A Letter to the Governor of Tennessee

This is from the grandfather of my nephew's friend:

I have printed, signed, and mailed the following letter to Governor Bill Lee of Tennesee regarding his having recently declared himself to be dictator:

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Governor Lee,

My name is John Anderson. I'm a retrired schoolteacher living at 309 Maple Street, Bell Buckle.

I have not been slavishly submitting to, nor will I submit to, any of your “orders” that violate the U.S. Constitution. I'll go where I want to, when I want, for any reason I wish, using my own good judgment. You have no say in it.

You seem to be ignorant of the fact that the Constitution is the “supreme Law of the Land... any Thing in the (state) Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

You seem to be ignorant of the fact that only one legal right is so important, so essential, that it is guaranteed twice in the Constitution: “No person shall be...deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...”

Liberty: freedom from external control or restraint; the ability or opportunity to act in accordance with one's own wishes or without repression or restraint by authority; being free, as from confinement

It is a traditional, well understood English word emphasized by the Founders because the idea it symbolizes is the basis for any worthwhile society.

I am a law abiding citizen. Your new dictates that are in violation of the U.S. Constitution are not law.

The Tennessee General Assembly has no authority to give you power to violate the U.S. Constitution. In the U.S. Constitution, there is no provision that says, “The Bill of Rights may be violated if a governor says so. In those cases, governors and mayors may become dictators.”

I care about other people and don't want to endanger anyone. I know how to behave responsibly, and I do. You have nothing to do with it and get no credit for it. You have no say whatsoever in what is “essential” for me or anyone else.

You swore an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. You lied.

When you went to college, did you learn what a syllogism is? Here is one:

Anyone who swears an oath of public office and then violates it is ethically obliged to resign from their office.

Bill Lee has violated his sworn oath of office.

Ergo, Bill Lee is ethically obliged to resign from his office.

A governor who patently violates his oath of office is a disgrace. You are a disgrace to Tennessee.

John Anderson