By KENNETH DEL VECCHIO
Former Obama Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, once famously (maybe infamously) quipped, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Also a former congressman who recently left the post of Chicago mayor, Emanuel is a wickedly smart politician; some would say to put considerable emphasis on wicked – as in a wicked liberal. The once-Obama top staffer is, surely, liberal, though, in fairness, more of a moderate regarding many issues. Emanuel is someone, no doubt, with whom most Republicans, as well as many Libertarians and independents, disagree on a wide array of policies. But let’s give the devil his due:
The man is also quite shrewd, and logical, wherein it makes rational sense to not let crises go to the wayside – without first taking political advantage of them. Such conduct is not necessarily immoral, nor violative of any constitutional right in many circumstances. It is not a mutually exclusive circumstance to remediate a crisis, while at the same time making a successful political opportunity of it. But did Rahm Emanuel have something like the coronavirus in mind when he made that famous remark?
It’s highly improbable that he did. Emanuel seems to be more of a fixer by political fight than by fright. He seems to be more of a leader than a sheepish, robotic follower, regardless of his many too-left policies.
For others, though, they have stolen this maxim – and are seeking to waste Americans’ rights in their frenzied, evil-based efforts to not let this deep state-driven crisis be “wasted.” Far, far too many in the political-based worlds have seized the moment to create wholly unnecessary panic and hysteria over the coronavirus. And to forge unholy acts of stripping Americans of their constitutional freedom of assembly. This diabolical misconduct has all kinds of slippery-slope misgivings and misfortunes that await U.S. citizens – unless they gather together to put a stop to the madness. “Gathering,” here, of course, means to do so in a manner that the law currently allows: (1) gathering, en masse, in unrestricted, unlimited numbers, electronically—such as through video, audio, email, etc (where people are not together in-person); and (2) gathering in-person in whatever circumstances and numbers that the law currently permits. Just a week ago on March 16, in-person gatherings of people were legally permitted in manners and numbers that they are not today; things have changed rapidly, via the enactment of government mandates. Although Americans definitively must abide by these new laws restricting their in-person assembly (just as they must follow any other laws with which they may disagree), they should strongly and loudly voice their opinions in opposition of these civil liberties-destructive/communist-style measures.
What is quickly winding down this greasy, communist-driven road? There are wildly dangerous current government mandates, to:
(1) *Prohibit more than nine (9) people, other than family members, from assembling together – including the outright ordering of people to stay at home, excepting a few allowable circumstances*
(2) *Prohibit all children from attending school*
(3) *Prohibit all people from attending parties, celebrations, and events*
(4) *Prohibit most businesses from being open to the public – there are certain specifically excluded types of businesses, which are permitted to remain open*
The second and third prohibitions above are subsumed in the first and fourth. In other words, people are being prohibited by our government from simply getting together and hanging out (except in very tiny groups) – in addition to having their livelihoods robbed from them. Minus a few occupations (which even themselves have limitations), the government is enacting laws that are forbidding people from working. Not only will this crank nearly every industry to a halt, but it will destroy tens of millions of people’s financial lives. This is a craze – at its height.
Some government officials and others of influence have been using terminology like “essential workers”, for those who are permitted to work. This phraseology is offensive and alarming, as it is reminiscent of one of the world’s most hysterical and grotesque regimes: Nazi Germany.
Of course, all should take the coronavirus seriously, just the same as they should take seriously the swine flu and all serious strains of the flu. That said, rather than the government forcing Americans into a freedom-less submission, people should be permitted to utilize their own acumen and good sense—and take certain normal precautions. Washing hands, being sanitary, and following the advice of medical experts is clearly the wise path. The very elderly and those with significant pre-existing conditions (and anyone thoughtful) should be wary and judiciously interact with others – via their own choice and judgment. Compelling all of the populous to succumb to dictatorial government strangleholds, however, is not only unwarranted, but illicit and unconstitutional.
This is not an alien invasion.
This is not war.
This is not a nuclear radiation disaster.
This is not a circumstance that threatens the extinction of populations.
This is a virus on the same plane as varied strains of the flu.
