Bush Commutes Ramos-Compean Sentences
From Fox News
On his last full day in office, President Bush commuted the controversial sentences of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug runner in 2005.
The imprisonment of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean had sparked outcry from critics who said the men were just doing their jobs and were punished too harshly. They had been sentenced to 11- and 12-year sentences, respectively.
Their sentences will now expire on March 20 of this year.
On his last full day in office, President Bush commuted the controversial sentences of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug runner in 2005.
The imprisonment of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean had sparked outcry from critics who said the men were just doing their jobs and were punished too harshly. They had been sentenced to 11- and 12-year sentences, respectively.
Their sentences will now expire on March 20 of this year.
Labels: George W. Bush, ignacio ramos, jose compean
Posted by Michael Higby @ 1/19/2009 11:17:00 AM
10 Comments:
Fantastic news.
Thank you, President Bush!
I guess if you choose to ignore the crimes of Cheney and the vast majority of your staff you can't ignore these two bozos.
Vigilante justice on behalf of government agents on the taxpayer payroll - what a message to send to every other "cowboy" out there.
It's about time. They shouldn't have been charged as a crime vs. handling events as an administrative matter to begin with.
The commutation does not "forgive" them as a "pardon" would, but at least they are out. Their careers in law enforcement are done. They should have been pardoned. Look at those in the past who received pardons; in terms of justice being done, this rates above many of those.
But for that ADDITIONAL element, the "use of a firearm in the commission of a crime," they would have been out long ago. THAT'S supposed to be there in the statute to discourage perpetrators of a crime (more like career criminals) from escalating the threat they pose by using guns while they carry out their crime.
It is supposed to be a deterrent for criminals using firearms, but the application here to law enforcement was a twisted one. Literally, it was a correctly used for calculation in arriving at a sentence, once charged, but it was not by the intent of the law for application of such charges to law enforcement, absent some showing of an intent to commit a crime BEFORE undertaking the actions considered criminal conduct.
In the case of cops, they are required by the nature of their work to be armed.
They don't have the option of leaving the guns in the trunk judt to be sure they aren't exposed to this sentence enhancement in case they make a bad judgment with a suspect.
Ramos and Campeon were trying to do their job- but the later picking up their spent brass and shells after firing the weapons appeared to seal their fate, actions that were decided by them AFTER the shooting.
Deterrence was irrelevant as to limiting firearms involvement when you look at those facts that convert the actions to become a crime by these actions SUBSEQUENT to firing the weapons, not by the intent formed before going into the confrontation with the suspect. The law was misapplied to begin with.
Johnny Sutton, the Asst. U.S. Atty. in Texas, a personal friend of Pres. Bush, was more the criminal than the defendants, using the drug dealer "victim" to promote this conviction, while doing his best to conceal any truth about the situation at all phases of this case.
The "victim" continued his drug smuggling after the events of the "crime" charged, which was during the handling of the prosecution, but that revelation was denied by Sutton, like many things in this case. (There was another agenda in going forward with this prosecution, already discussed in many other articles on the subject.)
Sutton was the criminal by his intent, in my opinion, more that Ramos and Campeon ever could have been. He should have taken no pride in this case like he showed in interviews after the conviction. Just a liar, regardless of what the Border Patrol agents did.
And remember, this lawyer, Johnny Sutton, like most lawyers making comments regarding a case, during proceedings in court or afterward, is NOT UNDER OATH, so take that for whatever you strength you want to attribute to what he said.
In Cd-14
ITS ABOUT TIME...WE have idiot politicans in our city who support illegals who are breaking the law every day and ruining our city with filth and blight yet not one of them has the guts to say a damn word. No wonder blogs all over the nation slam this group of idiots in Los Angeles. Does anyone know how much its costing us tax payers for the Mayor, his security detail, his assistants, his pr person and the rest to have gone to Washington on our tax dollars? No leadership in Los Angeles. Every other city is having a huge event for Obama's inauguration yet nothing here in LA but isn't that typical of the fools who run this city.
It's the 20th of January and not a sliver of Zuma Dogg on Night Line.
Bumped for another year!
This is just so symbolic of George Bush's attempts to walk down the center; when you try to please everyone, you usually please no one.
He should have pardoned them both. Period.
As a Republican and a Bush supporter, this final "compromise" disappoints me greatly.
I didn't vote for President Obama, but I will support him and pray he does the right things. So far, I think he's on the right track.
I am hoping he will send a clear message today to the Islamo Fascists that he will take up the standard and follow them into their caves and kill those that would kill Americans.
If he will dothat, I will back him despite my fear of a welfare st3ate...
Get a job if you have nothing to do but attack Zuma. What have you done in the last two years for this community. At least Zuma always uses his name. Cant say the same for you.
806, I have no tolerance for a HOMELESS MAN billing himself as an ECONOMIST.
Vote for him, and sign your name to it if you think that's on the up-and-up.
Explain to us why you think a HOMELESS MAN billing himself as an ECONOMIST doesn't make you blink an eye.
Sincerely,
Professor W. Edward Deming
PhStupiD
Police Corruption: East LA Style
A group calling itself Merchants Against Prostitution in East Los Angeles (MAPELA)has filed a criminal misconduct complaint with the LA County District Attorney's Office (Steve Cooley)by way of the Justice System Integrity Divsion (JSID, against two LA County sheriff deputies that work out of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station. The district attorney's office is now conducting an investigation against deputies Alvarez and Amendola. Among other things, Alvarez and Amendola are "johns" of prostitutes that "work" along Whittier Blvd. in East LA. Alvarez and Amendola also alert prostitutes of impending sting operations, they recall bench warrants for prostitutes through sheriff computers, they give out extensions to prostitutes that must pay fines for prior convictions, and they don't arrest selected prostitutes that "work" the streets. Captain Romero who heads the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station knows about Alvarez and Amendola but does nothing to them because they are his drinking buddies. Romero should be removed and corrupt" trick" sheriffs Alvarez and Amendola should be put in jail. They are a disgrace to themselves, to the law enforcement community, and they are an embarrassment to the hard working and dedicated deputies that work out of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station.
From my understanding of the situation, MAPELA just writes annonymous letters making unsubstantiated accusations against the deputies. If they really have some evidence that theses things are happening, they should have the courage to come forward so investigators can interview them and get to the truth.
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