I will write a longer piece soon exploring the legal side of “shelter-in-place” orders and advisories, but here in Manchester, at least, in 2016 after the West Manchester Lockdown we were assured by then police Chief Willard that all shelter-in-place statements made by MPD are advisories. Sadly, NHPR’s show today was disappointing, and lacked any exploration of under what authority and color of law these orders might be issued. Here’s the statement I sent in, which did not make it on air:
“Granite Staters should VOLUNTARILY take all reasonable precautions like decent people do, but I doubt a shelter-in-place *order* would go over well in NH. If it truly becomes necessary for the entire state to stay at home, an *advisory* from Governor Chris Sununu should be sufficient. Basically, people should be considerate, not be jerks, and do everything reasonably necessary to mitigate risks, but it should not be ILLEGAL to go about your life. Free people move freely, and, as the old Ben Franklin wisdom goes, ‘They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.'”
~ Carla Gericke
If you are wondering how YOU can help, it is CRUCIAL that pro-liberty folks start emailing and calling in to these shows to at least bring up our rights, what freedom is and why it matters, and what the legal consequences of martial law is.