Much of America has lost its collective minds— because of a virus. Now, before some of you come unhinged, I should clarify that in saying that I’m not pretending that COVID-19 isn’t problematic. It is. But we’ve allowed things to go way too far.
One of the more recent examples proving this came in Greenville, MS this week. It was there that about 20 cop cars showed up to deal with — wait for it — a church service at King James Bible Baptist Church. That’s right, apparently holding a drive-in service — while following CDC social distancing guidelines — is not okay. You can see an interview with their pastor on Tucker Carlson Tonight below:
So, as noted in the interview, liquor stores in the state are still considered essential— church is not. And this in spite of the fact that nearly 90,000 deaths occur annually in America as a result of alcohol. Time will tell, but revised estimates show that the Coronavirus may not even kill that many. Pointing this out shouldn’t be interpreted as support for prohibition of alcohol. It’s merely an illustration of how illogical the situation is.
Lest you think North Dakota is immune to the madness, think again. On March 19th, Governor Doug Burgum signed Executive Order 2020-06. This ordered “all restaurants, bars, breweries, cafes and similar on-site dining establishments… closed to on-sale/on-site patrons” with “take-out, delivery, curbside, drive-through, or off-sale services” being allowed to continue.
The order didn’t stop there. It also mandated that “all recreational facilities, health clubs, athletic facilities and theaters, including movie theater and music or entertainment venues… cease operations”.
Eight days later, Governor Burgum amended the order and added “all licensed cosmetologists… all salons… licensed barbers and barber shops” to the list. In addition, “all elective personal care services” (i.e. tattoo and body art, tanning, and massage facilities) made the list too.
Then on April 1st, Burgum extended the effective date of the order through April 20th.
Yet, speaking of “elective” services, you’ll notice on the Red River Women’s Clinic website — the only abortion clinic in North Dakota — that they’re still open. In order to “focus” their efforts on abortion during this time of social distancing, they’ve suspended “pregnancy testing, STI testing and Emergency Contraception”. Indeed, not even a pandemic will stop them from eliminating the unborn. You can see their own statement below:
These are just a few examples of the crazy things going on in our nation. And we haven’t even touched on stay at home orders that have been implemented in nearly all 50 states. Thankfully, Governor Burgum hasn’t gone quite that far.
And in all of it, why is there not more discussion about the fact that government gets to decide what’s “essential” and what isn’t? To me, that cuts to the heart of it and is most problematic.
Credit North Dakota’s governor though. In a news conference this week, and while citing religious liberty, he said there would be no legal action taken against any church who decided to hold a service. Though he encouraged following CDC guidelines.
On this Easter weekend, I can’t help but wonder what’s happened to us? Is this the America we grew up in and envisioned for those who will follow? Have we truly reached a point where we’ll tolerate government placing restrictions and closures on private businesses and churches, while allowing the holocaust of abortion to continue? And all in the name of “public health”? It sure seems so.
I recently saw a rebranding of sorts on social media. Perhaps it’s appropriate— Welcome to CoronaMerica.
These are sad times, indeed.
PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE!
Sources:
1. https://www.facebook.com/TuckerCarlsonTonight/videos/254287422393926/UzpfSTU2MjY0Mzg0MDU2Njk5ODoxNjEyOTkyODY1NTMyMDg1/
2. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
3. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/830664814/fauci-says-u-s-coronavirus-deaths-may-be-more-like-60-000-antibody-tests-on-way
4. https://www.governor.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/executive-orders/Executive%20Order%202020-06.pdf
5. https://www.governor.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/executive-orders/Executive%20Order%202020-6.1%20expanded%20business%20closures.pdf
6. https://www.governor.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/executive-orders/Executive%20Order%202020-06.2.pdf
7. https://www.facebook.com/luke.simons.796/videos/962017660867463/UzpfSTE1NDc3NzM2MzIxODk0NzY6MjMxMjU4NjkwMjM3NDgwOA/
8. https://www.redriverwomensclinic.com/
9. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/04/06/should-governor-burgum-issue-a-stay-at-home-order/
