Enforced social distancing is turning ugly...what would you expect in a free country?

via IheartNews.

A Texas man was arrested after he was recorded on video shoving a Texas park ranger into a lake. The incident occurred at Commons Ford Metropolitan Park in West Austin when the ranger approached a group of people who were illegally smoking and drinking.

Video shows the ranger telling the group to remain at least six feet apart. People in the crowd appear to dismiss his request, sarcastically saying "will do" and "I got you, man." As the ranger is talking to the group, 25-year-old Brandon Hicks runs up and shoves him into Lake Austin. Hicks also fell into the water and can be seen climbing out and running away.

Hicks was quickly apprehended and is facing felony charges of attempted assault on a public servant. If convicted, he faces up to two years behind bars and a maximum fine of $10,000.

After the officer was pushed into the water, other people in the crowd came to his aid and apologized for Hicks' actions.

"That's the Austin we know, and that's the Austin we love," the arresting officer wrote in his report.

After the incident, the rangers temporarily closed the park because it was too crowded.

Note that Austin is probably the most liberal city in Texas and if this is the reaction then it will be multiplied by 10 in other areas...especially the more rural ones.

Then this.  Again from IHeartNews.

 After Missouri issued lockdown measures due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials in St. Louis County created a website where residents could report people and businesses that ignored the stay at home orders.

In just over one week, more than 900 people filed reports on the site, which resulted in 29 businesses receiving citations for refusing to close down. The forms required people to provide their names and contact information, and put a warning that the information could become public record under the state's Sunshine Law, which allows people to file requests for public records.

When county officials received the request, they asked their lawyers if they should redact the personal information before releasing the documents.

"In this particular instance, our county counselor's office consulted with the [attorney general]'s office on releasing the list of those who had filed complaints against county businesses. We were told all the information was public and we should not redact (except for HIPAA information). Withholding information goes against what journalists push us to be – as transparent as possible," St. Louis County executive's director of communications, Doug Moore, said, according to KSDK.

The documents were requested by Jared Totsch, who then posted them on Facebook.

"Here, ya go. The gallery of snitches, busybodies, and employees who rat out their own neighbors and employers over the Panic-demic," he wrote.

Just wow.

But after just a little thought we shouldn't be surprised.  America claims to be a free country and the various lockdown order amount to a wide ranging house arrest, potentially illegal order to close commerce and an attempt to deprive people of their ability to earn a living (although the Feds have done a decent job of filling that gap with extremely generous unemployment checks).

The real issue from my seat?

Poor communication.

I'm talking about not only from the Feds (to a limited degree) but MOSTLY from the individual governors.

Social distancing was sold as pushing down the curve so that hospitals wouldn't be overwhelmed.  We reached a point where that wouldn't happen weeks ago.  The continued lockdowns seem to be based on moving targets and you can't be a moving target when you're asking people to be in jail.

Another thing that I don't think people are taking account of is the psychological challenges that some face and for others the terrible truth that home just ain't a nice place to be.

The armed protests were bad.

I think the reaction of the public if this lingers much longer will be worse.