All across America, tyrants at the state and local levels of government have been flexing their liberty-killing muscles with coronavirus mandates. And even as pockets of resistance begin pushing back against this unconstitutional power grab as we witnessed in New York when local sheriff departments refused to enforce arbitrary mandates, tyranny has reared its ugly head once again in the Empire State where the use of coronavirus internment camps are being discussed as a way to detain anyone the government believes poses “an imminent and significant threat to the public health.”
Führer Cuomo is already on record as claiming ultimate power over the citizens of New York. Shortly after several sheriffs announced that they wouldn’t be enforcing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s limits on Thanksgiving gatherings a few months ago because doing so exceeded their jurisdiction, Cuomo accused them of violating their constitutional duty, labeling them “dictators” for not obeying his command.
Cuomo went further by declaring that the government has every right to control what happens within the home:
“This is an emotional time, political time. Everybody has their own strongly held opinion. Right. You have a strongly held opinion that says, ‘COVID is all an overreaction. It’s a hoax. I’m not wearing a mask. I’m not following these rules.’ You have sheriffs upstate who have said, ‘I’m not going to enforce the law.’
“I believe that law enforcement officer violates his or her constitutional duty. I don’t consider them a law enforcement officer. Because you don’t have the right to pick laws that you think you will enforce, and you don’t enforce laws that you don’t agree with. Right. That’s not a law enforcement officer. That’s a dictator.
“Laws apply in your home. Domestic violence applies in your home. Drug laws apply in your home. Yes, it does.”
Putting aside the irony of a dictatorial governor accusing those who refuse to heed his dictates of being dictators, Cuomo is wrong. In fact, he’s constitutionally wrong.
Still, once tyranny obtains a foothold, nothing will get in the way of a dictator wanting to establish the state’s power over those who resist tyranny.
New York Assemblyman N. Nick Perry (D) has introduced legislation that would allow the governor and other state officials the right to create coronavirus internment camps to detain anyone who posed “an imminent and significant threat to the public health.” According to Perry, the bill would allow state government to detain and remove any citizen who posed a threat during a “health emergency.” (emphasis mine)
The bill reads in part:
“Upon determining by clear and convincing evidence that the health of others is or may be endangered by a case, contact or carrier, or suspected case, contact or carrier of a contagious disease that, in the opinion of the governor, after consultation with the commissioner, may pose an imminent and significant threat to the public health resulting in severe morbidity or high mortality, the governor or his or her delegee, including, but not limited to the commissioner or the heads of local health departments, may order the removal and/or detention of such a person or of a group of such persons by issuing a single order, identifying such persons either by name or by a reasonably specific description of the individuals or group being detained.” Such person or group of persons shall be detained in a medical facility or other appropriate facility or premises designated by the governor or his or her delegee…” (emphasis mine)
I don’t want you to miss this.
The law allows the governor to delegate the authority all the way down to the local level to lock up violators. The law allows the government to throw an individual or an entire group into detention. The law allows an order to be issued without identifying the name of the “criminal.” The law only requires a “reasonably specific description” of an individual or group.
For a snapshot of what that might look like, consider Cuomo’s October threat to the Jewish community to shut them down for not submitting to coronavirus tyranny. Imagine what he could have done if he had internment camps available at the time.
The coronavirus internment camp scenario isn’t all that far-fetched.
Echoing Cuomo’s own words about how he possesses so-called “power” over New Yorkers even in their homes, Former Republican congressional candidate Liz Joy wrote on Twitter, “This is straight up detention camp stuff in NY.”
This is straight up detention camp stuff in NY! A Bill giving @NYGovCuomo, Health Commissioner or any “designated” official full “power” to remove any person/group of people from their home if deemed contagious. It’s horrifying. Wake up NY & Fight! A416 https://t.co/mU2cWDm1oD
— Liz Joy (@LizLemeryJoy) January 2, 2021
Referring to the legislation as the #GulagBill, Republican New York Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor wrote this about coronavirus internment camps on Facebook:
“If the GulagBill became law, useful idiots in the press would likely provide cover and rationalize the need for the legislation. By the time the constitutionality of detaining people without due process was adjudicated by the courts, it would be too late. New Yorkers would have suffered years of unspeakable abuses to their liberties.”
In a statement released by Anthony D’Orazio, 1st Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of New York, he called the bill an “egregious privacy violation” and a precursor to “unconstitutional and indefinite detainment.”
“Let’s put aside for a moment the egregious privacy violation in issuing an order announcing an individual to be a health risk. This bill offers a clear and direct path to unconstitutional and indefinite detainment, on the governor’s sole authority.
“No US state was ever meant to have a single person acting as judge and jury, without checks or balances; if this bill is allowed to pass, that is exactly what New York will have.” (emphasis mine)
In the fight against coronavirus mandates and tyranny, it’s encouraging to hear stories about those who reject these unconstitutional efforts and how they are taking a defiant stand against the tyrannical actions of a government quickly becoming a domestic enemy to the Constitution.
Still, I can guarantee I’ll hear from those who have succumbed to coronavirus tyranny, including those I refer to as Coronavirus Christians, about the need to bow to the will of the state in the name of safety because not doing so is an act of hate. However, it’s not hate that motivates me, it’s love for my God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
With coronavirus tyranny sweeping the nation, and with way too many Americans growing comfortable with the idea of sacrificing essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety (H/T Ben Franklin), we could very well be witnessing the last days of the liberty and freedom our Founding Fathers fought and died to give us.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.
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