Sheriff's Dispatch, July 3, 2020

Hello Benton County,

With the 4th of July upon us, I look at our America and wonder where we are headed? One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, once wrote "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" It is no secret that I am a Patriot. I was and still am an oath taker. I served our nation during both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I am honored to continue a life of service as your Sheriff.

I whole heartedly believe in our Constitution as our founding fathers intended it to be. The definition of liberty is "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views." I wonder what Franklin would think of our America today.

 Anyone who knows me knows that I did not, and do not, support shutting down our economy and destroying the lives of hard-working small business owners out of fear. Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota, never forced closings on her constituents. She saw the importance of our Constitutional Rights and allowed her citizens the opportunity to operate their businesses intelligently with ingenious ideas on how to keep their patrons safe, all while still maintaining a viable economy.  Missouri shut down for several months...causing many businesses to struggle, and some to close altogether. South Dakota never closed.

Here in a free America, the Constitution gives us the right to choose. We can choose to wear a mask or not, we can choose whether to frequent someone's business based on their business practices and how well they utilize social distancing and sanitize their operation. We can also choose to stay at home and not go to anyone's business. We have the right to protect ourselves and our loved ones as we see fit, taking the precautionary measures and the steps necessary to ensure our own peace of mind. At the end of the day WE ARE FREE! We are free to make the choices that identify us as Americans. We are guaranteed our liberties by the U.S. Constitution and our safety lies within standing up for and protecting those liberties. As your Sheriff, I take this responsibility very seriously. While I am your Sheriff, the Constitution will be honored, the American flag will fly proudly outside. I stand for the National Anthem and when I do take a knee, it is to kneel before God!

Benton County has 18 positive cases with 2 active and 16 released as of July 1st, I am not trying to say that the virus is not real, it is, and it has proven to be very dangerous and deadly for some. Know your risks, take the intelligent precautions that you need to to protect yourselves and your loved ones. Respect one another, each one of us are free to make our own choices and those choices should be mutually respected.

This weekend we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, signed when our great nation was formed. I leave you with the words penned in the preamble that are still, so important today,  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thank you, Benton County, for your overwhelming support!

 Sheriff Knox