WEBVTT - 3 Reasons to Question Shelter In Place Orders. John Arrabit Talks to A&G. 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.080 So thirty five states relaxing restrictions, although that varies a 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:06.200 lot from state to state. And the problem I have 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.440 so many of these states, well they're all they all 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:11.760 vary a lot. You have urban areas and rural areas, 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.280 and then some states are so diverse, like you You're 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:18.160 you're really large states. To that to have a state 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:22.439 order just seems crazy. I mean, it makes no sense whatsoever. 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:25.040 So some of the hot spots in the country, Michigan, 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:30.520 hundreds of protesters descended on Michigan's state capital yesterday, and 0:00:30.720 --> 0:00:34.960 the Republican controlled legislature ramped up its efforts to bring 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.720 the Democratic Governor Whittmer's emergency powers to an end. And 0:00:38.760 --> 0:00:43.160 they're talking about suing Governor Whittmer because they believe she's 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:47.199 acting outside of constitutional rights there in Michigan. And our 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.199 gripe has been and continues to be that this is 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:54.400 a serious suspension of constitutional rights that was based on 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.200 the need to flatten the curve. Well, the curve is 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:00.840 very very flat, and now the knee to suspend all 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.520 of our constitutional rights in our businesses and ability to 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:05.400 make a living seems to be just to prevent as 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:07.760 many cases as possible well, I think we're all in 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.640 favor of that, but should we be crushing the economy 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:15.600 and people's health not coincidentally on that basis. Another hot 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:19.680 spot is California, where there's a protest planned for today. 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:24.120 The group calling itself Reopen California and the lockdown. The 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:29.200 California Highway Patrol in California last week announced no more permits, 0:01:29.240 --> 0:01:31.320 no more gathering, no more protests. Well, I don't know 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:34.560 if you're studied much about the First Amendment, but being 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:36.640 able to protest your government is one of the most 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:40.680 sacred rights we have in this country period. And uh, 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:42.920 and them saying you can't do that is crazy. While 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:45.160 there's a protest going on today and people are gonna, 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:48.680 I guess, drive around the capital, although some people are 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:51.120 planning to march, and they're gonna try to practice social 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:53.520 distancing and whatnot. We thought we'd talked to somebody who's 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:55.920 going to be involved in that. John Arabitt joins us. 0:01:56.080 --> 0:02:00.000 He's a small business owner. Uh coincidentally a retired California 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.640 a Highway patrolman thirty years of the commander. So maybe 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:04.800 we'll ask him about that. John, Welcome to the Armstrong 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.040 and Getty Show. Hey, good morning guys, thanks for having 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.040 me on What what specifically, what message are you trying 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.560 to send by protesting today at the state Capitol. Well, 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:15.960 you know, I found myself in a very interesting position. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.640 After having served thirty years with the California Highway Patrol, 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:22.880 I'm now a small business owner up here in Plaster 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.880 and Nevada Counties. Um and uh, I've been hit very 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:31.280 hard by our response to this pandemic along with our 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:34.919 twenty employees. Have you been closed down this whole time, 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.520 as in not getting any revenue? We have been closed 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:43.320 down since March twenty and have cut off all account 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:49.720 billion and revenue sources. So yes, So what's your message 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:52.960 to the governor or accounty officials or whomever? I mean, 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:58.800 if you were to put it succinctly, what's what is it? Well? Well, 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.480 my first message is um. First of all, you know, 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.080 if we believe that coronavirus is a real thing, and 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.560 our hearts go out to you know, the families who 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.000 have lost loved ones in the wake of this pandemic. 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:12.840 You know, And I also you know, after having served 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:15.240 in government and been in these circles for many years, 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.359 I also think the government and his team are doing 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:22.919 what they believe to be in the best interests of Californians. 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:25.959 But I emphasized the word believed, because believing you're doing 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:29.040 the right thing doesn't always mean you are. Uh. There 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:32.040 are three important points that are driving my decision to 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:38.480 protest today. First of all, although well intended, I believe 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:41.560 the governor is missing the big picture. You know, and 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:43.880 it's been said before. You know, the means cannot be 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.120 worse than the ends, or in medical terms, the cure 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:51.040 cannot be worse than the disease. Um. The threat of 0:03:51.080 --> 0:03:53.280 this virus is going to pass very soon, you know, 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:55.960 especially with the warmer weather here, and may have already 0:03:56.000 --> 0:04:01.279 been substantially diminished um, but the impact of our continued 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:06.040 lockdown will last for generations. Number two, I'm gonna be 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:12.160 out there calling Governor Knewsom out for his hypocrisy. You know, 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.520 he said it himself, one size does not fit all, 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:20.120 you know, he nor do I want President Trump dictating 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:24.520 from Washington, d C. How California should handle our response 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:27.920 to this pandemic. You know, it's a big country, and 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:31.680 that authority rightfully lies with our governor, you know, to 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:36.039 deal with our specific and unique situation. But but you know, 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:38.560 but California is also a big state, you know, the 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:41.200 third largest in the nation. You know, I believe counties 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:48.039 and municipalities should be given uh strongly suggested guidelines, but 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.960 