Western countries are known as free countries in part because their citizens can freely speak out to criticize the government. This right is cherished because it is a standout feature of the west, unheard of in most other nations in history. It's far more typical for rulers to severely punish anyone who criticizes the ruling authorities and is still common today. This western tradition began in ancient Greece where free speech was a very important part of public discourse. They and the Romans held in high regard the practice of oration, persuasive speech, and debate. Free speech is less formal today but is still of the utmost importance. Freedom of assembly allows people to come together to express or pursue their common interests or ideas. The US Constitution guarantees free speech more broadly than any other.

What science experts thought about how to handle a respiratory pandemic before we had the Covid pandemic. Donald Henderson and a team of researchers reviewed all previous research and studies on the topic and summarized the conclusions drawn from the large-scale review of published studies. In May, 2022, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty summarized Henderson's landmark paper.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote about preserving civil liberties during a pandemic. Their message: the worst possible way to respond to a deadly pandemic was through coercion and mandates. Governments should not use force to get people to do what they want-it doesn't help the overall goal and it's a violation of civil liberties. The best way to handle a pandemic is to isolate symptomatic people and let everyone else have as little disruption as possible. Historically, governments have used fear to justify power grabs, claimed that it was necessary to trade liberty for security. This approach is exceedingly dangerous because it offers a rationale for suspension of liberties and loss of freedom and rule of law permanently.  Paraphrased and excerpted from an article written by Glenn Greenwald.

Bedrock Constitutional principles such as separation of powers and checks and balances have been run over by government agencies power grabs under the banner of "public safety." And the majority seem ok with it. How can this be? By Jeffrey Tucker.

"Through two years of COVID mania, a norm has been grafted onto western democracy that the fundamental rights to movement, work, association, bodily autonomy, and free expression can be suddenly and indefinitely suspended, without precedent, analysis, or logic, based on nothing but vague promises that doing so will “save lives.” Accountability is out of the question. No matter how destructive or even lethal the result, the intent was purely therapeutic. And, even if the intent was destructive, then it was therapeutic for the body politic as a whole, in a way that is beyond the ability of individual citizens to comprehend.
This is the new normal—a new normal enabled, and in some cases encouraged, by the elites who presently comprise our political, academic, and media power structures. Myriad financial and social forces keep each individual from vocalizing the reality of what’s transpired." by Michael Senger

"For political watchers, it’s been baffling to watch leaders muddle through the most inexplicable geopolitical debacle since the Thirty Years’ War. It is equally terrifying to know that a policy catastrophe of this scale is possible in the 21st century. But judging by his regime’s activities and the story of how all this began, at least one world leader was well aware of this potential.
For Xi Jinping, lockdown was never about a virus. It was about sending a message: that stripped of all disguise, the illusion of virtue, competence, and commitment to human rights among the Western political class is nothing more than conformity with easily subvertible norms and institutions passed down by prior generations. As lockdown policies grind on into their 18th month, it’s increasingly difficult to disagree with him."