Nebraska Governor Who Downplayed COVID Proclaims “Day of Prayer” to Beat COVID

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who issued a proclamation last year calling on everyone in the state to “give thanks for God’s gift of Jesus Christ,” has shoved his religion in everyone’s faces yet again with a proclamation declaring Sunday a “Day of Prayer” for “relief from the pandemic.”

… Nebraskans have been suffering from the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic for over nine months; and

The coronavirus has afflicted more than 149,000 residents of our state and taken the lives of over 1,400 Nebraskans as of December 15, 2020; and

Many Nebraskans are experiencing sorrow due to the loss of loved ones; and

In addition to physical illness, the coronavirus has also taken a toll on the mental health and economic wellbeing of many Nebraskans; and

In seasons of shared adversity, it is customary for American civic leaders to call on citizens to pray, such as when President Zachary Taylor proclaimed August 3, 1849 as a nationwide day of prayer during a cholera epidemic; and

Throughout our history, Nebraskans have united in prayer to God to humbly ask for strength and steadfastness during times of difficulty.

I, Pete Ricketts, Governor of the State of Nebraska, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM the 20th day of December, 2020 as a STATEWIDE DAY OF PRAYER in Nebraska, and I do hereby encourage individuals to pray for relief from the pandemic and for strength to endure it, according to their faith. I also call on Nebraskans to remember those who’ve perished from the coronavirus as well as the families grieving their loss.

Ricketts joins Oklahoma’s Gov. Kevin Stitt and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves as Republicans calling for prayer after doing as little as possible to prevent the virus from spreading.

Ricketts himself opposed mask mandates in the state, laughably saying “they create resistance.” He’s put people in danger by not demanding transparency. And he’s rejected any serious restrictions despite skyrocketing COVID cases.

The people of Nebraska don’t need prayer. They need Ricketts to resign.

This proclamation isn’t surprising, though. After all, this is the same governor who asked people to pray in response to a flooding because he’s a climate denier who refuses to take any actions that might actually mitigate the crisis. He has more money than you could ever dream of, yet nobody in his inner circle willing to tell him honestly that he’s full of shit.

There are voices of reason in this COVID crisis. None of them, unfortunately, work for the governor.

(Thanks to @CatenaCreations for the link. Portions of this article were published earlier)