People are becoming antsy. It shouldn’t be a surprise when they’ve been told to stay at home and only essential services are allowed. I expect in the next few weeks to see more and more  “illegal gatherings” as people want to return, as much as possible to their normal lives. It’s a tough balancing act for authorities in each state to protect the health of communities and allow, as  much as is deemed reasonable, an amount of freedom to come and go as they please. We’re in a very different dynamic though, something no one has experienced and each of us must weigh, to some degree, our freedom of movement, with the responsibility to keep our communities as safe as possible.

This is just a few tweets from today, where some people in Raleigh, NC were out protesting, wanting to #ReopenNC.  The first two tweets are from the police, the third is from a random individual on Twitter and of course the 4th is the responce from Raleigh PD.

We are aware of the #ReopenNC protest that is occurring in Downtown Raleigh on Wilmington and Jones Street and are monitoring the situation.

The protestors are in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order and have been asked to leave. #ReopenNC

What part of the governor’s order was violated here?

Protesting is a non-essential activity.

That last response should raise some eyebrows and it did, online,  with others chiming in about the right to peacefully assemble and redress their grievances are a Constitutional right, something no Governor may just wave their hand and take away. Of course that sparked several more, polite, but firm responses from the Twitterati about violating peoples rights. It’s a serious question in serious times and government at all levels need to reassure their population that the orders put forward are in no way meant to infringe on their individual rights. they also need, now, to begin to talk about to those same citizens what their plans are for returning to normal. Of course what was normal to all of us will probably not be the new normal as we come out of this emergency. The worst thing they can do as we are into one month of this quarantine, is to remain silent.

It’s not just North Carolina: there’s a petition circulating online for a recall of Michigan governor Whitmer’s recall. She seems to have, at least according to residents, the most oppressive restrictions – including not being able to visit your next door neighbor, strict orders on what and what not may be purchased (like seeds for growing your own food).  So far, that petition has garnered more than 200,000 signatures – and don’t believe what the article says about this being “many from the more conservative areas of the state”. This is NBC trying to cover for a Democrat, one that has been thought to be a possible running-mate for Joe Biden. By the way, just yesterday? That petition had “only” 150,000 signatures. It’s not looking good for Governor Whitmer. with this level of backlash, would the Biden campaign take the chance of choosing her and then losing the state in November? And then there’s really no need for those levels of restriction. It’s overkill.

The last example, is one which I don’t have a link. I know, I should’ve saved it, and I did search for it online, but couldn’t find any story related. Here’s a picture for you though: a man is running around a soccer field, by himself, no one else around. Not a single person, except for the police who, as he was approaching them, about 20 yards away, sid something to him that made him change his course towards the camera to leave the field. Let me emphasize: he was there, alone. Not another person around him, with the exception of the police, some yards away. Who was he infecting by being there by himself? Who was infecting him?

One of the more reasonable things our Governor in Arizona has done is leave state parks open (at least they were this morning). Of course, it’s forbidden to have any type of gathering there, the order is basically to social distance. Any public concessions though are closed. Okay, I can bring my own food and drink. At least we’re not stuck in the house if we don’t want to be. I’m not a huge fan of Governor Ducey, but his order seems to be, overall, in line with what most other states are doing without going overboard. I don’t see the police in my area, when I’m out, checking on whether or not someone is going to an “approved” location. Although traffic seems lighter here, people are attempting to carry on with their lives, the best they are able to during this emergency.

Let’s all hope it ends soon and whatever normal becomes in the future, we can have that.