Yesterday we at Secure 1776 posted on the risk to public safety that is intertwined with Chicago’s vaccine mandate for city employees. In “Cops Ask Questions, Pandemic Politics,” we pointed out that of course, cops are among those that are asking questions. We strongly recommend reading that post and watching the associated videos. Chicago is among those places where the implementation of forced vaccination approaches raises grave concerns. Here we provide a reminder about the tie between public safety and the Constitution of the United States of America. A leaked telephone conversation involving a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney provides another reason why cops ask questions.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The Constitution and Public Safety
By way of reminder, this site’s name was chosen as a reflection of the oath that American law enforcement officers take, swearing to defend the United States Constitution and the constitution of their home state. Site founder Thomas Lemmer has instructed that constitutional policing is among the core elements essential to advancing public safety.
The image linked to this paragraph depicts the Constitution, the American flag, and handcuffs. Secure 1776 reminds our readers that the Constitution is a unique document. The Constitution sets limits upon the power of government. The Constitution is meant to restraint government from abusing its power. To make this point further, the nation’s founders would not agree to ratify the Constitution without simultaneously advancing its first ten amendments. Collectively these amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. Here’s a question. Do you remember “15 days to flatten the curve?” It has direct bearing on your Constitutional rights.
So here are two more “cops ask questions” questions. First: Will Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and other government officials, as they impose their vaccine mandates, respect the First Amendment right to “freedom of religion?” Second: When the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks an “end run” to ignore a constitutional right, is that a problem? It bears noting that all three of the current experimental Covid-19 vaccines were developed in research that utilized aborted fetal tissues. For many, abortion is not a concern. However, a sincerely held religious belief for many millions of Americans is that abortion is the taking of a human life. There are huge religious mandates relative to the sanctity of life. The Constitution protects the right to hold religious beliefs. Just as importantly, the Constitution allows individuals to refrain from taking actions that violate those religious beliefs.
DOJ Lawyer and White House Officials on Religious Exemptions
Former U.S. Naval officer and journalist Jack Posobiec obtained a recording of a key conversation between DOJ attorney, Marty Lederman, and White House officials. This conversation occurred last month. The issue being discussed was how to overcome the First Amendment protections of those objecting to taking the Covid-19 vaccines based upon their sincerely held religious beliefs. Interestingly, Posobiec’s reporting on this recording is protected, at least for now, by the same First Amendment.
Reason for Concern, More Questions
We at Secure 1776 are concerned about the conversation and have a question or two, or ten, of our own. So why wasn’t the DOJ defending the Constitution? Why didn’t Lederman advise the Biden Administration officials that the implementation of vaccine mandates by the federal government (and by extension all state and local governments) must resolutely honor religious objections? Why is finding a way to circumvent the Constitution being so intently pursued? In America today, have our government officials forgotten the Constitution is intended to constrain them? When will the 15 days be over? What haven’t we been told about the pandemic? Are the vaccine mandates just about Covid? Well, if the Constitution does not protect these religious beliefs, what’s next? Search and seizure? The right to assemble? Ut oh.
We expect our police officers to protect life. In fact, the policy of the Chicago Police Department states its “highest priority is the sanctity of human life.” For those police officers with deeply held religious beliefs, why wouldn’t we want them to ask questions? And, when the answers they receive identify for them a sanctity of life issue, would not we want them to act accordingly? Would we want police officers who violate their own sincerely held religious beliefs or the Constitutional rights of others? Those are quintessential questions that more than our police officers need to be asking.
A Reminder from our Main Page
“Without question, America is in the midst of a public safety crisis. The way forward must be a proactive one. In this effort, it is essential for us not to be deceived by those who are seeking perpetual division for their own ideological and political purposes. When the police are one with the community, the community is safer, freer, more stable, and better positioned to help foster the improved health and well-being of all the community’s members.“ – Thomas Lemmer, 2021
UPDATE: Court Temporary Restraining Order Issued
On 1 November 2021, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Raymond Mitchell issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) relating to Mayor Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate policy. The most relevant portion of the judge’s ruling is captured below.
Judge Mitchell left in place the requirement for CPD members to declare to the department their Covid-19 vaccination status. However, as indicated above, the judge barred the city from mandating the taking of the vaccine as a condition of continued employment without collective bargaining with the member unions. As such, the 31 December 2021 deadline for vaccination is blocked, until the matter is resolved by the collective bargaining process. The TRO is a significant victory, if only a temporary one, for those CPD members resistant to being forced to take the disputed Covid-19 vaccines.
We are interested in your thoughts, and invite you to comment below.
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