BUT ANOTHER COURT HAS JUST
OVERTURNED THAT DECISION.
NASSAU COUNTY EXECUTIVE BRUCE
BLAKEMAN HAS BEEN LEADING THE
CHARGE AGAINST THESE MANDATES
FROM THE GET GO.
HE JOINS ME NOW.
BRUCE, THANKS FOR COMING IN.
IT LOOKED LIKE YOU HAD A WIN,
BUT NOW WE JUST GOT WORD JUST
WITHIN THE PAST 5 MINUTES THAT
AN APPELLATE DECISION HAS
GRANTED THE APPLICATION TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OF NEW YORK
AND THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
CONFIRMING THE LOWER COURT’S
DECISION, STAYING -- PENDING
FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.
SO IT’S STILL IN THE WORKS.
THIS STILL HAS A WAYS TO GO,
RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
BASICALLY, THE APPELLATE COURT,
ONE JUDGE, MADE A DETERMINATION
AFTER ABOUT A 30-MINUTE HEARING
THIS AFTERNOON9 THAT THE
DECISION OF JUDGE RATAMAKEER IN
THE SUPREME COURT, THE TRIAL
COURT, WOULD BE STAYED.
SO IT’S NOT AN OVERTURNING OF
THE JUDGE’S DECISION.
BASICALLY, IT’S SAYING LET’S
KEEP THINGS THE WAY THEY WERE
BEFORE YESTERDAY UNTIL WE GET A
FULL PANEL OF APPELLATE JUDGES
TO HEAR THE ARGUMENTS AND TO
READ THE PAPERS.
I STILL MAINTAIN THAT THE
GOVERNOR AND THE COMMISSIONER OF
HEALTH ACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO
THE MANDATE ARE VIOLATIVE OF NEW
YORK STATE LAW AND THAT THEY ARE
UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
SO WE STILL MAINTAIN THAT
POSITION, ASK WE FEEL -- AND WE
FEEL THAT WE’RE ON FIRM GROUND,
AND WE’RE HOPING THAT THE
APPELLATE COURT WHEN THEY SIT
TOGETHER AS A FULL PANEL, WHEN
THEY HEAR ALL OF THE EVIDENCE
AND THEY APPLY THE LAW, THEY
WILL DETERMINE THAT THE
GOVERNOR’S ACTIONS WERE, IN
FACT, UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
DAVID: AND, BRUCE, HAVEN’T
CERTAIN COUNTIES ALREADY SORT OF
TURNED A BLIND EYE TO THOSE
SCHOOLS THAT WANT TO GET RID OF
THE MANDATES?
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, IT’S NOT BEING ENFORCED
IN A UNIFORM WAY.
SO WHY HAVE IT?
I HEAR FROM SO MANY PARENTS,
I’VE HEARD FROM THOUSANDS OF
PARENTS THAT ARE SAYING IT
SHOULD BE OUR CHOICE AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT OUR KIDS HAVE TO
WEAR A MASK IN SCHOOL.
IF YOU CAN WEAR A MASK, YOU CAN
GO TO COSTCO, YOU CAN GO TO A
MOVIE THEATER, YOU CAN GO TO A
HOCKEY GAME YOU DON’T HAVE TO
WEAR A MASK.
WHY ARE WE DOING THAT TO OUR
KIDS?
THERE’S COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
SOME THESE KIDS HAVE ANXIETY
OVER THE MASKS, SOME HAVE
EMOTIONAL ISSUES WITH RESPECT TO
THE MASKS, AND SOME HAVE YOU
UNIQUE ISSUES WHETHER IT’S
AUTISM OR WHETHER THEY HAVE
SENSORY ISSUES.
AND THE GOVERNOR’S MANDATE
DOESN’T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT EACH
INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE.
SO WE BELIEVE THAT HER MANDATE
IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, THAT IT’S
BROAD BROAD AND THAT IT’S
ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS.
STUART WHAT ABOUT THE
ADVANTAGE --
DAVID: WHAT ABOUT THE VACCINE
MANDATE?
