Episode 240 Show Notes- Is Civil Disobedience Off-Limits or A Powerful And Effective Tool?
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Episode Description
For the last two years, chief executives have been operating through executive decrees and bypassing legislative bodies. Officials have implemented draconian measures that they say will protect the public, yet no one asks whatâs the long-term damage being done to the government, our society, our people, our children, and our way of life. Emergency declarations were meant to be used sparingly and for short periods of time. We are now going on two years of government overreach and the question becomes whether civil disobedience is off-limits or is it a powerful and effective tool?
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Show Transcript- Is Civil Disobedience Off-Limits or A Powerful And Effective Tool?
Intro
Welcome everyone to The P.A.S. Report Podcast.
This is going to be a very important episode. Itâs an episode that I have been contemplating for quite some time, but Iâve held off because it can be controversial, and I know how the leftist operate.
They constantly take things out of context, and this will be no different. Iâve never been one to shy away from controversial issues. When I craft my arguments, I use sound reason and logic. I approach issues and think about all the various sides. I examine them from varying ideological points of view, trying to constantly keep an open mind. I then craft well-thought-out explanations for why I feel and believe the way I do.
There comes a point where we have to say enough is enough. Over the last few episodes, Iâve focused on how our officials are failing us, and how we continue to go down a path of authoritarianism. A path that will be difficult to come back from.
In this episode, Iâm going to focus on what We the People should do in order to end this madness once and for all. As Lou Dobbs stated in Mondayâs episode, ânothing happens until people act.â
Everything we are witnessing is not normal, and I will not let the officials or the sheep normalize the abnormal. What we are witnessing is not okay or acceptable.
There is long-term damage being done. Damage that will last for generations. This episode is intended for everyone- Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Independents- everyone. And I want you to keep an open mind. Some of you on the left side of the political spectrum may be tempted to turn this off, but I encourage you to listen to the entire episode with an open mind because you may just understand my point of view. Listen to the arguments I make and understand them because we need to look beyond the here and now.
Before I jump in, make sure to visit The P.A.S. Report website, sign up for the newsletter, and follow the podcast so youâll never miss an episode.
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Expanding Authoritarianism
Getting into todayâs topic. I want people to really think about whatâs happening. We are nearly 2-years into this pandemic, and we continue to see emergency powers expand. You would think people would wake up. I mean if all previous measures didnât contain the virus, what makes you think the same or even more draconian measures would contain it.
If you take some of the countries with some of the strictest rules, what did they really accomplish except to destroy their societies?
And now we have the new Omicron variant. As of right now, all indications are that this variant is actually mild. If that continues to be the case, this may be the right time to reopen societies and go back to the precovid days. It would actually be the most efficient way to get to herd immunity and get this behind us.
Instead, we have a bunch of petty tyrants in our country, and most other so-called free countries, are using this variant to once again ramp up fear and continue to expand executive power and authority. The continued abuses within the system are astounding, and it seems as they are becoming more authoritarian, not less.
In fact, some of the measures are stricter than the height of the pandemic. Fear is a great motivator, and the officials continue to use fear as the driving force to consolidate power. We have seen complete disregard for legislative bodies. Weâve seen complete disregard for Constitutional norms. Weâve seen a complete disregard for the concepts of liberty and freedom. And itâs not just in this country. Itâs something weâve seen throughout the world.
And if you think this is still about the coronavirus, itâs gone far beyond that.
Civic Obligations
When we look at the gross abuses of power which Iâll get into later, what are our civic obligations? What is our role within the system? We play a major role in limiting the power of the government and providing accountability within the system.
Unfortunately, we havenât exerted our influence and itâs why we continually see the envelope being pushed. Its why chief executives are more powerful today than ever before. Itâs why we are witnessing this massive move towards authoritarianism. Even worse is how there are many ordinary Americans that are encouraging this dangerous power grab.
When we see abuses in the system, itâs our job to protest. Itâs our job to push back. Itâs our job to contact the officials and express our displeasure. Now, that doesnât give you the right to be a jerk, threaten anyone, or call anyone names. The second you do that, you discredit yourself.
