To the editor:

The predominant theme I hear these days is complaining about the restraining of our rights. What I hardly hear at all, are voices raised about our responsibilities. To make the matter worse, I have actually heard some people saying that, in America, they have the right to do whatever they want.

Every society has the right to set its own rules. If you choose to be a member of a society, then you are obligated to obey those rules. If enough of us choose not to do that, then we will no longer have a society. We will suffer anarchy.

For those who cannot accept that, I have a suggestion: Move to the Alaskan wilderness, build your own shelter, learn to survive on the food you can catch, do whatever you want — and pray you survive the next winter.

Get the point? If you don’t want to give up society’s many advantages, follow its rules.

Patrick Shannon,

Lawrence