4 organizations align against pandemic-related restrictions
By Eric Valentine
As Valley leadership implements new pandemic-related ordinances on individuals and businesses, at least four organizations here have aligned their efforts to put pressure on elected and health officials for any COVID-triggered policies they say would be detrimental to the community. And one of the organizations is poised to help foot the legal bills for anyone who claims those policies have infringed on their rights.
The four organizations are Wood River Business Alliance, Central Idaho For Liberty, Health Freedom Blaine County, and Health Freedom Defense Fund. And at the Nov. 23 Hailey City Council meeting, their unified efforts were on display. A combination of 217 people online and over 50 people who gathered at the Freedom Bible Church in Hailey to comment and watch the proceedings attended the session, which deliberated on a proposal to tighten pandemic-related restrictions and enforce criminal repercussions for not following them.
“There is no doubt that our showing—and the personal stories and testimonies of so many—shifted the tone and direction of the meeting and agenda,” said Valley resident Leslie Manookian, who played a central role in bringing the four organizations together.
Manookian, who is well known in the Valley as a longtime vaccine-safety advocate and a personal rights watchdog, heads up two of those organizations. Health Freedom Blaine County is a group she founded to protect citizens’ basic rights when it comes to matters of health. Health Freedom Defense Fund is a nonprofit collection of monies to defend in court people whose health freedoms have been violated.
“I want to be careful and not sound ‘threatening’ when talking about lawsuits,” said Manookian. Nonetheless, people deserve equal protection under the law and the ability to bring cases to court, she added.
It’s easy to dismiss pushback against pandemic-related restrictions as an alt-right, conspiracy-theory-inspired denial of scientific reality. But doing so is as un-clarifying as calling all COVID-related guidelines draconian measures. Manookian’s hope, she said, is that government and health leaders see the variety and legitimacy of the concerns people in these four different groups hold, and to start listening.
“We’re not saying don’t be concerned about disease. We’re saying hear us, listen to our concerns, don’t lump us in,” Manookian said.
Right now, Manookian feels local government as well as local media is hearing something different than what a range of residents—particularly business owners and alternative health practitioners—are saying. She wrote the following in a letter addressed to the City of Hailey.
“In another comment, Sam Linnet dismissed some of the public comment as conspiracy theory. This tone, these words, and this attitude are inappropriate and demeaning to the public he serves and do not become an elected official. Members of the public send you science and perspectives based on that science, which may be different than what you receive from St. Luke’s or even public health agencies, but this is good science and should not be derided as conspiracy theory.”
Meanwhile, the Hailey City Council did pull back on some restrictions and proposals. Most notable, effective last week, businesses in Hailey no longer need to limit their number of patrons if customers can stay 6 feet apart. And, they elected not to include children under 5 years of age in any mask mandate. What concerns folks is the potential punishment for not following the guidelines now that local governments are looking to put teeth into their existing rules. But with funds at the ready to bring these cases to court, some number of individuals may be able to bite back.