Idaho needs to protect rights of all people

As Americans operating under the primary legal entitlement of "equal protection under the law" we, too, are required to reciprocate socially and treat all persons as equal. Certainly, the term "equal" does not apply to financial benefits or physical attributes, but connotes equally in a spiritual context. This was benchmark of the Declaration of Independence which contended that all have been endowed by our creator with rights that cannot be separated from the individual and that among those are: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As such, when we deny these rights to others we violate not only our mutual social contract but God's law.

Since our rights have been given to us by God, we have the collective right to alter or abolish the system or law. While, amending laws ought to be done with caution, we need to amend those which slight even one individual. If we remove the expectation that every citizen has the right to self-determination we violate both the individual's consent to be governed and pursuit of happiness and wrong them.

The state of Idaho has tried to clarify some of these rights under the Human Rights Statute. However, according to current law, any individual who is gay or even thought to be gay can be denied housing or employment and fired without just cause.

We need to right this wrong and insert into the Human Rights Statute verbiage that corrects this egregious oversight. Please join me and strengthen our society by contacting your elected state officials.

JON RUGGLES

Wallace