Category Archives: Libertarian

The University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between candidates for Virginias 88th District House of Delegates seat on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m.

Democrat Kecia Evans, Republican Phillip Scott and Libertarian Tim Lewis will face off live via Zoom, with public viewing accessible throughYouTube. Viewers may submit questions for consideration for inclusion in the debate using anonline formuntil 11 a.m. on the day of the event. Incumbent Mark Cole (R) announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection after nearly two decades in office. The 88th district covers part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, Stafford and Fauquier counties.

While COVID has forced us to debate online this fall, we can look forward to vigorous discussions about the path forward for Virginia, said moderator Stephen Farnsworth, UMW professor of political science and director of the Universitys Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

The event is being hosted by Mary Washingtons College Republicans, Young Democrats and Student Government Association. It is co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce,The Free Lance-Starand the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area. News Director Ted Schubel of WFVA Radio and Editorial Page Editor Barbara Hollingsworth ofThe Free Lance-Starwill ask questions of the candidates during the hourlong debate.

Its importantto stay involved and learn about the candidates running in this election to make sure everyone is able to make an informed decision when voting at the polls, said UMW junior Kate McDaid, a philosophy major and Campus Vote Project Fellow.

Kecia Evans is a mother of four who lives in Stafford. She has worked in criminal justice for more than two decades, spending 16 years with an agency that provides advocacy and legal representation to indigent adults and juveniles. Secretary of the Stafford County Board of Zoning Appeals, Evans formerly served as chairof the Stafford County School Boards Special Education Advisory Committee and of Stafford Countys Parks and Recreation Committee.She led the Legal Redress and Criminal Justice committees of the NAACPs Stafford Branch and represented the group on the Human Rights Coalition for the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Evans holds a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters degree in cybersecurity/digital forensics from University of Maryland University College, and a master of law degree in national security law from Regent School of Law.

Spotsylvania County resident Phillip Scott is the father of five girls. A business owner, he leads a team that handles background investigations for a government contractor. Scott also has professional experience in food and customer service management, and residential and commercial construction. He serves on the Spotsylvania County Citizens Budget Review Committee and has held various roles with his property owners association, including serving on the board of directors, as president and treasurer, and on various committees. He holds a bachelors degree and a juris masters degree from Liberty University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in public policy.

Tim Lewis, who lives in Stafford, is the father of three. He retired after 20 years of service with the Marine Corps, where he began in the infantry, specialized in intelligence and saw combat action in such places as Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. A third-party contractor for the U.S. Department of State, Lewis serves on the board of directors for Beacon Hall, a nonprofit that aims to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children. He also has worked with, volunteered for or supported such groups as the American Red Cross, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Gwynneths Gift.

The second of two debates hosted by the University of Mary Washington this fall, the Oct. 26 event spotlights local elections and comes just days after UMWs inclusion in the Voter Friendly Campus Report, listing schools that successfully support voter education and engagement.

One of my favorite traditions at Mary Washington is our ability to host candidate debates for area elected offices, Farnsworth said, and the willingness every year of those candidates to join us to discuss the future of our region.

Submit questions, which must be received by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26, via an online form atumw.edu/oct2021debatequestions.

Watch the live debate on YouTube atumw.edu/oct2021debate.

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UMW virtual debate for candidates in the 88th House District - Fredericksburg Today

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has a plan.

EDITORIAL: If youre not vaccinated your summer will be shaded; your freedoms far fewer.

Not your essential rights, the Government insists, but your ability to enjoy a host of enjoyable pursuits will be constrained.

Theres one massive division, right there, between those who see this as coercion and punishment, and those - a substantial majority - who say its not about that at all.

Rather, it's a case of not being able to protect people from the natural consequences of their choices, particularly where the safety of others is at risk.

READ MORE:* Covid-19 NZ: How the traffic-light system will work, and what New Zealand needs to do to reach it* Covid-19 NZ: How domestic travel will work under the traffic light system* Covid-19: South Island could relax restrictions before the rest if vaccination targets are reached

Another divide that presents itself is in how we distinguish between our collective and separate situations.

Were all in this together, sure. But our regional stories may differ and were increasingly aware of that. The South Island will be allowed out of Covid alert status ahead of our northern friends if all our DHBs reach their vaccination targets first. But the West Coast is to date dragging the chain. Within the West Coast, theres the sizeable Gloriavale community who arent great joiner-inners. What if this becomes the handbrake for everyone?

Legislation will most likely move quickly through Parliament to empower the social environment the Government wants to put in place once district health boards have passed the at-last-identified milestone of 90 percent fully vaccinated.

Those who support or oppose the Governments plans should watch this lawmaking process closely and engage as much as they can.

Partly because its all-but-inevitable that courts will be called upon to test this legal framework. And partly because we need to to keep our collective guard up against the possibility of unintended consequences.

Mind you, its the intended ones that will have some up in arms.

Although its clear most of the country is persuaded, and wed say rightly, that vaccination is our path to freedom, theres a civil libertarian component who see us on the path to increasing acceptance of the idea of second-class citizens.

Some businesses like supermarkets cannot decline entry to the unvaccinated - people have to be able to eat - but at the other end of the spectrum close-encounter businesses will be required to insist on vaccination of customers.

Mandated vaccines for staff will also become more commonplace.

On top of that, the Governments message is clear that many employers not required to insist on vaccinated customers will be legally empowered to require that anyway - providing if they tread carefully through the procedures.

And theyre getting a strong encouragement to do so - theyll be able to operate pretty much as normal through any of the traffic-light settings.

PM Jacinda Ardern says if you want to go to a bar, a festival, and enjoy your freedoms get vaccinated. Shes using the language of temptation. She might just as fairly have flipped that said it as a threat: if you dont.then you wont.

Whatever your own views on the fairness of that, and whether our present situation affords workable alternatives, her descriptions fairly characterises the summer thats coming.

But another summer characteristic will be the aching resentments that will result among a minority, perhaps many of them not all that politically minded to this point, who might find themselves suddenly interested in libertarian phrases like the tyranny of the majority.

Fridays announcement carried good news for many businesses and many people including at least a dose of the much discussed clarity thats been lacking. Which is helpful.

But whats also becoming clearer is that our future will depend not only on how well we rally behind calls for unity, but how mature, careful and respectful we are when it comes to handling the disunity thats out there.

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The Summer of the Divide - Stuff.co.nz

Libertarians believe that all people have the right to freely offer goods and services on the market and that free-market approaches are the most effective at improving peoples lives.

Our current economy is more crony capitalist than it is free, and that is responsible for the majority of problems that some try to blame on capitalism.

The free market, when it is allowed to do so, provides tremendous opportunity for peopleof all backgrounds, interests, and abilities.

Crony capitalism, however, benefits the wealthy, powerful, and special interests who know how to influence policy makers.

Libertarians default towards freedom in all things, including economics. When people are allowed to run their businesses the way they see fit, without inappropriate government interference and meddling, those businesses are able to innovate andcreate tremendous value for consumers and more jobs for employees.

Libertarians believe that the only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. Unfortunately, the vast majority of regulations on the books do not do that. These regulations are heavy burdens on businesses and people who are just trying to make a living, and often prevent new businesses from starting, prevent existing businesses from hiring new employees, and even force businesses to close. This violates the rights of people to engage in peaceful and honest trade. Additionally, it activelyhurts people by stifling human energy, innovation, and well-being.

Libertarians believe that taxes have the same effect as over-reaching regulations and are a confiscation of the property of other people. Libertarians advocate reducing and eliminating taxes whenever possibleto free people and businesses to do what they do best, so that everyone can have a chance to succeed.

In summary, Libertarians advocate removing unproductive regulation, reducing and eliminating taxes,and getting government out of the way of innovation and job creation.

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The Economy | Libertarian Party

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Covid and the Libertarian nightmare | Opinions | frontiersman.com - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

With more than half of all legislative districts in Chautauqua County uncontested for the November election, it is still technically possible for the Democrats to take control from the Republican party. Realistically, the party has a better shot to take away the super majority control Republicans have now but even that isnt a given.

Currently 14 of 19 legislators are Republicans. By having at least 13 legislators, Republicans have a supermajority, which means they dont need any Democratic support for any legislation.

In November, eight of the 19 districts will have a challenger. Democrats will need to win at least seven of the eight races to control the legislature, none of which are open seats. If they win at least two of the races, they will take away the supermajority control by the Republican party. Six of the eight contested races are currently held by Republican legislators and two are held by Democratic legislators, one of which has no Republican challenger.

CONTESTED RACES

One of the races has two registered Democrats running, so Democrats will keep that seat no matter what. In District 4, Susan Parker of Fredonia defeated Fredonia incumbent Christine Starks in the June primary to become the endorsed Democratic candidate. Starks, however, still has the Working Families Party and will be on the ballot in November. District 4 covers a portion of the village of Fredonia.

