Court Rulings on Ollie North Convictions

Bruce Fein (“Don’t Make a Dreyfus of Oliver North,” Commentary, July 22) and this writer rarely if ever agree. This time, however, he has, even for him, gone beyond reason to obfuscate an issue.

There is no way that North can be compared to Alfred Dreyfus.

Dreyfus was innocent and North from his own testimony is guilty.

Dreyfus was persecuted because of religion. North was not persecuted, he was and is guilty of breaking laws. To claim exoneration for North because of the past misdeeds of others is a specious argument. To claim exoneration because his motives were patriotic and unselfish is equally unrealistic.

There is no question that he should not be convicted because of evidence introduced at the trial that is the product of testimony used from his declarations while under the umbrella of immunity. I had hoped that (Independent Counsel Lawrence) Walsh and Judge Gerhard Gesell would have been most careful.

Fein does not yet understand that the public needs assurance that laws are meant for all of us. Intentions good or bad are not excuses when laws are broken. Fein does make the point that North was a victim of his bosses and I think that is true. The Nuremberg trials, however, covered that issue and North although a victim is also a law breaker.

We must have an orderly society to have a society at all.

RICHARD STRAUSS

Rancho Santa Fe