During this flu season (October 2019 – February 2020), approximately 30 million people in the United States contracted the flu, with, sadly, approximately 30,000 people dying from it; that is a death rate of approximately 0.1%. Currently, in the U.S. (and worldwide), the number of persons who have contracted the coronavirus is a small fraction of those who have been infected with the flu; obviously, it is understood that with the coronavirus being a communicable disease, the numbers are growing. However, it is apparent that the coronavirus is not transmitted at a higher rate than the flu. The death rate for the coronavirus (reported at approximately 2% in the U.S.) is close to the flu’s death rate. Sadly, (1) if one accepts the reported death rate, approximately 20 out every 1,000 infected with the coronavirus die from the illness; (2) approximately one out of every 1,000 infected from this season’s flu die from that virus; and (3) death rates, a little more and a little less, exist for other strains of the flu and similar viruses. Factually, the death rates, through these varied strains of the flu and related viruses such as the coronavirus, are all at the same level (surely not the same exact amount, but at the same level). That said, it is important to note that the death rate for the coronavirus is actually quite a bit lower than the reported 2% in the U.S. – and that is because (a) there are a substantial amount of people who have had the coronavirus (with only minor symptoms) and have not reported it; and (b) there are a substantial amount of people who have had the coronavirus (with no symptoms at all) and have not reported it. This is basic math: when you divide the number of deaths by the true number of cases, the death rate for the coronavirus is either at 0.1% (the same as this season’s flu) or very near it, in either direction. Yet, the deep state, with the coronavirus, has gone far off the deep end, wherein individual state governments are making all kinds of irrational, liberty-restricting decisions (fortunately, the White House has been reacting with sanity and not enacted similar federal constraints).
The precedent being set here is dangerous, at its core. For what are the politicos saying? They are telling Americans that they need to be controlled. They are telling Americans that the government should – and will/is – restricting their rights to move about and assemble. All cloaked in the name of protecting public health. The politicos are saying that Americans are too stupid and misguided to handle things on their own, and that the government must not just guide them, but force them into a submission of confinement.
And make no mistake about this:
This doesn’t stop with the coronavirus. The coronavirus is just the start of this scary madness. This is a calculated plan of not letting this crisis go to waste.
When the next flu or substantially similar virus comes around, the same measures are ripe to be taken. What if the death rate of the next season’s flu is the same as it was this season (.1%), well, now the government has set a treacherous precedent and can easily say: that’s awfully close to the coronavirus death rate, it’s at the same level, so all freedoms will again be stripped away.
But these constitutional anathemas are not limited to just conditions of viruses. The same illegitimate measures are likely planned for any type of circumstance that the dark, deep imperial forces deem potentially risky for Americans’ safety.
Perhaps a John Birch Society-type group…or an ANTIFA-type group…want to rally to stir up issues? Heck, a lot of people don’t like, maybe even despise, one or both of these groups’ rhetoric. But they have a right to assemble. However, not under this new rage being forged by some dark, political underbelly. The dark masses will stop these rallies in the name of “protecting Americans’ safety” – the same as they have done with the coronavirus – because, they will argue, that these groups are likely to “incite to riot”, which could cause “grave harm” to others.
And it won’t stop there.
When a group of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others want to gather in-person, in a large group, to protest the legality of abortion, the politico protectors will jump in to stop the assembly. How come? Because people may become volatile in the midst of the passion – on either side of the issue – and it could lead to mass injurious behavior, they will say. They will proclaim that thousands can’t join together at a Donald Trump rally because his dialogue is incendiary and it leads to violence. This twisted argument, indeed, is endless in its applications by these fearmongers and, please, be concerned, as they will use it in every possible manner that suits their goals.
This is about suppression of freedom of assembly. Which is, more so, designed to suppress speech.
Nine people talking together, in-person, can’t get much of a message out.
The halt of all business halts the progression of ideas.
Children, de facto quarantined as a population, to home-schooling with no real human interaction, further disassociates them from personal engagement (i.e., in furtherance of the social media/cell phone/video game designs to eliminate human engagement) as all have known it—and it stymies, so gravely, the growth of those characteristics that allow some to charismatically impart words of wisdom through interpersonal speech.
Prohibiting speech is one of the fastest and most effective mechanisms to disassemble a democracy, in favor of…communism. This is, for very real, one of the most powerful pieces of ammunition in radically changing a free, democratic government into a dictator-controlled one. Scare people into not freely assembling and, thus, not freely speaking. More so, and much worse, force people into not freely assembling and, thus, not freely speaking.
This is a time for leaders who actually lead. This is the time for Donald Trump to do what he does best. It’s the time for all those leaders (hopefully more than just a few) to do what they do best. Be courageous and step up, with hard legal opposition, against the deep, dark matter. Don’t take any crap, and force democracy and capitalism in their faces. And shut their illicit plans down.
As an atrocious pertinent coinciding goal, in not letting a serious crisis go to waste:
Some are using the coronavirus as a great distraction—as an effort to make people forget what an incredible economy has been delivered under the helm of President Trump. Unemployment levels have been at the lowest in over 50 years (for people of every race and ethnicity). Wages are higher. Tariffs have resulted in billions of dollars in revenue. Substantial deregulation has led to scores of big businesses returning to the U.S., and allowing voluminous small businesses to keep operating. The tax cuts have contributed mightily to people’s pocketbooks. The stock market has been at all-time highs.
