By birth I am a citizen of the United States of America. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states in part, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

Among many other things, Gov. Janet Mills has abridged our right to peaceful assembly guaranteed by the First Amendment. Those darned amendments are pesky things. We cannot freely meet at a restaurant or church or a football game. The list is long, and I believe the restrictions are illegal.

A virus does not supersede the Constitution. The Maine Legislature needs to remove whatever emergency power it has given the governor. It provides a convenient cover for actions that are clearly opposed to the laws in our Constitution. If the Legislature does not, the people will eventually ignore the illegal mandates and live life with the freedoms provided by our Constitution.

Neil Berry, Durham