allowed to loosen or tighten those recommendations based on their 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:55.160 actual situation. We don't want to run out, We don't 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:56.600 want to run out of time before you get tell 0:04:56.680 --> 0:05:00.400 your points and your third point is sure, um, the 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:02.600 third point is, Look, the main reason I'm gonna be 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:04.919 out there is I have the privilege of talking to 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:08.320 a Holocaust survivor many years ago, and I don't bring 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:12.080 this discussion up to to equate her situation with ours, 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:15.120 or even insinuate that our governor's response to this is 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.320 anything close to what happened in Germany at that point 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:21.560 in history. But nevertheless, I can't help but recall Ava's 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:26.520 words av Braun, after emotionally describing the atrocities that she 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:30.520 and her family suffered, she uh, you know, I asked her. 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.720 I said, what's the lesson that we should take from 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:39.359 your experience? And without missing a beat, she said, never 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:45.360 be complacent when government appears to be eroding your personal freedoms. 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:50.160 That's very good. Sidious. Yeah, it's a very assiduous process. 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.719 And if you're not careful, you know, you could lose 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.039 your freedom. So obsidious is the obsidious is the perfect 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.160 word for it, too. Yeah, And and it's an excellent 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:02.960 point because emergency powers is such an old story. Oh 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:06.040 my gosh, this is an emergency. We just need to 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:11.400 take these special powers briefly and temporarily. That's always the story. 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:14.120 And and listen to people who do that are good 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:16.640 at their jobs. They're good at convincing you it's an 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:19.000 emergency and you should be scared. And therefore we have 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:22.279 grasped these powers. And listen, maybe you think it's legit, 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.400 maybe you think, okay, go ahead and take those powers, 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.400 but you've got to dig in your heels hard and 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:30.239 not get dragged an inch further, and keep a firm 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:33.080 grip on your freedom, saying yank them right back the 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:36.640 second it's possible. And I think John, you join us 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:39.360 in saying that's what needs to be happening right now. 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.680 Absolutely all right, Hey, John Arabt, we thank you for 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.359 its diamond, and you're standing up for constitutional rights and 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.279 the rest of it. Go fight the good fight. Huh. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.640 Thank you. He got it. He's more charitable than I 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:55.320 need to be about there. They're doing what they think 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:58.600 is the right thing. That's not necessarily true. Governor Whitburn 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.440 Michigan or Governor Newsom California might be doing what they 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:03.800 think will make them more likely be a vice president 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:07.159 or presidential candidate someday. That might be driving their decision 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:10.920 more than any science whatsoever. Yeah, yeah, it's possible. I 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:13.960 I feel little more charitable. I think they're just misguided. 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.480 I just think they're they're they're seduced by the power. 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:22.200 They've become fixated on preventing cases to the exclusion of 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.760 all other concerns, some of which are very important. I 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:28.640 will tell you this. The loose blanket Umbrella Organization, I 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.120 guess it is the term UH that's organizing a lot 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:35.160 of the stuff around the country. Is absolutely painstakingly saying 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:39.800 all people are required to maintain CDC guidelines for prevention, 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.600 follow best practices. We all know what those are. Masks 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:46.280 and staying apart if you're if you're sick or high risk, 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:51.240 please stay home. No violence of any sort, no confrontation. 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:55.200 Our message is simple, be ladies and gentlemen out there. 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.160 So it's good. It's good, solid stuff. The Michigan legislature 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:02.080 voted to give the House speaker there in Michigan the 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:04.960 authority to file a lawsuit against the governor. This is 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:08.240 some unprecedented territory that they're getting into there and be 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:10.080 interesting to see how this works out in the courts 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:13.640 or whatnot. But uh, yeah, not everybody agrees on what 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:17.600 the right thing to do is. I just yeah, misguided. 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.440 I how do you not how do you think about 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:23.080 these business owners and think, oh my god, we can 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:25.240 only make them stay shut if this is just the 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.800 absolute worst case scenario. We're not in the worst case 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:34.040 scenario anymore. We're clearly not right exactly. How has the 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:38.360 primary motivation for all this changed so completely? And nobody 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:43.640 has specifically addressed that as they continue to suspend sacred 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:45.240 rights And it's part of what he got to at 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.240 the end, which is watching, you know, things a road. 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:51.640 Little by little. The government shutting down your business went 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.800 from unthinkable to completely thinkable too. It's happening. And now 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.160 that it's happened, it's just in the or in the 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.719 realm of possibilities, right, Uh, it's the Overton window. It's 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:04.360 actually what actually happened to us. We can describe what 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:09.400 that is later if you want to. So we got 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:11.520 a lot of texts about a segment we did earlier 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:14.520 today for a couple of different reasons that will become evident. 