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Wanda Lee Cartwright Born: December 30, 1934 Died: February 22, 2000 by Bruce Plasket The death of Wanda Cartwright - a loss to all who knew her - underscores a tragic irony in our society. It seems those who get paid to seek justice would rather collect their paychecks as politicians. Those who are paid to bring real news to others and fight the secrecy that shields governmental ineptitude are often content to parrot the inanities of the politicians. The prospect of actually earning one's salary seems lost. Then there are people like Wanda Carpenter, better known on these pages as Panico. Wanda invested as much - maybe more - time and energy in the Ramsey case than many of those whose job it is to seek justice. And she did it all for free. Panico was one of those increasingly rare people who saw wrong and tried to right it. And she didn't care who or what was standing in her way. She had little tolerance for governmental doublespeak and inaction. She thought it was still okay to be mad when bumbling, spineless, self-seeking public officials turn a blind eye to the brutal murder of a child. And she was right. She was a refreshingly outspoken alternative to the shuffling ineptitude of the Boulder police and District Attorney Alex Hunter. But now Wanda Cartwright is gone. And Hunter remains as the single biggest obstacle to justice in the Ramsey case. The media - under the weak leadership of editors who haven't left their easy chairs in decades - have also gone away. The killer of a six-year-old remains free and precious few seem to care anymore. If there is anything we can learn from the stubborn fighting spirit of Wanda Carpenter, it is to persevere. Panico didn't give up when the grand jury disbanded. She didn't give up when cancer came stalking her a second time. She continued her fight for justice while fighting a disease she knew would eventually beat her. Prosecutors in the Ramsey case have been waiting for the public and the press to go away. For the most part, their three-year plan to put the case on the back burner has worked. And their plan will continue to work unless others display the dogged strength exemplified by Wanda Carpenter. This is a time to mourn the passing of a friend. But it is also time for each of us to reach down for the strength to keep this fight alive. Panico would never allow the Ramsey case to go away quietly. Her death is a terrible loss to her family, her friends and our justice system. Wanda was a person you wanted in your foxhole when the bullets started to fly. I am proud to have fought side by side with her.

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