Joe B. Whisler

The last few months have been miraculous. The Ukraine declared its independence from Communist Russia in 1991 and became a republic. This fall, elections were held that were fraudulent. More than 200,000 citizens took to the cold streets in their orange scarves. Their leader – sick, disfigured and in great pain for daring to seek freedom – stood with them. The case went to their Supreme Court, just like our 2000 election. In both cases, the courts ruled and the people followed the rulings. The Ukraine now has a democratically elected leader for the first time in more than 60 years.

In Iraq, people who have lived under brutal rule for decades went to the polls and staged a democratic election. Their turnout percentages were better than ours have been over the past many years. CNN showed a woman being carried in a kitchen chair to a polling place by her two sons, just so she could vote. It reminded me of the 90-year-old woman who walked barefoot for 12 hours to vote in South Africa's first election. We are now seeing the people of Lebanon demanding that Syria end its occupation, and the first results have been encouraging. All of this is a work in progress, as is our own democracy. By the time this article reaches you, we will have a better idea of where the world is headed. I am optimistic.

What this illustrates is the essential desire, inherent within us, to live free. For this to happen, the Rule of Law must survive. I am sure we have many different concepts of how that is defined, but to me it means that the laws of our nation will be enforced uniformly and fairly, regardless of who is involved. As lawyers and judges, we are the cornerstone of this process. Many of us are good for nothing, as Congressman Emanuel Cleaver describes it. We do good for no compensation when people are in need and cannot afford counsel. We serve on non-profit boards, coach Little League teams, mentor kids who often don't have much of a chance, serve in churches and synagogues, and in many other important ways. Anywhere in Missouri where good is being done for nothing, the lawyers of this state are there. Despite our political differences, I think we all believe in the Rule of Law and democracy, and live it every day. I can say that, having seen what you do for nothing in this job, I have never been prouder to say that I am a member of The Missouri Bar. I am honored to be allowed to serve as your President.