Alaska House Rep. Chris Kurka explained in a statement Friday why he turned the House into a circus with his political message mask that reads, “Government Mandated Muzzle.”
He said the drama was included by the House Speaker, Rules chair, and Sergeant of Arms.
“This is a teachable moment,” said Kurka. “Leadership has perfectly illustrated what I said on Monday, that the mask mandate is manifestly not about public health, but about power. Despite the fact that my mask was in full compliance with COVID protocols, now the Speaker wishes to strip me of the ability to dissent.”
Rep. Kurka said he has worn the “Government Mandated Muzzle” mask since his floor speech on Monday, when he took off his mask and was told to leave the House Chambers. He said he has received no objection or complaint until the Friday floor session.
In his statement, Kurka said it’s his believe that “owing to the paucity of science to back up the mask mandate, that masking is itself a political statement. Blocking any alternative messages is an attack on free speech.
“The Speaker’s power play in shutting down House Floor Session today was especially egregious because the public has already been banned from the building, and this protest is an important public sentiment that needs to be heard as representative of a large group of District 7 constituents, and an even larger group of Alaska voters,” Kurka said.
“Alaskans need to ask themselves why the Speaker of the House would hold the business of the whole State hostage because one Representative expressed dissent. Nothing is more fundamental than our ability to dissent. Shutting down free speech is unacceptable. This is a dangerous game. If the Jefferson Muzzle Awards were still being handed out, I would personally nominate the Speaker,” Kurka said.
This might be the first time that the Valley was truly represented down in Juneau…
I feel for these guys having to sit in that room full of plexiglass with a mask on all day.
The fact that you have to touch your mask (and face) with your hands over & over again to adjust and put your mask on & off to eat or drink just shows how these mandates are not stopping transmission.
The longer this masquerade goes on, the worse the cultural divide will be in the end.
Exactly!
So, what’s the difference between being required to wear pants and being required to wear a mask?
I’m not a fan of masks. I believe, based on evidence, that distancing is the crucial element. But wearing a mask is easy and distancing is not. There are solutions, but if someone is settled into an intransigent ideology, it’s going to be hard to take care of the difficult things while obsessing about things the easy things. Mr. Kurka seems to be caught in the “…it’s the sandal..” thing from the movie, Life of Brian
His stand looks like Covid theater. Makes me wonder about the judgment of the people who put him there.
From that point of view, perhaps he does represent the Valley.
“Three Hawaii residents who were fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH).
All three patients had received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, reported KITV4. They all experienced mild symptoms and did not appear to spread the disease to others, the DOH told the news station.
COVID-19 vaccines don’t prevent infection, however they mitigate severe symptoms and lower the risk of hospitalization, health experts say.”
By Isabel van Brugen March 23, 2021
It’s completely illegal for them not to allow a vote to override the speaker. He would lose that vote, but it’s telling that they won’t take it because they don’t want people to know how they voted.
Just like the wearing of a diaper on your face(Mask) it is as useless as most of the people who claim to represent us. Not just looking like dummies for wearing a useless political tool, it goes to show to the extent and stupidity it is to just wear something or do/take something to be able to live.
You call all this normal or acceptable behavior? Get a grip people. If this political propaganda of conformity is the new standard give me my forty acres and I would be glad to leave all the idiots behind.
He should’ve worn a dress (with a rainbow mask) and chained himself to the door.
Our legislators wouldn’t have dared to do anything about it … which shows how messed up our governments have become.
Good for Kurka! I believe that he should wear his “muzzle” since the rules require it, however his message was potent and timely and sorely needed.
Critical thinkers like Kurka are in short supply in leadership positions. I hear that Kurka as a child was homeschooled… no wonder this element of education is viewed as being so dangerous by the leftists.
I bet Rep. Stutes doesnt even attend a church and most the legislature and their staff. If they do then they attend a liberalized church. They dont even care where each one will spend eternity cause most of them are one year closer to having an obituary written up about any one of them! Hahahaha. How well they obeyed covid rules and expectations won’t save them from inevitable death. The strict public adherence to covid and get the vaccines is only misleading people to develop a false sense of security not even concerned about where they will go for eternity where there- life has no ending.
They probably won’t listen to you Jen, but you have fulfilled your duty to warn them.
Inappropriate!! Please don’t hide your personal opinion behind thinly veiled religious rhetoric! Wearing a mask or not has nothing to do with eternity!!
If you really wish to tie this into Christianity, which I believe is absolutely inane, then what about Christ saying, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The very clear implication is that Christians should obey human laws.
Now one year of two weeks to flatten the curve.
I fully support Rep Kurka. It’s past time our alleged leadership pushed back against this farce.
The different between him and Lora? Simple. Lora was grandstanding. She made it about herself and her quest. Kurka made it about the issue
I see my post was deleted about the face diapers. I thought infants learned to be potty trained as a child. It just goes to show how people regress and need a little help. diapers are worn under clothing not on the face.
I support Rep. Kurka 100% Keep up the great job.
“A little-noticed peer-reviewed study published last October … how the government counts deaths from COVID-19, caused by the CCP virus … The 10 authors of the study compared fatality counts compiled using the new system propounded by the CDC … Based on data for all recorded U.S. deaths through August 23, 2020, the new CDC system counted 161,392 that were attributed to the virus. Using the older system, the death total was only 9,684.
The essential difference between the old and new systems was the latter’s inclusion of multiple co-morbidities along with the virus and listing the virus as the cause of death and the co-morbidities as “contributing conditions.” … weekly alert updated as of March 14, 2021, stated, “for 6 percent of these deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned on the death certificate. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 3.8 additional conditions or causes per death.”
In fact, while the study does not say the CDC “inflated COVID-19 deaths,” it does claim the change in data counting procedures produced the wide divergence in total fatalities as of Aug. 23, 2020, 161,392 versus 9,684, as explained above.”
Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott can be reached at mark.tapscott at epochtimes.nyc.
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Co-morbidities: Getting lung shot with a high powered rifle … while falling off a cliff, breaking half of the bones in your body … getting run over by a semi … bit by a rabid bat … then catching the CCP virus … with the virus being listed as the primary cause of death.
Of course, there’s no federal funding for the co-morbidities.
Government employees do not have a First Amendment right while acting in their official capacity, see the SCOTUS ruling in Garcetti v. Ceballos. Elected representatives who are compensated for their work are government employees.
“In a 5-to-4 decision authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court held that speech by a public official is only protected if it is engaged in as a private citizen, not if it is expressed as part of the official’s public duties.”
Wearing a face mask with “Government Mandated Muzzle” printed on it is simply a personal opinion. There wasn’t any official statement, as in G v. C.
I think you would find it difficult at best to explain how a legislator on the floor of the legislature is acting as a private citizen and not acting in his official capacity.
.
And just for the record, that 5-4 decision was backed by Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito with all the liberal justices in dissent.
If he had passed gas, would that have been in his official capacity?
Did he pass gas, put it on a sign then walk on to the floor of the legislature announcing that he had passed gas? If he had, it would have been very similar to what he did with the sign he wore that brought about this response, and I suspect would have seen a similar reaction.
If he was using that action to advocate for a gas line, then you would be correct.
“I motion for immediate consideration for expediting a gas line … rippppppp!”
Ahahahahah!
I support Kurka…… It would be nice to see more of them being able to find their backbone and taking a stand, could possibly even give constituents some hope that all is not lost forever.
I want to appIaud Kurka. It takes lots of courage to buck the system. I have been suggesting to friends for sometime now to get their burka orders in before supplies run short. It appears to me that burkas are the natural progression of this mask mandate.
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