But purveyors of evil are using this virus to distract from all that great economic gain. More troubling, they are using it to detract from and destruct this substantial financial gain. Their efforts are designed to upend the Trump-led prosperity, as a major tool to defeat him in this 2020 election. Those disgraceful moves are see-through and, soon enough – through leaders who actually lead – will be defeated. As will the overriding deep, dark mechanisms to subterfuge Americans’ most basic First Amendment rights…And, ultimately, the key to winning in all of this, are the strong Americans, of all backgrounds, occupations, and political leanings—who join together via legal assembly and guide others.
The strong Americans must guide all those who are being robotic. Guide all those who are listening to sound bites. Guide all those who are sheep…Guide them all out of unwarranted fear and hysteria…Guide them all to embrace and protect their wholly important constitutional rights…Guide them all back to the America of being able to, without fear, freely assemble under the law – and engage in free speech (whether it is speech one agrees with or not). Defeat the fearmongers who are trying to waste Americans’ rights through the illicit use of this crisis, by showing how strong the American people really are, as individuals who unite together.
Here are some thoughts about the coronavirus response from rational, guiding Americans of varied professional backgrounds:
Candace Owens, a political commentator frequently appearing on Fox News Channel and best-selling author, tweeted, “I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to come to terms with this. You cannot regulate behavior in a free society. No one is saying #coronavirus isn’t serious. We are asking you to use your brain cells & stop thinking ‘take all our rights’ & ‘crash economy’ is a solution.”
Anne Marie Gennusa, an attorney who is running for the public defender post in her home county, declared, “This is not a good measure and opens the door for more government intrusion under the justification of protecting us from ourselves. People need to speak up…This violates our constitutional rights!”
Fox News Channel regular and former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino warned in a Tweet, “Be skeptical of ANYONE in the media painting a picture of permanent doom and gloom. OF COURSE we are dealing with a serious pathogen but committing to scaring Americans to the breaking point, while minimizing the facts & relevant data, is the pinnacle of irresponsibility.” And he additionally tweeted: “We CANNOT keep the economy closed down much longer without causing long-term damage. It’s time for some difficult conversations…There will be a reckoning when this is over. The media has completely lost America. Whatever sliver of credibility they thought they had left is gone. They are promoting chaos, foreign propaganda, & fear, while dragging anyone holding out hope. It’s disgusting.”
Retired U.S. Marine and actor Joe Wooley asserted, “I understand there’s some sort of crisis going on. Whether it’s the biggest of my 57-year lifetime, I’m unsure about that. Depends on who you ask, and in what context. However, what I am sure of are the attacks on my civil liberties. I’m very much aware how to conduct myself in any situation and I don’t take kindly to these government mandates of bondage. Government, local, State, and Federal restricting law abiding Americans from the right to freely assemble. Laws preventing visits to elderly family members when they need family the most. Shutting down businesses. Creating mass hysteria…Yes, life in America has changed. Time will tell the actual underlying deviant details.”
Harmeet Dhillon, national co-chair of Women for Trump, former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, and attorney, tweeted, “How many people will suffer debilitating depression, anxiety, domestic violence as a result of enforced confinement in our homes? How many deaths will this cause? Has California performed an analysis? Has New York? New Jersey?”
Attorney and former judge William J. Rush, had this to say: “When did it become acceptable and even laudable for the government to ORDER me to stay in my home and involuntarily watch the business that I built over the last 18 years get destroyed over night? I know, the government says they’re going to help me, but I don’t want their god damn help and I never did, nor do I think their offer of help is nothing more than political lip service. Let’s be honest, how much has the government ever truly helped Main Street? Never, and we’re ok with that, but now you want to shut us down without any warning or time to be prepared? I gave my blood, sweat and tears to build my business, I’ve sacrificed and given up more than I care to remember to keep this business running to support my family. I’ve pushed my family to the edge several times because of this business, and now I’m supposed to sit here silently and watch as the government crushes it and steals my future due to a virus that they readily admit they don’t fully understand? Let me make a few points clear, I believe COVID-19 is real and I believe it is dangerous and can even be fatal in certain cases. As a society we have to respect this enemy and be prepared to battle it on every level. I also believe that every single American has the OBLIGATION to do their part to help fight this virus; we need to be more sanitary, we need to avoid unnecessary contact, we need voluntarily self-quarantine if we are sick or believe we have been exposed to the virus. We have to be aware of our potential to spread the virus whether we have symptoms or not. We also need to help protect our elderly citizens and be sure they have everything they need so they can avoid exposure. I also believe that it is totally acceptable to voluntarily lock yourself down if you fear exposure to this virus and want to ensure you do not get sick. You have every right to make decisions that are best for you and your family and it should not be questioned. But what about my choice? Why is that being taken away from me? I understand my OBLIGATION as an American and I’m happy to do my part, so why does the government think it is acceptable to disregard my choice and the choices of the millions of Americans that I know feel the same way I do? Regardless of which side you are on, doesn’t this unilateral, arbitrary and capricious action of the government scare the living hell out of you? Where was the debate before this monumental decision was made? Where was the vote or even general consensus? Now tell me, what’s next? What rights will the government be coming for after this?”
