Obeying vs respecting the law
As I was growing up, through my learner’s permit and getting my driver’s license, I struggled with understanding the difference between obeying the law and respect for the law. Then came my first summer job and my father found a way to make the difference clear to me. I was working a 5-close shift at a local restaurant. On Saturdays, the restaurant closed at 2:00 a.m., and then we would have a couple more hours of work to finish cleaning all the booths and the work stations. I would drive myself home at 3 or 4 a.m., with no one else out in the streets. There was at least one 4-way stop on the way home from the restaurant. My father said that it would be easy enough to ignore the stop signs, knowing no one else was driving at that hour. If you only stop at that stop sign when people are watching and can see what you are doing, he said, you are obeying the law. But, he said, if you pull to a complete stop at that stop sign when you know no one else is around to see you do it, then you have respect for the law.
Now you know how appalled I was at the coverage of the Friday Lowndes County School Board meeting. Board Attorney Jeff Smith brought a face mask to wear only if someone (Slim Smith) was watching. It is now very clear to me that Jeff Smith only obeys the law; he has no respect for it.
Bonnie Oppenheimer
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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