Continuing my assault on political overreactions to swine flu (yes, people are still talking about it), the Massachusetts state assembly is trying to pass legislation that will allow the authorities to ignore your Constitutionally guaranteed liberties in the event of a "pandemic."
According to WorldNetDaily:
[The bill] would allow authorities to forcefully quarantine citizens in the event of a health emergency, compel health providers to vaccinate citizens, authorize forceful entry into private dwellings and destruction of citizen property and impose fines on citizens for noncompliance.I wish I could say that I can't believe the state's Senate actually passed this bill. I can only hope the state's House has enough sense to table it - never to be seen again (at least until another over-hyped disease comes around to spur politicians into a liberty-taking frenzy).If citizens refuse to comply with isolation or quarantine orders in the event of a health emergency, they may be imprisoned for up to 30 days and fined $1,000 per day that the violation continue.
Here are a couple of great lines from the proposed bill:
- to require the owner or occupier of premises to permit entry into and investigation of the premises
- to close, direct, and compel the evacuation of, or to decontaminate or cause to be decontaminated any building or facility
- to decontaminate or cause to be decontaminated, or to destroy any material
- to restrict or prohibit assemblages of persons
- to require a health care facility to provide services or the use of its facility
- to procure, take immediate possession from any source, store, or distribute any anti-toxins, serums, vaccines, immunizing agents, antibiotics, and other pharmaceutical agents or medical supplies located within the commonwealth as may be necessary to respond to the emergency
- to collect specimens and perform tests on any animal, living or deceased
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