It was an “emergency powers” statute that enabled Governor Cooper to shut down the state of North Carolina for a very prolonged period more than four years ago. It had been passed by the Republican General Assembly; and after learning how bad it was they modified it somewhat over the last couple of years.
But it is still a problem because it should have been repealed completely. No governor should be empowered to suspend Americans’ constitutional rights, even if he or she has the acquiescence of the Council of State.
It turns out that the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons warned in an alert published in its journal 23 years ago that these proposed statutes, moved in response to 9/11, were a major mistake.
The piece reveals that the instigator was Republican Tommy Thompson. He was serving as Bush’s HHS Secretary but had previously been governor of the state of Wisconsin.
But it turns out that a former member of the Clinton Task Force on Health Care Reform originated the idea. (Recall that task force was the Clintons’ vehicle for pushing socialized medicine back during the 1990’s).
AAPS had the foresight and the alertness to identify the emergency powers of governors as a problem long before most of us knew it existed.
Amazingly prescient.
Yes, it IS amazing, Fred. I’m very proud of the good this organization does.
AAPS isn’t looking for popularity but uncommon common sense. Our stance is predicated on God given moral laws and respect for self governance. The unpopular stance against government mandates and censorship of physicians is current and will be vindicated by truth soon enough.
I agree, Dr. Doniparthi. Covid exposed in so many ways the failures of the statist approach to medicine and public health. AAPS has been a beacon opposing that approach for many years.
The censorship and retaliation against physicians who opposed all of this continues to be an issue. This is a fight we need to win.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons is a staunch protector of the patient:doctor relationship and thousands of years of traditional Hippocratic medicine. Membership is open to all, and non-physicians can join free of charge.
https://aapsonline.org/join-aaps/
Yes, Janis, absolutely. Thanks for commenting.
Whether Thomas Jefferson actually said it or not, this is true; “The natural course of things is for government to increase and liberty to yield.”
So be warned. Oppose all government action that is not expressly enshrined in the Constitution.
Laws do not fix problems. There is also the quote about how our Constitution is for a moral people. Immorality is rampant now.
Tamzin, I agree 1000%. I occasionally at this blog point out that we need to adhere to Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution to limit the federal government to its legitimate, enumerated powers. We have gotten so far beyond that! The Bush HHS should never have gotten involved in these matters. And when bad laws are discussed at the state level, you need good legislators with sound judgment to stop it.
On behalf of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, I testified around 2002 against the Emergency Powers Act before a New York State Assembly Committee, and our opposition was very well received there.
Thank you for crediting AAPS’s opposition to this terrible tyranny. We were nearly alone in our opposition in 2002, and yet prevailed in some states in blocking its enactment.
Thanks for commenting, Andy. As I read this article, I was really struck with the foresight the organization displayed (and, I guess, that you displayed!) in response to something of which most people were completely unaware, and that many others would not have recognized as a threat. Nearly the whole country learned about it the hard way; and some are still deceived that this was the best way of handling the pandemic. I appreciate your work on behalf of AAPS.