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On the 16th of April, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr sat in a prison cell in Birmingham City jail in Alabama. He had been incarcerated for partaking in non-violent protest after ignoring Circuit Judge W. A. Jenkins Jr’s edict from on high, banning “parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing,” which had been put in place to try and quell the growing disquiet surrounding the rampant racism and racial segregation of the era.
While sitting in prison, Dr King wrote a letter in response to criticism levelled at him by a group of eight white religious leaders. The letter is very long and covers many issues; you can read it in its entirety here, but one quote has always stood out for me.
Against the clergymen’s assertion that demonstrations could be illegal, King argued that not only was civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but it was necessary and even patriotic:
The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”
So why do I bring this up now? I believe the restrictions New Zealand has, and have been placed under, are unjust. Laws also need to be simple. If there needs to be constant clarification of the law then it is unwieldy; perhaps even unenforceable, and it does no good for our country.
Just before Level Four became Level Three, one of our commenters on Backchat, GeigerCounter, posted the following.
“This is what we live under. This is Official Government release, I shouldn’t be so jaded and depressed about my country this young.
As the country prepares to move out of lockdown alert level 4, there’s still a lot of burning questions about what you can and can’t do under alert level 3. The Ministry of Health has released a Q&A to help clear up any queries relating specifically to what you can and can’t do in your “bubble”.
Can I extend my bubble?
You can slightly extend your household bubble, but keep it local, small and exclusive. For example, you could add close family/whanau members, a caregiver, or someone who needs care, or a couple or single person if they live alone.
What if someone from another household starts feeling unwell?
Anyone who feels unwell should immediately self-isolate from others in their extended bubble.
What is a shared bubble arrangement?
A shared bubble includes children in shared custody arrangements, who can move between households if in the same community. A shared bubble can work the same way in Alert Level 3 or 4.
How many people can I add to my current bubble?
You can add 1-2 people, for instance, your elderly parent or parents who live in their bubble.
Can I extend my bubble to include all my grandparents?
No, if all your grandparents live in two or more bubbles at the moment. Yes, if all your grandparents live in one bubble at the moment. You can only add 1-2 people to your bubble and two individual bubbles can join together but not three or more bubbles.
Can I extend my bubble to include friends?
Yes, you can extend your bubble to include 1-2 friends who live together in one bubble. Make sure your bubble is only linking up with one other bubble.
Can I extend my bubble to two friends, who each live in separate houses?
No, you can only extend your bubble to include one other household.
Can my sibling and I both extend our bubbles to include our elderly parent?
No, just one sibling can extend a bubble to include your elderly parent. Two individual bubbles can join together but not three bubbles.
Can I expand my bubble to include my girlfriend, who lives in a different house?
Yes, if her household and your household are the only two joining together. And so long as her household has 1-2 people in it.
Can I expand my bubble to include my elderly aunt who lives in another town?
No, you can only extend your bubble to households in your local area. We’re still keeping things local to limit travel.
I’m a hospital worker. Can I extend my bubble to my neighbour who has a chronic illness?
Vulnerable people, including those with chronic illnesses, need to be even more vigilant about protecting themselves from catching COVID-19.
It might be better if your neighbour chooses to join another bubble.
Can I leave a bubble if I’m unsafe?
Yes. If the situation in your bubble is unsafe you can leave your bubble immediately, and seek help. If possible, ask a trusted neighbour or friend for help, then call Police or Women’s Refuge.
Can I visit friends or family, or have visitors?
No. You should avoid contact with anyone outside your bubble, except if you need to go to work or school, or while accessing essential services. Don’t invite or allow social visitors, such as friends, family and whanau, to enter your home.”
So there you go, clear as mud: you can see your grandmother but only on your maternal side, because your sister is seeing your paternal grandmother, but not your sister, unless she is also your girlfriend, but doesn’t live with more than two other people, who don’t want to visit their own grandmother, and only if she is local (undefined), or in your region (also undefined), or in an adjacent region, but not if that is DoC land, and not if you are planning on learning a new sport, unless it is essential, but you can leave your home to go to the Women’s Refuge, unless it isn’t essential, but not if your grandmother works there if she also sees your sister.
As Katie100 opined, “You’ll need a degree in Bubble Management to figure out who you can or can’t join.”
Dr King was a very thoughtful and insightful man. However he missed a trick, he should have added that we have a moral duty to ignore stupid laws too.
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