FIGHT BACK: How to push back on Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s quasi-lockdown extension

On Thursday, April 23rd, Illinois Gov. Pritzker extended his lockdown on Illinois for 30 additional days.  Until the end of May.  Now it falls on us Illinoisans to help the Governor change his mind.

How will this happen, you ask?  Thank you for asking.  We’ll get the governor to change his mind through a multi-pronged approach to make it in his best interest to do so. 

Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals says that a man’s most potent weapon…  Well, I’ll let Alinsky tell you.

1. “Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.”
2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
3. “Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
8. “Keep the pressure on.”
9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
10. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.”
11. “If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside.”
12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
13. “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

First, we’ll start with ridicule.  We will make JB’s ham-handed response to this so-called “emergency.”  We’ll make him look bad and cause the general public to have good reason to question his judgement.  And that of his political sycophants that parrot his position and help implement his legally groundless edicts from on high. 

We’ll need people reading this to share this information with their friends via social media and through their conversations with others.  Expect social media to censor your posts, so you’ll have to be creative in sending out messages to your friends.  Or you may just have to email website links to family and friends.

People have varying levels of enthusiasm for activism.  For those who love online activism, mouse clicks and sharing will prove very valuable and helpful.  Spend time getting the word out.

Complementing or written exposure of the governor’s inept handling of the situation, well-attended protests that may border on rowdy will help get the message out.  By wrapping ourselves in the flag and patriotism, with some great signage, we will have a message ready for the mainstream media.  By acting a little rowdy, the mainstream media will come running like a pack of coyotes at the sound of an injured rabbit.

Rowdy?  Yes, rowdy.  At least for law-abiding folks.  “Rowdy” as in obstructing traffic with slowly moving (can you spell c-r-e-e-p-i-n-g?) /walking pedestrian and vehicular traffic.   In other words, “Shut it down!” 

Five people standing in front of the Lincoln statue outside of the Illinois capitol will be roundly ignored by 99.44% of the media.  Creating a public spectacle, however, and things change quickly and you will get media coverage, further helping to make the governor look bad and causing the general public to have good reason to question his judgement. 

Look again at the featured image at the top of this post and this photo of these five from last week.  Which one has energy and is media-appealing.  Unless you belong to Moms Demand Action or PETA, five people protesting will gain media attention. 

Here’s what happened in Lansing, MI last week:

That’s shutting it down.

PROTEST THIS SATURDAY IN SPRINGFIELD

This Saturday, there is a protest in Springfield at the Illinois State Capitol.  Now, decision-makers will not be there to see it in person.  HOWEVER, this can serve as a warm up for the great MAY 1 RALLIES in Chicago and Springfield.  This is a great way for angry residents to bring their flags and home-made signs.  And their cars, trucks, tractors and anything else to obstruct traffic in the area.  And for our people to carry their signs and flags slowly through crosswalks, further snarling traffic.

Now, the media will never give you positive publicity, but if we can have our message in the background of their reports, plenty of Americans can see past the narrative to what’s really going on.  Note the message on the poster held by the girl in the pickup truck:  “Everyone is Essential.”  That should be our theme.  Because everyone is essential.

If we successfully pull off the first two points, you can count on the coverage reaching the White House and the Trump Administration.  Not only will the Land o’ Lincoln’s governor face pressure and ridicule from his subjects (you’re a means to an end for him, not an end), but he’ll also face pressure from the dreaded White House.

What pressure can the White House place?  Well, if you’ve been living under a rock, I’ll share that Donald Trump is a master at motivating people to do what he wants.  He prefers the carrot approach, but where that fails, he’s not afraid to resort to the stick.

BUSINESS OWNERS:  It’s time to open your businesses in a socially-responsible manner.  Make sure folks practice social distancing.  Have your staff wear masks.  And minimize interactions with large numbers of people.

Expect push-back from the oath breaking authorities.  However, the law is on your side.  The state needs a court order to shut you down.

What usually will happen is a local State’s Attorney’s office will send a harshly worded letter.  It’s all talk.

Here’s an attorney’s take on this and my comments:

If you are a local business owner, do NOT consent to the Winnebago County Health Department (Rockford, IL) request to shutter your business.

The Department is controlled by the Illinois Department of Health Act (20 ILCS 2305), which is inaccurately cited to in their threatening letter as 20 ILCS 2302.

Section 2 of this Act allows the Illinois Department of Public Health, and local health authorities, to order quarantine, isolation, and closure of places to prevent the probable spread of a dangerous or infectious disease.

However, these agencies cannot make such orders without a prior court order, or consent by the person or persons effected.

Here’s the actual language…  black letter law.

