Civil Rights Advocates Oppose National Guard Enforcement of Mandatory Quarantines
2ANYS pursues Conscientious Objector status for NYANG soldiers morally repulsed by unconstitutional Cuomo order
October 19, 2020 – BUFFALO, N.Y. – Civil rights advocates gathered in front of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport Monday to vigorously oppose pending New York Army National Guard (NYANG) deployments to airports across New York State to enforce mandatory travel quarantines.
2ANYS Founder Steve Felano tapped the GI Rights Network Saturday to pursue Conscientious objector status for NYANG members morally opposed to enforcement of mandatory travel quarantines.
“Given that Governor Cuomo’s latest order to the NYANG regarding mandatory quarantine enforcement is, in fact, violative of the Oath of Enlistment sworn by NYANG members themselves, a substantial number of NYANG members may wish to claim Conscientious Objector status,” Felano advised GI Rights Network staff. “To be clear, such status would not be sought due to any moral revulsion to the bearing of arms and/or service in war – to the contrary, the NYANG members I’m referencing are eager to do both. Such status would be sought based on NYANG members’ moral revulsion to following gubernatorial executive orders requiring them to project compulsory force against American civilians on U.S. soil in service of a politicized pandemic response that lacks traditional legislative authority and is clearly constitutionally dubious in nature.”
Felano went on to state that NYANG members seeking Conscientious Objector status in response to Governor Cuomo’s latest executive order would be interested in ensuring the ability to accomplish some or all of the following:
- Remaining active in the NYANG;
- Securing reassignment in a manner that does not require enforcement of constitutionally dubious orders;
- Immediately transferring to a National Guard unit in another state that does not demand Guard members enforce constitutionally dubious orders; and/or
- Maintaining accumulated rank, regular pay, bonus pay, tuition benefits, access to other usual benefits, etc.
2ANYS contends that, under the U.S. Constitution, individuals have rights in quarantine and isolation conditions. Under the 5th and 14th Amendment’s rights of Due Process and Equal Protection, public health regulations used to impose such conditions can’t be “arbitrary, oppressive and unreasonable.” Additionally, Governor Cuomo’s actions raise essential questions about the power of New York State to restrict the constitutional right to interstate travel that is grounded in dormant commerce clause doctrine.
2ANYS argues that Governor Cuomo’s recent order to the NYANG to deploy to airports across New York State and enforce mandatory quarantine edicts against Americans from most other states of the union is a gross abuse of power requiring NYANG members to violate the oath they swore upon Army enlistment to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Finally, 2ANYS points out that their founder, Felano, is party to active litigation against the Cuomo Regime’s unconstitutional exercise of COVID-1984 executive authority. This legal battle, launched in May 2020, is still being argued in federal court and NYANG command staff could be added as defendants to the lawsuit if they proceed with Cuomo’s mandatory quarantine enforcement orders.
The NYANG is in the process of deploying to airports across New York State to enforce mandatory travel quarantines. The initiative will vary from airport to airport and was being phased in last week, a representative from the NYANG said.
Apparently, there is no word on when members of the guard will arrive at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. They will be in uniform but will not be armed.
Civil rights advocates vigorously oppose the Cuomo Regime’s continued insertion of the NYANG into local governments’ pandemic response efforts. This occurred in early April 2020 when Cuomo telegraphed an executive order requiring NYANG soldiers to violate the 5th and 14th Amendment rights of Upstate New Yorkers by stealing ventilators from Upstate hospitals to redistribute to downstate medical facilities.
Now, the Cuomo Regime is attempting a repeat of the ventilator theft debacle with this latest plan to deploy the NYANG to airports and violate a range of additional constitutional rights guaranteed to New Yorkers and all Americans attempting to travel to New York State.
The Cuomo Regime’s repeated attacks on individual liberty will continue to be aggressively opposed by 2ANYS and civil rights advocates across New York State.
2ANYS is New York State’s premier civilian rearmament enterprise securing maximal Second Amendment civil rights by, with, and through The People. At the tip of the spear in the fight against progressive gun control, their innovative strategies expand non-compliance with, and non-enforcement and repeal of, Albany’s imperial disarmament edicts. 2ANYS promotes a strong martial culture across New York State through firearms proficiency development, combat tactics training, and firearms industry events. The enterprise actively educates the public on the immense successes delivered by America’s Second Amendment, and the deplorable suffering imposed by governments that forcefully disarm their citizens. By, with, and through The People, 2ANYS will defeat Albany’s unconstitutional civilian disarmament industrial complex, and pass that victory on to the next generation to defend as their own. Learn more at WWW.2ANYS.COM.