Troubling signs
To the Editor;
On my evening walks after supper, it troubles me to pass signs for Chad Perkins, running to be state representative in my district against incumbent Dr. Richard Evans, D-Dover-Foxcroft. They are the ultimate example of modern day GOP hypocrisy as it pertains to the notion of “freedom.”
Mr. Perkins touts Constitutionalism. But what is a Constitutionalist in these parts? Someone loves guns, distrusts medical science, is enraged by the notion of pronouns they don’t agree with, and ways of life different from their own. A few of his signs proclaim that “we” want the rights to live, work, and worship freely. I have never heard anyone in my district say they don’t have the right to worship freely, though I do see that food cupboard lines getting longer, and I know plenty of people who could use health insurance (myself included).
But what does Mr. Perkins mean by “the right to Live, Work and Worship freely”? Does this mean that Mr. Perkins embraces those who live a variety of lifestyles different than his own? That he believes people should not be refused work based on whether they are part of the LGBTQIA+ community? Would Mr. Perkins be the first in line to welcome a new Mosque next to his church and encourage them to worship freely? Or a covenant of the Goddess Wiccan Church?
This is not what he means. Another sign I pass for Mr. Perkins makes clear, in very small print one could never read from a car, what he stands for. He stands for “Educational Choice” or school choice, a GOP code word for segregated schools, a way to pour money away from public schools and to have taxpayer funds go to schools that can legally discriminate against the students they accept based on “religious freedom.” This is what evangelicals like Jerry Falwell have been pushing for since Brown v. Board of Education. It tries to be clever, using the term “School Choice.” Legal discrimination is not “freedom,” and it is not the separation of church and state.
A few other things Mr. Perkins stands for, according to his sign:
“Medical Freedom”, which is another way of saying “anti-science”, and all of the false talking points within. No one was forced to get a vaccine. Yes, it became a requirement for some jobs and many activities. Funny how businesses have the right to discriminate against certain people for their lifestyle, but not have the right to expect employees to reach a certain public health standard. Further, it is the height of hypocrisy to claim to stand for “medical freedom” when that freedom does not include a woman’s choice for her reproductive health.
Mr. Perkins may trigger people with talk of losing second amendment rights, even going so far as to make Piscataquis a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary”, but that is all false. We are never losing our guns in this district, folks. And anyone who tries to scare you into believing otherwise is manipulating you.
Most telling and distressing is that Mr. Perkins stands for “Traditional Values.” And herein we come to the truth. All due respect to Mr. Perkins, but who is he to decide what values are “traditional”? Who is he to judge what lifestyles fall under the appropriate “value” system? “Traditional Values” has an inherent message, “The Values I Agree With.” Good, heteronormative, Christian values. The values that his pastor tells him he should agree with, and the values that the conservative pundits hammer home in irrational slogans.
I have no doubt that Mr. Perkins is a nice guy. I am sure he is a good Christian as he interprets the moniker. And I respect the fact that he has the right to live his life with his values, the values he considers “traditional.”
But I am equally certain that he is taking his values and the notion of a Christ-centered state with him if he wins this election. I believe he has every right to judge people in his heart for their lifestyles, but he does not have the right to legislate this judgment. When you run with such an agenda, you are not running to serve, but to control.
This is not freedom. It is not showing love for the Constitution.
Meanwhile, our district has a seriously high rate of childhood and elder food insecurity. And if you’re more worried about what pronouns and bathroom a kid uses than feeding hungry kids, I think you have proven that the only thing you intend to serve are the prejudices you’ve convinced yourself the “founding fathers” shared with you.
Bobby Keniston
Dover-Foxcroft