U.S. Senator Rand Paul pronounced, “We absolutely must, must, resist government run amok taking advantage of a crisis. This is how your liberty dies. Stand up America and resist.”
Chris Pandorf, a veteran of the U.S. Army and a general contractor, stated: “What I find alarming is when someone tells me they know what’s best for me and my family. What I see is government taking away our rights to assemble which, in my opinion, has nothing to do with a virus and more to do with telling me and the American people that we are incapable of making decisions regarding our health and business practices. Where does this end? I understand them making suggestions, but to mandate these draconian policies is super dangerous.”
Phil Ross, the owner of a mixed martial arts school, stated, “As a small business owner for more than three decades, the government’s edict passed down disallowing businesses like mine to operate is a violation of my 5th Amendment rights. My business is my property. The government is essentially preventing me to access my property without just compensation. That’s a violation of the 5th amendment. Don’t get me wrong, I do support the effort to try to control the spread of COVID-19, but I think that we are overreacting. The government officials have gone power mad and are not approaching this pragmatically. Sequester and test the at-risk communities and go from there. Do not destroy an economy. Cooler heads prevail and right now, the cooler heads are not running things.”
“Nobody wants to stay home and lose the money needed to pay the bills and anything else,” said Florian Ghinea, the owner of a wrestling club and former collegiate national wrestling champion. “The problem is that we don’t know what is going on 100% and because of the unknown, it is very hard to make a decision of what is right or wrong. The time will come to make a decision, but for the time being we can still wait and see. ”
“I’m more frightened of the hysteria being sold by much of the media than I am of the actual virus,’ advised Anthony Gagliardo, a political consultant and actor. “Due to the panic, our constitutional liberties are disappearing while our economy and infrastructure crumble. Rights are being stripped in the name of safety and we’re getting far too close to an Orwellian dystopia.”
“Working together as a community and as Americans to take the necessary precautions to protect each other’s health and safety should be our number one priority,” said actress/filmmaker and businesswoman Candy Fox. “My preference would have been that we as Americans could have all taken it seriously enough to avoid having the government mandate us into worst case scenarios.”
“The very laws that government has set forth are based upon God’s commandments in which they have defiled, but when the people choose to walk according to God’s word, the government tries to enforce their hypocrisy on the people,” offered Kenneth Hampton, the composer of dozens of movies’ film scores and the owner of a record label. “Choose this day whom you will serve, God or government”.
Tommy Bradley, a project manager and former minor league baseball player, told, “I can definitely see people really losing it after 2-3 weeks of this. No barbers, no bars, no gyms, no parks, no sports, no school, no restaurants, no movies, no retail, no work for many people and I am not talking about 1920’s Russia. I am talking the U.S. and the world in 2020. Absolutely madness to me. One way or another we will be back to some normalcy within a month – 6 weeks. I say that because if we are not, I don’t want to see what happens to our society after that.”
Kenneth Del Vecchio is the author of some of the nation’s best-selling legal books, including a series of criminal codebooks published by Pearson Education/Prentice Hall and ALM/New Jersey & New York Law Journal Books. He is a former judge, a former prosecutor and a practicing criminal/commercial litigation attorney for 25 years, wherein he has tried over 400 cases; he is partner in the prestigious law firm, Stern, Kilcullen & Rufolo. Mr. Del Vecchio is also an acclaimed filmmaker who has written, produced and directed over 30 movies that star several Academy Award and Emmy winners and nominees. His films are distributed through industry leaders such as Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, Cinedigm, and eOne Entertainment. He has starred in numerous movies, as well. A best-selling political thriller novelist, he penned his first published novel at only 24-years old. Additionally, Mr. Del Vecchio is the founder and chairman of Hoboken International Film Festival, called by FOX, Time Warner, and other major media “One of the 10 Biggest Film Festivals in the World.” A regular legal and political analyst on the major news networks who has appeared on hundreds of shows, Mr. Del Vecchio formerly served as the publisher and editorial page editor for a New Jersey daily newspaper.
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