30,000 HEALTH CARE WORKERS
CHOOSING THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF
THE VACCINE -- LOSING THEIR JOBS
BECAUSE OF THE VACCINE MANDATE,
CAUSING SHORTAGES THAT ARE
HURTING ABILITY TO HELP PEOPLE
WHO NEED HOSPITALS NOT JUST FOR
COVID, BUT FOR OTHER THINGS.
ARE YOU TAKING THAT ON AS WELL?
>> WELL, IN THAT IS SAW --
NASSAU COUNTY I SIGNED AN
EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT OUR POLICE,
FIREFIGHTERS, MENTIONER EMTs
AND OUR SHERIFFS, CORRECTIONAL
OFFICER AS, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO
GET VACCINATED.
I THINK IT’S ABSOLUTELY
OUTRAGEOUS THAT THESE PEOPLE, WE
ASK THEM TO WORK AT THE HEIGHT
OF THE PANDEMIC WHEN PEOPLE WERE
REALLY SERIOUSLY ILL AND PEOPLE
WERE DYING S AND THOSE PEOPLE
HEROICALLY WENT TO WORK WHEN
THERE WAS NOVACK CITY NATIONS --
DAVID: ABSOLUTELY.
>> AND NOW THAT THERE IS A
ADVANTAGE CITY SAYINGS, THOSE
SAME PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD THEY
WILL BE FIRED IF THEY DON’T GET
VACCINATED.
QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK IT’S
OUTRAGEOUS.
DAVID: AND WE JUST HAD A STUDY
FROM CALIFORNIA, 70,000 PATIENTS
INVOLVED IN THE STUDY.
THE CDC ACTUALLY PUT THE STUDY
OUT THERE SAYING THAT, IN FACT,
NATURAL IMMUNITY -- WHICH IS WHY
A LOT OF THESE WORKERS ARE NOT
TAKING THE VACCINE -- NATURAL
IMMUNITY WAS BETTER IN
PREVENTING ILLNESS DURING DELTA
WAVE WHEN A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE
WERE FIRED, NATURAL IMMUNITY
THAT MANY OF THEM HAD WAS
ACTUALLY A BETTER GUARANTEE
AGAINST GETTING THE SICKNESS
THAN VACCINE ITSELF.
I MEAN, THAT’S REALLY RUBBING
SALT INTO THE WOUND.
>> WELL, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I
THINK THE CONFUSING THING FOR
MOST PEOPLE THAT WATCH SHOWS
LIKE YOURS IS THAT THE
INFORMATION COMING OUT OF
WASHINGTON CONFLICTS DAY BY DAY.
PEOPLE JUST WANT A CLEAR
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY
SHOULD DO AND WHAT THEY
SHOULDN’T DO, AND I THINK
BASICALLY WITH THE OMICRON
VARIANT PEOPLE ARE NOT DYING,
THEY’RE NOT BEING HOSPITALIZED
IN ANY GREAT NUMBERS, SO LET’S
GET BACK TO NORMAL.
DON’T WE WANT OUR KIDS TO GO TO
SCHOOL WITHOUT MASKS?
DON’T WE WANT THEM TO GO TO THE
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT, GO TO
BASKETBALL GAMES, GO TO THE PROM
DAVID: RIGHT.
>> I MEAN, LET’S GET BACK TO
NORMAL.
IT’S TIME TO START STOP -- TO
STOP HIDING UNDER THE BED.
PEOPLE AND, AGAIN, IF THERE WAS
A SERIOUS HEALTH CRISIS RIGHT
NOW, I MIGHT, I MIGHT HAVE A
DIFFERENT OPINION.
BUT WE ARE NOT IN A CRISIS IN
NASSAU COUNTY.
IF WE HAVE PLENTY OF HOSPITAL
BEDS, OUR ICU UNITS ARE NOT
FULL, AND WE HAVE THERAPIES NOW
THAT ARE VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE.
SO IF WE’RE NOT IN CRISIS SIS
AND THIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A
BAD COLD, WHAT ONE SCIENTIST
TOLD ME YESTERDAY, WHY ARE WE
DOING ALL THESE THINGS?
IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.