To the Editor:

The supreme law of this land is the Constitution of the United States of America as stated in Article Six of that document.

Article VI: “This Constitution and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof … shall be the Supreme Law of the land and the judges of every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding … and the members of the several state legislatures … shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution.”

I believe that’s pretty plain so let’s turn back to Article IV, Section Four.

Article IV, Section 4: “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a Republican form of Government and shall protect each of them against invasion, and on application of the legislature or of the executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.”

A republican form of government includes the legislature. The legislature being the body of persons in a state invested with power to make, alter and repeal laws. Our state legislature has excused themselves from this responsibility voting 28 to 27 to have no oversight (watchful care or supervision) of our governor’s powers. They have surrendered their duty and given us over to an arbitrator (one with absolute power of deciding).

The definition of dictator is quite similar, being “one who exercises or in whom is vested supreme authority in a state.” Without a legislature our state has abrogated the constitutional guarantee of the United States of America and any laws contrary to the supreme law of this land I am not liable to comply with.

Michael R. Christensen

John Day