Pandemic Unleashes Virulent Authoritarianism

In the 1007 years since Magna Carta, people in the Anglosphere have fought many great battles to preserve their birthright of liberty. But in the brief span of two years, the Covid pandemic threatened our freedom in ways few could have imagined, from internment camps in Australia to a 100+ day blockade of Auckland in New Zealand to an ersatz state of emergency in Canada to draconian restrictions in the UK to suspension of constitutional rights, including assembly and worship, in the USA.

Very few people realize how rare, delicate and fragile liberty and freedom are. Since man first came down from the trees, there have been 115 billion humans; of that total, fewer than 1% have lived their lives in liberty. Even in the 21st century, only 10% enjoy freedom. In a crisis it is even more critical to protect liberty since that’s when it comes under the most stress. Regrettably, America mostly failed its Covid stress test. Following is the good, bad and ugly of the pandemic and the lessons we must learn.

The Good

1. Operation Warp Speed was an astounding success. This is the only example in my lifetime where government responded to a crisis with such focus and speed.
2. Federalism worked by allowing successes and failures. States that respect liberty performed much better than those under the yoke of progressive governance.
3. Although late in coming, people throughout the Anglosphere began to resist.

The Bad

1. Government response was too authoritarian. Liberals do not trust people, states or truth; they prefer one-size-fits-all federal solutions. People must be free to decide about masks, vaccines, worship, gatherings and their kids’ schools.
2. The pandemic became virulently politicized to the point where Kamala Harris said she would not take a vaccine produced under Trump’s presidency.
3. Several of our cherished constitutional rights were knowingly violated.
4. We implemented the wrong strategy. We should have emphasized protection for the most vulnerable instead of locking down the entire country.
5. Truth was a casualty; those in power flagrantly violated their own diktats.
6. Mandates ran amok as power hungry politicians sought to create a nanny state.

The Ugly

1. The ugliest by far was the contempt for children and parents demonstrated by teachers unions. They shamelessly held kids hostage to extort more money and benefits. At least, they revealed their true nature, thereby aiding the movement for universal school choice. There is a special place in Hades reserved for them.
2. Another spot in Hades – south of the River Styx – is reserved for the governors of NY and MI, who caused thousands of unnecessary nursing home deaths.
3. Censorship by big tech and the media strictly followed the government party line and stifled all other viewpoints – many of which proved to be correct.

The Lessons of the Pandemic

The pandemic exposed deep fissures in our American democracy and in democracies throughout the Anglosphere. We must learn from it so it can’t happen again. We must understand how fragile liberty is and how much power corrupts. Any emergency powers must be legal, the minimum required and have a short and fixed ending point. Rights enshrined in the Constitution must never be abridged, even momentarily. We must respect people, states and truth. There must be no censorship whatsoever and differing viewpoints must be allowed and open debate encouraged.

America and the other nations of the Anglosphere are proud heirs of Magna Carta. Our birthright of liberty goes back over 1,000 years and has survived countless existential threats – most far worse than Covid. Our heritage of liberty is worth protecting at all costs – even in the direst of emergencies – especially in the direst of emergencies!

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More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

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