This letter is in response to an article in The Press about the review of the Idaho faith-healing exemption. I write in support of ADA county prosecutor Jean Fisher’s effort to protect the individual rights of Idaho children. The Idaho children who suffer unduly and die young due to an unconstitutional Idaho state law that allows people to violate Idaho children’s unalienable individual right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I commend Gov. Butch Otter for instigating a review of the unconstitutional state law.

The universal ‘Bill of Rights’ guarantees all individuals their unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without any coercion from an official majority or any other group or individual in a position of power. The citizens of the United States are very fortunate to live in a free society where white people have no rights as white people; people of color have no rights as people of color; gay and straight people have no rights as gay and straight people, and religious people and parents have no rights as religious people and parents. Without the guarantee of individual rights a democracy is no more than mob rule and people suffer.

If the representatives of the citizens of Idaho allow any group, or persons in a position of power, to deny any individual Idaho child the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (including health care) which society enjoys and benefits from, that is the beginning to the end our great republic. How about the religious rights of parents immigrating to the United states from countries where rights apply to those in power, religious people and parents. How about their religious parents’ right to sexually mutilate young girls? How about their religious parents’ right to deny children an education; the right to drive; the right to dress the way they want; the right to health care; the right to vote; the right to think and live free, etc. Be thankful that so-called religious rights are not valid in a great Republic guided by the universal ‘Bill of Rights’.

The future of innocent Idaho children, who live under an unconstitutioual Idaho law giving rights over a child’s unalienable individual rights to religious people and parents, is a stake and must be protected. If the representatives of the citizens of Idaho decide to allow this unconstitutional law to stand, then it is time to use the ‘Bill of Rights,’ as a hammer of freedom, to rise to the rescue of innocent Idaho children. It will be time to file a civil rights violation lawsuit against the blatantly unconstitutional Idaho law denying innocent Idaho children their unalienable individual right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Are the representatives of the citizens of Idaho ready to spend hundreds of thousands of more tax payers dollars to back another losing unconstitutional ‘might over individual rights’ law?

I have a question for Dan Sevy and all the members of his group. When they go to the dentist do they use Novocaine or any other pain relief?

Michael Joyce is a resident of Coeur d’Alene.