Ellie Nesler

Dershowitz has injected a note of sanity in the pathetic lionization of Nesler. Those who make her into a hero need to check their emotions and consider the implications of her act. The film “Unforgiven” painted a grim portrait of a society without a meaningful justice system, where vengeance was accepted, and only the strongman could maintain order by dispensing arbitrary and cruel punishment. Is this the type of society that the vengeance seekers want?

The justice system that we have is far from perfect, but it can be improved, whereas the law of vengeance will lead us only to a barbarism unimaginably worse than what we have today. Those who would have us excuse what Nesler did are, in the final analysis, no better than the criminals they would summarily execute.

DAVID CAMERON CARR

Santa Monica