Vic Peterson
SUBMITTED PHOTO
By Vic Peterson | Gilbert
I served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, including service in Vietnam and Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom.
Believe me when I tell you I have seen firsthand just how catastrophic a dictator’s rule can be. In America, we cherish our democratic values, but today, those values are under threat by people like Kari Lake, who cozies up to the very same foreign dictators threatening our country.
Arizonans can’t trust Lake to protect American values like defending democracy, respecting elections and fighting for our freedoms when she openly supports America’s adversaries and authoritarians like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán, questions the results of elections and defends Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
Lake not only defends foreign adversaries who attack democracy but also defends insurrectionists who attempted to overthrow our own legitimate election. She has called the Jan. 6 insurrection a “peaceful protest” and has spread dangerous conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Lake even said she would “absolutely” work as a senator to free the insurrectionists.
These are not the actions of someone who respects American values. They are the actions of someone who will do or say anything for power.
Arizonans deserve a leader who will stand up for democracy, not someone who undermines it. Lake has shown us time and time again that she cannot be trusted to protect the values we hold dear.
It’s time for Arizona to stand up for democracy and reject extremism. We need leaders who will protect our freedoms and uphold the integrity of our elections. Kari Lake is not that leader.
Editor’s note: Do you have an opinion on this issue? We’d like to hear from you. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
