I am not a resident in Lewis County, but I have friends who are, and I hold their best interests in my heart.
I am a board-certified professional chaplain. I believe our founders framed the Constitution to mirror God’s freedom instilled in us, and we express this sacred principle through our free will.
This is embodied in the First Amendment of the Constitution. This does not mean we do whatever we please, but we choose to love — especially those who need our help the most for the common good.
One does not need to be a Christian to uphold this. These are core values shared by members of interfaith communities and by those who do not believe in God.
Our freedom and our democracy depend upon free, fair and lawful elections, which already exist as determined by court decisions rendered in 2021. The courts determined there was no evidence of widespread election fraud during the 2020 election.
However, such conspiracy theories have been refueled again.
When you cast your votes this November, remember please that we are not Russia, we are not China, we are not North Korea, and we are not Iran.
We are the United States of America.
If our nation comes under authoritarian rule, it will not be the fault of our government, but our own because we did not vote wisely.
Thank you.
Catherine Zylstra
Monroe
