Moral Guidance

In times of national stress and confusion it often is useful to seek moral and practical guidance from leaders who counsel us to remember that we are a nation governed by laws, not by men.

A most eloquent statement advocating practice of this basic national principle was contained in a speech delivered to the convention of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1981:

“Our very freedom is secure because we’re a nation governed by laws, not by men. We have the means to change the laws if they become unjust or onerous. We cannot, as citizens, pick and choose the laws we will or will not obey.”

The speaker was President Ronald Reagan.

DWIGHT JAMES SIMPSON

San Francisco