Real patriotism isn’t protesting a pandemic. A real patriot wouldn’t cry like a whining baby because they have to shut their doors for a few days for the better good of their fellow citizens.
A real patriot is certainly not some loser on his pickup truck shouting into a megaphone at an empty house on Thanksgiving morning.
pa·tri·ot
/ˈpātrēət
a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.
A real patriot is someone who has the strength, character, and will to look beyond their own personal needs and look out for the health of their fellow citizens.
One of the main arguments from these fly by night constitutional scholars is that public health shutdowns are unconstitutional.
This “freedumb brigade” seems to think they have somehow acquired some unconditional freedom that the rest of us aren’t privy to.
While there’s some debate as to where this quote originated, its held true throughout our history:
“YOUR LIBERTY TO SWING YOUR FIST ENDS JUST WHERE MY NOSE BEGINS”
It refers to the boundary where one can act but has to stop when it approaches the boundary of another. It is about that invisible line where the liberties of one individual ends and the next begins.
While that imaginary line is arbitrary most have accepted that this boundary is (at least temporarily) 6 ft.
A real patriot would realize that their failure to comply with mask ordinances and social distancing guidelines is a direct violation of your rights. Not theirs. But that doesn’t fit their narrative now, does it?
Another main flaw in their “THE CONSTITUTION” argument is their failure to understand the 10th amendment
Maybe it’s because most of them can’t count that high, but these patriots like to completely erase the 10th amendment from their pocket constitutions.
Under the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court decisions over nearly 200 years, state governments have the primary authority to control the spread of dangerous diseases within their jurisdictions. The 10th Amendment, which gives states all powers not specifically given to the federal government, allows them the authority to take public health emergency actions, such as setting quarantines and business restrictions.
With states adopting emergency measures, there are several broad public health tools that governors can invoke. They can, for example, order quarantines to separate and restrict the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. They can also direct that those who are sick with a quarantinable communicable disease be isolated from people who are not sick. And, as a growing number of governors have done in recent days, states can order residents to stay at home with exceptions for essential work, food or other needs. The governors’ orders, akin to shelter-in-place directives, affect tens of millions in the affected states. Curfews are another tool they can impose.
You can read more from the American Bar Association page about this topic here
Bad Business
Speaking of noses, Robby Dinero of Athletes Unleashed and other business owners deciding to join him can’t seem to see past their own.
One of the false claims they regularly tout is they are somehow being oppressed by the inability to earn a paycheck.
Not once has anyone told Dinero he had shut down his business entirely under these restrictions.
Throughout the pandemic, all types of business owners have had to pivot and adjust old business models in order to try and keep money coming in. We can list countless examples of businesses that have adjusted appropriately for these uncertain times.
Dinero and others seem to want to blame everyone else for their inability to be creative, pivot, and expand their businesses in new or different directions.
Instead of helping, their childish actions have hurt all small businesses, potentially extending the restriction period longer than it needed to be because of their selfishness.
It’s All About Politics
Claims that their actions have nothing to do about their politics is also straight-up bullshit.
The leaders of their local movement and their politics are well known to most. The bottom line is They hate NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo. They hate Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. If it has a (d) next to it, they will do anything they can to resist it.
Business owners of all political affiliations are being affected by these restrictions. If you think an elected official is purposely trying to shut down the economy just because they are a democrat, you are either willfully ignorant or dumber than an Athletes Unleashed dumbbell.
The Virus is the enemy. Not Democrats.
The virus is what is invading our country and disrupting our lives.
- A true patriot would know the real enemy
- A true patriot would wear a mask
- A true patriot would accept the restrictions so as to protect the people less vulnerable around them.
It goes without saying that as Americans, our individual liberty is paramount. But so is the sacrifices we make for that liberty.
Getting past all of this will require a shared sacrifice — one fueled by real patriotism. Not being an uneducated, selfish, egomaniacal, prick.
