On December 10th, Governor Northam issued another heavy-handed executive order amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the Commonwealth.
In typical fashion, Northam issued a series of overreaching protocols that, as usual, do not appear to be data-driven.
Rather, his latest mandates seem to be randomly drawn out of a hat labeled public relation stunts designed to influence the behavior of the public rather than actually base them in any sound information.
Northam himself said his newly implemented curfew is just messaging. If one is confused about the difference between governance and messaging? Well… Northam might explain that in a future messaging (we suppose).
The new messaging includes:
- Modified Stay at Home Order: All individuals in Virginia must remain at their place of residence between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Exceptions include obtaining food and goods, traveling to and from work, and seeking medical attention.
- Universal mask requirement: All Virginians aged five and over are required to wear face coverings in indoor settings shared with others and when outdoors within six feet of another person.
- Reduction in social gatherings: All social gatherings must be limited to 10 individuals, down from the current cap of 25 people. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, parties, celebrations, or other social events, regardless of whether they occur indoors or outdoors.
Like most of the Governor’s orders throughout the pandemic, these unilateral decisions come at the expense of personal freedom.
This is sad, but not surprising with a Governor who often errs on the side of tyranny. Telling Virginia’s they cannot go for late night drives is not how many of us expected 2020 to end up — but here we are.
It appears that launching an offensive attack on Thanksgiving gatherings was not enough for Northam, when he limited social gatherings to 25 people. Now, it seems that Christmas dinner is his next target.
The new gathering limit, thankfully, does not apply to churches or religious gatherings. But for that, we can thank Amy Coney Barrett and the 5 other justices who halted Cuomo’s attempt at limiting religious gatherings — not Ralph Northam.
Without a blank check to govern however he wants, Northam was unable to restrict church-goers from worshipping in-person. However, what was most concerning was his attempt to explain what exactly worship is — and why we should, in-fact, not do it in a church.
During his December 10 press conference, Governor Northam directed his attention to the faith community, urging religious leaders to lead by example, by not holding in-person services. In this regard, the Governor said the following:
“This year we need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are.”
There is something uniquely troubling about an elected official, leading a government that is supposed to be secular, attempting to define what worship is.
Throughout COVID-19, we have seen the definition of worship weaponized to unfairly target religious sects. The Governor of the Commonwealth has now decided that he is the arbiter of the truth, determining what constitutes worship and how citizens should go about it — which is a runaway train riding on shaky tracks.
Furthermore, the same Governor, who is quoted saying horrific beliefs regarding abortion, has little credibility to talk about faith. Northam said the following about babies who survive a botched abortion back in 2019:
“The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
Given Ralph Northam’s predeliction for post-birth abortions, one might question why he believes his powers as governor extend to basic questions of theology. One might even be led to assume that a governor whose mental judgment includes either donning Klan regalia or donning blackface (we’re still not quite sure) should not be able to continue governing — but alas, such sins are useful to the governing elite.
Stay tuned for Northam’s next power play, and continue praying, in whatever way you deem fit, for the safety and sanctity of the Old Dominion.