You have to be smart, and it takes more than just one person. If only a handful of people are voicing their concerns, itâs easy to ignore those voices.
And you know people are tired of all the decrees. People just want to live their lives and be left alone.
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Civil Disobedience
It is my belief that we are at the point where civil disobedience is necessary, and I donât say that lightly. Iâm not a bomb-thrower. I donât say or advocate for over-the-top things just to get attention and ratings.
And I donât take this lightly. I carefully thought this through. At this point, I see no other choice. There comes a point where civil disobedience becomes a necessity. We are now at that point, and Iâll explain how I came to this conclusion, but first, I need to explain what civil disobedience is.
What is Civil Disobedience?
Civil disobedience is powerful and effective. Itâs the refusal to comply with certain laws, mandates, orders, or directives by the government, and it is a form of peaceful political protest.
Keyword being peaceful. Civil disobedience is not violent. Itâs not rioting and looting. Itâs not committing arson or assault. Itâs not storming the Capitol building or any government building and destroying property.
Civil disobedience is a refusal to comply. When you engage in civil disobedience, you are willfully violating a law or mandate, and youâre willing to accept the consequences of knowingly violating a particular order.
See, when you engage in civil disobedience, you are saying that you have respect for the rule of law and the system of governance, but you engage in civil disobedience because you believe the government is overstepping its boundaries.
Civil disobedience has a long history of being an effective tool to foster change both within the United States and throughout the world. Itâs about a change in the governmentâs policies and the attitudes of our officials.
Some argue that civil disobedience undermines the rule of law and destabilizes society. Some will say that civil disobedience is a threat to democracy. Of course, itâs only a threat to democracy when itâs against the policies of the powers that be.
But what do you think undermines the rule of law more- those peacefully engaged in civil disobedience, and are prepared to face the consequences or those in power who routinely abuse that power and operate more like little Mussolini wannabes than public officials?
Why Did I Come to This Conclusion?
I came to this conclusion for a number of reasons. We are now heading towards the two-year mark of the pandemic and the officials are becoming more authoritarian than ever before.
When the coronavirus first began, Americans did their part. They followed the emergency decrees. They did what was asked of them, yet through the coronavirus, officials have constantly moved the goalposts. They dictate policies without any explanations of why the government has decided to implement certain policies. More importantly, they have never explained when these measures go away.
Take the mask mandates. What are the metrics that determine when masks have to be worn and when they can be taken off? There are no metrics. No explanations. Itâs simply mask-up and weâll let you know when the overlords are gracious enough to take them off.
Whatâs the explanation for not including those with natural immunity as vaccinated? Well, there is no explanation. In fact, the officials continually ignore this question. They just make it as if those with natural immunity simply donât exist.
And you canât pick and choose the authoritarian decrees. You canât say you oppose vaccine mandates, but you can live with mask mandates or vice versa. They are all tied together and have to be treated as such.
Remember the whole 15-days to slow the spread, as of the date of this recording, we are now at day 633 of 15 days to slow the spread. Yet, many of the measures are still in place. In some ways, the authoritarians are even worse destroying lives and livelihoods.
Itâs all about doom and gloom. Pushing a narrative to maintain and expand the power of the officials. Instilling fear.
People have spoken out. Theyâve protested. Theyâve contacted their officials. In fact, Iâve called officials. Iâve sent over a dozen emails to officials, and not a single one of them ever gets back to me with answers to the questions I raise. Not a single one. And Iâm always respectful in the letters. No name-calling. No condescension at all, but Iâm part of the peasant class so they feel they donât have to respond.
But I deserve the common courtesy of a response back from these officials. All of us do, and many of you have made calls or written to the officials and never get a response back. Itâs disgraceful. They are there to serve the people of the United States, not the other way around. The officials donât exist to serve only those that support them or their policies. They exist to serve all of us and the fact that these cowards donât even respond speaks volumes.
And we havenât even begun to see the real human toll of the damage of these policies. Weâll be picking up the pieces for a decade or longer, and who are we going to hold accountable?
