Category First Amendment

Feb 13 2021

The Piscataquis Resolution (an overview)

The Piscataquis Resolution

Change is in the wind and it borders on the miraculous…of sorts. Joe Biden had barely enough time to finish the oath of office and Democrat leaders across the Nation were announcing their intent to reopen their economies. Claims of plummeting infection rates coupled with a sudden pivot to hydroxychloroquine as an effective and viable treatment for the Wuhan Virus, while the media has returned to naming a virus by its geographical place of origin, lends credence to the lingering and growing skepticism of the pandemic narrative. Call it the Biden Effect.

I’m sure the doctors forced out of their practices for spouting “nonscience”, which has become “nowscience”, will be afforded a heartfelt apology from the AMA and others who sneered at those brave, and now proven, practitioners. Perhaps not, as focusing on discounting the reports of the effectiveness of the wonder drug Ivermectin seems to be the next layer of “nonscience”. Imagine the lives that could have been saved had hydroxychloriquine been allowed and encouraged for use, and how many more will be lost in the wranglings over the political impact of simple wonder drug.

But its science and science, as of late, seems to have a healthy dose of political animus. Its no wonder that many Americans, including Mainers, have a healthy distrust of modern medical science, which seems to be more media driven and predicated on political expediency rather than research and scientific method. Science blows in the wind and whither it lands, nobody knows.

Recently, the County Commissioners of Piscataquis County, Maine, sent a Resolution of Protest to the Governor of Maine, The Piscataquis Resolution is a voice for all the concerns, frustrations, helplessness, and anger that the Commissioners’ constituents have expressed to them, asking their elected officials to “Please, do something!” about the draconian lock down and mandates enforced upon them. Predictably, the resolution was met with derision by the media, whose reporting read more like a cut and paste of local protesters’ chants. With the local cancel culture groups in full throat (Yes, Piscataquis has a cancel culture group working out of the Center Theater in Dover-Foxcroft.), the Commissioners have faced protest, vile threats, and character assassinations from the cancel groups, media, Governor, Attorney General, and legislature.

So lets look at The Piscataquis Resolution which, according to the media, is rife with falsehoods and racist terminology. First, the resolution is an extension, or next step, of a protest letter sent by the Commissioners along with three other rural counties, over the summer. The purpose was to lodge complaint and demand audience with the Governor to voice the concerns of their respective counties; unfortunately, the Governor never acknowledged the letter.

Piscataquis has taken the next step of a public and formal Resolution of Protest against the Governor. Here is an overview of the points which have caused the most angst among the local cancel groups. The real over arching anger is directed to that startling affront that any voice could be given to an opinion that does not coincide with, or is contrary to, theirs and, therefore, must be silenced.

The Commissioners do not agree and feel they represent the majority of the residents of Piscataquis. As two of the commissioners ran unopposed and the third was elected by nearly 60% of the vote tally, there is evidence to support this claim. That is a strong majority.

Some town officials have claimed that the Commissioners only represent unorganized townships, not the organized towns. If so, then why are elections for the office of the Commissioner held in organized towns, the votes are tallied, and counted with the unorganized townships? The officials may do well to check statutes which grants County Commissioners oversight for towns on tax abatement issues and other budgetary issues.

The criticisms of the Governor have been publicly made by both parties over this past year. What has been of particular concern for Piscataquis have been reports from distraught, angry, frustrated, and emotional residents who have been tormented in their daily lives and businesses by the gestapo-like tactics of the local cancel group who have been taking pictures, making video recordings, and threatening to report their neighbors for lock down violations to the government, at the behest of the Governor. The businesses of Piscataquis live under the constant threat of closure or other punitive action by the Governor through her local lackeys.

One of the major accusations of racism against the resolution is the use of the term Wuhan Virus. This is simply an indication of the place of origin for the virus. Interestingly, it was the media who first used the term, and with a new administration in Washington, (the Biden Effect) the media have returned to labeling Wuhan variants by their geographical location.

The Piscataquis Resolution also states that face coverings and lock downs only lengthen the time of the pandemic. A phone call from a doctor, who called to express his concern with the resolution, agreed that this point was true and it is by intent. For those that battle infectious disease, lengthening the stay of the pandemic in the populous gives more time to study it and find a cure and, while many may argue the efficacy of this cold and calculated view, to the medical field, in the end the lives they believe saved will justify the means.

