Publisher's Note: One of the most significant things you can do to promote Liberty is to support our mission. Please make your gift to the 2024 Year-End Campaign today. Thank you! —Mark Alexander, Publisher

April 16, 2020

Michigan Residents Protest Extreme Lockdown Orders

The pandemic-induced shutdown and infringement of Liberty has tension boiling over.

In Lansing, Michigan, thousands of people descended on the state capitol to join in “Operation Gridlock,” a drive-in event aimed at shutting down traffic to protest Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s extreme lockdown orders. “Our governor and her allies are infecting all of us with their radical progressive agenda,” asserted the Michigan Conservative Coalition, which organized the protest. “Dope stores? Open. Abortion clinics? Open. Churches? Shut down. Local businesses? Going broke! People always say: ‘Conservatives never protest because they are too busy working.’ Well guess what. You’re not working — so it’s time to protest.”

The organization’s founder, Marian Sheridan, argued, “We can get this rally done and stay within social-distancing guidelines. Citizens are quite frankly tired of being treated like babies. As adults, we now know what needs to be done to stay safe.”

The fact of the matter is Gov. Whitmer brought this protest upon herself. Whitmer perhaps hoped to make a splash after being floated as Joe Biden’s possible running mate, so she enacted an especially heavy-handed lockdown order, clearly crossing over constitutional boundaries protecting individual freedoms and rights. So extreme and arbitrary have been Whitmer’s orders that four sheriffs in the state publicly announced their refusal to enforce them.

Like many other state governors, Whitmer early on ordered social-distancing restrictions with the goal of flattening the curve of infections. As weeks have passed, state residents have become increasingly concerned and agitated about the lack of any plan to address the economic consequences of the prolonged shutdown and the failure to issue a timeline for starting up again. In response, Whitmer doubled down and expanded her original lockdown restrictions. She banned the sale of “nonessential” goods such as clothing, seeds, and car seats, prohibited boating, and restricted visits to other residences. For example, under her new orders, retailers are required to block off sections of the store selling what she has deemed “nonessential” items.

Her tyrannical orders evoked a rebuke from Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), who argued, “Several recent measures provide marginal benefits at best, while substantially heightening frustration and resentment. Sensible instructions to practice social distancing, wear masks, and stay at home already do most of the work to reduce the virus’s spread. By pushing too far, the governor undermines her own authority and increases the likelihood people will not follow reasonable guidelines.” He added, “As a federal official, I do my best to stay out of state politics. But I have a constitutional duty to ensure states don’t trample on the rights of the people. Whitmer’s latest order goes too far and will erode confidence in her leadership. She should immediately reassess it.”

Michigan hasn’t been the only state to see protests, either. Residents of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia have also begun protesting the China Virus shutdowns. The longer these state-mandated shutdowns continue, the more Americans will grow disgruntled — especially as they’re forced into the unemployment line because they’re not allowed to work. What many of these governors may not appreciate or realize is the ticking time bomb they’re sitting on. If people aren’t allowed to go back to work soon, these currently small protests could quickly explode into a wildfire.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.