(c) Except as provided in this Section, no person or a group of persons may be ordered to be quarantined or isolated and no place may be ordered to be closed and made off limits to the public except with the consent of the person or owner of the place or upon the prior order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The Department may, however, order a person or a group of persons to be quarantined or isolated or may order a place to be closed and made off limits to the public on an immediate basis without prior consent or court order if, in the reasonable judgment of the Department, immediate action is required to protect the public from a dangerously contagious or infectious disease. In the event of an immediate order issued without prior consent or court order, the Department shall, as soon as practical, within 48 hours after issuing the order, obtain the consent of the person or owner or file a petition requesting a court order authorizing the isolation or quarantine or closure. When exigent circumstances exist that cause the court system to be unavailable or that make it impossible to obtain consent or file a petition within 48 hours after issuance of an immediate order, the Department must obtain consent or file a petition requesting a court order as soon as reasonably possible. To obtain a court order, the Department, by clear and convincing evidence, must prove that the public’s health and welfare are significantly endangered by a person or group of persons that has, that is suspected of having, that has been exposed to, or that is reasonably believed to have been exposed to a dangerously contagious or infectious disease including non-compliant tuberculosis patients or by a place where there is a significant amount of activity likely to spread a dangerously contagious or infectious disease. The Department must also prove that all other reasonable means of correcting the problem have been exhausted and no less restrictive alternative exists. For purposes of this subsection, in determining whether no less restrictive alternative exists, the court shall consider evidence showing that, under the circumstances presented by the case in which an order is sought, quarantine or isolation is the measure provided for in a rule of the Department or in guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Persons who are or are about to be ordered to be isolated or quarantined and owners of places that are or are about to be closed and made off limits to the public shall have the right to counsel. If a person or owner is indigent, the court shall appoint counsel for that person or owner. Persons who are ordered to be isolated or quarantined or who are owners of places that are ordered to be closed and made off limits to the public, shall be given a written notice of such order. The written notice shall additionally include the following: (1) notice of the right to counsel; (2) notice that if the person or owner is indigent, the court will appoint counsel for that person or owner; (3) notice of the reason for the order for isolation, quarantine, or closure; (4) notice of whether the order is an immediate order, and if so, the time frame for the Department to seek consent or to file a petition requesting a court order as set out in this subsection; and (5) notice of the anticipated duration of the isolation, quarantine, or closure.

The letter is an effort go gain consent of the persons effected.  Sort of like an officer loves to gain consent for a search from someone instead of risking a court rejecting the grounds for the search down the road.

The only exception to this is if, in the reasonable judgment of the agency issuing the order, exigent circumstances exist that require immediate action to protect the public, they can make such orders.

See the exact language of the law quoted above.  If you, as a businessman, are practicing socially-responsible business practices, similar to those demanded of businesses “allowed” to be open, that makes the state’s burden of proving “exigent circumstances” very difficult indeed.

If the Department goes so far as to actually issue the order (essentially a demand letter) that they are threatening, through the State’s Attorney, to close your business, they are still required to either obtain your consent or a court order within 48 hours of doing so, unless the courts are unavailable or circumstances make it impossible to obtain a court order. Then, the orders can only stay in place until the agency can obtain the court order through reasonable means.

The courts are not closed. So call the Department and State’s Attorney’s bluff and refuse to give your consent to close your business. If they aren’t bluffing, the grounds they are relying on are tenuous.

The law does not favor a court granting an order to close your business and you can make them fight in court to prove why they should be able to shut you down. The burden is on the government to prove why you should close. You do not have to prove why you should keep your business open.

Furthermore, Darren Bailey, one of the Magnificent Seven freshmen Republican representatives, has filed a lawsuit challenging the governor’s authority to continue a “state of emergency” beyond the 30 days allowed by Illinois law.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

SPRINGFIELD — A slight easing of restrictions under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order was not enough for one southern Illinois Republican, so he did what so many others do when they feel like they’ve been wronged.

State Rep. Darren Bailey sued.

But ironically, the Democratic governor’s best defense against the suit might be to point to President Donald Trump.

Pritzker’s announcement Thursday that he planned to extend his coronavirus containment order — but make it a bit more lax — met with mixed reactions from Republicans.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said he was pleased that Pritzker eased some of his restrictions, calling it “the first step in moving Illinois forward.” But Bailey filed a lawsuit, asking a Circuit Court judge to issue an injunction to overturn the executive order.

Yes, you have to read past the fake news slant in the story.  (And the newspaper industry wonders why they continue to hemorrhage readers and advertisers…)

There you have it.  The governor declared a state of emergency March 9th.  And he wants to stretch it out to 80+ days.  He thinks it’s okay that you can get your dog’s hair cut, but you can’t do the same for your own.

It’s time to channel some of your cold anger into action to make positive change.  Because lives are being destroyed.  And America is at the precipice of the Great Depression 2.0.  And that’s going to suck for everyone.  Except trust fund babies born with silver spoons in their mouths… like J.B. Pritzker.