I don’t know whether to be shocked, astonished, offended, or pleased with John Laird’s Aug. 14 column, “Gov. Goodhair throws hat in ring.” It’s so rare that I find myself agreeing with Laird, I had to read his column twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I too find it incomprehensible that a person (Gov. Goodhair) could on one hand proclaim himself to be pro-life, and on the other hand preside over the executions in prison of so many of his fellow citizens.
In the Willingham case cited by Laird (in which Perry replaced three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission), there is abundant evidence that the case ended in a wrongful conviction, yet Perry refused to grant a 30-day stay of execution so the new evidence could be presented in court. Willingham was executed in 2004. In 2009, Perry replaced commission members just days before a hearing was to be held regarding the Willingham arson investigation. The findings of forensic fire expert Craig Beyler could have been embarrassing to Perry and damning to any future political aspirations Perry might have had at the time.
Craig Sayre
Vancouver
