Posted on 07/12/2021 3:54:07 AM PDT by Kaslin
There are times in history when unjust governmental laws, edicts, orders, and mandates - even duly and lawfully enacted ones - unfortunately aren’t seen as “unjust” by a vast majority of people in an era. This leaves a minority who do understand true justice and the arch of history the often unenviable task of resisting such laws using various forms of civil disobedience.
Obvious relatively recent examples of this include the American War for Independence, the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, and civil rights. When those movements began, only a small percentage of the existing population supported them. When things remained peaceful, proponents used various forms of protest and civil disobedience to slowly win people to their side. For example, Martin Luther King, like Mohandas Gandhi in India before him, expertly used non-violent resistance to win the public, end injustice, and make his country a better place.
But when reformers and revolutionaries took arms and failed, the consequences imposed by governments were often lethal. See John Brown’s slave revolt and polarizing raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, or the Jewish armed revolt in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II that resulted in a horrific, violent Nazi crackdown leaving tens of thousands dead. Thankfully, the American revolutionaries won their war, else thousands would have also ended up on the wrong side of a noose.
Indeed, there’s a time for most everything, even violently overthrowing violent oppression. Fortunately, a vast majority of people have eventually come to the side of the reformers of the past, a fact that lends solid weight behind the justness of those causes. Today, however, we live in different times. With the chasm-sized schism between left and right polarizing politics in a way we’ve seemingly never seen before, both sides differ on what issues would even justify civil disobedience in the first place. We aren’t even from the same planet, much less have the same views of what constitutes ‘justice.’
Consider: To many if not most on the right, a governmental denial of the fundamental right to bear arms would likely warrant a violent reaction, while the left would happily provoke such a reaction if it ultimately meant fewers guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens (and being able to criminalize people they don’t like). The left, on the other hand, looks to various examples of inequality of results as evidence of some sort of ‘systemic injustice.’ It’s no longer good enough to have a level playing field. Each side must perform equally or else there is some form of ‘ism’ afoot that must be eradicated by any means necessary, even if a few black-owned businesses are burned down in the process. If there’s no ‘grievance’ to whine about, even a made-up one, they seemingly have no purpose in life.
As a conservative, it’s hard not to see the left’s various ‘causes du jour’ as complete nonsense. Every individual, regardless of gender, race, age, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation, has complete equality under the law. So when leftists march, loot, and burn cities down for absolutely nothing, I roll my eyes and shake my head along with most everyone else who reads this column. Even as a white man who started with almost nothing and has never personally benefited from any type of affirmative action, I’ve certainly never felt the need to perform any civil disobedience of my own - at least until March 2020, when COVID-19 hit and everyone lost their ever-loving minds.
While the left and even some on the squishy right were happy to impose and obey seemingly unlimited COVID restrictions, no matter how scientifically unsound, many on the right balked, especially in the face of increasing data evidence that lockdowns, mask mandates, and business closures did little or nothing to stop or even slow down the inevitable. To me, if the government can force human beings to place a damp, bacteria-laden piece of cloth over the holes they use to breathe based on scant, model-based ‘scientific’ evidence and the hope that it ‘might help,’ and keep such mandates in place for well over a year, they can do almost anything. And worst yet, if they can artificially instill enough fear, most of the public will happily obey and even turn on fellow citizens who refuse to toe the line.
During the pandemic, I happily used this column, and my personal life, to openly flaunt any and all ‘restrictions’ imposed by Covidstan. As proven time and time again, they have no legitimacy and deserve no obedience. To me, resistance to Covidstan, and all it represents, is obedience to God, justice, and liberty.
But there were and are personal limits, at least right now. For example, the few hours I wore a mask on a plane in March 2021 were more hours than I’d worn a face diaper the entirety of the pandemic, but I did wear one. And I’ll wear the blasted thing again when flying next week, because even though I think the transportation mandate is ridiculous and openly have written about it in an effort to get it abolished, I have hope it will end soon, plus a critical mass of opposition hasn’t been reached where an individual who stands up doesn’t lose more than I’m willing to lose at this point. That’s the thing about civil disobedience. It tends to bring consequences. I can happily take the social ones, but I’m not interested in being on any no-fly lists just yet.
Some of you may criticize me for that. Others may agree. We all have a slightly different take, especially when it comes to issues like this. But regardless, all this does make for interesting discussion. Speaking of, when I do travel next week (with a mask, sadly), I’ll be going to Rapid City, South Dakota to moderate a panel at Freedomfest called “Defying The State: When Is Civil Disobedience The Moral Thing To Do?” We’ll be hashing out all these issues and more on Friday, July 23 with libertarian activists Austin Peterson, Spike Cohen, and Jess Mears. If you’re in town, please consider stopping by and checking it out. I’d love to meet you!
