GOVERNOR: Violating oath of office

It’s an election year and how I wish Governor Little was up for re-election. In 2014, I ran against now-Governor Little for the office of Lt. Governor, and it is with a deep concern for my state and my country that I make an appeal to his oath of office.

Under the guise of public health and safety, the governor is using this instance in time to strip us of our constitutional rights. He seems to think he has some superior intellectual and moral authority over those he seeks to govern. The reality is he is not honoring his oath of office and the responsibility to the leadership post that he was empowered with.

In this struggle to balance the need to save lives and protect our constitutional freedoms, we will have to face the facts that lives will be lost; whether we quarantine or not, and every one of these lives should be accounted for and remembered. We celebrate this every Memorial Day.

In this battle, we should protect the most at risk among us and not be bludgeoned with the idea that we do not care for anyone’s life. For there is nothing, no policy no government edict that can prevent anyone from dying. It’s part of life and to ignore this is to live a lie. Isn’t it time we started being honest with the truth.

JIM CHMELIK

Cottonwood