Most of derision was focused on the claim that the prolonged use of face coverings has been proven to cause bacterial pneumonia and respiratory disease. This was based upon Dr. Fauci’s study of the Spanish Flue where he asserts that the flue broke down the immune system, face covering were prescribed to combat the spread, but in the end bacterial pneumonia was the final killer. While it is true that the study does not specifically indicate face coverings as the trigger for the move from flu to bacterial pneumonia, fact checkers ignore the numerous studies of this and other pandemics that cite that the bacteria in the mouth and nasal passages moved from these areas into the damaged and vulnerable lower lung tissue.

This begs the simple common sense question: What forced the bacteria in the oral and nasal cavities, which is normally present, to move from its usual position in the oral and nasal cavities to the lungs? Similarly, how can the medical field expect the average layperson to approach the wearing, touching, adjusting, and discarding of masks with the same training and precision that comes with the years of practice that a medical professional requires? And are the governing agencies properly administering proper practices concerning masks?

There are repeated warnings throughout the dental and oral medical fields of a rising trend of “mask mouth.” This is a bacterial infection of the dental tissue, along with inflammation and bacterial infection in the throat and mouth. The repeated warnings urge those that have these symptoms of swelling and redness in the gums or oral tissue to see a doctor before the symptoms are irreversible.

The underlying purpose of The Piscataquis Resolution is to give voice to the people who have no voice and have been ignored. As the Commissioners stated at the signing, those protesting the resolution have the government and the media to voice their concerns constantly throughout every day, but no one is speaking for the silent majority. The Commissioners of Piscataquis County have chosen to give a voice of protest for that silent majority that they represent and they will not be deterred nor will they rescind The Piscataquis Resolution.

Feb 13 2021

The Piscataquis Resolution (document unsigned)

Resolution of Protest for Piscataquis County

Whereas, the people of Piscataquis County, in the Sovereign State of Maine, are a Free people, whose lives and futures should be dependent and affected by their decisions alone without interference through the dictates of one;

Whereas, the Commissioners of Piscataquis County were elected by strong majorities;

Whereas, these people, with a majority voice, have challenged their elected Representatives at every level to remove or nullify the onerous burdens that have been placed on their lives, families, and businesses through the dictates of one;

Whereas, the Governor of the State of Maine has chosen to defy the Constitution of this Republic of the Free, Sovereign, and United States of America, to ignore the Constitution of the State of which she is Governor, and instead, rule alone through the dictates of one;

Whereas, the Governor has repeatedly refused to allow the legislature to convene, review, and address the impact of her rulings upon the free people the legislature represents;

Whereas, the Governor has repeatedly refused to answer requests by the legislature that she produce corroborated and proven science which can substantiate if any of her edicts have lessened the spread of the Wuhan Virus;

Whereas, the Governor has called upon citizens to report fellow citizens and businesses to authorities for non-compliance with her edicts, turning neighbor against neighbor;

Whereas, despite having the majority of the State in compliance with the Governor’s edicts, the Wuhan Virus continues to spread;

Whereas, research and study of the history of pandemics shows that face coverings and lock-downs only worsen and lengthen the time of the virus’ track through the populace;

Whereas, the same research shows that face coverings, while not preventing the virus, cause respiratory disease and pneumonia, with far worse devastation to the populace than the virus itself;

Whereas, research shows that lock-downs cause an alarming rise in suicides, drug abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and depression;

Whereas, now, reports of pneumonia and respiratory disease caused from face coverings are starting to rise throughout our country;

Whereas, now, the rates of suicide, drug abuse, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, and depression are on an alarming rise throughout our country;

Whereas, the edicts of this Governor has disproportionately depressed rural counties, such as Piscataquis County, which has virtually no virus present within its borders;

Whereas, with the apparent change in the Presidential administration, the Governors of the States in lock-downs have made calls to end their lock-downs, lending credence to the belief that these edicts were not driven by science but by political animus;

Whereas, the Free People of Piscataquis County of the Sovereign State of Maine have spoken with a majority voice in declaring their wish to live, work, play, study, and worship in freedom;

Whereas, these individual rights to personal freedom are protected by the United States Constitution and the Maine State Constitution;

