Depending on what Idahoans do next, today’s emergency could set a dangerous precedent. Too many people have shown they will permit the usurpation of their rights to travel, assemble, worship, and earn a living whenever government officials feel it's necessary. I intend to do everything I can to avoid that outcome, and I hope you will too.  

I had sincerely hoped Gov. Brad Little would do the right thing and lift his stay-at-home order. At minimum, he should have provided a roadmap to re-open the state’s economy in the days ahead. Because he didn’t, it is now up to Idahoans to act.

The governor is wrong, and the cause of liberty requires that Idahoans feel free to disobey his order: 

• If you own a business, it is up to you to figure out how to re-open as soon as possible. You don’t need the government’s permission. Think about how you already take steps to protect the health and safety of your clients and employees. If you own a restaurant, you know you must keep certain products refrigerated to prevent foodborne illness. If you own a hair salon, you know you need to keep combs clean and work areas swept. If you own a gym, you are already familiar with how to sanitize equipment. Coronavirus is just another variable for you to factor in. Waiting for the government’s directives won’t make those decisions any easier. 
• If you are an employee, talk to your boss about returning to work as soon as possible. Don’t become dependent on unemployment checks, because the longer you allow the government to prop up your bank account, the more likely it is you won’t have a job to return to.  
• This is not Communist China. Don’t snitch on people for going to work and getting back a sense of normalcy. Support their efforts to provide for their families and the families of their employees. 
• If you are a county sheriff, you should let your constituents know you will not enforce the governor’s order. Assure residents that they will not be pulled over or questioned for moving about, and that businesses will not be fined for opening. Mayors should instruct their chiefs of police to stand down when it comes to enforcement of the governor’s order. 
• Call or email your state legislators. You have two state representatives and one senator. Their phone numbers and email addresses are at legislature.idaho.gov. Ask their stance on the governor’s order and how they plan to  respond. If you’ve never met your state legislators, this is the time to get to know them. Additionally, as this is an election year, find out who is running in your district. Ask candidates as well as incumbents the same hard questions about the stay-at-home order.
• Consider how to go on living if coronavirus is here to stay. It means you need to use your best judgment and figure out what it takes to, for example, hold weddings and attend funerals. Find ways to honor the living and the dead by continuing to live your life as best you can. 
• March. Demonstrate. Tell your story. Fight for your rights. 
• Unite behind this cause. If you use Facebook, change your profile picture to IFF’s purple “disobey” flag, and share pro-liberty content. 

I get no pleasure from asking people to defy the governor. I like Brad Little. He’s been a heck of an improvement over our last governor. I enjoy working with him and his staff. But this is bigger than any one person. Our state, our country, and our economy are in a death spiral, inflicted by our elected officials and their teams of “health experts.” 

The fact Americans fear their government as much as they fear COVID-19 tells us that things have gone too far and for too long. We should not permit the government to cage us like animals, allowed out for feedings and occasional fresh air. Free people don’t live like this. If you value your freedom – if you want your kids and grandkids and their kids and grandkids to experience what it means to have unalienable rights  – the time to act is now.