Another twist is in the 18th District. Bill Ward of Mavyille is a registered Republican. See SHOT, PIn the June primary he lost the line to Martin J. Proctor of Findley Lake. Proctor was previously a county legislator, filling the remainder of the term of David Himelein, who passed away in 2019. He lost to Ward that year when Ward had secured both the Democratic and Republican lines and Proctor ran on the Cornerstone line. Ward had previously secured the Democratic line and was again seeking to be the endorsed candidate by both parties. Ward also has the Working Families line, while Proctor has the Conservative line. Ward has not said if he wins if he will continue to caucus with the Republicans or join the Democrats. District 18 includes the towns of Mina, Sherman and a portion of the town of Chautauqua, including the village of Mayville.

In District 16, there are three candidates running for the seat. John Davis of Frewsburg is the incumbent. He has the Republican and Conservative lines. He is being challenged by Dustin Carvella who is the endorsed candidate of the Democratic and Working Families. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole is running on the Libertarian line. Cole is the secretary of the county Libertarian Party. This is the only district that has a Libertarian candidate. District 16 includes the towns of Poland, Carroll and Kiantone.

In District 11, Robert Whitney is running for re-election. He is endorsed by the Democratic and Working Families parties. He is being challenged by David Wilfong, who is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative lines. This is a rematch of sorts. Wilfong defeated Whitney in 2013 for the seat. Wilfong stepped down from the seat when he ran for Jamestown mayor, but eventually lost to Eddie Sunquist. District 11 covers a portion of the city of Jamestown.

In District 12, which is mostly in the city of Jamestown, along with a small portion in the town of Ellicott, incumbent Elisabeth Rankin is being challenged by Heather Fagan. Rankin is running on the Republican and Conservative lines while Fagan is running on the Democratic line.

In District 8, Pierre Chagnon of Bemus Point is being challenged by Scott Humble. Chagnon, who is the legislature chairman, is running for re-election on the Republican and Conservative lines, while Humble is running on the Democratic line. District 8 covers the towns of North Harmony and Ellery.

In District 3, Bob Scutter of Fredonia is being challenged by Robert Dando. Scutter is running on the Republican and Conservative lines while Dando is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. District 3 includes a portion of the village of Fredonia and the rest of the town of Pomfret.

In District 1, Kevin Muldowney of Dunkirk is being challenged by Marcus Buchanan. Muldowney is running on the Republican line while Buchanan is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. District 1 includes a portion of the city and West Town of Dunkirk.

NEW FACES

There is a guarantee for at least two new faces, one of which is already serving.

Mark Odell is the only candidate listed for District 7. Odell, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, resigned from his seat in August after taking a new professional position in Florida. After Odell resigned, the Republican committees of Stockton, Portland, and District 4 of the town of Chautauqua selected Johnathan Penhollow of Stockton to take Odells place. He was sworn into office in August. Because of when Odell resigned, it was too late to get any new names on the ballot. In November, should Odell be re-elected, it is expected he will either decline the position or be found ineligible to be sworn in and then Penhollow would continue until the end of 2022. In November next year, Penhollow will need to run for a one-year term if he wants to keep the seat.

Meanwhile, Democrat Chuck Nazzaro of Jamestown has decided not to run for re-election for District 9, which covers the south end of the city. Billy Torres, also a Democrat, is running for the seat unopposed.

UNCONTESTED RACES

Of the 11 legislators who are running unopposed, eight are Republicans and three are Democrats. Along with Odell, Republicans running unopposed include: Terry Niebel of Sheridan for District 5; Thomas Harmon of Silver Creek for District 6; Ken Lawton of Lakewood for District 10; Dan Pavlock of Sinclairville for District 14; Lisa Vanstrom of West Ellicott for District 15; Jay Gould of Ashville for District 17; and John Hemmer of Westfield for District 19.

Along with Torres, Democrats who are running unopposed include: Robert Bankoski of Dunkirk for District 2 and Paul Whitford of Jamestown for District 13.

This years elections are set for Tuesday, Nov. 2. Seats are for two years. The legislature will need to have the districts redrawn following the 2020 Census results before the next election in 2023.

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Dems have outside shot to take control of legislature - Evening Observer

The Danish governments recent decision to abolish all COVID-19 restrictions was met with widespread interest both domestically and internationally.

