ALBERTO GONZALES IS A PUNK

My firing line was published, cool.

The Daily Texan - Opinion
Issue: 2/18/05

Defend Stewart, civil rights

Most people agree that Lynne Stewart takes on controversial and unpopular clients. That is part of what makes her such an important symbol of our Constitutional rights - rights we are not supposed to deny to anyone, regardless of the government's accusations against them.

Yet, like other writers, Texan Columnist Becky Perry uses the facts surrounding a number of Stewart's clients to create a negative impression ("Lawyer exploits Constitution," Feb. 17).

Perry also mentions an agreement Stewart signed to abide by administrative prison rules. It is possible she violated those rules, in fact she was barred from the prison for several months and later allowed back in when this fact came to light. Such a violation does not carry a 35-year sentence.

Perry mentions a letter Stewart brought to her client in prison and a press release she dictated to Reuters in Egypt. At the time, Stewart was attempting to have her client extradited to Egypt and likely had a number of documents with her during her attorney-client visits.

She also wanted to keep his name in the news to facilitate her legitimate actions as an advocate for her client.

Somehow, from these scattered facts, Perry maintains that "Stewart jeopardized the security of the country that protects her Constitution." Right, and people who report police misconduct are really attacking the freedoms protected by law enforcement.

All of these alleged attempts to facilitate terrorism occurred two years before the government began its prosecution of Stewart - conveniently between the acts and the prosecution, the Bush administration came to power, the 9/11 tragedy occurred and the Patriot Act was made law.

Her conviction has nothing to do with protecting Americans and everything to do with a politically-driven attack on civil liberties.

Carlos Villarreal
UT Law Class of 2002
Executive director,
National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area