{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"icon":"happy","color":"#3AB093","stance":"happy"},{"icon":"apathetic","color":"#EDB723","stance":"apathetic"},{"icon":"sad","color":"#5ACDED","stance":"sad"}],"id":46135,"title":"AG Barr: Coronavirus Lockdowns ‘Greatest Intrusion on Civil Liberties’ Since Slavery ","html_content":"\n

by Causes | 9.17.20

What's the story?

Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday blasted efforts by governors to prevent the spread of coronavirus with stay-at-home orders, calling such lockdowns the \"greatest intrusion on civil liberties\" since slavery.

\"You know, putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history,\" Barr said in a speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Barr continued: \"Most of the governors do what bureaucrats always do, which is they... defy common sense. They treat free citizens as babies that can't take responsibility for themselves and others.\"
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the most-senior Black lawmaker in Congress, slammed Barr’s remarks as “the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It is incredible that (the) chief law enforcement officer in this country would equate human bondage to expert advice to save lives. Slavery was not about saving lives, it was about devaluing lives.”

What do you think?

Do you agree with Barr's remarks? Are lockdowns \"the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history\" since slavery? Take action above, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

","image_urls":{"large":"https://ul.causes.com/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/232503/BarrSlavery.png","medium":"https://ul.causes.com/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/232503/BarrSlavery.png","small":"https://ul.causes.com/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/232503/BarrSlavery.png","thumb":"https://ul.causes.com/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/232503/BarrSlavery.png","xsmall":"https://ul.causes.com/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/232503/BarrSlavery.png"},"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/articles/46135-ag-barr-coronavirus-lockdowns-greatest-intrusion-civil-liberties-slavery","article_comments":"https://www.causes.com/api/articles/46135-ag-barr-coronavirus-lockdowns-greatest-intrusion-civil-liberties-slavery/comments"},"comment_count":548,"action_count":3010,"cta_prompt":"What do you think of Barr's statements?","cta_type":"reactions","share_count":44,"published_at":"2020-09-17T18:46:37.693Z","is_countable_article":true,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null}],"users":[{"name":"Robert","vote_count":118,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/W58kQn16/following","followers":"/api/users/W58kQn16/followers"},"about_me":"","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":26,"is_following":null,"influence_score":150,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":9,"following_count":24,"position_count":85,"id":"W58kQn16","partner_id":null},{"name":"Leslie","vote_count":457,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/Bmyny8a9/following","followers":"/api/users/Bmyny8a9/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":13,"is_following":null,"influence_score":15340,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":694,"following_count":12196,"position_count":256,"id":"Bmyny8a9","partner_id":null},{"name":"Margaret ","vote_count":9,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/omE0pRRZ/following","followers":"/api/users/omE0pRRZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":19,"is_following":null,"influence_score":210,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":7,"following_count":8,"position_count":8,"id":"omE0pRRZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":544,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. Won’t listen to slogans, chanted mantras or generally any kind of marketing spin or “rebranding” crap. I firmly believe that everyone else is entitled to their erroneous opinions. Citizen vigilance and due diligence is price we must pay to live in a thriving, functional democracy.\nI fear that our citizens are too easily swayed by politician’s pablum about “babies”, “jobs” and now, in particular, perceived “enemies”. I fear that a citizenry focused on the “here-and-now” is easily tricked by short term benefits that have negative long-term consequences. I fear that our legislators are more concerned about buffing their constituents than looking out for the long-term welfare of our country- and are way too eager to provide those short-term benefits to the “here-and-now” crowd.\nI fear that honor is generally being sacrificed/replaced by expediency. I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. A foul is a foul- even if the referee doesn’t catch you.\nI fear that each of our federal governmental branches have devised or discovered shortcuts which tend to protect them from the checks and balances our founders intended.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jimk","issue_count":4,"is_following":null,"influence_score":44820,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1529,"following_count":81,"position_count":539,"id":"9odrQBnb","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":1349618,"body":"He and His Master IMPOTUS Trump are the Greatest Intrusion on Civil Liberties EVER!\nLOCK THEM UP! \nMy Reps as his cronies are Accomplices and should also BE LOCKED UP. At least one of them has actually broken a law doing Insider Trading, and Accomplices are all legally guilty just as the perpetrator of a Crime.","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":46135,"created_at":"2020-09-17T19:46:44.539Z","liked":false,"like_count":3,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/1349618","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=1349618&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":46135,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/1349618.png","note":{"icon":"sad","color":"#5ACDED","stance":"sad"},"note_text":"Sad","note_color":"#5ACDED","user_id":"W58kQn16","liker_ids":["Bmyny8a9","omE0pRRZ","9odrQBnb"]}}

Like Causes?

Comment Liked by 3 Users