Resist The Authoritarian Response To The Coronavirus

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

So we went from complaining about Republicans calling this a hoax to Democrats, once a response is being made, to effectively calling the response a hoax.

The Trump maladministration response certainly should be considered one. I'm giving the various state governors and governments as much benefit of the doubt as I can. But the Trump admin blew any credibility they had long ago. Trump & co should be considered as actively hostile to the nation and the public. Whether through criminality and treason or stupidity and incompetence doesn't really matter.  

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

This minor (don't lie and claim otherwise) pandemic has served as a wake up call.
The vast majority of humans are blithering fools, willing to enthusiastically get down on their scrawny knees and pray to their government to strip from them of all of their invaluable freedoms and liberties, simply because the government narrative states that it "must be done" to "keep you safe." Americans, unfortunately, are not exempt from this.

At a minimum, that "wake up call" came through loud and clear back on November 8th, 2016, when over 62 million Americans voted for exactly that message from a vile orange clown running a hate-filled medicine show.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

South Korea’s coronavirus response is the opposite of China and Italy – and it’s working

As countries ranging from the United States to Italy and Iran struggle to manage the virus, Seoul’s handling of the outbreak – involving a highly coordinated government response that has emphasised transparency and relied heavily on public cooperation in place of hardline measures such as lockdowns – is increasingly viewed by public health experts as a model to emulate for authorities desperate to keep the virus under control.

Whereas China, where the virus originated, and more recently Italy have placed millions of their citizens on lockdown, South Korea has not restricted people’s movements – not even in Daegu, the southeastern city at the centre of the country’s outbreak.
Instead, authorities have focused mandatory quarantine on infected patients and those with whom they have come into close contact, while advising the public to stay indoors, avoid public events, wear masks and practise good hygiene.

Lessons for America: How South Korean Authorities Used Law to Fight the Coronavirus

Emergency texts from the government alerting citizens of nearby cases of coronavirus infection. A government-mandated GPS-tracking app designed to monitor and punish people who break quarantine. Public government reports detailing the whereabouts of every single confirmed patient—down to which theater seat they sat in, which plastic surgery clinic they visited and even where they got their lingerie.

All these examples are part of a sweeping tracking infrastructure erected by the South Korean government to contain the largest coronavirus outbreak outside of mainland China. To date, South Korea has confirmed 8,236 cases of coronavirus infection, with roughly 60 percent linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive Korean cult. More than three-quarters of South Korean cases have occurred in the southeastern city of Daegu, where Shincheonji counts some 10,000 members.

The country has attracted international renown for a formidable testing capacity that has already screened 274,504 people for the virus and includes more than 50 pop-up drive-through stations capable of testing potential patients within minutes. Fifty-four days since its first case, South Korea has officially turned the tide, reporting more recoveries per day than new infections. But how do the legal instruments deployed by South Korea compare to the authorities available to federal and state officials in the United States?

I don't think the United States would be able to handle something like South Korea's "Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act ", because the vast and unfettered access it grants (even if found constitutional) would be abused by law enforcement and others in short order.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Democracies’ Covid-19 cures could be worse than the disease

Under the banner of novel coronavirus control, democracies are restricting basic freedoms – of movement, of association, of worship. They are enforcing local or nationwide curfews and lockdowns that will inevitably have a ruinous economic impact – especially for small businesses that need cash flow. In the “borderless” EU, borders are suddenly back, and the EU is announcing a 30-day ban on outsiders’ entry.

These steps are unprecedented in peacetime – and draconian. While Covid-19 is a highly infectious but low-mortality illness, many governments are benchmarking their responses on the very worst outbreaks – China’s Wuhan and Northern Italy.


Meanwhile, worst-case scenarios are being routinely bandied about by experts and regurgitated by politicians, panicking the public. Could there be another way to bring the virus under control – without lockdowns or travel bans?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I don't think the United States would be able to handle something like South Korea's "Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act ", because the vast and unfettered access it grants (even if found constitutional) would be abused by law enforcement and others in short order.

But that's exactly the kind of thing we DO need.  I would have no issue with it whatsoever.

It's a sort of Catch-22. We've destroyed our ability to usefully respond before we even begin, because our institutions are rotten and corroded.

What seems really depressing to me is that it looks like even after paying an immense price in blood and treasure, America as a whole doesn't seem to be learning a single thing from electing Donald Trump.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1241542854582951936

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I wish we had an “authoritarian” response ten days ago when this was posted. Looks like freedom doesn’t cure Covid-19, who knew?

Does "Praise God-Emperor Trump or watch more of your citizens die" count? Because we sure have that now.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1243353170996350976

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Lawsuits Swell as Owners, From Gun Shops to Golf Courses, Demand to Open

Some of those suing their state governments seek redress for specific, local grievances, as with the golf course or in a similar suit in Pennsylvania being pursued by a company that says it is the country’s oldest manufacturer of orchestra-quality bells and chimes. Those lawsuits and one in Arizona are rooted in the Fifth Amendment, which requires due process and guarantees compensation for property seized by the government.

Other constitutional amendments have been invoked in several lawsuits in recent weeks attempting to force open gun stores, or to argue that measures to curb the virus should not outweigh rights like freedom of assembly and religion.

Americans arguing for the right to commit societal suicide by greed and mass murder by stupidity is so perfectly in character. As a nation, we worship at the altar of Mammon, sacrificing our selves and the lives of our fellow human beings.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Bumping this thread because it is obvious these fears are coming to fruition. Our civil rights and liberties are quickly eroding in both the U.S. and around the world.  Our freedom to travel has ceased and our activities are being monitored.

Donald Trump: ban all Muslims entering US

Bush Says He Ordered Domestic Spying

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