I almost felt sorry for Linda Chavez, until I remembered how she has vilified her political opponents. I remember how the administration Chavez worked for vilified my longtime partner, Wendy LeWin, for providing aid and comfort to people decreed “illegal.” Wendy engaged in such subversive acts as driving people to Bible class, helping them with medical appointments and providing a safe home, and was rewarded with a felony conviction.
Linda Chavez could have spoken out then against this repression. Or she could have spoken out against the support that the Reagan administration gave to murderous regimes in Guatemala and El Salvador, which drove people like Marta Mercado to the U.S. in the first place. Ms. Chavez did not speak out.
Now Ms. Chavez would have us believe she is the victim. Ms. Chavez should be applauded for the compassion she showed to Ms. Mercado. But she deserves to be reviled for the hypocrisy she has displayed for her attacks and her silence when others, like Wendy, who held different political views, were vilified for the same acts of compassion.
