My last business trip to the Four Corners region did NOT involve traveling into New Mexico. Not from fear of COVID which grips the State and especially the Navajo Nation, which holds much of the northwest corner of the 47th State. Rather, I just had no business and no family or friends to see on this trip.

However, a friend who lives and works in New Mexico (in an “essential” job, did risk a lot to temporarily escape from the developing gulag that is New Mexico. To do “nonessential” things like visit immediate family and very close friends.

As it turns out, I may not be going back to New Mexico for some time, thanks to Empress Lujan-Gresham. On Tuesday, as I was returning to the still-free State of South Dakota, she extended her autocratic rule and issued a new imperial edict (“executive order”) to her subjects and anyone traveling to or through her domain.

The contents of the decree must bring envy to the ghosts of Fidel, Hugo, Juan and Evita, and Francisco. Among them:

All retail stores must close at 10 PM nightly.
All restaurants must maintain a log of the names and address of all customers for a minimum of 3 weeks.
All businesses who have 4 or more employees who test positive within 2 weeks must close for 2 weeks. Completely.
Restaurants and other food service must now pass additional, more-stringent special certification inspections by the health department to even stay open without any positives.
Many state-operated sites are closed completely.
… and more.

Why? She tells her abused, tyrannized subjects: “The virus is winning.” Adding, “And it’s because we let our guard down.” In other words, she blames her people for not having the proper attitude of “orders are orders,” (“befehl ist befehl” in the original German) and slavishly obeying her. So the enemy is winning. And the enemy is always an excuse for government and dictators to demand more and more “sacrifice” and obedience and therefore, control.

Is it not interesting? These measures are very similar to those imposed by increasingly-totalitarian, “democratic” monarchies (and republics) in Europe and the British Isles. The current round of “second wave” control measures go further, in many cases than the first, failed Lockdown. That Lockdown failed to keep Europeans from dying at a rate much higher than anywhere in the States except New York and New Jersey. That Lockdown which destroyed economies and societies. Now, it is even harsher: no “assemblies” of more than FOUR people. No travel, even by foot, of more than FIVE kilometers. No leaving your residence except WITH PERMISSION and only for seeking food or medical help.

But here, stateside? The strident demands for reimposing more tyrannical edicts grows daily. “We didn’t do it right the first time; now we know how to do it better. We’ll get it right this time.” Sounds like the apologists for socialism and communism, doesn’t it?

Once more, the actions of Lujan-Gresham and her Democratic governor buddies in other States demonstrate this isn’t about preventing and controling diseases. That is just the excuse – the latest excuse in a long line of excuses and self-serving justifications for gaining, increasing, and keeping power.

This is about controling people and stealing their liberty. There are a half-dozen counties in the State of New Mexico with very low numbers and NO COVID-deaths; another half-dozen with only 1-2 deaths. Instead of concentrating on rotecting the truly vulnerable (the elderly and those with potential co-morbities), she hammers ALL PEOPLE. She is not alone, of course: look at Colorado, at Michigan, and many other places.

ALL New Mexicans must be controled and suffer to win her war on a disease – using weapons that destroy people and their economy and lives but do NOT defeat the virus.

ALL New Mexicans must submit to their Empress. All must be quarantined, locked down, kept from making a living, learning, worshipping, helping family. Except, of course, protesters and rioters. And her storm troopers enforcing the decrees.