GOOD GOVERNMENT OBEYS THE LAW

I agree with the Oct. 4 editorial "Imported Drugs and the Law" about
Montgomery County Council President Tom Perez's pursuit of
legislation to allow the importation of drugs from Canada despite
federal law to the contrary. However, the editorial did not go far
enough in pointing out the danger of a government knowingly breaking the law.

What kind of signal does it send to county residents and employees
when the council and its president pursue legislation that the state
attorney general, the council's lawyer and two independent law firms
have determined to be illegal? "Good government" means that if you
can't change a law or have it overturned in a court, you must live
with it, not knowingly break it. Civil disobedience is the domain of
citizens, not government.

Bill Pierce

Silver Spring