From the archives: Janet Reno tells LI students to place value on liberties

This story was originally published in Newsday on March 20, 2003.

In a quiet voice, former Attorney General Janet Reno told an auditorium of Long Island students on the eve of war not to take democracy or the country's guarantee of civil liberties for granted.

What is the best way to effect change, one student asked, "with a president who does not acknowledge public protest?"

"If you feel that way ... find a local politician you believe in," said Reno, 64. "Let your voice be heard."

During her two-hour talk at Suffolk Community College in Selden, Reno gingerly avoided endorsing or condemning an American invasion of Iraq.

Reno, a Democrat steered clear, too, of criticizing Republican President George W. Bush, though she did speak about the possible erosion of civil liberties. She highlighted the case of the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of having connections with the al-Qaida terror network.

"They are being held without charges, without lawyers," Reno said. "That is of real concern."

Reno also talked yesterday about the need for proper health care for the elderly, her battle with Parkinson's disease, being one of only 16 women in Harvard law school's 1963 graduating class and, most passionately, about her late mother.

She said her proudest accomplishment was "making sure that my mother aged comfortably," and took comfort in knowing she was by her side when she died in 1992. "Never forget your family."

Appointed in 1978 as state attorney general for Dade County, Fla., the native Floridian entered the national spotlight in 1993 when President Bill Clinton named her U.S. attorney general.

During her eight-year tenure as the nation's first female "top cop," Reno faced a series of tragedies and controversies - the FBI's fiery siege at Waco, Texas, at the compound of evangelist David Koresh, the Oklahoma City bombing and the seizure in Miami and return to Cuba of 6-year- old Elian Gonzalez.

Though the crime rate nationwide plummeted while Reno was at the Justice Department and she is credited with modernizing law enforcement by increasing information technology resources, conservative Republicans attacked her almost as viciously as they did her scandal-magnet boss, Clinton.

Many called for Reno's removal, saying she was reluctant to investigate Clinton in connection with the Whitewater real estate deals.

Even the comedy show "Saturday Night Live" parodied Reno with a long-running sketch - "Janet Reno's Dance Party" - which featured a male actor as a boxy-dressed attorney general. Reno won raves for her guest spot on the show after she left office.

Now, following an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in Florida last year, Reno says she is content to tour the lecture circuit.

"I hate to ask for money for myself - it always feels like begging," Reno said of raising campaign funds. Instead she prefers "talking to people about what I think is important and how they can help get things done."