The Hypocrisy of Trump and the Party of “Freedom”

The COVID-19 pandemic that we all are experiencing has brought out a lot of opinions, conspiracy theories, and protests from those who are against the stay at home orders put into place by various communities across the country and through all of this, there is one word that comes up a lot and I think you can guess what that word is.

Freedom!

The favorite word of conservatives for years and years and one of the words Trump used to manipulate people into voting for him when he ran back in 2016 and a word that he and conservatives use even today to accomplish their various agendas.

They love to talk about freedom and for some reason like Christianity, they falsely believe that they have a monopoly on the concept of freedom and all that it entails. I have some bad news for them and that news is that they do not own the concept of freedom and their claim to it is the definition of pure hypocrisy.

During this pandemic there have been cries by Trump supporters that there rights are being violated and “tyrannical” governors are “infringing” on their freedoms with the shelter-in-place orders. I find this ironic considering the rights violated and freedoms infringed on by Republicans and this very president for years.

Quite ironic.

They want their freedoms protected but are the first ones to support others losing their personal freedoms and civil rights and we have seen this type of hypocrisy for quite some time with those on the right. Conservatives want their gun rights, free speech, religious freedom, and others rights and other freedoms to be guarded yet are the very first to support rights and freedoms that they do not care for being eliminated.

Let us review some of the freedoms that those on the right are against and some of the ones that they hold dear to their hearts as a reference point to look at their hypocrisy on this issue. It is important to see just how these folks think in relation to rights they like versus rights that they do not like and do not respect.

Favorable Freedoms

• Gun rights
• Free speech (certain ones)
• Freedom of Religion (not all religions)
• Freedom to Assemble (if you agree with their cause)
• Pursuit of Happiness

Un-Favorable Freedoms

• A Woman’s Right to Choose
• LGBTQ Rights
• Immigrant Rights
• Voter Rights
• Freedom of the Press

These two sets of ideas that they oppose and support in relation to freedoms say all we need to know about them, it says that they do not care about the concept of freedom in general but rather just the freedoms that they value and ones that are important to them. It is this type of reasoning that is not only dangerous, but flawed as well as freedom is not a cookie cutter type of model and should not be approached as one.

Freedom is one something that should be for everyone, not for the select few or when it is convenient, but that is exactly how those in right wing circles view this concept and that is exactly what is happening today with the folks protesting the public health orders restricting movement during this current pandemic that is happening.

They talk about their “freedoms” being violated and it has nothing to do with that at all. These are unprecedented times and these rules to keep people safe from the virus do not violate anyone’s rights or freedoms, not at all, what they do is prevent the further spread of this deadly virus that is raging through our country in this moment. If you want to talk about actual freedoms being put at risk, we can do that.

Women’s Rights

The freedom for a woman to choose to have an abortion is one that is for sure restricted by those on the right. This is something that Trump has been trying to do since he took office and something his supporters and Republicans in general have been attacking for years and continue to do so to this day, very much so.

Abortion rights are very much restricted. This is a freedom that should never be attacked, yet it is all the time. A woman should always have control over her own body and her own healthcare choices, but sadly, she does not in today’s America and this is not the only right of women that has been under attack.

Equal pay is also attacked. Women get paid less than men and do the same amount of work and other women’s rights in the workplace and our society are always at risk. These freedoms that women deserve under the rights in this country and the constitution are attacked and at risk and yet Trump and company are silent about that.

LGBTQ Rights

Even before Trump was in the picture, Republicans have attacked LGBTQ rights and have tried to restrict the freedoms that go with gay rights and that give LGBTQ a voice. These conservatives talk about their own freedoms yet have for so long attacked the freedoms of many groups and LGBTQ people are certainly one of those groups.

The right for gay and lesbian couples to marry, adopt children, have the rights that couples often are afforded, not be discriminated against, etc. These are common sense and without a doubt, these are basic freedoms that every person in this country should have, yet the right in America has long fought against them and under Trump it has become much worse.

Immigrant Rights

Immigrants are one of the most attacked groups in the country under this administration. They have been treated by less than human by Trump and those who support him and have had the freedoms they have left chaotic and oppressive nations to get taken away. They have suffered greatly under this very administration as they seek to get their version of the American dream that we all desire.

From the freedom to not have their children taken from them and locked in cages to the freedom to have a fair and speedy immigration hearing to the basic right of having their voice heard and other rights like the right to healthcare and basic human dignity. They have been attacked and have had the freedoms they came here for be taken away one by one and this is yet another reason why the “Don’t take my freedom”line by Trump supporters line we hear is absurd and hypocritical.

