Michigan's Whitmer says armed protesters displayed 'worst racism and awful parts' of US history

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer slammed the protesters who gathered inside the state's Capitol building on Thursday to demand she rescind her stay-at-home orders, saying they represented the "worst racism and awful parts" of U.S. history. "There were swastikas and Confederate flags and nooses and people with assault rifles," Whitmer said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "Some of the outrageousnesses of what happened at our capitol depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country." The Michigan governor, however, added that those people represented a small portion of the demonstrators at the state capital and that, for the most part, the protest was peaceful. "When you think about the fact that this is a state of almost 10 million people, the vast majority of whom are doing the right thing," she added, "the behavior you've seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan."

Holding American flags and handmade signs – and with some carrying firearms – the demonstrators in Lansing first congregated shoulder-to-shoulder on Thursday outside before demanding to be let inside the building as lawmakers were poised to debate an extension of an emergency and disaster declaration. Some chanted "Let us in," The Detroit News reported. State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, a Democrat, tweeted a photo of what she described as armed demonstrators yelling above her. She said some of her colleagues were wearing "bullet proof vests" inside the House chamber. "Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg," she posted.

Thursday's rally came as some people living in Michigan have continued to demand Whitmer roll back her stay-at-home order in an effort to reopen the state's economy and allow residents to resume daily activities. Last week, she extended the mandate through May 15, but loosened some restrictions beginning Friday. Residents will be allowed to travel between residences, but it will be "strongly discouraged." Whitmer said she would not be intimidated by political pressure to ease up her state’s stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The fact of the matter is we are in the global pandemic. This is not something we negotiate ourselves out of and is a political matter; this is a public health crisis that has taken the lives of almost 70,000 Americans,” she said. “Whether you agree with me or not, I'm working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan,” Whitmer added.

President Trump has come out in support of the protesters, calling them “very good people” in a tweet on Friday. “The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal,” Trump added.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michigans-whitmer-says-armed-protesters-displayed-worst-racism-and-awful-parts-of-u-s-history

>>9017387

>>9017402

>>9017428

Michigan residents need to keep up the pressure, expose her and the cities/towns who participate in this sham shut down/social distancing. Say Loud and Say it Proud Michigan. The world is watching!

If ‘Congress Shall Make No Law…’ Why Can Governors?

The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That’s unambiguous. Not “pretty unambiguous,” just unambiguous. Full stop. Yet governors across the country are ignoring or suspending almost every one of those rights enumerated at the top of the Bill of Rights, with little to no pushback from the press, which just happens to be the only part of the first two amendments not under assault. It’s actually not under assault it’s gone suspended indefinitely in the name of “the common good.” Governors have declared coronavirus emergencies and wiped clean the rights our nation was founded for the purpose of putting those rights beyond the reach of government. These suspensions were not done by vote; they were done with the stroke of a pen. Constitutionally, they can’t be done by either. There is no provision of the Constitution allowing for the waiving of rights under any condition, but most legislatures are content to sit back and watch this all proceed without their fingerprints anywhere near it.

Governors made a point of canceling Easter services, even at drive-in churches set up in parking lots. “You’re not allowed to leave your home,” they declared. The irony of placing innocent Americans under house arrest while releasing prisoners in the name of “compassion” was lost on journalists too busy expressing indignation that people might want to worship even in the face of a pandemic. The same journalists were perplexed by why those same innocent Americans might want to exercise their Second Amendment rights, another right with which we are born that shall “not be infringed” that is being infringed all over the place without concern from the media. “Gun stores are non-essential” in a time prisons are being emptied seems like a set-up for a bad joke, not a public policy. If you speak out against these usurpations of your rights, you will be condemned as “not caring” for the vulnerable. If you couple your right to speak with others in the public square by assembling to magnify your voice, you risk arrest or a fine, a hefty one in a lot of states. These steps are designed to quash your right to petition government for redress of your grievances – the government nullifies your other rights through the magic of a Montblanc pen (the powerful aren’t going to use a Bic, especially when taxpayers are picking up the tab).

Meanwhile, the press remains unencumbered by any of this. Unlike the people footing the bill and taking the hit, journalists are “essential employees.” Long having thought themselves better than everyone else, Democrats with press credentials happily condemn people for refusing to do what they’re told to do by people lacking the right to do it. “The Constitution is not a suicide pact,” they say, but neither is it a permission slip for the murder of rights. Our rights cannot simply be waived in the face of anything. From the beginning of the country, government has been trying to do just that. It’s the nature of government and those in power to attempt to amass as much of that power as possible, and the only way for that to happen is to take it from the people. Our Founding Fathers knew this and wrote the Constitution to guard against it as best it could be done, and still some of them were guilty of it themselves (see the Alien and Sedition Acts). Since then, these incursions into our rights have generally been done with a small hammer and chisel, chipping away a little piece here, a tiny piece there, out of public view in legislation with pleasant-sounding names on matters of public concern: “We must fix this problem” chip, chip chip - “If it saves just one life” chip, chip, chip - etc.

These tend to go unnoticed for what they are, overwhelmed by the sense of urgency they’re generally coupled with. But this time, these same “caring leaders” aren’t using a hammer and chisel; they’re using dynamite. “This is going to change how we live our lives going forward,” is commonly heard now. That’s not how rights work. The Constitution does not grant us rights, it acknowledges rights with which we are born. We can choose not to exercise them, but they cannot be taken away.

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2020/05/03/if-congress-shall-make-no-law-why-can-governors-n2568071