...came one hell of a lot closer today. George Bush and his bought-and-paid-for cronies got their way, and Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean surrendered to federal authorities in El Paso. They will be transported to prisons more than 1000 miles from their wives, children and families, who have spent more than $250,000 defending them against the Bush-controlled persecution.
Despite the outrage expressed by legal residents and citizens, Bush refuses to free the two men. One will be serving 11 years in prison, the other 12, without possibility of parole. Judge Kathleen Cardone, a Bush appointee, refused to allow them to remain free during the appeals process.
An interesting poll appeared on the website of the NBC-TV affiliate in San Diego:
Should the Border Patrol agents be pardoned?
Choice Percentage of 2175 Votes
Yes 97%
No 3%
In the meantime, Fox News reports this: "This is the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., said of the president during an interview with WorldNetDaily soon after Cardone's ruling. "It's shameful this was done by someone who is in the Republican Party. He obviously thinks more about his agreements with Mexico than the lives of American people and backing up his defenders."
Rohrabacher, along with a slew of other lawmakers — including Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, have been pursuing last-ditch efforts to free Ramos and Compean. Petitions with more than 225,000 signatures were delivered to the White House Tuesday afternoon.
US Attorney Johnny Sutton released a statement full of lies and distortions to justify the persecution. The “facts” he mentions all came from the testimony of the drug dealing illegal, who just happened to be found and given immunity by our government to testify against the agents.
The best response to Sutton's lies can be found in this letter from Joe Loya, father-in-law of Ignacio Ramos.
There is speculation that Bush will let the two agents sit in prison for a year, and then pardon them. That might be the right thing to do if they had done something wrong, but to force two men who were upholding the laws of this nation – something Bush can’t be bothered to do – to endure what they and their families have already endured is criminal.
Yes, I said it, and I will say it again: George Bush is a criminal. So are Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Prosecutors Johnny Sutton and Debra Kanof, Judge Cardone and two turncoat Border Patrol agents, one a life-long friend of the illegal-alien drug smuggler who aided Bush's attack dogs in their quest to send a message to illegals and drug-runners that the borders are open.
You think that too harsh? Malicious prosecution is a crime; a felony, I believe. False imprisonment is a felony. Perjury is a felony. Failing to obey the oath of office you have taken ("...to defend the Constitution and uphold the laws of the United States...") is a symbolic crime, but surely worthy of removal from office.
Another Bush lapdog, Calif. Representative (and would-be '08 presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter, expressed outrage at the way Compean and Ramos are being railroaded but, during an interview, refused to criticize Bush and excused his inaction on the issue by saying Bush is "...busy with Iraq, 24/7."
We all know that's nonsense. Judging by the way the "War on Terror" is going, Bush has probably spent a good two or three minutes a week on it, learning the lines his speechwriters came up with in futile attempts to make his "plans" sound intelligible.
I have sent an email to Rep. Rohrbacher, asking him to introduce a motion in Congress to censure George Bush. Even though the motion would surely fail, given the lack of concern for American citizens in Washington these days, we would at learn who is on the side of Americans and who prefers to sacrifice their fellow citizens to the benefit of illegals and drug smugglers.
If there is ever a real, honest trial for Ramos and Compean, they will be acquitted and Bush and his toadies will be on their way to a federal pen.
And, if there is any justice, Ramos and Compean will receive, as a very small token of compensation, the $5 million our government will cheerfully give the illegal-alien drug smuggler when he sues us.
But there is no justice in 2007 America. Not for Americans, anyway.
17 hours ago
17 comments:
I was reading about this today at worldnetdaily, one of my fav news site. Anyways, I could not believe what I was reading :O We paid for the illegals' hospital costs AND I can't remember which gov official went to Mexico- with OUR tax money to offer him immunity. I don't get how a drug smuggler illegally crossing the border gets all of those "perks." Oh and he is suing the US for 5 million for violating his civil rights. Civil rights to WHAT??
