RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Deep Topics "Essential", "Non-essential" services

A few days ago, I think Friday, Tucker Carlson was discussing the crackdown by police in some states arresting Christians getting together, separated in cars meeting in a parking lot to have prayer meetings or church services.

Well, okay, that could be argued to be for their own protection.
As in the example of one woman in South Korea who refused Covid-19 testing in February, and then went to a church meeting, and South Korean authorities think this one woman infected 1,000 people in South Korea's outbreak.

My concern is, there are people on the Democrat/Left who are openly hostile toward Christianity, undermine religious freedom at every possible opportunity, and could use this precedent to maliciously suppress religious freedom in the U.S. in other ways going forward.

Another concern is that some businesses are considered "essential", such as food supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacy/drugstores, and... liquor stores.

Buying liquor is an "essential" service?

But access to spiritual guidance about redemption and the afterlife, at a time when one in 50 people who contract the Covid-19 virus are dying, is not considered an important or essential service?


Liquor sales are up over 50% since this pandemic began. It could be argued as a way for the alcohol-dependent to self-medicate away the stress. But it should also be pointed out that alcohol consumption lowers immunity and possibly increases the likelihood of contracting the virus. But is ironically labelled an "essential' service during a nationwide shutdown to contain the virus' spread.

A little worm told me that liquor stores are open because hey don't want drunks suffering from alcohol withdrawal backing up the emergency rooms and taking up hospital beds. Which I think is stupid because heavy drinking puts the person and those around them at some risk (DUI, fights, saying things that can never be unsaid...)

My comic shop is open three hours a day for mailing comics or curbside pick up.

My porn store is open for sales only. No video rooms open.

Churchgoers should be allowed to get together as long as they stay in their cars.

Double post never mind.

I think this is all so new that that there are no set rules about it. Next year when it comes back we'll all know better.

I guess porn is an "essential" service too.
It's a... uh... solo activity!


It annoys me that a bunch of churchgoers in Mississippi, I think, who met in a parkinglot each separated in their own cars, but listening to their pastor broadcast on their car radios. They were each given a $500 fine!
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/watch-poli...orship-service/

There was another guy in Colorado who was playing ball in a park alone with his 6 year old daughter, where the police actually arrested him right in front of his daughter. That must be pretty traumatic for the 6 year old.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-officer-arrested-park-throwing-ball-daughter-due/story?id=70032966

Others were arrested protesting the shelter-at-home order in Michigan. They were told protesting is not an essential activity. So much for the Constitution, the right to peaceably assemble and petition a grievance with your government.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati...ing/2986535001/

In all 3 cases, no warning, just immediate arrest and fines.

I think you're right that a year or so from now, they'll probably iron out the details and come up with a more fair standard, if this kind of national "social distancing" should ever happen again in the future.
But it's a bit scary, the kneejerk impulse of the authoritarian Left to just go right after the Christians and ban their free speech rights, and in Michigan, outlaw any dissent. Just go after the rights of people you don't like, but keep open the liquor stores and the Marijuana shops. And, of course, the abortion clinics.

No double-standards, none whatsoever!

It’s a pandemic WB. I think in the rush to stop the spread of the virus mistakes were made like these at the local level or by individual police officers but it’s not an organized attempt to use the pandemic to curtail freedom. I do think the rnc in WI did try to use the pandemic to their advantage by forcing voters to choose between their personal safety or vote. They could have expanded to allow mail in voting but instead left voters in urban areas wait in long lines to vote. I was pleased to see the gop’s attempt to suppress the vote fail and should serve as a warning to them about November.

Like I said, it is rather odd that across multiple Democrat-governor states, that enforcement has selectively turned against religious freedom in churches, against gun stores (at a time where governors are setting criminals free from jail in the thousands, while police officers are either sick from Covid-19 or less willing to respond to crimes!), and even arresting gym owners, hair stylists and pastors expressing their first amendment rights to protest these actions and dissent their professions being labelled as "non-essential activity", while these governors simultaneously leave open abortion clinics, marijuana shops and liquor stores right across the street.
It's just highly suspect when Democrat governors selectively enforce along those lines. To leave businesses and persons favorable to their ideology open to potentialy spread the virus, while using their authority and power to shut down the businesses they ideologically don't like.

That's not protecting the public, that's ideological abuse of power, and in the words of Rahm Emmanuel, "Never letting a crisis go to waste." A frightening example of authoritarian over-reach by the Democrat/Left, targeting their political opposition under the cover and political opportunity of a national crisis.

I miss the good old days of Bush, Clinton, Bush......

In less dire times we could complacently settle for a Bush, Clinton, Bush pattern of leaders. In an era where the Democrats have gone Bolshevik-Left and threaten to turn this country into another Venezuela, when the Democrats are weaaponizing the FBI, DOJ, CIA and FISA court to undo a 2016 election they didn't like the result of, when there is a nuclear aremed North Korea, and immenently nuclear Iran, a russia with supersonic nuclear missiles, China expanding militarily, China releasing (by all appearances intentionally) a Covid-19 pandemic across 189 countries and crippling all their economies, One quickly sees another Bush or Clinton just isn't capable of doing the job that needs to be done. And dealing with the backlog of bad decisions of past presidents of both parties over the last 30 years.

Would that times were still that simple, where we could still complacently feel safe with a Bush or Clinton running the country.

remember when my alter ego told you all that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction???? Nope? no one does..

"Contrary to the lack of media coverage, WMD's found in Iraq" topic
http://www.rkmbs.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1196353/fpart/2#Post964376

Updated link for that last post:

Contrary to the lack of media coverage, WMD's found in Iraq topic
http://www.rkmbs.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=9&Number=1124049