Dr. Ron Paul, the former Texas Congressman who put libertarianism on the map with his Republican presidential runs in 2008 and 2012, is not buying the hype about the coronavirus threat that is causing mass panic everywhere.
In an op/ed titled “The Coronavirus Hoax,” Paul argued that the government is using the coronavirus as an excuse to usurp rights and violate the Constitution at breakneck speed.
“It is ironic to see the same Democrats who tried to impeach President Trump last month for abuse of power demanding that the Administration grab more power and authority in the name of fighting a virus that thus far has killed less than 100 Americans,” Paul wrote.
Paul was sharply critical of President Trump as well for declaring a state of emergency and fanning the flames of the hysteria, an about-face from when the chief executive initially shrugged off coronavirus fears.
“Declaring a pandemic emergency on Friday, President Trump now claims the power to quarantine individuals suspected of being infected by the virus and, as Politico writes, “stop and seize any plane, train or automobile to stymie the spread of contagious disease.” He can even call out the military to cordon off a US city or state,” Paul wrote.
Paul believes that Trump is receiving unwise counsel by entrenched Washington D.C. bureaucrats. He called out Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, in particular for using the media to foment hysteria regarding the coronavirus.
“Fauci is all over the media, serving up outright falsehoods to stir up even more panic. He testified to Congress that the death rate for the coronavirus is ten times that of the seasonal flu, a claim without any scientific basis,” Paul wrote.
Paul criticized Fauci for his call to close the entire country down for two weeks, believing that his suggestion would make the pandemic worse because it would “leave people hunkered down inside their homes instead of going outdoors or to the beach where the sunshine and fresh air would help boost immunity.”
He also bashed the neocons for calling for yet another war to be waged, this time against an infectious disease.
“The madness over the coronavirus is not limited to politicians and the medical community. The head of the neoconservative Atlantic Council wrote an editorial this week urging NATO to pass an Article 5 declaration of war against the COVID-19 virus! Are they going to send in tanks and drones to wipe out these microscopic enemies?” Paul wrote incredulously.
Paul made it clear that he is not dismissing concerns about coronavirus altogether, but warned that the government response is likely to be far more damaging to public safety than the disease itself.
“That is not to say the disease is harmless. Without question people will die from coronavirus. Those in vulnerable categories should take precautions to limit their risk of exposure. But we have seen this movie before. Government over-hypes a threat as an excuse to grab more of our freedoms. When the “threat” is over, however, they never give us our freedoms back,” Paul concluded.
