Hunter had timed the rally to coincide with Kathleen Lord’s filing of a 98-page appeal and the N.A.C.D.L.’s amicus brief on Auman’s behalf. Although the appeal would be not just denied but denied with a new judicial interpretation that broadened the felony-murder law, the battle was only beginning. Now the case is before Colorado’s highest court, and I’ll give Hunter the last word.

III.

I salute the courage and wisdom of the Colorado Supreme Court for finally giving me and at least a million others a valid reason to be proud of living here again. This is the first ray of light we have seen in this area since John Elway was leading the Broncos to two Super Bowl victories.

Any law-enforcement system that deliberately and maliciously buries a clearly innocent young woman in the state penitentiary for the rest of her life with no possibility of parole is dangerously vicious and a permanent disgrace to the once proud state of Colorado. It is rotten and wrong, and shames every person who lives here, including every judge sitting on the State Supreme Court who stands up in public to insist that this girl should remain in a stale dungeon for 55 more years without any chance of ever getting released—for a crime she did not commit—and every cop who falsely put her there.

It was my duty to get involved in this case and speak strongly, because nobody else would. The girl was innocent, but nobody in Denver dared to speak out against the police. It is dangerous in Denver to get on the wrong side of the D.P.D.

It was that simple. Lisl Auman is the victim in this cruel and crazy case, not the perpetrator. She is being punished for the rest of her life for a crime that was committed while she was in police custody. The cops know she is innocent, but she is locked up anyway, because somebody had to go down. That is the Law of the West—an eye for an eye and a life for a life. No exceptions and no mercy. Bang. You’re dead, as a lesson to the others.

Now we are finally getting to the point of this horrible case. Is there anything fair about it? Anything at all? Is there anything even sane about it?

No. There is not. Fairness and sanity went out the window a long time ago, with regard to Lisl Auman’s punishment. This one goes back to the Law of the Fang. It may be the only law the D.P.D. doesn’t routinely violate.

I have come to hate this case more than any story I’ve ever worked on, at least since the trial of Richard Nixon and the Manson-family murders. This one is no longer about points of law or precedent, but entirely about the difference between Right and Wrong in America. The time has come to stand up and be counted, to declare which side you are on today and forever, especially all those who believe in heaven and hell. They too will be judged and punished for their crimes, and the Lisl Auman case is one of them.

The Free Lisl campaign is ongoing, and those interested in getting involved should log onto www.lisl.com for more information about the case. There are several ways to take action: write to the editor of the Rocky Mountain News (P.O. Box 719, Denver, Colorado 80201; e-mail: letters@rockymountainnews.com) or The Denver Post (1560 Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80202; e-mail: openforum@denverpost.com).

Call Denver district attorney Bill Ritter at 720-913-9000 to let him know that it was wrong to charge Lisl with a crime, because she is innocent. Call Denver police chief Gerry Whitman at 720-913-6527 and ask him to set the record straight on the Lisl case.

Contributions for the Free Lisl campaign or toward Lisl’s education can be sent to: Lisl Auman Information Project, Bank One, 5734 S. Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado 80120, Attn: Customer Service.