The Coronavirus outbreak put Americans in an unusual position. During a National Emergency, it is worth knowing which rights can be limited for public safety and for how long. Public gatherings were restricted, and some towns limited gun sales after a jump in new buyers. The Bill of Rights is short and worth a read. Ben Franklin said that those who would give up essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither.

Where one person's rights end and another's begin is a gray area. Skipping your seat belt mostly affects you, but speeding and losing control affects someone else. Gathering during an outbreak works the same way, because the people around you have a right not to get sick. In the end, you will have to make your own choice.

Stores keep food on the shelves with an on-demand system, and most held only a few days of product. When everyone was told to buy two weeks of supplies, the stores were overwhelmed and suppliers could not restock fast enough. Some people also bought up products to resell online, which made it worse. On a good note, more people are learning the value of a preparedness lifestyle.

Society has turned away from self-reliant food supplies. Canning and preserving used to be common in every home. You can garden almost anywhere, buy from your local farmers, and pick up surplus supplies for canning. Developing those skills now builds prepared communities for whatever comes next.

A National Emergency declaration lets the president use emergency money for disaster relief, which is why the federal declaration came first, to get funds moving quickly. Executive Order 13603, National Defense Resources Preparedness, gives the government authority over resources such as food, water, travel, fuel and labor in an emergency. Presidents going back to John F. Kennedy have built on these orders, and they are worth knowing about.

The power for Americans is in the people and the communities they make. Take responsibility for your own actions, be kind to one another, and when you forage, take only a third of what is available. Grow food together and support your local farmers. United America will thrive, but divided, we will fall.