It was natural that one of the first countries to abolish restrictions got international coverage; what was bizarre was to see Denmark become a poster child for the libertarian right in the US, who emphasised the small state nature of the decision.

Cautious trinity to thankThis is a profound misinterpretation of the situation. Denmark has not reached this situation due to a lack of belief in the state, but rather the opposite. Specifically, there are three conditions which have made it possible.

High vaccination rates: 75 percent of all people in Denmark (including children) are fully covered one of the highest rates in the world, and significantly higher than the United States. This figure offers an element of confidence that far fewer people will fall seriously ill from COVID-19.

Extensive use of testing: Denmark has been a world-leader particularly during the spring. It was routine for people to be tested (even if they were not symptomatic), with 10 percent of the population being tested on a daily basis. This allowed the control of the spread of the pandemic to be constantly monitored.

Use of vaccine passports: widely in Denmark over the last six months, they have allowed the pandemic to be controlled. This is in stark contrast to countries like the US and UK, where a passport regime has been viewed as unfair and a bridge too far.

Not over yetWithout any one of those three factors, the pandemic would have taken a different course, and restrictions may not have been abolished.

The decision should be seen not on a libertarian basis but the opposite: a controlled and responsible use of state power, which put restrictions on certain liberties in the short term, with the goal of achieving wider opportunities for society in the long run.

None of this means COVID is over. The efficacy of vaccines is reduced against the Delta variant, and the more widespread use of booster shots will need to be considered in the coming months.

At the same time, the natural spread of the virus can be expected as the weather closes in. All this may require some moderate restrictions to be imposed again.

What we can clearly see now, though, is a way forward, along with a collective understanding that short-term sacrifices can lead to longer-term improvements.

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Danish Capital in 2021: Denmark hailed, but for the wrong reasons - The Post - The Copenhagen Post - Danish news in english

Freelance photojournalist Maranie Staab believes her camera can be a force for truth and social justice. The work of a conflict photographer often requires physical courage in places she has reported from, such as Africa and the Middle East. It certainly did so on Aug. 22, while Staab was covering demonstrations in Portland, Oregon.

Staab, a 2020 reporting fellow for the liberal Pulitzer Center, was assaulted by the left-wing group antifa, and the assault was filmed and distributed online, resulting in widespread condemnation. Yet despite the alarming increase in such attacks, reporters who cover antifa express frustration that the condemnation of the attack on Staab was an aberration. More often than not, antifas attacks on the press have gone ignored.

No reporter is better known for covering antifa than Andy Ngo, author of the best-selling book Unmasked: Inside Antifas Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. Ngo, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, started reporting on protest violence for the Portland State Vanguard, Portland State Universitys student newspaper, in 2016.

With left-wing violence largely ignored by legacy news organizations, Ngo found there was a market for coverage of Portlands growing problem with street violence notably by antifa, a largely decentralized, avowedly anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement without an identifiable leader or spokesperson that is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest.

Soon Ngo was in the streets working as a freelance reporter while his Twitter feed became a nationally known clearinghouse for information related to antifa everything from videos of violence and vandalism to the ensuing mugshots and charging documents.

In June 2019, Ngo was jumped by a crowd of antifa protesters while reporting on a demonstration in the city. They kicked him in the groin, repeatedly punched him in the head while wearing tactical gloves with fiberglass-reinforced knuckles, and pelted him with hard objects. Ngo ended up in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage.

Ngo says he has been attacked four times and no longer lives in Portland out of concern for his safety, but antifa regularly make menacing appearances at his aging mothers house in the city. Graffiti has appeared in Portland saying, Kill Andy Ngo. and Andy Ngo 187 187 being a police code denoting murder. Its just been this constant incitement to kill me, he says. Thats why I left at the end of last year, Ngo said.

Ngo and other journalists complain that media organizations have not done enough to defend them. Following the attack on Staab, the Oregon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists issued a statement noting that assaulting journalists runs counter to the ideals of our democracy. But RCI could find only one other statement from the societys Oregon chapter condemning an attack by left-wing protesters. The organization did not respond to RCIs request for other examples of its condemnation of attacks on other reporters.

Ngo isnt alone in thinking that these attacks on the press are being downplayed. So does Nancy Rommelmann, who as a journalist has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Working as a freelancer, she filed several reports on antifa and street violence in Portland for the libertarian magazine Reason.

