INTRO: Government Created Socialists? Sick of seeing state and city governments repeatedly closing bars and diners, cycling between partial and full closures, with many finally closing? Why is this the only way to ‘fight’ a virus only fatal in less than 1/3rd of 1% of cases? Considering most “shutdown friendly” states and cities are run by Democrats, here’s a guess. It overwhelmingly benefits Democrats to bankrupt small entrepreneur Conservatives because it cancels their political support. Further, it’s perverse joy to see anti-Liberals assume the role of socialists and serfs. A country without a middle class is easier to enslave since the wealthy will always afford survival.
Nonsensical Rules:
Restaurants,
especially using outside dining, are not Covid hotbeds. Instead, “Closedown
Commandos” are liberal statists seeking big government to swallow society then
regurgitate every party, fully regulated. But to close down even outside dining
without any scientific argument is perverse. Shutting restaurants hurts many
without obviously aiding anyone. Further, much scientific dispute remains on
masks and restaurants. (see Los Angeles Dept of Public Health admits no science link
between outdoor dining, COVID-19 spike) But what if the same
government who seeks to “protect us” and overcome a virus by nonsensical means
really seeks to make a Venezuela out of the USA? Why? Because unthinking
liberalism is just a religion replacement. Remember—Just because it’s a crazy
idea doesn’t mean some people don’t want it. “It” being socialism.
Biden
or Aquinas? Since government means to shut down your business in the name of
safety without any proof, do you have a duty to obey? No. In fact, Saint Aquinas stated: “Lex iniusta non
est lex”—a bad law was no law at all, writing:
“Human law is law only by
virtue of its accordance with right reason; and thus it is manifest that it
flows from the eternal law. And in so far as it deviates from right reason it
is called an unjust law; in such case it is no law at all, but rather a species
of violence.”
Martin Luther King:
The
great Martin Luther King agreed in his Birmingham Jail Letter, stating:
“One
may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?‘The
answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I
would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but
a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral
responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that
‘an unjust law is no law at all.’
“Now, what is the
difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or
unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the
law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.
To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that
is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human
personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.”
God Given Rights to Protect
Property:
John
Locke, chief inspiration of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence
originally spoke of defending “Life, Liberty
and Property.” A person is nothing without their property and to
deprive humans of such means to enslave them. Therefore, every person has the
right to take extraordinary measures to defend their property. No government
has the right to enslave their populace.
Defend Businesses with Civil
Disobedience!
So
all Americans should take reasonable means to protect your property, including
your business. For restaurateurs this should include assembling guilds of other
restaurateurs to decide to reopen, knowing the government cannot arrest a large
group. Think ahead and retain an attorney, knowing you are in the right and
must fight to keep your families from bankruptcy.
CONCLUSION:
Has
government shown ANY reasonable commitment to try and avoid ruinous shutdowns
bankrupting many businesses? All small businesses are in the same position. So
you must seriously and thoughtfully decide how you will defy bad and injurious
laws to save our society by staying open and safely continuing to trade.
Government can only enslave that society where the middle class is defeated and
whom then ignobly suckle upon the teat of mother government like the ruined
victims of all communist regimes.
Kelly OConnell -- Bio and Archives
Kelly
O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in
Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for
the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law
school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government.
He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a
Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been
employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and
worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private
practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.
