Commissioner: Government has infringed on citizen rights -- "From the 10-20 2021 Lapeer County Press"

[William Gavette]

Original article HERE

Commissioner: Government has infringed on citizen rights 

OCTOBER 20, 2021 BY KRYSTAL MORALEE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LAPEER — Frustrated by what he sees happening at a federal and state level, particularly during the COVID- 19 pandemic, Commissioner Rick Warren has been known to speak passionately during commissioner time at county Board of Commissioner meetings. Last Thursday, he brought his frustration forward in the form of a draft resolution he is asking the rest of the commissioners to consider.

The original draft of the resolution includes the following language:

“Whereas medical procedures including testing, temperature, questioning details of personal condition past or present, contact tracing, injections, prescriptions, doctor/medical/ hospital appointments or admittance is and remains wholly and solely the choice and decision of each individual citizen for themselves and for any minors in their charge or persons under their legal power-of-attorney; be it resolved the Lapeer County Commissioners… shall neither pass or enact any measures which infringe upon the rights of its citizens to personal medical privacy, autonomy, choice and decision, nor condone, support or assist any other agency in the county, state or federal, or their agents, in the violation of its citizens’ rights to medical personal privacy and autonomy, or rights of travel, commerce, employment, assembly, speech, engagement in civic and public meetings and events.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Warren encouraged the rest of the board to not allow the government to dictate what people do in terms of medical care, disclosure, vaccination, and proving vaccination status, among other issues.

“We all should be standing up against that, so what I’m doing here is putting up a resolution that as county commissioners… we’ll take a stand,” he said. “Who the hell does this government think they are? I get passionate about it because this is our freedom. This is what you and I thought we had and we’re slowly, slowly losing it… We’re not telling anyone what to do, we’re just saying we’re standing up against any tyranny that’s coming toward us. Tyranny is telling us me (I’m) going to take that jab and put it in my body or (they’ll) arrest me. Tyranny is when you’re going to tell me that if I speak up at a school board I become a domestic terrorist, but yet if you go burn down a county building, you’re okay. This is wrong. This is all about not allowing them to really mandate anything on the American people but allow the American people to make the decisions for their body, for their choice.”

Warren expressed disgust that when he personally got COVID-19 last fall, his doctor was instructed not to use hydroxychloroquine to treat it — something that Warren was given anyway, and which he attributes to helping him overcome the virus rather than being hospitalized and possibly dying from it.

“The main thing I’m looking for from this is to ease some fear in our community and the county employees by showing them their leaders will stand for them,” said Warren.

The board discussed the draft resolution briefly and decided Warren should submit a revised resolution for the Oct. 28 Committee of the Whole meeting for further discussion and possible action. The merits of drafting a letter instead of a resolution were also discussed and may also be considered on Oct. 28.