COVID was listed as a “cause of death” for numerous deaths caused by gunshot wounds, fires, car accidents … and drug overdoses.

Known for many memorable aphorisms, Winston Churchill once expressed a determination to “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

Over the ensuing decades, some leaders have used such logic to justify taking advantage of people’s fears during perilous times — trampling their liberties in ways the people would never tolerate during more normal circumstances.

The better application of Churchill’s principle, however, is to actually learn the right lessons from crises we encounter — and to apply those lessons in ways that truly protect both lives and liberty.