Tag: civil disobedience

South Dakota Gov. Noem Refuses To Enforce Biden Mask Mandate, Citing Lack Of Authority

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) has made clear that she won’t be enforcing any potential ‘mask mandate’ from a Biden administration, citing a lack of authority, according to a statement made to local outlet Argus Leader.

“It’s a good day for freedom. Joe Biden realizes that the president doesn’t have the authority to institute a mask mandate,” said Noem’s communications director, Ian Fury, adding “For that matter, neither does Governor Noem, which is why she has provided her citizens with the full scope of the science and trusted them to make the best decisions for themselves and their loved-ones.”

The announcement comes as likely President-Elect Biden ramps up lockdown messaging so he can promptly blame President Trump on January 21 for not doing so.

Keep reading

The Science and Law of Refusing to Wear Masks: Texts and Arguments in Support of Civil Disobedience

In fact, the only medical benefit — and even that is only a ‘likely advantage’ — of the use of masks by healthy people in the general public listed by the WHO is the ‘reduced potential exposure risk from infected persons before they develop symptoms.’ It’s important to clarify that this is a risk that I take, not that I represent, of potential exposure to infection from someone else who, presumably, has COVID-19 and breathes, sneezes or coughs on me in sufficiently close proximity for airborne particles or tiny droplets potentially carrying the virus to enter my nose, mouth or eyes. However, if I want to take that risk of potential exposure, that’s up to me, just as I also risk being run down by a car when I cross the road. It’s not the role of the police — and it most certainly isn’t within their legal powers — to compel me to avoid that risk. That’s my right, without which any and every possible or putative risk to my or anyone else’s safety can be used to justify controlling every aspect of my life.

Keep reading