I’d like to know if anyone has pulled their mask off at 35,000 feet and just said “screw you guys!”. What happened then? Wouldn’t be surprised if they were put on a no-fly list as there’s no due process there but have any planes done the stupid thing and turned around? I mean if you got nothing to lose and don’t plan to fly again...what the hell?
When Is Civil Disobedience the Moral Thing to Do?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NOW.
"The penalty is one of several the FAA announced on Tuesday, which were taken as part of its zero tolerance campaign over unruly passenger behavior." That guy did more than not just wear the mask "properly".
Fewer Than 1 in 40 Airline Passengers Who Refuse to Wear Mask Face Fines
One of the problems is that the flight attendants are in charge of enforcing this ridiculous mask stuff. Even if masks did work, they’re unnecessary because the airlines spent millions of dollars putting in air scrubbing systems, so the air you breathe in the plane is now probably about the best you’re going to breathe in any indoor location. But the flight attendants have to roam the aisle looking for people whose masks have slipped, and I think many passengers comply simply because they don’t want to cause a hassle for the flight attendants.
The thing that the author didn’t mention is that just entering the terminal has become like entering a wing of the gulag. There are constant TSA announcements about their “Covid restrictions,” masks, etc. and there are also uniformed TSA personnel out monitoring the crowd. By the time they get on the plane, passengers are already pretty traumatized by being treated like criminals or prisoners from the moment they arrive in the terminal, and lurking in the back of everybody’s mind is the risk of being put on the dread “do not fly” list. For some people, this could mean the end of their jobs, not just their vacations.
The massive powers of the TSA should be restricted, for one thing, and law makers need to challenge the legitimacy of all of these covid-related orders, of all kinds and at any level. The reason Fauci is revving up the fear-machine again is that the natives are getting restless and a few congress critters and state governors have been heard making little murmuring noises of rebellion.
Sound familiar?
“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God”
Benjamin Franklin
Many Christians will cite Romans 13 as a refute to that.
Franklin should of backed that up with some scripture.
“When Is Civil Disobedience the Moral Thing to Do?”
ALWAYS!!
But NEVER. if you break laws to do it.
Absolutely agree. I said if you have nothing to lose. I’d like to see a bunch of older people get on flights, take off the mask at altitude, be threatened by the crew, put on the mask then “pass out” walking to the john and create a real health crisis in flight. Disturbance? You bet and who would get charged for it? Cloward-Piven the FAA and TSA.
Yes, because our Founding Fathers obeyed all the laws the king put into place.
Easy answer: whenever “powers that be” violate the Const. At that point, disobedience is practically required. If no reversal, violence. To do otherwise, is to volunteer to become a slave.
And, to those pinheads out there that pooh pooh this as “Only blacks were slaves”: all of our ancestors were once slaves. Just like all owned slaves. You ain’t special. You’re just part of the human race.
Right-but in the CURRENT-political climate, ONLY liberals may break the law.
Throwing the baby out with the bath water won’t work.
Conservative HAVE the numbers for civil disobedience to work.... THEY don’t need to burn it down just for media attention. That kind of thing is for small and criminal groups because ... JUST based on numbers no one would pay any attention to them if they did things within the law
“Many Christians will cite Romans 13 as a refute to that.”
Cowards...
If actually translated faithfully and accurately, then Paul was a self preserving coward protecting his own ass at the risk of taking down the courage and integrity whole faith with him.
In no way do I believe a just and righteous God would himself create evil magistrates in the first place, let alone ask his followers to submit to that evil and revere it as divine.
It is inaccurately translated twisted propaganda created by both church and state to give themselves divine control even if evil and unrighteous.
I’d say anytime from now in many instances.
I agree with you which is why I’m a strong patriot. So many use it as a cop out and it ticks me off royally.
They will drop you off at a place you don’t want to be with no way to leave. No other airline will take you. THEN fine you heavy. Don’t fly if that’s what you are thinking.
Remember back when Hillary Care was forced on us?
That was WHEN.
Absolutely, in a book full of “only follow me” and “never submit to evil” there comes this passage from another whole universe of concept that contradicts all the rest. This is one that reduces and taints the validity of the whole works.
It doesn’t take a genius to see this is totally wrong and 180 degrees from God’s overall message as the “only Divine authority”. Aiding and abetting evil is also just as evil.
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