A heartfelt speech is given by the father of a fallen soldier as his wife, a Gold Star Mother, stands at his side. A presidential candidate’s responds by attacks them.

We cannot accept this.

Donald Trump suggested the heartfelt presentation by Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq, was written by a Clinton speechwriter—despite Mr. Khan’s clear expression that it was from his heart. In fact, Mr. Kahn specifically stated that he had been offered and refused professional help in writing his speech.

Trump suggested that Ghazala Khan, a Gold Star Mother, was silent because her faith wouldn’t allow her to speak, when in truth it was her deep grief for a beloved son that silenced her. When anyone watching her could see that, should she try to speak, tears would fill any space intended for words. (Read Ghazala Khan’s op-ed in response to Trump’s attack here.)

How are we supposed to vote for a presidential candidate who suggests that a bereaved father is a liar and who defies any human decency in his response to a mother’s tearful inability to speak? A man who has behaves in a manner so appalling that staggers and numbs our collective consciousness. Many Republicans have watched their party seized by a demagogue who in no way represents their spiritual, political, or constitutional values. How are we to now elect this man as our president?

(Click here for my post about how “it” could happen here.)

In a presidential election year when both major party candidates are so unsuited for the position, many of us are wishing for another option. Fortunately there is one: Gary Johnson, former Republican Governor of New Mexico, and his running-mate William Weld, former Republican Governor of Massachusetts.

The Johnson-Weld ticket will appear on the ballot in all fifty states for the Libertarian Party. In Johnson we have opportunity to vote for a leader whose values are in-step with our own. With Johnson on our ballot we can enter the voting booth with excitement to cast our vote for a president with the experience, heart, and judgement that this country needs.

This is the first of a series of blogs that will discuss how South Dakota can once again change the outcome of a presidential election. Please share this post and help to make a difference in this small bastion of true American values that we all love!