ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 10, 1993                   TAG: 9307120243
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

THE ARROGANCE OF OLIVER NORTH

CONCERNING THE gentleman who, on July 1, extolled the patriotism and statesmanship of Oliver North (letter to the editor by Gerald J. Flynn, "Oliver North is patriot, statesman"):

If he believes that breaking the law and then hiding the crime by destroying the evidence makes North a patriot and statesman, he is sadly mistaken.

A patriot is one who defends and upholds the laws of his country, and if he disagrees with a particular one, he tries to change it using legal means. He doesn't say, "this law is no good and I'm not going to obey it, because I know more than the law as to what's good for the country." The patriot doesn't impose his beliefs on others by saying "I'm right and you are wrong." That's not patriotism, that is arrogance, plain and simple. And North is arrogant.

Being an ex-Marine and going to war makes North no different from millions of others, myself included, who fought in our country's wars. But being a convicted criminal whose conviction was set aside because of a technicality does make him different, and not fit to decide what's right and/or wrong for me and the country. PHILIP ROSDOL ROANOKE 


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