When we look at the increase in depression, anxiety, suicide, from all these policies, who do we hold accountable? When we see an increase in preventable cancer deaths or other medically preventable deaths because of the draconian decrees, who will we hold accountable? When we have an entire generation of students that are academically and professionally unprepared, who will be held accountable?
See, those who are calling for and implementing these insane policies, theyâll be long gone by the time weâre able to measure the damage they did. Theyâre going to live their lives as if everything is great, and we will be the ones that have to hold the bag and suffer.
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Long-Term Damage to Our Society
Now, Iâm not just calling for civil disobedience because our politicians and career bureaucrats are ignoring us and not answering any questions, Iâm also calling for civil disobedience because of the long-term damage thatâs being done to our institutions, the people of America, and the country as a whole.
The Irreparable Damage to Kids
When focusing on the long-term damage, I want to focus on the kids because theyâre the most important. The other day my youngest one had a slight fever, and when I told him, he asked, âdoes that mean Iâm going to die.â I explained to him that a fever is a good thing and that it means the body is fighting something off.
What the hell are we doing to children that they believe if they get a fever that they may die. The amount of fear thatâs been instilled in kids is absolutely insane. Children shouldnât be thinking this way.
In any event, I took him to the doctor. The doctor examined him, and they did a COVID test and a strep test as if those are the only two things that exist. Anyway, he tested negative on both, and within two days he was fine.
The damage thatâs being done to children will last for decades. Whether you believe in the mandates or not, take a look at your kids. You tell me if you havenât seen a change in them? You tell me you havenât seen a change in their behavior?
Not only do the masks not work, but they are also at little risk from coronavirus, and everyone seems to be ignoring the long-term harm.
You have people saying itâs the parents that have problems with the masks. That kids are fine. They donât care about the masks. In fact, children like the masks. Bullshit.
They donât like masks, and you can lie to yourself all you want, but it doesnât change the fact that the draconian policies are having detrimental impacts on kids.
Think about 3-7-year oldâs who have been wearing masks for the last year and a half. Many of them think itâs a normal part of life. Some people tried to normalize mask-wearing, but itâs not normal and itâs not natural.
And just wait, because when it does come time for the mask mandate to end, think about how many kids will have difficulty readjusting. And just as we saw anxiety increase dramatically with all the draconian rules, weâll see them increase again.
There are people who want to normalize the abnormal. They say that masks give people a sense of security and make some people feel more comfortable. This is the crap being put into peopleâs heads.
And now with the Omicron variant, the authoritarian tactics are becoming more extreme. Even more extreme than last year, wherein some schools, children have to ask permission to take off their masks in order to take a sip of water.
The health officials that are providing this guidance need to get out of public health because they are clueless to the mental and emotional damage thatâs being inflicted on children. But itâs not just children, itâs teenagers as well. Just think about what social isolation has done. Think about the milestones theyâve missed over the last year and a half.
Of course, itâs the adults who already have these lived experiences that put in these policies. This is why parents need to start pushing back. Now it canât just be a handful of parents. You have to organize and coordinate, send all your kids in without masks. If 50, 60, 70% of children show up to school without a mask on, think about the powerful message that sends.
Increased Violence and Social Unrest in Schools
Also, throughout the United States, we are seeing a surge in violence and behavioral issues in. In fact, itâs gotten so bad that 1 in 4 teachers are considering quitting and that number is increasing. (Horace Mann)
Why would we possibly be seeing this surge of behavioral issues? Some will say itâs reflective of whatâs happening throughout society, but this is nonsense.
What it boils down to is that students lost almost two years of real learning. They lost almost two years of social interaction. And many of the braindead officials we have encouraged schools to remain closed for throughout this period of time. Not only that, but they encouraged the virtual crap.
We already know screentime is having a devastating effect on kids, and so what did we do? We basically quadrupled that screentime.
Understand, human to human contact is essential. It defines and reinforces human characteristics. Well, what happens when we lose that contact? What happens when human to human contact becomes human to machine to human contact? Do you think that we lose a piece of humanity? Do you think we begin to lose the good qualities of human beings like sympathy, empathy, compassion?
Iâm witnessing issues in my own classes. Now itâs a little different because these are young adults, but itâs clear they havenât been in the classroom for nearly two years, and its clear that they havenât developed socially as students from previous years.
