We have been in this lockdown for over 6 months.  By any rational standard, by now, we ought to be able to go back to normal.  When I talked to our governor’s office here in Idaho, I was informed that it was now up to our local health district.  When I talked to our local health official to find out what was the standard they would use before we could go back to normal I was informed it would probably be some time next spring. 

Thus, we are told that we will just have to get used to a New Normal.  Things will never be normal again.  Whatever our personal discomfort we will have to learn to live with it.

That may be fine for individuals, but what about businesses?  Thousands of smaller businesses have gone under because they could not afford to be shut down -- and some big ones have declared bankruptcy.  Among the hardest-hit are restaurants, and restaurant chains, which have a narrower margin of profit than most other businesses.  Many have re-opened with fewer tables but even then they have had few customers.

Our family does not eat out very often, but when we do, we like to go to a restaurant with a buffet.  One such restaurant closed its doors even before the coronavirus.  There is only one other in our town, but when we ate there, probably no more than fifteen folk were eating at one time.  I would estimate that the food line must have cost $1,000, so how long can they survive? 

When I talked to the governor’s office about the need to re-open, to go back to normal, I was told that in our state, people pretty much do as they please.  So, some churches are open but require masks and “social distancing,” other churches have gone back to normal.  Our president has held rallies with thousands packed together.  We are Americans, and we need close fellowship, especially at a time when there are forces trying to divide us.

When we were first told about this virus, it was said that it was something new, and that it was highly contagious, and deadly.  As many as 2.2 million would die.  Later that was revised down to about 60,000, but the damage had been done.  The result was to make Americans fearful, with only the government able to help. 

Masks seem to be the key issue.  Some folk insist that masks are harmful and can cause respiratory problems.  Others say they wear a mask all day with no apparent problems.  So which is true?

If you go online, you will find an answer to any question.  Some may be true and some not.  But that being the case the government, that is to say the Center For Disease Control (CDC), ought to have made suggestions and let people decide for themselves.

Every year we have some sort of flu.  For most people it is over in a couple of days and life goes on.  For some people, however, the disease can be deadly.  People die of the flu every year.  So what is different about this year?  Many medical professionals insist that this year is no different than any other flu year and there was no reason for an emergency lockdown.

The end result of all this activity is to give the government more power.  These orders by our governors have violated the First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.  Some people saw that right away, but governors were not listening.  What the CDC said was gospel permitting no other suggestions.

Some states did not require lockdown of businesses and they have had no more cases of virus than those that did. In one state, the governor was recently sued and the court set aside those decrees, saying they were unconstitutional.

Here in our town, a family had a crisis and had to hold a garage sale to get rid of a number of things to make room in storage.  They were informed by the local police that they were in violation of the “law”.  When they did not stop they were cited and arrested.  The trial was held yesterday. 

Our local health district decided that we all needed to wear masks whenever outside.  One local sheriff said he would not enforce the law because it was unconstitutional.  Another said he could not enforce it as it was impractical to do so.  As you can see these health professional actions pit the police against the citizens of our city, and we usually view the police as our friend and protector.  It is too bad local health officials cannot see how divisive their decisions have been.

This is not a case of some sort of rogue disease working on all of us.  After all, no one wants to be the cause of the death of another. But this is a matter of a government operating out of bounds.  We are a republic with three divisions of government: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.  Our own legislature met with an effort to stop this lockdown.  The anti-lockdown effort passed the House but the Senate felt it was unconstitutional.  Considering our Constitution and comparing it with our statutes it becomes obvious that the action would have been very constitutional.

As Americans our path is clear: We must get back to normal.  There have been serious economic results from this lockdown.  Many have closed their businesses.  Many more have lost their jobs.  Some have gone hungry.  A few have taken their own lives.

In California churches were told they could not meet and also could not sing.  Some churches went right ahead and folk have flocked in from all over to be in a church that stood for truth.  The open churches are being fined daily.  One pastor says he is prepared to go to jail if necessary, and besides it would provide a great ministry.

Americans are not by nature a rebellious people.  We strongly believe in law and order.  We want to do what the law requires.  But when the law is unconstitutional we have an obligation to ignore the unjust law.  History is filled with cultures that failed simply because step by step the people did what they were told to do.  Now it is time to band together and stand for what is right. 

We need to insist that our country go back to normal now, not next year and not after the election in November.  Some schools have opened but require masks, etc.  Other schools say they will not re-open until after the election on Nov. 3.

 It is not too late to regain the freedom handed down to us by the founders of our country, and preserved in many national and world wars.  If we are to remain a free people we must regain the freedom that is so precious to us.  But it is rapidly becoming too late.  We must reject a New Normal and reclaim the normal.  It will not be easy, but it is not too late and it must be done. 

Jim Hollingsworth is the author of: Climate Change, A Convenient Truth and receives mail at: jimhollingsworth@frontier.com