Dear Editor,
I understand that Karl Marx wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln congratulating him for being elected president again in 1864. I have always felt that part of the reason that Marx wrote this letter is because of Lincoln referring to the government of the United States as being “of the people and by the people.” The problem with this statement is that it can be construed in several ways. Communists like Marx would interpret “the people” being a group of fungible individuals who thought the same, wanted exactly the same thing and considered the leaders of their government as their God to be obeyed and worshipped.
This is exactly the way that modern day progressives think. Those who believe in liberty and justice for all as our founders did would consider “the people” as consisting of individuals who believe that they have been granted inalienable rights by a creator and not by some government.
Communists,socialists and progressives believe that a jury in criminal cases must follow the law that the accused is alleged to have violated. Those who believe in Liberty and Justice for all know that a jury is not obligated to follow a law that is obviously unjust and unfair. To me that is a valid test to determine whether a person is a progressive or one who truly believes in Liberty and Justice. It is obvious that trial judges today that instruct juries in criminal trials that they must follow the law are indeed progressive individuals no matter what political party they belong to.
Dr. W. David
Herbert ESQ
Billings,MT
