opinion

Friends, journalists, self-righteous critics,
Lend me your ears:
I come to weep for Bruce Harris,
Not to bury the truth.
The sins of men live after them;
The good they do is swiftly forgotten;
So let it be with Harris.
The noble media
Has told you that Harris is a villain:
If it were so, it is a grievous charge,
And grievously has Harris paid for it.
After all, the gentlemen of the media
Are honorable men.
So are they all, all honorable men --
Who preside at Harris' public inquisition.
He is my friend, faithful and just to me:
But the media says he's wicked;
And the media IS an honorable institution.
Harris devoted 15 years
On behalf of children,
Never once veering from his task.
He fought gallantly and at the peril of his life
To help redeem society's chaff:
Is this in Harris a mark of iniquity?
When poor children cried and died,
Harris wept.
I saw his tears with my own eyes;
Evil should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet the press says he acted
With depravity;
And the press IS always fair and upright...
You all read about his exploits and travails.
Harris boldly went after criminals,
Depraved cops, cruel prison wardens,
Against crooked lawyers
And illicit adoption brokers,
Against inept and two-faced officials
And corrupt politicians --
All of whom, hammer and nails in  hand
Now smell the sweet aroma of revenge
In the face of tragedy.
Yet reporters and commentators
And the pious rabble
All say Harris is a sinner;
And, sure, they are all honorable men.
I speak not to disprove the bare facts;
Harris owns up to them
With bravery and candor.
No, I am here to speak what I know.
What I know is that Harris is human.
The world did admire him once --
And not without cause.
What cause prevents the world
From feeling his shame and pain?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.
Bear with me;
My heart beats in Harris' chest,
And I must pause to catch my breath till reason
And compassion prevail
And let he who has never gone astray
Cast the first stone.
 

W. E. Gutman is a veteran journalist on assignment in Central America since
1991. He lives in southern California.


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Kerry, Speech at New York University
Jackson, How the US election is likely to turn
Soca De Vote, Getting Caribbean-Americans to the polls
Liut, Goss's qualifications as seen through his stands on Haiti
Gutman, Of cretins, killers and kleptocrats
Carpio, G3 in the Greater Caribbean
Gutman, The sweet smell of revenge
Bernal, General History of Panama
Leis, Floods and building standards

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