L ady Thatcher's father gave her the belief that all individuals are responsible to their God, their family, their country, their community and even to themselves to work on the behalf of others. L oyalty, faithfulness, commitment, courage, patriotism, the difference between right and wrong. These are honorable principles. But all too often they are forgotten. L eaders come and go.
History comes and goes.
But principles endure, ensuring that future generations are able to stand firm in defending liberty, because liberty that is not a gift from government but a blessing from our Creator. A nd Lady Thatcher has never let any of us forget just how important principles are to the preservation of freedom. Her example has inspired us and has helped us hold to our convictions here in Washington, a town where 'principles' are all too often dismissed as simplistic. T his solid foundation and her later years of education and work as both an attorney and an elected member of Parliament brought her to that fine day in May of 1979 when she became the first woman in British history to be elected prime minister. She earned and deserved the title of the most powerful woman in the world.