Rose Bird

* Thank you for publishing such an amusing story on my “quest for obscurity” (Nov. 15). It gave me an idea. Instead of using your news columns, why don’t we collaborate and sell this piece of fiction to the movies. It could be titled “From Chief Justice to Bag Lady.” My requests would be quite modest. I’d like a Marie Dressler type to play me. And I think it would only be fair to let my “friends” write their own scripts, since they seem quite talented and imaginative as storytellers.

ROSE ELIZABETH BIRD

Palo Alto

* Many of us still lament Bird’s ouster from the Supreme Court, and still look to her as a compass of juridical integrity. Indeed, I recently set aside her essay on the O.J. Simpson verdict (Commentary, Oct. 6) as a rare voice of ethics and sanity, and have made a point of sharing the piece with friends and family who have proclaimed themselves outraged by a “miscarriage of justice.” Bird compellingly pointed out not only the solid bases for “reasonable doubt” but also the media’s hasty presumption of guilt that inarguably informed so much white outrage.

KARIN S. CODDON

San Diego

* It was interesting to read that despite her reclusive lifestyle and constant efforts to protect her anonymity, former Chief Justice Bird still made time to contact the Simpson defense team with suggestions. It may be a small part of a large article, but to me it seemed to clarify even further the legacy of injustice and tragedy Bird leaves behind: a passionate, even instinctive need to side with the accused without even the appearance of considering the victims.

With personal agendas guiding her decisions while on the bench, Bird will be remembered by many for tossing both integrity and the concept of an unbiased system of justice out the window.

JIM GRADY

Anaheim