I don’t know how else to describe someone who is pro-coronavirus as anything but evil, or as The Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Joseph Gerth calls Kentucky State Attorney General as “bidding to become Kentucky’s most prolific serial killer.” But Daniel Cameron is evil. During the midst of a surging viral epidemic, Cameron has taken Governor Andy Beshear to court to repeal all his previous executive orders to combat COVID-19 and BLOCK any further actions by Beshear.
I’m not kidding.
Cameron filed a motion Wednesday in Boone County Circuit Court, alleging that the governor's executive orders are arbitrary and violate Kentuckians' constitutional rights.
A judge there recently issued a restraining order against Beshear's public health orders related to auto racetracks and day care centers…
Cameron's motion seeks a temporary injunction to prohibit the governor from "issuing or enforcing any executive order or other directive" under Kentucky's state of emergency statute, calling Beshear's past orders "an arbitrary and unreasonable burden" and a direct violation of citizens' constitutional rights…
"Judges at every level have found constitutional problems with his orders," Cameron wrote. "Instead of collaborating with our office and the General Assembly to fix these issues, he’s pointing fingers."
Cameron's 31-page motion took aim at the rationale of Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health, behind the COVID-19 orders, saying Stack's recent deposition revealed that the orders were based on "values-based judgment and ad-hoc rationalization."
"Although there are nearly 4.5 million people in Kentucky, and state government is composed of three branches of government, with a general assembly composed of 38 senators and 100 representatives, right now nearly every aspect of the lives and livelihoods of those 4.5 million Kentuckian is purportedly governed by one man, and his political appointees: Gov. Andrew Beshear," Cameron's motion states.
The motion contends that Stack's background "is not in epidemiology or virology, but in emergency medicine," adding he had not conducted any studies of the coronavirus himself and relied upon the work of others who have studied it in his recommendations to Beshear.
It gets better, and Cameron tips his hand here.
A Scott County judge last week also issued a temporary restraining order that appeared to block Beshear's ability to issue future COVID-19 orders unless certain parameters were met, with Cameron filing a motion for the judge to clarify if it did so.
Cameron said Monday he had no preference on how that judge ruled related to Beshear's subsequent order requiring face masks but said Kentuckians should have a choice in whether to wear one.
Cameron says that Dr. Stephen uses “value judgements and ad-hoc rationalizations,” but masks help save lives during this viral pandemic. And Cameron wants Kentuckians to be able to choose to wear one or not. In other words, “FREEDUMB!” So who is using value judgments about COVID-19??
And yes, Beshear was having taking this move to kill Kentuckians lying down. He moved immediately to the State Supreme Court to rule on Cameron’s lawsuit. This is because the Boone County judge was going to rule in Cameron’s favor. And Beshear accused Cameron of “forum shopping,” which is what this is.
There is perfectly good court in Frankfort the state capital. But Cameron went to a judge in a northern Kentucky county that is Republican. This is the same area that has elected Republican Congressman Thomas Massie.
Luckily, for now, we have all dodged Cameron’s bullet to Kentuckians’ collective head because the State Supreme Court has agreed to take up this case. And they basically placed an order on both the Boone and Scott County judges that their rulings don’t count until the State Supreme Court ways in.
The Kentucky Supreme Court has called a halt to attempts to block all of Gov. Andy Beshear's past and future COVID-19 emergency orders, saying it will decide whether they are legal.
"Given the need for a clear and consistent statewide public health policy and recognizing that the Kentucky legislature has expressly given the governor broad executive powers in a public health emergency, the court orders a stay of all orders of injunctive relief" until the Supreme Court can hear the cases, Justice John Minton stated in the order Friday.
And as I said, that Boone County prick of a judge was set to rule against Beshear and for Cameron.
A Boone Circuit Court judge had indicated Thursday night that he would side with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in his attempt to block Beshear's coronavirus-related emergency orders and stop him from issuing new ones, officials say.
A copy of the order from Boone Circuit Judge Rick Brueggemann was not yet available Friday evening.
Had the Supreme Court not stepped in, Beshear’s emergency COVID-19 orders would have abruptly ended, including those mandating masks in public, limiting occupancy inside certain businesses and allowing public K-12 schools to have more than 10 days of nontraditional instruction like remote learning.
Beshear is not being the least bit tempered when it comes to Cameron’s actions.
Beshear said at his Friday afternoon press conference he feared Kentucky would have been turned into a "Wild West" of no public health rules, leading to the rampant spread of COVID-19 and the loss of lives.
Even with the rules in place, Kentucky reported 531 new cases of the deadly infectious disease — the third-highest single day since testing began. As of Friday, 653 Kentuckians have died from the virus.
"I'm relieved," Beshear said of the Supreme Court's motion. "I'm relieved because I've stayed up the last two nights not sleeping, worried about how many people would die if we didn't have any types of rules in place."
Nothing like saying that your political opponent is trying to kill your fellow Kentuckians.
And this is all political. For those who are not up on Kentucky politics, Cameron is a McConnell crony. It was McConnell who gave Cameron his lift to become Kentucky State Attorney General last year. And Cameron has taken every opportunity to challenge any and all of Beshear’s actions. Republicans are trying to get even with Andy Beshear for his time as State Attorney General and his defeat of the odious former Governor Matt Bevin. And Cameron sees himself as McConnell’s successor when McConnell crawls into his grave.
It is why Cameron is playing to the Trump crowd in Kentucky with his anti-science and anti-medicine campaign. And his so called defense of our civil liberties. One of those Republican freedoms is the right to be selfish and stupid and risk the lives of others.
Oh, speaking of rights, you all remember how 87 protesters at Cameron’s home were arrested and charged by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) with felonies? The protest was about the killing of Breonna Taylor by the LMPD, and Cameron is supposed to be overseeing the state investigation into Taylor’s killing. Therefore, the protesters wanted Cameron to get off his ass and do something about LMPD’s handling of the Taylor shooting. Seems LMPD decided that the protesters were threateing Cameron, so off to jail they went.
Turns out that the Louisville DA has DISMISSED all those charges agains the protesters.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said Friday he is dismissing felony charges against 87 protesters arrested this week outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home.
But he said the severity of the charges were justified.
"While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protester arrested this past Tuesday," O'Connell said Friday in a statement.
"We continue to review the misdemeanors and violations for prosecution at a later date."
But three former prosecutors told The Courier Journal the protesters were clearly "overcharged" with a felony that doesn't legally apply to the situation.
“I’ve never seen anyone charged with a felony for this type of behavior," said Leland Hulbert, a former assistant Jefferson County commonwealth's attorney who led the office's first violent crime division. "It's somewhat unheard of."
The local DA is kissing LMPD’s ass with that statement. Basically, LMPD is pissed off about the protests and how dare anyone question their actions with regards to the killing of Breonna Taylor. I can’t prove this, but I think the arrests were done as a favor to Cameron by LMPD. They got the protesters off Cameron’s lawn, and LMPD will expect Cameron to find nothing wrong with the killing of Taylor.
Why the hell should Cameron give two shits for a dead black woman when he is willing to kill a whole lot of Kentuckians with his lawsuits against Beshear?
If this ain’t evil, I don’t know what is.