Posted on 09/15/2006 10:13:36 AM PDT by GrandmaPatriot
The U.S. government is appeasing the Mexican government at the expense of three of its own reputable American citizens and their families -- even though the country hasn’t been a good neighbor or done anything to stop drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other criminal activity brought by Mexican citizens across the American border.
The U.S. Office of International Affairs in Washington D.C. gave an order earlier this week for the arrest of the Bounty Hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, 53, his son Leland Chapman, 29, and his brother Timothy Chapman, 41, with the intent of extraditing them to Mexico.
The trio are well known for their reality show on A&E, based on their work in Hawaii and the mainland as bounty hunters where they chase down and apprehend criminals who've violated the terms of their bail. They not only put on a popular entertaining show and promote law and order, but they run a compassionate and conservative operation through their business, Da Kine Bail Bonds. They pray during every television episode before they apprehend a suspect. They preach to the suspects about Jesus Christ, getting off of drugs, and turning their life around. And they even feature a picture of President George W. Bush in their shows.
Hawaii’s head U.S. Marshall, Mark “Dutch” Hanohano, says the order for their arrest came from Washington D.C. The warrant was prepared Wednesday and executed by seven deputies without incident at 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning at the Chapmans’ Hawaii Portlock home, Hanohano says.
The Chapmans made an appearance in Hawaii’s federal court Thursday and will be back in court Friday.
The irony is they are being arrested for doing what American law enforcement failed to do.
The Chapmans went to Mexico in 2003 in hot pursuit of a serial rapist, who fled the United States after being convicted in a California court for three rapes. The target was the Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who is now serving 104 years in prison in the United States as a result of their work. They apprehended Luster on June 18, 2003, and he was jailed the next day.
But rather than cheering the Chapmans for removing a convicted serial rapist from their country before he struck again, the Mexican government charged the Chapmans with illegal detention and conspiracy, throwing them in a cold, dark and dangerous Mexican prison for refusing to turn over Luster to them. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico.
The case -- and their treatment by the Mexican government -- launched them into the international spotlight, and eventually landed them the A&E gig, now the most popular series on the network for the past two years.
The Chapmans were supposed to appear at a court hearing there on July 15, 2003, but wisely never showed.
Now instead of defending three citizens who have collectively rounded up an estimated 6,000 bail jumpers and criminals in the last quarter of a century, through their offices on three Hawaiian islands, the U.S. government is willing to turn them over to what could essentially turn out to be their death sentence. Mexican prisons are not patrolled by the ACLU and prisoners don’t have cable television, private cells, and three meals a day or the same rights as they would in America.
So the question is why? Why is the U.S. Office of International Affairs having them arrested and extradited? Why is that office throwing three of its most famous, do-good citizens to a lawless country run by thugs who will take cash over principal any day? At what political price are these government bureaucrats selling the Chapmans to a foreign government?
It is outrageous that the federal government is endangering the lives of these three men.
Hawaii law enforcement officers muttered something about an international treaty with Mexico, but the bottom line is the United States owes Mexico nothing except the return of its hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and all the crack and cocaine smuggled from there to America’s 50 states.
Chapman's publicist, Mona Wood, released a statement to the media on Thursday morning, saying her client will be vindicated. “This is obviously a very upsetting time for the Chapman family. Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman is a true modern-day hero. He arrests the bad guys -- he is definitely not one of them.”
She’s right -- he is a hero. Americans should rally, write their Congressman and the president, and demand freedom now for "Dog" and the other two Chapmans.
Congress should intervene on the Chapmans’ behalf and open an investigation into the behavior of the heads of this so-called Office of International Affairs.
Whoever gave that arrest and extradition order should be fired and appropriately humiliated in the national and international press for making the American government appear hostile and unjust to its own citizens and unethical, and for embarrassing America on an international level.
The Chapmans deserve the thanks of all Americans -- including local and federal law enforcement -- for rounding up so many criminals who jumped their bail with no intention of serving jail time.
Just ask Andrew Lusters’ three rape victims who can rest a little easier knowing their seemingly untouchable and untraceable attacker is behind bars for life.
The Chapmans made the streets safer. They should be rewarded -- not punished -- and they should be put back to work. There are, after all, still thousands of real criminals to catch.
ping
What you should have done was changed the title and notified the moderator about the change and why you changed it. At least that's what I would have done.
This garbage with Chapman isn't going to help government with their pro illegals stance much.
I saw that original title but never got a chance to see what the article was about. I thought maybe it was Troll.
I guess the original headline presented a bit of a dilemma.
But this seems like an okay solution.
Yeah, I think cripplecreek got it right. There are two rules that appear to be mutually exclusive. I think you did the right thing this time around.
Set the Dog Free!
Set the Dog Free!
Ping
This is going to be a big issue for the Republicans this election. I think it may not help with the voter turnout in a lot of border states. I hope not though.
1) Vulgarities are not permitted in posting
2) This board is not publicly owned, its publicly supported and therefore Moderators deem what is and isn't appropriate
3) Don't like the rules, move to another board!
Yep, the law that they choose to enforce, shows how little they thing of US Citizens.
It seems that anyone that can think on their feet, act independently and get the job done is no longer an American quality.
I was a commisioned salesman for 11 years .. I did well utilizing those very qualities .. when I slowed ... so did money.
If ever there was a time for Presidential intervention ... President Bush ... this is it.
Neither is changing article titles permitted. Which rule am I supposed to obey? They seem to be contradictory.
Thanks for the quick invitation to move to another board. That's pretty harsh when you see my dilemma.
"It is outrageous that the federal government is endangering the lives of these three men."
Understatement of the year.
Our government needs to be put on a leash -- not the "Dog".
Stuff like this gets me so p**st off I can't even see straight!
Maybe you could try freepmailing the moderator for guideance instead of acting like a complete classless dolt by shrieking CENSHORSHIP!
Of course if the US lets the Dogs go, ya know Mexico will be screaming:
Who let the Dogs out???
Who let the Dogs out???
You can add your own barking sound, heh. Crazy world we live in.
I went to that website. It is not really a news site at all. It's a commercial blog. They're selling their services of locating and selling public data on individuals.
They do print some news, but that's not the site's focus. I think the article should be in Bloggers/Personal.
Did you even read post #8?
Mr. President:
I urge you to stop the extradition of Duane Chapman, 53, his son Leland Chapman, 29, and his brother Timothy Chapman, 41 to Mexico.
I am certain that you know Mr. Chapman's history. The Chapmans were successful in returning a serial rapist, Andrew Luster, who is now serving 104 years in prison in the United States as a result of their work. Luster fled the United States after being convicted in a California court for three rapes. Mexico had made no attempt to arrest and return him.
He and his family are well known by the U.S. public for their apprehension of fugitives and bail jumpers.
Mexico has never cooperated with the United States in returning any of our citizens or their own nationals in Mexico for the commission of crimes in the United States. I have lived here on the U.S. Mexico border for over 50 years. I was employed as a Border Patrol agent and a middle manager for the U.S. Customs Service for over 33 years.
The corruption and complicity of the Mexican government at all levels is no surprise to me.
I again urge you to intervene in this instance and if necessary issue a Presidential pardon. Have the courage to stand up for our own citizens, something President Clinton was loathe to do.
Name withheld
I did read post #8, yes. I don't take your point. It's still a commercial blog, and the headline at that blog is offensive.
Sorr, this should have been directed to dirtboy.
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