So, upon a call from a local patriot here on Staten Island, Scott Lobaido, I attended the Macs Public House protest last night.
Large gathering at the Macs Center House Protest last night
Just a quick rundown of what is currently going on in New York, the governor has issued colored "zones" in terms of the severity of this so-called virus that is supposedly running rampant through the country.
Cuomo has divided Staten Island in half, with a more moderate "yellow zone" up north and a more severe "orange zone" down south. The yellow zone has some restrictions but does allow indoor dining and limited small business. The orange zone is more restrictive and doesn't allow for dining and businesses to be open.
Cuomo has issued the southern part of Staten Island to be an orange zone and has ordered the shut down of pretty much all "non-essential" small businesses.
How he can declare some businesses to be "non-essential" is beyond me as a fully functional economy needs all businesses for the country to thrive.
But I digress...
The bar in question is in the orange zone and was ordered to close. The bar owners, rightfully fed up with the orders, declared itself an "autonomous zone" and remained open, in defiance of the governor's orders.
On Tuesday (Dec 1), the Sheriffs from the governors stripped the owners of the license and arrested one of the owners.
So there was a call for a rally yesterday (Dec 2), and a lot of people did come, including me.
We did have some noted people there, including small business owners that have been suffering under these lockdowns. One in particular has rent in arrears of $30,000 and she was practically emotional on stage.
Another a lot of people know, Ian Smith, the owner of Attila's Gym in NJ. What the NJ Governor Murphy did to him was just despicable.
One of the reasons why I was down there was because I have a vested interest in this also. My business has been terribly affected, being in fitness. A lot of clients simply are too scared to have a personal session. Plus those who race have found most of their races cancelled and now have a "wait and see" attitude.
Although I've been transforming my business to a more remote format, it still is tough finding clients in this situation. Everyone is "wait and see" right now. I totally understand, but it doesn't pay the bills.
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I want to tell a lot of people a truth here, obvious to most who *are* aware of what is going on and uncomfortable to some who just get their news from the mainstream media.
It's not the virus that is the cause of fear among people in this country, it's the government and their jackboot on our heads. And then they have the gall to say "if you want your old normal back, you better adhere to our ridiculous rules!" This virus has a 99.9% survival rate; lockdowns were never necessary.
Just think of a bully holding you against the wall, demanding your lunch money so they can leave you alone. So you give your lunch money, and the next day, the bully shockingly holds you against the wall again, demanding the same!
What has government done? 15 days to flatten the curve. We complied. We need to lock down until the summer. We complied. Masks weren't necessary, but hey, since you complied to the lockdowns, now masks are necessary! And now? More lockdowns. The government is the bully.
The truth about bullies is that, if you comply to their demands, they will lose total respect for you, and then impose even more demands. Who knows, he might demand you do his homework also after you allowed him to take your lunch money.
The ONLY way out of this situation, and the only way to get that bully to go away, is to turn around and PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE!
Oh, he might throw a few punches also, and you might get bloody from it, but it will cause the bully to think twice. You're NOT going to be that easy target. He might try again, and you punch him again, but he will stop after learning you're not low hanging fruit anymore.
We need pushback more than ever, or they will forever destroy the middle class. Civil disobedience is definitely the first method of pushing back. If all small businesses open in defiance of a governor's or mayor's orders, he or she is going to have to back down.
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Speaking of which, we small business owners need to stick together or we will fall one by one. I'm compiling a list of small businesses who have been adversely affected by unconstitutional government lockdowns. Any small business owner or anyone in general wants to buy a product or service, it would be great to buy from another small business owner instead of big conglomerates liks Walmart, Target, or Amazon, who have been raking in billions due to lack of free-market competition.
At this point, I would make it simple; I'll just sent to each participating business all the contacts to other participating businesses via email and a very simple website. This way we get a nice little network together that, if we rely on each other, can survive through the lockdowns. Think of it as our own little LinkedIn! If the idea catches on, then I'll try to look at ideas to make it more presentable on websites.
But at this point, the need is fast, so if I get enough of a response, I'll get it out quickly. It won't be glamorous, but it will do the job.
At this point it would be free for everyone. Down the road if there are enough businesses in that I need to hire a developer, then I would charge a very nominal rate for upkeep.
If interested or you have any questions, please email me at ironpete@ironpete.com and I'll surely help.
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