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GERALD R. FORD March 6, 2003 Dear Charles: I thank you for your letter of March 3 with enclosures. I deeply appreciate Senator Alan Simpson's personal comments on the Supreme Court case and his public support. I fully concur with Al and you on "gay equality before the law." I sincerely hope that you prevail in the case of Lawrence v. Texas. At this point, however, I am not signing the proposed op-ed piece for the New York Times. Several months ago I did an op-ed piece for the New York Times on the University of Michigan cases on student admission policies. Subsequently I joined with several others publicly supporting the university's position. I feel that it might be unwise to dilute my influence on the Michigan case by authorizing an op-ed piece. The same dilution would be true if I became active in the Texas lawsuit. I hope you understand. Keep me posted. Warmest, best wishes, Mr. Charles Francis Post Office Box 19206 Washington, D.C. 20036-9206