By DANIEL SMITH
Anchorage Ordinance 2021-91 is an overreaching expansion of government.
Invariably, as government expands, liberty contracts. Our previous pants-free Mayor Ethan Berkowitz declared, “We cannot be free unless we are safe.”
Our former illegal Acting Mayor Austin Quinn- Davidson, who held two public offices simultaneously, perpetuated this fallacy by her continued endorsement of the mask mandate at the time Berkowitz left office last Oct. 23.
Risks to health and safety exist everywhere. Forced mask wearing is a risk to health and safety. The truth is, humankind is not free unless government is limited.
“Either you will control your government, or your government will control you.” – President Ronald Reagan.
“Government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us, blinds us to its great power to harm us,” President Reagan also said.
Importantly, we need to realize what a watershed moment this is for the Municipality of Anchorage. We are standing at the precipice of communism. If AO 2021-91 passes into law, there will be more tyranny, mandatory injections of the medical and political kind, and more laws forced down our throats with the justification that it is for the greater good.
“We cannot be free unless we are safe,” is the Berkowitz road to communism.
This is the basis of many arguments made on behalf of communism. The truth is that leftists and communists don’t care about the individual citizen. They claim to know better as to how we should live. In their opinion, one size fits all, even if evidence to the contrary says otherwise. Witness the testimony of many individuals and medical professionals who provided factual statements regarding the health concerns about wearing a mask.
The communist majority of our current assembly has voted to stifle free speech. The chairwoman declared there shall be no further clarifying questions asked by Assembly members or the Mayor, in response to citizen testimony.
Chairwoman Suzanne LaFrance stated, “We are not likely to hear any new facet to the support or opposition of this ordinance other than personal impact stories.” Isn’t that one of the more important reasons for having public testimony? Getting the details of each and every personal impact story is mandatory. Inquiry from assembly members is crucial to achieving that end.
I’m not a lawyer, but I am detecting the foul order of a stinky First Amendment infringement on free speech here.
Assemblywoman Quinn-Davidson stated that she is disgusted with the public process and would rather not be bothered with its continuance.
Assemblyman Kameron Perez-Verdia appears to be done with the public process and wants to shut down the public hearings, per his own words on a Facebook post.
Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel, co-sponsor of AO 2021-91, showed a preference for LaFrance’s decision to eliminate the ability of other Assembly members and the mayor to ask questions and to prevent them from gaining more insight to the public’s personal impact if the ordinance is adopted.
Assemblyman Chris Constant declared that Roberts Rules of Order are there to protect the process from delay of proceedings. These proceedings are, however, monopolized by a majority that does not have the best interest of the people in mind. There is no intent of honest consideration of alternate view points. Therefore, the people are charged the responsibility, if not duty, to halt the undesirable actions being waged against them.
The filibuster is the public’s only available means of restraining the government that would cause oppressive acts against them.
So what’s the big rush to conclude the public hearings anyway?
Could it be that some of the “whereas” clauses of AO 2021-91 are no longer accurate?
Could it be that case numbers are declining?
Could it be that as time goes on, more members of the public are waking up to the power-grabbing intent of the hard-left Assembly members?
One can only speculate, but it seems certain that the Assembly majority doesn’t want to let a good crisis go to waste.
Leftists and communists are not tolerant of people who hold opposing opinions. They only tolerate people they agree with. Communists demand acceptance endorsement and obedience of their ideas. If AO 2021-91 passes, Anchorage citizens will be required to wear a mask or be fined.
This has already happened to 16-year-old student Grace Smith in Wyoming. As reported by the Laramie Boomerang, she attempted to attend school without a mask and was found to be in violation of a mask mandate her Wyoming school board is trying to enforce. She was fined $500, suspended from school, handcuffed, arrested by police, and taken to jail.
Her arrest happened Oct. 8, 2021 in America, not Australia.
It is a real life foreshadowing of what is to come for Anchorage if this ordinance becomes law. By all accounts, Grace Smith is a kind, caring young lady and is a good student. Grace has been targeted by peers and school staff members, suspended, arrested, and fined for exercising her rights. Is this what we want here in Anchorage?
The Left will destroy an individual in the name of the greater good. You can search for the whole video of Grace’s arrest and some of the interaction her father had with the local police who stated, “We are just doing our job and doing what we have to right now.”
Imagine if Grace Smith was an Anchorage resident. Imagine if she testified before the Anchorage Assembly as to her personal impact. I would insist there be time and allowance for many pointed questions from members of the Assembly and the mayor.
Public testimony should never be rushed when our liberties are at risk of being taken from us.
Remember, if you are in District 4 Midtown, you have the opportunity to recall Meg Zaletel, the author of the proposed AO 2021-91 that has caused all the fuss.
Dan Smith is a lifelong Alaskan and Anchorage resident. The Anchorage Assembly meets Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 5 pm at the Loussac Library. While general public testimony is allowed at the beginning of the meeting, the hearing on AO 2021-91 has been postponed to Wednesday at 5 pm.
