Death by the Numbers

OK, let me get this straight. U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft said that federal prosecutors are less likely to pursue the death penalty against eligible blacks and Latinos than against whites, but nearly 80% of defendants in federal capital cases are minorities (“No Bias Seen in U.S. Death Sentences,” June 7). In other words, odds of 4 to 1 add up to less likely? Ashcroft should take up a second career in bookmaking.

S. Kenneth Kawano

Culver City