Rep Robacher [yes I know I spelled it wrong] had NOTHING nice to say about Bush's lack of comment on this, also his neglect in giving them a pardon despite the quarter of a million names on a petition from grassroots.org pleading for their release.
Boggles the mind.
I kept telling people that the Bush bunch was not a good group of people. They just keep proving me right at every turn.
Roz
BMJ -- I deleted your comment because you chose to reprint the same "response" from the DoJ I linked to, not because I think you're seriously misguided if you buy into the lies the Persecutor was spreading.
But I do think that. If you have an opinion of your own, please free to comment again.
I don't really have any emotional connection to the case, except that I support illegal immigration in certain respects -- if it weren't for people like the victim in question risking their butts (literally!) to come over here, I'd be paying a LOT more for 420 and cheeseburgers.
Paul was ranting about this tonight. He was really upset!
I think ALL the border guards should walk off their jobs... then see what happens!! I know I'd be afraid to do that job, knowing I could be canned just for doing it right!!
it's sick... what's happening to the US?
Except that these two agents in question didn't do their jobs -- they abused their power. They are going to jail not for doing their jobs, but for violating the Constitutional rights of another human being.
I support that 100%.
Let me see if I understand this, BMJ -- They violated the civil rights of a felon who entered the country illegally, assaulted one of the officers while attempting to flee and, in the opinion of one of the officers, had a firearm (do you believe someone transporting a million dollars'-worth of dope would not have a firearm?).
Yeah, right. Civil rights, George Bush-style.
All human beings inside United States territory are protected under the United States Constitution. The suspect was and is protected by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
His civil rights were violated.
Open and shut case, IMHO.
Based on that rationale, BMJ, the agents should have let him go about his business, drop off the drugs, wander in and out of the country as he wished and, if he happened to shoot at them should have just taken the bullet?
Apply the fourth Amendment broadly enough -- as some people seem bent on doing -- and we might as well just turn the country over to the criminals.
Actually, the rationale I am making about civil rights in the United States trumping usurpation of the Constitution is that 1) every person on U.S. soil is protected by the Constitution, and 2) police officers are not allowed to act in a extrajudicious manner.
These men thought they were judge, jury and executioner; this is where they erred and are rightfully paying a steep price for their misjudgement.
Phil -- You are overstating the case considerably. If (a) the illegal had not been trying to run drugs, (b) had not tried to flee, (c) had not tried to fight with the agent and (d) had not acted in a way to make the agent assume he had a weapon (reasonable, considering he was a drug smuggler), none of this would have happened.
It amazes me that some people worry more about the "rights" of criminals than the rights of peace officers and American citizens.
I don't. And I still maintain the real criminals in this case are the illegal-alien drug smuggler and the members of the Bush administration who railroaded the agents to keep their "pals" South of the border happy.
Regardless of our emotional feelings on drug smugglers (again, I myself, as slave to 420, would be hypocritical to criticise their jobs), all human beings inside the U.S. have rights as protected by the Constitution.
I strongly urge you to read the facts on this case and think instead of feel.
BMJ -- What facts? Those presented by the government, based on the testimony of the illegal-alien drug smuggler and further twisted by Bush's henchmen? Or the testimony of two American citizens who risked their lives on a daily basis to uphold the law?
I find your faith in our current government touching, but misplaced. You have chosen the wrong side to believe.
As long as I am on the side of the rule of law, I am fine with what happened.
Cops are not above the law.
BMJ -- You ignore the violations of the law on the part of the illegal-alien drug smuggler. And those violations on the agents' part that were actually provable (as opposed to trumped-up or based solely on the testimony of the perp) were, at worst, violations of regulations that, in a sane world, would have resulted in reprimands, if that.
There was no evidence to prosecute the smuggler, per the fact sheets. That's why they had to choose between not charging anyone, or charging the suspects who they did have evidence on.
Also, both agents, in an effort to cover up their involvement in the illegal shooting, claimed to investigators that they could not identify the smuggler. The smuggler was not charged due to the criminality and false statements made by the agents, not because of some government conspiracy to legalize drug smuggling.
Post a Comment