Saluting the Sensible | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Jon Sanders.

    There was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the proper societal response to Covid-19. Governments' reactions to it didn't help, as I discussed in previous posts. They were dictatorial and marked by shocking, confusing policy reversals.

    In "Salute to the Sensible," I praised the "unheralded men and women" who understood: In time of great uncertainty, Covid dissent was the rational response to totalitarianism. Not only did they discern the truth amid all the noise, but also they chose the unpopular path of following it:

    The more questionable the Covid policies and outcomes became, the more the rational couldn't believe how easily so many others simply went along without question. They chose instead to stand firm as a witness to the truth, to human liberty, to normality, to rationality.

    We were blessed with unsung heroes from all walks of life:

    Oster and her enthusiasts would have us believe they were lucky. No, they were principled. The pastors who trusted in God and kept the churches open. The tattoo artists, bar owners, speedway owners, and other "nonessential" small businessmen who went back to work in defiance of arbitrary government orders - the same orders allowing "essential" businesses next door to remain open. Epidemiologists and other scholars who refused to be cowed into acquiescence with governments' message du jour but spoke out for known best practices for living through a pandemic, protecting the vulnerable while building herd immunity. The governors and heads of state who resisted the worldwide rush to Covid tyranny, choosing instead to stand with established science. The doctors who put their patients first, even prescribing treatments shown to work that were questioned after the fact by authorities. The civil libertarians who held firm to their tenets rather than run like emus. Public employees who refused to submit to unnecessary vaccination and challenged them in court. Lawyers who represented them despite excoriation from their peers and others. Judges who upheld the law rather than ruling out of fear and hubris. Parents who started attending school board meetings to demand their children return to classroom instruction. (Emphasis added.)

    By no means do I consider the above a comprehensive list. I suppose the most encouraging bit for me in these discouraging times is that I couldn't list people by name, because there were simply too many. They may have comprised a minority, and they may have gone about it quietly, but nevertheless they stood strong when so many others didn't.