Now there were growing problems prior to the coronavirus, but these problems have metastasized. There is hardly any interaction among the students. When I first started teaching and I walked into a classroom, the students would be chirping away, and loudly.
Then over the last few years, I noticed fewer and fewer students interacting with each other, and when they did it was done quietly. This semester, hardly anyone is talking to each other. Instead, when I come into the classroom, all I see is the glow of the phones theyâre staring at. No one will even bother to flick the light switch on. Itâs scary.
Iâm seeing more students trying to look at their phones while Iâm teaching. Itâs annoying and frightening, and I canât stand having to constantly tell people to put away their phones.
Things like depression and anxiety have increased dramatically within my classroom, and itâs in line with what other faculty members are seeing. It also mirrors what we are seeing throughout our country amongst all ages and demographics.
Hereâs the thing, do you think that when all the draconian decrees end and the ruling class tells us covid is no longer a threat, do you think all these problems will magically disappear and things will go back to normal?
This is going to be a generational problem, and those who pushed these policies never even contemplated the long-term consequences of their actions. Thatâs scary. Everything was about them and their illusion of being protected.
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States of Emergency
If that wasnât bad enough, look at the idea of state of emergencies and emergency declarations. Every single state and local jurisdiction can issue a disaster declaration and states of emergency. And in nearly all jurisdictions, there are strict time periods for how long these measures last. It can range from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but on average it lasts for 90-120. I want you to think about it.
State legislative bodies wanted time limits on emergency declarations for two reasons. First, most crises are for short periods of time, so they donât need to be longer. When it comes to natural or manmade disasters, 90-120 days is more than enough time to get a handle and stabilize any type of disaster.
More importantly, these emergency declarations transfer enormous powers to chief executives. Powers that most chief executives wouldnât willingly transfer back to the legislature, and by extension, the people.
Power and ambition are intoxicating measures. When we normally think of natural disasters, it makes sense to issue emergency declarations and centralize powers to some degree. It cuts through a lot of the BS red-tape, and the legislative process is long and daunting. You want to be able to make decisions efficiently, thereby, managing the disaster more effectively. Having all these lawmakers handle emergencies would be a disaster in and of itself because decisions by the many, with all the different competing interests and ideologies, donât work well when decisions have to be made.
These policies were developed for short-term crises, but I donât think we ever thought through what happens when itâs a long-term crisis, and should chief executives be entrusted with this much power?
Think about it. We are now going on 2-years of emergency declarations and orders. 2-years. They just keep issuing new ones, and the chief executives donât even wait anymore. Just look at my horrible Governor, Empress Hochul. I think it was with the day of or the next day, she issued a new emergency order when the Omicron variant was discovered. She didnât wait for any additional information. She didnât care if it was more or less transmissible. She didnât care if it was more or less deadly. She simply issued a new declaration granting her and her administration more powers.
The crazy part is that itâs too much work to renew these emergency orders every 90, 120, or 180-days. Now there are some jurisdictions that want to make these measures permanent. Thatâs been the threat all along, and itâs exactly what Iâve been warning about. See, you give the officials an inch and theyâll always push the boundaries until the people push back.
So, I was reading this article in a publication called The Week. According to the article, unelected bureaucrats in Oregonâs health department are discussing the possibility to have a permanent mask mandate. When I was reading this article, it was getting me so mad.
See, the authoritarian officials are arguing that it would be easier if the mandate was permanent rather than having to continue to implement a new mandate each time one expires. According to Oregon law, these mandates can only be in effect for 180-days before they expire, which, in my opinion, is too long. But to them, thatâs not good enough.
They want these powers for an indefinite period of time, and the reason the article really infuriated me was how many people were quoted as downplaying this change as if it was no big deal. Here is one quote, it is âimportant to note, however, that just because the mandate is permanent, that doesnât mean it will stay in place forever.â
Another quote, âYes, that may sound alarming. Hereâs what you need to know. Making the rule permanent allows the state to keep the rule. The rule can be repealed.â Let me ask you all out there, are you comfortable with that? How often are laws repealed? I can assure you itâs not often.
