Normalized authoritarianism is America’s greatest long-term threat

The two biggest fears for most Americans as it pertains to the coronavirus are the disease itself and the economic fallout of the crisis at hand. It’s easy for many to willingly accept the blatant attack on our freedoms that is happening now because of the crisis, but there seems to be an assumption that our rights will be restored when the crisis is over. This is not the case. It has never been the case. When any government gets a taste of more control over the people, the majority within leadership becomes reluctant to give it up.

What we are seeing is a systematic normalization of authoritarian control. It’s unconstitutional even in times of crisis for the people to have so many rights subverted for the sake of safety and security. And yet, here we are with millions of people willfully accepting that this is all necessary in order to fight an invisible killer in our midst.

This is not a question over whether or not we must be cautious. We absolutely should be. The White House is correct in strongly encouraging people to stay at home, practice social distancing, and take all of the appropriate precautions to prevent this disease from spreading. But there’s a huge difference between “strongly encouraging” the nation to act responsibly and the mandates, ordinances, and executive orders being used to enforce responsibility.

Should people be fined for fishing alone on a shore?

Message from a follower. Guy standing alone on the shore fishing is threatened with a fine. There is no reason for this, other than as an excuse for local officials to flex their muscles. By the way, fishing may well be an “essential” activity for those who can’t afford groceries pic.twitter.com/PQuYi9wJWZ

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 4, 2020

Should those who do not abide by quarantine mandates be treated like criminals and forced to wear ankle monitors?

Some people in Kentucky are being ordered to wear GPS-enabled ankle bracelets if they won't self-isolate themselves.

American freedom is dead. The surveillance state is here.

What a joke. https://t.co/niqcnInKGW

— Pomp 🌪 (@APompliano) April 4, 2020

Is it a good thing that government is encouraging people to report those violating decrees against freedom?

When freedom is considered a criminal act, government will appeal to the people to turn in the violators.

This is not America, folks. At least it shouldn't be. https://t.co/1Q9qs10RNx

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) April 5, 2020

My biggest concern in all of this isn’t the attacks on our freedoms today, though those are heinous enough. My biggest concern is how this is being normalized as a part of modern American life. Restrictions will be lifted when the threat of the coronavirus subsides, but not all of them. America is in the process of a permanent change to our way of life. Unfortunately, many have silently and even gleefully complied without objection. This tells those who see the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to promote a progressive agenda that we are willing participants in their new vision of America.

Again, this isn’t about the efficacy of staying at home or businesses willingly shutting down for the sake of containing the virus. There are many businesses that simply cannot establish a work environment conducive to appropriate measures for fighting the disease. But businesses are not being classified by risk. Instead, they are classified by whether or not they are deemed “essential.”

Some factories would be able to set up strong protocols to continue producing while still protecting their employees. But they’re not being given the opportunity to innovate and adapt if they’re not considered “essential.” Jobs that do not require close proximity between employees are wrongly affected by these blanket mandates. Instead of a complete shutdown, it would have been better for government to make recommendations and inform the people about how best they can keep themselves and the people around them safe. Even if some of the economy could have kept moving, it would have been better than where we are today.

Personally, I do not need an executive order from Government Newsom to keep me and my family at home. We, just like most Americans, would have done it willingly without the mandate. But we would have also been creative in finding ways to help this nation and ourselves through the crisis. I would love to take my kids fishing right about now in the coronavirus-free environment of an isolated riverside area. Catching dinner is always more satisfying than buying it. But even such safe and productive actions are now against the law.

When the dust settles, many of our rights will be “given” back to us. But not all of them. We are being trained to accept government authority over our rights, as if they can determine such things. But these rights are God-given and protected by the Constitution. Government isn’t there to give or take. They are there to stay within the framework and defend those rights like the rest of us. In America, those rights cannot be taken away on a whim, even if that whim is driven by fear of infectious disease.

This is why we’re here. It’s why the American Conservative Movement was formed. It’s why our first conference—the Saving America Conference on April 18th—is so important. It’s time to bring patriotic Americans together to make sure this temporary subversion of our rights does not turn into a permanent demonstration of Marxist policies at work in the United States.

What we’re giving up in freedoms is not worth the safety it provides. Should we be responsible in how we handle this situation? Absolutely. A free and willing people would handle this crisis much better than a people subjugated under authoritarianism.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.