WHY IS GARRETT IN PRISON?

George W. Bush's sideways admission that he himself may have taken
illegal drugs in the 1970s makes Charles Edward Garrett's continued
incarceration particularly ironic.

Mr. Garrett, a black man, was sentenced to life imprisonment by an
all-white Texas jury in 1970 for possession of a small amount of
heroin. Mr. Garrett, who fortunately had the foresight to jump bail at
the time, was apprehended last year after nearly 30 years of freedom.

During his three decades as a fugitive, Mr. Garrett turned his life
around, freeing himself of his addiction and becoming a law-abiding,
productive citizen. Now the state of Texas wants to keep him behind
bars for life. As if that weren't unjust enough, now Mr. Bush has
added insult to injury by pointing out the incredible hypocrisy of the
Texas criminal justice system: One Texas man takes drugs in the 1970s
and he is expected to die in jail. Another Texas man may have taken
drugs in the 1970s and he is expected to run the country. It's hard to
imagine a more striking comparison.

Please protest the absurdly harsh sentencing of Charles Edward
Garrett. The state of Texas should not uphold racist sentences that
were handed out by jurors of a less enlightened era. Charles Edward
Garrett has already served 10 months in prison and should be released
immediately.

ROSE KELLEHER,
Gaithersburg, Md.