If any American was curious about how far afield from actuality Republicans will go to placate the MAGA crowd and reinforce their authoritarian worldview, they want look no farther than Florida and Texas. Other Republican governors and leaders are a part of the MAGA enthralled loss of life cult, and like their friends main different purple states; their opposition to mitigation efforts to cease the rise of COVID-19 infections is solely pandering to the tradition of silly Trump created and projecting their authoritarian bent.
It looks like every single day there’s one other article concerning the declining assist and ballot numbers for the governors from Florida and Texas over their bans on masks and vaccine mandates whether or not in pubic colleges or personal companies. Clever Individuals would possibly suppose Trump devotees Greg Abbot and Ron DeSantis would make an effort to cease the decline of their assist, however they’re solely curious about overtly wielding their authority and appeasing the anti-everything madness driving the MAGA crowd. They’re actually not doing something constructive to assist their respective constituency’s return to normalcy or making any try to save lots of lives.
There was a prescient article within the Arkansas Instances explaining the mindset of Republican legislators and, to some extent, Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) who’re extra intently centered on retaining energy and ‘appeasing the MAGA crowd” than they’re defending youngsters’s lives.
What is going on in Arkansas isn’t any completely different than the intentionally tragic outcomes of power-hungry males like Abbot and DeSantis, however not less than in Arkansas there are observant individuals who see the issue is greater than merely serving the insane MAGA crowd and its embrace of something however widespread sense or self-preservation.
In early August an Arkansas Decide, Pulaski County Circuit Decide Tim Fox, “issued a preliminary injunction towards the regulation that Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed in April banning masks necessities by governmental entities.”
The ban that Governor Asa Hutchinson says he regrets signing was being challenged by a pair of lawsuits; one from a college district the place greater than 900 workers and college students are quarantining due to a coronavirus outbreak. The laws Hutchinson signed, “Act 1002” just isn’t in contrast to the bans “ordered” by Abbot in Texas and DeSantis in Florida. However like the case of Florida’s ban on masks and vaccine mandates, the Arkansas ban was blocked by a court docket.
To get an concept of the lethal sizes Republicans will go to carry onto unchecked energy over the well being group, legal professionals for Arkansas Republicans made this argument that reveals their actual intent is sustaining energy and serving the pursuits of MAGA anti-mask and vaccine idiots. They don’t seem to be curious about public security, however they’re determined to regulate dissension towards their authority and need for assist from the MAGA crowd. The legal professionals wrote:
“The Act 1002 Injunction is inflicting irreparable hurt as a result of it prevents Act 1002, enacted by the representatives of the residents of Arkansas, from being efficient. As a sensible matter, it interferes with the legislature’s efforts to maintain the peace and encourage the remaining unvaccinated phase of the inhabitants to get vaccinated with out utilizing mandates. There’s a proliferation of disputes on the native degree about native masks mandates, which has resulted in pointless dissension.” (writer daring)
There’s a lot in that “argument” revealing the actual points at play for Republicans in Arkansas in addition to Florida and Texas.
First and foremost, Republicans know rattling properly that banning mandates for masks or vaccines just isn’t going to encourage one anti-mask, anti-vaxxer to hurry out and get vaccinated. That comment was a canard that makes the legal professionals sound as silly as their Republican purchasers are lethal for the folks of Arkansas.
Second, Arkansas Republicans should not making an attempt to “maintain the peace;” they’re supporting the MAGA acolytes who’re unwilling to observe easy public well being measures.
It’s noteworthy to say that the solely folks disturbing the peace are anti-humanity MAGA devotees who don’t simply oppose masks and vaccine mandates, they oppose different folks sporting masks to guard their youngsters in public faculty.
There are many tales making the rounds of indignant anti-mask and anti-vaccine thugs “disturbing the peace” in public schools, vaccination clinics and private businesses across the nation The Republicans insinuate that the one technique of “protecting the peace” is permitting a phase of the inhabitants, sometimes MAGA folks, to hazard the general public well being by both not following medical recommendation and sporting a masks or getting vaccinated, or assaulting public servants who’re sporting a masks to guard the MAGA people’s youngsters.
The “pointless dissension” has nothing to do with folks following well being professionals’ recommendation and every part to do with not following authoritarian Republicans’ government orders and laws which can be contributing to the proceedd rise in COVID-19 instances – most evident in Republican states. Consider “pointless dissension” the best way Republicans loyal to Trump see it: outright disobedience.
Florida’s governor is so intent on exhibiting he’s an honest-to-dog dictator whose orders are to not be questioned, defied, or disobeyed that he’s appealing a court ruling saying he didn’t have the authority to ban masks and vaccine mandates in Florida.
There isn’t any doubt in anyway that Greg Abbot and Ron DeSantis, and Arkansas Republicans comprehend that their bans on masks and vaccine mandates should not solely hurting their approval numbers, however they’re additionally killing their constituents, together with a frighteningly rising variety of youngsters.
Sadly, they don’t care about human life. They care about their authority being challenged and worse, overtly defied in clear view of their MAGA supporters who revere an authoritarian willing to crush dissension regardless of what number of innocents need to die.
Audio engineer and teacher for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of girls, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of faith and notably, freedom of NO faith.
Born within the South, raised within the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.