She was attacked in the streets, she says, and threatened online, with her photo publicly posted. Rommelmann believes the traditional media are ignoring the street violence for political reasons they dont want antifas extremism to be seen as discrediting to liberal causes. I can tell you that 100% of the people that have attacked and continue to attack me, theyre all on the left all of them. And I consider myself a liberal, Rommelmann said.

Even as outlets including the Guardian and the Washington Post published articles dismissing left-wing violence including a Post fact-check piece last summer declaring, Who caused the violence at protests? It wasnt antifa others attacked the reporters trying to cover the protests.

Critics say that Ngo should not be treated as a legitimate journalist and allege that he has reported misleading or non-objective information. An article in the Columbia Journalism Review referred to him as a discredited provocateur. Ngo does much of his reporting on Twitter and social media, in part due to a lack of interest in antifa from the broader media.

Ngos reporting makes clear that hes critical of antifa. Moreover, if making the occasional error or having a point of view is disqualifying for a journalist, the New York Times and Washington Post and most reporters and editors in the country would have their press credentials revoked. The criticism of Ngo is particularly galling when one considers that his main point of view is that political violence is wrong.

He remains undeterred. In June, when a reporter from the left-leaning sports site Deadspin was among those demanding Twitter stop calling Ngo a journalist, he responded. My detractors do this because they want to take away the one thing that all decent people agree on: press freedom is sacred, Ngo wrote. Who the far-left defines as press are those who write what they approve of. Anyone else is a provocateur deserving of intimidation and violence.

This article was adapted from a RealClearInvestigations article published September 23.

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Op-Ed: Little outcry over Antifas equal-opportunity beatdowns of journalists left and right - The Center Square

Andrew Yang's run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination didn't last all that long, but his support for a universal basic income (UBI) pushed that arcane topic to the center of ongoing policy debates about how best to help Americans dislocated by technological and economic change.

The 46-year-old entrepreneur, who also ran unsuccessfully this year to become New York City's mayor, has a new book out. Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, is part campaign memoir and part political manifesto in which he outlines the principles and policies he thinks are essential to making America once again a land of opportunity. To further his agenda, he has also launched the Forward Party, which proclaims it is neither left nor right in its mission statement.

"We can tell that the duopoly is killing us," says Yang. "It's turning us against each other. Political stress is at civil war levels. Political violence is becoming more and more of an inevitability." The Forward Party's core principles include pushing for open primaries and ranked-choice voting, creating a basic income for all citizens, promoting "human-centered capitalism," and infusing politics with "grace and tolerance."

He talked about all thatand how his agenda intersects with libertarian ideaswith Reason's Nick Gillespie.

Photo: Ron Adar / SOPA Images/Sipa USA/Newscom

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Andrew Yang: 'Political Violence Is Becoming More and More of an Inevitability' - Reason

The election deadline is this coming Tuesday, and the Custer County Clerks Office has some deadline information.

For starters, do not mail back ballots after October 25. County Clerk Kelley Camper states that, and even then, you are taking a chance we may not receive your ballot in time to be counted.

Ballots can be mailed or dropped off at the Custer County Court House located at 205 S. 6th Street. There is a 24/7 secure ballot drop-off point on the east side of the courthouse as we. Ballots are due back no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2.

The Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) will be open in the County Building from Monday, October 25 through November 2. The hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 30 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 2 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Voters can go to the VSPC to deposit their ballot, get a replacement ballot, vote on the voting machine, update voter information, and register to vote. They also have sample ballots and extra blue books on request.

4,299 ballots were mailed out to Custer County registered voters. As of October 20, the clerks office reports 4,303, registered voters. Party affiliations is as follows: American Constitution 15, Voting 1, Democrat 551, Green 12, Libertarian 40, Republican 2,130, and Unaffiliated 1,554.

Jordan Hedberg

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Election Information Wet Mountain Tribune - Wet Mountain Tribune

Monday, 18 October 2021, 4:06 pmOpinion: Lynley Tulloch

These are trying times. Like many other New Zealanders, I am impacted by lockdown. Yet I am aware that the effects of Covid-19 infection and lockdowns are spread unevenly across the population.

The human rights of all people during a Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns need to be considered.This is where things get complicated. This rights - based focus is often at odds with the libertarian view of freedom from government intervention.

Those people who are anti-lockdown often feel that their rights to freedom are being breached. What many people seem to be forgetting is that with rights comes responsibilities. Many people are breaking the rules by gathering in groups indoors and spreading the virus even further.

While we have individual rights, we also need to remember that there is a responsibility to society to protect other people's rights.

Those people who are unable to be vaccinated against Covid-19 are at risk from other people. These include children and people with compromised immune systems.

The issues are complex and entangled. And yet too many people are looking at them from a one-dimensional perspective.

Anti-lockdown protestors are a case in point. They claim that lockdowns are a breach of our individual freedom and a form of tyranny. They refuse to look at the other important dimensions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has on people who are especially vulnerable.

In my opinion the anti-lockdown protestors hold a nave and limited view of freedom, one that puts people at further risk of Covid-19 which is highly infectious and variable. While some people are not affected much by Covid-19, others may be harmed for a long time (long Covid).

Lockdowns can protect people who are vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus such as older adults, unvaccinated children, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

Covid-19 affects people throughout the community unevenly even outside of the aforementioned vulnerabilities. For example, poor living arrangements and financial instability, disability, and homelessness can also worsen the risk of Covid-19 infection for people. Refugees and immigrants are another group of people who are at greater risk of social disadvantage from Covid-19.

These same people are also disproportionately affected by Covid-19 lockdowns. These lockdowns can increase financial instability and people may lose their jobs as businesses shut down. Access to social goods such as health services and education might also be impacted.

This then has further consequences for mental health.

So it seems that we may be stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

However, rather than resist lockdowns I think we should be focusing on lobbying the government for greater rights for these groups during the pandemic.

It is not surprising that in times such as these with heightened tensions there may be a lack of social cohesion.

In the United States, England, Australia, and New Zealand anti-lockdown protests have threatened social stability. Some of these protests have been violent.

In Melbourne for example, thousands of angry protestors marched through the CBD shouting freedom and f*** the jab. Protestors threw glass bottles and flares at police. The riot police fought back with rubber bullets and tear gas.

The protest was organised by Harrison McLean, a Melbourne Monash University graduate who is a self-identified libertarian activist and proponent of individual and economic freedom. He is also a Covid-19 denier.

The knee-jerk reaction of protestors who want to protect their elite lifestyles in the West is problematic.

There appears to be some degree of naivety over the concept of freedom by the protestors. The idea of freedom that these protestors are raising is based on a libertarian notion of freedom as the enjoyment of ones own life and goods.

The libertarian definition of freedom is dominant in Europe and American countries. Scholars Zhou Zhifa and Tan Xiaohan from Zhejiang Normal University recently published a research paper claiming that this understanding of freedom has led to problems in Covid-19 governance in Western countries.

Zhia and Xiaohan said that protestors end up endangering public security and health through traveling, gathering, and demonstrating without masks during a pandemic.

A recent anti-lockdown protest in New Zealand during lockdown is a case in point. It had the potential to become a super spreader event and potentially plunge New Zealand into an even longer lockdown.

The anti-lockdown protest in New Zealand was a peaceful protest. However, I dont believe that anti - lockdown protests are in the same realm of a peaceful protest. Peaceful protests are a cornerstone of democracy. Peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are perfectly legitimate and healthy ways to try and achieve social change.

Just not in the middle of a pandemic. This is when their legitimacy needs to be questioned.

Mahatma Gandhi is considered the father of peaceful protest. He fought for civil rights in India and he resisted British colonization. For his troubles he was arrested thirteen times during his lifetime.

Gandhi showed the world that social change can be achieved without violence. He was an inspirational leader in human rights. He triggered other civil rights movements led by activists such as Martin Luther King jr, Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousafzai, and Nelson Mandela.

But anti- lockdown protests are not in the same ballpark. Instead of protecting people and fighting for the human rights of people from oppressed groups, they put these same people at risk.

The fallout of a Covid-19 outbreak on hospitals in New Zealand and elsewhere is extreme.

The concept of freedom held by civil rights revolutionaries such as Gandhi and Mandela and that held by anti-lockdown protestors are irreconcilable in the context of a Covid-19 pandemic.

Civil rights freedoms protect people from discrimination by gender, race of disability. A libertarian view of freedom on the other hand champions the freedom to make choices about your own life, your body, and your property. This is why many anti-lockdowners are also against the jab.

Some clarity around the concept of freedom will be helpful during these troubled times.

Lockdowns are not based on the repression of freedoms in service to a tyrannical need for power and control. Rather they are an attempt to protect our way of life in New Zealand, which actually has considerable freedoms compared to many parts of the world.

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Excerpt from:

Lockdowns And Freedom: At Odds Or Different Sides Of The Same Coin? | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz