Why the silence?

Dear Editor,

I attended the seminar on human trafficking held recently in McCook. Sen. Christensen spoke on a bill he is trying to advance to help law enforcement officers crack down on the sex trafficking trade, and he mentioned a negative comment made by one of Gov. Heineman's staff regarding the bill.

Then a few days later I read with interest the Gazette article titled "Governor disputes senator's statement," in which a governor's staff member stated that "neither the governor, nor his staff, has commented on this bill."

While I respect the right of Gov. Heineman to clarify that whatever comment was made did not constitute an official position, to me it raises a question.

Why has no official statement been made? I would hope that anything that could be done to help end the abuse and slavery of a human being would be a priority for all of our elected leaders.

Many of the victims are children. Anything less than full support from our governor is extremely disappointing.

I would encourage all Nebraskans to become more informed on this issue and hold our leaders accountable. It is not acceptable to sweep these abuses under the carpet. I appreciate the Gazette for both reporting on the workshop and publishing the governor's statement, and I hope that you will continue to make human trafficking a front-page issue.

Sonnie Nelson,

McCook, Nebraska