Thread by @Lachiondo4Ada

And as our federal and state officials have consistently failed to provide the kind of leadership needed in this moment of crisis, those responsibilities have fallen on local leaders, health board members, and public health employees. (1/9)

As they’ve accepted that responsibility, stepping up to make tough calls in the interest of public health, they have paid a heavy price. The scrutiny, intimidation, harassment, and threats have taken a toll on us all, myself included.

During last night’s Board of Health meeting, armed protestors once again assembled outside my home: yelling, banging, firing air horns, amplifying sound clips from Scarface, accusing me of tyranny and cowering inside.

I wasn’t actually inside the house: I was calling in from my office at the Ada County Courthouse. But my two young sons and my mother (who was out taking our dog on a short walk) were. And as many of you saw last night, my son called me in tears at the beginning of the meeting.

I am sad. I am tired. I fear that, in my choosing to hold public office, my family has too-often paid the price. Though I was born and raised in Idaho, I increasingly don’t recognize this place.

There is an ugliness and cruelty in our national rhetoric that is reaching a fevered pitch here at home, and that should worry us all. And, above all, I am terrified about the virus’s current trajectory.

This morning, I’m calling on @GovernorLittle to act boldly and with conviction. We cannot patchwork together orders from health districts and cities: 1,000+ Idahoans have lost their lives to this virus and our hospitals are on the brink. Rise to the moment and lead, Governor.

I’m calling on Republican leaders who have politicized public health, who have amplified rhetoric, capitalized on it, tacitly endorsed it while holding hands with the most extreme factions in their party: take a hard look at what you’ve become. It’s far past time to do better.

And I’m asking every Idahoan to understand that simple steps slow the spread of this virus - mask wearing and social distancing - aren’t tools of oppression. They are effective (though imperfect) and they are all we have. Use them. (9/9)