Other Freedoms and Rights

Workers rights, the freedom to protest peacefully, the freedom not to be shot and to pursue your own happiness, the universal right to healthcare , and other rights and freedoms Americans have stripped from them on a daily basis are real and they matter. This is what it looks like to lose true freedoms and have your rights stripped from you and it has happened for decades and in the Trump administration has become much worse.

The freedom of the press is another one that we are losing under this president and one of the true ideals of our founders is now absent in the midst of the chaos of Trump and his rule of order. Reporters are called “fake” and the basic questions that they are ask are called “nasty”. This is his America, a place where the truth no longer matters and lies by the most powerful man in the world are acceptable.

Let the Hypocrisy Begin

There is the other side, a side where what they want and the freedoms that matter to THEM are important and being “trampled on” and some of those real briefly are the following. These freedoms matter to them, they will kill to keep these so-called freedoms while at the very same time denying their fellow man the same freedoms and rights.

Guns

They want the right to have a gun (any gun) and call this their greatest freedom. They do not realize that this freedom infringes on the freedom of others not to be shot and to live in safety and peace from gun violence and to not get shot.

The myths about guns are plenty. They are so plenty that I have written several books on this topic alone and could write several more as this here is the real threat to our country yet the people who value this freedom do not want any restrictions despite evidence that gun control saves lives and in fact reduces gun violence.

Freedom of religion

Not really. They do not value freedom of religion but rather, they value freedom of THEIR religion. They do not want other religions to have this same freedom and falsely think that Christianity is the only religion that matters in America and falsely claim that we are a Christian nation when in fact we are not one.

This country has many religions and these folks fail to realize that when they talk about religious freedom in America. They want to have their religion yet you cannot have your own and it is even more than that. They want you to have THEIR version of their religion and to just practice the intolerant message that they push and that they want everyone else to follow along with.

Voting

They are against voting rights. What they support is voter suppression and getting people to vote for their guy, that is why they like third party runs for office as they can manipulate them. They are against mail in voting and favor voter ID and that is because they want to manipulate the ballot box and keep their party in power.

This is another freedom that they like to control and it has become a for me but not for you system. Trump has really done this since he has taken the office of the presidency. He lies to make people think there are massive cases of voter fraud, when there is not and that has been proven. He and the GOP are against things like mail-in-voting because they know that the more people that vote, the lower their chance of keeping or taking office is.

Freedom is a human concept that no one party or ideology owns.

Once again, freedom is being claimed by the right and the false claim that their rights and freedoms are being taken away by the Democrats is at the center of a crisis.

The right does not own freedom and neither does Donald Trump.

Public health is not a political issue but the right and Trump have made it into one during this pandemic. The “Freedom Rallies” being held across America are sending the message that their rights and freedoms are being taken away by the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic and that is simply not true.

No rights have been violated.

During a public health crisis governments are allowed to restrict movement, close places down, and make things safe. This is nothing new, this has for sure happened before and will happen again. Public health is most important and should always be that way. It is more important than your “freedom” to get your hair cut or nails done or sit at your favorite burger joint and should not be attacked as being “tyrannical”.

These are different times.

This is a very different situation than we have ever seen in our lifetimes and that should be taken into account.

The protests alone have shown that these people do not even know what freedoms are being taken from them. Here is a hint for those who are not familiar with how freedoms and rights work. NO freedoms or rights have been taken away from anyone during these lockdowns, not one single freedom has been taken away.

Not ONE.

Your doors are not locked, you are not in handcuffs, you are not on restriction to what you can do in your home, and you have not lost any rights under the Bill of Rights. These are the facts, they are not my opinions, they are the facts as we stand today. I know that the right wingers may not like what I have to say and may disagree with all of this, but the truth is the truth and and the truth is that these orders do not infringe on your rights and do not take away any of your freedoms.

These are unprecedented times.

So, the next time you hear a Trump supporter or right wing pundit complain about their “freedoms being stripped away”, just remind them of this, that we are in the middle of a PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS and protecting people’s health is what is most important and during such a situation, we must take certain precautions to meet this moment and find a happy medium and our new reality and our new normal.

As I always say, public health matters most. Yes, more than your freedoms and more than your feelings.

We must continue to make the tough choices to meet this moment and to get through this hard time. We all want to be free to do what makes us happy and to do what we love to do but these are challenging times and this is a different world that we live in and we must continue to adjust to our new world and choose public health over anything and everything else and we as a nation need to lead by example.

The president is not leading by example. He pushes and encourages these protests against our health orders and the recommendations of the experts with the false notion that freedoms are being stripped and that is simply not the case.

Freedom is not owned by one party over another. Freedom is not absolute. Freedom is not being taken away from any of us, and anyone who tells you that the shelter-in-place restrictions are anti-freedom and against any of our rights is lying or misrepresenting the facts.

Freedom is important. Public health is MOST important!