I have often quoted Alexis de Tocqueville’s statement that “if lights that guide us ever go out, they will fade little by little, as if of their own accord” and that “[c]onfining ourselves to practice, we may lose sight of basic principles, and when these have been entirely forgotten, we may apply the methods derived from them badly.” Mask mandate legislation just filed in the General Assembly showed how dimly the lights had flickered in me until the last few years. I could verbalize basic principles, but the connection between them had not hit home as it should.

I’ve read with great interest the comments about and solutions to racism that have been coming from our nation’s policy leaders—politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and athletes. I personally have not found one yet who I believe even has a clue about where to begin. My friend, the late Phillip Johnson, a noted law professor and author, told us where to begin when it comes to finding solutions to issues.