some states and cities decided that the Second Amendment could be suspended during the pandemic, claiming guns and ammo were not essential to the citizens lives.
- Another amendment has been disregarded by those making rules to “keep us safe” from the deadly virus; this time it was and is the 14th Amendment. Here is the text of that part of our Constitution: “ All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
If no gathering of more than 10 are allowed, how is it equal not to apply that to every entity that was allowed to remain open? An example is of a local (county) Health Department which complained of a church having more than that number for a drive-in service, but no effort was made to limit the local Wal-Mart’s number in their store. This same department decreed that in the drive-in part that cars should be parked at least six feet apart, and that communion was forbidden even though it was provided in prepackaged form for individuals. Yet restaurants could dispense food without the same restrictions.
Where is the equal protection of the law for church goers? Where is the application of rules evenly spread over all of those who live in the same jurisdiction?
It would take more time and space to list all of the times during this pandemic that governors and unelected bureaucrats violated the rights of the people. And I ask again, where is the outrage at this? Do we just sit idly back in our safe little hovels and allow our “betters” make decisions for us, even the decisions to abrogate some of our basic rights?
Perhaps we should take a page from history as our motto going forward. Here are the words of Patrick Henry, speaking to the Virginia House of Burgesses on 23 March 1775. He ended his oration with this:
“ Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! — I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”