Acting director of the Office of National Intelligence is encouraging citizens to break local laws

[muriel_volestrangler]

Charles Pierce spots the federal government trying to destroy the health of the nation for political purposes:

On Wednesday, there was a protest in Michigan against Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order. It had a spiffy name—“Operation: Gridlock”—and it had a spiffy display of, among other banners, the Confederate battle flag. The protest represented tens of actual voters whom Whitmer undoubtedly has lost. But what that protest represents is not half as funny as this bunch of angry shut-ins made it look on Wednesday. From The Daily Beast:

The tension has prompted Republican lawmakers and supporters of the president to publicly call for Americans to defy their local orders, claiming they infringe on constitutional rights. On Monday, Richard Grenell, acting director of the Office of National Intelligence and the U.S. ambassador to Germany, posted a photo of the Bill of Rights on Instagram with a title “Signed Permission Slip to Leave Your House.” Below the post, in the caption, Grenell wrote “Love this!” A reporter tweeted the post after its publishing saying: “Seems the top US intelligence chief ADNI ⁦@RichardGrenell⁩ isn’t a fan of the stay at home orders.” Grenell responded: “‘Seems’ Grenell is a fan of the Constitution to me.”

The acting director of the Office of National Intelligence is encouraging citizens to break local laws, endangering themselves and others, in the middle of a pandemic. Of all the screwy moments that we have experienced since the founding of Camp Runamuck, this is going to rank very close to the top. And it is not going to be a surprise to anyone if another AstroTurf movement similar to the Tea Party rises, especially if the president* “opens up” the country at the beginning of May.

Republican operatives say the burgeoning movement against coronavirus restrictions could end up stressing an already heavily stressed body politic even further, with conservative activists challenging their governors in increasingly dramatic fashion. Former Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), who is a close White House ally, said he felt the country was nearing a tipping point. “I think it could be a combination of politics, misinformation, economic hardship, emotion/anxiety, and well intentioned civil disobedience,” Kingston wrote. “The liquor stores and dispensaries are open but I can’t buy gun!”

This is less AstroTurf than it is a spreading poisonous kudzu fed by the toxic sludge that has flowed under the conservative movement for decades.

“When it’s my time to go, God’s going to call me home,” [Ashley] Smith said. “I think that to live is inherently to take risks. I’m not concerned about this virus any more than I am about the flu.” Smith supports Trump’s recent insinuation that he may forcibly reopen states whose governors continue to support stay-at-home orders, though it’s not clear that Trump actually has the power to do any such thing. “We are not promised a pathogen-free existence,” Smith said. “We do not have a constitutional right to not get a virus.”

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a32160723/michigan-protests-coronavirus-lockdown-conservatives/

Note that the 'protesters' were, inevitably, armed.

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R

Ridiculous! Lock him up with protestors blocking truckers & preventing ambulances from getting patients into hospital! (As reported by DUers)

[Moostache]

2. Times like this is when I wish 'teh stoopid' was physically painful...

These people are a boil on the ass of humanity...if only we could somehow convince them to congregate exclusively amongst themselves and to forgo medical treatment and just die before infecting innocent people....sadly, that kind of COVID-containment is never going to happen...

[SoCalNative]

3. Easy solution

National Guard. Flamethrowers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Seems a little excessive action, to get rid of the acting DNI

Can't we just ban him from social media and then lock him up?

[BComplex]

5. Maybe we can get rid of a bunch of republicans this way.

We'll have to spread it among the population with still functioning brains to stay away from anyone acting republican.

If it weren't for all the nurses/doctors/aids/police/firefighters/emt's first responders who would be in danger, it would be a good way to cull the herd.

Maybe we could tell the hospitals to ask new patients if they have been protesting the lockdowns. If so, don't admit them.

[Newest Reality]

6. Where in the Constitution

Where in the Constitution does it get explicit rights to put others in harms way for the sake of one's own interpretation of rights?

That would be like: "You know, I like to set fires to show my freedumbs. If you try to stop me, that's against my rights! If you get burned or your house gets torched, that's not my problem."

This is a time where we are not "giving up our rights" by following the guidelines. We all know what is for and why we are doing it. That's our duty, which goes with the rights we enjoy. Freedom does have a responsibility to it, (you have to respond by allowing others to be protected by what protects you and abide by that as a way of life) or you are just playing an every man for himself game and the Constitution is about our collective, not just an individual with issues, paranoia and a need for attention.

Those people can risk their own lives and be casual or spiritual about death. That's fine. However, they are not endowed with the right to put society and others at risk. It does not work that way and this should be made clear. This is a national CRISIS.

What they should be worried about and focused on is the GOP/Trump Junta that does put their rights at great risk, especially with a potential dictator in the White House trying to create a Regime. But no. They seem to be blind to that. That's idiotic, not patriotic.

[KayF]

7. what's the point of getting drunk

when you can't go buy a gun?

[LuvNewcastle]

9. Just what I was thinking.

It's no fun to throw a good drunk unless you can play a game of Russian roulette while you're doing it.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

8. Are they going to shoot the virus to death?

Exactly what is the purpose of bringing their emotional support firearms into this?