Ammon Bundy claims to be fighting for his rights as a United States citizen and announced that despite Idaho putting a stay-at-home order in effect, he would be hosting a nondenominational Easter service at a venue in Emmet, Idaho, that holds up to 1,000 people.
According to an article from National Public Radio, a much smaller crowd of less than 100 turned out on Sunday for the service.
It seems like most people decided to put their health first and skip the gathering.
Bundy’s father, Cliven Bundy, was part of an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada in 2014.
“If it gets bad enough and our rights are infringed upon enough, we’ll physically stand in defense in whatever way we need to,” Ammon Bundy said.
These men and their group have every right as citizens of this country to protest what they don’t believe in, but Ammon Bundy has taken it too far this time.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a very serious situation that everybody is dealing with on an incredibly personal level. The virus is highly contagious, and people that spread it may not know they have it while they go on with their usual lives.
People in Idaho are, for the most part, complying with the stay-at-home order and taking the recommended precautions to stop the spread of the virus.
Businesses have closed or taken extreme measures to increase their sanitization standards. People are going without paychecks. Essential workers, whether they are a cashier at a grocery store or a nurse at a medical center, are putting themselves at risk for the rest of us.
Students are unable to go to school, and teachers are putting in every effort to keep educating safe. These are difficult times for everyone.
Ammon Bundy is insulting the efforts of Idahoans following the stay-at-home order by organizing a gathering like the one in Emmet. He is encouraging people to put themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19 for the sake of a protest that could wait until later when health risks are lower.
Ammon Bundy is not the only one stirring the pot. A few elected officials in Idaho are standing with him, accusing media and liberals of making the virus seem much worse than it is.
Rep. Heather Scott, from Blanchard, and Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler both support similar ideas to Ammon Bundy’s.
I agree with Ammon Bundy and the others on one point only — the government should not be able to force us to stay home. This does not mean I am going to put myself and others in danger of losing their lives by ignoring the orders put out by Gov. Brad Little. I also agree that COVID-19 is a dangerous, highly contagious virus killing many people.
I willfully and eagerly comply with the stay-at-home order whenever possible to keep my community safe, even if it means I temporarily sacrifice some of my freedoms.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected]