Skip to content

Our US Constitution was one of the “casualties” of the COVID pandemic. At all levels of government, elected officials and unelected bureaucrats regularly suspended constitutional rights, citing the need to “stop the spread.” For example, multiple governors ordered the closure of businesses and facilities deemed “non-essential.” Under most orders, churches were ruled non-essential and ordered to close, while abortion clinics and marijuana stores were often allowed to remain open. Courts have since ruled that mandatory closing of churches violates our freedom of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Freedom of religion also came under fire in our US military. The US Navy expelled Navy SEALs and other sailors who refused the COVID vaccine due to their sincere religious objections. Remember that, even as the Pentagon struggled with serious recruiting issues, it kicked out some of our best personnel. The SEALs fought a grueling battle to right this injustice and finally prevailed.

After four long years, a federal court has accepted a settlement in a lawsuit against the Navy for wrongful expulsions. Our friends at First Liberty Institute handled the case. Under the agreement, SEALs and sailors will have their records corrected and negative information expunged. Their careers will be protected for the next three years as the contract prohibits promotion boards from considering any information about religious objections to the vaccine.

Sailors were not alone. In the name of “COVID,” the rights of all Americans were trampled. People who raised legitimate questions were labeled “science deniers,” “threats to public health,” and “conspiracy theorists.” However, one by one, they are winning legal battles.

The “enemy” in this case is the neo-Marxist Deep State—the bureaucrats and politicians who locked us in our homes, closed our churches and schools, and corrupted our elections by changing laws and rules in ways that made cheating easier.

JDFI urges every American to be vigilant in safeguarding our rights. We saw how easily we lost our civil liberties and how eager some politicians were to take them away. Exercise the freedom you have to participate in the electoral process this November, and vote to defend your rights.

Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer

Gary has an accomplished career in the public policy field, having served in numerous leadership positions during the past several decades. He participated in the Reagan administration as Under Secretary of Education, and then White House Head of the Office of Policy Development. After leaving the Reagan White House, Gary became president of the Family Research Council and senior vice president of Focus on the Family.

Tags

Recent Posts