According to Dr. Paul Cieslak from the Oregon Health Authority, âPermanent means indefinite. It doesnât necessarily mean permanent.â Think about how dangerous this is, and yet the lemmings have no problem with this.
These declarations were always meant to handle short-term crises, yet now the petty tyrants want to make them permanent. I donât care what your political ideology is, are you really okay with this? This is insane.
Fear- The Great Motivator
I continue to harp on certain questions because I really think they cut through all the nonsense. We constantly say we live in a free society, but we need to be honest and admit that we are no longer a free society. We think weâre free, but we only get to exercise those liberties the overlords allow.
When chief executives can determine when, where and how you can practice your faith. They determine when you can leave your home, what you must wear when you leave, and where you can go? When they determine who or how many people can come into your home, or when children can go to school, or who you can associate with, how is that a free society? When they deem what businesses are essential and which ones arenât. When they force children to wear masks throughout the entire school day where they have to ask to pull down their masks so they can take a sip of water.
These arenât the hallmarks of free societies, and these measures mirror what authoritarian regimes do.
Now, those that support these measures will always say we are in a pandemic and so it requires the government to take extra measures to protect the people. They say that these measures will go away when the pandemic passes. Those pandemics are rare, and they are rare, itâs why you donât change your entire way of life and give up so much for such a rare event.
Itâs not that the coronavirus isnât deadly. It is deadly for some, and thatâs why we should have focused our resources on the most vulnerable amongst us. Those that are high risk. But letâs be honest, this isnât the pandemic that will wipe out civilization. Donât worry, our reactions to things will take care of that one for us.
I want everyone to think about what would have happened if we focused our limited resources on the most vulnerable populations, and allowed life to go on as normal for everyone else? Do you think maybe that would have been the more effective strategy? Do you think that would have actually saved more lives without inflicting massive damage to the broader society? Without compromising our fundamental values and tearing our society apart.
And what have all these draconian measures gotten us? The coronavirus hasnât been eradicated. Itâs still here. Countries that have the strictest measures are seeing cases surge. Itâs obvious that the measures havenât been effective. Yet here we are, and countries are sounding the alarm bells about the Omicron variant, and theyâre reimposing the same failed draconian policies. Do you think the results are going to be any different?
In all the pandemic planning I was involved in, in all the meetings I participated in, we never had any discussions of anything that we witnessed for a virus like the coronavirus. In fact, many of the measures by the petty tyrants were shot down. The plan was to provide the states with the resources they need in order to protect the vulnerable populations.
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Closing
The problem is that there are so many people with tunnel vision. They only see the short-term and call anyone who questions the mandates, particularly mask and vaccine mandates as selfish human beings. That you only care about yourself and have no regard for our families or our communities. Theyâll constantly say itâs not about you, itâs about protecting our relatives and our neighbors. That you need to do your part.
See, Iâve encountered a lot of people who use this argument. And whenever you ask them if they have the vaccine and make the choice of wearing a mask, and these measures are effective, then why does it matter to you if I donât wear the mask. Their response is classic because every single time they say if Iâm not wearing a mask, then theyâre not fully protected.
And itâs that right there that tells you everything. See, itâs not about everyone else. Itâs about them and how they want to feel protected, even if it is only the illusion of protection. They donât care about the long-term repercussions. They care about the here and now.
It really is stunning, but more stunning is how many people just go along with the nonsense. Many donât see the long-term damage thatâs being inflicted. And now thereâs talk about the World Health Organization developing a global pandemic treaty. No details have really been released about what this entails, but you can assure itâs nothing more than a globalist attempt to transfer sovereignty from elected governments to an Intergovernmental Organization like the WHO.
Letâs stop pretending that this is normal because itâs not, and the more this gets normalized, the more the beast is being fed. The more dangerous it becomes for our entire society and the future of the republic.
You can never eliminate risk. Itâs an impossibility, especially in a free society. Listen free societies will always carry risks. Much more risk than authoritarian societies. But the increased risk is worth it. Itâs why we must engage in civil disobedience.
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I want to thank you for joining me, I want you to stay safe, and Iâll be back next week.