Posted on 01/19/2009 9:58:40 AM PST by E.G.C.
Edited on 01/19/2009 10:46:59 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
WASHINGTON – In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.
Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.
Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.
Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes. Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.
Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.
The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said...................."
God speed to these two good and decent men.
And may God bless President Bush.
Finally an end to this shameful episode.
Now if Sutton would end up doing time it would be perfect.
Is there any chance HolyO can cancel this?
I have a dream!! I dream that tomorrow, one of HolyO’s first acts as POTUS is to upgrade this to a full pardon for Ramos and Compean!!
Probably more likely the first will happen instead of the second, but we’ll see.
Prayers up for them and their families.
“I haven’t checked yet, but you can bet there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth over on the DU. “
Not just DU- there are a few here who are just like that DU crowd. If they haven’t shown up already they’ll be here soon enough crowing that R&S weren’t pardoned, just commuted.
LOL, your post has made me decide to literally do just that :)
They have been on my mind and I had almost given up hope.
I’m truly happy to have them out of prison but these men deserve a PARDON. They were ddoing their jobs and shouldn’t be treated as criminals. It will be impossible for them to find any future work in law enforcement.
It was not a fair trial.
It may not have been a kangaroo court, but it for sure rose to the level of a wallabee court.
Sutton (the prosecutor and Bush's friend) has a vendetta against the border patrol and enforcing our laws against illegal insurgent criminal invaders colonizing our country.
Politicians and their "friends" and the favors they get is despicable.
Better than nothing for sure, but I’d still like to see them get a full pardon and reinstatement with back pay.
Agreed, it should have been a pardon. It seems appropriate that even until the end, Bush would try to please all sides, and seem to fall short of the mark for all. I'm grateful for their freedom, but it should have been a full pardon.
We didn’t have one the last eight years, that’s for sure.
In the mean time they can never again legally own or possess a firearm or even engage in hunting etc while an illegal allien felon drug dealer being enabled by a U.S. Attorney's stupidity is free to continue his high profit trade. Typical Bush politics and backing up his friends at all cost politics. He did it half right but never completely right just like everything else. I'm glad these men are finally free from prison but justice was still not served. They saw much more time in prison than many of Bush's welcomed illegals who come here and rape, rob, maim, and kill our citizens.
About damned time!
“The Congress is a disgrace. Everytime military funding came up they held this President hostage for BS domestic programs and earmarks. In the end he caved to protect and fund his military as their CIC, and to protect the U.S.”
Thank you! Not one in 10 gets this.
Now all the FReepers that have been yammering about what a big spender Bush was will have the chance to witness REALLY big spending by an administration that will only do it to reward pet groups like ACORN, climate change idiots and greedy libs everywhere.
Amen and amen. I’m looking forward t hearing what Glenn Beck says about it today. He’s been a huge advocate and has done so much to keep awareness up and enlist others to try to help these guys and their families.
At least they can appeal as free men. I would take my family and get out of America though.
Some justice has been done.
You have it reversed. A pardon is better.
“They said accepting a pardon would have been an admission of guilt, and they still plan on fighting the conviction.”
Interesting.
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