Whereas, in accordance with statute, case law, and the Maine Constitution, the Commissioners of Piscataquis County have no authority to nullify the edicts of this Governor, who has bypassed the Constitutional checks and balances of the legislature, to rule alone through the dictates of one;

Whereas, the voice of the people of Piscataquis County must be heard;

Be it therefore Known and Resolved, that the Commissioners of Piscataquis County in the State of Maine do Protest and Demand that the mandates and the lock-down issued by the Governor of the State of Maine be lifted from the residents, families, businesses, schools, and places of worship in accordance with the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Maine, that these residents within our Commission may live their lives by the fruits of their own labor and choice, for their own provision and health as they see fit, which is their Natural Born Right, Unalienable before God Almighty.

This Resolution was adopted and approved by the Unanimous Consent of the Commissioners of Piscataquis County in the State of Maine on the Thirteenth day of January in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty One and signed on this day the Nineteenth day of January in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty One.

Commissioner James L. White /Chair______________________________________________

Commissioner Wayne E. Erkkinnen/Vice-Chair______________________________________

Commissioner Andrew R. Torbett _________________________________________________

Mar 1 2019

The First Against the First: Pivot Point

 

The widespread ignorance to the proper application of the First Amendment in this Republic has made it increasingly vulnerable to those who wish to eradicate its protections. Many Conservative activists are shamefully negligent in their constant rants of perceived infringements to Free Speech. More often than not, the “transgression” is really nothing more than a misunderstanding of whose First reigns supreme, where and when.

The pivot point is found in understanding to Whom or What is the First’s protections weighted in the Where the Whom is found. In the public arena, the First is weighted towards the individual. In the private arena, the First pivots its weight towards the private groups, entities, places of worship, and dwellings of private individuals.

Recently, this writer read a social media post of an individual bewailing the violation of their First because the private social media group, a gun owner group, had curtailed posts that were in violation of the group’s standards. But here, the First’s protections for private group outweigh the First of the individual. The private group can exercise their First to limit the First of an individual whose speech compromises the standards of their group.

Similarly, it is not a violation of the First for an entity, whose purpose is to raise funds for specific purpose under specific guidelines, to regulate the speech of those, who are members, when they are speaking under the banner of said entity to prevent a violation of the laws that govern them. In another instance, an individual can mock and ridicule the beliefs of a Religious organization in the public space but to go into the The First Church of the Debonair Deacon and present your disdain for edicts of the parish will probably earn you the “left foot” of fellowship, which is well within the First of the Church to toss your heathen backside out the door.

It is imperative that we realize that the Left is constantly looking for leverage into organizations protected by the First. Mismanagement of the protest of perceived violations of the First runs the risk of establishing a precedent that will create a chink in the armor that protects our Natural Born Right to Free Speech. Knowledge is power, yet through ignorance, we cede that power.

By Andy Torbett

Feb 8 2019

The First Against the First: Behold, Ignorance

 

As fundamental as it may seem to our Republic, the ideals protected by the First Amendment are a topic of much confusion. The when, where, why, and how of Free Speech has become more about political leverage than the protection of a Natural Born Right. The blurred lines of defense, perhaps by intent, is a study in ignorance shocking to behold.

There is a line of transition between the public sector and private sector. All speech, devoid of physical violence, is protected by the First in the public arena. Still, private entities have the right to curtail speech, which violate the charters, statements of faith, and rules which govern them.

Through ignorance, we have now turned the protections of Free Speech on its head. Powerful forces on the Left, under the guise of tolerance, are steadily pushing to eliminate free speech in the public space. Some on the Right, in their zeal to defend the tenets of the Constitution, have challenged the rights of private entities to curtail speech, unwittingly opening the doors for the Left to attack private groups.

Private groups have the right to hold to beliefs or rules that guide or govern them. Some groups that have purposed to be apolitical have laws that govern such. It is not a violation of the First for those groups to prohibit certain speech which violates their charters or statements of faith; in fact, the First protects their right to do so.

Not only does the First Amendment hold the right of expression for the individual supreme in public, it also affords the right of private individuals and groups to protect their standards and beliefs. The Left is working to remove all protections of Free Speech. Through ignorance, the Right is helping them.