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:20.439 One great point is made here. And then if you ever, 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.679 if you're of a certain bent, you'll you'll you'll recognize 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:27.240 quickly the other point of conversation. But do you have 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:30.400 a guy's name in front of I? I misplaced the Yeah, 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:40.080 John Umra a Abit that's right, former HP patrolman retired 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:42.199 now he's now a small business person. He was taking 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:45.719 part in the big protest at the state Capitol of 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.880 California Insecto, Sacramento. Yeah, and he was giving three reasons 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.120 that he wanted to get involved in. A couple of 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:56.280 the reasons were what you would expect, though well well 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.720 explained beautifully put yeah, absolutely, and then he got into 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:02.000 his third reason. I have the privilege of talking to 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:06.040 a Holocaust survivor many years ago. I can't help but 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:10.440 recall Ava's words, a le bron, never be complacent when 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:15.640 government appears to be eroding your personal freedoms. That's very good, 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:18.280 it's a very insidious process, and if you're not careful, 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:21.520 you know, you could lose your freedom. Obsidious is the 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:25.960 perfect word for it too, So um yeah, just on 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:29.400 that part of it. I often think people are like 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:33.200 kind of being practically crackpots, are a little low overreactive 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.120 about governments taken away your rights, blah blah blah. How 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:39.320 quickly can happen, But it is, It is absolutely true. 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:42.520 It happens little by little, and you think, well, it's 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:44.840 you know, it's it's a little bit. We're a country 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:47.520 where we got a strong democracy will be but the 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:51.040 government has shut down businesses and now it's threatening to 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.360 find people who arrest people who try to open them 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:57.720 back up. That is unheard of in my lifetime. And 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.040 now it's happening and a lot of people are accepting it, 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:03.600 and and it's insidious. Insidious is the perfect word for it. Now. 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:06.640 The problem that the reason we got so many texts 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.439 about that was and I'll bet you caught it well 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.920 if if you're a World War two history fan, the 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:18.400 fact that he had a Holocaust survivor friend with the 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:22.840 same name as Hitler's girlfriend soon to be wife, Eva Braun, 0:11:23.720 --> 0:11:26.720 just just kind of caught the year and was a 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:29.640 bit of a distraction. Obviously, leave out the last name. 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:31.920 Did she have a nickname? Did you call her by 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:35.600 a missy? If she happens to have the same name, 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:38.160 she's of the World War two generation, and she has 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:41.000 the same name as Hitler's wife. I mean, Eva Rava 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.360 is an incredibly common name in Germany, and brawn is 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:48.120 an incredibly common last would be like name being named 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:54.880 Amy Brown? Right? Absolutely? Um, Nonetheless, it was funny. Both 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:57.640 Jack and I thought, wait a minute, this has been 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:01.000 a great interview. Love this guy. Is he about to 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:04.720 drop a Howard Stern's penis? Yeah, I thought, I thought, 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.400 he's he's he's he's waiting to see if we just 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:09.959 roll with it like a stupid Anderson Cooper or something 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:13.400 like that during an interview, And we got a whole 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:16.840 bunch of text and he just say Braun was his 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:20.559 neighbor a ninety three year old, so she's the right 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:27.559 age obviously if she's a Holocaust survivor. Right, And me 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:29.240 like if I said, yeah, I got this buddy. I 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:31.760 lift weights with this guy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he says 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.200 you should keep your feet at shoulder like the part 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.280 and Arnold says quite a second year a weightlifting friend 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:45.040 his named Arnold Schwartzenegger. Different guy though, yes, yeah, yeah, okay, 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.559 that was so people noticed that, did they? My guitar instructor, 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:53.679 um Eric Clapton. He shows me I'm talking and Eric Clapton. No, no, 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:57.680 he's like a twenty seven year old guy. Just but 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:01.200 you realize when you say Eric Clapton, he's your tard instructor, 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:03.880 people are gonna think, what do you mean, hold on 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.920 before you go on something up real quick. You can't 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:10.000 talk about Holocaust survivors, World War two era A V. Braun. 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:14.520 It's just yeah, well anyway, it's a wonderful story, though 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:19.760 powerful message which I listened to and paid attention to. Serious. 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.080 But I'll bet av Broun would say, do we have 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.600 to get married a bunker? Um? I bet? I bet 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.400 his friend av Braun would say, yeah. I didn't think 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:32.720 when they took a little bit of power, a little 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:34.760 bit more power, took away a few more rights. I 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:36.720 didn't think it would end up where it ended up either, 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:40.960 because if you know the history, the most interesting history 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:43.200 of Hitler and everything like that is what happens in 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.160 the early thirties when it was he won a bunch 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:50.640 of elections. He this stuff got voted in, right, And 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:52.040 and the one thing I would point out is a 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.400 guy who studied this sort of thing my entire life, 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:59.720 is that the rationale for taking emergency powers is always 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.480 brilliantly constructed. They don't say they don't wear, you know, 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:08.400 the the mask of of good governance, and you can 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.400 hear them chuckling evily behind the scenes. No, they construct 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:16.160 their arguments very very well, and sometimes they're sincere that, look, 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:19.119 we just need to keep you safe. This is temporary, 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:22.440 this is very important. We're just trying to save lives here. 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:27.880 That's always the rationale.