Defendants Forced to Plead Guilty

Re “Judge May Reject Olson Guilty Plea,” Nov. 2: Sara Jane Olson is not the first to plead guilty under pressure and she won’t be the last. It is all too common for defendants facing insurmountable odds to make a plea--even when innocent of the crime--in order to get on with their lives or make the best deal possible.

Clearly, Olson cannot receive a fair trial in today’s charged climate. She did what she had to do--now watch the judge who denied her the opportunity for a fair trial tell her she cannot make her best deal. Something smells, and it isn’t Olson’s story this time.

Sandra George

Beverly Hills

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As a once (several times, actually) and future juror, I resent Olson/Kathleen Soliah’s insinuation that she couldn’t expect to get a fair verdict if her case went to trial. If she participated in the system instead of living her double life, she would have seen that most jurors bend over backward to weigh the facts and arrive at a just decision. Now that she pleaded guilty to the court, however, she can’t eat her cake and have it, too, by recanting to the cameras. She’s no longer an “alleged” bomber-conspirator; she is now an admitted terrorist.

Russell Johnson

Marina del Rey