A yearly observance that serves as a reminder of freedom's cost

Today – June 6, 2022 – marks the 78th year since the Allied invasion at Normandy in what would come to be known as D-Day, the massive amphibious and airborne assault that literally and figuratively turned the tide against Nazi Germany during World War II.

In terms of lives lost, D-Day proved to be one of the deadliest battles during the war, producing an estimated 20,000 combined casualties and setting the stage for further death and destruction in the year ahead.

This year’s D-Day observance figures to be particularly poignant and yet another reminder of the high cost of freedom, especially in light of the current military siege in Ukraine where Russian forces are trying to lay waste to a neighboring country that epitomizes courage and conviction.

The daily heroism being displayed there by Ukrainian troops and civilians is a testament to the importance of vigilance in the face of adversity, and serves as a profound example of the power of a cooperative approach to a nation’s most pressing problems.

Sadly, political polarization in the U.S. has caused such a deep divide that neither side has displayed a willingness to address a series of long-standing problems, whether it be in regard to gun control, reproductive rights, race relations, or government spending and fiscal responsibility.

In the simplest of terms, it boils down to a matter of common sense, which, as French philosopher Voltaire is credited with saying, “is not so common” in mankind’s approach to problem-solving.

Last week, the nation was rocked by another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in rural Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old high school student armed with two high-powered assault rifles.

The school killings, coming on the heels of a massacre the week before at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY where 10 people died in a racially motivated attack carried out by another 18-year-old male, amplified calls for stricter gun control legislation to help prevent further bloodshed. Not surprisingly, Second Amendment supporters saw the issue in an altogether different light, claiming that schools, stores, churches, and other gathering places need a well-armed security force to thwart future attacks, and that “you cannot legislate evil.”

In other words, the back-to-back mass shootings only seemed to widen the political gap between gun supporters and those advocating for change in our gun laws.

Which leaves us to wonder how do we best bridge that divide when dealing with the critical issues of the day? It’s a rhetorical question that has few easy answers – but remains one that instead of prompting a collective desire for decisive action, seems to promote nothing more than pain and paralysis.

Such inertia is one of the primary reasons we have created the Primerus Foundation, which we hope will ignite positive action on a host of societal fronts, particularly at a time when precious freedoms and liberties are at stake on the global stage.

The Foundation is being built upon the rule of reason and symbolizes our commitment to promoting the importance of truth and integrity in everything we do as lawyers and as the vanguards of the legal profession.

Our work in that regard is just beginning and can only succeed if we employ a cooperative approach to fulfill a mission designed to promote global peace and understanding by embracing the fundamental concepts of freedom, liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all.

It's a tall task, but certainly a challenge worth tackling, especially at a time when the world is yearning for a new way forward.

Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President