Talking too loud spreads a virus, says the Democrat governor of Minnesota. Ticketmaster is working to develop a system to check if concertgoers have received a coronavirus vaccine before being able to buy tickets, reports indicate. Are Americans prepared for a much more intense phase of social controls in the name of health?
'My Intention Is to Keep You Safe'
"It's human behavior … people start to gather closer together, they start to see more interaction, they're singing more," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared on Nov. 10 while announcing new crackdowns on the personal activities of citizens in his state after 10 p.m. Bars and restaurants will stop serving at that time to save patrons from themselves.
"Defending his decision, Walz said Minnesota's contact tracers are finding 'at least a doubling' of infections in bars after 9 p.m., as alcohol often lowers inhibitions – louder talking, no social distancing, etc.," Fox 9 in Minneapolis reported of the governor's press conference on his new diktats.
The mental imagery of state agents carefully monitoring nightlife behavior in pubs across the Land of 10,000 Lakes for potential threats against The People should send a shiver up the spines of any American familiar with the acts and justifications of the KGB behind the Iron Curtain during Soviet Union days. "I feel like the guy in Footloose," Walz droned on, referencing the 1980s hit movie. "No dancing, no fun ... that is not my intention. My intention is to keep you safe so you can all dance a lot longer."
Papers, Please
If you can see where this is heading, pat yourself on the back. Ticketmaster is already hashing out post-vaccine scenarios whereby the company would make customers show their health papers before being allowed to purchase tickets for concerts.
"As part of that preparation, Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety that uses smart phones to verify fans' vaccination status or whether they've tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window," Billboard reported Nov. 11.
The ratcheting up of social curbs was apparently inevitable once the majority of citizens in this nation accepted the initial strict coronavirus lockdowns at the behest of "experts" who seemed to make up the rules as they went along. Black Lives Matter mass protests were seemingly acceptable but attending church was playing Russian roulette, according to some professionals.
"America is just approaching the second phase of the Coronavirus upheaval, and we are already seeing drastic curbs on everyday interactions that would have been unthinkable a mere few years ago," Liberty Nation observed back on May 1. "It makes one wonder: If people can be fined for not wearing a mask, what’s going to happen to those who refuse to take the vaccine if and when it ever comes out?"
Well, we're getting closer to that moment, and the despotism appears to be growing. California’s Gavin Newsom is among several governors who seem to believe they have every right to micromanage attendance at family Thanksgiving dinners in their states. Making it all the more infuriating is the fact that elitists like Newsom, who recently admitted he attended a birthday party with a dozen others in the Wine Country, don't apply their harsh directives to themselves.
The hypocrisy seems breathtaking enough, but it is the double standard that rankles: one scale for the ruling class and another for the peasants. Now, Joe Biden may be in place to capture the White House, and he has promised to zealously pursue additional coronavirus restrictions that are deeply unpopular with tens of millions of Americans.
A Time for Ordinary Bravery
What is the proper response by those Americans who so often feel powerless in the face of growing authoritarianism? They know that fruitless acts of personal rebellion can cost them a job or worse, yet perhaps none of this will stop until they make their government representatives understand that these measures have gone too far.
For those feeling frustrated as to where to begin, the words of the Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a man who personally experienced what life under crushing social tyranny encompasses, should serve as a beacon of inspiration: "The simple act of an ordinary brave man is not to participate in lies, not to support false actions. His rule: Let that come into the world, let it even reign supreme — only not through me."
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Read more from Joe Schaeffer.
