Letters: Idaho’s Constitution is in danger from ‘death by a thousand cuts’ | Opinion

Protect Idaho’s Constitution from “death by a thousand cuts”

Idaho’s ultraconservative factions claim to protect “our” God-given rights but are unyielding in their extreme convictions mimicking autocratic rule. They assume moral superiority forcing their belief systems and ideals on all Idahoans under the pretenses of liberty and freedom. It’s blatant subterfuge.

Idahoans are under attack. Veiled threats and intimidation exhibited by armed “god-fearing, liberty-loving patriots” or unregulated militias disrupting “Pride in the Park,” packing board meetings of libraries or schools and “parading” outside private homes are encouraged. “We have to make sure with the Democrats coming at us with full force that we have our barriers up, our guns loaded and ready to keep this state free,” as GOP Chair Dorothy Moon said.

Yet, with every targeted special interest or far-right bill passed, we become less free. Public schools, voting and initiative rights, doctors, librarians, entertainers and educators are in the crosshairs of ultraconservatives.

Ultraconservatives view all who oppose them as threats attacking them as statist, leftist, RINOs or socialists and communists. Dangerous accusations that include a vast majority of Idahoans, most of whom consider themselves conservative Republicans.

Who will be targeted next?

Jolene Heinze, McCall

Hollywood is overvalued

And, we wonder how our values got so skewed. We can’t afford to pay teachers, firefighters and police officers an adequate salary to live in the communities where they work, but we don’t have any problem with athletes being paid tens of millions to play a game or actors being paid hundred of millions to pretend to be other people, neither of whom contribute a FRACTION of what these public servants do to society. THANK GOD these Academy Award nominees are going to get to take advantage of $600,000 of vacations & cosmetics. They SO RICHLY deserve it considering all of the constant pressure that they live under, wondering how they are going to make rent, or keep the utilities on, or cover food, or.....oh, wait a minute, that’s just the rest of us?

Aaron Amos, Burley

And you thought last session was nuts

This legislative session is the most outrageous yet. Instead of parades with people gathering in rainbow colors unarmed they choose to allow armed militia parades. Not only that they are deciding what we can and cannot allow our children to read and discuss in the classrooms. That is true stifling of allowing us to parent and missing the mark of allowing critical thinking which is apparently what they lack. And do not get me started on their need to not only control a woman’s body but to also keep doctors and nurses from fulfilling their oaths to save lives. Who are these people and did we really vote for them? Let’s change the attitude and make sure to get legislators who are for the people and individual freedoms. For a bunch of people who ran their campaigns on keeping legislation from infringing on our rights they sure are being hypocritical.

Sheri L. Thomas, Hailey

No one is pro-abortion

An article on the front page of Wednesday’s Idaho Statesman caught my eye. The headline read “Pro-Abortion mobile billboard asked to leave over violation.” Nobody is “pro-abortion”, and nobody wants to have an abortion. It’s a horrible and sad thing to even consider. The correct term is “pro-choice.” This means having the opportunity to make a very difficult decision that will impact that person for the rest of their life. People who are “pro-choice” don’t want laws that dictate what they can and can’t do with their own body. Using terminology like “pro-abortion” does a huge disservice to anyone who simply wishes to have control over their own body.

Andrew Burton, Boise

This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 4:00 AM.