Dear Utah,
I am writing to ask that you give serious consideration to the race between Evan McMullin and Sen. Mike Lee. I am not a Utah resident but the result of this election will impact me almost as much as if I were, just as the results of all federal elections and some state elections impact all of us, regardless of where we actually live.
I am an independent voter and am thoroughly disgusted, and quite frankly frightened, by the behavior of both parties who continue to put their self-serving allegiance to party ahead of their obligations to the American people. The unashamed lack of integrity prevalent among too many of those who design and define the path our country takes is sobering and, again, frightening. Indeed, the very concepts of shame, honor, and integrity are falling by the wayside. As a result of the direction so much of our country and our so-called leaders have taken, we are no longer the greatest nation on Earth. We are not a nation that can stand as a proud example to other nations.
We will always have our differences. And we have centuries of sins to atone for, hatred, racism, exclusion. The history of our nation does indeed have shameful periods, some of which have endured and enlarged into the current day. However, those elements of our society and our government that use our differences to divide us by their extreme agenda, by the violence which they justify as civil disobedience, by the knee-jerk responses to anything they find in error in anyone, living or dead, by their disregard for the rule of law, their refusal to compromise or make any effort to find common ground — those elements, those people cannot be allowed to continue their hold on our government, our democracy and thus how we live our lives.
Utah, I ask that you consider carefully the direction that Lee and McMullin would encourage our country, our people. If honor and integrity still mean something, if they are still attributes of a successful nation, then please vote for Evan McMullin.
Bonnie Wilcoxson, Princeton, Idaho