To the editor:

State Sen. Patty Birkholz's letter attacking U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak is purely political and as such, conveniently omits facts that don't fit her premise.

Not mentioned by Birkholz is that among those who voted against the compact were two of four representatives from Ohio who have Lake Erie shoreline in their district - Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich, and Betty McCollum of Minnesota. Along with Stupak, these legislators who represent a lot of Great Lakes shoreline voted the courage of their convictions.

She references the legal opinion of Professor Noah Hall of Wayne State in Detroit. While Hall is a respected lawyer and noted expert on water issues, Birkholz fails to mention that Hall had a role in negotiating the compact, so his comments are hardly unbiased.

Additionally, Hall, according to his Web site, is providing legal counsel to Birkholz (and others) on an unrelated issue, so a professional relationship between them exists that could compromise objectivity.

Concerning the bottled water loophole that Birkholz wants to dismiss, I recommend that she and others check the comments of University of Chicago Law Professor Anu Bradford. Bradford, an expert on international trade law, does not equivocate when quoted in a Washington Post article on the Compact when she says that once water leaves its pristine, natural state and is declared a product (bottled water), it is subject to export under international trade agreements.

This is exactly what Stupak is trying to prevent. As I'm from Illinois, I have no voting interest in the Stupak-Casperson race. I do have an interest in the Great Lakes and in getting the facts correct.

Sen. Birkholz's letter is pure political pandering that does not serve the citizens of the first congressional district well as they prepare to make an important decision.

Gary Wilson

Oak Park, Ill.