Governor Rick Perry;State House;
Texas, U.S.A.
DECEMBER 2, 2009;
Dear Governor Perry;
You may have noticed today's Associated Press story which indicates that four members of the jury which convicted Cameron Todd Willingham are standing by their verdicts.
My immediate reaction, from this pile of snow in the North, is that the juror's personal feelings have utterly no bearing on the crucial question hovering over Mr. Willingham's execution - was there accurate, reliable scientific evidence that an act of arson had occurred on which he could be convicted?
In my view, the only reason the irrelevant views of some of the jurors have emerged to stir up passions on the public record, is your obstinate refusal to deal with this fundamental question in the forum that should be dealing with it head on: The Texas Forensic Science Commission.
Worse, at least from this Bloggist's perspective, you seem to be doing everything in your power - including crass political manipulation - to frustrate a thorough public hearing on the forensic evidence which will likely answer once and for all whether Texas executed an innocent man.
I can only conclude that you are engaging in this political exercise because you know well that the hearings will, in fact, establish that Mr. Willingham was innocent - and that you are desperately flailing away to avoid your own accountability and the accountability of the State of Texas for his wrongful execution.
Thank you for your time...
Best wishes (and hopes that you will finally do the right thing instead of allowing the situation to fester further),
Harold Levy. Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
